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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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To receive occasional email updates and action alerts, send an email to:

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RWE relinquishes North Coast offshore wind lease, part of $1.22B Trump admin deal

On Thursday, renewable energy company RWE announced that it entered into a $1.22 billion agreement with the Trump administration to relinquish its offshore wind leases. RWE is one of two companies, alongside Vineyard Offshore, that hold wind leases off California’s North Coast through its RWE U.S. Offshore subsidiary.

According to a press release published by RWE Thursday morning, the company’s settlement with the U.S. Department of Interior will “resolve claims against the U.S. government and relinquish its offshore wind leases off the coasts of New York, California and Louisiana.”

“RWE U.S. Offshore secured these leases from the U.S. government with a long-term commitment to develop offshore wind capacity in American waters and invested more than $1 billion toward the leases and the development of these projects,” RWE’s release reads. “These leases provided legal rights to develop offshore projects and represented years of planning, investment, and partnership with federal agencies.

“After careful consideration, it was determined there is no path forward to permit these projects in the U.S. for the foreseeable future. The settlement resolves RWE U.S. Offshore’s legal claims and provides $1.22 billion in settlement funds. The company determined that this resolution best serves the interests of its stakeholders and allows it to direct resources toward energy projects that can be advanced with certainty.”

RWE’s press release says that the agreement will allow the company to “redeploy its capital to accelerate value-accretive opportunities that deliver reliable and affordable energy.” That “redeployment” is described as including “$900 million to acquire an indirect 16% stake in the Louisiana LNG Project” — a large-scale natural gas development that has been criticized as a major source of greenhouse gas pollution — and other natural gas projects throughout the U.S.

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‘It’s Unacceptable’: North Coast Water Board Forwards Little River Pollution Case to Attorney General’s Office for Review

A 16-year effort to hold a McKinleyville-area property owner accountable for polluting Little River hit a major turning point today after the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board unanimously voted to refer the case to the state Attorney General’s Office for review. Now the case will play out in the courts.

Since December 2010, state agencies and environmental advocacy groups have sounded the alarm over allegations of unpermitted solid waste disposal and unauthorized grading at the 226-acre property, which is just upstream from Moonstone Beach. Water board staff assert that “poorly managed livestock grazing” and abandoned cow and horse carcasses have contaminated Little River with bacteria, specifically E. coli and fecal coliform, putting beachgoers and threatened salmonid species at risk.

The property, owned by the Vern C. McGaughey Trust, has been the subject of dozens of warning letters and violation notices from the California Coastal Commission, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), state water authorities and various local agencies. Despite numerous attempts to resolve the matter and threats of fines exceeding $6,000 per day, 88-year-old Vern McGaughey has yet to comply.

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All who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting urged the board to approve the resolution and forward the case to the attorney general for review.

Michael van Hattem, a senior environmental scientist with CDFW, described McGaughey’s property as “one of the worst” he’s ever seen for environmental violations. He described “countless solid waste dumps,” including derelict vehicles and RVs, as well as “land and habitat abuse.”

“CDFW recognizes the Little River Watershed as a critically important resource for salmonid recovery,” he said. “Given the ongoing harm to Little River and its floodplain, wetlands, sensitive species, habitats, tributaries, and the responsible party’s refusal to comply with the cleanup order, judicial enforcement of the water code is the most appropriate and efficient option [for enforcement]. CDFW and our … partners fully support fixing the issues in Little River once and for all, and that starts with the McGaughey property.”

Several other speakers, including Jen Kalt, executive director of the Humboldt Waterkeeper, raised concern about the presence of fecal bacteria in Little River and the potential for people to get sick from accidentally ingesting the water.

“We’ve received numerous complaints from people who have children who experience explosive diarrhea and vomiting after playing in the river or after rinsing off their wetsuits in the river,” she said. “As you heard, Little River also supports spawning coho and other protected species. It’s a really important watershed … and it could be a really incredible place if it could be cleaned up and restored. … The Little River doesn’t belong to any individual landowner; it belongs to all of us.”

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After some additional conversation, the board voted unanimously to approve the resolution and forward the case to the attorney general for review. The document can be read in full at this link.

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