Luis Melendez joined Riverkeeper as Boat Captain in June 2024. His love for his local waterways began at the New York Harbor School where he graduated with the inaugural class. As a boat captain in New York for 15 years, he brings a wealth of knowledge of New York Harbor waterways, extensive experience piloting a wide variety of vessels, as well as a deep passion for education, habitat restoration, and advocacy. Prior to joining Riverkeeper, he served as Chief Dockmaster at Dyckman Marina for the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation managing daily operations as well as community programming, ensuring safe waterfront access for all visitors to enjoy the Hudson River. Luis also worked with Billion Oyster Project as Assistant Waterfront Director where he managed a fleet of seven vessels supporting their oyster habitat restoration and taught vessel operation to students at the New York Harbor School. Luis was born in Brooklyn, NY where he currently resides with his partner and cat, Lottie.