Columbia 
River Sundown

Though a scene on the banks of the Columbia River inspired this work, the words of a Japanese conservationist come to mind. Tanaka Shozo was a leader, in demand for protection of the environment at the turn of the twentieth century. A self educated son of a peasant, he established his place in history by waging an extended campaign against pollution of the food and water in his own country…

"The care of the river is not a question of rivers, but of the human heart. Even fish have something to teach humanity in dealing with pollution: Fish have no legal protection and though they live in the dark polluted waters, do they not avoid total extinction? The reason the polluters, with all their power, are unable to destroy these fish is this: though no law protects them, the fish instinctively rely on nature and follow a path out of danger to unpolluted streams, happily saving themselves. This is the way to use nature. The fish do it. Why should not people do so, all the more?"