Cathy English Interview – Future of the Columbia

An interview with Cathy English, curator of the Revelstoke Museum and Archives, where she discusses the future of the Columbia River.

Title Screen: Circular logo on a black backdrop. Logo is an image of four waves turning into wheat on the left end. The title “Stories Beneath the Surface” is circled around the image in capital letters.

Interview with Cathy English. Cathy English is a white woman with short grey hair, wearing a blue zip-up sweater. She is standing on a dirt path. There is green grass, a mountain, and grey sky behind her.

Revelstoke Museum and Archives logo in the bottom right hand corner.

Transcript of Narration:

So what would be a happy ending for the Columbia River?

I-I think part of it is that we, especially in the face of the climate crisis that we’re currently experiencing throughout the world, um, we need to look at how can we heal this river? [moves right hand around in talking manner, continues throughout video]

What-what things can be done to bring it back, if not to its natural state, at least back to some form that would, is better than what it is now? [moves left hand similar to right, continues until near end of video]

Where it can sustain more agriculture, where it can sustain more-more life, where it can sustain more species.

Um, I think one of the things that’s being talked about with the current negotiations is how to find ways to lessen the abrupt fluctuations of the reservoir above the Hugh Keenleyside Dam.

Does it need to be the-the abrupt and huge fluctuations that we currently experience now? Maybe that’s one way.

Of course, there’s a lot of work done to try to reintroduce salmon in the Columbia River.

I think that would be a really important, uh, way of healing the river, healing the people who have lost so much along the river.

I think any-any measures that can be taken towards restoring the salmon, towards restoring any other species, I think is-is really important move.

And I think we just all have to be, uh, water keepers.

We all have to be aware that this is, this river belongs to-to all of us. [circles both hands around and towards each other, in an “us” motion]

This last weekend I was hearing stories from many different Indigenous nations and they all have creation stories that involve the Columbia River. [stops moving left hand]

The Columbia River is so much an important part of-of their life stories and I think we need to listen to those stories and be aware that the-the Columbia River is important for the lives of all of us.

And its health is reflective of our health and the health of our planet.

[Video fades to black]