Sustainable Solutions: The Water Remembers

A member of the Yurok Tribe from the village of Rek-Woi at the mouth of the Klamath River in Northern California, she is a fisherwoman, attorney, and mother deeply rooted in the traditions of her people. As Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group, Bowers Cordalis leads efforts to support tribes in protecting their sovereignty, lands, and waters, including the historic Klamath Dam Removal project – one of the world’s largest river restoration and dam removal initiatives. Former general counsel for the Yurok Tribe and an attorney at the Native American Rights Fund, she earned honors as a UN Champion of the Earth and Time 100 climate leader and is the author of the book, The Water Remembers, published in October 2025.

Sustainable Solutions Series Overview

The Sustainable Solutions Speaker Series is presented by the MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy and the MS in Energy Policy and Climate programs at Johns Hopkins University. Each talk features scholars and practitioners working to tackle ‘wicked’ environmental, energy, and climate problems. Speakers take us through how they leverage technology, policy, the private sector, markets, research, and field work to form innovative and lasting solutions. From water insecurity to climate adaptation, natural resource conflict to energy transitions, and food insecurity to sustainable agriculture, this series features the depth and breadth of Johns Hopkins University faculty and our greater community as we work toward a sustainable future.