ConnectingCalifornia.org

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The Bay is Under Assault

3/20/2008

The Bay once again is under assault from inappropriate development -- this time in Redwood City. The residents of Redwood City have a long history of protecting open space and the Bay shoreline. Bair Island, 3,000 acres of former salt ponds that is now being restored to healthy wetland habitat by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, was saved as open space by a vote of the public in 1982.

		The OSV measure would require public approval prior to any development on Redwood City open spaces, parks and baylands

To stop future threats on the Bay and other open space lands in Redwood City, Save The Bay is pleased to be a sponsor of the Open Space Vote Coalition.

The Open Space Vote Coalition is a new partnership of local environmental and Redwood City neighborhood groups, including Friends of Redwood City and Sequoia Audubon Society. The coalition is proposing a Redwood City charter amendment that would require a public vote to approve any development on Redwood City open space, parks and baylands.

Approval of the "Open Space Vote" measure ensures that every Redwood City voter will get to weigh-in on Minnesota-based agribusiness giant Cargill’s plan to develop its 1,433-acre salt pond site in Redwood City.

Visit www.saveSFbay.org/redwoodcity for more information.

Any development on these former Bay wetlands -- an area larger than San Francisco's Golden Gate Park -- would be the largest Bay fill project since Save The Bay was founded and would destroy forever any opportunity to restore these baylands to natural and vital wetland habitat.

To get involved in this effort, including help gathering signatures in Redwood City, please contact:

Stephen Knight at 510-452-9261x 112 or sknight@saveSFbay.org