Alice is currently a student in the pilot class of 2023 for Wild Virginia’s Water Advocates Program. She joins the podcast to discuss her passion for the environment, what issues she hopes to tackle after graduating the program, and why water is essential to life.

Alice Frei is a retired veterinarian. During her veterinary career she owned a small practice in Houston and cared for dogs, cats, exotics, and wildlife. After retirement she moved to Charlottesville, Virginia and became involved in environmental conservation. She presently volunteers for Rivanna Master Naturalists, Charlottesville Area Tree Stewards, Botanical Garden of the Piedmont, and Rivanna Conservation Alliance. Through RCA she developed a keen interest in water conservation and health. She has continued monitoring Charlottesville area streams for cleanliness, bacteria, and macroscopic indicator species of water health.  

When asked why clean water is so important, Frei noted that that is a rhetorical question like, “why is life so important?” She has followed the fight against the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and, like other citizens of Virginia and neighboring states, finds the timeline of recent updates confusing in the media. She hopes that the Water Advocates Program will equip her with the knowledge to help mobilizing citizens in part through informing them that they have a voice and can make an impact — whether through monitoring water quality, or just pulling out their phones (or cameras) to take photo evidence. She also hopes now to be able to effectively and convincingly submit public comments on some of these projects and make her own voice heard.

Ultimately, she wants a world where her children and grandchildren can enjoy clean water for generations to come. 

Learn more about the Clean Water Advocates Program through future updates, and join our email list today.