More About Episode 5: Who Will Keep This Place?
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Episode Highlights
How it Started. Research scientist Michael Herz launched San Francisco Baykeeper in 1989 with a boat, a hotline, and deep anger about the polluted state of the Bay. He based his new organization on the Hudson Riverkeeper and two other keeper organizations then in existence. Herz, whose relentless pursuit of wrongdoers earned him the nickname "Mad Dog," is today the co-host of Once Upon A Bay.
Tools of the Trade. Baykeeper fights polluters using a "triple threat" combination of science, advocacy, and the law. Oh, and a boat. And drones. And community organizing, and volunteers...
Skipper Tales. Long-time volunteer skipper and board member Peter Molnar tells tales of middle finger salutes, trash volleys, and other hazards of patrolling the Bay - but also the importance of those outings and the data gathered from them. He recounts the urgency of taking action in personal terms: fish you can't eat, sewage where you swim, dogs sickened by drinking poisoned puddles.
Victory Countdown. Baykeeper punches above its weight. From oil companies to chemical giants to the U.S. Navy, Baykeeper goes up against institutions with far more resources and often wins. From more than 300 legal and policy victories over 35 years, Executive Director Sejal Choksi-Chugh counts down the Top Ten Baykeeper Victories of All Time. Cheering ensues.
.A Global Movement. Fellow keeper Pete Nichols (Humboldt Baykeeper, Waterkeeper Alliance, Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper) talks of the global keeper movement and recounts his experience helping start a keeper organization in the Garden of Eden.
What's a Keeper, Anyway? Many ideas, many ways of caring for a waterway. Over the course of the episode, “keeper” shifts from a formal title to something more intimate: a decision to love a place enough to take responsibility for it.
Becoming a Keeper. From kayakers and whistleblowers to neighbors who won’t ignore coal dust or algae blooms, the conversation lands on simple, concrete ways ordinary Bay lovers can step into that role and help keep this place.
"Small But Mighty" Official Music Video
Premiered Aug 18, 2023
"Small But Mighty" by RyanNicole is a powerful anthem championing the protection of Bay Area waterways from corporate pollution. Produced in collaboration with UnLearn The World, SF Baykeeper, and Hip Hop For Change, this track is more than just music—it's a call to arms. Dive into a visual journey directed by Marc Stretch, with captivating cinematography by 707 Supply and seamless editing by Marc Stretch & Alex Bello of Pan Marino Productions. Featuring dynamic dancers from Destiny Arts Center, this video is a testament to community strength and the importance of environmental justice.
About Our Guests
Sejal Choksi-Chugh
Sejal Choksi‑Chugh is the Executive Director and Baykeeper of San Francisco Baykeeper, where she leads a high‑impact team of scientists, lawyers, and advocates to protect the Bay and its communities from pollution. A graduate of UC Berkeley School of Law with a specialization in environmental law, she has spent more than two decades taking on everything from agricultural runoff and industrial discharges to sewage overflows and oil spills in the Bay’s 40,000‑square‑mile watershed. Sejal has been recognized with UC Berkeley’s Environmental Leadership Award and Bay Nature’s Local Hero award for her work to make sure Baykeeper never has to choose between its budget and defending the Bay.
Peter Molnar
Peter Molnar is a longtime volunteer skipper, board member, and on‑the‑water storyteller for San Francisco Baykeeper, logging thousands of hours on patrol in the Bay. As a Baykeeper skipper, he has helped investigate illegal dumping, tracked pollution hotspots from the deck of Baykeeper’s patrol boat, and turned those observations into evidence that supports legal and policy action. Off the water, Peter is also a partner in Obsidian Wine Company and co‑founder of the Ocean Genome Atlas Project, bringing his love of bays, coasts, and biodiversity into his work in wine and marine conservation.
Pete Nichols
Pete Nichols is a veteran clean‑water organizer and keeper, and currently serves as Executive Director of Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper in Maine. He co‑founded Humboldt Baykeeper in Northern California, where he served as Baykeeper and Executive Director, and later helped grow Waterkeeper Alliance as its National Director, supporting a global network of hundreds of Waterkeeper groups on six continents. From the marshes of southern Iraq to the coves of New England, Pete has spent more than 20 years helping communities build grassroots campaigns to defend the waterways they call home.
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