The Orange County Coastkeeper, founded in 1999, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of the marine habitats and watersheds of Orange County through programs of education, restoration, enforcement and advocacy. We work with businesses, developers, cities, elected officials and regulatory agencies to develop solutions to the problems of polluted urban runoff.

Orange County Coastkeeper's long-term goal is to protect and preserve all of Orange County 's water bodies and restore them to healthy, fully functioning systems that will protect recreational uses and aquatic life. In pursuit of this goal, Coastkeeper balances outreach, education, advocacy and enforcement to increase awareness of environmental issues and reduce pollution of Orange County 's watersheds and coastal waters. Orange County Coastkeeper runs a variety of interrelated programs and projects in serving our mission.

Enforcement of clean water laws is a significant part of our mission. We look for and stop polluters one at a time, using litigation if necessary; however, we believe that solutions that are good for the environment are also good for business. At Coastkeeper, we try to collaborate with a variety of stakeholders in seeking solutions that are good for Orange County and protect coastal resources. We strive to build a community approach to watershed management, with the intent of avoiding future conflicts, and agreeing on solutions that meet broad societal goals. Ultimately, we hope to increase the likelihood of sustaining long-term environmental improvements.

At Coastkeeper, we continuously monitor the quality of Orange County 's waterways, conduct investigations and analysis of water systems and employ state of the art technologies in mitigating environmental impacts. We are involved in the restoration of depleted giant kelp forests that provides the habitat for hundreds of species of sea life. As part of our educational work, we provide watershed ecology and habitat restoration curriculums at various schools throughout the county. And Coastkeeper puts advocacy into action to protect Orange County 's wetlands, rivers, bays, beaches and watersheds by employing the full force of environmental laws and setting important legal and policy precedents. We work with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Regional Water Quality Control Boards, the California Coastal Commission, and other agencies to enforce the Clean Water Act.

Website: http://www.coastkeeper.org/
Tags: Education, Environment