Baykeeper publishes a monthly column on San Francisco Bay cultural, environmental, and maritime issues.
(February 2023) What is it called when two 100-year storms hit the Bay Area in one week? Is it a 200-year storm? A statistical anomaly? Or the new normal? No matter what we call it, we saw that our stormwater and sewer agencies weren’t prepared for it when our streets flooded, and millions of gallons of sewage flowed directly into the Bay during January’s storms.
The Bay Area’s infrastructure is...
(December 2022) This has been a milestone year for me personally at Baykeeper—celebrating 20 years of work with an organization whose mission I cherish. This year’s annual report highlights big wins that continue to inspire our passion.
The year started off strong with Baykeeper taking on Valero, one of the largest corporate polluters in the history of our organization. We won our 50th lawsuit...
(November 2022) Last month marked a special treat with the celebration of the Clean Water Act’s 50th birthday. Prior to October 18, 1972, concerned members of the public had few tools to fight the corporations that were polluting our communities and our environment, boaters were instructed to throw their trash overboard into the Bay, and shorelines reeked of raw sewage and toxic chemicals.
The...
(September 2022) A few years ago, during a strategic planning session, our legal and science teams brainstormed a list of 82 different threats to San Francisco Bay. As we evaluated where to focus Baykeeper’s resources, our staff scientist told us he believed the biggest threat to the Bay was nutrient pollution.
He described high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus in the Bay—due mainly to...
(August 2022) I typically cringe when I hear someone calling Baykeeper a small organization. While our budget and our staff size are modest, our dedicated supporters love us because they know we punch above our weight. Just earlier this year, in Fighting Giants Around the Bay, I celebrated victories against outsized adversaries like Chevron, Cargill, and the federal government.
But it’s true...
(July 2022) I had planned to send this note earlier this month after the Supreme Court issued a series of devastating decisions. But I got delayed by a mother-daughter trip to Chicago to celebrate the 4th of July holiday where we stayed with friends… just ten minutes from Highland Park.
Rather than commemorate our country’s freedom by eating cotton candy, waving flags, and watching fireworks, the...
(June 2022) I recently had the pleasure of speaking with the team at Beyond the Fog, a local podcast hosted by three San Franciscans who are passionate about everything that makes the Bay Area unique. Their goal is to bring to life the history, art, and culture of the Bay Area—and the people who create it. Their latest series of stories was all about the local environment, and since the Bay Area...
(May 2022) Protecting the health of San Francisco Bay is a team effort. That's why it's a special treat for us every spring to recognize Baykeeper’s Blue Rivet award winners. It's our opportunity to celebrate the community members who have stood by our side to fight for a healthier Bay. Just like the rivets of the Golden Gate Bridge, which join the iconic structure together to stand strong over...
(April 2022) Every year on Earth Day, I feel torn. I either despair about how much we need to do to maintain our planet's health, and then lament that public attention on just one day isn’t going to solve the crisis. Or I feel thankful for the wildflowers, Sierra snow packs, and the Bay's breathtaking beauty, and then lament that one day is hardly sufficient to celebrate.
But this year is the...
(March 2022) California lives in our collective imagination as the land of golden dreams and limitless opportunity. We think of sparkling beaches, rushing rivers and powdery mountains, gold nuggets lying on the ground for the taking, and a veritable Eden of farmland so fertile that its destiny must surely be to feed the rest of the world.
But the state isn’t living up to our dreams. We have a...