At the helm

A word from Captain Bill

The Bottom Line Is We Need Your Help

As we approach the end of 2005, Hackensack Riverkeeper® has a lot to be thankful for. Not only do we have a hard-working and committed Board of Trustees, and a talented staff that ALWAYS goes the extra mile to get the job done, we have a strong base of financial supporters that ensures we stay on the job. And because of those supporters, we were able in 2005 to:

Stop Wal-Mart from building a gas station next to protected wetlands;
Preserve 587 acres of urban undeveloped wetlands just yards from Giants Stadium in perpetuity;
Keep Honeywell Corporation from wiggling out (so far) of its court-mandated responsibilities to clean up its chromium-contaminated site on the Hackensack River;
Take legal action to stop the New York Susquehanna and Western Railway Corporation (NYS&W) for their illegal operation of five garbage dumps;
Launch a campaign to stop raw, untreated sewage from flowing in to the Hackensack River from 20 locations after heavy rains;
Get police to enforce the law and stop riders of off-road vehicles from destroying sensitive wildlife habitats along the Hackensack River.

We are able to fight for Clean Water, Healthy Habitat, Open Space and Smart Growth because good people believe in our work and support us financially. Yet, I find that many people don’t understand how we operate and I’d like to dispel a few myths about how Hackensack Riverkeeper® is funded:

Many people think we are government-funded. Nothing can be further from the truth. We are an independent, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. While we get some government grants to partially fund specific projects, we are not a government agency. Last year, less than 15% of our overall revenue came from government sources.
Many people think Hackensack Riverkeeper® gets all it needs from foundations. Foundations have been incredibly important to our work and, indeed, in the beginning, provided the bulk of our funding. This year, however, a couple of key grants were not renewed and and we saw our foundation support decrease.
Many people think the donations we collect for our Eco-Programs sustain our organization year-round. While very important to our mission, our Eco-Programs generate only 10% of our annual revenue.

The bottom line is that we still have a way to go to meet our 2005 revenue goals; our 2006 plans are even more ambitious as we plan to add a much-needed Policy Aide to help us fight polluters and monitor compliance with the environmental rules and regulations in the watershed.

If you believe in our work and support what we do, please take a moment now and contribute generously to Hackensack Riverkeeper® when you make your year-end, tax-deductible contributions. We are your advocates for Clean Water, Healthy Habitat, Open Space and Smart Growth and we need your help today. You can use the form on the back page of this newsletter, or you can donate online at http://www.HackensackRiverkeeper.org/donate.html.

If you do, we will have one more thing to be thankful for! Have a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday season!