Welcome to the Riverwatch Captains Log!

As the director of the Riverwatch program, I’m thrilled to welcome our dedicated captains to this new web log. You each have so much to offer – now you have the opportunity to share your ideas and experiences immediately with the entire group of captains. I hope you’ll make thorough use of this site to post your questions, thoughts and photographs for everyone’s benefit! If you have any problems with the blog, please call us right away at the office (852-7483) or email me at rdrake@bnriverkeeper.org. Don’t be shy – this is my first attempt at “blogging”, too!

Take a moment to look through the earlier posts and get to know our hard-working interns. Robin, Shannon and Megan never rest in their efforts to make Riverkeeper a more effective environmental advocate. Their efforts and enthusiasm have supported the growth of our Riverwatch volunteer monitoring program from a mere idea into a functioning project with enormous potential to improve our waterways.

As for me… I’ve been involved with environmental issues for just about as long as I can remember. As a small child, I recall taking early morning fishing expeditions with my brother on Tonawanda Creek. I was entranced by the chilly morning stillness, the drifting of fog banks across the water, the crackling of our little campfire on the shore. As a teenager, I worked with family, neighbors and friends to preserve my favorite place in the world, a 1200-acre tract of woods in north Amherst that came to be known as Natureview Park. After nearly 10 years, these efforts bore fruit this spring when the Town finally signed a contract with the WNY Land Conservancy to preserve the land.

I had the opportunity and good fortune to work with NYS Parks – Niagara region and Earth Spirit Educational Services as I was earning my bachelor’s degree at UB. With NYS Parks, I fell in love with the Niagara River and spent many fond days developing the nature center at Fort Niagara and exploring the mysteries of the Niagara Gorge. I also traveled a bit during this time and made friends with some great rivers and wild places around the country.

In April 2003 I came to Riverkeeper, then called Friends of the Buffalo Niagara Rivers. Like Robin and Shannon, I served as an intern through the Americorps program as I deepened my understanding of our watershed learned the issues facing us. I must have proved my mettle because I was eventually hired on as staff by the end of 2004. I have worked on many Riverkeeper projects, but developing the Riverwatch program and seeing the enthusiasm of our captains has been the most rewarding and enjoyable of them all!

We’ll all be posting regularly with useful news and updates, as well as our thoughts and impressions of the work we do here at Riverkeeper. See you here!