| Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Keeping Watch Over Our Waters |
| Formation | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Membership | 5,000 |
| Executive Director | Sally Bethea |
| Website | chattahoochee.org |
The Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper (UCR) is an environmental advocacy organization with more than 5,000 members dedicated solely to protecting and restoring the Chattahoochee River Basin, specifically between the Buford Dam and West Point Lake. UCR was modeled after New York’s Hudson Riverkeeper and was the 11th licensed program in the international Waterkeeper Alliance.
UCR’s primary geographic focus begins at the River's headwaters in the north Georgia mountains above Helen and continues downstream to West Point Lake, encompassing more than 200 miles (320 km) of the Chattahoochee River and 3,600 square miles (9,300 km2) of watershed. UCR is best known for their legal action against the City of Atlanta which resulted in the city revitalizing their infrastructure to address a major sewage problem, thus ensuring a cleaner river for the community.
UCR actively uses advocacy, education, research, communication, cooperation, monitoring and legal actions to protect and preserve the Chattahoochee and its watershed. Since its founding, Sally Bethea has served as Executive Director and Riverkeeper for the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.
Contents |
Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper was founded in 1994 by Laura Turner Seydel and Rutherford Seydel. Modeling the Chattahoochee program after New York's aggressive and successful Hudson Riverkeeper, they sought to create a focused environmental advocacy initiative led by professional staff and committed volunteers. With funding from the Turner Foundation and other local supporters, UCR officially opened its doors for business on March 1, 1994.
Since 1994, a dedicated and diverse Board of Directors has guided UCR in its transformation from a scrappy group of paddlers, scientists, anglers and environmental activists to a respected organization that has won many victories for the Chattahoochee River Basin. Since its founding, Sally Bethea has served as Executive Director and Riverkeeper for the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper.
Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper actively works to protect and preserve the Chattahoochee watershed through legal work, policy work, technical programs, communication, education, and recreational activities.
Legal work includes working with legislators to strengthen regulatory protections for waterways, lobbying to protect water resources, and pursuing legal action when necessary to ensure that the laws that protect drinking water supply are properly enforced.
In policy, UCR promotes water conservation and advocates for water efficiency measures, protection of our water supply at all levels of government, and effective and wise water planning for the watershed region. With regard to the Tri-State issues, UCR addresses the conflict over water sharing and offers practical sustainable solutions.
The technical programs include patrolling the watershed’s rivers and lakes, responding to citizen hotline calls and other reported problems, and monitoring water quality.
Quarterly newsletters and bi-weekly news flashes keep citizens in the loop on water issues and events. Education and training includes teaching children, citizens, business people, and policy-makers how to protect our river, and bringing thousands of children each year on board the floating classroom on Lake Lanier to learn about water quality and river stewardship.
Recreational activities promote responsible appreciation of the Chattahoochee through kayak and canoe trips, river races, and other activities.
Additional offices in Gainesville and LaGrange provide education, enforcement and partnership to citizens and groups in the headwaters and the southern regions of the Upper Chattahoochee area.