From the President of the Board

"Protecting the River and Preserving Jobs:  A New Economic Model"

As PTRF embarks on its 30^th year as the "Voice of the River," we face a number of very real dangers to our ability to maintain a reasonable level of water quality in the Tar-Pamlico River watershed.  These dangers include the large number of new, unregulated poultry operations (see Sanderson Farms update), and the continued efforts by development interests to erode the stream buffer regulations in North Carolina, which are critical to preserving water quality.  None of these developments, however, pose as much of a challenge to our conservation efforts as the continuing crises in our economy.  Fortunately, as is often the case, amidst these challenges may also be some very important opportunities.

As a veteran of the battles for clean water and wilderness preservation, I was raised on the conventional wisdom that we should never allow protection of our great natural resources to be subjected to a cost-benefit analysis.  What price can you put on preservation of the Tar-Pamlico estuarine system?  The prevailing theory among many conservation advocates was that, once you allow the debate to be framed in economic terms, the cause was lost.  The problem with this strategy is that, in the best of times, it is very difficult to keep the cost-benefit analysis out of the debate; and in the current recession, it is clearly impossible.  In this economic and political climate, it appears that any threat of job loss of promise of job creation, no matter how vague or unsubstantiated, will be sufficient to brush aside any concerns regarding environmentally destructive industrial or agricultural activities.  Until we can show our elected officials that failure to protect the environment will result in similar job losses, we have no hope here in North Carolina of consistently protecting our natural resources.  There are signs, however, that the fundamental reorganization occurring in the U.S. economy during this recession may be contributing to the growth of certain eco-friendly businesses. This in turn could make it easier in the future for conservation advocates to demonstrate the true costs of certain destructive activities, as balanced against the very real and emerging economic benefits associated with the preservation of our natural resources.

The growth in the United States of businesses related to environmentally sensitive recreation, agriculture and development, and to energy conservation and alternative energy development, has been staggering in spite of the global recession.  Eco-tourism and related businesses have flourished.  As conventional retailers struggle to regain their share of pre-recession consumer spending, outdoor equipment and clothing retailers have seen sales of kayaks and paddleboards and similar outdoor recreational equipment increase. These eco-businesses are often small businesses which create jobs and generate ancillary economic activity.  This industry does not demand large government incentives; but it requires pristine natural resources which provide recreational opportunities.

North Carolina is well situated with its great and varied natural resources to take advantage of an environmentally friendly economic model which would create many opportunities for small businesses.  These are the job creating engines of the future.  The Tar-Pamlico River watershed presents enormous opportunities for all of the communities in the watershed to create eco-tourism and outdoor recreation industries.  As guardians of the Tar-Pamlico River watershed, we need to make every effort to educate our elected officials at the state and local levels about the job opportunities they may be foreclosing by failing to protect this resource.  It would be nice if we could count on our elected officials not to trade short-term job gains for long-term environmental destruction; but clearly we cannot.  If we can help to promote job creation and tangible economic activity associated with, and dependent on, a healthy watershed, only then will we have the tools we need to protect the River on a consistent basis.

Over the next few months, you will be hearing more about the efforts of your Pamlico-Tar River Foundation to work with other conservation groups in promoting eco-tourism and related activities in North Carolina.  This is an important and exciting activity for the foundation, as it allows us to further our mission of protecting the River in a very positive way.

-Jerry Eatman

President, Pamlico-Tar River Foundation Board of Directors  

From the Executive Director

Conscientious Collaboration

It may be that all those years as a swim parent and the overdoses of chlorinated air have affected my wiring, but it seems to me that swimming offers us a good metaphor or model for our mission of monitoring, protecting, and enhancing our river.

Swimming emphasizes doing your personal best. Setting your goals beginning where you are and plotting a training program that will build the strength, stamina, and technique to excel given your individual talents, technical skills, and resources. Performance and progress are measured during swim meets where individuals perform to the best of their abilities. Those individual performances are combined to create a measure of progress. That measure of progress is compared to other similar teams so that improvement is viewed and validated in relationship to the broader context. Individuals improve when they learn from their coaches, team members and swimmers on other teams. Coaches help their teams improve when they learn from other coaches.

