Clean Water Profile: Michael Mehrazar
It's a common refrain here at the Choose Clean Water Coalition that the Coalition's greatest strength is our members. More specifically, the many talented, passionate, and dedicated individuals who work at our member organizations make a tremendous difference in improving the health of rivers and streams throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
To highlight this strength of the Coalition, we are starting a new blog series called "Clean Water Profiles." We hope that sharing these stories will not only showcase skilled individuals in the Coalition's membership, but also inspire current and future clean water advocates.
Kicking us off is the Coalition's new Pennsylvania State Lead, Michael Mehrazar. As a Campaign Manager at PennFuture, Michael oversees the work and coordination of PennFuture's campaigns to advocate for clean water protections within the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This work includes developing, managing, and leading campaigns that support critical clean water policy and funding. Previously, Michael served as Field Manager PennFuture, working with citizens to play a more active role in conservation policy. He recruited, trained, and managed volunteers in southcentral Pennsylvania to advocate for environmental issues. He also developed and fostered relationships with watershed and conservation organizations.
I "Zoomed" in with Michael to learn what got him started in environmental work and what he's most looking forward to in his new role as the Coalition's Pennsylvania State Lead. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Drew Robinson: What's your environmental origin story? What led you to PennFuture?
Michael Mehrazar: Well, I grew up in Severna Park, Maryland and as a kid there was always a lot of attention on the Chesapeake Bay—how we need to clean it up and the importance of its ecosystem. I remember the field trips we took to different portions along like Severn River and the main stem of the Chesapeake Bay where we learned about the ecosystem. One specific example, was our trips to the Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center, which provided environmental and outdoor experiences to students with the natural world. I always found that super fascinating. I also attended a YMCA summer camp for most of my youth located at Sandy Point Park, very close to Annapolis. I spent many summer days in the late 90s and early 2000s swimming in the Bay, canoeing, and crabbing. I loved all of it.
But if I'm being very honest, I would not have ever described myself as an environmentalist growing up, or even in my early adulthood. Originally, I actually wanted to be a doctor, and that was my main focus, but then I took AP biology and thought this may not be the best path for me! Instead, I got really interested in politics and social movements. What really got me involved was the war in Iraq and getting involved in anti-war protests. I went to school at Lock Haven University and studied Political Science. At LHU I served as Vice President of the Lock Haven Environmental Club and attended protests against the then-new fracking of the Marcellus Shale. When I graduated I held a lot of political jobs, ranging from working for a county Board of Elections in Maryland to serving on a campaign for a State Senate candidate in Delaware.
Ultimately, I got a job that brought me back to Pennsylvania at For Our Future, which is a progressive advocacy group. I eventually applied for a job with PennFuture for their new field organizing position and from 2019 until recently I was working with PennFuture's Field Team, which was a joint team between PennFuture and the Conservation Voters of Pennsylvania, working and coordinating volunteers throughout the state on various advocacy-related activities.
In retrospect, I have long held a personal connection with clean water, but it took a while for it to have a professional connection. Which, given that my interest in politics led me to this position, is a bit ironic since I've long felt that environmental issues should not be politicized. Everyone wants clean water!
DR: The tangled webs we weave! Now that you've called Pennsylvania home for a while, what do you love about Pennsylvania's rivers and streams?
Michael and his wife Sabrina in Lock Haven.
MM: The two places where I've lived in Pennsylvania, Lock Haven and Harrisburg, both have gorgeous walkways along the Susquehanna River—Lock Haven's Levee is alongside the West Branch and Harrisburg Riverfront Park is alongside the Main Branch. Some of my happiest memories are just walking along the river on a nice day. My wife and I have had hours and hours of conversations along the Susquehanna. I've been so lucky to have the ability to walk out of my house, walk a few minutes, and find myself at a beautiful walkway along this really magnificent river.
I've also been really thrilled to learn about is the age of the Susquehanna River—it's one of the oldest rivers in the world. It's older than the mountains that surround it. But even though it's such a historic and beautiful river that touches so many communities, so much of it is inaccessible for swimming or recreating. I often visit City Island in Harrisburg and there's a beach but no one swims, because the water is not clean. That's a real shame. And it's true throughout the whole South-Central PA region—parents don't let their kids swim in the water. So, while water quality has gotten better from what it was decades ago, it's still far short of what it should be.
DR: That's certainly a common refrain in our work for clean water throughout the Bay watershed. You've touched on this a little already, but what challenges do you see for protecting and restoring Pennsylvania's rivers and streams?
