BRASS has a new full-time Executive Director!

The Boquet River Association (BRASS) has hired Colin Powers to accelerate its work restoring the Adirondack’s steepest and cleanest river. BRASS’ projects address flood mitigation, improving water quality, advancing fish passage, providing recreational access, and educating the public about this natural treasure.

Colin Powers and his dog, Oliver paddling the Boquet River in Willsboro, NY

 “BRASS is thrilled to move from an all-volunteer organization to again having a full-time professional leading our efforts that help the river and its communities thrive” says Vic Putman, BRASS’ board president. “Also, Colin is a natural at engaging with our towns, our partner organizations and, of course, our members”.

 Colin has recently served on the BRASS Board of Directors as the organization has built its capacity. In 2024, BRASS volunteers planted 1400 trees in Wadhams, reconstructed fishing access in Willsboro, cleaned tons of trash off the floodplains in Elizabethtown and conducted water testing throughout the watershed. Colin led BRASS workshops on FEMA’s new flood maps, spoke on flood resiliency and wrote federal grants to buy out a Westport family’s repeatedly flooded home.

 Colin is a Certified Floodplain Manager and is a graduate of the Community Resilience and Planning Program at UVM. He brings a background in management, communications and documentary filmmaking and has worked for and volunteered with Adirondack non-profits since 2006. His home is on the banks of the Boquet River in Wadhams.

 The volunteer-oriented Boquet River Association has been providing vital services to the communities in the watershed and nearby areas for over 37 years. Through partnerships, leadership, coordination and outreach, BRASS promotes science-based solutions that sustain this unique river that connects the Adirondacks and the Lake Champlain Valley. BRASS is renowned for assisting communities with the removal of dams, improving habitat, promoting recreational uses, providing access to trails, and creating healthy ecosystems that build resilient and sustainable communities. Learn more about volunteering with BRASS at boquet-river.org

 Funding for this two year position was seeded by a grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), which is administered through the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC) funded by the US Environmental Protection Administration and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.