St. Johns Riverkeeper

OUR MISSION

To defend the St. Johns River and advocate for its protection.

St. Johns RIVERKEEPER is a privately-funded, independent and trusted voice for the St. Johns River and the public to whom it belongs. We are a 501(c)(3) organization and rely on the support of our members, donors, and volunteers to accomplish our mission.

OUR VISION

A thriving St. Johns River Watershed that sustains healthy ecosystems for future generations.

St. Johns RIVERKEEPER accomplishes its mission by:

• Patrolling the river on a regular basis in our St. Johns RIVERKEEPER boat the Kingfisher captained by our SJRK River Patrol.
• Investigating pollution problems and demanding accountability.
• Ensuring that our environmental laws and regulations are implemented and enforced.
• Advocating for sensible solutions and necessary policy changes to better protect the St. Johns.
• Educating the public about the St. Johns River and the issues impacting its health.
• Developing high-quality educational resources and programs.
• Providing frequent opportunities for students and the general public to experience the river through boat trips and field trips.
• Informing, involving, and engaging our members and the community in the efforts to protect and restore the river’s health.
• Participating in the public policy decision-making process to represent the interests of the river, our members, and the public.
• Working with citizens to effectively resolve problems impacting the river in their neighborhoods and communities.

St. Johns RIVERKEEPER Current Priorities

• Water Policy – The St. Johns RIVERKEEPER Water Policy Group advocates for policies that better protect our water resources and for water conservation and reuse as urgent public priorities.
• Water Withdrawals – We continue to oppose plans to withdrawal millions of gallons of water a day from the flow of the St. Johns River.
• Nutrient Pollution – Since our inception, we have been involved in efforts to establish protective nutrient limits to significantly reduce the amount of nutrient pollution that is poisoning the St. Johns River and triggering seasonal algal blooms and fish kills.
• Sedimentation – We routinely respond to citizen complaints to help reduce construction run-off and sedimentation in our rivers and streams.
• Bacteria in the tributaries – St. Johns Riverkeeper works with regulatory agencies and wastewater treatment companies to reduce fecal coliform bacteria pollution in our rivers and streams.
• Education and Outreach – We develop and provide high-quality educational resources and programs to schools and the public. We have developed a River Friendly Yards program, expanded into our Middle Basin, created river-issue citizen science opportunities, produced 3 award-winning documentaries (The Green Monster, Revenge of the River, and My St. Johns River – Our Responsibility), released a 170-page guidebook for exploring the river (Get Your Feet Wet), developed lesson plans and curriculum for teachers, and offer regular eco-tour boat trips and unique field trip experiences.