The Chester River Association made a unique choice in selecting David Foster as the new Riverkeeper for the Chester River. With over 30 years of experience in Asia with USAID, and later in Washington at the Environmental Protection Agency, both with a significant focus on air pollution, Foster’s vita did not, at first glance, match the background needed to advocate for a Chesapeake Bay river facing permanent damage from water pollution. Wisely, however, the CRA leadership came to appreciate David’s extraordinary capacity to bring skeptics and different communities together to protect their shared natural resources.
In his candid first interview with the Spy, David Foster outlines the huge hurdles facing the Chester River. Giving the river a grade of “C+” for over all water quality, he outlines the challenges ranging from bad weather, too much dependence of government, and more importantly, the hundreds of sources of pollution that a river like the Chester must contend with. He also highlights some of great new strategies that have the potential for significant impact on the river, including the introduction of switchgrass on Eastern Shore farms and market-based programs like nutrient trading.
Nonetheless, he reminds the viewer that while protective action can result in an almost immediate improvement to air quality, water improvement is a very long game, with endless twists and turns, producing only incremental improvements for a watershed like the Chesapeake Bay. For more information, please contact David at Riverkeeper@
Cover photo by Tyler Campbell
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