Larry Baldwin
Lower Neuse Riverkeeper®
Larry began working for the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation (NRF) on October 1, 2002, and is headquartered in the New Bern office. The territory he covers extends from the City of Goldsboro to the mouth of the Neuse River at the Pamlico Sound, including the Bay River.
He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in GeoEnvironmental Studies from Shippensburg University in December, 2001, and interned with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation during the fall semester of 2001. He was an active volunteer for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for over ten years where he participated by making public presentations on behalf of the Foundation and also worked in Oyster Recovery aspects of the organization.
Before coming to the NRF, he was employed by EMS Environmental as a field technician installing and monitoring Soil Vapor Extraction Systems. He is active in Waterkeeper Alliance, America Rivers, River Network, NC Conservation Network and the Eastern Carolina Coastal Caucus. He also serves on the advisory board for Pamlico Community College and Kinston Waterfront-Now!, and is a member of the Craven County Water Use Reduction Committee, local Emergency Planning Committee, Crystal Coast Disaster Coalition. He is frequently requested to provide expertise on environmental topics to other government, civic and private organizations.
Larry spends much of his time engaging the public to help raise awareness for the needs of a healthy Neuse River. By garnering public support, he is able to work toward affecting change at all levels of government, while also forcing government regulatory agencies to hold accountable those who would threaten the health of the Neuse.
The volunteers include Creekkeepers who help monitor specific tributaries of the Neuse, airplane pilots who provide the ability to scan the river from the air, people to research and document chronic polluters, volunteer lobbyists to travel to the state and federal government offices to request support for good environmental regulations, attendees at public hearings to make educated, passionate pleas for a clean river, along with other day to day needs of the NRF mission. Grassroots organizing is a strong capability that Larry uses effectively. The Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation consistently organizes the most participation be volunteers in attending public meetings and other important forums where the public is allowed to participate.
The trust that the public puts in Larry has allowed him to be in a position to address many issues that otherwise might have been missed. Through contact with the public, an attempt at the largest nutrient trading agreement in the country was able to be stopped. This nutrient trade would have resulted in major consequences throughout the Neuse River watershed, as well as the entire state of North Carolina. By organizing hundreds of participants in public hearings, and helping to generate over 1000 comment letters opposing the planned nutrient trade, the state of North Carolina was forced to deny the approval of a permit that would have allowed tens of thousands of pounds of nitrogen to be introduced into the Neuse River. It is through activities such as these, along with help from members, volunteers and the general public, that change is affected from the ground up.
Education is also an important aspect to Larry’s position as Riverkeeper®. Along with providing informative and educational presentations to schools, businesses, civic groups and government agencies, Larry was influential in the development and implementation of the Neuse Riverkeeper Foundation Junior Volunteer RiverKids, through which eighth graders in Craven County were provided with a classroom presentation and a field trip on the R/V Humphries, a research vessel owned and operated by the NC State Center for Applied Aquatic Ecology. This education program is currently being expanded to include Pamlico County and eventually Wake County. It provides a unique way to engage kids at an early age, and has received a lot of encouragement and praise. With all of the many issues and activities Larry is involved in, the main focus remains his advocacy efforts on behalf of the Neuse River.
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