Once Upon A Bay
Claim This Podcastby Michael Herz & Kate Josephs
Podcast Overview
<p>Michael Herz founded Baykeeper and spent decades defending the health of San Francisco Bay. His wife Kate fell in love with it from 3,000 miles away — through his stories. Now they live on a trawler in San Pablo Bay and are sharing that trove with the world.</p><p>Shipwrecks. Whale migrations. Hippies, fish tales, courtroom battles, and secret CIA vessels. ONCE UPON A BAY explores the natural and human history of one of the most extraordinary bodies of water on earth... and the people fighting to protect it.</p><p></p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
2/20/2026
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Recent Episodes
June 10, 2026
6. The Last Place Like This
<p>Hidden behind Chevron's tank farm and built on the bones of condemned ships, Point San Pablo Harbor feels like a place that shouldn't exist. In this episode, we explore the history, characters, and unlikely revival of one of the last truly eccentric waterfront communities on San Francisco Bay. From its haunted breakwater to John Wayne, fishermen, resourceful holdouts, and occasional outlaws, this is the story of a place that survived by refusing to give up its soul.</p><p></p><p>Featuring Rob Fyfe, Daryl Henline, Yaella Frankel, Venus Rose, Ross Kaplan, Bob Beard, Kathleen Clancy, Bob Keller, Sue Rosenof, Peter Thelin, Michael Herz, and others.</p><p></p><p><strong>Credits:</strong></p><ul><li>Hosted by Kate Josephs and Michael Herz</li><li>Voice work by Ted McDonald</li><li>Theme music by Zac Bentz</li><li>Additional music from the Museum of Classic Chicago Television; closing song "Red Rose Saloon" by Unbeschirmt at Pixabay, Creative Commons license 1.0. </li><li>Cover art by Level Five Graphics, Inc.</li></ul><p></p><p>For photos, maps, and additional notes, visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://onceuponabay.org">onceuponabay.org</a>.</p>
April 22, 2026
5. Who Will Keep This Place?
<p>A small team takes on big polluters and wins. In this episode, the story of San Francisco Baykeeper, from its scrappy beginnings to a formidable force defending the Bay. Along the way, a deeper question emerges: What does it mean to be a keeper?</p><p>It started with a guy they called Mad Dog…</p><p>Back when San Francisco Bay was being treated like a dumping ground, one man decided to go out on the water and start paying attention. As Baykeeper, he chased down polluters, pushed reluctant agencies, and made enough noise that people had to listen.</p><p>Today, San Francisco Baykeeper fields a team of scientists, lawyers, and advocates with the same fierce energy of those early days. They take on powerful adversaries like oil companies, chemical giants, even the U.S. Navy and win victories for the Bay.</p><p>But along the way, a bigger idea has taken shape. What is a keeper, exactly? Is it a job title… or a choice? In this episode, we follow Baykeeper’s evolution from lone watchdog to elite action team, and meet the volunteers, neighbors, kayakers, and hip hop artists who show what it means to speak up for a place that can’t speak for itself.</p><p><strong>In this episode you’ll hear selections from ‘Small But Mighty,’ a music video produced in collaboration with RyanNicole, Hip Hop for Change, Destiny Arts, and San Francisco Baykeeper. The song is used with Baykeeper’s blessing as part of our shared love for the San Francisco Bay and the communities fighting for it.</strong></p><p>Sign up to receive updates: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://once-upon-a-bay.kit.com/01c971c878">https://once-upon-a-bay.kit.com/01c971c878</a>.</p><p></p><p>🌊 <strong>Learn More</strong></p><ul><li>To see images and other information about this episode, go to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.onceuponabay.org/post/more-about-episode-5-who-will-keep-this-place">https://www.onceuponabay.org/post/more-about-episode-5-who-will-keep-this-place</a>.</li><li>Read about San Francisco Baykeeper at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://baykeeper.org/">https://baykeeper.org/</a>.</li><li>Read about Penobscot Bay Waterkeeper at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.penbaywaterkeeper.org/">https://www.penbaywaterkeeper.org/</a>.</li><li>If you’d like to help protect and celebrate San Francisco Bay, visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://onceuponabay.org"><strong>onceuponabay.org</strong></a> and click the button that says “Be a Keeper!"