PLATINUM2022

PECONIC BAYKEEPER INC

Your On The Water, For the Water Advocate

aka Peconic-Great South Baykeeper   |   Hampton Bays, NY   |  www.peconicbaykeeper.org

Mission

Peconic Baykeeper is a 501 (C)(3) Not-For-Profit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring Long Island's swimmable, drinkable and fishable waters. Established in 1998 as Long Island's clean water advocate, Peconic Baykeeper uses science, education and law to defend critical watersheds from the Peconic Estuary through the South Shore Bays. Peconic Baykeeper is a proud member of the international Waterkeeper movement, working actively with civic groups, baymen, businesses, children, and the community at large to protect and restore water quality and the island's watersheds.

Notes from the nonprofit

Please help us continue the fight for your right to clean water on Long Island!

Ruling year info

2001

Executive Director

Peter E. Topping

Main address

PO Box 939 167 Red Creek Rd.

Hampton Bays, NY 11946 USA

Show more contact info

Formerly known as

Peconic Baykeeper

EIN

11-3617329

NTEE code info

Natural Resource Conservation and Protection (C30)

Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (O01)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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.

Population(s) Served

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.

Population(s) Served

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.

Population(s) Served

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.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Children and youth
Adults
Children and youth
Adults
Children and youth
Adults
Children and youth

Where we work

Awards

EPA Environmental Quality Award 2008

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

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!

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.

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.

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • 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

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We don’t use any of these practices

  • 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

PECONIC BAYKEEPER INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Build 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 directors
as of 03/29/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

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

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 3/29/2022

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Male, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data