Monday, December 22, 2008

Ripples, Reflections and Reading Recommendations

by Adrien Andre, Development Manager

Originally posted on December 3, 2008


A little over two years ago I discovered Save The Bay when searching for a way to get involved with restoring Bay Area open spaces I had spent so many weekends and vacations exploring and falling in love with. As the largest and most defining feature of our region, the Bay seemed like a good place to start. Little did I, self-proclaimed nature nerd, know how much I didn’t know about the Bay; or how one volunteer outing would alter the course of my life.


 


I signed up to volunteer at MLK Jr. Regional Shoreline out by the Oakland Airport, curious to see what our urban Bay shoreline actually looked like up-close. Upon arrival I discovered a shockingly wild and beautiful shoreline park nestled amongst the super-urban industrial area of Hegenberger Road. There I spent a satisfying Saturday morning working together with volunteers of all ages to pull giant piles of invasive weeds amidst the teenage native plants Save The Bay staff, volunteers and students had carefully grown and planted the previous winter.

First, I learned that water or runoff from almost half of the landmass of California (40%) flows into our Bay watershed, and that we have only 5% of our original Bay wetlands left. I also learned that wetlands are the “lungs” of the Bay and that over 500 species depend on the Bay’s health. Though many other Bay facts were shared that day, I was stuck on those first two numbers that seemed so unmatched, and completely struck by the beauty, the vulnerability, and the importance of the health of the Bay to our quality of life, economy and very own corner of the natural world.



Just three ladies from Berkeley started the movement to save our Bay in 1961. At that time our habitat rich, ocean-flowing Bay was studded with regularly flaming open garbage dumps and raw sewage flowed freely into it on a daily basis. The plans to fill and develop on top of its wetland shoreline and far into its shallow middle threatened to narrow it into a thin urban-flanked trickle. I felt deeply the threats to the Bay and it’s need for all of our support to restore the 100,000 acres of wetlands scientists tell us we need for it to maintain a healthy ecosystem.

Now, as Save The Bay’s Development Associate since September 2006 and primary member services contact, I am here to help others get involved with our work, to answer questions, to provide assistance with membership and donations, and to share information about our educationrestoration and advocacy work.

The health of the Bay has come a long way since the 1960’s with the support of Save The Bay’s members and founders. I’m honored help carry forward the legacy they started and to work every day to ensure our member services are excellent and our membership base is healthy and growing.


Adrien’s Bay Must Reads:

The Ohlone Way, by Malcolm Margolin

Ecology, A Handbook, by Ernest Callenbach

A Natural History of California, Alan Schoenherr

Delta deals dozens of bird species

by Dave Seel, Education Specialist

Originally posted on November 18, 2008



As we stepped on to the Delphinius, the tule fog was thick over the still delta water. Pushing away from the dock, Ron Patterson of Dolphin Charters welcomed our group of birders, who had come to see the wonders of the Sacramento / San Joaquin Delta.

The trip--one of several Save The Bay sponsored outings--focused on the annual bird migration to the delta’s maze of waterways, islands, and corn fields. The delta, once a network of sloughs and wetlands, has changed dramatically over time by the increasing demand for more agricultural and cattle grazing land. Now, sloughs have been straightened and dredged and the wetlands drained. But still every year thousands and thousands of birds, from the Sandhill Crane to many species of ducks, stop in the fields and tule marshes as they migrate from the cold north to warmer southern climates.



Sitting on the top deck of the boat, we scanned the horizon with our binoculars, waiting and listening to our knowledgeable captain who pointed out the sites and sounds of the surrounding waterways. “Northern Harrier—one o’clock! Look at him work that cattle field. He’s probably looking for his morning meal.” All binoculars turned and gazed at the beautiful raptor gliding effortlessly over the landscape.

A bit later, we happened upon a flock of Sandhill Cranes just about to alight in a corn field. A dozen or so swirled and circled surveying their landing spot and then beat their large grey wings as they came to rest, perhaps after many hours of flying. Lit perfectly by the morning sun, the Cranes’ red crowns glistened against their grey bodies. The engine silented for a moment and we listened to their squawking, trying to understand what they had to say about their journey.




