Our ongoing fight for a once-invisible fish…now made visible

April 12, 2023.Reading time 12 minutes.

Fish fascinate me. Whether I meet them up close and underwater, or on the other side of a thick glass aquarium panel, they give off a chill, yet hyper-vigilant fishy vibe. A vibe that signifies they’re hanging out, being fishy with the other fishies, and my potential predatory self has been clocked, but not entirely […]

What does it take to reawaken a Native language?

November 28, 2022.Reading time 10 minutes.

This is a question that hardworking, dedicated tribal staff throughout California and many other regions are living every day. The ongoing efforts of my friends and colleagues Julian Lang in Karuk territory, Loren Bommelyn in Tolowa Dee-Ni, Nakia Zavalla in Samala[Chumash], and Jennifer Malone for the Wukchumni, are accompanied by hundreds of other people in […]

Why a trio of articles on tribes + fire = essential reading

September 1, 2022.Reading time 8 minutes.

Wildfires are a permanent part of the landscape. Climate change – and a host of “positive” ecological feedback loops (a positive loop is one that is self-reinforcing; a negative loop indicates reactions that move in the opposite direction) – mean that things will only get worse, not better, unless we enact radical changes. We have […]

Los Ancianos – Honoring the Old Ones

August 21, 2022.Reading time 3 minutes.

This Spring, before the heatwaves began scorching our lands out West, my girlfriend Toni and I toured some of the outstanding scenery of Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and California. We had a little over a week, and so we aimed the van towards Zion and Bryce National Parks, the Valley of Fire, and Death Valley. We […]

The Language of Silence

August 11, 2022.Reading time 21 minutes.

Why America’s oldest lake is in so much trouble Recently during a lunchtime conversation with a well-read, well-traveled friend, I mentioned Clear Lake. “Where’s that?” she asked. “California’s largest lake?” I responded, doing a quick calculation of how much contextual information I needed to share. “It’s in Lake County, a few hours from here. I […]