37. Protecting One of North America’s Most Biodiverse River Systems

Today’s guest is Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman, Executive Director and Riverkeeper for the Coosa River Basin Initiative, an organization dedicated to protecting one of the most biologically diverse river systems in North America.Stretching across the southeastern United States, the Coosa River Basin is home to an extraordinary range of freshwater species and ecosystems, many of which exist nowhere else on Earth. But this watershed also faces mounting threats from pollution, climate change, habitat destruction, rapid development, and biodiversity loss.In this conversation, we talk about what it means to protect a watershed, and how Indigenous history, environmental justice, and community action are deeply connected to conservation. We also talk about PFAS contamination, restoration efforts, and the idea that “we all live downstream.”Contact and connect: https://coosa.org/