Jeff Kelble stepped out of his fishing guide raft and into conservation work at the end of 2005 when he started the Shenandoah Riverkeeper Program and become the Shenandoah Riverkeeper.

Before he became Shenandoah Riverkeeper, Jeff worked for 8 years to build a private smallmouth bass guiding business and a bed and breakfast. After years of fish kills devastated the Shenandoah River's fishery, Jeff decided to put down his oars to join the fight for the river and its health.

Jeff focused on investigating fish health problems and quickly became a regional expert and advocate. Jeff now spends much of his time scouring the river and the land for pollution sources and fighting to stop pollution with legal enforcement and community action.
 
Jeff has served as Conservation Chairman, Newsletter Editor, Vice President and President of the Potomac River Smallmouth Club. He holds a Bachelor of Science in a subset of Industrial Engineering called Human Factors Engineering.

Read Chesapeake Bay Journal profile on Jeff and his work.