Inherent in this process of people doing the work individually, yet not alone is a level of consultation, collaboration, and shared knowledge that promotes excellence for individuals, teams and the sport of swimming. Following this model, we realize that we must perform at our individual personal bests in order to achieve excellence in managing our organization and its resources. We do this by scrutinizing how, what, and when we do things that contribute to excellence and execute the plans and projects that benefit our river. What and when is often less elusive than the how and it is the how that brings us to the truth that conscientious collaboration increases our efficiency, effectiveness, and our impact.

In our recent past we have seen examples of how important this is. First is our Operation Medicine Cabinet program. This two pronged program of grassroots work and collaboration is producing results. Statewide coordination and collaboration addressing policy improvement, effective messaging and marketing, and developing best practices for drug take back programs is resulting in a major reduction in the quantities of improperly stored, unused and unwanted medications that are harming our kids, communities, and North Carolina's waters.  This successful program is a direct result  of the collaboration of diverse partners who representing law enforcement, child safety, substance abuse, waste treatment, pharmaceutical companies, and environmental groups, just to name a few.

Similarly, the North Carolina RIVERKEEPERS ® are rapidly strengthening their collaborative efforts.  This work will contribute to ever-increasing effectiveness in the political arena and focus programming on issues we all face as RIVERKEEPERS ®. North Carolina RIVERKEEPERS ® will offer us the ability to increase the efficiency of our associated groups.

Obviously, our future success depends on our ability to work more effectively to achieve our goals and mission. Certainly we will need to expand our cadre of partners and collaborators without weakening our resolve or compromising our values. This is a challenging task but in our present political and economic climate, it is critical work. One option to explore is highlighted by Jerry Eatman's comments in this newsletter. If we are to truly maintain an effective voice for the river in this day and age, we must be able to demonstrate and speak with authority that environmental protection pays economic dividends. Conscientious collaboration will grease the wheels of our progress and success. Our ability to adapt and lead in new ways will ensure our continued existence.

We need your thoughts, guidance, and support to meet the challenges of our new millennium. Please communicate with the board and the staff as we define and work to optimize our outcomes by strategically planning our future.  

-David Emmerling, Executive Director

From the RIVERKEEPER®

EGGS + CHICKENS = POOP AND POLLUTION

It does not matter which might comes first. Egg production and poultry factory farms plus a slaughterhouse will add to the pollution of the Tar-Pamlico River. Nash County Ignores Growing Opposition, Continues to Push for Poultry Slaughterhouse.

Nash County landowners opposed to a new poultry slaughterhouse have organized and are keeping the pressure on county commissioners as they push forward on locating this damaging industry to the region. Since last reported in the Fall issue of Currents, the County Commissioners have rezoned and purchased the land for a new Sanderson Farm slaughterhouse. The County is also seeking state and federal grant money to extend water and sewer lines to the facility. Landowners and the City of Wilson, both opposed to the siting of this facility, have taken the County to court over the rezoning process. In response to this legal challenge, Nash County has now recommended changing their zoning ordinances to open the door even further to slaughterhouses, such as Sanderson Farms, by doing away with a provision that would require a Special Use Permit.   

As PTRF has previously reported, the main concern over a new poultry processing plant is the 500 new and currently unregulated industrial chicken houses that will be built within a 50 mile radius of the facility, mainly impacting the Tar and Neuse River Basins, both of which currently suffer from nutrient pollution.  

Industrial poultry operations stockpile animal waste, spreading it in and near our waters; add arsenic to feed that reaches our rivers; and pollute with high levels of ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and dust that leads to higher childhood asthma rates.  They also overuse antibiotics, creating harmful, resistant bacteria strains. Instead of solving these real and present dangers, the Sanderson processing facility proposal calls for building more than 500 environmentally harmful poultry operations.  These facilities are not regulated and the State provides little to no public protections from the discharge of pollutants and fecal matter into our water.  

