Jessie Thomas-Blate
Coordinator, Most Endangered Rivers
Department: Conservation
Area of Focus: Jessie works with our staff and partners to develop our Most Endangered Rivers Program and annual report.
Background: Jessie joined American Rivers in 2010. Prior to that she worked for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission as their Habitat Coordinator. There she played a fundamental role in the establishment of the Atlantic Coastal Fish Habitat Partnership. Jessie also did an internship at the Natural Resources Defense Council where she focused on the reauthorization of the Endangered Species Act.
Education: B.S. in Biology from Mary Washington College, and M.S. in Natural Resources from Delaware State University
Favorite River: Rappahannock River
Blog Posts By This Author
Hearing to Protect Birmingham’s Drinking Water
June 17, 2013 | Water Pollution, Most Endangered Rivers
In April, American Rivers named the Black Warrior River one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers® due to the threat of coal mining. A hearing on a proposal to declare a Black Warrior tributary as unsuitable for mining is coming up in July, and the Black Warrior Riverkeeper needs your help!
Read more »Reflections on Preserving Special Places
June 13, 2013 | Most Endangered Rivers, Water Pollution
It was a rainy day, but it did not dampen the enthusiasm of over 60 people who paddled the South Kawishiwi River near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). This pristine river is at the heart of a vibrant resort, camping, boating, and canoeing area. Paddlers were protesting a proposed huge sulfide-ore mine that will likely pollute the river and the nearby BWCAW with toxic acid mine drainage and heavy metals.
Read more »Health Concerns Over Mining in Minnesota
June 6, 2013 | Most Endangered Rivers, Water Pollution
Our waters are not all that is at stake in the campaign to protect the Kawishiwi River and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The health of our children also depends on our success. In Minnesota’s labyrinth of wetlands, streams, rivers, and lakes, contamination spreads easily through the faulted bedrock.
Read more »Love At First Sight
May 30, 2013 | Most Endangered Rivers, Water Pollution
Twenty-three years ago, when I purchased my lake lot and had my cabin built by a local craftsman, I did not envision that one day I would be engaged in a David and Goliath struggle to protect the waters of this area I love. Sometimes I say with a smile that after researching for seven years I now have the equivalent of a degree in sulfide mining.
Read more »“…and justice for all”: In Continued Opposition to the Shepherd Bend Mine
May 29, 2013 | Most Endangered Rivers, Water Pollution
Here in Birmingham, Alabama, we are enjoying the 50th Anniversary of our exodus from the archaic and primordial ways of thinking (racism) in 1963, and we are celebrating the great leaps, bounds, and strides that we have made as people. However, the pending question is: Where do we go from here?
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