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Sea Level Rise at the Arcata Marsh

“Sea Level Rise: North Unit of the Arcata Marsh,” an exhibition of photographs by Aldaron Laird, is on display through February at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, 569 South G St. in Arcata. Hours are Monday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Waterkeeper Alliance

The international Waterkeeper Alliance connects local Waterkeeper programs to provide a voice for waterways and their communities worldwide. To champion clean water and strong communities, Waterkeeper Alliance advocates for issues common to Waterkeeper programs.

Each Waterkeeper program is an independent organization that reflects the needs of the waterbody and community it represents. The common thread for each Waterkeeper program is a person who serves as the public advocate for that body of water.

Waterkeepers are part investigator, scientist, lawyer, and advocate who represent all the users of the watershed who rely on clean water. All Waterkeepers also have a boat ranging in size from canoes to research vessels, but sometimes a pair of hip boots is more important than a boat. Sometimes a legal brief is more important than either. Each waterbody has its own unique challenges requiring a distinct and well-defined strategy.

Contact Humboldt Waterkeeper

Humboldt Waterkeeper

Mailing Address:

600 F Street, Suite 3 #810

Arcata, CA 95521

Physical Address:

145 G Street, Suite A

Arcata, CA 95521

707.499.3678

Jennifer Kalt, Executive Director

707.499.3678

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Jasmin Segura, Bay Tours Coordinator

707.601.1142

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Sylvia van Royen, GIS and Policy Analyst

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New Humboldt Bay Planning Document Looks to the Future, With Guidelines for Sea Level Rise and Port Development

The first draft of a big update to a 1980s-era Humboldt County planning document was released this week.

The Humboldt Bay Area Plan Update, which sets the policy direction for land use of 21,500 acres in the unincorporated bay area and over 20 miles of coastline, has new modifications aimed at guiding the future of the region through a spread of projected hazards and opportunities.

“Some things have definitely changed in the last 40 years. We’re dealing with climate change, which is resulting in sea level rise and wildfire and other things like that, that weren’t even thought of back in 1983,” said John Ford, director of Humboldt County’s Planning & Building Department.

This draft has added guidelines for addressing hazards like sea level rise and tsunamis, and proposes new policies to set a process for approving offshore wind energy support facilities.

Along with proposed wind turbines to be attached west of Eureka in the ocean, a wind manufacturing and vertical assembly hub is proposed near Samoa, the Humboldt Bay Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Multipurpose Marine Terminal.

A Port Overlay Zone for the proposed heavy lift marine terminal in Humboldt Bay is introduced in this plan, a special designation that would allow for standards to be shifted to accommodate the proposed facilities. Ford noted developers would still need to apply for these projects and there would be an opportunity for community input in the process.

“Rather than trying to do a permit or a variance or something like that, this will create an environment whereby they can just define what they need and the community gets to weigh in on it. Then, the ultimate decision maker there will be the Board of Supervisors,” he said.

There’s also language that excludes any new or expanded oil and gas development from a “coastal dependent industrial facility” (which Ford noted stems from a Coastal Act change).

Keep Reading

Don’t move the seal: Pupping season means young left while mom forages

Experts warn beachgoers not to bother seal pups because it can sever bond with parent

With harbor seal pupping season actively occurring along Humboldt and Del Norte county beaches, marine mammal experts are urging the public to give seal pups plenty of space and avoid intervening when they appear alone on the sand.

Harbor seal pupping is at its peak in Northern California right now, and beachgoers are likely to see harbor seal pups on shore or on nearshore rocks. In an email, Dawn Goley, a Cal Poly Humboldt professor of zoology, said harbor seal mothers routinely leave their pups on shore or on rocks for hours while they forage offshore.

“You may be concerned if you see pups alone on the beach, but that is totally normal! Harbor seal mothers will leave their pups on the shore and forage nearby, sometimes for hours,” said Goley. “They will come back to the exact place the pups were left so it is really important that the pup does not leave the site where it was left!”

Goley said it’s common for pups to be left alone for long stretches and that moving them, even slightly from where they were left by their mother, can sever the bond between mother and pup, leading to abandonment.

“The best way for people to care for harbor seal pups is to keep a safe distance from them (100 yards) and keep dogs away,” said Goley. “Do not remove them from the beach or move them. Again, if they are moved, they may be abandoned by their mothers.”

If you are kayaking in local waters, please maintain a safe distance from harbor seals on nearshore rocks. If the mother can see you standing near the pup, it may prevent her from returning.

If you are concerned about a sick, injured or potentially abandoned marine mammal, please reach out to the North Coast Marine Mammal Center 707-951-4722.

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