Group celebrates another year of protecting Neuse River

A nonprofit organization that monitors the Neuse River celebrated another year of watchdog work Thursday, highlighting a volunteer program that started in New Bern and grew into a statewide effort.

The Neuse River Foundation exists to educate people about keeping the river clean, and its newest Muddy Water Watch program has caught on better than expected, spawning nine teams across North Carolina. The program was spotlighted during the foundation's annual meeting in New Bern.

Muddy Water Watch teaches resident volunteers to look for sediment violations, waste and construction projects that pose a threat to the river. The program teaches the volunteers to understand the general pollution-control requirements of various local and state-issued permits.

"It started small here and has really taken off," said Larry Baldwin, the lower Neuse riverkeeper. "It's not just for the Neuse River, it's for the state."

The program receives funding from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Wake County and several foundations.

Baldwin talked about the expansion of RiverKids, a collaboration between the Neuse River Foundation and the Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology at North Carolina State University.

The program allows students from Craven County to spend a day on the river learning about its natural processes and how to keep it safe. The program is aimed at eighth-grade students because they are studying environmental science as part of their curriculum.

"To see the light in their eyes when they make the connection - to know that the message has passed on to another generation - is so cool," Baldwin said.

Baldwin said the organization is always looking to pass along its river-keeping message and always hoping to extend its reach.

The foundation began in New Bern in 1980 with five people organizing the effort. The foundation now has more than 3,100 members.

During the foundation's annual daylong spring cleanup of the river, nearly 300 volunteers removed 10,000 pounds of trash from the Neuse, despite heavy rain.

On Thursday, most foundation members had their first chance to meet Alissa Bierma, the new upper Neuse riverkeeper.

Bierma replaces Dean Naujoks, and has been on the job in Raleigh for about a month.

"I'm still getting a feel for the politics up there and learning about the developments up there," Bierma told the crowd. "We are your organization, too; this is your river, too."

In the coming year, the foundation will step up its fight against hog waste, Baldwin said.

"We're here for the river," he said. "We don't care whether you are Democratic, Republican, independent, Presbyterian, Catholic or vegetarian. Our first question is, ‘Is this good for the river?' and then we go from there."