Just when you thought it was safe...

You can't say a day goes by without our appreciation of what we have here. Had.

This evening I read, "A preliminary investigation found human error caused a cargo ship to crash into the Bay Bridge, leading to San Francisco Bay's worst oil spill in nearly two decades, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday as rescue teams raced to save hundreds of seabirds."


News flash.

The oil that was spilled into the water at The Bay Bridge is particularly heavy, and quite toxic. While according to most reports, 58,000 gallons of bunker oil reprents 'a small spill', tell that to sea birds, local schools of dolphin, fish and the ecosystem at the bottom of the bay.



The stench of the shoreline is flamable. Our Baker Beach and a number of others are closed while contaminated sand and rocks are meticulously bagged up. I wonder how long it will be. By some estimates it may take weeks to months or longer to make these areas safe again.

One bright spot in all of this: the thousands of bay area residents who have been jamming the phone lines to volunteer. If one thing can be said of San Franciscans, they will turn out to help and will keep turning out as long as it takes.