1. The Baykeeper & Me

1. The Baykeeper & Me

Once Upon A Bay by Michael Herz & Kate Josephs
S1 · E1
Feb 20, 2026
21:02

Episode notes

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.

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Keywords

San Francisco Bay
environmental stories
maritime history
conservation
Baykeeper
storytelling podcast
California history
ocean
water advocacy

What place this episode is about

Where this episode is made