John Garver is a PhD geologist and professor of Geology at Union College in Schenectady, NY. The Mohawk River is the primary focal point both in his research and his advocacy work. His research in the Mohawk watershed is directed at understanding hydrology, sediment budgets, and climate change in the watershed.

For over 10 years John has organized the Mohawk Watershed Symposium, which brings together experts from various disciplines to present on relevant topics. The forum, with his orchestration, has been a powerful tool for highlighting and building support for new policy initiatives, including establishing the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation’s Mohawk Basin Program, and various iterations of Congressman Paul Tonko's NY-NJ Watershed funding bill. John also publishes ‘Notes from a Watershed’, an active blog on Mohawk-area issues.

He has been a member of the Governor's Reimagine the Canals task force focused on “examining how the Erie Canal system could be reimagined for the 21st century,” a platform he has used to advocate for such shared Riverkeeper priorities as an invasive species barrier to prevent future introductions of harmful species. He is a leading researcher and voice on issues related to ice-jamming on the Mohawk, and related “managed retreat” initiatives in Schenectady’s historic Stockade district, to adapt to current and future flooding risks. He has also been a strong advocate for water quality in the Mohawk, including through recent investigations of sewage leaks in a tributary of the Mohawk River that runs through the Union College campus, and highlighting concerns that a recent outbreak of giardiasis on campus may be related to failing waste/drinking water infrastructure.