Save The Bay is a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

dedicated to preserving

San Francisco Bay San Francisco Bay (Chochenyo language, Chochenyo: 'ommu) is a large tidal estuary in the United States, U.S. state of California, and gives its name to the San Francisco Bay Area. It is dominated by the cities of San Francisco, California, San ...

and related estuarine habitat areas. It was founded by Catherine Kerr, Sylvia McLaughlin, and Esther Gulick in 1961. The organization aims to protect the bay from development and

land reclamation Land reclamation, often known as reclamation, and also known as land fill (not to be confused with a waste landfill), is the process of creating new Terrestrial ecoregion, land from oceans, list of seas, seas, Stream bed, riverbeds or lake ...

by encouraging restoration to a natural state, allowing habitats such as salt flats to reform. Sf Estuary Historical

History

The organization was founded in 1961 as the ''Save San Francisco Bay Association'' by three women — Sylvia McLaughlin, Kay Kerr, and Esther Gulick — and originally began as a

lobby group Lobbying is a form of advocacy, which lawfully attempts to directly influence legislators or government officials, such as regulatory agencies or judiciary. Lobbying involves direct, face-to-face contact and is carried out by various entities, in ...

. In 1965, state

legislation Legislation is the process or result of enrolling, enacting, or promulgating laws by a legislature, parliament, or analogous governing body. Before an item of legislation becomes law it may be known as a bill, and may be broadly referred ...

established the

San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) is a California state commission dedicated to the protection, enhancement and responsible use of the San Francisco Bay. It holds jurisdiction over almost the entirety of the Ba ...

as a

state agency A government agency or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government (bureaucracy) that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, s ...

, which the organization supported. The organization works to protect the wildlife of the Bay Area and quality of the large inland body of water.Sylvia McLaughlin, Save the Bay founder, fights on
Peter Fimrite, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', 31-10-2011, access date 10-01-2012 Save The Bay worked to prevent the destruction of San Bruno Mountain to fill 27 miles (44km) of the San Mateo County shoreline. This work has been noted as the first successful conservation effort in an

urban area An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

. The organization's work led to the creation of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission, which was later used as a blueprint for other government commissions such as the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, California Coastal Commission, and Delta Stewardship Council.

Plastic bag bans

The organization has also pushed for plastic bag bans throughout the entire region. It includes strong support for strengthening the San Francisco plastic bag ban in 2011, which banned all retailers from giving out bags made out of non-biodegradable materials. Save The Bay supported the 2012

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, ban on plastic bags.Attention, shoppers: Get ready to BYOB (bring your own bag) in San Jose stores
Tracy Seipel, ''

San Jose Mercury News ''The Mercury News'' (formerly ''San Jose Mercury News'', often locally known as ''The Merc'') is a morning daily newspaper published in San Jose, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is published by the Bay Area News Group, a subsidia ...

'', 25-12-2011, access date 08-01-2012

References

External links

Save The Bay"Saving San Francisco Bay", essayA history of the organization's efforts
{{Authority control Environmental organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area Organizations based in Oakland, California Organizations established in 1961 San Francisco Bay

History

Plastic bag bans

See also

References

Further reading

External links