Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachael Rosenstein.
Hi Rachael, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in the suburbs of Connecticut and then Pittsburgh. In Pittsburgh, I had access to an extensive wooded area behind our house, where I spent many afternoons and weekends exploring. It was there that my interest in nature truly began.
I decided to attend college at the University of Delaware and earned my B.A. in Environmental Studies with minors in Public Policy and Spanish. After undergrad, I went to Arizona State University and earned my Master’s in Sustainability Solutions in just one and a half years. I chose a thesis project that combined my love of photography, travel, and the environment. I had the opportunity to travel around the Phoenix area and to Denmark to assess and document community-based sustainability solutions, namely community gardening, through photojournalism.
It took a while after graduate school to land my first job. Still, I wound up in Atlanta, Georgia, working as a NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Analyst for the Georgia Department of Transportation. While there, I worked on assessing and documenting environmental resources within roadway project areas. I remained there for a little over 3 years, and after another lengthy job search, I moved to the Charlotte area in March of 2022. I now work for Catawba Riverkeeper as the Watershed Manager for the Southern Basin. Catawba Riverkeeper is the only non-profit, on-the-water advocate for the 8,900 miles of waterways in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin. We provide accurate, science-based information about the water and the issues affecting it (read more about it here: https://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/).
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been fairly smooth?
I think it’s rare for anyone nowadays to have a challenge-less path. It was not until my sophomore year of college that I declared my major. I did not know that I wanted to go into the environmental field, and I think part of the reason for that is that I was not exposed to those topics in school. Our high school did offer a geology/environmental science class. Still, due to unfortunate stereotypes, it was known as a class that you only took if you could not handle other sciences like anatomy or chemistry, so I never took them. If I had, I would not have had as difficult a time choosing my career path.
Even with two degrees, I had difficulty figuring out what job I wanted to do – just that I wanted to do something to help our Earth. I took approximately 10 months after graduate school to search for jobs, just waiting to come across an opportunity that I could be excited about. And after a few years at that first job, I spent additional months doing another job search for something even better for me. Anyone who has gone through this process knows how grueling, frustrating, and discouraging it can be.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In my first year with Catawba Riverkeeper, I compiled a list of potential water quality improvement projects to implement in South Carolina’s portion of the Catawba-Wateree watershed, which stretches from the Lake Wyle dam to the confluence with the Congaree River. In February 2023, I completed that project by creating a StoryMap detailing a Protection and Restoration Plan for my area: https://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/southern-catawba-basin-protection-and-restoration-plan. This living document can be updated and changed as the projects do.
My position is as a staff scientist, so I work in that realm of activities. Amidst doing the work for my Basin Plan, I performed tasks such as sampling water to test for various contaminants and pollution levels, surveying waterways, meeting with stakeholders, and handling pollution reports from the public, among many other things. This is the kind of work I will continue to do moving forward, in addition to applying for grants and finding other funding to begin executing projects within the Southern Basin Plan. Unlike my previous desk job, this is much more hands-on, which I love. I have been able to get out on the waters of North and South Carolina both for the job and recreation.
Around the office, I’m probably known for my photography and interest in birds. I’ve made it a habit to integrate my hobbies and career, connecting photographs with education about what our organization does. Increasing access to education and being a leader in this area is something that Catawba Riverkeeper is known for as well. I’m proud of learning so much and creating a comprehensive project plan within a year of moving to the area and starting the job.
Can you talk to us about the role of luck?
I am not someone who personally believes in luck. I have made decisions throughout my life that have led me to where I am today, including acceptances and rejections of programs or jobs. As for Catawba Riverkeeper and working as a Watershed Manager, I am glad we have legislation like the Clean Water Act that gives us legal standing to protect our waters. I am fortunate to work in the field at a time when the CWA and similar laws are already established, and agencies are tasked with that work – though many improvements and stringencies could still be made. My manager says that the goal of our job is essentially to get to a place where the job no longer exists – that is, that the waters are in good enough condition. The legal structures are strong enough for there to no longer be a need for Riverkeeper organizations. I think that’s a good goal to have.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.catawbariverkeeper.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catawbariverkeeper/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatawbaRiverkeeper
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/catawba-riverkeeper-foundation/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CatawbaRiverkeeper
