Cape Fear River Watch

August- Second Saturday Cleanup Event
2020-08-08 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | NC, United States
Cape Fear River Watch is resuming our in-person cleanup events starting August 2020! Cleanup procedures have been changed incorporating CDC and state guidelines. If you and your loved ones do not feel comfortable attending, please stay home! An at-home cleanup along your roadside or local creek also makes a big difference!

A few things to keep in mind prior to arrival:

-Please keep at least 6ft of distance from groups other than the one you arrived with;
-Please wear a mask when communicating with other groups or individuals while socially distancing;
-We will not be providing water, so please bring your own;
-We will be providing gloves and pickers– All cleanup materials will be sanitized before and after the event;
-Please check-in upon arrival. Signs and objects marking distance for proper queuing will be on-site;
-Other precautions and procedural changes will be addressed on site;

Cleanup Information:
August’s cleanup event will take place at Lower Willard Pond in the Greenfield Lake watershed. The area is heavily littered, with the majority of trash lining the wetland. Please wear proper clothing: long pants, boots, hat, etc. The entire process including new guidelines is new to us as well as you! Things will move a bit slower than in the past once on-site. It’s been a proper Carolina summer so bring your water and sunscreen!

Parking will be available on-site along Willard St: https://goo.gl/maps/GUugzUxDRLocmN6W7

First Saturday Seminar with Dr. Bill Hunt
2020-08-01 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom and FB Live, NC, United States
First Saturday Seminar with Dr. Bill Hunt

August 1 @ 9:00 am – 11:00 am

Join us via Zoom to hear from NC State’s Dr. Bill Hunt, who will talk about Greenfield Lake and other Stormwater projects in our basin.
Zoom will open at 8:45am and the seminar will begin at 9am!https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9617005052
Dr Hunt is the leader of NC State’s Stormwater Engineering Group, with a focus on Low Impact Development and Green Infrastructure. He has co-authored more than 120 peer-refereed journal articles, one book, and many extension publications. His team has designed and/or monitored more than 250 stormwater control measures. Every year he conducts 20-25 workshops in North Carolina, the US, and abroad. Dr. Hunt loves people and sharing a good laugh. Wolfpack sports are both a blessing and a bane, but such is life for a fan of the underdog. Traveling and his kids bring him his greatest joys in life.

June/July CFRW Book Club Meeting
2020-07-25 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom and FB Live, NC, United States
June/July CFRW Book Club Meeting

July 25 @ 10:30am

Join us for our June/July 2020 CFRW Book Club Meeting! This month’s selection is Rivers of Power: How A Natural Force Raised Kingdoms, Destroyed Civilizations, and Shapes Our World by Laurence C. Smith. We’ll have a discussion via Zoom on Saturday, July 25, 2020 at 10:30AM.
If you have not started the book yet, consider the ways our Cape Fear River affects your life and community before you begin reading this book. Then reflect even more about its significance afterward.
Thank you to Pomegranate Books for offering a 15% discount to CRFW Book Club members and for providing our usual meeting space! (We look forward to meeting there again soon when it is safe!) Pomegranate Books and their in-store coffee house Zola Coffee & Tea are open for business with restricted hours and folks can order books for pick-up as well!

Rivers of Power: How A Natural Force Raised Kingdoms, Destroyed Civilizations, and Shapes Our World by Laurence C. Smith

“Rivers, more than any road, technology, or political leader, have shaped the course of human civilization. They have opened frontiers, founded cities, settled borders, and fed billions. They promote life, forge peace, grant power, and can capriciously destroy everything in their path. Even today, rivers remain a powerful global force — one that is more critical than ever to our future. In Rivers of Power, geographer Laurence C. Smith explores the timeless yet underappreciated relationship between rivers and civilization as we know it. Rivers are of course important in many practical ways (water supply, transportation, sanitation, etc). But the full breadth of their influence on the way we live is less obvious. Rivers define and transcend international borders, forcing cooperation between nations. Huge volumes of river water are used to produce energy, raw commodities, and food. Wars, politics, and demography are transformed by their devastating floods. The territorial claims of nations, their cultural and economic ties to each other, and the migrations and histories of their peoples trace back to rivers, river valleys, and the topographic divides they carve upon the world. And as climate change, technology, and cities transform our relationship with nature, new opportunities are arising to protect the waters that sustain us. Beautifully told and expansive in scope, Rivers of Power reveals how and why rivers have so profoundly influenced our civilization and examines the importance this vast, arterial power holds for the future of humanity.”

