An Effective Environmental Champion
by Suzanne Fellenz
When Mike Kerhin moved to Redwood Shores in 2004, he began to walk the nearby Bay Trail. He noticed the tidal estuaries that border the neighborhood teemed with life including a wide array of shorebirds. This led him to appreciate the San Francisco Bay as a regional resource. Who would have guessed that this awareness would launch him as a conservation activist? Let me tell you his story.
Mike was impressed when the Friends of Redwood City, one of the groups fighting the proposed high-rises adjacent to the bay, were able to defeat Measure Q, and he decided to join them in their next campaign, Measure W. The group’s grassroots nature and their sense of citizen empowerment appealed to Mike.
Even though that campaign wasn’t as successful, it led Mike to a meeting of another grassroots organization, the Sierra Club. He soon joined the chapter's Wetlands Conservation Committee, and as a volunteer he organized a celebration of the SF Bay as part of the EPA's American Wetlands Month. The committee received supportive proclamations from both the city of Redwood City and the County of San Mateo. Before long he became the chair of the Wetlands Committee.
By 2013 hydraulic fracturing (AKA fracking) was becoming more of an issue nationally. Seeing the movie Gasland really introduced Mike to the issue. Upon discovering that Santa Clara County had an oil and gas drilling site, Mike asked what could be done to prevent fracking in our own backyards. Answer: form a new committee within the Loma Prieta Chapter. And Mike agreed to be the chair of the fledgling Fracking Action Committee (FAC). Under his leadership the committee has researched the local drilling operation and educated the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors about their findings and concerns. After various delays a formal resolution opposing fracking may soon be passed.
Concurrently Mike has guided the FAC in support of statewide legislation and rallies, and other counties’ campaigns to ban fracking. Their most ambitious project was organizing a Global Frackdown event in Hollister in support of San Benito County’s Measure J (it passed!).
Who knows what new projects Mike will champion? As time allows he’s using his professional knowledge as a videographer to create videos for the chapter's website. In the coming year he and his wife hope to do some backpacking and to explore the Northwest in their Eurovan camper. You can expect that along the way Mike will be staying informed of environmental issues and working as a conservation activist.
Author Bio
Suzanne enjoys working with Mike on the Fracking Action Committee. She’s also active in Singleaires.