Rehabbed and polluted time and again, one of San Francisco's last few natural bodies of water might finally be catching a break. In his Spot.Us piece about the history of Islais Creek, reporter Matt Baume digs into the history of Potrero Hill's watershed, from its origins as a fishing site for Ohlone Indians, to washing away the blood of the Bayview Butchertown slaughterhouses, to its run in the '50s as the sewage and scrap-filled 'Shit Creek.' Rehabilitation began in the '70s but suffered huge setbacks at the hands of Muni, includes thousands of gallons of diesel pollution and a sewage spill that destroyed a third of the Ohlone Park.
Now, in something like an act of contrition (we sure hope), Muni is getting ready to move their busyard from Pier 39 to a spot on the shore of Islais Creek, with help from the Friends of the Creek (who, we're guessing, would've probably preferred some legal recourse, were it available). Muni is tricking out construction of their new busyard with eco-friendly bells and whistles, from bio-fueled construction vehicles to a dust-control program to monitor air-quality. There will of course be bike and pedestrian upgrades, public art, a wildflower meadow (?!), the works. Then again, these are all plans. But maybe there's hope for Islais yet?
· From Wildlife Sanctuary to Toxic Waste and Back [Spot.Us]
· Watershed Moment [the Bold Italic]