PECONIC BAYKEEPER INC
Your On The Water, For the Water Advocate
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Long Island's declining water quality trends: • Nitrogen, a leading contaminant of groundwater, has increased by as much as 200% in our drinking water supplies; • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have doubled in concentration and quadrupled in frequency; • Scientific studies have detected the presence of 117 pesticide-related compounds in our drinking water supplies; • Nassau and Suffolk Counties have more Super Fund sites (254) than any other region in New York State • Our once renowned shellfish populations (clams, oysters, bay scallops) have faced catastrophic losses over the past 30 years • Harmful algal blooms, undetected in our waters prior to 1984, now impact virtually all of our coastal waters; •Elevated levels of bacteria are a major threat to Long Island's swimmable waters
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Outreach & Education Programs
Our education programs interact directly with community members, schools, civic associations, and partner environmental organizations to enrich the knowledge of “citizen scientists” eager to explore the complex and unique coastal ecosystems of Long Island.
Community Oyster Restoration Program
The Community Oyster Restoration Program serves as an educational and volunteer opportunity where program participants assist with the cultivation of 100,000 oysters/year to be used in restoration efforts.
Water Quality Testing
Peconic Baykeeper tests numerous recreational water sites in the Peconic and South Shore Estuaries for the presence of bacterial pollution. This data is published to our website and social media as soon as it is available. Most sites tested are not currently covered by the Suffolk County Department of Health's Bathing Beach testing program.
Pollution Patrol
A hallmark of Waterkeeper Organizations is maintaining an active presence on our waterways to identify pollution and other water quality issues. Peconic Baykeeper actively patrols the Peconic and South Shore Estuaries to identify and report pollution violations as well as other water quality concerns.
Where we work
Awards
EPA Environmental Quality Award 2008
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
External reviews

Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Outreach & Education Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of students educated through field trips
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Outreach & Education Programs
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of shellfish restored
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We stand at an interesting crossroads for water quality on Long Island. While public awareness of the many issues our waters are facing is at an all time high, actual implementation of water quality improvement plans have not nearly kept pace with additional pollution loads. Peconic Baykeeper is dedicated solely to the protection and improvement of our water resources on Long Island. Water is our only mission. We are the specialists, and we need your help to make sure water quality stays on the top of our politician's environmental agendas, and does not become another “cause de jour". By donating to Peconic Baykeeper, you are helping to continue the fight for clean water, today and into the future. Cheers to swimmable, drinkable, and fishable waters!
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
In addition to participation as advocates and stakeholders in the environmental decision making and review process, Peconic Baykeeper conducts core programs to engage and educate our diverse constituent base. Our Blue Water Task Force bacterial monitoring program regularly tests waterways used by the public for pathogenic bacteria, our Community Oyster Restoration Program inspires conservation stewardship through shellfish restoration, and our Oyster Aquaculture Project has created environmentally sustainable jobs in the Peconic Estuary. Educational partnerships with schools and other organizations foster student-led citizen science in our waterways and biological monitoring projects enhance conservation of several estuarine keystone species.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
With backgrounds in Environmental Policy, Marine Science Biology, and Education both in and outside of the classroom, our full-time staff is well-suited to meet the challenges of protecting our waterways. It is a diverse set of challenges that threaten and impair our waterways and it takes an equally diverse skill set to protect them! As a Waterkeeper Organization, we are hands-on, maintaining an active presence on our waterways with our official Baykeeper vessel. This ability allows us to respond to marine pollution events in real-time, enhancing the likelihood that polluters are held accountable for their actions.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Peconic Baykeeper is committed to protecting and restoring the waters of the Peconic Estuary and South Shore Bays. Since our founding in 1998, we have campaigned for the end of mosquito ditching by Suffolk County, an activity that threatens the stability and ecology of our vital marshes. We have become experts and advocates for the implementation of nitrogen-reducing advanced septic systems, installing a unit at our headquarters in addition to leading a community-wide improvement project in Southampton. We have also pushed for local municipalities to adopt a net nitrogen-reduction. New programs devoted to oyster restoration provide hands-on restoration opportunities for the public while mitigating declines in local oyster populations. Our commercial oyster aquaculture program produces sustainable seafood while promoting clean water.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We don’t use any of these practices
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
PECONIC BAYKEEPER INC
Board of directorsas of 03/29/2022
Kim White
William McLanahan
Board Member
Maureen Sherry
Secretary, Board Member
Mark Burford
Board Member
Philip Smyth
Treasurer, Board Member
Nancy Hébert
Board Member
Kim White
Chair, Board Member
Gabrielle Bacon
Board Member
Michaela Keszler
Board Member
Diana Taylor
Board Member
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data