This summer Sound Rivers welcomed aboard three new water-quality interns: Will Shingleton, a senior majoring in Environmental Health at East Carolina University; Leah Tilson, a senior double-majoring in Environmental Science and Public Policy at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; and Nathalie Uriarte-Ayala, a junior majoring in Environmental Science at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Under the leadership of Sound Rivers’ Environmental Projects Director Clay Barber, each headed up their part of the Swim Guide program this summer, coordinating volunteers to sample, transporting and testing those samples, then reporting the results — Will, on the Tar-Pamlico; Leah, on the Upper Neuse; and Nathalie, on the Lower Neuse — in addition to assisting their respective Riverkeepers on a variety of projects and presenting programs about Sound Rivers’ work to several children’s groups.

Leah also took on researching how other states have handled the biogas issue legislatively, while Nathalie hunted down all the wastewater treatment plants in the Neuse River watershed and the number of times they’ve been cited for violations. Will could often be found out in the field with Clay, helping with installations at Sound Rivers’ school stormwater projects.

Each filled a valuable role at Sound Rivers this summer — ensuring the public knew every week where it’s safe to swim in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds — and we truly enjoyed working with them!

Good luck, Will, Leah and Nathalie!

Here’s what our interns had to say about working with Sound Rivers this summer:

WILL: I’ve really enjoyed the wide variety of projects and great people I’ve worked with, who are all pushing to keep the environment I grew up in safe!

LEAH: I loved participating in Swim Guide with our local water-quality volunteers. It allowed me to see how Sound Rivers engages with the public and to meet some very nice, likeminded people also interested in monitoring the watersheds!

NATHALIE: I really enjoyed working with the volunteers and visiting/testing the different sites in the Lower Neuse!