TS - In Keeping With the Bay

Geez! It all sounds so benign. But what is really being described here is one litigious group spawning another. Using proceeds from one lawsuit to form another group poised to sue again, and again, and again. They make money just by THREATENING to sue... why rob the casino when you can just write yourself a big fat paycheck for life this way?

Humboldt Baykeeper in the News
In Keeping With the Bay
John Driscoll The Times-Standard
12/25/04

EUREKA -- A new environmental mission hatched out of the conflict over a liquefied natural gas terminal proposal last year is taking shape in the form of a Humboldt Bay citizens patrol and pollution monitoring effort.

Dubbing itself Humboldt Baykeepers, the new nonprofit is part of a larger network called the Waterkeeper Alliance, which is a host to 125 programs around the country. The San Francisco Baykeepers are also part of that network.

Humboldt Baykeepers Program Director Pete Nichols said as development pressure around the bay increases, so will the attention on the bay. That, he said, was seen when the Calpine Corp. proposed to build an LNG plant on the Samoa Peninsula. Opposition prompted Calpine to seek another site.

Part of the Baykeepers' mission will be to monitor the bay for signs of pollutants and perform extensive testing to detect them. The California Department of Fish and Game has pointed out more than 100 contaminated properties along the bay.

"I think there are some existing risks," Nichols said. "It's going to take some focus to deal with it."

The program is funded by the Santa Monica-based Environment Now, created in 1989 to protect the state's coast and forests, and reduce air pollution and sprawl, according to its literature. It has supported litigation aimed at improving environmental planning for the Port of Los Angeles.

Humboldt Baykeepers also comes under the umbrella of the Ecological Rights Foundation, which last year settled a federal lawsuit against Sierra Pacific Industries over chemical pollution to the Mad River Slough and Humboldt Bay. The Humboldt County District Attorney's Office filed a twin suit, and Sierra Pacific agreed to pay the foundation and the people a total of $1.5 million to settle the suits.

Fred Evanson, a board member of the foundation, is also volunteering his time with the Baykeepers, which he helped forge.

The San Francisco Baykeepers have had similar successes. In 2002, the Dow Chemical Co. agreed to pay the Baykeepers $3 million to settle a water pollution suit.

The Garberville-based foundation also bought the Baykeepers' new 25-foot Boston Whaler, which it intends to use as a patrol boat in the bay and along the coast from the Eel River to Trinidad.

Evanson believes that a watchdog presence on the bay may act as a deterrent against polluters.

The boat -- docked at the Eureka Public Marina -- is a requirement of most Waterkeeper Alliances organizations. Nichols said the California Coastal Commission and Coastal Conservancy are both interested in having a well-catalogued water sampling program.

The Baykeepers can help fill in gaps with testing, especially testing for toxics, Evanson said.

"No one has a cohesive monitoring program for toxics," Evanson said.

With new development, it becomes more and more important to ensure the bay stays healthy and supports a viable fishing community, Nichols said.

"We're not acting like we're here to save the day," Nichols said. "We're acting like another piece in the puzzle."

Nichols said lots of people have shown interest in volunteering for the program, and he wants to grow the organization from a few dozen members to thousands.

The Baykeepers have an office in Old Town at 424 First St. Suite G and can be reached by phone at 707-268-0664 or by e-mail.

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Source: humboldtbaykeeper.org
http://www.humboldtbaykeeper.org/pressp1.htm