Roy Carlton has been volunteering to do weekly water sampling for Swim Guide since Sound Rivers became a part of the international program four years ago. But his history of volunteering with Sound Rivers goes back much farther, to the early ‘90s and the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation.

Q: Can you give us a little background about yourself (where you live, your professional background, your relationship with waterways in the Neuse/Tar-Pamlico watersheds)?

A: I’m a native of Greenville; my parents met in Washington in the ’50s. I’ve lived in Greenville for 50 of my years and intend to stay there for the rest of my life. I love getting out on the water, paddling, swimming, fishing, everything. In the early ’90s I started volunteering for PTRF. … It’s a great organization, I love working with you all.

Q: Why did you decide to get involved in sampling?

A: It seemed like a good, constructive way to support the watershed, and making sure that the swimming is available to us and the fishing is good.

Q: What do you think Swim Guide provides to the general public?

A: I think it gives them some assurance that the places that they recreate on the water are clean, and if they’re not clean, then they know they’re not clean, so you can avoid them.

Thank you to Roy and our many volunteers! We can’t do what we do without YOU!