Who We Are
Established in 1988 upon the appointment of the Delaware Riverkeeper, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) membership organization. DRN’s professional staff and volunteers work throughout the entire Delaware River Watershed. We also work throughout the four states that comprise the Watershed — including Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York — and at the federal level on the issues, actions, regulations, legislation, policies, programs and decisions that impact the health of our Delaware River Watershed waterways and our ability to protect and restore them for the benefit of all.
What We Do
Watershed Advocacy
As a membership based, watershed wide environmental advocacy organization, Delaware Riverkeeper Network takes a strong stance on regional and local issues that threaten water quality and the ecosystems of the Delaware River and its watershed. In fact, Delaware Riverkeeper Network is the only advocacy organization working throughout the entire Delaware River Watershed. Delaware Riverkeeper Network works from the “bottom up,” empowering communities to act and advocate for change. At the same time Delaware Riverkeeper Network must work from the top down, engaging regulatory and policy makers in order to secure decisions and programs that protect and restore our river and watershed. Delaware Riverkeeper Network is known for taking positions on controversial issues that otherwise would be ineffectively addressed, if at all. These positions are always backed up with solid information, documentation, and reason, informed by science, law, policy analysis, community need and genuine passion and commitment to the right outcome.
Benefits of Our Involvement
Our involvement on an issue often translates into a successful result be it through our advocacy that is dedicated to informing and securing the right and better decisions; our restoration program which identifies and restores damaged stream ecosystems and riparian areas using bioengineering techniques and strong, hands-on involvement from the community; our River Resources Law Clinic which uses environmental protection laws to enforce legal protections of our waterways and at the same time educates law students interested in environmental and public interest law; or via our 19 year old water quality monitoring program which helps communities and watershed organizations gather and utilize water quality and ecosystem health data to protect their local streams.
OUR WORK
