Who We Are

About Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN)

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 including portions of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and New York.

DRN's staff and very active volunteers have a breadth of knowledge about the environment as well as expertise specific to rivers and watersheds. DRN provides effective environmental advocacy, volunteer monitoring programs, stream restoration projects and public education. In addition, DRN goes to court when necessary to ensure enforcement of environmental safety laws.

The Delaware River and its tributaries and watershed are under a constantly growing number of assaults. Individually each does damage, but cumulatively these impacts may be irreparable. Development projects that contribute to sprawl, the aggressive extraction of resources, floodplain, habitat and wetlands destruction, new and increased pollution discharges to the River and tributaries, proposals to fill sections of the River, Bay or tributaries for development projects, over-harvesting of species, blasting, dredging, damming, dumping, catastrophic events and spills and more, all combine to harm our watershed and the communities (both human and non human) that rely upon it.

As a watershed wide advocacy program, 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 and citizens 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.

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 our19 year old water quality monitoring program which helps citizens, communities and watershed organizations gather and utilize water quality and ecosystem health data to protect their local streams.

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About DRN Programs

• Advocacy to protect water quality and habitat;
• Awareness to Action to organize local communities into activists to protect local streams;
• Litigation and other legal action to enforce environmental laws;
• Water Watch by volunteers along the entire length of the River;
• Habitat Restoration to provide communities the expertise, community training and organizing needed to restore damaged streams and waterway ecosystems;
• River Tech to defend the river and the water quality.