History

In 1994, a group of Alaskans – concerned about rapid ecological changes unfolding in Cook Inlet - came together and formed Cook Inletkeeper, modeled after successful "Waterkeeper" 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 4,200 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.

The "Waterkeeper" 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 Waterkeeper program in the United States. Today, there are hundreds Waterkeeper programs across the country, and together they comprise the Waterkeeper Alliance. Each Waterkeeper has a vessel to actively patrol their respective watersheds, and their common goal is to protect water quality through active stewardship, research, advocacy and education.

Since its inception, Inletkeeper has become a leader at the state and national levels in the fight for clean water and healthy fisheries. Some of Cook Inletkeeper’s major accomplishments include:

• • 1994: A group of concerned Alaskans come together for a workshop on environmental law, science and policy, and set the wheels in motion to pursue a Waterkeeper program for Cook Inlet.

• • 1995: Cook Inletkeeper formally incorporated with settlement proceeds from a landmark Clean Water Act lawsuit against Cook Inlet oil and gas producers.

• • 1996: Organized more than 500 people to meet with Alaska’s Governor, which led to the reduction of a proposed 2 million acre offshore oil and gas lease sale to actual leasing of just 2,000 acres.

• • 1997: Established Alaska’s first agency-approved citizen-based water quality monitoring program, and trained over 500 citizens to collect scientifically defensible data to guide better resource management decisions.

• • 1998: Teamed with Tribal plaintiffs to force the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct the first-ever studies on oil industry pollutants in traditional Native subsistence foods in Cook Inlet.

• • 1999: Prevailed in landmark litigation that deleted over 660,000 acres of sensitive beluga whale habitat from the State’s annual 4.2 million acre areawide oil and gas lease sale.

• • 2000: Organized grassroots effort to restrict jetskis in the Kachemak Bay Critical Habitat Area – an important Native subsistence area and now the world’s largest jetski-free zone.

• • 2001: Released first-ever technical critique of Cook Inlet pipelines, leading to new rules and oversight policies that have reduced spills and leaks over 90%.

• • 2002: Litigated to set crucial precedent prohibiting the operator of the newest offshore oil platform in Cook Inlet from discharging toxic oil wastes into important fisheries and Native subsistence resources.

• • 2003: Launched first monitoring effort in Alaska to study effects of climate change on wild salmon streams.

• • 2004: Worked with Native Tribes, fishing groups and others to oppose a 2.5 million acre offshore oil and gas lease sale, leading to no industry bids and a cancelled lease sale.

• • 2005: Co-led fight to drive coalbed methane development from Southcentral Alaska; in 2004, the State of Alaska rescinded its short-sighted CBM program, and in 2005, companies relinquished over 300,000 acres of leases in the state’s most populated areas.

• • 2006: Secured “Most Endangered Rivers” status for Chuitna River, threatened by massive coal strip mine development, and elevated coal as primary issue in Alaska conservation community.

• • 2007: Secured endangered species listing process for beleaguered Cook Inlet beluga whale (with critical habitat near the proposed Chuitna coal mine), and played central role obtaining permanent tug vessel – for the first time ever - to assist oil tankers in rough Inlet waters.

• • 2008: Formalized creation of the Alaska Coal Working Group, and helped stymie development of a massive coal gasification project slated for a defunct fertilizer facility.

• • 2009: Worked with local municipalities and harbormasters to kick-off Alaska's first Clean Harbors Certification Project, designed to save money while reducing boat-based pollution.

• • 2010: Cook Inletkeeper celebrates 15 successful years protecting the Cook Inlet watershed and the life it sustains!

• • 2011: Cook Inletkeeper embarks on aggressive technology updates to better fulfill its mission, including a new web site, new cloud-based database and new computer infrastructure.

• • 2012: Cook Inletkeeper begins 5-year targeted outreach to reduce boat-based pollution in Big Lake and the Little Susitna River by distributing informational clean boating kits, and helping to implement best management practices around boat launches to prevent spills and save money.  

• • 2013: Since 2006, kept more than 200,000 pounds of waste from local landfills through our annual electronics recycling program which has expanded from Homer to Port Graham, Nanwalek, Seldovia, Ninilchik, Soldotna, Kenai and Cooper Landing.

• • 2014: Played a central role in mobilizing broad public opposition to Governor Parnell's permitting reform bill, House Bill 77, resulting in the death of the bill.

• • 2015: Launched the Alaska Food Hub, an online marketplace for 100% locally grown, harvested and made products, to create greater community and low-carbon resilience through a strong local food economy.

• • 2016: Led the Alaska Coal Working Group to stop the Chuitna coal mine and a half dozen other coal projects to keep over a billion tons of CO2 out of the Earth's atmosphere.

• • 2017: Published the first regional study of stream temperatures in non-glacial salmon streams across Cook Inlet assessing impacts from land-use and climate change.

• • 2018: Using data-driven organizing tactics and with a statewide coalition, Inletkeeper helped built the Stand for Salmon movement to expose the myth of rigorous permitting in Alaska.

• • 2019: Supporting youth voices and leading community action through our Drawdown Climate Action Series to find inclusive, scalable, meaningful and Alaskan solutions to our climate crisis.

• • 2020: Premiered Pebble Redux: The Bears of Amakdadori at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival highlighting the devastating threats the proposed Pebble Mine poses to the tourist economy and bear and salmon habitat on the west side of Cook Inlet and Bristol Bay.

Our Logo - Sedna

Cook Inletkeeper has embraced “Sedna” – a mythological goddess of the sea – as its logo. Maritime cultures throughout the world have mythologies built around a sea goddess whose role it is to protect the ocean’s creatures and assure proper action for successful hunting and gathering resources from the sea. The Inuit peoples of the Arctic describe Sedna as the Mother of Sea Beasts, one of the primal forces of nature. During a dispute she was thrown out of a kayak and while trying to get back in, her fingers were severed. Her fingers then grew into fish, seals, whales, and all of the other sea creatures. She lives eternally on the ocean’s bottom and her tragic story explains the creation of all sea life. As a life-death symbol, she is feared and demanding. Proper action and due respect are required by us humans if we are to live harmoniously with nature and reap the ocean’s bounty. We have chosen the Sedna symbol to convey our program of caring, vigilance and responsibility.