Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently held a press conference at the UNC Wilmington Center for Marine Science to officially launch the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s (NCCF) first CoastKeeper position.

The Cape Fear CoastKeeper will be responsible for patrolling waterways and helping to maintain water quality in Onslow, Pender and New Hanover counties. He will also work with citizens to increase activism and enforce environmental regulations on the waterways.

The Cape Fear region was selected for the first CoastKeeper due to its unregulated growth.

“Pender, Brunswick and New Hanover counties are some of the fastest growing in the state. The full time and seasonal population explosion is resulting in unplanned coastal development, producing pollution, flooding and habitat and water quality degradation. We see the southern coast as an area in urgent need of assistance,” said Todd Miller, executive director NCCF.

In November of 2000 the Water Keeper Alliance approved the NCCF to license three CoastKeepers.

The positions exist under the umbrella of the NCCF and the Water Keeper Alliance, which works to preserve water quality throughout the country.

“Environmental advocacy is not about protecting the fishes or the birds. It’s about recognizing that the things we’re doing enrich our community and enrich our lives,” said Kennedy, president of the WaterKeepers Alliance. “When we destroy nature, we diminish ourselves and impoverish our children.”

As the state’s first CoastKeeper, Ted Wilgis said he plans to concentrate on protecting the waterways from the oils, nutrients and bacteria that seep off pavement and residential lawns. He also said that he will try to combat violations of the Clean Water Act and work to decrease the amount of untreated storm water that flows in from area towns directly into creeks and waterways, according to reports from the Star-News.

“I hope to emphasize that now’s our time to be proactive. We will still be reactive, unfortunately. But education…is going to be critical for this program, ” Wilgis said.

The Water Keeper Alliance is receiving applications for new keepers at a rate of about one per day. Kennedy said he hopes to have keepers on every major waterway in North America within a period of about five or six years.

“Ted ‘s job is to stand in the shoes of all of us and protect the waterways on behalf of the community,” Kennedy said.The goal for the next couple of years is to establish more CoastKeepers along the N.C. coastline at Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout, Kennedy said.

Volunteers for the program will participate in research, monitoring or patrolling on boats.

“We need …people (who) will go out there everyday and say ‘this is my waterway. I have the right to use this water, and know that this water is healthy,'” Wilgis said.

The NCCF is the state’s largest non-profit organization working to restore the coast. It has 6,500 members, 250 active volunteers and serves over 200 affiliated organizations. “This organization was started under the idea that something has to be done to protect our waters,” said Melvin Shepard, president of the NCCF.

“If we don’t do something about the state of our waterways, our children are going to pay for our joyride with denuded landscapes, poor health and a high clean up cost,” Kennedy said.

To find out more about the CoastKeeper position, contact the NCCF at 800-232-6210 or check out the web site at www.nccoast.org.