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 education, restoration 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