River of Renewal

Winner of the Best Documentary award at the 2008 American Indian Film Festival, Carlos Bolado's engaging PBS-aired documentary is based on Stephen Most's titular 2006 book, which looks at the crisis revolving around the balance between ecology and commerce in Oregon's Klamath Basin region. In 2001, the federal Bureau of Reclamation cut off Klamath-based irrigation water to farmers and ranchers due to concerns about threats to the survival of fish species. When those who were denied water staged a demonstration by illegally carrying bucketfuls from the basin to the irrigation canal, the Bush White House worked around the tenets of the Endangered Species Act in order to accommodate their interests. However, the warning about the damage to the ecosystem came true—in September 2002, some 80,000 spawning salmon died in the estuary. The film details how the American Indian tribes of the region took the initiative in hammering out a consensus to help ensure that a profitable economy could thrive without damaging the ecological structure of the basin, while also showing how local tribal members aggressively and successfully coerced Warren Buffett's PacifiCorp to sign an agreement (in principle) to remove four hydroelectric dams blamed for wrecking the local commercial salmon fishing industry. River of Renewal effectively touches on many subject areas: economics, environmental science, contemporary American Indian issues, and the connection of local concerns with national sociopolitical operations. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)