First Saturday Seminar - What's Happening with the GenX Health Study
2020-06-06 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom and FB Live, NC, United States
Dr. Jane Hoppin of NC State University will provide an update on the first ever GenX health exposure study and then take questions.
For background on the study, visit: https://genxstudy.ncsu.edu/2019/08/12/welcome/
Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9617005052
Meeting ID: 961 700 5052 One tap mobile +13126266799,,9617005052# US (Chicago) +19294362866,,9617005052# US (New York)

Don't Waste It!
2020-05-30 09:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Lock and Dam #1, 996 Locks 1 Road, Riegelwood, NC, 28456, United States
Don’t Waste It! is a new educator guide to waste management. The guide includes 11 lessons covering five themes: municipal solid waste, recycling, plastics, composting, and landfills. Don’t Waste It! is for both formal and non-formal educators with lessons for pre-K to 12th graders that can easily be adapted for adult audiences. Each lesson includes a group activity, independent practice, extensions, and additional activities. This workshop will provide a base of knowledge needed to teach each lesson, run through many of the lessons, and each attendee will receive a Don’t Waste It! guide.
This workshop is provided by Chatham County Solid Waste & Recycling. If you have any questions please contact Shannon Culpepper, Recycling & Education Specialist at Shannon.culpepper@chathamnc.org or 919-545-7874.
Please bring your waste free lunch!

First Saturday Seminar (Zoom and FB Live) with Kemp Burdette
2020-05-02 08:45 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom and FB Live, NC, United States
Now that we’ve gone digital – you don’t have to commute!! Hope you can join us this Saturday at 9 am on zoom or FB live to hear about factory farming from our Riverkeeper Kemp Burdette. It’s an issue that affects us all – no matter where you live. And it’s super relevant these days – as more and more industrial meat factories shut down due to Covid-19.
Meeting will open at 8:45 for chatter and the seminar will start at 9. We can’t wait to “see” you!!
Watch LIVE on our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/CapeFearRiver
OR
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9617005052
Meeting ID: 961 700 5052
One tap mobile
+13126266799,,9617005052# US (Chicago)
+19294362866,,9617005052# US (New York)
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Meeting ID: 961 700 5052
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd68m49X3h

April Cleanup Weeks!
2020-04-05 08:00 - 2020-04-11 17:00 (America/New_York) | NC, United States
Calling all Riverwatchers! CFRW encourages you to get outside and keep our community clean! We are hosting individual clean up weeks in place of our normal monthly cleanup events! Please follow CDC guidelines sweeping individually or in a small group and practice social distancing.
Individually or in small groups, choose a location near you that you’d like to beautify. Collect rubbish, sort the recycling, place trash in your residential bins and get back to us! We’ve put together a form for folks to fill out so we can continue tracking the amount of trash collected and kept out of our waterways. Pick one day during either of the weeks provided and get out! Don’t forget the photos! We love to see the before and afters with a selfie and wildlife! From the participants we will be randomly selecting one person a week to receive a Cape Fear Cleanup Crew T-shirt!

Use this form: CFRW Remote Cleanup Form

CFRW is closely monitoring the rapidly evolving Covid-19 situation. Please stay tuned to our social media channels for any changes or updates.

Book Club: CANCELLED
2020-03-28 10:30 - 11:30 (America/New_York) | Pomegranate Books, 4418 Park Ave, Wilmington, NC, 28403, United States
Walking the Amazon: 860 Days. One Step at a Time by Ed Stafford.

“In April 2008, Ed Stafford set off to become the first man ever to walk the entire length of the Amazon. He started on the Pacific coast of Peru, crossed the Andes Mountain range to find the official source of the river. On his grueling 860-day, 4,000-plus mile journey, Stafford witnessed the devastation of deforestation firsthand, the pressure on tribes due to loss of habitats as well as nature in its true-raw form. Jaw-dropping from start to finish, Walking the Amazon is the unforgettable and gripping story of an unprecedented adventure.”

