Please join us in welcoming Silas Tanner as Matanzas Riverkeeper’s new Program Director. Along with his impressive professional background, he shares our love for the Matanzas River watershed and Florida’s unique natural areas. Silas will be coordinating the Litter Gitter program and community events and cleanups, and assisting with educational programming, recruiting volunteers, and representing Matanzas Riverkeeper at public events.

Silas Tanner has loved and lived within the local watershed since 2001. Born in Mount Pleasant, SC, across the Cooper River from Charleston, Silas has grown up around the water. While living in central Alabama during his childhood near Lake Jordan, Silas grew to understand the importance of protecting our natural resources from his grandfather, who was director of the Alabama Fish and Game department for 29 years. In 2016, Silas graduated from the University of North Florida (UNF) with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, including a minor in Environmental Science, researching the effect of local shellfish harvesting practices on substrate availability within our local estuary. In 2019, Silas became a certified United States Coast Guard captain (OUPV Near Coastal), then returned to school, graduating with a Master’s degree in Biology from UNF in 2022, researching novel in-situ chlorophyll fluorescence sensor technologies to better characterize the trophic health of our estuary. Silas is very passionate about protecting and representing our natural resources, with an extensive background in estuarine ecology and the importance of water quality within our local ecosystems. During his leisure time, he can be found on the water fishing or enjoying paddle-sports, and in the woods pursuing wild game or gathering native edible plants. “As a scientist, we must exercise due diligence to measure and understand the environmental variabilities around us in order to truly appreciate the beauty of our natural world.”