INTERVIEW WITH ED WIRTH

We caught up with ED WIRTH!

HP: Why do you choose to support Charleston Waterkeeper?

EW: Charleston Waterkeeper serves as an important link in interacting and communicating
with the local community regarding environmental and water quality issues in the local
area. While Charleston Waterkeeper isn’t the only organization locally interested in
these coastal and environmental issues, they do a great job of interacting with the local
community.

HP: What is your favorite way to enjoy clean water?

EW: There is no better evening than grabbing a snack or picnic and spending time with
friends and family on the water or beach.

HP: What is your favorite waterway in Charleston?

EW: Any time on the water is better than the office but a few stand out. Sunset at Crosby’s
Fish and Shrimp Co. is always stunning and the run between the Folly Beach boat
landing and the backside of Morris Island is beautiful on a calm day.

HP: Tell us a little about your partnership with NOAA & Charleston Waterkeeper.

EW: I think the general goals of both Charleston Waterkeeper and the NOAA/NOS/NCCOS
ecotoxicology team located in Charleston are centered around understanding and
enhancing the coastal environment; beaches, marsh and waterways. As one of the
senior scientists within this branch, part of my job is to build relationships between
groups where the scientific questions and platforms tasked to NOAA and a larger
community of interested organizations intersect. The common goals both organizations
share makes for an easy collaboration; and the fact that we are both in Charleston and
care about local waterways makes this collaboration something personal as well.

HP: Tell us something interesting about yourself that we might not know?

EW: Now that my wife and I are ‘empty nesters’; you’ll often find me walking the west end of
Folly Beach looking for a fossil or two. These fossils and teeth often make appearances
in the crafts I make as a hobby; resin side tables or charcuterie boards.

Ed Wirth, Ph.D.
Environmental Chemistry Program Lead
Ecotoxicology Branch, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Sciences
(coastalscience.noaa.gov)