Oily Residue

I have read and railed about environmental degradation, but let me tell you: nothing prepares you for how you feel when it happens in your backyard.

The San Francisco Bay is now covered in 58,000 gallons of bunker fuel from a cargo ship that hit the Bay Bridge and busted open on a particularly foggy day.

Of course, it's always foggy in San Francisco. And it was a locally trained pilot navigating the tight waterway. But tell that to the oil-soaked birds making their way to shore because they're no longer capable of warming themselves on the water. If they're not picked up by rescuers and cleaned, they'll starve to death. Many already have.

That's what I was thinking about on my run today as I headed down to take a look at the water (still looking sparkling and blue from afar on this crisp, sunny day) I stood behind the closed gate at Baker beach -- not even runners are allowed in. The beach scene and surfers have been replaced by emergency vehicles and cop cars. The initial slow response from the Coast Guard, the tides pulling the noxious goo out to countless other beaches in Marin, won't be right any time soon.