A New York newspaper story leads to marriage, a life on the water, and a mission to help the world fall in love with San Francisco Bay.

In 1989, a bored venture capital analyst in a New York skyscraper read a story about a man patrolling San Francisco Bay in search of polluters. She had no idea she would marry him, move onto a boat, and start a podcast with him 30 years later,

In this debut episode of ONCE UPON A BAY, hosts Kate Josephs and Michael Herz share the improbable story of how their lives — and their love — became entwined with San Francisco Bay.

Mike, founder of San Francisco Baykeeper, spent decades defending its waters from polluters and fighting for the wildlife and communities that depend on it. Kate, a lifelong New Englander, had to learn to love the Bay one story at a time. Now, floating together in their aging trawler, they invite listeners to share those stories. From the founding of Baykeeper to whale watching off the Golden Gate, oil spill battles, and a psychedelic pivot that changed everything, this episode sets the stage for a series about history, science, activism, and a deep devotion to place.

🌊 Learn More

• For photos and more information about this episode, go to https://www.onceuponabay.org/post/more-about-episode-1-the-baykeeper-me.
• If you’d like to help protect and celebrate San Francisco Bay, visit onceuponabay.org and click on the button that says “Be a Keeper!"

🌊 Credits

• This episode was produced with the assistance of Sam Anderson and Earthstory Studios.
• Theme music by Zac Bentz.
• "Dummy" by David Fesliyan. Royalty free music from https://www.FesliyanStudios.com. Please DO NOT add this audio content to the Youtube Content ID System. This content is owned by FesliyanStudios.
• “Did you know? (Curiouser and curiouser)” by Fabian Measures is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License at https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Fabian_Measures/Singles_Album/Did_you_know_Curiouser_and_curiouser/.
• Cover art by Level Five Graphics, Inc.