About Us
Hands-on estuary stewardship on Florida's Nature Coast
Our Mission
Our mission is to protect, restore, and steward the Lower Withlacoochee River and surrounding estuarine systems through hands-on environmental action, habitat restoration, water quality awareness, and inclusive community participation. We are committed to building a practical, measurable stewardship model that improves ecological health, reduces marine debris, supports shoreline resilience, protects wildlife habitat, and creates meaningful access to nature for the public, including veterans and people with disabilities.
Board Members
Kenneth Raulerson
CEO
Carl Zervis
PRESIDENT
Laurence Neace
SECRETARY
Carla Chaffin
Treasurer
Justin Raulerson
Operations Director
What We Stand For
Estuary protection through measurable, hands-on action
Every program produces trackable results — tons of debris removed, water quality data collected, habitat acres restored. We don't just advocate; we act, measure, and report.
Practical stewardship that produces real environmental results
Our model is built on fieldwork, not symbolism. We design programs that directly improve ecological conditions in the Lower Withlacoochee estuary system.
Inclusive participation for veterans, people with disabilities, and all communities
Environmental stewardship is for everyone. We create adaptive programs, accessible staging areas, and welcoming events so that people of all abilities can contribute.
Long-Term Conservation to Estuary
By integrating controlled sites like Tide Over Island alongside public venues like Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve, we ensure operational continuity and long-term environmental protection.
Geographic Focus
Our work is concentrated in the Lower Withlacoochee River and its surrounding estuarine systems on Florida's Nature Coast, primarily within Levy County. This region represents one of the least developed and most ecologically significant coastal zones in Florida — home to expansive salt marshes, seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, tidal creeks, and a rich diversity of fish, birds, and marine life.
We operate through a two-hub model that maximizes both public engagement and operational capacity:
Withlacoochee Gulf Preserve
Our public-facing program and education hub. Features accessible boardwalks, an observation tower, and direct estuary access — ideal for volunteer events, educational programs, and inclusive community stewardship.
Tide Over Island
Our controlled logistics, staging, and restoration base. Strategically positioned to support debris removal operations, habitat restoration fieldwork, and long-term conservation research.
Why It Matters
Florida's coastal estuaries are under increasing pressure from marine debris, water quality degradation, habitat loss, and shoreline erosion. The Lower Withlacoochee River system — while still relatively intact — faces these same threats, particularly as development expands along the Nature Coast.
Without sustained, organized, hands-on stewardship, the ecological health of this system will decline. The Lower Withlacoochee River Keeper exists to fill that gap — not with talk, but with measurable field-based action that makes a real, documentable difference.