What is your motivation for being a part of the River Collective? I want to apply my technical expertise to river conservation work because I believe that many of our world’s problems can be solved with interdisciplinary collaboration. Specifically, I want to create technology that will empower river conservationists to work more efficiently and obtain more meaningful river-health data.
Why should we defend these wild rivers? Rivers are often overlooked in the ecosystem network. People are quick to suggest damming rivers when speaking of “clean” energy alternatives, but there is no “holy grail” for clean energy. We cannot dam every river on the planet because rivers are the veins between water bodies; they’re necessary for water quality replenishment, biodiversity, fish migration, etc. Clean power should come from a combination of power producing technologies. Also – I love kayaking.