What Spokane Riverkeeper does

Spokane Riverkeeper is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit environmental organization (EIN 84-5175870), founded in 2011 and operating as a project of the Center for Justice in Spokane, Washington. The organization is an affiliated member of the Waterkeeper Alliance and serves as the only entity specifically dedicated to protecting and restoring the Spokane River watershed, which includes the 370-square-mile Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie (SVRP) Aquifer serving more than 600,000 people in Spokane and Kootenai counties. Its core activities combine citizen-science water quality monitoring, legal/regulatory advocacy under Washington State water pollution statutes (RCW 90.48), community-led river cleanup events, habitat restoration for native Redband Trout, and educational programs.

The organization's service portfolio is organized into five core programs — Clean Water Defense (legal and regulatory advocacy), River Clean Up (community debris removal), River Science (water quality and temperature monitoring), Water Conservation (efficiency advocacy), and Native Fish Protection — supported by a citizen Pollution Reporting System, a Community Science volunteer program, and River Access & Recreation resources. Its technical footprint is modest: Hobo Tidbit temperature data loggers deployed continuously since 2015 across the Spokane River and Hangman Creek (sampling every 30 minutes), and periodic testing for dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, pH, and turbidity at multiple watershed sites. The organization also engages in regulatory advocacy with the Washington Department of Ecology and participates in the multi-stakeholder Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force (SRRTTF), which addresses PCB contamination in the river.

As a community-led nonprofit, Spokane Riverkeeper does not sell products or services. Revenue is generated through individual donations, corporate sponsorships via the River Partners program (local SMBs such as Numerica Credit Union, Silver Bow Fly Shop, FLOW Adventures, Kizuri, Ammonite Ink, and River City Brewing), and grant funding (e.g., the Redband Rally partnership with Spokane Indians Baseball Club). Volunteer engagement is the primary operational driver, with nearly 10,000 volunteers participating over a decade and cumulative debris removal of 225,000 pounds from local waterways, including 11,520 pounds removed during the 2025 Earth Day River Cleanup with 400+ volunteers. The organization is led by Spokane Riverkeeper Jerry White Jr. and staff scientist Jule Schultz, with operations based at 35 W Main Ave., Ste 308, Spokane.

Name

Spokane Riverkeeper

Legal name

Spokane Riverkeeper

Website

https://spokaneriverkeeper.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spokane Riverkeeper is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and Waterkeeper Alliance affiliate that protects and restores the Spokane River watershed in Washington State through citizen-science water quality monitoring, regulatory advocacy under RCW 90.48, community cleanup events, and educational programs serving Spokane-area residents and local businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

akta.pro primary industry

Water Resources & Watershed Protection (BPAGAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water Resources Administration (Watersheds, Rivers, Groundwater) (BPAIAMAE), Wetland, Riparian & Buffer Services (within forest landscapes) (AFAMAMAI)

Keywords

• Watershed protection services
• River conservation programs
• Water quality monitoring
• Environmental advocacy nonprofit
• River cleanup services

Headquarters

HQ city

Spokane

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Support: Individual and corporate donations from supporters, including direct donations through the website and the River Partners business program.
2. Grant Funding: Grant funding from partnerships such as the Redband Rally which provides key grant funding to support cleanup efforts throughout the Spokane River watershed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Spokane Riverkeeper is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization that protects and restores the Spokane River watershed through five core programs: Clean Water Defense (legal and regulatory advocacy under RCW 90.48), River Clean Up (community-driven debris removal), River Science (water quality and temperature monitoring), Water Conservation (educational and policy initiatives for river flows), and Native Fish Protection (Redband Trout habitat and anti-poaching efforts). It also operates a River Partners business program and the Spoken River podcast.

Product overview

Spokane Riverkeeper operates as a single, unified program (a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and Waterkeeper Alliance affiliate) that combines advocacy, community engagement, and scientific monitoring to protect the Spokane River. The organization's services include Clean Water Defense (legal/regulatory advocacy), River Clean Up (debris removal), River Science (water quality monitoring), Water Conservation (efficiency initiatives), and Native Fish Protection (redband trout conservation). Supporting features include a Pollution Reporting System for citizen complaints, Community Science Program for volunteer-based monitoring, and River Access & Recreation guidance. These programs work together to fulfill the mission of keeping the Spokane River fishable and swimmable through enforcement, education, and grassroots action.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• River Partners Program: A business partnership program that engages local businesses in supporting Spokane River protection efforts through financial contributions, policy support, river-healthy practices, and volunteer participation.
• River Journal