March 21 Paddle: CANCELLED
2020-03-21 08:30 - 15:00 (America/New_York) | Black River, 352 Hunts Bluff Rd, Kelly, NC 28448, Wilmington, NC, 28401, United States
Join us as we kick off the 2020 paddle season on the Black River!
Meet at the CFRW office at 617 Surry St. at 8:30 am
OR, meet us at the put in at Hunt’s Bluff at 9:30 am.
After an easy 4-5 mile paddle we will take out near Point Caswell on Estate Road.
All paddlers should wear a PFD and those using CFRW boats are required to wear a PFD. Other items to remember include sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, water, snack and water shoes.
Need a boat?

Members: $15 donation
Non-members: $20 donation. JOIN TODAY!
Boat rental choices offered during online registration are first-come, first-served and include single or tandem kayaks and canoes.
Once you receive your email confirmation, your boat has been confirmed and we will see you the day of the paddle.

Got a boat?

Please consider a donation of at least $10 for members and $15 from non-members during online registration or bring a check or cash with you on the day of the event.

If you need help the day of the paddle, please call Kemp at 910-264-8036.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED – CLICK HERE

March Second Saturday Cleanup CANCELLED
2020-03-14 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | NC, United States
Date: March 14th, 2020
Time: 9-11am
Location: Lower Willard Pond
March’s cleanup event will take place at Lower Willard Pond, at the intersection of Willard Street and S 16th St. The area of concern is primarily a wetland with trash scattered throughout. The area is also wooded. Please dress appropriately: long sleeves, pants, hat and boots. If you have waders, please bring them along as well. As always, gloves, bags, pickers, buckets and bug spray will be provided. Coffee will be provided by Lucky Joes Coffee House. Please bring your own cup!
Parking is available off Willard Street. Look for signs!
Map: https://goo.gl/maps/1WXQgHQQEHvvE9RD8

Erin Carey, Director of Coastal Programs for NC Sierra Club
2020-03-07 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Cape Fear River Watch Headquarters, 617 Surry Street, Wilmington, NC, 28405, United States
Presenting: By Air and By Sea: Fighting Environmental Threats to North Carolina
Erin Carey is the Director of Coastal Programs for the North Carolina Sierra Club. Erin has been a Wilmington resident since 1995 when, after a childhood in Vermont peppered with vacations to the NC coast, she moved from New England to be near the ocean she loved. Erin has a BS in Environmental Science and an MS in Marine Science from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and 20 years experience in all aspects of environmental work. When she’s not hugging trees or attending public meetings Erin enjoys sitting on the beach, surfing, reading, and riding her bike.

StriperFest Education Day
2020-02-08 11:00 - 14:00 UTC | Coastline Convention Center, 501 Nutt St, Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, 28401, United States
Join on the FUN at our annual StriperFest Education Day at the Coastline Convention Center. Education is an important component of successful fishery restoration and our fun activities focus on the Cape Fear River’s anadromous fish and the importance of restoration.

11:00am – 2:00pm
This year’s event is action packed with some seriously scientific fun:
• What are anadromous fish?
• Rock Arch Rapids Model
• Fish Migration Puppet Show
• Fish Anatomy, Prints, Games, and Puzzles
• Microscopes- Observe/Identify Organisms
• Learn to Cast
• How and Why Fish are Tagged
• Invertebrate Water Quality Indicators
• Face Painting ($1 or Donation)
We are looking for vendors for family friendly educational vendors. If you are interested email kaylynn@cfrw.us.
This event is made possible through the experience and passion of volunteers and interns on the Cape Fear River Watch Education Committee. If you are interested in volunteering for StriperFest 2020 or being a vendor at Education Day please email KayLynn Plummer at kaylynn@cfrw.us.

Second Saturday Cleanup
2020-02-08 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | McCumbers Ditch, 900 N 11th St, Wilmington, NC, 28401, United States

First Saturday Seminar: Lindsay Addison
2020-02-01 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Cape Fear River Watch Headquarters, 617 Surry Street, Wilmington, NC, 28405, United States
Lindsay Addison from Cape Fear Audobon
Presentation: American Oystercatchers on the Cape Fear River: Nature’s Shuckers.

Exposure by Robert Bilott
2020-01-25 10:30 (America/New_York) | Pomegranate Books, 4418 Park Ave, Wilmington, NC, 28403, United States
Our next book for December/January 2020 is Exposure by Robert Bilott, the attorney who uncovered DuPont’s environmental contamination. This book is currently available at Pomegranate Books where you receive a 15% discount.

