A Day in the Life...

September 24, 2008 | Dams & Dam Removal, Restoring Rivers

Serena McClain
Director, River Restoration, Federal Grants

I don't know about you, but I am a bit addicted to blog posts that take you through a person's day (see this and that for examples). Maybe it's just my inherent desire to know what people do. I'm also not above stealing a good idea. What better way to give you a glimpse into some of what we do at American Rivers than to walk you through my day yesterday...

September 23, 2008

5:00 am: I quite literally grumbled as I rolled out of bed, realizing my morning was going to be filled with buses, trains, and all sorts of angry commuters. After doing all of the assorted things one does to get oneself ready for work in the morning, I began my morning walk to the bus. Final destination: Patapsco Valley State Park Headquarters.

8:15 am: I am finally aboard the MARC train and headed for BWI rail station where I am to meet up with colleagues from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the NOAA Restoration Center. We are headed to a kick-off meeting and design charette for the Simkins Dam removal. American Rivers is one of a team partners, including Friends of the Patapsco Valley State Park, Maryland DNR, and NOAA, that are working on the removal of the Simkins Dam on the Patapsco River in MD.

10:15 am: The kick-off meeting finally gets underway. After a brief discussion of the project goals, Inter-Fluve (our consultant) leads the meeting participants through an exercise where we identify both what we hope to accomplish as a result of the project and the issues we feel need to be addressed in the design. It was great to hear representatives from Baltimore County and the Army Corps of Engineers talk about the project in a positive light and to also see that all of our groups were on the same page in terms of what the project needs to address.

12:30 pm: As we made our way down to the project site, I was excited to get out by the water again and gauge everyone's reactions further once we were standing along the river with the dam before us. It also didn't hurt that it was a beautiful beginning to Fall, and despite all of the poison ivy we hiked through, it was nice to be outside.

2:00 pm: After examining the fish ladder that hasn't been doing its job and the Baltimore County sewer line that would need shoring up, the meeting adjourned. Many ideas were shared, and everyone was energized about the project. Overall, it was a very good day.

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