Save San Francisco Bay Association

Save San Francisco Bay Association changed its name to Save the Bay.

Organizational History

The Save San Francisco Bay Association, also known as Save the Bay, was founded by Esther Gulick, Katherine Kerr, and Sylvia McLaughlin in 1961. The three East Bay residents were concerned about discussions to fill in the Bay (effectively turning it into a river) in order to gain more land for population growth. The Association was founded to "protect open water, improve recreation opportunities, support wildlife conservation, beautify the shoreline, and promote resource planning." The group mobilized thousands of members to stop bay fill and in 1965 won a legislative moratorium against placing fill in the Bay, the McAteer-Petris Act.

The Act also established the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) to plan protection of the Bay, regulate shoreline development, and ensure public access. BCDC was made a permanent regulatory agency in 1969 and continues to regulate bayshore development today (2006).

Save the Bay continues to monitor civic agencies to insure that they serve the public interests in maintaining San Francisco Bay as a natural resource. The Association also serves as a source of information and education regarding the Bay. Through monthly newsletters, special reports, public forums and conferences, the Association provides up-to-date news on legislation, commercial development, and legal issues surrounding the Bay. Save the Bay also provides an arena for public participation in decisions affecting Bay management and conservation.

The Association has initiated numerous legal actions against corporations and the legislature to prevent excessive bay fill, protect wildlife, and improve water quality and recreational access. The Association has often engaged in such legal action in cooperation with other environmental organizations such as the Sierra Club.

More information on the Association, its purpose, and history, can be found on its website (http://www.savesfbay.org).