Apalachicola RiverTrek

Nathan Goldstein is an Electronic Health Record Technician with passions for rock climbing, hiking, live music, and water sports. Originally from Colorado, he spent most evenings at Horsetooth Reservoir paddle-boarding or watching the sunset. Now in Philadelphia with close ties to his father on St. George Island, Nathan fell in love with the Apalachicola area and its wildlife. He has been visiting annually for the last 6 years and is excited to further explore his hobby of kayaking while raising awareness and funds for the River, learning more about the area, as well as reliving his childhood camping with his dad.

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Connelly Crowe lives in Decatur, GA but has been a regular visitor and adorer of Apalachicola and St. George Island since birth, considering the Forgotten Coast to be a second home. She is a musician and photographer, a lover of oysters and crab legs, and a mom to two dogs and a cat. Professionally, she has backgrounds in higher education administration and speech-language pathology. She deeply values adventure, closeness in her relationships, and the pursuit of making art. This will be her first Rivertrek – an adventure indeed! – and she looks forward to pushing herself physically and mentally during what will be her longest kayak-camping trip to date. She is STOKED to experience the Apalachicola River from a new perspective and to better understand and help protect a region that has shaped so much of her life.

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Lesford Duncan is the Executive Director of the Outdoor Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the outdoor industry dedicated to expanding access to outdoor recreation through community investment and research. He is a proud University of Florida alum! Lesford now serves on the board of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and volunteers as a trip leader with Georgia Rivers. He’s an ACA-certified river kayaking instructor who loves long paddling adventures and has done multi-day trips in wild places around the world, including the Okefenokee Swamp and Everglades, to Alaska’s Prince William Sound and Idaho’s Salmon River, to the Amazon Rainforest and more.
Born to Jamaican parents who instilled in him a spirit of adventure and curiosity, Lesford believes deeply in the power of rivers and wild places to connect people, promote wellbeing, and inspire stewardship. RiverTrek will be his first time paddling the Apalachicola River, and he’s excited to experience the river alongside fellow river lovers while helping raise awareness and support for its protection.

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Rebecca Means is an ecologist and founder of Conservation Pathways with a passion for rock climbing, food, live music, and travel. Her first RiverTrek was in 2023 and she’s been hooked ever since. She fell in love with the long paddle days full of camaraderie, the fat threeridge mussel, the outpouring of support from communities along the river, and all the work that Apalachicola Riverkeeper does to advocate for the river.  She is excited to help lead this new team and looks forward to learning more about the River, paddling with old friends, and making new ones!

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Tim Goldstein is sixty-one years old and grew up in the Colorado mountains, hiking, fishing, skiing and camping with friends, scouts and family. He has a passion for the environment and the natural resources of the wilderness.

Over six years ago, Tim moved to St. George Island, FL with his forever friend Eileen where he is a member of Apalachicola Riverkeeper, part of Turtle Patrol, a Parot Head, a first responder/fireman, a Scouting America Troop(22) leader, and lighthouse keeper. Tim understands the importance of the river systems feeding Apalachicola Bay and surrounding environments and the industries that depend on clean safe water for long term sustainability and growth in the region.

Tim and his son Nathan are looking forward to this 107-mile river trek to help raise awareness and to bond further as a father and son.

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Will is Vice President and Director of Trust for Public Land’s national Conservation Finance Program, helping state and local governments and citizen groups throughout the United States gauge public support for conservation and craft ballot and legislative measures that generate new sources of public funding for parks and land conservation. He has been directly involved in more than 120 successful local and state land conservation ballot measures and numerous legislative campaigns in twenty states.

He is an avid runner, cyclist, and sea kayaker. Will has paddled throughout North America, including multi-day sea kayak tours in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Door County Peninsula, the Maine Island Trail, Nova Scotia (Cape Breton and the Eastern Shore), Newfoundland (Bay of Exploits), Cape Lookout National Seashore, Cumberland Island National Seashore, Everglades National Park/Ten Thousand Islands, and Gulf Islands National Seashore. He most enjoys paddling in his “home” waters of Apalachee and Apalachicola Bays. He is rated Four-Stars for Sea Kayak by the British Canoe Union.

