The Dan River Basin Association is pleased to announce the appointment of Brian Higgins as the organization’s new nature and heritage tourism project manager for the North Carolina portion of the Dan River basin. He will also be assisting with the organization’s water quality monitoring program in North Carolina, river access programs, and water quality. 

With a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation, Brian Higgins will work on natural, cultural and heritage resources in the Dan River corridor, primarily in Rockingham and Stokes counties in North Carolina.

He will develop new guides for the rivers to encourage people to visit the region to paddle, hike, watch wildlife, fish or picnic. These guides will promote sustainable economic development via nature- and heritage-based tourism and will be coordinated with similar work funded by the Harvest Foundation in Martinsville and Henry County, Virginia.

According to Robin Yount, Vice President of the Partnership for Economic and Tourism Development in Rockingham County, “The growing trend among both families and individuals today is a desire to experience the authentic natural, historic and cultural resources of a community or region. Natural, Cultural and Heritage tourism has evolved into one of the fastest growing segments of the travel market.  With the leadership of Brian Higgins this new initiative will greatly benefit the entire region and enhance our ongoing marketing efforts of our community.”      

Brian Higgins has eight years of experience working as a project manager for the environmental consulting firm of Jones & Stokes and twelve years working as a whitewater river guide. His professional experience also includes stints with clothing company Patagonia, the National Audubon Society, and the Oregon State Legislature.  He has been an active volunteer with Seattle Urban Nature, Headwaters to Ocean (H20), and community radio station KVMR in Nevada City, CA.  Brian received a M.A. in landscape design from the Conway School of Landscape Design, Conway, Massachusetts and a B.A. in sociology from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.

The Dan River Basin Association preserves and promotes the natural and cultural resources of the Dan River Basin through recreation, education and stewardship. DRBA envisions an economically vibrant bi-state community with a regional identity, where people enjoy easy access to healthy rivers, parks, trails and heritage attractions.