May Director’s Message
Dear Friends of the Eno,
In the spring of last year, I had the pleasure of chatting with former Eno River State Park Superintendent Dave Cook about all things Eno. One of the things that Dave shared has stuck with me: “the best way to protect the Eno is to protect the land around the Eno.” In a complex world, the simplicity and truth of this statement immediately resonated with me. A different conversation at ERA’s Annual Meeting in October made me question whether we’re doing enough for the Eno and our community.
Ken Reckhow, a water quality expert and husband to ERA Board member Ellen Reckhow, pulled me aside after the meeting and very clearly stated that the Association’s lack of interest and involvement in water quality sampling prevented us from knowing if it is safe to be in the water, and represented a real blind spot for an agency that is dedicated to conserving and protecting the river.
I knew that ERA and the State Park both regularly receive questions from the community about whether it is safe to be in the water, and that the lack of regular sampling data forced us to deflect these questions with a statement along the lines that users enter the water, “at their own risk.” I felt like this answer was insufficient, and that if we truly cared about the health of the river, some attention to water quality was warranted. Even in the moment, what Ken was saying felt right to me.
Late last year, ERA’s former Development and Communications Manager Tori Velasquez put us in touch with Samantha Krop, the Neuse Riverkeeper and Director of Advocacy for Sound Rivers. We met with Samantha in late 2025 and she shared more about Sound Rivers’ “Swim Guide” program which supports weekly volunteer-led bacteriological sampling at local rivers and lakes during the summer months when people are more likely to enter the water. I can’t possibly convey how impressive Samantha was as she talked us through Sound Rivers’ program and how ERA might be able to partner. I left that meeting intent on figuring out a way to participate in the Swim Guide program in the coming year.
I am excited to announce that ERA will be piloting the Swim Guide program at four locations along the Eno from Memorial Day through Labor Day: Eno River Brewing, Few’s Ford, upstream of Sennett’s Hole, and at Penny’s Bend. Sound Rivers’ Volunteer Coordinator Emily Fritz is leading the sampling training for the ERA volunteers who will sample each week and help transport the samples to Sound Rivers’ Raleigh office for testing. ERA’s own Director of Education and Engagement Hillary Harrison will be the ERA lead for the partnership as it is our hope that Swim Guide will be largely educational in nature.
Testing results will be shared on the ERA website each week using Swim Guide’s color-coded access recommendations. While the community should take care to avoid entering the water for at least 48 hours after any heavy rain, the weekly sampling that we’ll host through the Swim Guide program is a significant step forward for ERA and will help inform our decision-making about continued participation in the program and whether the Association should consider additional action around water quality issues in the future.
I’m excited to share this new development with you, our strongest supporters. The cost of the four sampling sites has been covered through a grant given in memory of Stella M. Schomberg, a longtime supporter of the Eno River Association who always enjoyed going for a swim. I want to be sure to thank Hillary Harrison, Ken Reckhow, Chris Dreps, Tori Velasquez, Samantha Krop and Emily Fritz for their hard work and guidance as we’ve worked to get Swim Guide off the ground.
I am truly hopeful that this partnership will help our community make informed decisions about whether it is safe to enter the river as the weather heats up. Your support is making this important work a reality.
Thank you for supporting ERA and the Eno.
In Partnership,
