"If Somebody Says You Can't Change The World, Get Out There & Prove Them Wrong!" An Interview With Conservationist, Wildlife Photographer, & River/Ocean Advocate Cash Daniels
- ThePersaudCatalog
- Mar 7
- 5 min read
Recently, our head writer was immensely fortunate to sit down with Award-Winning conservationist Cash Daniels to discuss his career, his passion, & all of his efforts in conservation.
Cash Daniels is a conservationist well known for his work cleaning up the Tennessee River, & across his extensive cleanups, engaging hundreds of volunteers, Cash has picked up approximately 46,031 pounds of trash. He has also founded, & currently operates a monofilament bin-based conservation project, across 5 U.S. states. In addition to this, his book, One Small Piece, has garnered attention from organizations such as RiversAreLife.
In today's interview, we sit down with Cash Daniel's for a thorough 16-question-long conversation about his career, passion, & drive to make a difference. Before diving in, please note everything said has been edited for clarity, & that the opinions of our interviewee do not necessarily reflect the opinions & values of our organization. With that being said, let us delve into the contents of the interview.
Contents Of The Interview:
Questions About His Passion:
1. What sparked your interest in the environment, rivers, & marine life?
I've always had a connection to rivers, oceans, & everything in nature. My family would always take me out to the aquarium, & to zoos, which I feel was really important in helping me develop my interest in nature & not just sit behind a television all day.
In addition to this, I would watch Shark Week almost every year, & would watch quite a lot of David Attenborough's & Sylvia Earle's documentaries.
2. Do you have a favorite marine or terrestrial animal?
It would have to be the Whale Shark, it's one of my dreams to see them in the wild someday.
3. You have mentioned in multiple places that you wish to become an underwater photographer, what attracts you to that particular area?
I would say that my general passion for photography & water is what attracts me. I can mix cinematography, photography, & oceans very well.
Also, I have a good friend Jim Abernathy who works for National Geographic who has taught me some fantastic things about underwater photography. Ultimately, I want to make underwater documentaries, & show people about the underwater world, especially those who can't get out there & Scuba Dive. Everyone is on Netflix watching a documentary, or scrolling through Instagram, & they may see a clip of something of mine, or a few photos.
Questions About His Career:
4. What was your first & most recent cleanup, & did you find anything interesting? What inspired you to begin doing cleanups?
I first got interested in doing river cleanups when I was 7 years old! When I found a plastic straw on the beach, after we went home, the straw stayed in my mind. I did research about how plastic can harm not only oceans but rivers too. So, I decided to do river cleanups to combat that issue! Since then, I have been able to remove over 46,031 pounds of trash, & counting.
Sadly, I do not remember my first cleanup, however, at my most recent cleanup, I found something extremely memorable. We found an entire metal cooler, that seemed very old. It took about 25 minutes to haul out due to the size.
5. What was the documentary produced about you by the Primitive Planet film company?
The Primitive Planet film company makes documentaries about different people doing amazing things all around the country to help the environment. They collaborated with me to make the documentary "Rivers Are Life", & came down to film for about two days to make it.
I felt as if I had to constantly talk about it, but it was fun! We went kayaking with some of my friends to get some footage, & one of them fell in the water, & this was in the middle of February. If anyone was going to fall in, it was going to be him. Although this is quite humorous now, it was not funny then.
6. What research did you conduct on your research trip to Costa Rica?
I went down to Costa Rica primarily to research Hawksbill sea turtles, & assist in building a hatchery for them. The research trip lasted about 2 weeks, & during that time I helped tag some Hawksbill sea turtles, count their eggs, & assisted in the building of a new hatchery. Additionally, I went fishing for sharks to tag, however, sadly I did not find any, which was a bummer. It was quite a lot of work, however, it was fun.
7. I'm sure that you have encountered just as many hurdles as you have triumphed, What was the most difficult challenge to overcome across it all?
Being my age, some people use that as an excuse to not respect me or take me seriously. Additionally, my mom has to drive me everywhere, as I cannot drive yet. That is a large weight on her shoulders, however, as I get older, things should get easier.
Additionally, when I was younger, it was very difficult for me to get out there & speak, being as nervous as I was.
8. What is your most memorable moment on any of your cleanups?
Meeting new people & being able to go around the world to make an impact are the most memorable things. I've been able to visit so many beautiful places all around America & the world to help in the cleanup process.
9. What is your advice to new marine biologists, citizen scientists, or conservationists?
Get out there! Try & make a difference, every little bit counts. Even if it is just a Walmart bag on the side of the road, or a floating plastic bottle, every little bit helps. If somebody says you can't change the world, get out there & prove them wrong!
Questions About His Monofilament Fishing Line Bin Project:
10. What inspired you to begin your Monofilament bin cleanup project?
My monofilament bin cleanup project was something that I began a few years ago to collect fishing lines. I was inspired to start it because, during cleanups, I kept finding alarming amounts of fishing line, which can seriously harm the environment. So, I decided to do something about it. I began by putting out these monofilament recycling bins all across the state of Tennessee, & I currently have them in Michigan, Tennessee, Georgia, & Florida. We have bins in 26 state parks, & several public boating ramps. So far, I have been able to prevent over 4,000 miles of fishing line from entering our ecosystems.
11. What exactly do you do as a part of your Monofilament Fishing line cleanup project?
The Monofilament Recycling Bins are essentially tubes made of PVC pipes. Each of them is approximately 2 feet long, with an elbow piece at the top, & a screw at the bottom. Fishermen can discard their used fishing line in these bins, which prevents it from entering the ecosystem. After the fishing line has been collected, it gets shipped off to the Berkeley Fishing Institute in Iowa where it is melted down to create fish habitats. Through this project, something that was originally harming the environment is now helping it.
Questions Regarding His Book:
12. What inspired you to write "One Small Piece", the children's book that you authored? What was your goal in writing it?
I wrote the book when I was about 9 years old, & my goal with it was to teach kids all around the world the importance of conservation & keeping our rivers clean. I wanted to show people that no matter how young you are, you still have a place in saving our world. The book is currently available on Amazon.
13. Do you have any final words concerning wildlife conservation, river & ocean science, or environmental activism?
Remember that it doesn't matter how old or young you are, you can make a difference. Kids may be a small portion of the population, but they are 100% of the future.
Directories / Credits
Strategic Partnerships
Reel Guppy Outdoors
SharkedSkooler
Marine Enthusiasts Podcast
STEMScribe
Cash Daniel's
Our Loyal Patrons
P. R. Ochoa
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