NEW HANOVER COUNTY — New Hanover County has named Robert Clark as its next Soil and Water Conservation director. Clark will lead the New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District beginning Sept. 29, guiding the county’s work to protect and conserve local soil and water resources.
Clark joins the county from Cape Fear River Watch, where he has served as water quality programs manager since 2021. There he managed the CreekWatchers community science program, coordinating volunteer water quality monitoring and bacterial sampling across the Cape Fear River Basin, administered municipal water quality contracts with the Town of Leland and the City of Wilmington, and led environmental education programming for audiences ranging from elementary students to graduate-level university classes.
“I have spent my career working to protect the natural resources of this region,” Clark said in a press release. “I am grateful for the chance to continue that work with New Hanover County and to build on the district’s partnerships with residents, local governments, and community organizations.”
Clark’s earlier career includes service as a registered environmental health specialist with the Watauga County Health Department and environmental field and laboratory work with Environmental Chemist Inc. in Wilmington.
“Robert brings more than a decade of environmental experience in this region, from volunteer water quality monitoring across the Cape Fear River Basin to water quality partnerships with our municipal neighbors,” County Manager Chris Coudriet said in a press release. “He knows this community’s water and soil, he has worked alongside the residents and partners this district serves, and he is ready to lead that work for the county.”
Clark holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is pursuing a master’s degree in environmental assessment at North Carolina State University. He serves on the board of the North Carolina Conservation Network and the advisory board of UNCW’s Department of Environmental Science. He previously served on the board of Keep New Hanover Beautiful.
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