On Thursday, Humboldt County’s Lanphere and Ma-le’l Dunes in Manila became one of the dozens of sites in the state to be awarded a National Natural Landmark designation.The Lanphere and Ma-le’l Dunes stretch across 1.25 miles of coastline, featuring lush plant life, swamps, and as the dedication ceremony’s attendees quickly discovered, a vibrant mosquito population. They are the most pristine coastal dunes in the Pacific Northwest, said Bureau of Land Management assistant field manager Jennifer Wheeler, who spoke at the dedication ceremony.“Through leadership and strong partnerships, thousands of people including many of you here today have come together in service to this unique coastal landscape,” Wheeler said. “Collectively, we’ve protected cultural resources, restored native plant communities, habitat for native pollinators and other wildlife, restored physical and ecological dune processes and provided a window into an ancient natural landscape, and we’ve done it while providing for compatible public use and recreation, serving the needs and well being of individuals and families at the local, national and even global community level.”Read More
