Terry Backer - The Founding of A Movement - Waterkeeper Alliance

Waterkeeper Alliance

Based on the successes of John Cronin, Riverkeeper and Terry Backer, Soundkeeper many "Waterkeeper" organizations were forming from the grassroots. The "Keeper" concept of protecting the environment as defined by the work of Cronin and Backer, was spreading quickly. John Cronin, the Hudson Riverkeeper introduced the vision of a national alliance of "Keepers" and after several experiments the Waterkeeper Alliance emerged in 1999. Terry Backer played a leading role in forming the Waterkeeper Alliance in its formative years along with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., currently Chairman of Waterkeeper Alliance, Andrew Wilner, the New York/New Jersey Baykeeper, Joe Payne the Casco Baykeeper, Micheal Herz the former San Francisco Baykeeper and Terry Tamminen the former Santa Monica Baykeeper. John Cronin's vision of a national Waterkeeper Alliance has grown into an international movement.

Terry Backer, remains in the leadership of the Waterkeeper movement. He was elected as the first Vice President of the Waterkeeper Alliance and has been re-elected to that position since the inception of the organization, including the 2007-2009 term. In 2007, the office of president and vice president of the Waterkeeper Alliance were renamed to chairman and vice chairman at the annual meeting of the Alliance. Backer has helped guide and grow the Waterkeeper Alliance to 188 autonomous Waterkeepers on six continents. The Waterkeeper Alliance office is located at 50 South Buckout Street Irvington, New York. The Alliance boast that it is the fastest growing locally based environmental movement in the world.