E2: Keeping the River | Emily Sutton
Summary
In this episode, we hear from Emily Sutton, Haw Riverkeeper and the new Executive Director for the Haw River Assembly, a citizen-fueled nonprofit located in Chatham County, North Carolina. We learn what it means to be a riverkeeper, environmental nonprofit leader, nature educator, and advocate for protecting our watersheds and natural resources.
Full Bio
Since 2018, Emily has led the fight against pollution in the Haw River, which includes dangerous contaminants and the excessive accumulation of sediment and nutrient runoff. Emily grew up paddling rivers in the Midwest, and moved to North Carolina to receive her degree in sustainable development at Appalachian State University, where she studied agroecology, watershed ecology, and outdoor education. Emily currently lives in Durham, North Carolina.
The Haw River Assembly was founded in 1982 to restore and protect the Haw River and Jordan Lake and to build a watershed community which encourages awareness, education, and action. The Assembly’s goals are to promote environmental education, conservation, and pollution prevention; to speak as a unified voice for the river in the public arena; and to put into people’s hands the tools and the knowledge they need to be effective guardians of the river.
The Haw River flows 110 miles from its origin headwaters in the north-central Piedmont region of North Carolina, to the Cape Fear River, and meets the Atlantic Ocean near Wilmington. The river and its watershed provide drinking water to nearly one million people, and the 1700 square mile watershed is home to a variety of fish and wildlife, including blue heron, bald eagle, beaver, deer, otter, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bowfin, crappie, carp, and bluegill. The Haw also contains important habitat for the endangered Cape Fear shiner and an assortment of rare freshwater mussel species.
I spoke with Emily as we sat on a huge, flat rock at her favorite location on the Haw River, near Pittsboro, North Carolina. We were occasionally joined by her dog, Olah, who was busy exploring both land and water in this most beautiful setting.
Related Links
Haw River Assembly website and email signup
Haw River Assembly Facebook Page
Credits
Many thanks to singer-songwriter Abigail Dowd for permission to use her song, Beautiful Day, as theme music for this episode. You can find Abigail and her music at:
Rooted by LNDO, Melange Fracais by Reves Fracais, and Nature’s Way by Alsever Lake used by permission via Soundstripe.
The Haw River, near Pittsboro, North Carolina
Haw Riverkeeper Emily Sutton instructs a group of fourth graders from Pittsboro Elementary School to listen to the sounds of the river using a technique called “deer ears.” Credit: Emily Gibson Rhyne
Dr. Maja Kricker volunteers at a Haw River Assembly 4th Grade Learning Celebration. Credit: Haw River Assembly
Participants explore a rocky shoreline during a Haw River Learning Celebration event. Credit: Haw River Assembly
Raphael Darden of Xplore Kayak during a Haw River Assembly Nature4All event. Credit: Haw River Assembly
Haw Riverkeeper Emily Sutton holds jars of water samples. Credit: Haw River Assembly
Haw Riverkeeper Emily Sutton holds young turtle discovered while she and fellow Haw River Assembly staff were working with a Trash Trap. Credit: Haw River Assembly
Looking southward along the Haw River