With a rare combination of skills as scientist, communicator and facilitator, Andy empowers people to build fact-based solutions to all kinds of real-world environmental problems

SCIENTIFIC
ADVISORY &
COLLABORATIONS

SCIENTIFIC
ADVISORY &
COLLABORATIONS

With a rare combination of skills as scientist, communicator and facilitator, Andy empowers people to build fact-based solutions to all kinds of real-world environmental problems

Collaborations

Scientific research builds knowledge. Scientific collaboration builds relationships. Andy brings people together around important questions, establishing an environment that creates solutions, not arguments.

PROJECTS

Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium
In 2009 a group of state and federal agencies and local nonprofits that work on the natural resources of the Bay Area established the Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium (BAECCC). The Consortium’s work is based on the understanding that (1) healthy ecosystems make the region more resilient to climate change, (2) nature is a valuable component of our economy and quality of life, and (3) restoring ecosystems is a cost-effective strategy for adapting to the impacts of climate change.

The Consortium received a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for its operations, and Andy was selected to serve as BAECCC’s Executive Coordinator in 2011. Under Andy’s leadership BAECCC has established an active and respected forum for collaboration among scientists, natural resource managers, and others interested in the impacts of climate change on the Bay Area.

Among other accomplishments in this role, Andy served as a Lead Author of Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Update. This project, which involved the collaboration of over one hundred regional scientists and other professionals, produced a set of visionary management recommendations for Bay Area shorelines to restore and maintain these vital ecosystems in the face of climate change, including their role in building resilience to sea level rise.

Clean Estuary Partnership
In the late 1990s there was a great deal of disagreement between California’s water quality regulators and the dischargers they regulate, culminating in the appeal of over 20 consecutive water quality permits issued by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Board.

The parties involved in these disputes (sewage treatment plants, oil refineries, County governments) recognized a need to improve their working relationship, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2001 to form the Clean Estuary Partnership. Andy was hired to coordinate this collaboration, which focused on applying science to support water quality planning. He guided this five-year effort to produce numerous scientific documents that formed the basis for regional water quality regulation, while at the same time building a new working relationship among the parties.

Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Work Group
Alameda Creek is the largest stream system draining to San Francisco Bay, and historically supported ocean-going steelhead trout. When these fish were identified in 1996 as threatened pursuant to the Endangered Species Act, there was renewed interest in restoring steelhead to Alameda Creek, and the Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Workgroup was formed in 1999 as a collaborative effort among many parties to pursue steelhead restoration.

Andy served as the lead author of a peer-reviewed scientific assessment in 2000 that concluded suitable habitat exists in the watershed to support steelhead spawning and rearing. He served as the Workgroup’s facilitator until 2010, assisting this diverse group of stakeholders begin the process of restoration. Several barriers to fish migration have been removed, some fish passage facilities have been built and others are being planned, genetic testing of fish has been conducted, and screens installed on a major water diversion. These efforts led to the first recorded spawning of steelhead trout in the Alameda Creek watershed in over 50 years in 2008.

Regional Monitoring Program
In 1993 Andy was hired as the first manager of the Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances in San Francisco Bay. This program, which is still in operation today, provides the State of California with the information it needs to determine the level of pollution in Bay waters. Under Andy’s leadership, this program—the first of its kind in the country—used a collaborative funding and management strategy to address the Bay’s pollution problems. Andy brought together University of California and specialized consulting laboratories with an expert group of field scientists, creating a team that was able to deliver thousands of scientifically credible measurements of Bay water quality.

The information developed and shared by the Regional Monitoring Program has allowed the Bay Area to assess the success of pollution reduction efforts. Andy’s foundational work has allowed the development of a program that continues to support collaborative decisions about how to make the Bay waters as clean and healthy as possible.

State of the Bay Report
Andy served as the project leader for the first ever “State of the Bay report” that evaluates the ecological health of San Francisco Bay.

There is a broad public consensus that protecting the health of San Francisco Bay is important, but how do we know if we’re achieving this worthy goal? After all, “health” is not an objective characteristic that can be measured, but a subjective assessment made by considering available information.

Starting in 2001, Andy worked with our region’s scientists and natural resource managers to develop a system that documents the Bay’s vital signs, in a manner that is scientifically credible and understandable to interested citizens of our region. By understanding “how the Bay is doing,” our community can consider if we are doing enough of the right things to protect the Bay.

Andy used his scientific and management skills over a decade to bring this concept to fruition with the production of The State of the Bay 2011.

Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium
In 2009 a group of state and federal agencies and local nonprofits that work on the natural resources of the Bay Area established the Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium (BAECCC). The Consortium’s work is based on the understanding that (1) healthy ecosystems make the region more resilient to climate change, (2) nature is a valuable component of our economy and quality of life, and (3) restoring ecosystems is a cost-effective strategy for adapting to the impacts of climate change.

The Consortium received a grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation for its operations, and Andy was selected to serve as BAECCC’s Executive Coordinator in 2011. Under Andy’s leadership BAECCC has established an active and respected forum for collaboration among scientists, natural resource managers, and others interested in the impacts of climate change on the Bay Area.

