Environmental Efforts of Group Led By Associate Zoë Hanes Catch Attention of Local Media
The Friends of the Yadkin Pee Dee River have recently brought media attention to the long neglected river through its successful efforts to obtain a license to hire a RiverKeeper. On December 18, 2007, the WaterKeeper Alliance, based in New York, granted the group a conditional license effective February 1, 2008. Associate Zoë Gamble Hanes, an attorney in the firm's Environmental Practice, is the group's president.
News of the license made headlines in local newspapers, such as The Winston Salem Journal, The High Point Enterprise and The Salisbury Post.
The work of a RiverKeeper entails advocating for compliance with environmental laws and helping with public education about the river. This individual will also help the group address problems of erosion and sedimentation pollution issues. The group expects to have a RiverKeeper in place by the end of 2008.
The Yadkin Pee Dee River Basin is North Carolina's second largest, spanning 21 counties and 93 municipalities, as well as providing drinking water to over one million people. It is among a total of 11 waterways around the world that received a license from the WaterKeeper Alliance on December 18, 2007. The other waterways are located in Maryland, Nepal, Peru and Russia.
The Friends of the Yadkin Pee Dee River was formed in September, 2007 and has held several meetings at the firm's offices in Winston-Salem. The group currently has 40 paid members and plans to have 250 members by the end of 2008. More information on can be found at the following links:
The Friends of the Yadkin Pee Dee River website
December 19, 2007 article from The Winston-Salem Journal