Pretty in pink, but ready to kick ass for the environment Diana L. Muller is the South River's eyes, ears and voice By WENDI WINTERS. Jo cube-city office workers around the T Beltway, Diana L. Muller has a dream job, Year-round, at least three days a week, the 43-year-old Edgewater resident and mar red mother of two is out on the South River on a research boat. She stops and draws samples at every one of the dozen creeks that flow into the short, wide waterway tothe Chesapeake Bay. Diana isthe South River's Riverkeeper, an employee of the non-profit South River Federa ton. She was hited two years ago, replacing Drew Koslow, who had accepted the position of CChoptank Riverkeeper. Along with 15 other riverkeepers in the (Chesapeake Bay area, Diana takes her job ser ously. “We're the voice of our rivers and the voice ofthe citizens,” she sai. Diana is probably one of the few riverkeep- ‘ers witha black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido. “Ican kick someone's ass," Diana said as she adjusted her hot pink jacket. “Ido like pink,” she chuckled, On the front lines “The riverkeepers are out there on the front lines ofthe rivers day in and day out, doing the hard science and the advocacy work. said Robb Tufts, an environmentalist and Green Party activist. “Tm impressed with Diana's ‘outreach to the community. Even though she is new to this area she hasan understanding ofthe culture and is inclusive of the commu: nity. Diana sees how the river's health affects everyone regardless of class age or race. She tries to get everyone involved. That's impres Executive director Erik Michelsen joined the South River Federation at the same time as Diana. “She helped us expand water 4uality monitoring program and made it highly regarded locally The research and data she's collected allowed us to target areas for restoration to address water quality issues ‘moving forward said Erik. “She runs some of four education and outreach efforts. Diana is reeting with local schools and schoolteach- es. She's bringing the message about the oor health of bay to them. Diana is working with the various homeowners associations to ive them a sense of the health of creeks in their area, “Between her data and Drew's six years of Diana uses a Hydrolab to measure the water’ pH level. salinity dissolved oxygen, temperature, hlorophy/l and blue-green algae atthe shoreline of Selby Beach The device connected to laptop Computer giving her immediate input and results. data, there are some unexpected results where poor and better qualities ofthe river ae,” said Erik. “Her work has informed some of our decisions and plans going forward” Diana has earned kudos from her peers. Chris Trumbauer isthe West/Rhode River Keeper. “We collaborate on lot of water quality monitoring and sampling protocols” hae said. “She has certainly improved the South River water quality monitoring program wich was begun by the previous riverkeeper. Diana has a strong analytical science back ground and has revamped the program.” He noted that, as a mother, she brings an- other angle tothe job. “She has children and can communicate to neighbors and children about the issues and make it comprehensible and understandable to folks who don’t do this for a living” Childhood memories of fishing for sustenance Born Diana Lynn Gil this riverkeeper’s experience with rivers began inthe Pacific Northwest's Puget Sound. Part Native Amer: can, part Italian, she and her late brother were raised in Tumwater, Wa, three blocks from the ‘Olympia Beer brewery. Her dad, a “weekend alcoholic” was a logge by trade. He regularly took his kids fishing; hiking through the woods to find the best spots “We were poor,” Diana recalled. “We caught and ate our food. The outdoors was our cathe dra. We grew up catching salmon, ling cod and halibut But, by age 5, she realized all was not well with Mother Nature. “Some people pulled in flounders with lesions on the bottom of thei bellies and nasty-looking tumorous eyes. Dad said, ‘We're not fishing here anymore’ The runoff from Tacoma smelters was discharging arsenic into the groundwater” “We also saw the destruction of fishing ‘grounds by overfishing” said Diana. Out west, there were heated discussions about banning salmon fishing, Native Americans and Canadi ans protested vehemently. "Now there are no ;native salmon in some rivers.” ‘Asa youngster, she wanted to become a marine biologist, ike her hero, the late Jacques Cousteau. Enroute toa marine biology degree at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wa., she realized, “Marine biologists cut bait and work ‘minimum wage” So she earned her bachelor of science in chemistry, concentrating on water quality and marine biology. Continued on Page 14 CAPITAL STYLE | MAY 2010 13,Continued from Page 13 Water quality issues are legally defensible data in court cases ve been doing water quality research and analysis for 23 yeas. It's great to know the species ofan organism, but that won't stop polluters” During college, she learned first-hand about her flow citizens’ propensity for tnvironmental destruction asa forest ire fighter in Olympia and a water quality intern in Port Townsend collecting samples and performing microbiclogial analyses She moved to Norfolk Vato take gradu- ate courses and serve as research assistant in Old Dominion University’s Department of (Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Science “Though she was laid off when the pro- gram’ funding ran out, Diana doesnt have any regrets. She promply got ajo with ‘ODU Applied Marine Research Laboratory (now the Virginia Science Museum). ‘She also met her future