In this episode, we talk with Dr. Jack Stanford, a long time professor with the University of Montana, and a person who has studied rivers and salmon all over the world. From Kamchatka Russia to Alaska and across the Cascade Range into Montana and beyond, Jack will provide his insights into why complex river habitat is so important to salmon, how that habitat is shaped and formed, and how salmon themselves are fundamental to improving habitat in and along rivers for future generations of salmon. Jack takes a three-dimensional view of rivers and was a pioneering scientist that made other scientists realize: the river’s habitat isn’t just about what you see, it’s also about what you don’t see.

Also – tune in to hear about the amazing world of insects that live deep in the gravel below the river bed and then emerge at the surface to feed our salmon, trout, and steelhead. If you want a free class on river biology and ecology, this is the episode for you!