June/July 1983 RAIN Page 33 and others slog quietly through the deep rain forests of the Olympic Peninsula to find out how the salmon are doing. Are they healthy? Are they returning? What are we doing that is affecting their life? How are the newcomer hatchery fish getting along with the oldtimers? One of the most important themes of the book is the analysis of our progress and problems with fish hatchery and aquaculture programs. The development of such programs have, in their own way, allowed us to think casually about trade-offs between wildlife and hydropower, for example. The reasoning is that if we are successful at producing fish “artificially," we don't need the natural resources. Brown describes many problems with this perspective, and specific hatchery programs. For one thing, the fish being produced have their own social system; they tend to form cliques. What will probably decide our direction once again comes down to economics. Brow, and others, hint at hopeful signs here. Just as with nuclear power development, we are beginning to examine “real" costs. What are the costs of destroying the natural fisheries, and replacing them with hatchery and aquaculture programs vs. enhancing the environment that supports native fish culture? -SJ The River Why David James Duncan Sierra Club Books 2034 Fillmore St. San Francisco, CA 94115 $12.95,1983,294 pp. David Duncan's book is another kettle of fish. Unlike Brown's specific, non-fictional, and intensively political perspective, Duncan's is, while about fish and fishing, more in the tradition of Ken Kesey and Tom Robbins. One is led on through The River Why by blasts of well-forged paragraphs, perfect or surprising metaphors, slapstick as well as deeper humor, and a well-described tour of fishing Oregon rivers. For the obsessed fisherperson. The River Why may seem like a mental dialogue trapped somewhere in their own head. It is a lot about why people fish—and not just fish, but why they become “fisherpeople.' The plot is small really—just a crazy family of fisherpeople working out their fates. One son, the central character, uncovers metaphysical truths through the only method his family gave him—fishing. The plot is so small in fact that the conclusion falls a little flat. The three dimensional characters one has experienced turn into cliches of themselves. But in the end, the end doesn't matter. You read The River Why for skillful writing and wonderful stories. Like the one of the hero attempting to track the creek he grew up on back to its headwater. The creek, now surrounded by urban sprawl, leads him through parking lots and into bank lobbies. It's a wonderful tale, both sad and comical, as is much of the book. The River Why is a regional tale, the characters have distinct Oregonian qualities. Some of the qualities are of course, just those of hill and river people anywhere, but Duncan has added something unique to our cultural identity. There is something uniquely Oregonian-like, or at least Maritime Northwest, about many of the characters, but especially the lead character, whose metaphysical search for meaning seems to grow out of the very tangle in which we live. -SJ The Spells ofLamazee James Seely White Breitenbush Publications PO BOX 02137 Portland, OR 97202 $8.95,1982,174 pp. This historical novel traces the journey of two Scottish traders along the Oregon coast in the early 1800's. Duncan McDougal and John McTav- ish venture south to negotiate with Indian traders, a mission strategic to survival at their fort. The adventure also unravels the mystery of their notorious and elusive kinsman. Jack Ramsay, known to the Indians as Lamazee. The red-haired Ramsay, an intriguing figure in Northwest folklore, was believed by the Indians to possess certain powers. In his novel. White sketches a backdrop for Ramsay's life, providing a glimpse of the magic and daring romance of this time of two cultures meeting. Through dream images and shared secrets, we learn of Ramsay's life and the ways of coastal Indian tribes. Another thread of mystery explored throughout this enchanting story is the lost treasure of Neahka- nie Mountain—hidden gold still waiting to be found. We travel side-by-side with McDougal and McTavish, eavesdropping on their conversations. It is all-in-all a well- told story about a unique and distant-seeming period in our region's history. —Mimi Maduro Clearing: Nature and Learning in the Pacific Northwest Environmental Education Project PO BOX 751 Portland, OR 97207 5 times a year, $10/individual, $20/institution Environmental education is well established in the Northwest. It thrives among nonprofit organizations, instructional centers, camps, public schools, and government programs. Clearing is the best source of information about environmental education activities in the Northwest. Clearing reviews publications and audio-visual resources, reports on new and old projects, and features articles on such things as wildlife, resource conservation, energy, and water issues. Two recent issues are especially noteworthy. One issue (#22, $2.00), focused on “thinking globally and acting locally." The Spring 1983 issue features articles and features about watersheds and water consciousness, with listings of good resource material on the subject. —KN
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