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Tom Jennings, a 2019 RiverTrekker living in Lexington VA, came to appreciate the Apalachicola River while serving as Florida State University’s V.P. for University Advancement (2010-2020), overseeing FSU’s alumni programs, fundraising efforts, and real estate initiatives. Tom and his wife, Dawn, also spent time at their home in Apalachicola, providing opportunities to paddle and photograph many of the region’s rivers, marshes, bays, and wildlife. Tom believes the Apalachicola River basin and its exceptional biodiversity are national treasures and deserve our attention, protection and financial support. “If we don’t support it, who will? Anyone who, like me, has been on The Apalachicola River, or Scipio Creek, Cash Creek, the Dead Lakes, Whisky George Creek, Owl Creek, or its other tributaries, develops a strong commitment to preserving this unique ecosystem for future generations.”

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Rand Clark is a new comer to Apalachicola. He waited 40 years to come back to the Gulf. As he said, some itches just can’t be scratched. He started his love for this area while attending the University of Alabama where he achieved a double major in Marine Science and Biology and then went on to work at the Claude Peteet Mariculture Center in Gulf Shores, AL. Afterwards, he spent several years with the National Park Service, 32 years in the US Coast Guard and most recently as the Seasonal Manager for the Nature Conservancy’s research station on Palmyra Atoll. He has managed many large commercial waterways and responded to some of the biggest maritime disasters in the United States. He looks forward to learning from the other members of the River Trek Team and becoming intimately familiar with the River.

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Soon after his family moved to Tallahassee from Chicago in 1968, Doug learned firsthand about
the Apalachicola River and Bay, how its rich waters and scenic beauty could feed both stomachs
and souls. He participated in his first RiverTrek in 2010 and the river has called him many
times since, especially since this dynamic resource is often threatened on multiple fronts. “We need Apalachicola Riverkeeper more than ever,” he says, “Please help in any way you can.”
Doug is the author of several award-winning books and volunteers his time with different groups, including Apalachicola Riverkeeper.

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Richard’s connection to Florida runs through both his professional life and his sense of place. During his time with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, he worked to protect the state’s natural resources and support the safety of its communities—experiences that deepened his appreciation for the balance between people and the environment. That connection is personal, too. Richard and his wife, Kristy, chose to begin their marriage on St. George Island, and they’ve raised their children camping, kayaking, biking, and hiking throughout the Florida Panhandle. The region’s rivers, forests, and coastline have shaped some of their most meaningful family memories. RiverTrek gives Richard the chance to give back in a hands on way—paddling the Apalachicola, listening to the stories of those who know it best, and helping raise awareness for a river system that sustains wildlife, culture, and livelihoods. For Richard, this journey is about stewardship, community, and honoring the landscapes that have shaped both his work and his family’s life.

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Skyla Means has grown up on the Apalachicola river and surrounding areas, and she has always understood the importance of conserving such an important ecosystem. She has a passion for nature and is at her happiest when she is outside, or doing things like crocheting, embroidering, and rock climbing. Skyla is going into her senior year in high school, and is hoping to raise awareness about the importance of the Apalachicola in her community. This will be Skyla’s first year paddling RiverTrek, and she is excited to learn more about the river that she loves and to experience it in a new way.

Click here to support Skyla!

Click here to support the whole team!

Lee grew up in the Ft. Myers area where he worked in the elevator industry as an elevator technician, installer, and a state elevator inspector. He has always enjoyed paddling the local waterways and Gulf of Mexico, and he moved to Tallahassee in 1995 to work in the office of the Bureau of Elevator Safety where he works as an instructor, consultant, and expert witness. In the Tallahassee area, he found an abundance of springs, lakes, rivers, and creeks to explore and enjoy, including the Apalachicola River.

