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.