What NY/NJ Baykeeper does

NY/NJ Baykeeper (legally Raritan Baykeeper, Inc.) is a private nonprofit founded in 1989 in Hazlet, New Jersey, that serves as the citizen guardian of the 16,300-square-mile NY-NJ Harbor Estuary. The organization runs an integrated portfolio of programs centered on oyster restoration (8M+ oysters planted, 200k-500k new oysters annually), living-shoreline and conservation work (3,000+ acres preserved/restored, 50+ projects), legal campaigns using citizen-suit provisions of the Clean Water Act and RCRA, the Raritan Riverkeeper program, the Pumpout Boat sanitation service, advocacy campaigns, and K-12/community education including the Ocean Pathways mentorship and Hockey Stick Oyster Gardening programs.

Its underlying operating model combines hands-on ecological restoration (oyster castles, aquaculture tanks, living shorelines at Naval Weapons Station Earle), citizen-science water-quality monitoring, environmental litigation, and community-based advocacy. Revenue is generated through a mix of individual donations, annual memberships, ticketed kayak tours ($60 single / $100 tandem), event fundraising, cause-marketing partnerships (Proud Pour, Amazon Smile, Tobi Cares, Calabrese's Barber Shop), and project grants from EPA Region 2, NFWF, NJDEP, Green Acres, The Watershed Institute, and corporate sponsors such as American Water.

The organization serves residents and environmental justice communities of the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary region, federal and state regulators (EPA, NJDEP), municipal partners (Bloomfield Township), the U.S. Navy, academic institutions (Rutgers, Monmouth University), and student populations. Leadership is led by CEO and Baykeeper Greg Remaud, Board Chair John D'Amico, and a small staff of 1-10. The organization operates from offices in Hazlet and Kearny, NJ, and is an affiliate of the global Waterkeeper Alliance.

Name

NY/NJ Baykeeper

Legal name

Raritan Baykeeper, Inc.

Website

https://nynjbaykeeper.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NY/NJ Baykeeper is a 1989-founded nonprofit that serves as the citizen guardian of the 16,300-square-mile NY-NJ Harbor Estuary, delivering oyster restoration, living-shoreline conservation, legal enforcement, and environmental education to residents, government agencies, and community partners in New York and New Jersey.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

Keywords

• Waterway environmental advocacy
• Oyster reef restoration
• Estuary conservation programs
• Coastal habitat protection
• Citizen water quality monitoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Hazlet

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Memberships: NY/NJ Baykeeper relies on public donations and membership programs as primary revenue sources. The organization accepts one-time donations and recurring memberships through its website, with supporters contributing to fund conservation, restoration, and advocacy activities.
2. Cause Marketing Partnerships: Partnership with Proud Pour where 100 oysters are restored for each bottle of Oyster Wine purchased in New Jersey. Additional partnerships with Amazon Smile (0.5% of purchases), Tobi Cares (1% of purchases), and Calabrese's Barber Shop ($1 per Striper Beard Oil bottle) generate indirect revenue.
3. Event Tickets and Tours: Revenue from guided kayak tours and paddle events, including single kayak tours at $60 and tandem kayak tours at $100, as well as Fall Celebration fundraising events.
4. Grant Funding: Funding from government agencies and foundations including EPA Region 2 Citizen Science Equipment Loan Program, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) grants, NJDEP grants, and Green Acres program for conservation and restoration projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NY/NJ Baykeeper is a non-profit citizen advocacy and environmental restoration organization that protects, preserves, and restores the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary through hands-on programs including oyster reef restoration (8+ million oysters planted), living shoreline construction, conservation land acquisition, legal action against polluters, water quality monitoring, public education, and community engagement events such as guided kayak tours. The organization combines scientific restoration, policy advocacy, litigation under the Clean Water Act, and grassroots community organizing to deliver environmental outcomes across the most urban estuary on Earth.

