Photo reprinted with permission from The Philadelphia Inquirer/Michael Bryant
Maya van Rossum is the Delaware Riverkeeper and leads the Delaware Riverkeeper Network (DRN).  She heads a team of dedicated staff and volunteers who monitor the River and all of its tributaries for threats and challenges, and who then take this information and advocate, educate and litigate for protection, restoration and change.  The Delaware Riverkeeper and Delaware Riverkeeper Network work to restore natural balance in the River and watershed where it has been lost, and to ensure preservation where it still exists.

In 1994, Maya came to work at the DRN.  By 1996, she had been appointed the Delaware Riverkeeper.  She testifies before state and national governing bodies, organizes concerned citizens, and keeps a close watch on the Delaware.  Often, she is out on the water herself, keeping an eye on the River and looking for signs of pollution and illegal activity. 

Maya earned her J.D. from Pace University School of Law, and then earned an LL.M. in Corporate Finance from the Widener University School of Law.  While at Pace she worked with and for the Hudson Riverkeeper and discovered her passion for Riverkeeping.  Upon graduation from law school and her successful admission to the bars for PA, NJ and DC, she was appointed staff attorney and student supervisor for the Widener Environmental Law Clinic, then representing the Delaware Riverkeeper Network in litigation. After completion of this two-year appointment and her LL.M degree, Maya went to work for the DRN and started her journey to be the Delaware Riverkeeper.  A committed environmentalist, Maya relishes her role as an advocate for our River on behalf of thousands of DRN members who are passionate about clean water and a healthy environment.


• Meet the Delaware Riverkeeper

Thoughts from the Delaware Riverkeeper
Marking 400 years in Delaware River History Winter 2009
The River needs more than campaign promises Fall 2008
A victory for horseshoe crabs, shorebirds Spring 2008
A community battle in the artificial turf war Winter 2008
Calling all members . . . Fall 2007
New guidance weakens Clean Water Act Summer 2007
On the Riverfront Spring 2007
Let’s make a deal?!? Winter 2007
Déjà vu all over again Fall 2006
On endurance . . . Summer 2006
Saving red knots, horseshoe crabs Spring 2006
Looking back, planning ahead Winter 2006
A special connection, a special obligation Summer 2005
Make our River heard – VOTE Fall 2004
Defending horseshoe crabs and shorebirds Winter 2004
Turning watershed rhetoric into reality Fall 2003
River Reflections Fall 2002
Fostering a love of nature now… for a better environment tomorrow Spring 2002

Delaware Riverkeeper: Maya K. van Rossum
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