Save the Bay

Save the Bay
Name	Save the Bay
Formation	1961
Type	Nonprofit environmental organization
Headquarters	San Francisco Bay Area
Region served	San Francisco Bay

Save the Bay

Save the Bay is a regional environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring the San Francisco Bay and its watershed. Founded amid the postwar expansion that threatened tidal marshes and shoreline, the organization mobilized activists, scientists, and policymakers to preserve estuarine habitat, promote public access, and influence land-use decisions. Over decades it has engaged with municipal agencies, federal regulators, conservation groups, and academic institutions to shape policy, implement restoration, and educate residents.

History

The organization's origins trace to grassroots opposition to landfill projects in the 1960s, when activists aligned with civic leaders and journalists to block proposals on the Bay's margins. Early campaigns intersected with efforts by figures and entities such as Barbara Jordan, John F. Kennedy, Caltrans, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and regional planning bodies that influenced reclamation policies. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s it leveraged state legislation like the California Environmental Quality Act and engaged with agencies including the California Coastal Commission and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission to secure protections. Landmark collaborations and legal contests involved partners and opponents such as Chevron Corporation, Union Oil Company of California, Port of Oakland, San Mateo County, and Contra Costa County, contributing to shifts in shoreline regulation and wetland policy.

Major milestones included advocacy that supported establishment of wildlife preserves and restoration of tidal marshes near sites associated with Point Reyes National Seashore, Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and urban shoreline parks adjacent to Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The organization's work paralleled broader environmental movements alongside groups like Sierra Club, The Nature Conservancy, National Audubon Society, and Environmental Defense Fund.

Mission and Activities

The nonprofit's mission emphasizes tidal habitat protection, water quality improvement, and public access to baylands through scientific planning, litigation, policy advocacy, and on-the-ground restoration. Core activities engage disciplines and stakeholders represented by institutions such as University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, San Francisco State University, and regulatory entities including the Environmental Protection Agency and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Programs address threats from sea level rise and subsidence by coordinating with climate initiatives like California Climate Action Plan, infrastructure agencies such as Bay Area Rapid Transit, and resilience projects funded by foundations and federal grantmakers including the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Operational work spans habitat mapping, permit review, scientific monitoring, and litigation in state and federal courts interacting with precedents set by cases referencing the Clean Water Act and decisions from the California Supreme Court.

Conservation and Restoration Projects

Restoration projects have ranged from large-scale marsh rehabilitation to urban shoreline greening. Notable sites include tidal marsh restoration at former salt pond complexes near South Bay Salt Ponds, revegetation at estuarine margins near Coyote Hills, and living shoreline installations adjacent to municipal parks in Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda. Projects often coordinate with federal and state programs such as the National Estuary Program, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and regional efforts led by the Association of Bay Area Governments.

Techniques combine adaptive management informed by researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and US Geological Survey with engineering inputs from firms and agencies like Bechtel Corporation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Species-focused efforts target habitat for migratory birds tracked via networks including Audubon Society, Point Blue Conservation Science, and restoration for threatened fish protected under the Endangered Species Act and monitored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Education and Community Outreach

Public education programs include interpretive walks, volunteer restoration days, school curricula, and citizen science monitoring that collaborate with school districts such as San Francisco Unified School District, community colleges like City College of San Francisco, and nonprofit partners including Friends of the Earth and Baykeeper. Outreach engages cultural institutions and events at venues such as the Exploratorium, California Academy of Sciences, and regional festivals to reach diverse audiences.

Volunteer-driven initiatives mobilize corporate volunteers from companies like Salesforce, Google, and PG&E and involve training in invasive species removal, native planting, and water-quality sampling using protocols aligned with Citizen Science Association standards. Youth programs partner with organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs of America and community groups to connect underserved populations with shoreline stewardship.

Governance and Funding

Governance is typically by a board of directors composed of professionals drawn from academia, law firms, conservation groups, and private industry with affiliations to institutions like Morrison & Foerster, University of California, and municipal agencies. Funding mixes private philanthropy from foundations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, individual donations, membership dues, corporate sponsorships, and competitive grants from agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and California State Coastal Conservancy.

Financial oversight follows nonprofit standards applied by watchdogs and rating organizations including GuideStar, Charity Navigator, and compliance with reporting requirements to the Internal Revenue Service.

Partnerships and Advocacy

Strategic partnerships include coalitions with The Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter, Baykeeper, Regional Water Quality Control Board (San Francisco Bay), and municipal governments of San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Richmond. Advocacy efforts have influenced regional planning instruments such as the San Francisco Bay Plan, state legislation in the California State Legislature, and federal funding allocations through members of United States Congress representing Bay Area districts.

Engagement in multi-stakeholder initiatives addresses climate adaptation, flood risk reduction, and equitable access, working with entities like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, California Office of Emergency Services, and community advocates to integrate science, policy, and social equity into long-term bayland management.

Category:Environmental organizations based in California