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Yadkin riverkeeper enlisting help of public
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Published: May 13, 2009
Updated: 05/12/2009 11:30 pm
To keep the Yadkin River clean from sediment runoff, Dean Naujoks said he needs the help of Forsyth County residents.
Naujoks is the riverkeeper for the Yadkin River. Riverkeepers around the country serve as advocates for rivers.
In his previous job as the riverkeeper for the Upper Neuse River, Naujoks started Muddy Water Watch, a program that taught residents how to recognize sediment runoff from construction sites. Other riverkeepers in the state picked up the program and introduced it to residents who live along those rivers.
Naujoks, who became the Yadkin's first riverkeeper in November, plans to start a Muddy Water Watch program for the Yadkin River. Volunteers must take eight hours of training to become certified, and two training sessions will be held in Winston-Salem this month at the Southside Library, 3185 Buchanan St.
The first will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday It will include the basics on how to evaluate a construction site and how to report a problem.
The second session will be May 23. It will include a discussion with a representative from Forsyth County's inspection division.
"We want to teach people how to make a good report with good notes that take inspectors right to where the problems are," Naujoks said.
He said he hopes to have other training sessions in other cities along the Yadkin, including Kannapolis and Elkin.
According to the N.C. Division of Water Quality, nonpoint- source pollution from sedimentation and erosion is the leading contaminant of the state's waterways. Much of this runoff comes from construction and grading.
■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lodonnell@wsjournal.com.
■ To register for Muddy Water Watch training, go to www.yadkinriverkeeper.org. The training is free, although participants will be encouraged to join the Yadkin Riverkeeper group.
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