Product overview

NY/NJ Baykeeper operates as a citizen guardian nonprofit organization protecting the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary. The organization offers a portfolio of environmental programs centered around its core mission: advocacy campaigns for water quality and coastal protection, science-driven oyster restoration with over 8 million oysters planted to date, the Raritan Riverkeeper Program for river protection, legal campaigns using Clean Water Act litigation, conservation efforts preserving 3,000+ acres of habitat, education programs for schools and communities, and community engagement through kayak tours and the Hockey Stick Oyster Gardening Program. These programs work together as an integrated approach to estuary protection, combining policy advocacy, habitat restoration, education, and enforcement to address pollution, flooding, and environmental degradation in one of the most urbanized estuaries on Earth.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oyster Restoration Program Science-driven coastal restoration program that builds oyster reefs and uses aquaculture to restore native oyster populations in the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary. The program has planted over 8 million oysters with 200k–500k new oysters added annually.
• Raritan Riverkeeper Program Citizen guardian program that protects the Raritan River through water quality monitoring, stopping polluters, championing public access, and influencing land use decisions in the watershed.
• Pumpout Boat Program Marine sanitation service providing pumpout capabilities for recreational vessels to prevent sewage discharge into NY-NJ Harbor waterways.
• Conservation Program Land acquisition, ecological restoration, and preservation of wildlife habitat in the NY-NJ Harbor Region. Has preserved and restored more than 3,000 acres of critical habitat through 50-plus projects.
• Legal Campaigns Environmental litigation using citizen suit provisions under the Clean Water Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and state statutes to hold polluters accountable and secure habitat restoration funds.
• Education Program School and community outreach programs covering coastal restoration, stormwater management, clean water, and microplastics sampling in partnership with teachers and students across the region.
• Advocacy Campaigns Policy advocacy for water quality, land use, and coastal protection, including stormwater management rules, inland flood protection, plastic pollution reduction, and Public Trust Doctrine campaigns.
• Hockey Stick Oyster Gardening Program Community program diverting broken hockey sticks from landfills to construct oyster habitat units. Partners with Central Regional High School and places 11 habitat units throughout the Hudson-Raritan Estuary.
• Guided Kayak Tours Seasonal guided kayak tours exploring local waterways including Ships Graveyard (Staten Island), Cheesequake Creek, and Raritan Bay areas, with naturalist education components. Single kayak tours priced at $60 and tandem tours at $100 per pair.
• Ocean Pathways High School Research Mentorship Program Partnership with AltaSea and Hugo Neu providing high school students hands-on research experience in marine biology, sustainability, and environmental conservation with experiential learning at Kearny Point.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8+ million oysters planted in NY-NJ Harbor waters
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• AltaSeacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles partnered with Kearny Point and NY/NJ Baykeeper to launch an Ocean Pathways High School Research Mentorship Program, providing students hands-on experience in marine biology, sustainability, and environmental conservation at the Kearny Point location.
• Hugo NeucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHugo Neu joined AltaSea and NY/NJ Baykeeper in the Ocean Pathways High School Research Mentorship Program, contributing to workforce development and blue economy initiatives in the NJ/NY region.
• Naval Weapons Station Earle (U.S. Navy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner10-year partnership hosting Baykeeper's living shoreline restoration project and aquaculture facility at Naval Weapons Station Earle. The Navy provides site access for coastal resilience and oyster restoration work along Raritan Bay.
• BiohabitatscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartner in NFWF-funded project providing ecological engineering expertise for living shoreline design and coastal resilience infrastructure at Naval Weapons Station Earle.
• Rutgers UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner collaborating on coastal restoration research and monitoring for Baykeeper's living shoreline and oyster restoration projects.