Among other accomplishments in this role, Andy served as a Lead Author of Baylands Ecosystem Habitat Goals Update. This project, which involved the collaboration of over one hundred regional scientists and other professionals, produced a set of visionary management recommendations for Bay Area shorelines to restore and maintain these vital ecosystems in the face of climate change, including their role in building resilience to sea level rise.

Clean Estuary Partnership
In the late 1990s there was a great deal of disagreement between California’s water quality regulators and the dischargers they regulate, culminating in the appeal of over 20 consecutive water quality permits issued by the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Board.

The parties involved in these disputes (sewage treatment plants, oil refineries, County governments) recognized a need to improve their working relationship, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2001 to form the Clean Estuary Partnership. Andy was hired to coordinate this collaboration, which focused on applying science to support water quality planning. He guided this five-year effort to produce numerous scientific documents that formed the basis for regional water quality regulation, while at the same time building a new working relationship among the parties.

Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Work Group
Alameda Creek is the largest stream system draining to San Francisco Bay, and historically supported ocean-going steelhead trout. When these fish were identified in 1996 as threatened pursuant to the Endangered Species Act, there was renewed interest in restoring steelhead to Alameda Creek, and the Alameda Creek Fisheries Restoration Workgroup was formed in 1999 as a collaborative effort among many parties to pursue steelhead restoration.

Andy served as the lead author of a peer-reviewed scientific assessment in 2000 that concluded suitable habitat exists in the watershed to support steelhead spawning and rearing. He served as the Workgroup’s facilitator until 2010, assisting this diverse group of stakeholders begin the process of restoration. Several barriers to fish migration have been removed, some fish passage facilities have been built and others are being planned, genetic testing of fish has been conducted, and screens installed on a major water diversion. These efforts led to the first recorded spawning of steelhead trout in the Alameda Creek watershed in over 50 years in 2008.

Regional Monitoring Program
In 1993 Andy was hired as the first manager of the Regional Monitoring Program for Trace Substances in San Francisco Bay. This program, which is still in operation today, provides the State of California with the information it needs to determine the level of pollution in Bay waters. Under Andy’s leadership, this program—the first of its kind in the country—used a collaborative funding and management strategy to address the Bay’s pollution problems. Andy brought together University of California and specialized consulting laboratories with an expert group of field scientists, creating a team that was able to deliver thousands of scientifically credible measurements of Bay water quality.

The information developed and shared by the Regional Monitoring Program has allowed the Bay Area to assess the success of pollution reduction efforts. Andy’s foundational work has allowed the development of a program that continues to support collaborative decisions about how to make the Bay waters as clean and healthy as possible.

State of the Bay Report
Andy served as the project leader for the first ever “State of the Bay report” that evaluates the ecological health of San Francisco Bay.

There is a broad public consensus that protecting the health of San Francisco Bay is important, but how do we know if we’re achieving this worthy goal? After all, “health” is not an objective characteristic that can be measured, but a subjective assessment made by considering available information.

Starting in 2001, Andy worked with our region’s scientists and natural resource managers to develop a system that documents the Bay’s vital signs, in a manner that is scientifically credible and understandable to interested citizens of our region. By understanding “how the Bay is doing,” our community can consider if we are doing enough of the right things to protect the Bay.

Andy used his scientific and management skills over a decade to bring this concept to fruition with the production of The State of the Bay 2011.

Advisory

CURRENT

The State agency that implements and enforces federal and state clean water laws in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Board oversees all facilities that discharge wastewater into the Bay and its tributaries to protect “beneficial uses” of our aquatic environment, including drinking water, wildlife habitat and recreational opportunities. Serving on the governing board by appointment of California Governor Gavin Newsom

The State Agency that controls land uses at the margin of San Francisco Bay. BCDC guides responsible, protective and productive use of the bay for present and future residents of the Bay Area. Originally founded to stop fill and enhance public access to the shore, the Commission is also leading regional discussions on how to prepare for sea level rise. Serving as a Commissioner representing the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

A nonprofit science advocacy organization based in the United States. Serving on the Board of Directors

PREVIOUS

A collaborative research and design project that brings together local residents, public officials and local, national and international experts to develop innovative solutions to the issues brought on by climate change that our region faces today
An effort to educate and empower young people to take action on climate change
An Emmy-award-winning documentary series on the National Geographic Channel
A religious response to climate change whose goal is to help people of faith recognize and fulfill their responsibility for the stewardship of creation
A regional association of local agencies charged with management of stormwater
Peer Reviewer for these Publications:
“Environmental Science and Technology”

“The Bryologist”

“Aquatic Toxicology”

“Environmental Pollution”

“Marine Environmental Research”

“Environmental Science and Technology”

“The Bryologist”

“Aquatic Toxicology”

“Environmental Pollution”

“Marine Environmental Research”

And these Organizations:
Sarasota Bay Estuary Project

Pacific Ecosystems Branch, U.S. EPA

Department of Biological Sciences, Deakin University, Australia

Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council

Bay Area Council

San Francisco Estuary Institute

Alameda County Public Works Agency