Caldwell Co Volunteer Training

On Monday, February 27, 2012 the Catawba Riverkeeper Foundation (CRF) will hold an orientation meeting at Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute for its Cove and Stream Watcher training.  Keep the Catawba River and its streams alive by becoming a Cove or Stream Watcher, a volunteer team trained by Catawba Riverkeeper David Merryman.

We are all stakeholders in the Catawba River: we drink it, play in it, and rely on it for electricity, food and fun.  We also enjoy the wildlife it supports and the vistas it provides.  All uses of this water resource over the past several years have brought both prosperity and problems.  In fact, these problems led to the Catawba’s receipt of the dubious moniker America’s Most Endangered River^TM from American Rivers, a national river advocacy group in Washington, D.C., in 2008.  More recently, the Catawba has been listed on the Southern Environmental Law Center’s 2012 Top Ten Endangered Places in the Southeast.

Cove and Stream Watcher training includes 4 informational sessions in recognizing the effects of isolated and cumulative degrading activities, understanding existing natural resource laws and policies, and implementing protective measures for our River.  These trainings cover a broad range of topics and participants are encouraged to bring their perspectives and interests.  An orientation session will be held on February 27, 2012 at 6:30pm at Caldwell Community College, 2855 Hickory Boulevard, Bldg. F Room 309, Hudson, NC 28638.  The four subsequent training sessions will be held weekly on Monday evenings through March 26, 2012.

“The demands on our River continue, and we want to engage people in the protection of this important resource,” Merryman said. “The goal of this training is to educate citizens about the issues our River currently faces, to train them in monitoring water quality and to motivate them to give back to the Catawba.”

Existing volunteers recognize the subtle indicators of degraded water quality and potential problematic sites.  These individuals have helped identify and alleviate problems related to sewage spills, shoreline destruction, and chemical and sediment runoff.  If you are interested in learning about the signs of misuse and overuse, and in participating in a growing community of ordinary people preserving, protecting, and enhancing our beautiful and endangered Catawba River, please attend this initial training session to learn more.