Exposure by Robert Bilott

“In 1998, Rob Bilott began a legal battle against DuPont that would consume the next twenty years of his life, uncovering the worst case of environmental contamination in modern history and a corporate cover-up that put the health of hundreds of thousands of people at risk. Representing a single farmer who was convinced the creek on his property had been poisoned by runoff from a nearby DuPont landfill, Rob ultimately discovers the truth about PFAS- unregulated, toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing of Teflon and a host of other household goods. DuPont’s own scientists had issued internal warnings for years about the harmful effects of PFAS on human health, but the company continued to allow these chemicals to leach into public drinking water until Rob forced them to face the consequences.

Exposure is an unforgettable legal drama about malice and manipulation, the failings of environmental regulation, and one lawyer’s quest to expose the truth about this previously unknown – and still unregulated-chemical that presents one of the greatest human health crises of the 21st century.”

CFRW Book Club members receive a 15% discount at Pomegranate Books!

Our next meeting is Saturday, January 25, 2019…10:30AM at Pomegranate Books (910) 452-1107

Second Saturday Bonus Cleanup - Leland
2020-01-25 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | Leland Cleanup, 9381 Old Mill Rd NE, Lealand, NC, 28451, United States
January 25, 2020
9am-11am

January second clean up will take place in the Town of Leland. We will be sweeping Mill Creek, a tributary of Sturgeon Creek and the roadside leading up to it. Gloves, pickers, bags, and buckets will be available for volunteer use. Please dress appropriately!

Parking available at Seidoken Karate School: https://goo.gl/maps/HjLGw6BQympBeYHX8

9381 Old Mill Rd NE,
Leland, NC 28451

Second Saturday Cleanup - South 13th St.
2020-01-11 09:00 - 11:00 (America/New_York) | 1804-1898 S 13th St, Wilmington, NC 28401, 1804-1898 S 13th St, Wilmington, NC, 28401, United States
CFRW is kicking off the new year strong with two January clean up events.

January 11th, 2020
9am-11am

January’s first clean up event will take place on a tributary of Greenfield Lake, at the intersection of S 13th St and E Lake Shore Dr. Emphasis will be placed on wetland areas and the creek itself. Please wear appropriate clothing (long pants, hats, boots, etc). Coffee will be provided, bring a reusable cup for the coffee! As always, gloves, pickers, bags, and buckets will be available for volunteer use. A few canoes and kayaks will also be provided.

Parking available roadside on S 13th St: https://goo.gl/maps/SohJJc9rGovtwdt18
Look for signs!

First Saturday Seminar: Richard Neuherz & Tim Armstrong
2020-01-04 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York) | Cape Fear River Watch Headquarters, 617 Surry Street, Wilmington, NC, 28405, United States
Richard Neuherz and Tim Armstrong from NOAA
Presentation: Cape Fear area climate, observations and forecasts

First Saturday Seminar - Erin Carey
2019-12-07 08:00 - 10:00 UTC | Cape Fear River Watch Headquarters, 617 Surry Street, Wilmington, NC, 28405, United States
On the first Saturday of each month, we host a FREE educational seminar on a Cape Fear River related topic. Subjects range from environmental sustainability to the river’s role in the Civil War; from the history of Wilmington’s waterfront to our local ecology and neighbors. We provide a scrumptious pancake breakfast and coffee for free starting at 8am and the seminar starts at 9am. Come and meet other river enthusiasts, learn something new, and enjoy a great breakfast.
Erin Carey, Title: By Air and By Sea- Fighting Environmental Threats to North Carolina
Bio: Erin Carey is the Director of Coastal Programs for the North Carolina Sierra Club. Erin has been a Wilmington resident since 1995 when, after a childhood in Vermont peppered with vacations to the NC coast, she moved from New England to be near the ocean she loved. Erin has a BS in Environmental Science and an MS in Marine Science from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and 20 years experience in all aspects of environmental work. When she’s not hugging trees or attending public meetings Erin enjoys sitting on the beach, surfing, reading, and riding her bike.

Community Rain Garden Day
2019-11-20 09:00 - 12:00 UTC | Lock and Dam #1, 996 Locks 1 Road, Riegelwood, NC, 28456, United States
Come get your hands dirty from 9am to noon November 20th at Lock & Dam #1 for our Community Rain Garden Day! Help us pull weeds and get our rain garden back in working order.
If you want to carpool with us meet us at the office at 8am at 617 Surry St, Wilmington, NC 28401. If not, meet us at the Dam at 9am (996 Locks No 1 Rd, Riegelwood, NC 28456, United States). Bring gardening gloves, water & dress appropriately for the weather!

