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All three of Sound Rivers’ offices were closed earlier this week, as staff members headed to the coast to do a deep dive into the organization’s goals for 2025.

Held at the Trinity Center in Salter Path, set in a maritime forest between Bogue Sound and the Atlantic Ocean, Executive Director Heather Deck led staff members on two days of discussion about Sound Rivers’ past and future work, from successes since the last the planning retreat to mapping out new programs and ways to improve those already in operation.

“Because we’ve got staff in Raleigh, New Bern and Washington, face-to-face time with the entire staff is usually over Zoom,” Heather said. “But we work better when we work together, so it’s important to get all of us in the same place, trading ideas, fine-tuning and streamlining our approach to the work we do on a daily basis.”

Water Quality Specialist Taylor Register, Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz and Stormwater Education Coordinator Sierra Stickney are based out of the New Bern office; Development Coordinator Jay Potter is based in Raleigh; and Neuse Riverkeeper Samantha Krop spends time at both the New Bern and Raleigh offices. Heather, Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman, Program Director Clay Barber, Business Manager Lauren Rowe and Communications Director Vail Rumley work in the Washington office.

In addition to prioritizing work for the coming year and finding ways to build on past successes, Sound Rivers staff members took advantage of the coastal location and the weather, swimming in the Atlantic, shell-hunting on the beach, making ‘smores around a campfire and doing sunrise yoga at the facility’s beach pavilion. After the working retreat wrapped up on Wednesday afternoon, staff was treated to a behind-the-scenes tour of the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knolls Shore, courtesy of Andrew Feliton, partner of Pamlico-Tar Riverkeeper Katey Zimmerman.