Due largely to pollution caused by industrial animal operations in the eastern part of the state, North Carolina's rivers are in severe peril.  We cannot support the spread of this industry without a safe and effective resolution of its environmentally harmful practices.    

Rose Acre Farms Challenges Own Permit in State Court

In 2004, the state permitted the largest egg-laying facility in the history of North Carolina to be sited in Hyde County, within the Tar-Pamlico River basin and located one-half mile from the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. When permitted, the state had required the facility, Rose Acre Farm, to submit a plan to reduce their amount of ammonia emissions in order to protect local water quality. The company promised that their ammonia emission abetment plan would be state of the art and reduce ammonia emissions by 75%. However special studies conducted by the NC Division of Water Quality and US Fish and Wildlife service found that Rose Acres was releasing ammonia at levels that is impacting the refuge as well as contributing high levels of nutrients and bacteria to the surrounding waters.   

From the 2010 Tar-Pamlico Basinwide Water Quality Plan, NC DWQ states:

"Based on the current preliminary results from the DWQ and FWS study, it appears that this CAFO (Rose Acre) and others like it in the watershed and airshed are likely contributing to the decline in water quality."

The 4 million bird egg laying facility was granted a permit renewal in September of 2010 by the state. After considering public comment and data from two studies, the DWQ incorporated some changes to Rose Acre's permit. Those changes included a requirement to amend their ammonia emission reduction plan and include methods to measure the effectiveness of their waste management plan as well as analysis of economically feasible management options not currently employed at the facility but that have been shown in research to be effective.   

When originally permitted, Rose Acre Farms publically committed to be a good corporate neighbor for the region. But its most recent actions would suggest otherwise. Faced with data from two independent studies that shows the facility is harming local water and air quality, instead of seeking to correct these impacts, Rose Acres has taken DWQ to court in efforts to remove any new permit conditions that require the facility to look at waste management alternatives that may reduce their ammonia emissions and ultimately be more protective of water quality.  Current research has clearly demonstrated the benefits of many management practices at reducing ammonia emissions that are not currently implemented at the facility.

The state contested case hearing is currently set for April 2011 in Raleigh.

Paddling with a GPS

By Paul Ferguson

Paul is the author of the guidebook Paddling Eastern North Carolina (www.PocosinPress.com)

Each year I notice more paddlers using GPS units. Why use one on paddling trips? Some will answer that they go paddling to relax and get away from it all, and using modern technology interrupts their respite. I can understand this feeling, but having a GPS along does not have to intrude. It can be used only when there is a real need to pinpoint a location. Maybe you want to be able to pass along the exact location of a special place or report a source of pollution. Get out your GPS, mark the location, and stow it.  

A GPS meant for trail usage is usually smaller than those designed for automobiles and has replaceable batteries. Many smartphones can also function as a GPS by adding a free or inexpensive app. On paddling trips, your phone could be available for emergency calls or as a GPS tool. I can recommend the iPhone's MotionX GPS app. For other phones, check your phone's app store.

I started using a GPS twelve years ago for my guidebook work. When planning a trip, I use maps to determine the location (latitude and longitude) of places I want to note and enter them as waypoints into my GPS. Just prior to launching, I set the GPS to record my track while on the river. The track provides a record of my path paddled during the entire trip. Other useful information available is distance traveled, average speed, and present speed. When I see a feature I want to remember, a couple of button presses records a new waypoint.   

If you have no experience using a GPS, try the following exercise. It involves taking a waypoint and displaying it on a Google Earth map. The exact sequence of buttons to be pushed depends on the GPS model. If it is not intuitive, check the user manual.  

