Cape Fear River Watch
Kemp Burdette, Riverkeeper and executive director  
Year Founded: 1994
Number of Employees: 5

At more than 9,100 square miles, the Cape Fear River basin and its tributaries are some of the most historic and important economic lifelines of the region.  

Its wide and narrow channels churn from the foothills of Appalachia down to the marshlands that empty into the sea – harboring a port, quenching the thirst of some of the fastest growing regions on the East Coast and providing plenty of recreation for residents and visitors alike.

Kemp Burdette is all too familiar with the Cape Fear River. 

A Wilmington native, Burdette has kayaked, fished and boated along the shores of the river since he was young boy.

“I wasn’t necessarily an environmentalist at the time,” he said. “I was a lover of the outdoors … an enthusiast.” 

Shortly after graduating from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2003, Burdette was selected to participate as a Fulbright Scholar and studied in Newfoundland. He later joined the Peace Corps, which took him to Nicaragua. 

It was there his perception and urge to care for the environment began to change. 

“That’s when I came back as an environmentalist,” he said. 

He joined the Wilmington-based Cape Fear River Watch nonprofit. 

Formed in 1994, Cape Fear River Watch has been working to protect and improve water quality of the Lower Cape Fear River basin by educating residents, business and civic leaders about the river’s uses and its importance to the area’s economy. 

Now in the position of Riverkeeper and the group’s executive director, Burdette said keeping a watchful eye over the river is no easy task, given potential changes to environmental regulations. 

He added that economic projects, such as the proposed Titan cement plant and plans for the development of General Electric Hitachi’s enriched uranium, have also kept the group busy. 

But Burdette said such changes have also given the group a platform to help educate business and civic leaders. 

As part of federal requirements under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program, the Cape Fear River Watch contracts with the governments of Wilmington and Leland to mitigate stormwater discharge through monthly clean up sessions. 

Relying mostly on grants, the group organizes monthly environmental seminars and provides Eco Tours and bird watching tours at Greenfield Lake to the public.

Burdette said a common misperception about the Cape Fear River Watch organization is being anti-business and demonizing of growth. 

“Being anti-business is further from the truth.” he said. “We work with businesses that feel the job we’re doing for the community is important. We want to see our region grow and thrive, but we must be responsible with the resources we have … the Cape Fear River is an important resource worth saving, and we all must work hard to preserve.”