New Yadkin RiverKeeper group

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009

By Holly Fesperman LeeSalisbury Post
A new river protection group got the go ahead recently to hire a RiverKeeper to monitor the Yadkin-Pee Dee River Basin.
Friends of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River held their first meeting in October after officials from Clean Water for North Carolina held outreach meetings along the river basin to spark interest in starting a river protection group.
The newly formed protection group, under the direction of President Zoë Hanes of Winston-Salem, seeks to “respect, protect and improve the Yadkin-Pee Dee River basin through education, advocacy and action.”
The WaterKeeper Alliance, a group based in New York that licenses RiverKeepers, granted the group’s license request Dec. 18.
Steve Hannah, one of 13 members of the new group’s board of directors and Granite Quarry resident, said the license will allow Friends of the Yadkin-Pee Dee Rive to hire a full-time RiverKeeper.
That person will monitor the river on a daily basis to advocate for and help with public education about the river.
Hannah said the group didn’t have a time frame for hiring a RiverKeeper but wants to move fairly quickly.
Hannah said the Yadkin-Pee Dee is the second largest river basin in North Carolina, providing drinking water to about one million people. But up until now, it has been one of the only river basins without a RiverKeeper.
The Catawba RiverKeeper Foundation is now in its 10th year. The group advocates for and secures protection for the Catawba River, its lakes, tributaries and watershed.
Friends of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River has used the Catawba RiverKeeper Foundation as its fiscal agent until the application for tax-exempt status is complete so all donations and memberships can still be tax exempt.
The group already has more than 40 paid members and a list of about 80 people who have expressed interest in joining.
Hannah said the group will hold organizational meetings up and down the river basin in the near future to try to encourage the public to attend and join.
To join the Friends of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River, send a check made out to the Catawba RiverKeeper Foundation to 324 Gloria Ave., Winston-Salem, NC 27127. Include a memo indicating the check is for membership in the Friends of the Yadkin-Pee Dee River.
The WaterKeeper Alliance suggests members donate at least $50 each year to support the organization, as well as volunteering time to monitor and advocate for water quality.
For more information visit the group’s Web site at www.fypdr.org.
Members of the board of directors are:
– President, Zoë Gamble Hanes, an attorney with Blanco, Tackabery, Combs and Matamoros, P.A., specializing in environmental law.
– Secretary, Shona Simpson, a literature professor at Wake Forest University.
– Treasurer, Patricia Colwell, owner and operator of Carolina Heritage Vineyards, an organic vineyard in Surry County.
– John Cardarilli, a seventh-grade biology teacher in Forsyth County.
– Rick Chatham, a Yadkin River native who now lives in Elkin and Costa Rica, where he owns a rainforest preserve.
– Montie Hamby, a longtime advocate for watershed protection and Winston-Salem resident.
– Steve Hannah, a minister living in Granite Quarry.
– Anita Harrington, an Elkin resident with experience working with hazardous waste and conducting risk and environmental impact assessments.
– Edward Hill, a biologist with experience monitoring water quality. He lives in Norwood and owns property on the Yadkin.
– June Mabry, an advocate for watershed protection from Albemarle.
– Melba Melton, a longtime grassroots organizer. She has been active in addressing hazardous waste, hog farms, clear-cutting and paper mills. She lives in Granite Quarry.
– Velvet Motsinger, a project manager for American Express. She is from Albemarle.
– Marti Utter, a river enthusiast living in Yadkinville.