A GPS often does not work well indoors, so go to a place of your choice outdoors. Take a waypoint where you are standing. On my Garmin unit, I press the Mark button. The GPS typically assigns a number as the name of the waypoint. You can accept this number or change it to something more meaningful before saving it. After saving the waypoint, use the GPS to see what it recorded. On my Garmin unit, I press Find then select Waypoints and scroll to the name of the waypoint just taken. Look for the latitude and longitude information. It might be in degrees and minutes format like this:  35° 33.761' N   77° 5.176' W (latitude of 35 degrees 33.761 minutes north and longitude of 77 degrees 5.176 minutes west). Two other formats show position in degrees only or in degrees, minutes, seconds. An option setting in the GPS allows showing the format you prefer.

Waypoints can be imported from a GPS to a computer via a cable, but let's enter your waypoint data manually into a computer using Google Earth, a free program. Start Google Earth and locate the Fly To search box. Before entering your waypoint coordinates, enter those from the previous example. You can omit the degree and minute symbols. Enter  35 33.761 N  77 5.176 W and begin the search by pressing the magnifying glass.  Google Earth will show the location on an aerial map. It is the Wildlife Boating Access on Tranters Creek. Now enter the coordinates from your waypoint and watch Google Earth zoom to it.

You can also pick a location on Google Earth's map, read its coordinates, and enter them as a waypoint into your GPS. As you move the cursor over the Google Earth map, the latitude and longitude coordinates of the cursor are shown at the bottom of the map. Check your user manual for the procedure to enter them as a waypoint.  

Coordinates of all the section put-ins and take-outs in Paddling Eastern North Carolina are available here: http://www.pocosinpress.com/Maps.htm 

There is much more to learn, but I hope this introduction will cause you to explore.  

See you on the river (with or without a GPS).

It's a Bird, it's a Plane...it's an Oyster?

by Peter Boettger

 Consider the Eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica.  Think about this homely, downright ugly creature.  After being plucked from a shell covered with fishy mud and grit, the highly prized pearls that it generates hang elegantly on the necklines of the rich and famous.  Served as Oysters Rockefeller in the upscale restaurants of New York and other cosmopolitan centers, or dumped from a 5 gallon plastic bucket in steaming piles on plywood tables at the renowned PTRF Oyster Roast, the oyster remains pre-eminent on the palate.  Its shells are ground up for marketing as human calcium supplements and many an oyster shell has met its final destiny as pavement for someone's driveway.  For generations it has been thought to enhance libido, and ironically, should always be approached with caution for disease. 

Oysters provide excellent habitat for a variety of fish and crustaceans, and perform an important role in maintaining water quality, when present in sufficient numbers.    Restored and natural oyster reefs in the Neuse River and Pamlico Sound have been shown to attract large numbers of clams, amphipods, worms, and grass shrimp.  In turn, the reef community provides abundant foraging for commercially and recreationally important species including red and black drum, spot, gray trout, speckled trout, flounder, croaker, sheephead, spanish mackerel, and blue crabs.  The loss of filtering capacity provided by a fully functional oyster population removes a natural means for recycling nutrients and organic material, controlling harmful algae blooms and bacterial contamination, and reducing turbidity.  Oyster reefs or "rocks" can also stabilize shoreline erosion by modifying wave action and currents in areas where they are abundant.   

Despite its impressive record of goods and services, the oyster has been taken for granted until recently, and their existence in our estuary today is only a small fraction of what it once was. Poor water quality, disease, over-harvesting, and habitat destruction have all contributed to the dramatic decline in North Carolina's estuarine oyster stocks.  Yet all is not lost. North Carolina and other mid-Atlantic states may be turning the corner in the quest to replenish this cornerstone species.  The battle is centered on development of oysters that can conquer the effects of disease, by employing a two pronged strategy of interdependent factors; growth and resistance.

Dermo (Perkinsis marinarus) thrives in warm waters of high salinity.  Oysters can live and grow robustly in salinities slightly lower than those tolerated by Dermo, which does not cause serious mortality below salinities of 12 to 15 ppt (parts per thousand).  From the Pamlico Sound southward Dermo attacks, emaciates, and kills oysters after the second summer when the water is hottest and saltiest, before growing to marketable size in their 3^rd year.  MSX (Haplosporidium nelsoni)is an oyster pathogen that has been lethal to the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay, and is present in North Carolina waters, although to a much less degree.  However, MSX can kill oysters at any age, young or old.  Apart from disease oyster survival is dependent on water with sufficient oxygen, stable salinity patterns, suitable attachment surfaces, adequate food supplies, and sufficient water flow.    