The day was a long one and we began to tire of looking for Green Herons or American Bitterns, only to find giant flotillas of American Coots. But just as we thought we’d seen it all, we saw what looked like a darkening storm cloud. But as we focused our binoculars, we saw thousands of geese and tundra swans, swirling upward from a far off field. In that moment, I realized the immense biodiversity that we have here in the San Francisco Estuary. For thousands of years, these birds have been returning to this spot, relying on it for food, water, and rest. Without these wetlands, these birds wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t be able to share in their profound beauty.

Why I love the Palo Alto Baylands: It's a Feeding Frenzy!

by Alicia Moore, School Programs Manager

Originally posted on November 11, 2008


Save The Bay works with site partners at roughly 11 sites around the Bay to offer Canoes In Sloughs and Community-based Restoration outings to school groups, community and corporate groups, and members of the public. Each site is special, and offers endless gems, but one of my favorite sites is the Palo Alto Baylands.



The Palo Alto Baylands is one of our most tidally-dependent sites, as it is one of the shallowest and muddiest. But it is precisely this mud that makes Palo Alto one of my favorite sites: it is a treasure trove teeming with life. Within a handful of Bay mud, you can find up to 40,000 living organisms. Now, of course most of these organisms are microscopic (or else you’d have to have a pretty big hand), but all this life within the mud makes for a lot of life outside of the mud.



On any given day, you can go to the Palo Alto Baylands at a lower tide, and see mud flats imprinted with the tracks of avocets, black-necked stilts, great blue heron, western gulls, California gulls, curlews, godwits – the list goes on. Much of the time you will see these tracks ending at the bird that made them. This place is a jackpot for birders who come to feast their eyes on the birds that come to feast their beaks on the macroinvertebrates that come to feast their mouths and valves on the microinvertebrates that come to feast upon the algae, bacteria and detritus within the mud. That’s one big feast!

You can witness this feast as you help us restore this habitat, or you can head on down to the Baylands with a picnic to join this feeding frenzy yourself. Either way, don’t forget to bring your binoculars!

Remembering the Cosco Busan

by Amy Alton, Communications Associate

Originally posted on November 7, 2008


Today marks the one year anniversary of the November 2007 Cosco Busan Oil Spill. It's hard to believe a year has passed since the 900-foot cargo ship left the Port of Oakland in heavy fog only to run into one of the towers of the Bay Bridge. The ship spewed more than 50,000 gallons of heavy bunker fuel into the Bay and fouled 56 miles of shoreline, killing 3,000 birds. Bay Area residents will never forget the images of birds and wildlife coated in oil and our beaches covered with thick, black sludge. It was a tragedy for our Bay.



Even so, the outpouring of public concern and support following the spill proved how much the community loves our Bay. Our quality of life and economy depend on a healthy Bay and it defines our region. And the community knew that.

At Save The Bay, the mood of our staff varied from sadness and anger to motivation and inspiration. In the wake of the spill, we realized it was more important than ever to strengthen the health of the Bay and to provide wildlife with increased habitat for greater survival during emergencies. Today, we continue to work toward our goal of restoring 100,000 acres of healthy wetlands around the Bay and will plant 20,000 native seedlings along the shoreline this winter.




In direct response to the oil spill, Save The Bay did the following:

      --demanded a full investigation into the accident and reparation for the damage

      --testified to Congress and advised policymakers how to restore the Bay’s health 

      --provided expertise and support on state and federal legislation to protect the Bay against future spills 

      --provided accurate, timely spill information for volunteers, the news media, and elected officials

      --helped wildlife agencies document the oil’s impacts and submitted over 180 photos to Natural Resource Damage Assessment teams

      --noted impacts to sensitive eelgrass and oyster beds

      --educated thousands of students and adults about the impact of oil spills 

      --enlisted community volunteers to clean up the shoreline and restore wetlands



Chillingly, this was only a modest spill, so it serves as a wake-up call to improve vessel security, ship traffic control, hazardous material handling, spill prevention and response and volunteer coordination. There is nothing more frustrating than having an army of able-bodied volunteers and not being able to use them.

