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Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop was in Oriental last week, sharing Sound Rivers’ work and programs with the Oriental Rotary Club.

Samantha joined the group at Brantley’s Restaurant on Monday night to speak about issues facing the lower estuary and how they can participate in monitoring the Neuse River and its tributaries.

“Oriental is really the sailing capital of North Carolina, so almost everyone’s got a boat, so we focused on things may be able to spot from the boat: things like algae blooms and fish kills, litter and dumping — all of which we’ve seen in that area,” Samantha said.

She also did a rundown of Sound Rivers’ growing list of programs: Litter-Free Rivers and its fleet of traps installed on urban waterways to capture trash flowing downstream; Swim Guide, a summerlong recreational water-quality program that lets people know where it’s safe to swim; Water Watch, a community science-based and volunteer-driven program to keep an eye on waterways throughout the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico; and the Campus Stormwater Program, in which Sound Rivers partners with local governments and public schools to install green stormwater infrastructure on campus to prevent flooding and erosion and promote water quality.

“There’s a lot to share, because we’re doing a lot,” Samantha laughed.

Samantha said she enjoys speaking with groups like the Oriental Rotary Club because of their interest in the health of their waterways.

“It’s great to be able to highlight ways people can get involved and volunteer for clean water,” she said.

Need a speaker at your group’s meeting? Let us know! Email info@soundrivers.org!