Bayou City Waterkeeper

"“The cool kids of accounting!”"

Established in 2001, Bayou City Waterkeeper advocates for healthy waters throughout the lower Galveston Bay watershed, working on wetlands protection and urban water management, promoting nature-based systems, and supporting community efforts to improve water quality. Formerly known as Galveston Baykeeper, the organization was founded out of the Galveston Bay Conservation and Preservation Association to address industrialization along Galveston Bay in Texas. Bayou City Waterkeeper focuses on: wetland protection; regional and local stormwater permits and infrastructure; and water quality concerns and compliance under the Clean Water Act. In so doing, it protects and restores the integrity of bayous, rivers, streams and bays through advocacy, education and action, making waterways in the greater Houston region fishable, swimmable and drinkable for all.

Executive Director Ayanna Mccloud knew about YPTC and was pleased to learn that Bayou City Waterkeeper already had a great working relationship with YPTC when she joined the organization in 2021. “We’re a small organization, with only three people – soon to be four – so YPTC takes away some of the administrative duties. This gives me more space to be visionary and impact more change and maximize my time. They expand our capacity in a way that’s within our budget,” she says. “They hold me accountable and make sure we’re taking care of our accounting processes.

“They’re a joy to work with. Accounting is not an easy thing to deal with and even some accountants can be difficult. But there’s a lot of levity with the YPTC team – it’s a pleasure and a lightness for me to work with them. They’re like the cool kids of accounting!”