Grand Traverse Baykeeper

Grand Traverse Bay’s deep aquamarine hues epitomize the region’s beauty and provide the lifeblood for our local economy. This precious resource demands protection. The Grand Traverse Baykeeper serves as the eyes, ears and voice for the Grand Traverse Bay and its watershed.

The Grand Traverse Baykeeper, a program of the Watershed Center, serves as a resource to citizens, planners and municipalities throughout the region. Our focus is finding sustainable solutions to protect the environmental health of the Grand Traverse region’s most precious water resources.

In January 2002, the Watershed Center became a member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance and inaugurated the Grand Traverse Baykeeper® program.

The Waterkeeper Alliance is an international organization boasting nearly 200 water programs located throughout the world. Each Waterkeeper program reflects the needs of the water body and community that it represents. Each program has a full-time Keeper who serves as the public advocate for that body of water.

Our Baykeeper is John Nelson – an environmental advocate and leader with deep roots in the Grand Traverse area.