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Loading...Activist Spotlight: A New City on the San Francisco Bay?
At Care2 we’re all about taking action, so we’re profiling one activist opportunity each week. See what fits your interests.
Project proposal on SF Bay.
Redwood City is the home of Care2, which is why we’re interested in a petition focusing on the city’s Saltworks site. The site could be the victim of the “Cargill 50/50 balanced approach” plan. The plan entails building a new housing community on 50 percent of the San Francisco bay site and restoration of wetland on the other 50 percent. This development project, which threatens to destroy most of what is left of original wetlands, continues to cause debate amongst Bay Area locals.
While some officials feel this project will benefit the community, opponents argue that keeping the site as is would be best for our environment. The land is home to some endangered species and protects locals from flooding. Not to mention the Bay Area thrives off of tourists, many who are often motivated to visit because of the scenic regions. Destroying sites like this take away from the local beauty of the Bay Area.
I recently had the opportunity to ask one opponent of the plan, Laura Burge, about the petition she created:
What motivated you to create this petition?
I thought it would be a good way to get better acquainted with the Care2 site and get the word out about this important issue at the same time. If enough people know about and protest this huge development, it would send a clear message that this is not the kind of thing that people want. We want to protect the environment and not build huge, destructive developments on areas that are ecologically sensitive and vital to the health of our ecosystem.
What are your biggest concerns about this development project?
Aside from the very obvious increase in traffic, it would add pollution and take away another area that could be returned to wetlands. This project would be a huge step backwards, returning us to a time when we focused on filling up the bay, instead of restoring it and helping it thrive. If this development goes through, all the work and legislation that has gone into restoring the bay would seem pointless. We need to concentrate on restoring our environment instead of finding more ways to destroy and build on it.
Is there any additional information you would like Care2 members to know?
Wetlands play a very important part in the ecosystem, from preventing flooding (which we’ll need with projected sea level rise) to supporting the majority of endangered and threatened species in the US. The Cargill/DMB Saltworks Project includes plans to restore part of the new development to wetlands, and use this to claim that the plan is environmentally sound. However, the tiny portion of land they have set aside can’t even offset the pollution that the building and maintenance of this new city would create.
Adding another community to the Bay could cause more harm than good. You can sign this petition to stop the Cargill Saltworks project on the San Francisco Bay.
Read more: 50/50 balanced approach, Cargill, environment & wildlife, redwood city, saltworks site, san francisco bay
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32 comments
+ add your ownsigned......thank-you
It would be a crying shame if they took more of the Bay Area wetlands and built more homes! If you haven't heard lately, people are moving out of the Bay Area because of the high cost of living there. More housing is not needed there...Leave the wetlands alone! I was born in Redwood City and it has already grown too much!
I've signed the petition,. Please, do the same.
Signed.
thanks
I'm interesting that SF will set the suburb on water! I want to live in tropical city on the water!
People have been changing their environment to suit what they think they want for centuries. The north east was denuded of trees for houses and ships, the south for pine tar and turpentine. the Wisconsin area lost so many trees that most people think it was never a forest.
The environmental cost has been paid by their descendants. What will we do for ours?
signed the petition- thank you
The environment must be taken into consideration in matters of human endevors.
Now? just imagine if they did this EVERYWHERE, what they want to do in S.F. There would be any environment left at all... anywhere. Its like its not even part of the equation. People need to start to think in more eco-friendly terms, rather than dollars and cents.
wetlands are a very important part of the environment they have to be stopped in long time interest of mankind
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