Governor Schwarzenegger did sign several bills to increase oversight of Bay ship pilots, train emergency responders, and improve communications when oil spills occur. But the Governor DID NOT DO ENOUGH to protect the Bay. He vetoed bills that would have required faster response, more pre-positioned equipment, and new cleanup technologies.

In truth, the Bay is under assault every day from runoff pollution and it can take years for ecosystems to recover from spills of this magnitude.  But to help ensure a faster recovery for the Bay, you can do the following:

      --Volunteer to help restore Bay habitat. 


      --Make simple lifestyle changesto reduce runoff pollution. 

      --Sign up for our Bay Savers Email Action Network and we’ll alert you when we need your help on important policy efforts.

 


 

The fight goes on

by Stephen Knight, Political Director

Originally posted on November 5, 2008


Because Cargill’s developer DMB spent nearly $2 million in just three months (or more than $150 for every vote in their favor) in a community of 75,000 residents, we are disappointed, but not surprised that Redwood City’s Measure W did not pass yesterday.

Measure W is the Charter Amendment that would have guaranteed Redwood City voters the final say on any development of open space in the city – including Cargill’s 1,433 acres of retired salt ponds.

In dozens of mailers and ads, the developers’ campaign confused and misled voters about supposed impacts on individual homeowners and painted Save The Bay as "Oakland-based outsiders," never mentioning our name! This is interesting coming from an Arizona-based luxury housing developer representing Minnesota-based Cargill.

Because the vote against W rests on that foundation, it does not reflect support for Cargill’s massive and controversial development. Even many opponents of Measure W publicly stated they are opposed to development on these salt ponds.

Cargill faces many more hurdles to development on this site. Save The Bay has protected and restored the Bay since 1961, and we will continue to fight against any development on Cargill’s salt ponds on the Redwood City shoreline. These ponds were once thriving wetlands and they can be again. The fight goes on.

To learn more, get involved and/or tell Cargill not to pave our Bay, go to www.savesfbay.org/redwoodcity.

Celebrating the good times

by Adrien Andre, Development Manager

Originally posted on October 28, 2008


There was a lot to celebrate this October 16 when Save The Bay's staff and Board, along with supporters of Save The Bay's Greening The Bay campaign gathered in a donated flat with sweeping Bay views at the swanky Infinity Towers in San Francisco.



We were treated to an early evening of classic Bay Area Indian summer weather, inspired Bay-themed cocktails (like the "Marshtini!") and inspiring Bay-minded company. In line with our mission and ideals for environmental sustainability, we indulged in the local delicacies of our bounteous state with organic hors d'oeuvres garnished with pickleweed grown in our own nursery and spectacular wine donated by Napa winemakers at St. Supery.



We expressed our sincere gratitude for the support of the Greening The Bay Advocates who are making possible the work outlined in our Greening The Bay report--a vision and long-term plan for restoring the 100,000 acres of thriving Bay wetlands needed to sustain a healthy Bay ecosystem. In coming together to thank these dedicated Save The Bay members and supporters, we enjoyed an evening in the company of a group with a strong shared passion for the Bay. We also honored Save The Bay's ongoing legacy of local residents and institutions coming together to speak out for our natural treasure.



In speaking to the crowd, our Executive Director, David Lewis, remarked that it is significant that in a year when the Governor set a record for vetoing bills, he signed Assembly Bill 2954 to establish the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, which can generate funds for Bay wetland restoration. With the accomplishment of the Greening report's first major recommendation, we celebrated a huge step toward realizing our vision for the Bay. We celebrated the support of California State Assemblywoman Sally Lieber who endorsed our Bill. And we celebrated our ability to take part in the state legislative process to benefit the Bay, in the face of many people telling us this step was just too big to attempt successfully.

In all, we acknowledged Save The Bay's diverse community of supporters and the exciting work we are undertaking together for the health of the Bay. In these times when communities tend to be many and fragmented and the future of the environment can feel tenuous and challenging to secure, the opportunity to come together and share the company and mutual values of others for the benefit of our local environment, while toasting to the success of major concrete wins for our Bay, may be the greatest reason of all for celebration.

