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NY/NJ Baykeeper fights for access to fishable, swimmable, clean waterways across the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary.
NY/NJ Baykeeper continues to be at the forefront of many environmental advocacy and legal campaigns.
The NY-NJ Harbor Estuary, also known as the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, is a system of waterways and habitats that form one of the most intricate natural harbors in the world. Since 1989, NY/NJ Baykeeper has worked to protect, preserve and restore the environment of the most urban estuary on Earth.
NY/NJ Baykeeper holds exciting events all year round! Please check our Events calendar regularly to stay in the loop. Hope to see you there!
The fight for clean water needs you! Your support today will protect, preserve, and restore the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary! Members enjoy cool merch and discounts to Baykeeper events!
There are so many ways to donate! Your donation today helps ensure a clean, swimmable, fishable watershed for our families and future generations.
Love oysters? Boats? Beach cleanups? Kayaking? Check out our many exciting volunteer opportunities! There's something for everyone!
NY/NJ Baykeeper was founded in 1989 by Andrew Willner, who had previously started a small boat building and repair yard on Staten Island. Willner’s daughter, who was 10 years old, visited the yard and it made Willner angry that she could not go swimming in the waters off Staten Island due to pollution. Willner saw firsthand the devastating effect the Exxon Bayway Oil Spill had on the Arthur Kill.
After Willner found out that there was a Riverkeeper on the Hudson River, a Soundkeeper in Long Island, and Baykeepers in Delaware and San Francisco. he began communicating with them and they helped him launch the Baykeeper program in the summer of 1989. Willner worked with NY/NJ Baykeeper for twenty years, until April 2008.
Today, we serve as the citizen advocate for the harbors, bays, streams, and shores of the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary by preserving and restoring habitat, influencing land use decisions, stopping polluters, championing public access, and educating the public.