Alice "Nana"Boettger at Cape Hatteras, circa 1960

Oysters have a natural tendency to build their own habitat, a strategy that has several survival benefits.  As the larval stage ends during the warmest months, larvae must find a suitable place to attach or they will perish.  They respond to a protein on the surface of living or dead adult oyster shells, which are their preferred surface for settlement and growth.  As an oyster reef expands upward in the water column, oysters further from the bottom are less susceptible to the smothering effect of sedimentation and deadly periods of depleted oxygen.  An oyster that expends less energy pumping water to breathe and filter sediment can devote more energy to growth, development, and immunity.   

To that end North Carolina has instituted two promising programs that are designed to take advantage of optimal growing conditions in the race to allow healthier oysters to reach marketable size before being stricken with disease.  NC Sea Grant and NC Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) have partnered to create the now popular NC Under Dock Oyster Culture Program, which permits the opportunity for people to grow oysters in suspended cages under their coastal docks or piers in waters approved for the harvest of shellfish.  DMF has also undertaken the building of large oyster sanctuaries in the Pamlico, on select sites that had historically supported large natural reefs.  They are constructed in part from massive quantities of recycled oyster shells collected from businesses and private individuals.  These sanctuaries are designed for reef growth high in the water column and are off limits to harvesting.  By allowing oysters to grow in ideal conditions and free from harvest pressure, it is hoped that a strain of oysters resistant to disease will eventually dominate the sanctuaries through the process of natural selection, thus generating a continual stock of oysters with immunity to Dermo and MSX that will ultimately re-populate the sounds.

Scientists at Virginia Institute of Marine Science are blending several aggressive approaches to inventing a 'super oyster'.  One component involves repeatedly cross breeding oysters to select out for resistance to MSX in all stages of life.  Another technique uses artificially created 'triploid' oysters with three sets of chromosomes instead of the normal two sets found in naturally occurring 'diploid' oysters.  During the warmer months of spawning season, oysters are growing their gonads for production of eggs and sperm, and are not good eating because they are packed with gonads or too watery after spawning.   With uncommon exceptions, triploid oysters are sterile.  Therefore, a much larger proportion of their energy is channeled into year round rapid growth and edibility other than in just the "R" months. Artificially created 'tetraploid' oysters with four sets of chromosomes are now being bred with diploid oysters to beget a steady supply of triploids being sold for oyster farming in six states.  Meanwhile, the effort to 'breed for speed' combined with disease resistance continues.   

In 1889, Lieutenant Francis Winslow of the U.S. Navy published a survey of North Carolina's sounds, with respect to oysters and potential oyster habitat.  Public areas, vulnerable to hand harvest methods, were felt to be in degraded condition, even at that time.  Still he was able to identify over 8000 acres of natural oyster beds, much of which was located in the middle and western portions of the Pamlico.  Commercial harvests in North Carolina of over a million bushels per year occurred in that era, but sank to an all time low of 38,455 bushels in the year 2000.  Since then the yearly harvest has gradually climbed back to 108,437 bushels in the last compiled year of 2009.  Perhaps with continued conservative management, ingenuity, and a little luck the mighty oyster has a chance.

RIFFLES & RUNS

R & R - City of Creedmoor looking to Tar River for new Wastewater Discharge

PTRF has learned that the City of Creedmoor, located in the Neuse River basin, is taking initial steps to build a new wastewater treatment plant and discharge pipe in the Tar River basin in Granville County. The City has had scoping meetings with State permitting agencies. The proposal is for 1.15 million gallons per day discharge of wastewater to the Tar River in the vicinity of highway 15 in Granville County.