Yes on W--Yes on Open Space

by Stephen Knight, Political Director

Originally posted on October 24, 2008


Save The Bay was founded almost 50 years ago to ... well, save the Bay, from Bay fill. And it was saved--back then; but somehow it never seems to stop needing to be saved again. With seven million of us living all around it, the pressures on the Bay will always be enormous, no matter how much we love it and realize how important it is to our quality of life and economy.

We'd like to think that in the 21st century, any further massive Bay fill would be off the table. Not so.



At the top of Save The Bay's agenda right now is passing a ballot measure—Measure W—in Redwood City. Measure W gives Redwood City voters the final say if the City Council approves development on open space, parks and baylands. The largest threatened open space left along the Bay shoreline is a 1,430-acre salt pond site owned by Cargill Inc., where current zoning does not permit the truly massive development planned by Cargill developers.




In their campaign against Measure W the Cargill developers are spending around $20,000 a day to confuse voters by claiming that Measure W will somehow hurt homeowners, leave seniors hungry, and even burn down houses! Redwood City residents should reject these baseless claims, get the facts and send the developers a message by voting Yes on W.

Redwood City’s quality of life and economy benefit directly from the smart decisions made to preserve open space. Because citizens acted, Bair Island is now a wildlife refuge instead of an office park, and Marina Shores’ massive high rises were stopped.

This November, Redwood City voters should make another smart decision for open space by voting Yes on W.

Watch our Yes on W video on YouTube

Restoring wetlands in Rhode Island

by Darcie Collins, Ph.D., Habitat Restoration Director

Originally posted on October 21, 2008



I attended the Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) 4th annual conference held last week in Providence, Rhode Island.

The alliance members range from the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, with four full time staff who work to educate and advocate for the implementation of sound coastal policies, to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation which boasts six offices, including the Merrill Center which is a “green” Environmental Center, one of the world’s most energy-efficient buildings. However, all 11 members share the common goal of protecting and restoring or coastal resources.

The five-day conference focused on the advancement of science and the success of habitat restoration and provided a unique opportunity to blend people and policy as well as business and best practices. There were trips to the Cape Cod National Sea Shore restorations sites, urban restoration in Boston Harbor, and forums on monitoring, adaptive management and climate change.



Highlights for me included flying in a four passenger Cessna plane over restoration sites throughout Narrangansett Bay, participating in a volunteer restoration project along the Providence River, and most of all, interacting and brainstorming with fellow Habitat Restoration Directors from a variety of RAE alliance members.



I learned that a few of the non-native salt marsh plants we tirelessly attempt to eradicate here in the SF Bay Area—like cordgrass (Spartina sp.)—are among the top natives planted in salt marsh restoration projects on the East Coast! I learned the importance of coastal wetland restoration in protecting communities in the hurricane threatened landscapes of Louisiana and Texas, as well as the imperative to rebuild these important ecosystems following the devastation caused by these storms. And, I also learned that volunteer enthusiasm and Community-based Restoration Programs like ours are thriving along the West, East and Gulf Coasts of the United States.

Although the next RAE conference is not until 2010 in Galveston Bay, Texas, the coastal and estuarine habitat restoration community is further armed and ready to continue innovative exploration of best estuarine restoration and management practices.

Taking our message to Washington, D.C.

by David Lewis, Executive Director

Originally posted on October 15, 2008



Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed into law a landmark bill to restore Bay wetlands. The passage of A.B. 2954 was a HUGE triumph for Save The Bay. Yet even as we savor the taste of victory, we know there is still more work to be done. A few weeks ago, I flew to Washington D.C. to testify to Congress on a bill Save The Bay helped write that would help restore habitat around San Francisco Bay’s national wildlife refuges. Although I worked on and around Capitol Hill for 14 years, I’ve only been a “witness” a handful of times, and never for the House Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Ocean.

It was a thrill to hear praise for the work Save The Bay does to protect and restore San Francisco Bay – from Members of Congress representing South Carolina, Maryland, Michigan and Guam! As you can see if you watch the hearing video, even leaders from other parts of the county understand San Francisco Bay is a treasure.

