Watch the ~4min trailer for the Columbia River Canoe Project documentary film, coming this Summer 2024.
“My son Robert is going from the headwaters of the Clark Fork river and onto the ocean. And, he’s doing it to see what the health of the river is.”
Congratulations Robert and Braxton! On July 2, 2023 the paddling and portaging duo completed their 1,300+ mile canoe expedition on the Columbia River from Butte Montana to the Pacific Ocean.
Here's the journey by the numbers:
May 12, 2023 launched
July 2, 2023 completed
52 day expedition
4 US states (and Canada) traversed
1,276 miles as the river flows
175+ miles portaged
24 miles – longest portage in one day
25 miles paddled as the river does not flow
40 dams portaged
17' Ruby Red Oberholtzer Navarro canoe
3 rest days
5 wind hold days
4 dedicated photographers
1 super dad in the support van for emergencies
Columbia River Canoe Project 2023
A 1,200 Mile Expedition Documenting the Watershed's Past, Present & Future
Butte, Montana native Robert Lester created and leads this months long project canoeing, portaging and camping with his cousin Braxton Mitchell.
Robert Lester getting ready to portage around log jams on the Clark Fork tributary of the Columbia River.
Paddling a Navarro 17’ Oberholtzer canoe designed by Bob Foote and hand built by Jeff OHern, the duo are navigating North America’s largest river (and its tributaries) that flows into the Pacific Ocean, where the expedition will conclude.
The end game is to raise awareness about the Columbia River’s current assets and liabilities, its rich ecosystem and critical stewardship opportunities.
Screenshot from the KPAX Channel 8 coverage May 18, 2023, showing Lester and Mitchell navigating the Clark Fork of the Columbia River alongside the closed Smurfit Stone pulp mill’s toxic sludge ponds and landfills uncertified crumbling four-mile long earthen berm. Visit https://clarkfork.org/the-mess-at-smurfit-stone/ for more info.
KPAX 8 May 18.2023 Missoula Montana TV Coverage Click to Watch
Documenting this journey is a four man crew of photographers, editors and filmmakers partnering with Lester to enter their documentary into independent film festivals.
Neil Larson https://www.instagram.com/neil.camera/
Ben Kaden https://www.instagram.com/bn.kdn/
Johnathan Stone https://www.instagram.com/jonathanstone_/
Stills from filmmaker Orion Herman. See full post here.
Learn more about this project and meet the crew here.
Browse local news coverage and the project’s social media updates below.
Butte canoeists start 1,200-mile journey to Pacific Ocean
MAY 12, 2023 | BUTTE — A journey of over 1,200 miles begins with a single stroke of a paddle, and two canoeists will be doing plenty of paddling as they travel from Butte all the way to the Pacific Ocean.
“He can handle it, he’s researched everything for months and months and planned the route and every aspect of it and safety and I’m not worried at all,” said Lester’s mother Rebecca Tamietti.
From butte to pacific, cousin paddlers preach river rehab
MAY 18, 2023 - MISSOULA - Lester, a 25-year-old professional skier and climber, is experienced in multi-day river trips. Standing at the Brennan's Wave overlook Wednesday, Lester contrasted Smurfit-Stone with the EPA's cleanup efforts in Butte and Anaconda. In the Upper Clark Fork, he said, there are at least plans for further remediation actions. But "it was really kind of incredible" to learn there isn't a concrete plan for Smurfit-Stone.
Clean smurfit site now, not later down river
MAY 17, 2023 - BUTTE | They made a quick stop on Wednesday morning at the Brennan's Wave overlook in Caras Park and advocated for officials to clean the Smurfit Stone site on the Clark Fork River.
“When communities score big wins, like the removal of Milltown Dam and the cleanup of the contaminated sediments behind the dam. That was a slam dunk, and so communities can end up thinking 'OK, we're done now.' Right, well, we're not done," said Clark Fork Coalition Executive Director Karen Knudsen.
The journey will take the duo through nearly 150 miles of the Clark Fork River and through a strict fish consumption advisory due to contamination from the abandoned mill site.
Robert Lester (right) and photographer Jonathon Stone are on a 2,000 km journey down the Columbia River along with their team on the Columbia River Canoe Project. Photo: Jim BaIley
Columbia River Canoe Project portages past Waneta, paddles on to Pacific
JUNE 6, 2023 - BUCKLEY’S CAMPGROUND ON THE PEND D’OREILLE RIVER NEAR TRAIL | The pair had just crossed into Canada for a 25-km paddle and portage to the confluence of the mighty Columbia River, where they will head south into Washington State, halfway to their destination.
Mitchell did not receive his passport in time and could not cross into Canada, so (photographer) Stone supported Lester in the paddle from the Boundary Dam down the Pend d’Oreille River on the Canadian side, then a 12-km portage from the Seven Mile Dam to the Waneta Dam.
“We understand in a lot of ways hydroelectric power is key for society but also a lot of these dams don’t run as efficiently as they should, or don’t run at all,” said Lester. “So those ones, we are looking at removing them and try to restore the Columbia, the entire Columbia, in Canada and the U.S., to be as wild and free flowing as possible, while still maintaining its function.”
Photo courtesy of Orion Herman @ohverhead_media
a reason to row: 1,200 miles for conservation
JUNE 7, 2023 - OUTSIDE SANDPOINT, IDAHO | Including low head and diversion dams, Robert and Braxton will portage over 40 dams before they reach the ocean. These portages have caused them to reflect on the impacts these dams have on fish. Robert says the people they have spoken to on their journey have also opened his eyes to a re-envisioned future. Their team has been in contact with the Kalispel, Salish, Yakima, and Colville Tribes. “These sites are significant to their cultures, and also to their livelihoods – where they fish, what fish numbers look like, things like that impact them,” said Robert.