News

Responding to the Current Oil Spill

The San Francisco Foundation’s Environment Program Officer has been working with numerous environmental partners since the oil spill occurred to gain a clear understanding of the current situation and develop a plan for The San Francisco Foundation’s support for emergency response, long-term restoration, and organizational capacity building efforts.

On November 7th, a container ship’s collision with the San Francisco Bay Bridge caused a major spill of over 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel oil that has spread throughout the San Francisco Bay and is being detected along precious, restored wetland areas such as Richardson Bay, Crissy Field, Heron’s Head, and the East Bay Shoreline. Strong Bay currents swiftly spread the oil, dispersing it past the Golden Gate Bridge and into the ocean. Oiled birds have now been found as far north along the coast as Point Reyes National Seashore, and as far west as the Farallone Islands. Most area beaches and recreational areas remain closed. Many of these beaches are in national parks, which are home to threatened and endangered species like the Western Snowy Plover; and the coastal waters off the mouth of the Golden Gate are national marine sanctuaries.

The total extent of this oil spill has yet to be determined and could have serious long-term consequences for fish, birds, and plant life in and around the Bay.  Bunker oil, one of the dirtiest of fuels, is extremely toxic to marine life, even at very low concentrations; and, in an enclosed area like the Bay, the coastal wetlands are particularly vulnerable. In addition, as this fuel begins to break down, new toxins are released into the environment. Long after rescuers have cleaned and released the last oil-soaked bird, the toxic effects of last week's oil spill will linger in the Bay Area ecosystem. Despite cleanup efforts, much of the 58,000 gallons of spilled bunker fuel will remain at large, poisoning sensitive habitats and infiltrating the food chain. The oil can persist in the sediment for decades and continue to impact plants and wildlife for years to come.

Resources are needed: to rescue and treat impacted animals; train additional volunteers; acquire the necessary supplies and equipment; monitor the extent of the oil damage; continue to assess the situation; provide the public with accurate information; put pressure on public agencies to maximize cleanup efforts and minimize impacts on aquatic ecosystems; advocate for stronger policies to strengthen water quality and protection; and ensure that federal and state agencies respond appropriately to the disaster.

San Francisco Baykeepers have clearly articulated the need for our continued attention to this remarkable ecosystem surrounding us. “This event is a sad wake up call underscoring the Bay's vulnerability. As both a major shipping port and critical wildlife habitat, the Bay is at risk for an even more catastrophic spill. In addition, destruction of the Bay's wetlands and massive diversions of freshwater inflows have compromised the Bay's natural "immune system." The oil spill adds to the load on an already stressed ecosystem. We need to work toward stronger shipping regulations to prevent future spills. And we need to continue working toward the restoration of the Bay's wetlands and freshwater inflows so that the Bay will be better able to protect and heal itself.”

The San Francisco Foundation has developed a multi-pronged approach in response to the oil spill. Read our What's New article to learn more about the Foundation’s efforts. 

What You Can Do

1. Donate to the organizations that are directly responding to the oil spill. Below are the organizations identified and funded through TSFF’s Environment Emergency Funds:

International Bird Rescue and Research Center (IBRRC) has a long history of helping oiled wildlife and was established in 1971 when two tankers collided in the San Francisco Bay spilling 900,000 gallons of oil. Since then the organization has become an expert in the filed of wildlife search, collection, and treatment. It is leading the oiled bird recovery and rehabilitation efforts.

Point Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) has deployed expert staff and set up the processing system for this spill at IBRRC. PRBO is responsible for collecting credible, scientific-recording of oiled birds in order to understand the full affect of the spill and provide legal and defensible information for any future rehabilitation and restoration claims.

Wildcare is a member of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network and is working with them to accept oiled birds for triage care and transport to the cleaning facility at IBRRC. It is also coordinating volunteer transport drivers to transfer birds and to collect much-needed supplies.

Golden Gate Audubon has deployed staff and volunteers across the Bay to document oiled birds or mammals, identify the species and location of birds, photograph birds or marine mammals, and report the information to the Oiled Wildlife Care Network. It is also coordinating efforts to collect needed equipment and supplies for the local rescue agencies.

Richardson Bay Audubon Center and Sanctuary has been tremendously impacted by the oil spill. Staff and volunteers have been working hard since the onset of the spill to address the numerous threats posed to birds and habitat, as well as support and coordinate recovery efforts.

