Petitcodiac Riverkeeper is a registered non-profit organization based in Moncton, New Brunswick. The group's mission is to lead in the restoration, protection and promotion of the ecological integrity of the Petitcodiac and Memramcook watersheds and the Shepody Bay estuary, situated in southeastern New Brunswick and the Bay of Fundy.
This mission is accomplished by engaging in public education, promoting the rivers’ cultural heritage, social and economic values, patrolling and monitoring the watershed, undertaking actions to enforce compliance with environmental laws and initiating watercourse rehabilitation projects.
As Canada’s first chapter of Waterkeeper Alliance, an influential international network of over 170 keeper organizations, the group is part of a powerful movement championing clean water, protecting ecosystems and providing a voice for waterways and their communities worldwide. The Waterkeeper Alliance is chaired by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whose reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions. Mr. Kennedy has been to Moncton twice to visit the Petitcodiac watershed and has promised to return the day the Petitcodiac River Causeway gates open.
Since the group's inception in 1999, they have amassed a broad network of supporters. Through public events, programs and legal actions, the group has become the trusted voice of the Petitcodiac River in the community. Removal of the Petitcodiac River Causeway has been the main focus of the group, but its mission encompasses a wide range of other environmental issues.
Petitcodiac Riverkeeper conducts a variety of programs including:
- Classroom and public education workshops;
- Watercourse monitoring and patrolling;
- Bringing polluters to justice by conducting investigations and reporting infractions to provincial and federal laws and regulations;
- Initiating legal enforcement measures to protect and restore fish habitat in waterways obstructed by abandoned or existing barriers and dams;
- Promoting land conservation and safe environmental practices in conjunction with other environmental organizations; and
- Raising public awareness about local environmental issues.