Orange County Coastkeeper   

Orange County Coastkeeper was founded in 1999 by Garry Brown, an Orange County native who remembers abundant abalone, catching bonito and barracuda from the piers, and digging for clams along the beach in Newport as a young boy.  Realizing that his sons could not enjoy the same coastal waters as he had, Mr. Brown established Orange County Coastkeeper, which became the 27th Waterkeeper to be licensed in the United States.    The concept of "waterkeepers" dates back to 19th century England, where self-appointed fishermen acted as wardens of private streams to ensure that the waters were healthy, abundant, and safe from poachers.  In 1983, fisherman John Cronin founded the Hudson Riverkeeper, and today there are over 200 Waterkeeper organizations worldwide.  Each Waterkeeper is a nonprofit corporation with its own operating budget and Board of Directors.    Coastkeeper works to achieve its mission through numerous education programs that promote environmental stewardship, advocating for coastal issues at all levels of government, restoration of threatened marine habitats, enforcement of the Federal Clean Water Act and other environmental laws by working with regulatory agencies and industrial polluters, and promoting sustainable development that uses advanced water management technology to minimize environmental impact.