River lover puts muscle where his heart is

Retired Marine Philip Hartman remembers lazy days with a buddy on the Neuse River, fishing, canoing and camping on the riverbank. The river that once gave so much pleasure is almost unrecognizable today, he says.“You can't even swim in it,” Hartman said. “Twenty years ago, you could swim in it.”

And before long, Hartman and all of Kinston will be drinking water from that same river. That fact, along with the river's condition and his desire to see it preserved, has become a battle cry for the 42-year-old.

“I'm not a tree-hugger, but getting our drinking water from there worries me to death,” he said.

Hartman and his wife Pamela joined the Neuse River Foundation to see how they could help the ailing river. Only a decade ago, the Neuse was listed as one of the 10 most endangered rivers in the United States. Although no longer on that list, the Neuse's water quality continues to be a matter of great concern for environmentalists, and for a handful of residents.

The foundation has scheduled a river cleanup project for April 1. Originally, volunteers were to clean the upper 50-mile area between Falls Lake and Goldsboro. Hartman, and a few other foundation members, want to extend the project to include this lower portion of the river.

The need for action is apparent almost everywhere. Old shoes, empty cans, construction debris, discarded refrigerators and litter are scattered across the banks and poke through the water's surface. Even in an area such as the Neuseway Nature Center, where one might expect to see trash-free surroundings, garbage floats and has washed up on sandbars.

In the southeast section of the city, which was devastated by Hurricane Floyd, dumping is common. The city installed concrete barriers in an attempt to block entry to the mostly abandoned properties, but scofflaws continue to find ways to get in. Their trash goes not just on the ground, but also into the river.

“I talked with [River Keeper Larry] Baldwin and said maybe we could get some Kinstonians involved with helping with the cleanup,” Hartman said. “We have 40 members in Kinston. Slowly, but surely, we're getting the word out.”

Very slowly. Hartman and one of his children have handed out 1,000 pamphlets filled with information about the April 1 cleanup. Each pamphlet contained a telephone number and e-mail address for Baldwin. No one has contacted him yet, Baldwin said.

“One of the greatest natural resources in our area is the Neuse River,” Hartman said. “We, our children, our children's children should be able to go on the water, fish on the water, swim on the water. We need to really take care of it because it will have to take care of us.”

FYI: Volunteers who want to be part of the river cleanup can call Philip Hartman, 527-2625, to sign up or for more information.