Fremont Congressman Pete Stark and all 13 Members of Congress from the Bay Area have co-sponsored H.R. 6479, to establish the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex, including the 7 wildlife refuges that stretch from Marin County to Monterey. These wildlife refuges are some of the most-visited in the nation. Rep. Stark’s bill emphasizes the need for federal funding to restore habitat in these areas, which is one of the priority recommendations in Save The Bay’s 2007 report, Greening the Bay.

Although Congress will adjourn in just a few weeks, we’re working hard to get this bill passed, and get San Francisco Bay’s wildlife refuges the resources they need.

The Gov signs our wetlands bill!

by Jessica Castelli, Communications Director

Originally posted on October 2, 2008


The Save The Bay staff is jumping up and down in excitement and celebratory orange and blue streamers are hanging from our hallways—we are celebrating a landmark win for San Francisco Bay wetlands!



Late Tuesday night Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law AB 2954, establishing the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority to secure crucial funding to restore Bay wetlands. Creating this Authority is the primary recommendation in Save The Bay's ground-breaking August 2007 "Greening the Bay" report. And the policy team has been working very hard over the past year to make this bill a reality!

Scientists say that establishing 100,000 acres of wetlands is essential to a healthy, sustainable Bay. However, securing the funding necessary to pay for restoration has been the biggest obstacle to reaching this goal. Now with the enactment of AB 2954, the 100,000 acre goal is in reach! The next step is for the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) to appoint seven board members to the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, to being exploring ways to secure regional funding for wetland restoration.

Assembly Speaker pro Tem Sally Lieber (the bill's author) said it well: "It's our responsibility to take care of and restore San Francisco Bay, one of our State's most valuable and beautiful natural treasures. Our greatest asset is also one of our greatest protections against the impacts of global warming. Our bay wetlands provide natural flood control and capture greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere."

Thank you to everyone who took our action and asked the Governor to sign AB 2954—your voice made a difference! We'd like to ask you to also send a thank you message to the Governor. He vetoed a heck of a lot of bills this year and we want to thank him for signing this one.

Save The Bay does Coastal Cleanup Day

by Jocelyn Gretz, Community Programs Manager

Originally posted on September 26, 2008





Photo by Adrienne Miller


Last weekend Save The Bay hosted five Coastal Cleanup Day events in four counties ringing the Bay. Coyote Creek and the Guadalupe River in San Jose, Eden Landing Ecological Reserve in Hayward, the Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline Park in Oakland and Mission Creek in San Francisco all got a little TLC from over 300 Save The Bay volunteers.

Coastal Cleanup Day started in Oregon in 1985 and California--with its sweeping coastline--was quick to join the following year, taking the lead ever since. Last year over 60,000 Californians volunteered out of an international total of 378,000! I suppose we could thank our long coastline and large population, but I think it might have more to do with the quality people of our state and their love for our aquatic resources.

I led 75 volunteers at Mission Creek in cleaning up trash from Giants fans, homeless encampments and runoff washed down from the watershed. We found plenty of the usual items like cigarette butts, needles and plastic bags, as well as unusual items like suitcases, car parts and electronic boards. I had to run around to keep up with the demand for bags and garbage bins, and not until the end of the three hours was actually able to pick up some trash myself. Our county coordinators at Literacy for Environmental Justice helped keep us stocked and indicated that all of their sites were maxing out on supplies--a good indicator that this year was much bigger than last year.

Our volunteers varied in ages, with high school students to octogenarians cleaning up their neighborhood waterways. Many groups like Building With Books, The Eden United Church of Christ, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, UC Berkeley's Circle K Community Service club, and even employees from the Hard Rock Café joined our Bay-wide cleanups!

In total, we had 319 volunteers contributing 957 hours of service to the Bay collecting 11,000 pounds of trash and over 1,000 pounds of recycling. Statewide preliminary results indicate that 60,000 volunteers collected 635,000 pounds of trash and over 100,000 pounds of recycling. Thanks to all who showed up for the event! We're looking forward to another successful Coastal Cleanup Day event next year!

