The Catawba Riverkeeper family was saddened to learn this week that Tim Mead, one of our founding board members and a tireless protector of the Catawba River, passed away.

Tim was a lifelong fisherman who moved to the Carolinas to teach at UNC Charlotte and immediately became involved with water quality issues in the region.

After chairing the Centralina Council of Governments Committee that recommended the creation of a Riverkeeper organization, Tim was a part of the founding board of directors.

Tim continued to serve the river basin after his time on the board in leadership roles with Trout Unlimited and the Catawba-Wateree Relicensing Coalition, the group of stakeholders that guided the inclusion of dozens of recreation projects in Duke Energy's most recent FERC license.

Tim had a heart of gold, an amazing sense of humor, and was a talented nature writer. His impact on our organization and the entire river basin is immense and he will be missed by many who loved and worked alongside him.