Lee sees the Apalachicola River and its tributaries as a wonder-full waterway, one of the most undeveloped in Florida, making a home for numerous species of wildlife that rely on the river and its floodplain. In three previous RiverTreks Lee learned a great deal about the ecosystem, the various species that thrive there, and the positive effects this river has on much of the rest of Florida. Lee says, “I am glad to help bring attention to the work that Apalachicola Riverkeeper is doing to help protect and restore the river and its ecosystem.”

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Chrysanthemum (Chris) Brook Watkins is a poet, writer, and environmentalist originally from Illinois where she lived next to the largest reservoir in the state. Chris came to Tallahassee in 2020 to study writing and find wilder waterways; she earned a PhD in ecopoetics in 2024 and joined the Riverkeeper Board of Directors that same year. Chrysanthemum paddles the Big River and its tributaries as often as possible and has been on three prior RiverTreks, in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Yet, she still feels there is infinitely more to see and learn about the Apalachicola. Chris looks forward to camping beneath Alum Bluff and near the Tupelo on Owl Creek, and feels it is a privilege to raise funds and awareness for the protection of one of Florida’s—and, indeed, the world’s—great rivers.

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Greg Krivonak: Greg grew up in Southern New Jersey. Water has always been a part his life, sailing small lakes, rivers, and coastal waterways. A former kayak guide in the San Juan Islands of Washington State, Greg has explored Alaska extensively. His longest kayak trip was an extended two-person, 1100-mile journey, along the Sea of Cortez, in the Baja Peninsula of Mexico.

As a fisheries biologist in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, Greg began building boats, which has led to a lifetime of living on the water. Greg finished building a 34’ sailboat, Willow, in 2002 which he and his wife Bonnie lived on, cruising the North and South Pacific extensively. Greg now resides in Apalachicola. He is excited to again explore the Apalachicola River system and beyond, welcoming the opportunity to coexist on the river with a group of like-minded people and to bring awareness to a unique and precious river system. His fourth RiverTrek trip, Greg will again row a boat he built, a unique Angus Row Cruiser expedition boat.

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Mary Anne Koos, is a lifelong advocate for creating great places – in our National Forests, Florida’s state parks, rivers and highways, and Tallahassee’s own canopied roads. In her work as State Trails Coordinator for the Florida Park Service, she guided the development of Florida’s Rails-to-Trails Program, created new state and county parks, and improved river and coastal access points for paddlers. In the early 90’s she and her husband acquired sea kayaks, attended symposiums to improve their paddling skills, and began exploring the Gulf’s coastal waters and camping on the barrier islands (Dog, Little St. George, Cape San Blas). Inspired by the trekkers traveling the Florida Wildlife Corridor and the glow of past Rivertrekers, she’s committed this year to explore the Apalachicola River with Rivertrek.

Mary Anne also is a member of Tallahassee-Leon County’s Canopy Roads Advisory Committee, Secretary for the Apalachee Canoe and Kayak Club, volunteers with Tallahassee Memorial Hospital’s Animal Therapy Program, and assists the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals, in their professional development webinars. With a life in public service, I work to create change and hope to leave a legacy of good work that carries forward. I am hoping that this year we can celebrate and fund the work that Riverkeeper does to support the Apalachicola River and the communities who rely upon its health and well-being.

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Shirley Kasser Creech takes the Apalachicola River’s survival seriously—herself, not so much. Returning for her fifth RiverTrek, she and her bright orange floppy hat are passionately advocating for the protection of this amazing watershed. A lover of nature of all kinds (except skeeters), Shirley is currently pursuing her Florida Master Naturalist certification and has guided hundreds of paddlers over hundreds of miles of Florida waterways for a non-profit environmental education organization. When she isn’t on the water, you can usually find her eating weeds from her backyard foraging trail.

Her dedication is deeply rooted in the importance of the river and its watershed to the families who have lived along it for generations. For Shirley, protecting this vital ecosystem is about preserving both its lush wilderness and its rich cultural history.

Treasuring the role of sweep, she loves bringing up the rear to ensure no one gets left behind. And no, she’s not dilly dallying….she’s lolly gagging!

Shirley invites you to support her trek to keep this magnificent river thriving for future generations.

Click here to support Shirley!