Environment

Measuring the Health of Mission Bay

By Ed Joyce / Reporter

Published September 4, 2009 at 12:58 PM PDT

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

A group of volunteers will gather information measuring the impact visitors have on the health of Mission Bay this weekend.

Mission Bay is used by millions of people each year for a variety of recreational activities. The area is packed with visitors most holiday weekends.

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Sarah Blakeslee, who is with San Diego Coastkeeper, says the volunteer effort started several years ago as part of the city's "Think Blue" program.

She said the idea is to measure and collect environmental data on the impact that visitors are having on Mission Bay during busy weekends.

Blakeslee says the information may lead to projects that reduce pollution.

"Like structural improvements or anything of that nature that will help reduce the environmental impact of the heavy amounts of traffic that are there," Blakeslee said.

She said the volunteers will be at De Anza Cove, counting people, trash, RVs and the number of boat launches. They'll also ask visitors how much they know about pollution and the effects on the bay.

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Historically areas around Mission Bay have had more beach postings and closures than other beaches in the county because of high bacteria levels.

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Ed Joyce was the environment reporter and afternoon news anchor for KPBS-FM. Before joining KPBS, he worked as an editor/columnist with Copley News Service in San Diego. Ed has an extensive background in newspaper, radio, web and TV journalism. After graduating with a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington in Seattle, Ed began a career in broadcast journalism. His work has included stints in public broadcasting, commercial broadcasting and education -- working as an affiliate professor of communication and reporter at the University of Idaho and Washington State University in Pullman, Wash. During the past 20 years he has worked in radio, TV and print as a news reporter, anchor, writer, editor and producer. Along the way he has won numerous awards for general news reporting, newswriting, feature and issue reporting and breaking news reporting from The Associated Press, The Society of Professional Journalists, San Diego Press Club and other organizations. During the mid-1990s, while working for Oregon Public Broadcasting, he was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio, including a feature report on the memorial service for 14 U.S. Forest Service "hotshots" who died fighting a wildfire in Colorado (the crew was based in a central Oregon town). He’s also filed reports with Marketplace, KQED’s California Report and Climate Watch and with national and regional networks throughout the United States. At KPBS, Ed continues his contributions to National Public Radio and other national and regional news organizations. He has won awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and San Diego Press Club for his environmental reporting at KPBS-FM-TV and for producing and anchoring radio newscasts. In 2007 he was selected a National Press Foundation fellow for Understanding Violent Weather II program. The seminars were held at the National Weather Center in Norman, Okla. In 2008 he spoke at a UC San Diego conference on U.S. National Security as part of the school’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. Ed led a discussion with the 18 foreign government officials and academics about the political debate over climate change. In 2010, Ed was elected to a three-year term on the board of the San Diego Press Club.

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