The Hackensack Riverkeeper is ready to reopen and get people back on the water, despite nearly losing everything in a fire nearly one year ago.

“At the height of the lockdown for COVID, the building next to ours caught fire and caused enormous damage to our building,” says Capt. Bill Sheehan. “We lost all our furniture and a lot of records going back to the beginning.

The Hackensack Riverkeeper defends and protects the Hackensack River Watershed. But despite the loss from the fire and the challenges of rebuilding during the pandemic, Sheehan says that they are getting ready for the busy season, which begins this weekend.

News 12 New Jersey met with Sheehan at Laurel Park in Secaucus. He says that they plan to have boats and people back on the water within a few weeks. And around the same time, there will be a ribbon cutting on the Riverkeeper’s new office space.

Sheehan says that while most of the work they do is outside – on or around the Hackensack River – the office space is just as important – not only for administrative and fundraising efforts – but also to legitimize what they do and why they do it.

“The image-building of, you know, making sure the government understands we’re the real deal…up and down the river and throughout the northeast corner of the state, the Hackensack Riverkeeper has been making a difference ever since I started,” says Sheen.

The staff will be testing and checking all the watercrafts in Laurel Park this weekend. They hope to have rentals and tours started by the first week of May.