In the meantime, Save The Bay hosts monthly cleanup and restoration events at several sites around the Bay. And we are just about to start our winter planting season! Sign up to volunteer today!

A landmark step for wetlands

by David Lewis, Executive Director

Originally posted on September 23, 2008



Right now a landmark bill for wetlands is in limbo waiting the Governor’s signature.

Forty years ago, public outcry put a badly needed end to the slow destruction of San Francisco Bay from widespread filling and development. Indeed, the Bay as we know it now is a monument to that victory. Today, we have a significant opportunity to build on that legacy and ensure that future generations can enjoy the economic and ecological benefits of the Bay. The key lies in making smart investments to restore thousands of acres of salt ponds and diked hayfields to tidal wetlands

Only five percent of the Bay’s original wetlands remain&mdashrestoring more wetlands is vital to support endangered species, combat global warming, filter pollutants from the water, protect communities against flooding, and provide open space.

In 1999, scientists created a regional blueprint for restoring Bay wetlands, including 100,000 acres of restored tidal marsh at sites where it was still possible. Large shoreline parcels were acquired to pursue this blueprint, from salt ponds in San Jose to hayfields near Petaluma. Although state and federal resource agencies and private foundations have already invested at least $370 million, a broad long-term commitment supported by public and private interests is needed to preserve the Bay.

Save The Bay’s Greening the Bay report documents for the first time the total projected cost of these restoration projects, finds strong public willingness to pay that cost, and recommends ways to secure the necessary funds. The report states that over 50 years, $1.43 billion of investment will be required to fully restore more than 36,000 acres of tidal marsh. That’s only about $4 annually per area resident. We have the will and the wallet – what we lack is a way to translate this strong regional support into steady funding for restoration of Bay wetlands.




That's why Save The Bay sponsored California Assembly Bill 2954, which establishes the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority, a special district that can raise funds and make grants to restore tidal wetlands in San Francisco Bay, without new costs to the state. Currently, this bill has passed the California Legislature and is waiting to be signed by our Governor.

Over the last four decades, Bay Area residents have overcome tremendous odds to prevent the Bay from being destroyed. By developing a long-term Bay wetlands restoration plan now, we can make the Bay healthier for people and wildlife long into the future.

Please help by telling the Governor to sign this landmark wetlands bill.

Trash talk gets tough

by Laura Reinhard, Policy Associate

Originally posted on September 19, 2008



A few days ago as I was enjoying my morning coffee, I overheard a funny conversation between a pair of cyclists in San Mateo. They had just finished their post-ride sandwiches. 

      “Hey, you’re not going to throw away that plastic bag, are you?”

            “Well, I don’t really need it. They just gave it to me with my leftovers.”

      “Give it to me! Those things are like gold in San Francisco now.”

As a result of San Francisco’s recent ban on plastic bags San Franciscans are saving and re-using plastic bags instead of throwing them away—where they often wind up in our creeks, Bay and ocean. This result is exactly what environmental advocates have been encouraging for decades.  Yet often our local, state and federal governments opt for the easy-out—the “public education” approach—shying away from the controversy of putting laws on the books.

Overhearing this exchange brought home to me just how effective public policy can be in changing our behavior. “Public education”, while important, won’t be enough without effective regulation. The problem of marine debris and plastics pollution seems so much bigger than our family’s grocery bags. Often, we don’t feel like our actions matter enough to warrant changing our behavior. But that’s the point of legislation—to help us, en masse, to do the right thing—even when we can’t always see the impact for ourselves. San Francisco’s ban has made plastic bags less plentiful and disposable. More people are switching to reusable bags, keeping millions of plastic bags out of the Bay and ocean, and ultimately out of the stomachs of seals, turtles, and birds.

