When Jessica Delorme graduated from North Dakota State University in May, she was looking for a new challenge. She got one - 2,300 miles worth.

Delorme is taking over the Dakota Chapter of the Sierra Club in Bismarck. Organizer Tory Jackson is leaving this month to study law at Harvard.

As part of the conservation organization's mission, Delorme will work on issues specific to the Missouri River. It'll be her job to try to preserve the area along the Garrison Reach.

"We want to keep it as natural as we can," she said of the 83 miles of river running through the state.

A Bismarck native, Delorme said the job is a natural fit to her. She's always been "green," leaning to the left on environmental issues. And her familiarity with the river has shown her firsthand how the Missouri has changed in her own back yard.

"I've seen how the river has changed over the last 10 years, what it was before versus now," she said.

Some of the new developments along the river are houses and marinas, riprap and an increase in boat traffic. These changes have made it difficult for the river to act like a river, Delorme said, as it tries to erode banks and change levels.

Influential to the challenge of educating people about the significance of the river is tying the Missouri to the Lewis and Clark bicentennial. North Dakota's portion of the Missouri is the only part the explorers would recognize, she said, as cities further south have industrialized along the banks.

Delorme heard of a group of kids from Jefferson City, Mo., which is also on the river, who were disgusted at the thought of boating on the Missouri here. Instead, "they couldn't believe the beauty."

"It's important for future generations to see the river as we have," Delorme said. "It's sad that it doesn't look like this anywhere else on the river and we need to hold on to it."

Wayde Schafer is the conservation organizer for the Sierra Club in North Dakota. He is employed by the national organization, whereas Delorme is a state, or specifically Bismarck office, worker. Schafer said Delorme's background in politics, something she's always been interested in, fits perfectly.

"Jessica will educate people on natural areas, and why it's important to leave some areas in their natural state," he said.

Delorme, Schafer and the Sierra Club are trying to gain land trusts and conservation easements to protect land from development. They understand why people want to build on the river, but would prefer homeowners incorporate natural settings into their landscaping rather than artificial riprap.

"Some places should be developed and some shouldn't," Schafer said.

When Delorme returns to work next week, her fourth on the job, she is sure there will be a new element to seize.

"It's very dynamic and what I wanted to do," she said. "Something to make a difference."