GOOD Magazine – October 9, 2015

This Former State Senator Thinks His Documentary Will Save a River

And he wants to tell you why he might be right. – Read entire story here.
 
Philanthropy Northwest – September 1, 2015

A River Between Us: Bridging Generations of Conflict on the Klamath

Five years ago, even my closest friends were skeptical: You’re leaving the state senate to go raise money to make an environmental film for an audience who doesn’t care, create political cover for President Obama — and heal 100 years of racial wounds? – Read the entire story here.
 

Portland Business Journal – August 18, 2015

How Jason Atkinson separates politics from the Klamath’s ‘water wars’

In our weekly PBJ edition (which hit streets Friday), we talked to former Oregon State Senator Jason Atkinson about his latest project, a documentary on the Klamath Basin water wars.
Atkinson produced the project with filmmaker Jeff Martin. He calls it a “cinematic call to action” on the myriad issues surrounding dams along the Klamath River. – Read the entire story here.
 
Portland Business Journal – August 14, 2015

Klamath Water rights film a ‘call to action’

Former state Sen. Jason Atkinson‘s documentary, ‘A River Between Us,’ gets national distribution. – Read the entire story here.
 
MensJournal.com – June 18, 2015

The Documentary That Could Save a River

The new documentary A River Between Us details the fate of the Klamath River in Oregon and California, and the bitter divides it has birthed over the last two centuries. The river is one of the largest on the western seaboard, and has been exploited since the arrival of the first miners during the great western gold rush. – Read the entire story here.
 
 
Klamath Herald & News – June 4, 2015

‘A River Between Us’

Basin water documentary to debut

A documentary examining local efforts to transcend the Basin’s contentious water history will have a special five-day screening at Pelican Cinemas. – Read the entire story here.

 

KOBI-TV, June 1, 2015

Jason Atkinson – Author – ‘A River Between Us’

Medford Mail Tribune, May 29, 2015

Atkinson film on Klamath Basin water wars to play at Varsity

Newly confirmed Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission member Jason Atkinson will bring his new film documenting the creation of a coalition to restore the Klamath River to Ashland for a weeklong run. – Read the entire story here.

 

Ashland Daily Tidings, April 16, 2015

Film fest is the best

“It’s not only the number-one town for making movies, it is also the number-one film festival for movie makers to attend,” emcee Warren Etheredge told a packed house at the Historic Ashland Armory on Sunday evening at the Ashland Independent Film Festival awards. ” – Read the entire story here.

 

Ashland Daily Tidings, April 12, 2015

Ashland Independent Film Festival movie review: ‘A River Between Us’ tells compelling story of ‘the largest environmental restoration project in American history’

Among the amazing movies shown over this long weekend of the five-day Ashland Independent Film Festival, “A River Between Us,” premiering Saturday to a sold-out house at the Ashland Street Cinema, pioneers new ground with a tale of the long-polluted and dammed Klamath River, gradually healing, not with bills and policies, but through the mending of hearts among farmers, fishers and indigenous peoples. – Read the entire story here.

 

Ashland Daily Tidings, April 7, 2015

More films, excitement than ever for AIFF

It’s rapidly become a famous networking and partying scene, as well as an awesome film-feeding frenzy where you can watch almost 100 novel, thought-provoking, spirit-lifting films, then go off to the designated wine watering hole of the day and chat it all up. – Read the entire story here.

 

Field & Stream, March 2015

Heroes of Conservation: Jason Atkinson

Healing a steelhead river. – Read the entire story here.

 

 

Portland Tribune, March 17, 2015

To heal a river film traces Klamath deal

Compromise ended water wars, but Congress yet to act
How a war over water in the Klamath Basin — or the lack of it — became a tentative peace agreement among farmers and ranchers, conservationists and tribes is the subject of a new film, “A River Between Us.” – Read the entire story here.

 

Klamath Herald & News, February 25, 2015

Klamath Basin water wars documentary makes debut in Portland

A documentary delving into decades-long water controversy in the Klamath Basin is being screened tonight in Portland during a special invitation-only event. – Read the entire story here.

 

Midcurrent, February 25, 2015

The Klamath: “A River Between Us”

A new documentary, “A River Between Us” by former Oregon state senator Jason Atkinson and filmmaker Jeff Martin, examines the history and conflict of the Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement, signed in 2014, which would dismantle four dams and open 420 miles of fish habitat, restoring decimated salmon runs by an estimated 80 percent. – Read the entire story here.

 

Medford Mail Tribune, February 21, 2015

Fly-fishing documentary is a winner for Atkinson

An in-production, full-length documentary by former state Sen. Jason Atkinson is gaining some early love in the fly-fishing world. – Read the entire story here.

 

Salmon & Steelhead Journal, February 2015

Tips & Tailouts: Catching Up with Jason A. Atkinson

A NON-APOLOGETIC STEELHEAD FISHERMAN, Jason Atkinson grew up in Southern Oregon where he had a 14-year political career serving in the Oregon Legislature from 1998 to 2013. – Read the entire story here.

