Cook Inletkeeper is a private nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the vast Cook Inlet watershed and the life it sustains. Inletkeeper’s programs unite individuals and groups through water quality monitoring, environmental education, and effective advocacy, to give citizens the tools they need to promote clean water in the 47,000 square mile Cook Inlet watershed. Inletkeeper’s 19’ patrol skiff provides the organization with a unique platform to sample water quality, educate groups, and press for responsible stewardship. Since its inception in 1995, Inletkeeper has become the leading advocate for watershed-based protections in the rich but threatened streams, lakes and estuaries of the Cook Inlet watershed.

VISION

Cook Inletkeeper works to guarantee clean water for:

Abundant Fish and Wildlife ● Strong Communities ● Lasting Jobs

 ● Renewable Energy ● Public Property Rights

MISSION

To protect Alaska’s Cook Inlet watershed and the life it sustains

GOALS

Goal 1:  Cook Inletkeeper builds support and positive action for clean water, abundant fish and wildlife, and renewable energy.

Goal 2:  Cook Inletkeeper pursues policies that protect public property rights, wetlands, salmon streams, and estuaries that are necessary to sustain healthy communities and strong local economies.

Goal 3:  Cook Inletkeeper strives to build a sustainable and healthy organization with the capacity to achieve its vision for Alaska’s Cook Inlet watershed. 

VALUES

CLEAN WATER:  Clean water is essential.  Cook Inletkeeper is first and foremost in the business of protecting water quality and quantity, because we all need clean water.  Lasting livable wage jobs, strong local economies, and human health all depend on a clean environment.  Cook Inletkeeper embraces the inherent connections between people, the economy, and the environment.

RESPECT & FAIRNESS:  All people have an equal right to the essential necessities of life including clean water to drink, clean air to breathe, and healthy food for sustenance.  Cook Inletkeeper believes these basic and fundamental human rights are inherent and must be upheld with respect. 

LOCAL CONTROL & RESPONSIBILITY:  Local people have a right and responsibility to guide the course of their community.  Cook Inletkeeper believes that decisions made at all levels should involve the local community and reflect the interests of the local people who are most affected by those decisions.  

KNOWLEDGE & INTEGRITY:  Knowledge and facts are essential for guiding responsible and honest decisions.  Cook Inletkeeper is committed to integrity and bases its actions on timely and accurate information and sound science derived from defensible methods.  Cook Inletkeeper openly shares this science and knowledge with the public, media and policymakers. 

A Brief History of "Keeping"

The "Keeper" concept dates back to the 19th century English tradition where riverkeepers were the wardens of private streams, assuring the waters were healthy, well stocked and free of poachers. In the 1980's, fishermen concerned about pollution in New York's Hudson River started the first Inletkeeper program in the United States. The Hudson Riverkeeper has proved so effective at water quality protection that there are now over 125 Keeper programs across the country, and together they comprise the Waterkeeper Alliance. Each Keeper is an advocate, mediator and waterborne ombudsman who identifies illegal releases of pollution, investigates complaints of water quality violations, and helps concerned citizens fight for clean water. The common goal of all Keeper programs is to prevent the degradation of important watersheds through active stewardship, research, advocacy and education. Bobby Kennedy Jr., is President of the National Alliance, and Cook Inletkeeper Bob Shavelson serves on the Alliance's Board of Directors.

How was Cook Inletkeeper started?

In 1994, a group of fishermen, scientists, Native Alaskans, artists and concerned citizens came together for a water quality workshop in Homer, Alaska. The group shared a common concern for the rapid ecological changes occurring in Cook Inlet, and decided to form a watchdog group modeled after successful "Keeper" programs across the country. In 1995, local conservation groups (Alaska Center for the Environment, Greenpeace & Trustees for Alaska) negotiated a settlement with Cook Inlet oil & gas producers (Unocal, Shell-Western & Marathon) for over 4000 violations of the federal Clean Water Act in Cook Inlet. The EPA found the allegations so serious that it joined the litigation, and rather than face huge potential penalties in court, the oil companies chose to direct 3 years of start-up funding to Cook Inletkeeper in a landmark settlement. Cook Inletkeeper has now moved beyond the initial settlement project, and is actively establishing itself as the preeminent watershed research and advocacy group in Alaska.