November 12, 2020. We first met London Fletcher in Dammed to Extinction, the documentary that ties the demise of Southern Resident orcas in the Salish Sea to the presence of four dams on the Snake River. The dams—each located in southeastern Washington—block river-to-sea passage of chinook salmon the killer whales depend on for survival.

Among the film’s stories and subjects, the 12-year-old Fletcher stood out not just as a precocious authority on marine life, but as the evident future of environmental activism in the Pacific Northwest and likely beyond.

Now 13, Fletcher remains an undaunted spokesperson not just for the movement to breach the Snake River dams, but actions to address the wider marine environment emergency.

It’s tempting to call the Puget Sound middle school student the Pacific Northwest’s Greta Thunberg. The comparison works on a superficial level. But its clickbait-y implications conceal the deeper significance of Fletcher’s message. And appeal.

Though driven by similar motives, and beyond her years, poise and wisdom, Fletcher is a uniquely spirited, and American, defender of the natural world.

Emerging into the re-awakened fray over breaching the Snake River dams, hers is a voice we’re certain to be hearing a lot more as the fight to save orcas, salmon and other endangered species and wildlands grows ever more critical.

Video by Deborah Bloom. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Bloom is a text and video journalist specializing in breaking news and human interest features. Her writing and videos have appeared in CNN, The Washington Post, The Guardian, BBC.com and others.

Columbia Insight‘s series focusing on the Lower Snake River dams is supported by a grant from the Society of Environmental Journalists.