Because of pollution and other problems, the Neuse River Foundation in 1993 hired Rick Dove as riverkeeper, to oversee the Neuse. He is the nation's eleventh riverkeeper and the only one in the state.
There are twenty-two riverkeepers in the nation who are advocates for water quality in various rivers. The state has two: Rick Dove for the Neuse River and Bouton Baldridge for the Cape Fear River.
Rick Dove, riverkeeper for the Neuse River, received an INDEPENDENT 1998 Citizen Award for his forceful advocacy of cleaning up the waterway and its tributaries. He became the state's first riverkeeper in 1993