Jeff Smith and Carson Odegard sit down with waterfowl historian Yancey Forest-Knowles to unpack the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta—its island clubs, levees and tides, and the public access that still lets you chase mallards and specks on big water today.

What you’ll hear

• How the Delta was built — from early private island claims and hand-built levees to today’s twin pressures of saltwater intrusion and export pumping.
• Club lore & big names — Twitchell Island’s first club (1880), Venice and Mandeville’s eras, and the “Mallard Hole” stories tied to Barron Hilton and Hollywood guests.
• Flood risk is real — why peat islands subside and how Jones Tract’s 2004 failure floated a clubhouse away.
• Public opportunity ...