Devin Dotson
Marketing and Online Communications Associate
Department: Communications & Marketing
Area of Focus: Devin works to spread the story of American Rivers work and successes to our members, corporate supporters and others through publications such as the American Rivers magazine, reports, and the annual report and through our website and online outreach. He also helps find ways for American Rivers to work with corporations to advance river restoration and protection.
Background: Devin joined American Rivers in 2009. Previously, he worked in communications with several nonprofit and government agencies. Devin worked with Oceana in their South American headquarters in Santiago, Chile, to help the oceans that receive all the rivers he now works to protect. While there, Devin performed his thesis research on how newspapers in Santiago were covering climate change.
Before that, Devin interned and worked with several government agencies including the Office of the President, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. He has worked with his hometown newspaper The Red Bay News for the past 12 years, where he still has a weekly column.
Education: M.A. in Latin American Studies from University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, Focus on International Communication and Environmental Sustainability
B.S. in Agricultural Communications and B.A. in Spanish from Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama
Publications: Media Coverage of Climate Change in Chile: A Content Analysis of Conservative and Liberal Newspapers, Environmental Communication: A Journal of Nature and Culture, March 2012
Favorite River: Crystal River, Florida
Blog Posts By This Author
Preserving Urban Rivers in Detroit and Across the Great Lakes
January 16, 2013 | Urban Rivers, Water Supply, Stormwater & Sewage
In the early 1900s, Detroit became one of the largest cities in the United States, and the Detroit River played a major role. The river is 28 miles long and serves as the international border between Canada and the United States, connecting Lake St. Clair and the Upper Great Lakes to Lake Erie, and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. Heavy traffic and the urbanization on its shores led the Detroit River to become very polluted.
Read more »Investing in Resilient Infrastructure after Superstorm Sandy
December 13, 2012 | Climate Change, Floods & Floodplains, Stormwater & Sewage
When Superstorm Sandy hit the East Coast in early November, it wreaked unprecedented destruction. In addition to flooding streets and subway tunnels, uprooting trees, damaging cars and houses, and injuring and killing residents of the area, Sandy also caused incredible damage to New York and New Jersey’s water infrastructure.
Read more »Year of the River: Dam Removals in the Pacific NW
December 10, 2012 | Dams & Dam Removal
Autumn has been an incredibly exciting time at American Rivers, as it marks the one-year anniversary of the world’s largest dam removal project. Because of efforts like the historic river restoration initiative in Washington state—which included removal of the Glines Canyon Dam and the Elwha Dam on the Elwha River beginning last September, and the Condit Dam on the White Salmon River which began last October—American Rivers dubbed 2011 “The Year of the River.”
Read more »America Runs on the Mississippi River
November 22, 2012 | Discover Rivers
Throughout America’s history, rivers have been incredibly important to the individuals living here. Whether it was the Native Americans, the early colonists, the explorers who traveled to the Pacific coast, or us today, everyone in the United States is reliant on rivers. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we will examine the historical importance of a river that was essential to Native Americans and European settlers alike, has been instrumental in shaping the United States, and is now undoubtedly an American icon: the Mississippi.
Read more »Thanksgiving: A River Runs Through It
November 20, 2012 | Water Pollution
Happy Thanksgiving! The big day is almost here, and you’re probably excitedly waiting for (or frantically preparing) an enormous feast. Surely you will be covering your table with Thanksgiving staples such as cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and, of course, a turkey. While we eat these dishes in honor of the first Thanksgiving in 1621, when the Wampanoag tribe and the Pilgrims in the Plymouth Colony shared a meal, it is likely that none of these foods were actually present. Instead, waterfowl, fish, and crustaceans were among the main courses that were passed around.
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