San Francisco Baykeeper. San Francisco Baykeeper is a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization that uses science and the law to protect, preserve, and enhance the health of the ecosystems and communities that depend upon the San Francisco Bay, the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary, and its watershed. SF Baykeeper is the only organization, governmental or non-profit, that regularly patrols the Bay by boat and drone to document sources of pollution. 

The San Francisco Bay watershed—in addition to its recreational value and the biological diversity it supports—provides drinking water for more than 23 million people, and is vital to California's economy. Beginning in the high reaches of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains, the Bay-Delta watershed encompasses the entirety of the Bay Area as well as the Great Central Valley of California. This vast watershed includes virtually all of the state's remaining coastal wetlands, and provides rare and fragile habitat for marine mammals, migrating birds, and California's few remaining endangered salmon runs.

Baykeeper was founded in 1989 by research scientist Dr. Michael Herz, on the principle that California's waterways are common property, owned by all who use and enjoy them. Baykeeper works to rehabilitate natural environments and promote new strategies and policies to protect the water quality of the Bay-Delta Estuary. 

Baykeeper and its Deltakeeper project operate both in the San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. It was the fourth "Waterkeeper" organization in the nation and the first on the West Coast of the United States. The organization withdrew from the Waterkeeper Alliance in 2022 over jurisdictional issues.

Refernces

External links
 San Francisco Baykeeper
 Baykeeper in the news
 Rogers, Paul (January 22, 2024) “Raw sewage in South Bay creeks; Sunnyvale and Mountain View argue the Clean Water Act does not apply to them San Jose Mercury News
 Alexander, Kurtis (October 23, 2023) "A historic California species is in imminent danger of extinction. A huge effort just launched to save it San Francisco Chronicle
Duggan, Tara (August 1, 2023) "SF Bay's toxic bloom is suddenly back—how bad will it get? San Francisco Chronicle
 Kim, Victoria (January 14, 2023) "" Millions of gallons of untreated storm water and sewage are being released in Northern California. New York Times
 McClurgh, Lesley (January 14, 2023) "" Storms in the Bay Area have unleashed millions of gallons of sewage water National Public Radio
 Albeck-Ripka, Livia (August 30, 2022) "Toxic Red Tide Kills ‘Uncountable’ Numbers of Fish in the Bay Area" New York Times
 Handa, Robert (April 23, 2021). " Redwood City Salt Ponds Likely Safe From Development – at Least for Now" NBC Bay Area.
 Meadows, Robin (June 1, 2017). "Mothball Fleet Update: The Long Goodbye to Suisun Bay's Derelict Ships." Bay Area Monitor.
 Cuff, Denis.  (February 1, 2017). "State Sued over Sand Mining in the Bay."  East Bay Times.
 Loftus-Farren, Zoe. (October 11, 2016). "Can California Finally Ditch Single-Use Plastic Bags?" Earth Island Journal.
 Visser, Nick.  (June 28, 2016). "Oakland Votes to Ban Coal Shipments, Could End Export Plans."  Huffington Post.
 Curry, Arwen. (November 5, 2015.) "Mercury In San Francisco Bay." KQED Quest.
 (June 29, 2015). "Neighbor Wasting Water?  Here's How to Get them Conserving Without #DroughtShaming." CBS.
 Brown, Kristin. (February 13, 2015). "Google Camera Helps Capture Bay's Rising Sea Level." San Francisco Chronicle.
 Kamiya, Gary. (March 20, 2014). "History Written in Water." San Francisco Magazine.
 Prado, Mark. ((May 24, 2013). "Bay Area Beaches Get Top Marks for Water Quality Report in Spring and Summer." Marin Independent Journal.
 Fimrite, Peter. (September 19, 2011). "$44 Million settles Cosco Busan Oil Spill in San Francisco Bay." San Francisco Chronicle.
 Scott, Julia (May 24, 2011). "Baykeeper makes legal headway against West Bay Sanitary District." Mercury News. 
 Nelson, Gabriel. (February 23, 2010). "Supreme Court Denies 3 High-Profile Environmental Cases" keeping intact Clean Water Act Protections. New York Times. 
 Gemmet, Andrea (December 11, 2009). "West Bay Sanitary Sued Over Sewage Spills." The Almanac.
 

Environmental organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Non-profit organizations based in San Francisco
Environment of the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay