Name: The Story of the Modoc Nation: History, Identity, and Survival
Uploaded: 2026-04-30T03:52:35.000Z
Description: In this episode of Bay Area Innovators, host Steve Ispas sits down with Ken Sandusky and Brian Herbert of the Modoc Nation—deep in Northeastern Siskiyou County at the edge of Lower Klamath Lake, against the backdrop of Mount Shasta—to tell one of the most remarkable stories in American history.

Steve is an investigative reporter based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Steve Ispas

NTD Plus

Shows

“Bay Area Innovators” tackles the compelling, life-changing, fearless, and compassionate stories from the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, providing a platform for discussion and discovery. We bring to our program the legends, the innovators, and the hardworking people who are shaping the future of the Bay Area in a positive way by finding solutions and improving people’s lives.

Steve Ispas is an investigative journalist with The Epoch Times and the host of Epoch TV’s “Bay Area Innovators” program. Steve grew up in Eastern Europe, and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 35 years. He worked in the tech industry for 15 years at LSI Logic and Rambus, and has been with The Epoch Times in various positions since 2003. His recent coverage includes an in-depth exclusive investigation of the secret Chinese biolab discovered in Reedley, Calif., in 2022.

Bay Area Innovators

How a 14-Year-Old Turned Heartbreak Into a $650,000 Nonprofit

The Secret War on the US Dollar—BRICS, Iran, and the China Strategy

Ex-NYPD Detective Breaks Down Security Failures at the White House Correspondents Dinner Shooting

The Story of the Modoc Nation: History, Identity, and Survival

What It’s Really Like to Work Undercover in San Francisco

The Seventh Largest Military versus One American Pilot: Inside the Iran Extraction

‘They Don’t Want to End Discrimination—They Want to Control It’: Vince Ellison Unfiltered

Why You’re Exhausted From Chasing Happiness: Ann Lesley Smith’s Creative Journey

California's Billionaire Tax Is Killing Silicon Valley—a Top Venture Capitalist Sounds the Alarm

Sacramento Girl to American Gladiator: The Sydney Hunter Story

The Associated Press is an American not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. 

The Associated Press

News

US News

State News

California

More Than 17,000 Under Evacuation Orders as Southern California Wildfire Threatens Homes

Joseph Lord is a congressional reporter for The Epoch Times.


Joseph Lord

Aldgra Fredly is a freelance writer covering U.S. and Asia Pacific news for The Epoch Times.

Aldgra Fredly

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani Hospitalized in Critical Condition: Spokesman

NTD Newsroom comprises teams of reporters, editors, and producers assigned to cover breaking news and other stories.


NTD Newsroom

News you can trust from the U.S. and around the world. Critical information and insight. We cover the stories that others don’t. NTD News Today airs Monday–Friday at 11 a.m. ET.

NTD News Today

US Warns of China Hacks via Routers, Smart Devices

Juliet Song is an international correspondent exclusively covering China news for NTD. She primarily contributes to NTD's "China in Focus," covering U.S.-China relations, the Chinese regime's human rights abuses, and domestic unrest inside China.

Juliet Song

Fast, compelling, first-hand news from China. China in Focus airs Monday–Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

China in Focus

2 Americans Among Suspected Communist Rebels Killed in Clashes With Troops, Philippine Officials Say

Ryan Morgan is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on military and foreign affairs. He was previously a news writer for NTD. 


Ryan Morgan

Mari Otsu is NTD's White House correspondent based in Washington. 

Mari Otsu

World News

Middle East

Iran

3 US Warships Fend Off Iranian Attacks, Trump Says Ceasefire Still Holds

US Government Sues Chick-fil-A Over Religious Rights

Health News

3 Dead in Suspected Hantavirus Outbreak on Cruise Ship in Atlantic Ocean: WHO

Haika Mrema

Medical Plane Crash in New Mexico Mountains Kills 4, Sparks Wildfire

Rudy Blalock is a Southern California-based daily news reporter for NTD. Originally from Michigan, he moved to California in 2017 and the sunshine and ocean have kept him here since. In his free time, he may be found underwater scuba diving, on top of a mountain hiking or snowboarding, or at home meditating—which helps fuel his active lifestyle.

Rudy Blalock

Sports News

Kyle Busch, Two-Time NASCAR Champion, Dies at 41

India Responds to Trump’s Repost of Birthright Citizenship Comment

What does it mean to return to the land your ancestors called home for 14,000 years—after being exiled, nearly wiped out, and forgotten?

In this episode of Bay Area Innovators, host Steve Ispas sits down with Ken Sandusky and Brian Herbert of the Modoc Nation—deep in Northeastern Siskiyou County at the edge of Lower Klamath Lake, against the backdrop of Mount Shasta—to tell one of the most remarkable stories in American history.

The Modoc Nation’s ancestral homelands span Northeast California and Southeast Oregon. In 1872, prominent Modoc leader Captain Jack, also known as Kintpuash, led his band into part of what is now <a data-ved="2ahUKEwj_uKakoY-UAxWcJe8CHQpaA90QgK4QegQIARAE" data-hveid="CAEQBA" data-processed="true">Lava Beds National Monument</a>, where a handful of warriors held off the full might of the U.S. Army for months. What followed was violent removal: 133 survivors loaded onto cattle cars and shipped to Oklahoma Indian Territory. At their lowest point, only 62 Modoc people remained alive. Today, 365 members carry that legacy forward.

Now, Ken and Brian are on the ground as the Modoc Nation’s vanguard, managing more than 4,000 acres of restored homeland with plans to grow beyond 5,000. They discuss wetland restoration, regenerative grazing with goats, co-stewardship with the U.S. Forest Service and Fish & Wildlife Service across 40,000+ federal acres, and the sacred ancestral run that brings Modoc people back to the land every October.

<em>Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of NTD.</em>

Latest

Premium Picks

Management

Conversations on current and trending topics.

Latest and breaking news, documentaries, movies, and lifestyle content on NTD+.
 
Empower your knowledge and elevate your spirit with NTD+, your go-to destination for truthful news, insightful documentaries, and captivating lifestyle content that enriches your life.