"Friends say he has the vigor of a younger man, but Ed Merrifield knows the truth. He is tiring at age 65, and ready to give up his demanding third career as the Potomac riverkeeper."

"As his boat sped past the Francis Scott Key Bridge recently on one of his final runs on the Potomac, wind blowing his snow-white beard, Merrifield said, “It’s time. It feels right.' He cut the engine and, in the middle of the river, boat gently rocking, reflected on why he and other riverkeepers are such fierce protectors of waters.

'They tell us in school that we’re mostly water,' said Merrifield, whose retirement is effective on New Year’s Eve. 'Well, if you live in the Washington area, and you drink from it, you are mostly Potomac River.'"

Darryl Fears reports for the Washington Post December 30, 2012. [2]