Fig Tree Logo

Connect, protect, restore and listen are Riverkeeper goals

picture
Jule Schultz, Katie Thompson, Katy Scott
by Mary Stamp

Connect, protect, restore and listen are the key goals that structure work for the executive team that began leading Spokane Riverkeeper last November as they connect people with the river, protect and restore it, and listen to the people who use it.

Jule Schultz as waterkeeper, Katelyn (Katy) Scott as water protector and Katherine (Katie) Thompson as managing director realized by early 2024 the leadership team model freed them from typical top-down structure, letting each bring their expertise, perspectives, visions, voices and values into creating hope for the river.

Spokane Riverkeeper includes four staff, 350 supporters and 1,800 volunteers locally. It's part of the global Waterkeeper Alliance of 311 local groups in 47 countries with 1,000 staff and more than a million volunteers connecting with their communities to protect and restore their bodies of water.

"First, we connect people to the river, so they love and respect it," Jule said. "We use science, recreation and volunteers to connect people to the river and help them learn about it."

Second, Katy said, "we protect the river from pollution and support the Clean Water Act, plus advocate for stronger laws and policies to support fish and eliminate pollution."

Third, they restore water quality to support fish and river health. Jule contracts with groups to replant native vegetation as riparian buffers to improve shorelines and wetlands. He also trains volunteers to collect water samples to measure turbidity and monitor water quality to guide policies.

Fourth, Katie said listening is important to acknowledge that people use the river for many different purposes.

"We need to listen to diverse voices and learn people's relationships to the river so we can advocate for it," she said.

This year, the Waterkeepers Alliance approved a Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Plan, identifying ways to incorporate diverse voices in their quest to address pollution. Globally, millions of miles of water areas are protected as people work on initiatives.

Katy described some upcoming local events and initiatives to educate and involve others.

• In Spokane River Walk and Talks, guests pick up litter while they listen to river experts sharing their expertise.

• Volunteers and groups partner with them along the water's edge to learn about the river and provide education on issues that impact it.

• Happy Hour events through the summer and early fall at places like Indigenous Eats gathered people around tables to discuss issues.

• Ride the River on Oct 5—with bikes or scooters—is a time to discuss climate impacts on the river as participants ride from No-Li Brewery to Kendall Yards.

• For a Full-Moon Witch Float on Thursday, Oct. 17, participants will launch their boats, kayaks, canoes or paddleboards at 6 p.m. at Gonzaga University.

• The annual Spoken River is from 5:30 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Spokane Convention Center Ballroom. It will raise funds as people share river stories about the work of Spokane Riverkeeper along 111 miles of river from Lake Coeur d'Alene to the Columbia River.

The fourth employee, Liv Kindl, is river litter cleanup and outreach lead, inviting individuals and groups to join her on the river in one of the Riverkeeper rafts. She brings staff from CHAS Street Medicine, SNAP, the Spokane Regional Health District and others on river floats for homeless outreach to 20 people in 12 camps. Along with her providing regular trash pick-up, agency reps offer services.

"Most campers do not choose to not have a home, and they do not want to trash the environment," said Jule. "Having a clean river is a shared value."

Throughout the year, River Watch Trainings teach people how to spot and report pollution in the river.

Jule, Katie and Katy told of the backgrounds and perspectives they bring to Spokane Riverkeeper.

Growing up in Anacortes connected with the ocean led Jule to complete a master's degree in 2005 in marine biology at the University of Oregon, after earning a bachelor's degree in 2001 at Lewis & Clark College in Portland. He then worked with the Washington Department of Health to regulate water quality standards for the shellfish industry.

"I recognized that regulations help people downstream affected by pollution created upstream," he said.

In 2014, he and his wife, Katy Sheehan, moved to her hometown, Spokane. He began working with Spokane Riverkeeper as a scientist focused on upriver pollution.

"I thought science would save the world but realized we need a comprehensive process to solve pollution by involving the community in scientific monitoring of water quality," Jule said. "We need to fund programs and solutions. We can't just rely on others to be in charge of solutions for the watershed."

Spokane Riverkeeper creates programs to restore watershed areas by involving many people in multipronged efforts. For example, litter clean-up involves the community in cleaning up the rivers.

"We also advocate for multi-pronged regulations to stem plastic pollution," he said.

Katelyn brings knowledge of law and innovative ideas for policies to address water quality and litter. While it's illegal to pollute and litter, no one funds cleanup.

"We want the state to officially recognize the river is polluted with trash and direct funding to clean it up," Jule said, believing that combining science and community action will create a cleaner world and river for those who depend on waterways.

"We realize the unequal political and economic power of polluters upstream," he said. "We need to hold them accountable to the public because everyone depends on a clean river."

Jule, who connects his sons, 11 and 8, to the river, is hopeful about cleaning up the river for future generations.

"Power structures are changing as community groups grow and more people connect to the river," he said. "Even in climate change, I see the river has the potential to be resilient."

Jule considers the large-scale re-introduction of salmon and trout an environmental change for the better.

"I never thought we would see salmon return from the Pacific Ocean," he said. "I am hopeful, but we have much work to do. Working alongside the tribes, my role is to provide scientific data when asked."

Katie joined Spokane Riverkeeper in late 2021, after managing global education at Community Colleges of Spokane.

"Spokane Riverkeeper provides hope and an opportunity to connect with community-oriented people to do impactful work," she said.

"Having a healthy, clean river is integral for my children, 13, and 15, and for the community," noted Katie, who grew up in Spokane, the daughter of a Lutheran pastor who taught New Testament at Gonzaga University.

After completing a degree in Spanish and environmental studies at St. Olaf's College in Minnesota in 2000, she spent three years as a Peace Corps volunteer working in rural Panama on clean water, sanitation and watershed issues.

Now attending St. Luke's Lutheran, Katie, who manages operations and development, said her faith gives her a commitment to stewardship, social concerns and serving people to foster a healthy community where everyone can find meaning.

Katy uses her skills as an attorney to protect the river.

At eight, she moved from a Davenport farm to the Spokane Indian Reservation, where her mother taught for 36 years at Wellpinit High School.

While not a tribal member, she grew up valuing tribal respect of nature, loving the river and learning from river advocates, canoe families and storytellers. In the sixth grade, she wrote the government about losses the river faced. At 14, she began rafting.

"I respect the environment and relate with the natural world rather than being part of the culture of resource exploitation," she said. "For me, community is family and that includes every animal and creature."

In 2016, she earned a degree in political science with a minor in law, societies and justice at the University of Washington. At Law School at Loyola University in Chicago she specialized in public interest international law. Both degrees heightened her commitment to social justice.

She worked in personal injury law in Spokane before joining Spokane Riverkeeper to manage legal action and policy on clean water defense, river flow protections and water conservation programs.

For information, call 464-7614 or visit spokaneriverkeeper.org.

 
Copyright@ The Fig Tree, OIctober 2024