Spokane Riverkeeper

“Form 990, part vi, section b line 13 a whistleblower policy has been written and has been presented to the board for approval. Form 990, part vi, section b line 14 a record retention policy has been drafted but has not yet been approved by the board. The finance committee is reviewing and will discuss how it will be monitored and enforced going forward.”

“Typically the draft form 990 is distributed to our management staff and board for review prior for soliciting approval to file with the irs. Any contemplation about 990 filings is documented in our board meeting minutes. While not in the bylaws specifically, we typically seek board resolution prior to filing.”

“Board members are asked to review and sign a board agreement at the beginning of eery board term, or annually.”

“One board member is an employee of our affiliate organization who periodically surveys its members about staff salaries. While the data is anonymous, it provides a broad benchmark to how employee salaries should be reviewed and allocated. A vote is then made by the board of directors regarding any and all employee salary changes.”

“The organization complies with applicable public disclosure requirements. However, does not make nonpublic governing documents, conflict of interest policy or financial statements available to the public. Our organization is proud to have earned the 2024 candid platinum seal of transparency, the highest level awarded by candid (formerly guidestar). This recognition reflects our commitment to sharing clear, comprehensive information about our mission, governance, finances, and impact. We believe transparency builds trust and strengthens our connection with the communities we serve.”

“Volunteers are an essential part of the organization. Many hours were provided during the year from generous volunteers of all ages.”

“River connection - arguably our most visible work to the community is the river litter cleanup program. This program engages the public by inviting them to participate in stewardship which in turn, provides an opportunity for deeper understanding and connection to the river. In 2024 we engaged 2,300 volunteers in this program, removing more than 30 tons of trash. Hosting four public cleanup events, we had record participation at the 2024 earth day cleanup. Additionally, private and diy cleanups involving other community organizations as well as with the city of spokane on 24 floats collecting trash in hard to reach areas along the river. Similarly, our river science program engages and educates through community riverscience while monitoring water quality that helps shape policy to promote a healthy river. From december of 2022 - june 2023, 28 citizen scientists went on 119 sampling runs, collecting 458 samples, and uploaded 102 photos to our timelapse. In addition, we trained approximately 50 community scientists during training events. Depending on the location, 16 -78% of our samples exceeded the state standards. These data support a state 303d listing on the spokane river for turbidity. Spokane riverkeeper also placed 12 passive temperature loggers throughout the watershed to actively monitor and collect data for the public to use. Finally, our mercury and crayfish study with the university of idaho had 61 volunteers collect 170 crayfish for testing from the spokane river and hangman creek, over three events.”

“River protection - in 2024 we continued our work to defend the spokane river watershed against pollution through clean water defense and river flow protection. Notable accomplishments in clean water defense include: epa implementation of strong and protective water quality standards for pcb pollutionin washington state due to spokane riverkeeper and partners' strong pressure and best available science, successful ligigation and settlement with primeland chs, inc. For stormwater violations reduce pollution to hangman creek, a panel discussion co-hosted with gonzaga law school on rights of nature to educate the public on this legal framework, and continued work with the department of ecology to ensure implementiation of the hangman settlement. Our river flow protection campaign continues to support regional water planning and supply options to promote healthy,cold river flow in reponse to drought and population growth. Last year we partnered with water wise to advocate for local water conservation and water consumption reduction. We shared water conservation method and river statistics on social media to connect with our community and educate them on the needs of the river, and we continued to monitor the water right requested by airway heights.”