In Memory of Rick Dove
1939-2025

Growing up on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, Rick Dove always dreamed of a life surrounded by water. After earning a law degree and completing 25 years of service in the U.S. Marine Corps, he moved to North Carolina’s Neuse River to live out his dream as a commercial fisherman. For years, some of his happiest moments were spent on the water, casting lines and enjoying the river.

By the early 1990s, trouble appeared. Thousands of fish were dying and developing sores, forcing Rick to stop selling his catch. “I wanted to do something, but I didn’t know where to start,” he recalled. “Then I happened to read an article in the local newspaper about this environmental group, the Neuse River Foundation, looking for a Riverkeeper. What in the world was a Riverkeeper? I had no idea, but I liked the sound of it. I began to read about what John Cronin was accomplishing on the Hudson River, Terry Backer on the Long Island Sound, and Andy Willner in his watershed, and I said, ‘Man, these guys are getting things done. They’re really making a difference.”

It was a pivotal moment that changed Rick’s life and was the start of a lasting legacy that lives on today. Instead of standing by and letting pollution overrun the environment, he decided to use his strengths and skills by returning to practicing law and finding a new calling as the first-ever Neuse Riverkeeper. He worked tirelessly to hold polluters accountable, serve as a relentless voice for his community, and advance a mission to protect clean water for all people and the planet. “Rick was fierce, fearless, and uncompromising when it came to defending clean water,” said Marc Yaggi, CEO for Waterkeeper Alliance. “He was instrumental in bringing national attention to the devastating pollution caused by the swine industry in North Carolina, exposing how industrial-scale agriculture was poisoning communities and waterways. He showed us that protecting a river was about more than science and law. It was about love, courage, and listening to what the water itself would say if it had a voice.”

The impact was profound and lasting: he brought national attention to industrial-scale pollution in North Carolina and strengthened the global fight for clean water. “Over the 24 years I worked with Rick, he proved himself to be one of the most effective advocates I have ever known. Always brave, uncompromising, and willing to speak truth to power, whether people wanted to hear it or not,” said Daniel E. Estrin, General Counsel and Legal Director for Waterkeeper Alliance. “He set an example of courage and effectiveness that most of us can only hope to emulate. While there is still much work to do to reduce and control pollution from industrial meat production, Rick’s efforts have already made an extraordinary difference—and will continue to inspire and guide this fight for years to come. We all owe him a debt of gratitude.”

Rick wanted to share what he had learned and inspire others, just as he had once been inspired by the early Waterkeepers he admired. In 1999, he helped turn that vision into reality as one of the founding members of Waterkeeper Alliance. Alongside New York/New Jersey Baykeeper Andy Willner, Chattahoochee Riverkeeper Sally Bethea, Casco Baykeeper Joe Payne, and the late Long Island Soundkeeper Terry Backer, Rick helped transform a shared passion for protecting waterways into a global movement now on the frontlines of the environmental crisis. “As I look at the movement that has grown out of that [first] group of people and I look at the Waterkeeper movement today, I know that the seeds that these folks had sown in me are being sown in all of these other Waterkeepers around the world, and that this is a movement that will not fail,” said Rick. “If you’re a polluter and you come across a Waterkeeper, you’re in big trouble. And that pollution will stop. This is a fearsome group of people. I’ve had two major careers, one in the Marine Corps and one in Waterkeeper, and I wouldn’t trade either one for the world.”

In his later years, Rick focused on bringing younger generations into the cause of clean water. One of the efforts he was most proud of was organizing and co-leading Clean Water Advocacy Bootcamps in North Carolina with undergraduate students from Catawba College. He guided the students through an experiential learning experince with experts in various fields, including science advocacy, environmental law, state and local politics, environmental advocacy filmmaking and photography, and community organizing. Rick inspired the students to take more initiative and encouraged them to apply what they learned to create a meaningful impact in their communities. All the while, he inspired his beloved granddaughter, Aimee Trom, encouraging love of photography by documenting the bootcamps and contributing to that important community work.

“Rick had a passion for doing what is right for our waters and the communities being directly impacted by those who would do our waters harm,” said Larry Baldwin, Pure Farms, Pure Waters, North Carolina Campaign Coordinator for Waterkeeper Alliance. “He used all of his skills and his God-given talent to stand up for those being harmed and stand up against those doing the harm. But through his amazing career, Rick was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. His love of family was uncompromising. And if you were blessed enough to call Rick a friend, then you had a friend through it all.”

While his absence creates a massive void, his legacy will continue to live on in the Waterkeeper movement, driving our passion to fulfill our mission and goals as he once did. We extend our love and thoughts to all his loved ones. Rick was not just a hero for clean water in his community; he was a cherished member of our movement’s family, and his presence will be profoundly missed.

“Rick’s dedication and willingness to never give up the fight for what is right made him one of the pillars of the Waterkeeper Alliance organization and the entire Waterkeeper movement,” added Christian Breen, Movement Building Manager for Waterkeeper Alliance. “He set the standard for effective excellence in water protection and enforcement. His impact will last forever, and the rivers of the world are thankful for it.”

Rest in Power, Rick. Your voice will live on in every Waterkeeper.