Pacific Lamprey need a good media rep. The eel-like creature of both ocean and river has been around for millions of years; fossils from hundreds of millions of years ago look very much like today's animal.
The lamprey is not "pretty" like salmon and steelhead, and still not well understood by science. But it is very important to the native people of the region, and they are working hard to restore historic lamprey runs.
That is the subject of this month's Underground History, our monthly visit with the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology. The Confederated Tribes of Grande Ronde are involved in the restoration efforts; Brandon Weems and David Harrelson from the tribal office are our guests. And Chelsea Rose from SOULA returns to add an archaeological perspective.