Despite massive public outcry over plastic pollution in our bays and oceans, many Bay Area cities are lobbying hard to block regulation aimed at stopping trash flows into the Bay. Unfortunately, they might be winning. The San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) has the authority to require cities to stop the daily flood of trash into the Bay from polluted creeks and rivers. The Water Board can set limits on the amount of pollution cities can discharge into the Bay when they re-write the storm water permit this Fall, Save The Bay wants a strong permit that requires measurable, enforceable reductions in trash pollution. Cities and counties, on the other hand, want a weak permit, with toothless regulations on trash. We won’t know if their lobbying efforts are paying off until we review the next permit draft when it is released in a few weeks.

Most of us have no idea how the Water Board seriously affects our lives and environment, but they are a critical regulator of pollution. Trash in the Bay affects our quality of life, not just the lives of sea birds and seals. That’s why there’s never been a better time to speak up and tell the Water Board that you want a strong storm water permit. We’ve been flushing our trash into the Bay for long enough. It’s time to get strong trash pollution laws on the books.

Bay Trash--Threatening Damon Slough and shorelines near you!

by Amy Alton, Communications Associate


Originally posted on September 17, 2008


If you’ve ever taken BART to an event at Oracle Arena or McAfee Coliseum, you have crossed over it. If you’ve ever traveled in or out of the Oakland Airport, you’ve flown over it. And if you live in East Oakland, your neighborhood storm drain connects right to it. I’m talking about Damon Slough. A thriving habitat flowing around the Coliseum and running alongside the Nimitz Freeway, Damon Slough in Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline Park opens up to Arrowhead Marsh and is home to several species of native plants, including pickleweed and arrowgrass, and endangered wildlife like the California clapper rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse. It’s also home to unsightly masses of trash and debris.


Damon Slough


At Save The Bay, we call it a “Bay Trash Hot Spot.” In fact, for the last three years we have compiled a list of some the Bay Area’s trashiest waterways to call attention to this problem and Damon Slough has been on the list for three years running. One of the few, three-time repeat offenders, Damon Slough in its current state is particularly disturbing given it has all the makings of the proverbial Cinderella story.

In the 1980’s, crews from the Port of Oakland began dumping fill into the northeast side of the marsh. Fortunately the commotion caught the attention of East Bay Regional Park District staff and they contacted the authorities. After a successful lawsuit headed by the Golden Gate Audubon Society, Save The Bay, and the Sierra Club, $2.5 million dollars were allocated for restoration of this 72-acre wetland.

Since 2000, Save The Bay has partnered with East Bay Regional Park District to work with schools, community groups and corporations to restore wetland habitat along Damon Slough. Part of that effort includes shoreline cleanups to pick up trash and debris from urban runoff, litter, and dumping. To date, our volunteers have removed over 20,000 pounds of trash and recyclables!

Even so, Damon Slough is repeatedly inundated with plastic bags, Styrofoam cups, cigarette butts, bottle caps, car batteries, shopping carts, industrial waste, and old electronics.



While Damon Slough is of particular concern, trash accumulates in massive amounts all over the Bay, choking wetlands, poisoning and entangling wildlife, and harming water quality. A 2005 assessment by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) found an average of three pieces of trash along every foot of streams that lead to the Bay. And this trash also has global ramifications; it flows out the Golden Gate to form part of the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”—a floating island of trash the size of Texas.

So what can we do? The good news is that because we create this pollution, we have the power to diminish it. We can:

Reduce the amount of trash we generate and make sure our trash doesn't end up in the Bay.

Dispose properly of hazardous waste, switch to reusable bags, and recycle and compost when we can.

Advocate for tougher policies and regulations to reduce trash flowing to the Bay. In fact, the Water Board has the opportunity to stop trash from fouling the Bay as they vote this fall to renew the storm water permit. Save The Bay is working to ensure that the permit limits the amount of trash cities and counties discharge into the Bay.

Volunteer to clean up and restore the Bay shoreline. Save The Bay hosts monthly cleanup and restoration events at several sites around San Francisco Bay. This Saturday, nearly 100 Save The Bay volunteers will clean up hot spot Damon Slough at the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline in Oakland, as part of the Coastal Commission’s 24th annual Coastal Cleanup Day.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

No longer nameless!

by Amy Alton, Communications Associate

Originally posted on September 16, 2008


Dumbarton Bridge


The people have spoken! And they want The Salty Blog!