 

The Dove, February 10, 2015

 

The North Coast Journal, February 8, 2015

On the Klamath dams front

Former Oregon state senator Jason Atkinson has co-produced a new documentary about the conflict between users of the Klamath River and how they finally hashed out the historic Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement to take out four dams and restore salmon and other habitat. The agreement awaits Congress’ approval. The film, by Atkinson and filmmaker Jeff Martin, is called A River Between Us and comes out this spring. – Read the entire story here.

 

High Country News, February 4, 2015

A new film tells the story of the Klamath River agreements

Republican lawmaker-turned-filmmaker, Jason Atkinson on why conservation doesn’t have to be a partisan issue.

In 1918 the Klamath River, which stretches 263 miles from southern Oregon into northern California, saw its first dam. The development sparked decades of fighting between farmers, native tribes and environmental activists over rights to the river. But in 2014, they set aside their differences and signed the 93-page Klamath Basin Comprehensive Agreement, which would dismantle four dams, opening 420 miles of fish habitat and restoring decimated salmon runs by an estimated 80 percent. Now, the agreement just needs the approval of Congress to be enacted. – Read the entire story here.

 

Jefferson Public Radio, January 20, 2015

“A River Between Us”: Klamath Restoration On Film

Restoring the Klamath River and the lands around it is far more than a conservation project; political decisions will have to be made to make it all happen. – Listen to the broadcast here.

 

Klamath Herald & News, January 19, 2015

‘A River Between Us’

Documentary profiles Basin-wide water conflict and the potential for resolution

“Look at the Klamath Basin: It’s long, and it’s complicated. It starts in the high desert; it ends in the redwoods. Everyone in those communities can buy gasoline. If it doesn’t snow, communities are in peril,” said Jason Atkinson, a former Oregon Senator-turned-filmmaker. “Water is more valuable than oil.” – Read the entire story here.

 

Dean Finnerty’s Fishing and Hunting, January 12, 2015

A River Between Us goes public.

I met Jason two fall chinook seasons ago when he and Joel LaFollette came down to the south coast to fish with me. Over the course of a few days of fishing together, I learned of this amazing conservation effort for the Klamath River. Its an epic story of bringing folks together from very divergent interests and just getting them to talk to one another. Over the course of four years, the people of this community came together for the good of all. – Read the entire post here.

 

The Oregonian, January 10, 2015

Steve Duin: May the river that runs between us reunite us in the end

Several Octobers back, the tribes of the lower basin arrived at the Klamath Basin Potato Festival in Merrill and, on the banks of the river that has inspired enmity for generations, began cooking salmon on the traditional redwood sticks over madrone embers. – Read the entire story here.

 

Oregon Steelhead Blog: Metalheads, November 4, 2014

A River Between Us

The first time I met Jason Atkinson, he was holding a fly rod in one hand and a cold Tecate in the other, resting it on his abdomen.” Minutes earlier he had lodged a rooster fly in his side not due to lack of skill, he will point out it was howling cross winds that afternoon.

 

“This isn’t as bad as the bullet I took to my leg a couple years back.” He belts with confidence. – Read the entire post here.

 

The Flyfish Journal, August 24, 2014, by Copi Vojta

Tailgate: A RIVER BETWEEN US

“This river and this story is bigger than fish and it’s much bigger than dams. It’s about the longest water war. It’s about some really old hatreds. It’s about broken politics. And it’s about a group of people who started to lead and got ahead of their politicians to do the right thing.” – Filmmaker Jason Atkinson – Read the entire story here.

 

The Aspen Times, July 31, 2014, by Michael McLaughlin

Aspen Action Forum documentary looks at largest restoration project in American history

A little more than 100 years ago, the Klamath River was 255 miles of free-flowing water originating in Southern Oregon that traveled unobstructed through Northern California to the Pacific Ocean. – Read the entire story here.

 

The Aspen Institute, July 29, 2014

Action Pledges from the opening of the 2014 Aspen Action Forum

Find out about the Aspen Action Forum, www.aspenactionforum.org. – Watch the video here.

 

The Drake, Spring 2014, by Mia Sheppard

A River Between Us, the Movie

After 14 years as an Oregon state senator, including a run for governor, Jason Atkinson turns to film. – Read the entire story here. 

 

Sustainable Northwest (blog), February 17, 2014, by Renee Magyar

A River Between Us

We are pleased to share this story from the Oregonian about a forthcoming documentary on the Klamath River Basin called “A River Between Us.” The film’s trailer, won for best documentary at the Fly Fishing Film Tour in Portland this past weekend. – Read the entire post here.

 

The Oregonian, February 16, 2014, by Harry Esteve

Jason Atkinson, out of politics, works on Klamath River documentary

When I last wrote about Jason Atkinson, the former Oregon state senator and one-time GOP candidate for governor, he was at his southern Oregon farm, trying to decide what to do next after a bittersweet exit from politics. He told me then he was hoping to make a documentary about the Klamath River, and what could be done to save it. – Read the entire story here.

 

Oregon Steelhead Blog: Metalheads, September 19, 2012

Why the Klamath Matters Project

I want to share the story of an historic water-sharing agreement which will restore salmon, clean water and – most importantly – peace and prosperity, to one of the most beautiful regions in America. – Read the entire post here.