• Monmouth UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) now houses Baykeeper's Coastal Restoration Program following transition of the program. Meredith Comi continues to guide the portfolio of projects at UCI.
• OhmsettminorOthersResearch facility partner supporting Baykeeper's coastal restoration work through facility access and research collaboration.
• Proud PoursecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerProud Pour's Oyster Wine program donates 100 oysters to NY-NJ Harbor Estuary restoration for every bottle sold in New Jersey.
• Amazon SmilesecondaryGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon Smile program designates NY/NJ Baykeeper as a charity of choice, with 0.5% of qualifying purchases donated to the organization.
• Tobi CaresminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTobi Cares program donates 1% of purchases to NY/NJ Baykeeper when designated as the customer's charity of choice.
• Calabrese's Barber ShopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal business partnership where $1 from each bottle of Striper Beard Oil sold is donated to NY/NJ Baykeeper.
• Hackensack RiverkeepercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy partner on stormwater management rules, Public Trust Doctrine campaigns, and shared environmental protection initiatives in the NJ/NY region.
• Super Law (Public Interest Law Firm)secondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPublic interest law firm partnership serving notice to stormwater violators and supporting Baykeeper's industrial stormwater enforcement actions.
• Ironbound Community CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-chair of the Passaic River Superfund Citizens Advisory Group alongside NY/NJ Baykeeper, advocating for community interests in Superfund cleanup.
• Bloomfield TownshipsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Lion Gate Municipal Complex project for floodplain wetland restoration and recreational complex development along the Third River.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Heal the Bay: Santa Monica Bay-focused environmental nonprofit combining advocacy, education, and volunteer-driven beach and waterway cleanup. Directly comparable mission and co-plaintiff relationship in plastics litigation, though geographically separate.
• Riverkeeper: The original Hudson River waterkeeper and the founding member of the Waterkeeper Alliance. Directly comparable as a New York waterway advocacy nonprofit using litigation, citizen science, and restoration under the same Waterkeeper Alliance umbrella.
• Bronx River Alliance: NYC-based nonprofit restoring and protecting the Bronx River. Comparable small-scale urban waterway restoration nonprofit operating in the same NY-NJ region with similar hands-on restoration, volunteer, and education programs.
• Surfrider Foundation: National coastal environmental nonprofit focused on beach access, water quality, and plastic pollution. Co-plaintiff with NY/NJ Baykeeper in the ExxonMobil plastics deception litigation, indicating directly comparable legal advocacy and coastal protection mission.
• Hackensack Riverkeeper: New Jersey-based Waterkeeper Alliance affiliate protecting the Hackensack River watershed. Directly comparable to NY/NJ Baykeeper as a fellow NJ citizen guardian organization with shared legal staff (joint attorney Michele Langa) and joint advocacy campaigns.
• Raritan Riverkeeper: Independent waterkeeper organization focused on the Raritan River basin, an integral watershed of the NY-NJ Harbor Estuary. Operates a closely overlapping mission and geography with NY/NJ Baykeeper's Raritan Riverkeeper Program.

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Club: One of the largest US environmental nonprofits with broad advocacy across conservation, climate, and water issues. Co-litigant with NY/NJ Baykeeper in the ExxonMobil plastics case; competes for environmental donor dollars at a vastly larger scale.
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: One of the largest US estuarine restoration nonprofits, focused on the Chesapeake Bay. Comparable mission (oyster restoration, advocacy, education) but operates at a much larger geographic and budget scale than NY/NJ Baykeeper.

Others

• Waterkeeper Alliance: Global umbrella network of more than 300 Waterkeeper organizations worldwide. NY/NJ Baykeeper is a member; serves as the parent/affiliate network rather than a direct competitor, providing brand, training, and shared infrastructure.

Regional players

• Save the Sound: Connecticut-based environmental nonprofit focused on Long Island Sound watershed restoration and protection. Comparable citizen-advocate model targeting an urban-impacted estuary, though geographically separate from the NY-NJ Harbor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/nynjbaykeeper
• Instagraminstagram.com/nynjbaykeeper
• TikToktiktok.com/@nynjbaykeeper
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ny-nj-baykeeper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NY/NJ Baykeeper