Joe Payne
Joe Payne, Casco BAYKEEPER®, was the first full-time employee of Friends of Casco Bay, which was a volunteer, grassroots organization until he was hired to be the professional steward of Casco Bay. Joe left the environmental consulting firm, Normandeau Associates, where he had worked as a marine biologist for 12 years to become the Casco BAYKEEPER®. A native Portlander who summered on Peaks Island as a child and the grandson of a fisherman, Joe is guided by both a passionate love for the Bay and an understanding of its physical and biological dynamics. Under his leadership, FOCB implemented programs that combined environmental protection with economic pragmatism. When Joe joined FOCB in 1991, he became the seventh WATERKEEPER® in the nation; there are now more than 157 WATERKEEPERS® in the WATERKEEPER® ALLIANCE worldwide.
