Friends of Eel River

Hi

I’m India and I’m one of the teen interns for EarthScope Media!

EarthScope Media and the Teen Environmental Journalism Program teaches students critical communication skills, brings diverse voices to the media, and provides the public with essential information about the environment. Our Media program, which was featured in National Geographic Kids Magazine, provides in -depth job training to high school youth in journalism. Many of our students have gone on to become professional journalists since the program’s inception in 1999. All of the students gain confidence, employment experience and marketable communication, technology and leadership skills.


This last week we had the fortune of interviewing Nadananda, founder of the Friends of Eel River Organization. She began this program when she heard that the Eel River river, that used to be the largest producer of salmon in the state, was dead. She was astound to hear this and decided to educate herself and research why this was occurring. Just at a glance the Eel River seemed flowing and healthy but upon closer inspection she found that was not the case. What she uncovered was that the river wasn’t quite dead, but it was dangerously close, due to major fishing and logging. In order to save the Eel River, people needed to be brought together and fight for its survival and rehabilitation.

By becoming aware about how important the environment, it changes peoples prospective on nature and makes their cause for helping it more meaningful. “Getting people reconnected with the earth,” she said, “and…learning and understanding how the environment systems work…how a little spring will then create a little creek, that will then become a bigger stream, that then joins the bigger river…and in the process people start really caring about the land.” To learn more about Friends of Eel River and how to get involved, visit http://eelriver.org/ .