Blog Post: January 14, 2019
Private mining companies are removing too much sand from San Francisco Bay. Without sufficient sand, there's not enough to replenish the shoreline, including wetlands and areas with severe erosion like Ocean Beach.
Baykeeper’s lawyers have been in court fighting to keep sand in the Bay using a...
Column: December 4, 2018
A multinational corporation is mining sand from the bottom of San Francisco Bay and selling it for a profit. But the Bay’s sand belongs to you and me. And taking sand out of the Bay harms Dungeness crab, San Francisco’s Ocean Beach, and other Bay Area beaches and wetlands.
One main area where...
Blog Post: November 14, 2018
In 2012, California approved a dramatic doubling of sand mining in San Francisco Bay, which allowed private companies to remove and sell an unprecedented 2 million cubic yards of Bay sand every year.
Sand is being removed from the Bay faster than it can be naturally replenished. That leaves less...
BK In The News: November 14, 2018
There’s a battle being fought in the bay that’s hidden from view. That’s because the battle lines are drawn deep underwater... Recently, KPIX 5 was out on the water with Sejal Choksi-Chugh, San Francisco Baykeeper’s executive director, on the hunt for a very unique-looking barge.
The barge is not...
Blog Post: October 16, 2018
A multinational corporation is mining the Bay’s sand to sell it for profit, and it’s harming Ocean Beach and other Bay Area beaches and wetlands.
California is currently allowing Lehigh Hanson, Inc., to harvest 1.5 million cubic yards of Bay sand per year, far outpacing the amount that naturally...
Blog Post: April 10, 2018
A recent article from the San Francisco Chronicle highlights the city of San Francisco’s ongoing efforts to move 75,000 tons of sand to replenish Ocean Beach’s shrinking shoreline. Ocean Beach suffers from the highest rate of beach erosion in the state.
One cause of Ocean Beach erosion? Sand mining...
BK In The News: February 11, 2018
Two common problems in coastal areas — eroded beaches, and clogged inlets hazardous for boat traffic — have a mutual solution... Concerns about sand mining that could change the shape of coastlines has led the San Francisco Baykeeper group to file numerous lawsuits against California and sand...
Press Release: January 30, 2017
San Francisco, Calif. - The California State Lands Commission, an agency responsible for protecting San Francisco Bay, has once again approved permits to let private companies remove harmful levels of sand from the Bay’s floor. On January 30, San Francisco Baykeeper filed a second legal action...
Featured Stories: August 31, 2016
In a major victory, the California Court of Appeal issued a final ruling that state agencies and private companies no longer have a green light to extract massive amounts of sand from the San Francisco Bay floor. Instead, the public's access, use, and enjoyment of this important Bay resource must...
Column: February 2, 2016
What happens in the Bay doesn’t always stay in the Bay. Case in point: Sand mining companies are digging up too much sand from the floor of San Francisco Bay, making erosion worse at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach. The erosion threatens sensitive shorebird habitat, a major sewer...