Pearl Riverkeeper Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:

Abby Braman, Pearl Riverkeeper, [email protected]
Maia Raposo, Director of Communications & Marketing, Waterkeeper Alliance: [email protected]; 212.747.0622 ext. 116
Abby Braman Named Pearl Riverkeeper:
  Newly Formed Environmental Group to Patrol and Protect the Pearl River
Madison, MS (July 13, 2017) – The Waterkeeper Alliance Board of Directors has approved the Pearl Riverkeeper organization. Abby Braman, the newly appointed Pearl Riverkeeper, will work to protect and preserve the Pearl River by combining her firsthand knowledge of the waterway with an unwavering commitment to the rights of the community and to the rule of law.
“Waterkeeper Alliance is thrilled to have Abby Braman to be the eyes, ears, and voice for this vital watershed and community,” said Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., President of Waterkeeper Alliance. “Every community deserves to have swimmable, drinkable and shable water, and Abby is the right leader to fight for clean water in the region.”
The Pearl Riverkeeper will be a full-time advocate for the Pearl River and its tributaries, protecting and restoring water quality through community action and enforcement. Abby Braman stated, “Pearl Riverkeeper’s aim is to provide strong advocacy that will result in an improved quality of life for all citizens whether they rely on it for drinking water or recreation, or whether they simply value the Pearl River's continued well-being.”
“Abby will have an incredibly important job,” added Marc Yaggi, Executive Director of Waterkeeper Alliance. “Waterkeepers defend their communities against anyone who threatens their right to clean water, from law-breaking polluters to irresponsible government of officials. Until our public agencies have the means necessary to protect us from polluters, and the will to enforce the law, there will always be a great need for people like Abby to fight for our right to clean water.”
The Pearl River originates in Neshoba County, Mississippi, passes by the state capital, Jackson, along the border of Louisiana, eventually draining to the Mississippi Sound. The river is approximately 490 miles in length and drains an area of 8,760 square miles. The Ross Barnett Reservoir, a 33,000 acre impoundment, provides the drinking water supply for much of Mississippi.  The Pearl River Basin is rich in ecological resources including over 40 species of mussel and 130 species of native fish.  It supports seven federally listed species including the ringed map turtle, Gulf Sturgeon, inflated heelsplitter mussel, Bald Eagle, dusky gopher frog and Louisiana black bear. 
The Pearl Riverkeeper will advocate for the health of a watershed that is being threatened in numerous ways. One threat to the Pearl River is a proposed “One Lake” project which would require the dredging of an additional 7 miles of the Pearl to widen, deepen and straighten the waterway for commercial development.  Additional threats include point-source solution from the various industries located along the river and from the Jackson sewage treatment plant.  Farming runoff and high sediment loads caused by construction and the logging industry further impact water quality on the river. 
Pearl Riverkeeper will work on watershed-related issues from the headwaters of the Pearl River in Nanih Waiya to the Gulf Coast, including the Yockanookany, Strong and Bogue Chitto tributaries.  

About Waterkeeper Alliance
Waterkeeper Alliance is a global movement uniting over 300 Waterkeeper organizations around the world and focusing citizen advocacy on issues that affect our waterways, from pollution to climate change. Waterkeepers patrol and protect more than 2.4 million square miles of rivers, streams and coastlines in the Americas, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. www.waterkeeper.org.