Each Riverkeeper or Waterkeeper organization appoints an individual to act as its main spokesperson, to work full time to defend the interests of the river system and to ensure compliance with our nation’s environmental laws. That person is called a “Riverkeeper.” Since 1999, our community has been fortunate to count on a number of outstanding individuals to serve as their “Riverkeeper”, to protect and fight for the ecological integrity of this watershed for present and future generations.
Current Riverkeeper
Past Riverkeepers
Krysta Cowling (2019-2023)
Krysta is a community builder. She loves bringing people together, listening, and finding ways to help address community needs. Krysta has worked in the non-profit sector for over 10 years and is motivated by projects that contain a social and environmental impact. As past Executive Director of La Bikery Co-operative Krysta has won several awards for her community work including a YWCA Women of Distinction Award and a Parks Canada NB Award for Sustainable Tourism.
Daniel LeBlanc (1999 to 2006)
Daniel was the founding Riverkeeper and Executive Director of the organization. He was born and grew up in St-Anselme (Dieppe), a community with strong ties to the Petitcodiac. In 1999, Daniel became Canada’s first citizen to hold a Riverkeeper title. During the years that followed, he led an epic battle to restore and clean up the Petitcodiac River, to bring an end to one of Canada’s longest-standing environmental battles. His experience is in the area of project development, management and communications, in Canada and abroad, covering the sectors of the environment, renewable energy, tourism & heritage and humanitarian assistance.
Tim Van Hinte ( 2008 to 2010 )
Tim has an extensive background in environmental management gained from experiences in New Brunswick, Ontario, and British Columbia. He is a graduate from both the University of Waterloo in Ontario and Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. A long-time advocate for environmental sustainability, Tim has a passion for the outdoors and believes that clean water and a healthy watershed are critical to strong communities. A native of Montreal, Tim is very proud to have played an active role in restoring and cleaning up our watershed for future generations.
Marco Morency (2010 to 2011)
Marco Morency is known in the region for his commitment to social and environmental causes. He first became involved in the Petitcodiac River issue in the late 90s with the environmental group Écoversité. He continued to be committed to the river and thus became Director of the Petitcodiac Riverkeeper in 2010. He has been very active on the local, provincial and national scene for over 15 years, and he is a founding member of the Sierra Youth Coalition as well as Sierra Club Canada’s youth branch. His participation in numerous environmental projects has earned him peer recognition. He was awarded the New Brunswick Environmental Network’s Zephyr Award in 1999 for his work towards making our air cleaner.