Low-income, minority residents of the Bayview Hunters Point (BVHP)
community in San Francisco, California, face considerable environmental
hazards. There are strong beliefs within the community that BVHP is a
victim of environmental injustice, based on perceived political neglect
concerning potential links between environmental hazards and
disproportionately high rates of cancer and asthma. The Yosemite Watershed
Restoration Project seeks to apply the well-demonstrated benefits of
community-based monitoring to a struggle for environmental justice in
BVHP. Community members participated in a water quality assessment at
Yosemite Slough, gathering a baseline data set to be used as a reference
for watershed restoration and identifying potential pollutant sources and
health hazards that had otherwise been ignored. The effort highlighted key
opportunities for inspiring action among disaffected community members as
well as key obstacles in engaging the broader community. It has laid a
foundation for future efforts that will continue to build the
community's capacity to play an active role in achieving
environmental justice in BVHP.