A ‘State of the River’ forum held in downtown Wilmington

The Cape Fear River watch hosted the second annual conference at union station. 

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Hundreds gathered in downtown Wilmington to discuss Southeastern North Carolina’s largest ecological asset. 

The Cape Fear River watch hosted the second annual conference at union station. 

“What an individual can do? I think it’s more of just being aware and listening out for calls to action,” Lilly Santiago, a Cape Fear River Watch intern said. 

The goal of the day-long session was to talk about threats the river faces and what is being done to combat them. Cape Fear River Watch said it is concerned that rapid growth of riverside cities has disrupted the natural lifecycle of wildlife. 

You can kinda do your part in your community whether that’s through participating in a clean-up or becoming a citizen scientist and monitoring water quality in the creek in your backyard or down the street,” Kemp Burdette, Camp Fear River Keeper said. 

They also discussed port expansion and efforts to reduce the amount of PFAS and “forever chemicals” in the Cape Fear River. 

Experts said this is not an individual effort but one the community must make together. 

“We can’t do anything without the community and this community depends on that river. Ya know, for their economic livelihood, for their cultural livelihood, for their way of life,” Dana Sargent, Cape Fear River Watch Executive Director said. 

Sargent said the Cape Fear River provides drinking water for municipalities across the state and supports numerous ecological systems. 

Organizers said education is the first step in preserving the Cape Fear River and the next step is sharing that education with others.