husband and permanent lab partner, oceanographer and Brooklyn native Dr. Andrew Maller, also 43. “nee the Get Couple” she exam We lived in the area freight years” she said. “T worked entry-level jobs and worked try way up through the industry. was out on te bay regularly onthe ‘Vomit Special: Itwas an old Army boat, a65-oot research vessel ealled the Linwood Holton. she sid Ta sample water a 20 stations in the bay. 1a go up the Elizabeth Riverina smaller boat Itwas a digusting river: ver industri alized filed with very point source pollition factories, water treatment plants, the Navy. But is deaned up well the past twenty years? Sandwich generation ‘Andrew completed his doctorate and was offered job in Miler, Pa. Expect ing their frat child, the couple packed up and moved. Daughter Arian arzived soon after the coupe relocated. She is now 11,a sixth grader at Central Mil School Son Keaghan, now 9, sa third grader at Cental Elementary School When Diana's parents health declined rapidly, the Mailers relocated them to Pennsylvania, Her mother passed away from ovarian cancer. Dana called herself and An- drew ‘members ofthe sandwich generation” — the Mailers were squeezed financially, physically and emotionally caring for their Children and ailing elders and maintaining two households while working, They took on the burden of Diana's mother’s medical bis wen she was cut of from her husbands pension insurance. Stil in Pennsyvania, Andrew began work ing every summer atthe Naval Academy ‘on the Maury Project, an oceanographic program. He would each oceanography to Inidle- and high-school teachers 14 CAPTALSTYLE | MAY 2010 “fell in love with the Naval Academy Diana said ‘Taree years ago, Andrew was offered a position on the USNA faculty. The Mallers happily packed up again. “Tlove the area and wanted to be back on the water” Diana sai. “Back to the salt air where belong” Her first year inthe area, she tried to “figure out where [fit in” She worked with Iher husband in the academy's research labs and conducted her own water sampling tests near her community, Selby On The Bay. ‘She feels er riverkeeper postion isto serve as the “eyes, ears and voice of the river bring my water quality experience to the job. 'm hoping to have the state set up a pilot program of quality control/uality ‘While her husband works withthe Severn Riverkeeper to analyze that rivers waters, Diana has set up seven “main stem” stations for water sampling, and 15 morein tidal tributaries onthe river. She ses the Naval, ‘Academy labs to conduct analyses and, in return, she works with the midshipmen in the oceanography program. Her research i showing “from Liberty Ma- ina up north onthe river, we havea growing anoxic zone. That means there is no dis ‘solved oxygen. Nothing for fsh to breathe. ‘This is caused by excess stormwater runoft. “The runoff caries nutrients and sediments {nto the river and there it stays” Dr. Pierre Henkart, a volunteer with ‘Severn Riverkeeper and a semi-retired ‘esearch chemist with the National Inst tutes of Health, hasbeen doing water quality ‘monitoring with Diana and her husband for several years. “Dianais a very experienced water quality ‘monitoring person” Pierre said. “It's refresh {ng to see someone who does a good job and {sa good scientist. People who ave these jobs ae often prety junior people young, ids right out of college. Alot dont have a real sophisticated approach to water mon- toring in terms ofthe scence. Diana is relly Afferent. fs been great for us” Passion for the job Volunteer John Gamble noted: "Diana has such a passion forthe job. That comes across whe she's talking to the public Twas at a meeting when she was doing the annual report.on the quality ofthe South River She tras 0 emotional about, she was almost “ying about the condition ofthe rive. She insptes everyone around her” “Diana is doing the job corey” he added, "doing exactly what's needed tobe done, and geting the right data about the contin of the river soothers can make {good management decisions to improve the {ualityoftherver. She bring lotto the table” Diana not afraid to speak her mind. What we need is storm water remedi tion and education” she sai. “The rversin Ohio were so fll of pollutants, they aught fire. That mess wa deaned up.” “Rain barrels are a start forthe average homeowner. Rain gardens area great start to prevent rainwater runof. Buying local helps, too, to keep airborne poutants down” “Politicians spin. Republicans and Democrats are both wishy-washy. They say riverkeepers are puting small farmers out of business,” sbe stated “They're part of lage conglomeration or a franchise operation, just ike the Tyson's and Perdue chicken farmers. small mom Sand pop farmers self-sustaining and has Control over their farmland” “Where does animal oop from farms 0? It goes right ino the bay. fm disturbed the governor gave Jim Perdue, chairman of Perdue an award for busines leadership and corporate responsibility” she said “Tdon't are if people hate me for express ing my views” “tes her passion that makes her a great rivekeeper” sid Diana's husband. "She rellyloves being out on the water. Over the Years, she's worked on the Chesapeake Bay fromall diferent angles. She has the exper: cence to back up what she says — and the thckbone to speaher mind about it. She's not afraid to say what needs tobe said” “he font lawn of thei Edgewater home is abloom with golden dandebons. Diana vould dream of using weed killer on them. "Do you want that stuffin your drink ing water or the water you swim and fish in?™ she asked shetoriall ‘Wendi Winters isa freelance writer who lives om the Broadneck Peninsula