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Lake
Norman has become the second lake on the
Catawba River to have its own Lakekeeper.
Longtime Lake Norman residents Jay and Selah Bunzey were recently chosen by
their peers in the Catawba Riverkeeper program to jointly head the
two-year-old group of volunteers who investigate water quality problems on
the the Catawba River system's largest lake.
Catawba Riverkeeper Donna Lisenby said she was thrilled that the couple had
agreed to take the position, which will require them to monitor pollution
issues on Lake Norman. "Jay has chaired the Covekeeper committee and
been the force behind establishing Covekeeper territories and patrol
protocols," said Lisenby. "Selah's strength is writing and
communication. Their leadership is proven and superlative."
Covekeepers are volunteer, concerned citizens who respond to Catawba
Riverkeeper hot-line calls and pollution violation reports in conjunction
with Lisenby. They are a neighborhood watch group for the Catawba lakes.
The Lakekeeper position involves coordinating the work of this group.
By having local residents participate, the Catawba
Riverkeeper program is able to have eyes and ears in every nook and cranny
where the Covekeeper program is established, Lisenby said.
Jay Bunzey said the couple is excited about being named Lakekeeper.
"We've got a great group of people and a lot of support from them and
Donna Lisenby," said Jay, who is self-employed and been living in the
Lake Norman area for the last 30 years. He and Selah, who works for an
investment company, live on the Denver side of the lake and have two
daughters, Hannah, 9, and Ellen, 11.
Bunzey said the biggest challenge he sees on Lake Norman is overdevelopment.
"There are four counties that border the lake and each has different
rules and regulations," he noted.
About 40 people actively participate in monthly Lake Norman Covekeeper
meetings and have been trained to spot pollution and water quality
problems. Norman joins Wylie, southwest of Charlotte, as the second lake to
have an all-volunteer group to assist the Catawba Riverkeeper in
water-quality monitoring efforts.
The Covekeeper program began in 1998 and Steve and Pat Cashion were jointly
named the first Lakekeeper on Lake Wylie in 1999. Training programs for
Covekeepers are underway on Mountain Island Lake and Lake Wateree. A
Lakekeeper will be chosen for those lakes within the year.
This year, the Catawba River Ñ which winds its way from the mountains to
the sea along 225 miles of the Carolinas Ñ had the dubious distinction of
being designated one of the nation's Top 13 threatened rivers by American
Rivers. The Covekeeper system will help ensure that water quality in the
threatened river is protected, Lisenby said.
For more information about the Covekeeper program, call Pam Beck,
coordinator of volunteers, at 704-373-1916.
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