Posted: September 2, 2019
What is a Waterkeeper Organization?
This is part one of a series leading up to the announcement of our new Riverkeeper. Here we explore what it means to be a member organization of Waterkeeper Alliance.
You have been waiting a long time for this… We are now ready to share with you the identity of our new Riverkeeper! To set the stage for this exciting announcement, we want to explain how this unique position allows our organization to play a leading role in the protection and promotion of our amazing watershed. So stay tuned and read on. The big reveal is just around the bend!
Waterkeeper Alliance members in Niagara Falls, 2018. Photo from Waterkeeper Alliance.
Did you know that Ottawa Riverkeeper is part of a global movement of organizations working to safeguard clean water? From the Bahamas to Bangladesh, from Mongolia to Mexico, there are over 300 member organizations of the Waterkeeper Alliance, a global network of grassroots groups protecting everyone’s right to clean water. All are working to ensure swimmable, drinkable and fishable waters in their local waterways, and together, they cover an area twice as large as India!
Being part of this network allows Ottawa Riverkeeper to share experiences and learn from others around the world – from the innovative road salt monitoring program by our friends at Milwaukee Riverkeeper, to on-water education programs by Chattahoochie Riverkeeper, to successful legal challenges against polluters by the Potomac Riverkeeper Network. Each member organization employs a dedicated Waterkeeper – in our case, a Riverkeeper – who takes personal and full-time responsibility for the protection and restoration of local waterways, serves as a voice for its ecosystem and acts as the chief spokesperson for the organization. So who exactly is your Riverkeeper? That answer is coming soon…
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