Membership Meeting
2019-11-17 16:00 - 18:00 UTC | Coastline Convention Center, 501 Nutt St, Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, 28401, United States
Join us Sunday, November 17th from 4-6pm for our Annual Meeting at the Coastline Convention Center (River Room).
Gather together with Cape Fear River Watch members, Board of Directors, and staff as we celebrate a successful 2019 and look forward to 2020! Food and beverages will be available.
Current members will vote on new Board Members. Everyone is welcome – so bring your friends and neighbors! If you are not current or not yet a member, you can join or renew now so you can cast your vote too.
Join us! We look forward to hosting you and hanging out with folks that love the river!
Please register HERE so we know how many to expect.
Sincerely,
The Board and Staff of Cape Fear River Watch

Third Saturday Paddle - Paddle Series Finale & Potluck
2019-11-16 08:30 - 14:00 UTC | Cape Fear River Watch Headquarters, 617 Surry Street, Wilmington, NC, 28405, United States
Well, its that time of year again-temperatures are dropping, the days are getting shorter and its time to wrap up the CFRW Paddle Series for the year with one last trip. Following tradition, after the paddle we will celebrate with an oyster roast and potluck. Paddlers and non-paddlers are invited to attend the celebration. Please bring a potluck dish to share, and something to serve it with.
November’s paddle route is TBA – a surprise if you will.
Paddlers can meet at the CFRW office (617 Surry Street, Wilmington) at 8:30 to caravan to the put-in.

First Saturday Seminar - Roger Shew
2019-11-02 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | Cape Fear River Watch Headquarters, 617 Surry Street, Wilmington, NC, 28405, United States
On the first Saturday of each month, we host a FREE educational seminar on a Cape Fear River related topic. Subjects range from environmental sustainability to the river’s role in the Civil War; from the history of Wilmington’s waterfront to our local ecology and neighbors. We provide a scrumptious pancake breakfast and coffee for free starting at 8am and the seminar starts at 9am. Come and meet other river enthusiasts, learn something new, and enjoy a great breakfast.
Roger Shew

Third Saturday Paddle - Town Creek
2019-10-19 07:30 - 14:00 UTC
This paddle will be an out and back and we will launch from the Brunswick County Nature Park. This is a really historically important creek and one of the first areas settled in our region. Traditionally rice was grown along these tributaries. It is also the largest tributary of the Cape Fear area! This is an easier paddle although we will be against the current during the first part of the paddle. Hope you can join us!
Meet us at the office at 7:30am or paddlers can meet at the Brunswick County Nature Park at 8:15am. There are walking trails and shelters if you would like to bring a picnic lunch. Get a map to the location here!

Second Saturday Cleanup
2019-10-12 09:00 - 11:00 UTC
October’s clean up will take place in McCumber’s Ditch, a tributary of Burnt Mill Creek. As always pickers, bags, and gloves will be provided. Please bring reusable cups for water/coffee. Location has very steep banks but shallow water. A few water-crafts will be provided. If available, bring waders or knee boots. Majority of trash is in the creek itself.
Parking available at Calvary Cemetery

First Saturday Seminar - Keni Rienks
2019-10-05 08:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | Cape Fear River Watch Headquarters, 617 Surry Street, Wilmington, NC, 28405, United States
On the first Saturday of each month, we host a FREE educational seminar on a Cape Fear River related topic. Subjects range from environmental sustainability to the river’s role in the Civil War; from the history of Wilmington’s waterfront to our local ecology and neighbors. We provide a scrumptious pancake breakfast and coffee for free starting at 8am and the seminar starts at 9am. Come and meet other river enthusiasts, learn something new, and enjoy a great breakfast.
Keni Rienks and her topic is: Community, Education & The Environment.

Keni Rienks is a high school science teacher from Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. She is advisor to her school’s environmental club and coaches their National Ocean Science Bowl team. Outside of school, Keni serves on the executive board for the Surfrider Foundation, where she advocates for ocean and environmental protection. When Keni is not working, she enjoys time on the boat and at the beach with her husband and two children.
Keni holds a Masters of Environmental Management degree from Duke University and a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina – Wilmington
