For over 30 years, Dwayne has been a leader in river and fisheries conservation in the northeastern U.S. His work began with the removal of the Pleasant River dam and the renovation of the facility as a hatchery and fisheries research center, which in turn became the first non-governmental hatchery in the U.S. to be permitted to raise endangered Atlantic salmon for stocking the rivers of Maine. In 2000, Dwayne led the removal of the East Machias River dam and received the National Coastal American Partnership Award from President George W. Bush. His work in dam removal, watershed conservation center development, land conservation and river protection advocacy has had a lasting and significant impact in an underserved region dependent upon healthy rivers.