Author and Environmental Activist

  Robert F. Kennedy Jr's reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions.  Mr. Kennedy was named one of Time magazine's “Heroes for the Planet” for his success helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. This action began as a result of public outcry  here in Oregon to clean up the Willamette River,  which led to the federal Clean Water Act in 1972. The group's achievement helped spawn more than 125  Riverrkeeper organizations across the globe, including River- keepers-Portland, who continue the clean up effort of our state’s Willamette River.

  Mr. Kennedy serves as Senior Attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, Chief Prosecuting Attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and President of Waterkeeper Alliance.  He is also a Clinical Professor and Supervising Attorney at Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic and is co-host of Ring of Fire on Air America Radio.  Earlier in his career he served as Assistant District Attorney in New York City.  He has been active in several political campaigns including the presidential campaigns of Edward M. Kennedy in 1980, Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004. 

  He has worked on environmental issues across the Americas and has assisted several indigenous tribes in Latin America and Canada in successfully negotiating treaties protecting traditional homelands.  He is credited with leading the fight to protect New York City's water supply.  The New York City watershed agreement, which he negotiated on behalf of environmentalists and New York City watershed consumers, is regarded as an international model in stakeholder consensus negotiations and sustainable development.   Once the butt of many jokes when it caught fire in the 80’s near Albany, New York, The Hudson River is now  one of the most biologically rich river systems in the world.  He  is now leading the fight to turn back the anti-environmental legislation of our recent  Congress.

  RFK Jr. credits his father, the late senator Robert F. Kennedy for his passion for the environment.  “ As far back as I can remember, I was drawn to nature.  My father brought me to some of the most beautiful wild places in America.  He taught me that wilderness was the source of our values and our character, and that we had to protect it for the next generation.  But the principal that came to govern my father’s life, I think, was civil rights.  And I believe there’s no more crucial civil rights issue than environmental protection.

  Among Mr. Kennedy's published books are the New York Times’ bestseller Crimes Against Nature (2004) The Riverkeepers (1997), and Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr:  A Biography (1977).  His articles have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, The Nation, Outside Magazine, The Village Voice, and many other publications.  His award winning articles have been included in anthologies of America’s Best Crime Writing, Best Political Writing and Best Science Writing.  As well, he is an avid white water paddler and licensed master falconer. He has organized and led several expeditions in Canada and Latin America, including first descents on three little known rivers in Peru, Colombia, and Venezuela

  Mr. Kennedy is a graduate of Harvard University.  He studied at the London School of Economics and received his law degree from the University of Virginia Law School.  Following graduation he attended Pace University School of Law, where he was awarded a Masters Degree in Environmental Law.   ”.