News

Sound Rivers’ Riverkeeping team was on the move, and on the water, on Tuesday.

Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop, Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman and Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register met up with Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Blakely Hildebrand for an outing on the Trent River, which flows into the Neuse River at New Bern.

Their goal: to scout future sampling locations near CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations or industrial hog facilities) in the floodplain of Jones County.

“The idea for us going out was to familiarize ourselves with the area, and pin down good sampling sites if we ever need them in the future after flooding events,” Taylor said. “It’s extremely helpful to do this proactive work so that we can get on the ground and respond quicker if any issues pop up.”

Finding places to sample is easier said than done, according to Taylor.

“The Trent River is a maze of branching tributaries and wetlands, so it’s really hard to determine safe and accessible sampling locations without scouting them in person first,” she said.

The team spent the first half of the day mucking through swampy waters in waders, and the second half kayaking a few miles up and down the main stem of the Trent River.

“Luckily, we were able to identify some good sample sites and pinned those on our maps to reference in the future. We had a great time being out on the water, and it was super-helpful to bring Blakely along to help us spot sampling areas that would provide us with solid data without accidentally trespassing on any farmland,” Taylor said.

They also spotted plenty of wildlife, as spring is officially arriving this week.

“Some of our favorite sightings were a Kingfisher that flew ahead of our kayaks for the entire trip, a baby yellow-bellied slider that we caught swimming around our waders, and a very active heron rookery, since it’s currently their breeding season,” she said.

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