Cape Fear River Watch

08/25/2026

Counting down the days until Greenfield Lake looks like ✨this.✨

There are countless colors to see around the lake in autumn—and the best way to see it all is by boat!

Starting September 1st, the boathouse will be open for our fall hours of: Thursday-Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last boat out at 4 p.m.). To view our boat rentals and plan your paddle, visit capefearriverwatch.org/greenfield-lake.

08/25/2026

Thank you, The Moore Charitable Foundation! 🩵

08/24/2026

It’s sadly time once again to say goodbye to our interns. We’ve been sharing sendoffs from each of them throughout the past week. Reflecting on his summer with us, Jack says:

“This summer I had the privilege of interning with the amazing staff and volunteers at the Cape Fear River Watch. I have gotten to do incredibly gratifying work collecting litter in and around our local creeks and streams. I’ve learned important water sample collection and processing skills to help with the CreekWatchers and Swim Guide programs, and I have had an amazing time meeting people in the community through hosting a short series of ecotours in Leland and Wilmington. For my internship project, I wrote a brief article about the major federal legislation affecting the water quality in the Cape Fear River and some of the existing and emerging threats. This work has helped me explore a multitude of facets of the field and has made me realize that my specific interests in the field of environmentalism are as an advocate and educator. I couldn’t be more happy with the experience here, and thank you to CFRW!”

Please join us in thanking Jack for his hard work this summer and wishing him farewell. We hope to see you on the river again soon!

08/23/2026

It’s sadly time once again to say goodbye to our interns. We’re sharing sendoffs from each of them throughout the week. Reflecting on her summer with us, Laela says:

“During this summer internship, I got the opportunity to help accomplish so many things. Weekly, I processed and read water samples for our CreekWatchers program and, every other, helped to collect and process samples from six of our Swim Guide locations and shared our results on social media. I helped to maintain our trash traps around Wilmington, logging the trash we collected. I taught an educational activity about water quality to children, tabled for community outreach, and helped lead two ecotours at Burnt Mill Creek. I also worked on the website. For my personal internship project, I created a detailed interactive map to embed in the website to convey the scope of the work that this amazing non-profit does. Throughout this internship, I have learned so much and engaged with the community in ways I never could have done otherwise. This experience has been incredibly valuable and irreplaceable. I am so honored to have worked for CFRW.”

Please join us in thanking Laela for her hard work this summer and wishing her farewell. We hope to see you on the river again soon!

08/23/2026

Your cocktail at Seabird Restaurant tonight, August 23rd can help support CFRW! ⤵️

We’re excited for this one ✨🍸

Tonight from 5 to 7 in the bar area, Breanne Lotz is taking over!! For those of you who don’t know Bre, she’s a hometown bartender extraordinaire who moved to NYC a few years back. Tonight, she’s back in town to raise money for a good Wilmington cause.

$1 from each cocktail on Bre’s list will go directly to Cape Fear River Watch to support their continuing work for healthy water in the Cape Fear river basin.

Join us in welcoming Bre and support your local environment—and stay tuned for more events with Cape Fear River Watch 👀✨

08/23/2026

Join us with Cape Fear River Watch and Pender County Solid Waste for a Kayak-Based River Clean-up on Saturday, October 24 from 9:00–11:00 AM!

We’ll meet at the NC Wildlife Boat Ramp at 527 Whitestocking Ext Burgaw, NC 28425.

All cleanup materials will be provided, and a limited number of kayaks will be available. Feel free to bring your own kayak and help us keep our river clean!

Please sign up on RecDesk to save your spot.

For more information visit pendercountync.gov/parksandrec

08/21/2026

Cape Fear River Watch is the only organization working to protect water quality for all people across more than 6,000 square miles of watershed. We stand up for our river basin at the local, state, and national levels, and the number of members we represent matters! It is 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 support that keeps our fight afloat—please help us continue our crucial work by becoming a CFRW Member or renewing your membership during our Summer Membership Raffle!

As a way to show our gratitude and get you out on the water to see firsthand what that support protects, all new and renewing memberships made NOW through September 21st will be entered into a raffle for a NEW kayak, plus two additional prizes!

Entries are officially OPEN and close at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 21st. Cash and checks will also be accepted—simply select ‘pay later’ and please bring to the CFRW office (617 Surry St.) by 4 p.m. To learn more about what we’ve accomplished since last summer and how you can 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, head to cfrw.app.neoncrm.com/forms/makewaves.

08/19/2026

It’s sadly time once again to say goodbye to our interns. We’re sharing sendoffs from each of them throughout the week. Reflecting on her summer with us, Maya says:

“Working with Cape Fear River Watch has been so meaningful and illuminating for my path in life. There wasn’t a task I didn’t genuinely enjoy, and getting to work alongside such a fun, welcoming, and passionate team made the experience even more enjoyable. I’m also so grateful for our community in Wilmington who continues to show up, get involved, and fight for the health of our local waterways right beside us.”

Please join us in thanking Maya for her hard work this summer and wishing her farewell. We hope to see you on the river again soon!

08/18/2026

It’s sadly time once again to say goodbye to our interns. We will be sharing sendoffs from each of them throughout the week. Reflecting on her summer with us, Olivia says:

“This summer with Cape Fear River Watch has been extremely rewarding. I had the opportunity to learn more about water quality in our area through collecting and processing water samples, cleaning trash out of the trash traps, tabling at events, and helping with ecotours at Greenfield Lake. To work alongside people who truly care about the work they do makes a difference not only for the interns, but also for the community. It was cool to see the relationships already built through CFRW, but also the ones that are formed at community events, the boathouse, and at cleanups. I’m grateful to have had this opportunity to gain hands-on experience and knowledge about water quality and to have met so many great people involved with this organization!”

Please join us in thanking Olivia for her hard work this summer and wishing her farewell. We hope to see you on the river again soon!

08/17/2026

As a non-profit, our work to protect and improve the water quality of the Cape Fear River Basin is only possible with 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 support!

As a way to show our gratitude and get you out on the water to see firsthand what that support protects, all new and renewing CFRW memberships made between August 21st and September 21st will be entered into a raffle for a NEW Santee 116 Sport Kayak. This recreational kayak is lightweight and designed for all skill levels, retailing for $1,249.

And, a river cruise for four with your Riverkeeper! Choose between an adventure on the Cape Fear River aboard our monitoring boat, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘺, or a peaceful paddle on the Black River. Plus, free admission for two (your choice or two singles or a tandem from our fleet) on one of our famous Third Saturday Paddles!

Entries open THIS Friday and close at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 21st. Cash and checks will also be accepted—simply select ‘pay later’ and please bring to the CFRW office (617 Surry St.) by 4 p.m. To learn more about what we’ve accomplished since last summer and how you can 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱, head to cfrw.app.neoncrm.com/forms/makewaves.