Having difficulty coming up with a name ourselves, we asked you to democratically elect the name of our first-ever blog. As with any election, voter turnout could have been better, races were tight, and there were even a couple of folks who mounted a strong write-in campaign. The votes were close, but in the end, however, the clear winner was The Salty Blog.

We find this a fitting title given the nearly 50 years of experience we have protecting, restoring, and celebrating San Francisco Bay. And just as the Bay features a brackish mix of salt water from the Pacific with the fresh waters of our rivers and creeks, The Salty Blog will also include a mix of influences and varied topics.

Through this foray into new media, we plan give you the inside scoop on our progressive, and sometimes controversial, advocacy initiatives. And we will show you a new side of Save The Bay—one where you will get to know our staff, and see what we do day to day as the region’s leading champion of San Francisco Bay.

Thanks to all those who cast their vote; and in doing so, helped shape the image of a new and important element of our organization. Be sure to check out our previous entries and add us to your RSS feed for regular updates!

And welcome to The Salty Blog!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Connections and Connectivity

by Bree Candiloro, Nursery Manager

Originally posted on September 12, 2008


Connections. Connectivity. We need it; humans, plants and animals alike. Connectivity is in high demand for animals like mountain lions that need 200 square miles of appropriate habitat and connection to other populations of mountain lions so that they will remain healthy. Connection in terms of human touch is necessary to keep babies alive. Plants in the marsh need the tidal waters to connect their seeds to new areas for growth.

Clapper Rail



The wild plants and animals are just as much our neighbors as the people who live in the house next door. So what is our connection to them? We assume wild lands are out there somewhere—in the National Parks we visit once a year—and we don't really need to protect more. But we do. We desperately do. Our every breath is dependent on the health and properly working systems of the Earth.

Let's focus in on California systems. Fire. The fires that devastated much of California earlier this summer made us very aware of the increasing number, frequency and intensity of these natural disasters. Non-native invasive plants can quickly come into an area after a burn and increase the danger of another fire burning more rapidly and more intensely than the landscape has been accustomed to enduring for the hundreds to thousands of years before. These fires are changing the face of the California landscape.

Not all of us, but many people in California have lost a connection to the natural world and don't understand the important role wild plants, wild animals and wild protected open spaces play in our everyday lives. I go from my house, to BART, to my downtown Oakland office on the ninth floor. I work on the computer, go home, and never think about the water rushing through the tap or from where it originates. I never think about the farm from where the wheat used to make the bread in my sandwich was grown. And I also assume that I will forever be able to draw clean water from my tap and purchase bread wherever and whenever I need it. But the health of the system that provides the clean water and provides the soil for the farm is so intricately connected with my life in so many ways. Keeping these systems healthy means keeping myself healthy too.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

We launched a blog! Help us name it.

by David Lewis, Executive Director

Originally posted on September 10, 2008


Save The Bay is thrilled to launch a blog dedicated to bringing you the latest news about our organization and the issues impacting our great natural treasure, San Francisco Bay. We plan give you the inside scoop on our progressive, and sometimes controversial, advocacy initiatives. We also aim to show you a new side of Save The Bay—one where you will get to know our staff, and see what we do day to day as the region’s leading champion of San Francisco Bay.

In short, this blog has it all! Except a name. As part of our first ever entry, we are asking you to help us choose a clever name for our blog. So, please help us out by taking just a few minutes to cast your vote right now!





We hope that through this blog you gain further insight into our work to protect shoreline open space from inappropriate development, reduce the toxic runoff pollution from our homes, cars and neighborhoods, restore 100,000 acres of critical wetland habitat, and educate thousands of adults and students about the Bay each year. Above all, we hope you will use this blog to learn about the Bay, its wetlands, and the ways we all can protect, restore, and celebrate our natural treasure.

We plan to keep our blog current by updating it weekly. I encourage you to post comments, engage in discussion with other readers, and send us feedback. We welcome your suggestions and ideas. And remember to take the quick survey to help us name our blog today. We will announce our new name in an upcoming posting.

Enjoy!