Products and services

• Clean Water Defense Legal and regulatory advocacy program that enforces water quality regulations and challenges pollution violations affecting the Spokane River, including filing complaints and comments under RCW 90.48 and NPDES permit processes. Targets polluters, PCB sources, and combined sewage overflow issues through citizen enforcement and regulatory engagement.
• River Clean Up Community cleanup events and ongoing debris removal from river banks and waterways to maintain a trash-free Spokane River. Engages volunteers directly in on-water and shoreline cleanup activities; the 2025 Earth Day River Cleanup removed 11,520 pounds of trash with 400+ volunteers.
• River Science Water quality monitoring program including continuous temperature logging with Hobo Tidbits data loggers sampling every 30 minutes, macroinvertebrate studies, and multi-parameter water quality testing for dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, pH, and turbidity across the Spokane River and Hangman Creek watersheds.
• Water Conservation Educational initiatives and policy advocacy promoting water conservation practices to sustain river flows and protect aquatic ecosystems, including petition campaigns to Spokane City Council, Spokane County Commissioners, Spokane Valley and Liberty Lake leadership.
• Native Fish Protection Programs focused on protecting native Redband Trout including anti-poaching reporting and enforcement coordination with WDFW, habitat restoration, and fishing regulation compliance in partnership with Trout Unlimited and Silver Bow Fly Shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• Removed 225,000 pounds of trash from waterways over 10 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of SpokanecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal partnership dedicated to keeping the river trash-free through financial backing for cleanup efforts within city limits. The agreement ensures ongoing work removing debris from banks and river bottom for years to come, resulting in a safer, more beautiful river for the community.
• Redband Rally / Spokane Indians Baseball ClubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing key grant funding to support cleanup efforts throughout the Spokane River watershed. The collaboration combines baseball community engagement with river conservation and features Ribby the Redband Trout mascot at cleanup events.
• Spokane City CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipient of public petitions for water conservation presented during council meetings. Council passed resolution 2016-0056 calling for halt to oil train traffic through the city.
• Spokane County CommissionersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipients of petitions regarding water conservation presented during commissioners meetings alongside community members advocating for clean water.
• Spokane Valley & Liberty LakeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity leadership receiving petitions for water conservation efforts in early October.
• Numerica Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRiver Partner business program member pledging to adopt water-friendly business practices and provide financial support.
• Silver Bow Fly ShopminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRiver Partner and installer of fishing rules and regulations signage on the Spokane River. Owner Sean Visintainer provides expertise on catch-and-release practices.
• FLOW AdventuresminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRiver Partner providing tubing rentals and shuttle services. Donated 20 tube rentals for River Rendezvous event.
• KizuriminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRiver Partner business program member supporting Spokane Riverkeeper through river-healthy business practices.
• Ammonite InkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRiver Partner business program member supporting Spokane Riverkeeper through adoption of water-friendly practices.
• River City BrewingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRiver Partner business program member supporting Spokane Riverkeeper through river-healthy business practices.
• Spokane Falls Chapter Trout UnlimitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that helped install fishing rules signage on the Spokane River.
• Spokane Audubon SocietyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting Walk & Talk cleanup events with guided bird walks led by Audubon naturalist Shenandoah Marr.
• Washington Department of EcologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory agency responsible for enforcing water pollution laws (RCW 90.48). Spokane Riverkeeper files complaints and comments on NPDES permits for polluters.
• Spokane River Regional Toxics Task Force (SRRTTF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder task force created in 2011 to identify sources of PCBs and reduce toxins in the Spokane River. Spokane Riverkeeper participates in developing cleanup plans.
• Coeur d'Alene TribeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestoring Hangman Creek using beaver dams, aspen restoration, and no-till farming techniques to restore groundwater levels and create trout habitat.
• Spokane River ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInformation clearinghouse for river issues, distributing technical documents and maintaining the Spokane Water Trail online resource for recreationalists.
• Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAgency responsible for enforcing fishing rules. Spokane Riverkeeper works with WDFW to report poaching and promote legal fishing practices.
• Big River CanoesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuiding service providing group paddling, gear and guidance for Paint & Paddle overnight canoe experiences on the Spokane River.
• Inland Northwest Land ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks with landowners to protect lands feeding the aquifer through conservation easements and promotes shoreline habitat protection.
• The Lands CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFacilitates community-based projects and educational opportunities. Planted over 2,000 trees along Spokane waterfront in three years and manages riparian restoration efforts.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Inland Northwest Land Conservancy: Regional land trust working on conservation easements and habitat protection in the Spokane-area watersheds — operates adjacent to Spokane Riverkeeper on aquifer-feeding lands and shares the same donor pool.
• Idaho Conservation League: Idaho's largest state-based conservation advocacy organization addressing water quality, rivers, and wildlife — comparable in advocacy and citizen-engagement orientation though broader in scope.
• Friends of the San Juans: Pacific Northwest environmental nonprofit focused on the Salish Sea using science-based advocacy and community engagement — comparable operating model applied to a different regional watershed.

Direct peers

• The Lands Council: Spokane-based nonprofit focused on riparian restoration, urban forestry, and watershed protection that is already an active partner — directly comparable mission and overlapping geography.
• Puget Soundkeeper Alliance: Waterkeeper Alliance affiliate focused on Puget Sound and surrounding watersheds with parallel community science, pollution reporting, and RCW-based enforcement — directly comparable mission and operating model in the same state.
• Willamette Riverkeeper: Oregon-based Waterkeeper Alliance affiliate protecting the Willamette River through legal advocacy, citizen science, and volunteer cleanups — a near-twin operating model and primary Pacific Northwest peer.
• Idaho Rivers United: Regional river advocacy nonprofit focused on protecting and restoring rivers across Idaho, with overlapping regional mission around river flows, native fish, and water quality in the Inland Northwest.
• Snake River Waterkeeper: Waterkeeper Alliance affiliate covering the Snake River basin with the same watershed-based advocacy, monitoring, and volunteer engagement playbook.
• Columbia Riverkeeper: Sister Waterkeeper Alliance affiliate covering the Columbia River basin with the same clean water advocacy, citizen-science, and legal enforcement model under RCW-equivalent state laws — the most directly comparable peer in scale and approach.

Broad incumbents

• Sierra Club (Inland Empire Chapter): Broader national environmental organization with local chapter overlap on water quality, river protection, and volunteer-driven advocacy — represents the broader-incumbent tier with overlapping donor base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spokaneriverkeeper

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Spokane Riverkeeper