Follow The Water Blog

It is heartbreaking to hear a story about someone who has felt unwelcome walking along a forest trail or sitting with friends at a river park. But it is a true story. It’s a true story for many people, in fact. It wasn’t that the outdoors were too harsh or too rugged for them. It… Continue Reading An Invitation for People of Color Outdoors

Have you noticed those sunken planters along the side of a city street? I’m guessing you might like to walk along those plants and trees away from traffic when you’re out with your dog. Some of you probably wonder why your city is building planters that only seem to collect drink cups, candy wrappers, and… Continue Reading What Are Street Planters, Anyway?

Have you ever seen salmon spawning in a river? It’s kind of magical. I saw my first salmon spawning when I was in my early twenties. I was on the Clackamas River with my buddy. We were scoping out water to practice our casting. Flyfishing was new to both of us. I saw something splashing… Continue Reading Salmon & Tires

I hear this line often when I’m out working in a stream: “There’s no fish in that ditch!” I used to think that, too. I realize now that it’s a bit of a myth to think that. In my exploration of the streams that flow through farms and cities, I’ve been surprised how much life… Continue Reading Good Things Come From Small Places

Let’s talk about things going down the drain for a minute… We use a lot of “drain” metaphors in our English language to describe our culture. We hate to have “money go down the drain”. We say a loss of talent is a “brain drain”. When something goes bad, we say it’s “circling the drain”. … Continue Reading Drains to Stream – It Really Does!