Save the Bay is working to provide the public with the best current information about the oil spill. Staff and volunteers are documenting spill impacts so government wildlife agencies can quantify the extent of damage to the Bay. In addition, they are advising key elected officials and agencies to improve cleanup coordination, spill preparedness and response, and environmental damage assessment.

San Francisco Baykeeper is investigating why initial reports underestimated the size of the spill and why the Coast Guard failed to immediately coordinate its response with the Office of Spill Prevention and Response, the State agency charged with responding to oil spills. It is pressing all agencies participating in the cleanup to work immediately to minimize impacts on aquatic ecosystems and human health in response to this emergency. It is also training and coordinating volunteers. 

2. Join the San Francisco Foundation’s long-term efforts and continued support by providing matching gifts to The San Francisco Foundation Cosco Busan Oil Spill Fund. Our goal is to raise $500,000 for this Fund by January 2008.

• Make an online donation using your credit card.

• Send a check. Checks should be made out to The San Francisco Foundation, with a memo noting "For TSFF Cosco Busan Oil Spill Fund", and can be mailed to The San Francisco Foundation, 225 Bush Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94104

• Donor Advisors at The San Francisco Foundation can make a grant through our online Donor Center. 

3. Get involved and volunteer to assist in emergency efforts or the longer-term restoration of this remarkable resource and express your concerns to policy makers regionally, statewide, and at the federal level by writing to your legislators. 

Volunteers are needed at various levels of the oil spill crisis, and numerous agencies and organizations are continually training more volunteers. Volunteers are not needed to help with the wildlife rehabilitation at this time. Those interested in helping with bird and wildlife rehabilitation efforts are encouraged to check the Oil Wildlife Care Network  for updates. If you are interested in volunteering in other ways, please refer to the websites of the various organizations listed within this news brief.

It is critically important to not participate independently in the clean up and bird rescue and rehabilitation process because the oil is incredibly toxic and dangerous to your health. In addition, the monitoring, rescue, and care of the birds must be done by trained response people in order to gather credible, scientific recording of wildlife and damaged habitats in order to develop accurate information to clean up agencies and establish legally defensible information.  

If you see oiled wildlife, don't approach or pick it up, but call (415) 701-2311 to report it. If you are in San Francisco city limits dial 311. To report an oil spill, call (800) OILS-911. To help track the movement of the spill, call (888) 850-8486. Check the websites of organizations listed for accurate and helpful information.

Environmental Health and Justice Initiative

The Environmental Program is in the process of evaluating the last five years of The San Francisco Foundation's support of the Environmental Health and Justice Initiative (EHJI). We are assessing our overall impact on the environmental health and justice movements in the Bay Area, determining the current and future needs of grantees, identifying and better engaging other funders in this work, and helping develop the future direction of this Initiative. The Foundation plans to complete this evaluation in time for our next round of grantmaking this spring. For more information about the EHJI program, click here.

Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative

A key project of the EHJI, the Bay Area Environmental Health Collaborative (BAEHC) began convening in August 2005 and has participated in monthly working meetings and trainings to build stronger relationships and increase the organizational capacity of each partner to participate in regional campaign development. The BAEHC is currently developing an analysis of key stakeholders and decision makers in the development of regional policies that affect the cumulative health impacts from multiple sources of air pollution. The goal is to develop a strategic and multi-faceted regional campaign to address cumulative health impacts.

What’s New With Our Grantees?

The Bay Area Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative and the Pacific Institute, both of which are funded by the Environment Program, were victorious in their efforts to increase awareness on the community impacts of excessive idling on October 18th, the launch of their "Don't Sit Idle: Day of Action" campaign. Diesel exhaust, which has been declared as a toxic air contaminant produced while idling, is harmful to respiratory health, especially those of children and the elderly. Studies have connected air pollution to asthma, premature death, lung cancer, and other respiratory conditions. Although for the past year a law limiting diesel truck idling to only five minutes has been implemented, it has only been loosely enforced and it exempted sleeping truckers so they could run their heaters or air conditioners at extended periods of time. On October 18, residents of San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, San Leandro, and Sonoma launched the campaign by passing out 8,000 door hangers to educate truck and bus drivers and residents about the impacts of diesel idling. In addition, elected officials and community and labor leaders joined forces at a public hearing and won the support of the California Air Resources Board, who decided to pass a new regulation that states that truck drivers snoozing in sleeper cabs must now turn off their engine or switch to alternative battery power or a non-diesel fueled engine for overnight and long-term idling.