The New River Conservancy (NRC) is pleased to announce the Wallace & Peggy Carroll Vigilance Volunteer of the Year Award winners from Virginia was presented to Charlie White, for the work he has done with Water Watchers and Friends of Peak Creek. John Copeland, NRC Water Quality Coordinator, concurs with ”Charlie Whittle is a faithful Water Watcher. In fact, looking back at my sampling records for 2025, Charlie never missed a sample, which is spectacular for a guy who is turning 80 this year. He is a key individual in the largest monitoring network I administer, the Peak Creek watershed.” The Volunteer of the Year recognizes an individual who, within the past year, has participated in a significant way to preserve, protect, and restore the River.
The Wallace and Peggy Carroll Vigilance Awards honor the spirit, dedication, and perseverance that former Winston-Salem Journal publisher and editor, Wallace Carroll, brought to the battle to save the New River from the building of two dams in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, which culminated in the creation of 26.5 miles of the New River in North Carolina to be designated “Wild & Scenic” by President Gerald Ford in 1976. Andrew Downs, Executive Director for the New River Conservancy says “Our awardees are stand out examples of the deep commitment the community and the New River Conservancy share for the one-of-a-kind New River.”
