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The Neuse River Foundation, which
strives to protect the river from its
headwaters until it empties into the
Pamlico Sound, was named the
Conservation Organization of the Year
Saturday by the North Carolina Wildlife
Federation.
The NRF and its two
riverkeepers, Dean Naujoks for the Upper
Neuse and Larry Baldwin for the Lower
Neuse, were presented the award during
the federations 45th annual
Governor’s Conservation Achievement
Awards banquet in Raleigh. The NRF has
been working to preserve the health of
the Neuse River for 26 years.
Eddie Nickens, a well-known
wildlife writer and the master of
ceremonies, said the following about the
NRF:
“The particular achievements
of the Neuse River Foundation are
lengthy and noteworthy.
“The NRF generated more than
a thousand public comments on Butner’s
request to dump 61,000 pounds of
nitrogen into Falls Lake each year.
“Its volunteer Air Force has
documented hundreds of Clean Water Act
violations.
“Working with the
Waterkeeper Alliance, NRF help secure an
agreement with Smithfield Foods to
change hog waste disposal at more than
275 facilities.
“And the organization’s
annual River Cleanup is the state’s
largest. In four years, 53,000 pounds of
trash have been collected from the
river. That’s equivalent to the weight
of nearly five elephants, or
approximately 6.3 billion copies of the
newly published History of the N.C.
House of Representatives.
“But perhaps the greatest
achievement of the Neuse River
Foundation is the way it has been able
to convince an enormous number of North
Carolinians who live far from the bank
of a creek or stream that they are,
indeed, the citizens of a river.
“It wasn’t so long ago that
most people in North Carolina figured
the Neuse River was just a squiggly blue
line on a map. Raleigh only nudged the
river in a few places. Its connection to
the coastal environment seemed tenuous
at best.
“But residents of the Neuse
River basin, though they may live five
miles from the nearest kingfisher, no
longer feel disconnected from this
critical waterway. The Neuse River
Foundation, through its activism, its
Riverkeepers, and its consistent message
that a region’s river truly is the tie
that binds, has raised the status of the
Neuse.
“And it has raised awareness
of river conservation to a level
unprecedented in this region. The Neuse
River Foundation is the 2006 Governor’s
Conservation Organization of the Year.”
For people who want to keep
the Neuse and other rivers in our state
clean, mark two days on your calendar.
April 14, a Saturday, is Neuse River
Cleanup Day, and May 2 is Clean Water
Lobby Day and North Carolina
Legislature.
Find out about the NRF at
www.neuseriverkeepers.org. |