PTRF is extremely concerned over this proposal. The upper Tar River region is characterized by good water quality that serves as the drinking water source for hundreds of thousands of residents downstream. During dry times, flow in this section of the river can drop below 1 foot in depth. This section of the Tar River supports a diverse aquatic population including the federally listed endangered dwarf wedgemussel as well as many other state and federal threatened aquatic fish, mussel and insect species. Two Significant Natural Heritage Areas are also located downstream of the proposed discharge.

Due to the numerous alternatives that the City currently has for its wastewater needs, the potential significant impacts to the health of the upper Tar River, and the fact that the proposed discharge to the Tar would result in an interbasin transfer of water from the Neuse, PTRF cannot support this proposal. PTRF believes that other alternatives should be considered first and that the City would have a difficult time defending a position that a new discharge to the Tar River would be the least environmentally damaging alternative.

R & R  - Thanks for making Fishing Clinic 101 a success!  

The river is a natural treasure that our section of Eastern North Carolina has been blessed with and should be enjoyed by the people who live here.  Tricky thing is, our Pamlico River's waters are complicated and ever-changing, often intimidating even a seasoned fisher.  As a big THANK YOU to our membership, PTRF was thrilled to bring to you our first ever Fishing Clinic 101!  Free to all members, we brought in some of the best local fishermen to focus on fishing for the most popular species in the Pamlico (brackish waters) and Tar (freshwaters).  

Over 70 people came down to the DENR building in Washington on Saturday February 19^th to listen to Scott Buck (Speckled Trout), Wiley Bradley (Flounder), Richard Andrews (Red Drum), Vance Long (Striped Bass), Billy Dean (Tarpon), and Jack Whichard (freshwater species) share their expertise and tricks on how to catch fish you have only dreamed about. Keep your eye open for our next fishing clinic sometime late spring/early summer!

R & R  - Volunteers needed to assist in Organization of April River Cleanup  

Volunteers are needed in the communities of Louisburg, Rocky Mount, Tarboro, Greenville and Washington to assist PTRF staff in organizing for our Third Annual Spring River Cleanup-- "Riverkeeper Cup Cleanup Challenge".  The challenge was initiated in 2009, with the City of Greenville narrowly beating out the city of Washington by collecting 1,220 pounds of trash from the Tar River. In 2010, the competition expanded to include the Town of Tarboro and City of Rocky Mount. Washington volunteers narrowly escaped with a victory last year by collecting 920 pounds of trash. This year's cleanup is scheduled for Saturday, April 16, 2011 from 8-12pm.

Volunteers that are willing to help organize a cleanup in their community would be expected to attend two organizational meetings (location in the community), be responsible for organizing and enlisting volunteers for the cleanup, and be present on the day of the cleanup. Please call the office or email Kelly if you are interested (252-946-7211 or email kelly@ptrf.org).

R & R  - Fifth Annual Race for the River Kayakalon

This unique sprint triathlon takes place within the scenic Goose Creek State Park, located along the banks of the Pamlico River. Participants begin the race with a 1.5 mile kayak paddle in the beautiful (but unpredictable) Pamlico River. The next leg includes a 15-mile bike ride on flat country roads. Racers head to the finish line with a 3-mile run on shaded trails within the State Park.

Since 2007, the race has continually gained popularity and is attracting participants from many states. This year's race was also highlighted in Fitness magazine's May 2010 issue as a race at a great destination that shouldn't be missed!

This event appeals to all - the serious racer to the average athlete. Relay teams are not only accepted but encouraged and children the age of 12 are able to participate. So grab your friends and family and join us in April for the best sprint triathlon in the region!

Race for the River Kayakalon Details:

April 30, 2010

Start time: 9:00am

Location: Goose Creek State Park

Early Registration (prior to 4/18/11) for Individuals is $50 and $85 for Relay Teams

Registration available online.

Visit www.ptrf.org for race details and to register.

R & R  - King of the River

Award-winner watercolor artist and Washington resident Pat Holscher has generously donated a breathtaking watercolor exclusively for the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation.

