Baykeeper publishes a monthly column on San Francisco Bay cultural, environmental, and maritime issues.
(May 2020) Schools are shuttered through the summer, and summer camps will likely be closed, too. Quarantine fatigue has set in around my house. While homeschooling comes with lots of challenges, there’s been at least one unexpected personal delight: my kids have become more engaged in my work than ever and a lot more interested in the Bay.
My son cheered loudly from his desk when he overheard...
(April 2020) I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a little disappointed that the 50th Earth Day came and went, and it didn't get nearly the fanfare it deserved. Especially at a time when environmental rollbacks are being snuck under the cover of COVID-19, polluters are feeling emboldened to skirt the law, and the climate crisis is taking a backseat to the global pandemic.
For Baykeeper, the...
(April 2020) As we approach a very unusual Earth Day, I’m reminded more than ever how lucky we are to live in the Bay Area with all of our wonderful outdoor spaces.
We can’t fully enjoy them right now, for the good of our community. But here at Baykeeper, we’re seeing that the threats to the Bay haven't paused, even as the Bay Area stays at home.
Oil tankers are still delivering dangerous crude...
(April 2020) Did you know this year marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day?
My staff would normally be tabling at festivals around the Bay Area, organizing volunteers at shoreline trash cleanups, and hosting happy hours at local restaurants to toast the Bay we love. Yet here we are instead, celebrating the Earth inside our homes.
The first Earth Day was organized in 1970 as outrage...
(April 2020) I don’t know about you, but for me the days are blurring, and it's becoming normal to host Zoom calls that are interrupted by kids with questions about schoolwork. In addition to feeling immensely grateful for teachers, I’m feeling appreciative of healthcare workers, grocery store clerks, farmworkers, and neighbors who are doing their part to flatten the curve.
As Mr. Rogers...
(April 2020) Because if they lived on the Bay, they’d be bagels!
At Baykeeper, we're promoting a little bit of Bay humor to keep things light. These days, with the stress of sheltering at home, caring for loved ones, and taking extra caution on the rare occasions when we head outside—whether to take a hike or hunt for toilet paper—we can all use a little smile.
And we're staying busy. Baykeeper...
(March 2020) To all our supporters:
I hope this message finds you and your loved ones happy and well—and adjusting to our new (temporary) reality of sheltering in place and limiting social contact to beat COVID-19.
As residents of the Bay Area, I’m inspired to know that we continue to share a common bond through San Francisco Bay, despite our social distancing. The wave that breaks against the...
(March 2020) During the last few rainy seasons, Baykeeper’s scientists spent many weeks scrambling down hillsides and wading into mud to collect water samples from storm drain outfalls. Our field team was looking for the source of pollution to South Bay creeks and rivers that feed into San Francisco Bay.
We got surprising results. The water samples from the cities of Sunnyvale and Mountain View...
(February 2020) On January 10-12, high tides in San Francisco Bay washed up onto the shoreline of a large former pharmaceutical company in Richmond. A few hours later, the outgoing tide pulled contamination—including pesticides, toxic chemicals, and radioactive waste—off the industrial land and into the Bay.
Right now, this occurs a few times every year during the highest tides, known as King...
(January 2020) I’ve heard locals describe a film of black dust on cars, windowsills, and playground structures in the city of Richmond. Sadly, it’s often coal dust. And it’s toxic—linked to asthma, heart disease, and other illnesses.
When it rains, that toxic dust can get washed and blown into San Francisco Bay, where it can harm wildlife, too. Once in the water, the Bay’s tiniest creatures...