Episode Four: The Swan Falls Agreement
“Often times with water issues, you don’t deal with them until you have a crisis. It’s always been my philosophy; don’t let a good crisis go to waste, try to solve problems for the future, and that’s what we did.”
— Clive Strong
Just two years after the expansion of the Snake River Birds of Prey Natural Area, an extremely controversial water rights issue exploded into the forefront of Idaho politics. The epicenter of this controversy was the Swan Falls Dam, which sat in the heart of the newly expanded Birds of Prey area, and would play a central role in the future of this unique protected area in the Snake River Canyon.
Episode Credits:
Produced by: The Wild Lens Collective and Radio Boise
With Support from: The Bureau of Land Management, The Birds of Prey NCA Partnership, The Peregrine Fund’s Archives of Falconry, a grant from Patagonia
Producers: Matthew Podolsky, Wayne Birt, Steve Alsup
Production Support provided by: Jessica Evett, Leah Dunn, Ragged Coyote
Thanks to our Episode 4 guests: Clive Strong, Ty Corn, Mike Kochert, Karen Steenhof, Morley Nelson, Senator James McClure
Music by: Like A Rocket, Ragged Coyote, The Great Turtle, The Idaho Songs Project
Archival Interview with Senator James McClure recorded by: Steve Stuebner - provided courtesy of the Archives of Falconry
Archival audio with Morley Nelson comes from the film, “Silver Wires, Golden Wings”, produced by Tyler Nelson and directed by Norman Nelson