Listening at Owens Lake

We learn to listen at Owens Lake because Kathy Jefferson Bancroft teaches us how.

Kathy carries Paiute memory like water—moving through dry channels, naming old shorelines, insisting that the lake is never empty, only unheard. For more than a decade, she has led the charge to make Owens Lake a lake again: protecting cultural sites, counting birds, measuring dust, and holding institutions accountable to both data and dignity.  

Kathy’s lesson is simple and radical: a lake is a living relation, not a resource account. This is the heart of rights-of-nature. When we say a river has the right to meander, to breathe, to be restored, we are echoing what Kathy has modeled all along—repair as kinship, policy as ceremony. 

This winter’s rains remind us that release can be an act of remembrance. To let water find the dry bed is to return breath to an elder. It is also public health, habitat restoration, and historical repair-aligned. 

Kathy has recently passed and we are gathering a memorial in her honor. This is  an offering: a collective expression of esteem, gratitude, and commitment from all those whose lives and work she has shaped.

Contribute to Kathy Jefferson Bancroft’s Memorial

We invite you to share offerings that honor Kathy’s life, leadership, and teachings. These will be gathered and presented as a living memorial—evidence of the deep respect and love held for her across communities, disciplines, and generations.

You are invited to contribute:

• Short written reflections, letters, or memories

• Photographs or scanned documents

• Artwork, poems, or songs

• Video messages (2 minutes maximum)

• Stories of how Kathy’s work changed your understanding of Owens Lake, water, or kinship

If you have questions or wish to contribute in another form, please reach out—we will make space.