</li></ul><p></p><p>🌊 <strong>Credits</strong></p><ul><li><strong>"Small But Mighty” is excerpted from a music video produced in collaboration with RyanNicole, Hip Hop for Change, Destiny Arts, and San Francisco Baykeeper. It is used in this episode under a perpetual, worldwide, royalty‑free license granted to San Francisco Baykeeper for Baykeeper‑related programs and promotions.</strong> The official music video link is <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tQf89bhrg4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tQf89bhrg4</a>.</li><li>Archival sound courtesy of “Bay Area Backroads” and San Francisco Baykeeper.</li><li>Cover art by Level Five Graphics, Inc.</li><li>Thank you to Point San Pablo Harbor for giving us safe haven.</li></ul>
April 4, 2026
4. Geeking Out at the Bay Model
<p>A love letter to a giant analog computer made of concrete, copper, and tidewater.</p><p></p><p>Mike and Kate spend a day inside the San Francisco Bay Model, an enormous mid‑century scale model in Sausalito that once tested radical plans to dam, pave over, and reroute the Bay. Guided by long‑time Park Ranger Linda Holm of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, they trace how this 1.5‑acre, hand‑sculpted “water computer” helped sink the Reber Plan, shaped debates over the Peripheral Canal, and continues to inform navigation, oil‑spill response, and sediment management today.</p><p></p><p>As they lose their way among waist‑high concrete channels, toy bridges, and signposts, they clock tide cycles that run 100 times faster than nature and tally up “points” in a long-standing argument. Kate is an engineering fangirl, while Mike brings a healthy dose of environmental skepticism, sparking a lively back-and-forth about the promises and pitfalls of trying to “fix” nature with infrastructure.</p><p></p><p>Sign up to receive updates: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://once-upon-a-bay.kit.com/01c971c878">https://once-upon-a-bay.kit.com/01c971c878</a>.</p><p></p><p>🌊 <strong>Learn More</strong></p><ul><li>To see images and other information about this episode, go to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.onceuponabay.org/post/more-about-episode-4-geeking-out-at-the-bay-model">https://www.onceuponabay.org/post/more-about-episode-4-geeking-out-at-the-bay-model</a>.</li><li>For visitor info and hours at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bay Model Visitor Center (Sausalito, CA) – go to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Bay-Model-Visitor-Center/">https://www.spn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Recreation/Bay-Model-Visitor-Center/</a>.</li><li>If you’d like to help protect and celebrate San Francisco Bay, visit <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://onceuponabay.org"><strong>onceuponabay.org</strong></a> and click the button that says “Be a Keeper!"</li></ul><p></p><p>🌊 <strong>Credits</strong></p><ul><li>Theme music by Zac Bentz.</li><li>Voice work by Ted McDonald.</li><li>“Heaven is Free” by Kevin MacLeod is licensed by Kelvin Ruijters t/as Frequency under an<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0"> Attribution 4.0 International License</a>.</li><li>“Smooth Rumble” by David Renda is royalty free music from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.FesliyanStudios.com">https://www.FesliyanStudios.com</a>. Please DO NOT add this audio content to the Youtube Content ID System. This content is owned by FesliyanStudios.</li><li>Cover art by Level Five Graphics, Inc.</li><li>Thank you to Point San Pablo Harbor for giving us safe haven!</li></ul>
6 total episodes available
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- What is Once Upon A Bay?
<p>Michael Herz founded Baykeeper and spent decades defending the health of San Francisco Bay. His wife Kate fell in love with it from 3,000 miles away — through his stories. Now they live on a trawler in San Pablo Bay and are sharing that trove with the world.</p><p>Shipwrecks. Whale migrations. Hippies, fish tales, courtroom battles, and secret CIA vessels. ONCE UPON A BAY explores the natural and human history of one of the most extraordinary bodies of water on earth... and the people fighting to protect it.</p><p></p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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