"Envisioning a restored river is an exercise in joy." An interview with Mark Titus, NWAAE Artist
Britt Freda, creative director of Northwest Artists Against Extinction (NWAAE, a project of SOS), recently caught up with Mark Titus, filmmaker and founder of August Island Pictures and Eva’s Wild, and a new NWAAE partner artist!
Britt: "Mark, you’ve spent decades creating intimate and inspiring documentary films focused on salmon and some of the greatest threats to the species. In your films—The Wild, The Breach, and the third of the trilogy, the soon-to-be-released, The Turn—you ask your viewers the question, 'How do you save what you love?' This month’s WSSN is focused on Envisioning a Restored River. What does that mean to you? What do you envision when you imagine ‘saving what you love?'"
Mark: "Envisioning a restored river is an exercise in joy. Rivers are like gravity; mountains; trees and salmon. They do what is in their nature. For rivers, that is, feel the pull of gravity and find the path home to the ocean. This, of course, only happens when they are free to flow.
Like an artery might be blocked in the heart of a person, the 140 mile stretch of the Snake River is currently blocked by four salmon-killing dams. And like a person gets with a blockage to their heart, this blockage on the Snake has made the river sick. Consequently, this has threatened the very existence of salmon for future generations.
When I close my eyes and see a Snake River flowing unhindered, I see healthy baby salmon flowing down-river to begin their great life in the sea in a matter of days, not weeks. I see healthy riverside communities on-level with a dynamic, free-flowing clean river—with healthy economies benefitting from visitor dollars in-flowing from people wanting to fish, raft, hike, hunt, and play in and next to a healthy river. And I see the very symbol of life-renewal itself, wild salmon, returning to their thriving, healthy, cold, wilderness birth-houses to lay down their lives for more than 130 different creatures—and create new life with their ultimate sacrifice.
This is joy. This is necessary. This is possible. We can do this."
What would a restored lower Snake River mean to you?
We are deeply inspired by discussions across the region to shape a vision and identify opportunities and priorities for accessing and experiencing a healthy restored river—and what it means to you, your family, your community, and/or your business. Share your vision by submitting your comments below, as well as any photos or videos of you recreating on or near a river. Thank you for sharing your vision with us!
