Mountain & Prairie with Ed Roberson Sammy Matsaw Jr. – Salmon, Sovereignty, and the Long Work of Healing
Sammy Matsaw Jr. is the Director of the Columbia Basin Program at The Nature Conservancy, where he works at the intersection of salmon recovery, tribal sovereignty, and large-scale river restoration across one of the most complex watersheds in North America. In this role, Sammy helps guide conservation strategies that span state lines, political boundaries, and cultural histories—while keeping people, relationships, and responsibility at the center of the work.
Sammy grew up on the Shoshone-Bannock Reservation, surrounded by salmon stories, land-based learning, and a deep sense of responsibility to place. He served in the U.S. military, including combat deployments overseas, before returning home to heal, reconnect, and rebuild—eventually earning advanced degrees in ecology, policy, and conservation science. Along the way, he's navigated life as a soldier, scientist, ceremonial practitioner, husband, father, and now grandfather, carrying Indigenous knowledge forward while engaging directly with Western institutions and systems.
In this conversation, we talk about salmon restoration as a healing journey—not just for rivers, but for communities and cultures shaped by loss, displacement, and change. We dig into Indigenous knowledge alongside Western science, the role of humility and trust in conservation, and why Sammy believes real progress only happens through relationships and long-term commitment. We also explore his vision for the Columbia Basin, his leadership inside TNC, and what it means to show up—day after day—with curiosity, care, and what he calls "barefoot trust-building."
This is a thoughtful, hopeful, and vulnerable conversation, and I greatly appreciate Sammy taking the time to chat with me. I hope you enjoy.
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- Sammy Matsaw Jr., Director of TNC's Columbia Basin Program
- TNC's Columbia Basin Program
- Full episode notes: https://mountainandprairie.com/sammy-matsaw
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This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Colorado chapter of The Nature Conservancy and TNC chapters throughout the Western United States. Guided by science and grounded by decades of collaborative partnerships, The Nature Conservancy has a long-standing legacy of achieving lasting results to create a world where nature and people thrive.
During the last week of every month throughout 2025, Mountain & Prairie will be delving into conversations with a wide range of The Nature Conservancy's leaders, partners, collaborators, and stakeholders, highlighting the myriad of conservation challenges, opportunities, and solutions here in the American West and beyond.
To learn more about The Nature Conservancy's impactful work in the West and around the world, visit www.nature.org
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TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- 3:00 - Intro, where and how Sammy grew up
- 10:03 - Sammy's decision to join the military
- 15:34 - Readjusting to home
- 20:48 - What helps heal
- 24:58 - Sammy's academic journey
- 32:12 - Salmon work
- 39:09 - Entry into TNC
- 43:55 - Salmon restoration as a healing journey
- 50:09 - Layers of the job
- 57:31 - Book recs
- 1:01:18 - Wrapping up
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