Community Connections in Stream Restoration
Mary Beth Sutton
WaterWays
Chattanooga, TN
WaterWays, an international non-profit based in Chattanooga, TN, enhances watershed function through restoration projects, educational programming, and community action. It is essential to engage the community in solving water resources issues, particularly those stemming from activities that could be ameliorated by homeowner and landowner action. When community members are educated and involved in hands-on restoration, it builds knowledge and support which leads to enhanced sustainability of restoration projects. WaterWays works to translate the science behind restoration into understandable actions citizens can take to help restoration professionals achieve their goals.
About Mary Beth Sutton
Mary Beth earned her BS with Highest Honors in Environmental Science from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga and continued her education at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earning an Master of Science in Public Health in Environmental Science and Engineering as well as an MAT in Science Education. She taught at several schools in the Chapel Hill, NC and Chattanooga areas and got her immersion in nonprofits while Executive Director of the Chattanooga Nature Center. She founded Caribbean SEA (Student Environmental Alliance) in 2004 as a grassroots organization to help communities in the Caribbean learn about and take action to protect their water and their health. She added a Tennessee chapter in 2008 to focus on education and action to reduce stormwater and other issues for our waterways. After working in the Tennessee River basin for 10 years, Caribbean SEA was rebranded to WaterWays in 2019 to better reflect their mission. WaterWays works closely with local stormwater utilities and many other partners to encourage grassroots community education and action for our streams and rivers. Our Caribbean home base is Soufriere, St Lucia. When not wading (or snorkeling) in the water, Mary Beth can be found scouting out wildflowers or hiking and backpacking in the mountains. In 2021, she completed a 500 mile through hike of the Colorado Trail and in 2023 completed a 300 mile through hike of the John Muir Trail in the high elevation Sierra Mountains of California. She most recently completed a 500 mile hike across Colorado on the Continental Divide Trail. More mountains to conquer one step at a time!