Working with local and regional organizations continues to be critical to the success of the Point Molate Alliance. Brainstorms and strategies spread quickly through the entire community.
An evolution and consolidation of efforts
During the years of struggle for a public park at Point Molate, the Point Molate Alliance (PMA) was not alone. Before PMA, Citizens for a Sustainable Point Molate (CFSPM), the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), the California Native Plant Society, and Blue Frontier provided core volunteers and strategies. As CFSPM grew, it became PMA. The California Native Plant Society was a consistent source of support, motivated by the presence of diverse plant communities and rare plants on the site. CFSPM was originally a project of Blue Frontier. As CFSPM evolved into PMA, that relationship was retained and expanded because Blue Frontier appreciates the key role of the Point Molate watershed and offshore eelgrass beds, not only to San Francisco Bay ecosystems, but to the entire commercial fishing and crabbing industries, and to the oceans beyond.
Purely by accident…advocacy for parkland at Point Molate was timed to join a variety of environmental and progressive movements…
Purely by accident, it happened that advocacy for parkland at Point Molate was timed to join a variety of environmental and progressive movements in Richmond. Richmond grew up around the Chevron refinery, which was founded in 1901 as Pacific Coast Oil. As chronicled by Steve Early in his book, “Refinery Town,” Richmond became an industrial town with high rates of asthma and cancer, as well as shorter life expectancies. In addition to air pollution, the shoreline had toxic sites resulting from dumping of industrial waste by a variety of industries. Richmond was ready for a new set of priorities. This was reflected in the number of organizations dedicated to improving the lives of Richmond residents, and many of these were active advocates for Point Molate as a public park.
Richmond had become an industrial town with high rates of asthma and cancer, as well as shorter life expectancies.
Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) joined the fight with their substantial expertise in founding parks along the East Bay shoreline and provided much-needed legal advice and leadership. Protecting Point Molate involved several major legal efforts. In addition to named individual plaintiffs, several prominent nonprofit environmental organizations joined with PMA in lawsuits to oppose Richmond’s plans for a mega-casino and the city’s subsequent plans for a dense upscale housing development. These included CESP, the Sierra Club (SF Bay and West Contra Costa County chapters), SPRAWLDEF, the North Coast River Alliance, the Golden Gate Audubon Society (now the Golden Gate Bird Alliance), the California Native Plant Society, and the Ocean Awareness Project, Inc. (as Blue Frontier).
Organizations with related interests join with PMA
Additional organizations supported the goal of a public park at Point Molate, including the Richmond Progressive Alliance (RPA), which addresses important issues of discrimination and equity. Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) works to end environmental degradation. The Richmond Shoreline Alliance (RSA) was founded to unify shoreline groups and create a comprehensive plan for the entire 32-mile Richmond shoreline. More recently, the RSA has come to focus on shoreline toxic waste. The Golden Gate Bird Alliance earmarked Birdathon funds for advocacy for Point Molate Park. Baykeeper is a staunch supporter of keeping the Bay’s ecosystems alive. Other important allies are Point Molate Friends, the Wild Oyster Project, Sunflower Alliance, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Association, Movement Rights, the Richmond Outdoor Coalition, Wholly H2O, and Bayquest.
Native American support
Among the local Native Americans, PMA’s efforts to protect the Ohlone shellmounds at Point Molate have been supported by the Confederated Villages of Lisjan Nation (Ohlone), the Richmond Pow Wow, and the American Indian Movement (A.I.M. West, SF Bay, and West Contra Costa Chapters). Scientists such as Dr. Katharyn Boyer of San Francisco State University (an eelgrass specialist) have spoken in support of protecting the ecosystems at Point Molate. Dr. Sylvia Earle, the celebrated marine conservationist, spoke at the Gala Closing of the 2023 Gallery Show, “Point Molate Park Now.” The campaign to create a park at Point Molate has also received favorable coverage from local reporters and news media, such as the San Francisco Chronicle, KQED, Richmondside, and the Richmond Community News, among others. A weekly online series of talks from guest speakers, “Speaking UP for Point Molate,” (posted on YouTube) also served as an effective form of outreach to the community.
Photos Credits: Jack Scheinman
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