MM: The problems are pretty simple. First, one thing I learned pretty quick when I started that at PennFuture was that when we talk about the Bay, we don't actually talk about the Bay. Our actions in Pennsylvania of course have impacts downstream. But while some Pennsylvanians go down to Maryland or Virginia to recreate and explore the Bay, a lot of people never do. So rather than talking about the Bay, we talk about local waterways, such as the Conodoguinet, the Wiconisco, Yellow Breeches, etc.
For the issues, I'm not breaking any ground by highlighting how agriculture is a huge industry in Pennsylvania. Most farmers want to effectively steward their land and mitigate impacts to local waterways, but some are skeptical of new practices and of government intervention. If someone from outside their community broaches practices like no till farming or cover crops, many are not going to listen. Finding trusted messengers who can speak their language and address their concerns is critical to us making headway.
And then, frankly, the last thing is money! The General Assembly in Pennsylvania is not always welcoming to environmental causes. The reality of the political situation makes it difficult to meet what Pennsylvania agreed to as part of the cleanup effort throughout the Bay watershed. If we don't have the funding to support conservation programs—both here in Pennsylvania and downstream—we won't make the desired gains in our local water quality.
DR: In light of those issues, what are some of the projects you're excited about tackling in your new role as the Coalition's Pennsylvania state lead?
Michael by the Pennsylvania state capitol.
MM: Well, going back to the money piece, I'm really excited about Pennsylvania's state budget which passed in July. It was historic, by Pennsylvania's standards, in investments in environmental and conservation programs. Not only did the budget fund our environmental agencies—whose funding has for many years remained stagnant or received cuts—they also funded new programs like the Clean Streams Fund and reintroduced former programs like Growing Greener, which they're now calling the State Parks and Recreation Fund.
Those were really great steps forward. I'm excited about how we can keep the momentum moving forward. How do we secure recurring funding for these programs? What are new, innovative programs and investments we can make to meet our 2025 TMDL clean water goals? We have almost a blank slate here and I'm excited about the possibilities.
The other thing that comes to mind is the Federal Farm Bill. It's really critical legislation that's up for renewal next year. There is a great opportunity to advocate for certain policies and investments in the Farm Bill that can make a huge difference in addressing agricultural pollution in PA.
DR: To shift to a more fun question—what's your favorite place in the Pennsylvania portion of the Bay watershed? Is it right on the banks of the Susquehanna in Lock Haven or Harrisburg, like you mentioned earlier?
MM: It's got to be Lock Haven. It's such a beautiful place. I also love Bald Eagle State Park that's near there. I have a lot of great memories there with friends, family, and my wife. But there are plenty of places in PA's portion of the Bay watershed that I haven't seen, particularly in northern Pennsylvania. So, I'm happy to be persuaded for a different place!
DR: Time for another fun question! If you haven't learned this yet, there are a lot of foodies within the Coalition's membership. So I feel obliged to ask, what's your favorite restaurant or brewery in the area?
MM: I really like Millworks. They're a really nice restaurant and brewery in Harrisburg. They use all local, Pennsylvania-based ingredients. Really great food and beer, and they're also an art studio where about twenty different artists have their work studios. It's a really cool place.
DR: Last question! As you know, we're excited to bring the Choose Clean Water Conference back to Pennsylvania, gathering in Harrisburg May 23-24, 2023. I'm curious if there's anything you're particularly excited to showcase with the Coalition gathering in your backyard.
MM: I'm new to my current role, but I've long heard that Pennsylvania is considered the problem child in the Bay cleanup effort! While it's not totally undeserved, I hope this conference will help reveal the systematic, sociopolitical reasons for why Pennsylvania is behind in its cleanup goals. I also am excited to showcase the beautiful areas in the greater Harrisburg area. The State Capitol building is one of the most beautiful state capitols in the country, you can checkout a ballgame at City Island, Hershey's not too far. So it's a great place to visit with plenty of things to do.
DR: Just to clarify, while Pennsylvania is sometimes referred to as the “problem child” due to where it stands with its cleanup effort, that is by no means an indictment of our Pennsylvania members! We have a great group of amazing organizations in PA that make incredible contributions in improving the Keystone State's rivers and streams.
MM: Oh, I totally get that! We're certainly going to keep our foot on the gas and harness our members throughout Pennsylvania to fight the good fight for clean water.
Drew Robinson is the Choose Clean Water Coalition’s Senior Communications Manager