The energetic kingfisher is found up and down the Tar-Pamlico River, and now you have the opportunity to bring one home. Just in time for the holidays, PTRF has just completed a limited run of numbered prints that are signed by Pat Holscher herself, available to the PTRF membership for $150. All proceeds go directly to the Pamlico - Tar River Foundation and our continued efforts to protect and preserve the river for everyone. This is a generous, beautiful print and would make a fantastic addition to any art or wildlife enthusiast. Please call the office at (252) 946-7211 or email info@ptrf.org for more information or to place an order.  

R & R Flakes and Friends Fuel Fantastic Flotilla

On December 4 a fearless group of kayakers led by PTRF President Jerry Eatman and past president Bill Hunneke led a group of PTRF volunteers and staff in a once in a life time paddle in the Washington Christmas Flotilla.  A group of 14 kayaks swarmed up the river serving as the honor guard for  Otter . Rick Zablocki received permission to use the Coast Guard Auxiliary Mascot and with some holiday clothes and a Santa hat the Christmas Otter was born.  

The true magic of the evening for spectators and participants alike was to experience the Flotilla preparation, launch, parade and retrieval as it snowed. First light small flurries began to fall. As lights were put on kayaks and equipment checked the flakes became heavier and more numerous until it was really snowing and accumulating. The snow continued as we floated on the smooth as glass ebony that was the river in the dark. Then as the promenade lights went out and the kayaks and powerboats blazed with holiday lights magic was truly afoot.

A once in a lifetime experience provided by the joy of the season and the magic of the river.

R & R - Annual Open House

Our annual Open House this past December was a pleasant event. Various generations of members and their families came out to the office to celebrate the season with staff and board members. It was an evening of good food, drinks and conversations!  

R & R - The newest little Riverkeeper arrives

Heather and Ben Deck are pleased to announce the birth of the littlest Riverkeeper, Anna Madeline Deck. Anna was born on January 24, 2011 and weighed 6 pounds and was 20 ounces. Both Mother and baby are doing well.

Passing of an Ecosystem Naturalist: Mark M. Brinson   

By: Robert R. Christian  

Dr. Mark M. Brinson, 67, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, January 3, 2011.   Many wetland and coastal ecologists lost a friend that day.  We also lost a thoughtful, hardworking and creative ecosystem ecologist who not only advanced wetland science but also provided important links between science and environmental management.  Born on October 6, 1943 in Shelby, Ohio, Mark received his B.S. from Heidelberg College and M.S. from the University of Michigan.  His dissertation research was in Lake Izabal, Guatemala, which was done while a student at the University of Florida.   He started as an assistant professor at East Carolina University (ECU) in 1973 and became a full professor by 1981.  He was honored there by receiving both the Board of Trustees Lifetime Achievement Award and the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professorship.  Mark retired in September with the title of Distinguished Research Professor and remained active in research and service.

Mark's legacy can be found in various arenas.  He taught numerous courses and workshops on wetlands and ecosystem ecology at ECU, nationally and internationally.  He co-authored and edited publications on wetlands with a who's who of wetland ecologists.  Further, he served as a technical consultant to the US Environmental Protection Agency, US Army Corps of Engineers, US Fish and Wildlife Service and the Smithsonian Institution.  He also was elected  President of the Society of Wetland Scientists (SWS) and served on the Board of Directors for SWS and the Board of Governors of the American Institute of Biological Sciences.  

Mark's national honors include the National Wetlands Award for Science Research, co-sponsored by the Environmental Law Institute and the Environmental Protection Agency, and election as a Fellow of the Society of Wetland Scientists.  He also used a Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Award at the University of Buenos Aires to aid in the development of a wetland management program in Argentina.

Mark is survived by his wife of 40 years, Leslie Brinson, of Greenville, NC; his son, Peter Brinson and wife, Suzanne; and granddaughter, Sylvie, all of Pasadena, CA.  His dry wit, intellect and commitment to ecology and its applications will be greatly missed.