Vera Knook: Saving Rivers
What does it mean to be an explorer when so much of the world has already been mapped? On this episode of Life’s Tough, Explorers are Tougher, Richard Wiese sits down with hydraulic engineer, kayaker, National Geographic Explorer, Explorers Club 50 honoree, and River Collective founder Vera Knook. Vera shares how studying water management and experiencing free-flowing rivers from a kayak changed the way she thought about engineering, conservation, and our relationship with rivers. Vera also explains why science alone isn't enough to protect the places we care about. The River Collective brings students, scientists, artists, photographers, and people from other disciplines together to turn knowledge into action. From removing dams and restoring habitat to using art and emotion to communicate science, Vera believes the future of river conservation depends on getting people outside their individual specialties and working together. For Vera, that collaboration represents a new kind of exploration: not simply discovering somewhere no one has visited, but finding new ways to understand, protect, and connect people with places that may have been beside them all along. This is Life's Tough, Explorers Are Tougher, with your host, Richard Weiss. Scratch the surface of an explorer and you'll find an adventure and a great story. This show is about their tales. This podcast is a proud supporter of the Explorers Club and the EC50 Initiative. 50 people changing the world that the world needs to know about. For more information, go to explorers.org.
