Save the Bay

WHY WE CARE

We all need a healthy San Francisco Bay. Seven million Bay Area residents, 400 native species, our economy, and quality of life all depend on it.

San Francisco Bay is the most important estuary on the west coast. It is a thriving ecosystem for 100 threatened and endangered species, habitat for migratory birds on the Pacific Flyway, and nursery and spawning grounds for salmon and other fish. San Francisco Bay supports our local economy by creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in shipping, tourism, fishing, recreation, and education. The San Francisco Bay shoreline provides access to parks, open space, recreation, and more than 310 miles of Bay Trail.

Development and agriculture have shrunk the Bay’s size by one-third, and destroyed 90% of the Bay’s original wetlands. Ongoing land-based pollution threatens the health of the Bay.

 

WHAT WE DO

BAY RESTORATION AND EDUCATION

To restore the shoreline, Save The Bay engages community volunteers, schools, and businesses in planting and scientific monitoring.

Each year we bring out 6,500 adult and youth volunteers to enhance and restore 100 acres of vital Bay habitats by hand. Volunteers learn about Bay ecology while helping to collect seeds, grow wetland plants at key sites and remove weeds and trash that degrade wetland habitat. Restored wetlands provide refuge for endangered wildlife and fish and enhance flood protection in the wake of rising sea levels.

Middle and high school students who participate in Save The Bay’s award-winning education programs work in the field alongside restoration scientists and take part in citizen science projects that are integrated into their classroom curriculum.

POLLUTION PREVENTION

To eliminate trash that flows from streets into storm drains, pollutes the Bay, and harms wildlife, Save The Bay secures local and regional limits on plastic bags, polystyrene, and toxic tobacco litter.

Save The Bay works with municipalities to achieve zero trash flow to the Bay through their stormwater systems by 2022, in accordance with the aggressive regional stormwater permit we won in 2010.         We work with Bay Area cities and counties to advocate for policies that keep toxic tobacco litter out of the Bay. Save The Bay educates residents about runoff pollution and supports smart policies to eliminate trash flowing to the Bay and ocean.

STOPPING BAYFILL

Save The Bay works to stop bay fill and reckless shoreline development, especially in high priority restoration areas.

Urban development and agriculture shrunk the Bay’s size by one-third, and destroyed 90% of the Bay’s original tidal marsh. Scientists agree that the Bay needs 100,000 acres of tidal marsh to be healthy, more than twice what currently exists. That’s why it is crucial to stop destructive development along the shoreline that threatens the few remaining restorable areas. We work to protect the most threatened restorable areas from further development. We advocate for policies that protect the integrity of shorelines and secure public funding for restoration.