One third of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge is closed to the public after a tide gate and the adjacent levee were found to need urgent repairs. The Salmon Creek Unit, including a visitor center and the Shorebird loop trail, were closed in mid-July after staff found the overflow infrastructure was deteriorating.“Having people walking on a trail that’s being undermined, that’s pretty dangerous,” said Cashell Villa, the refuge manager.The Shorebird loop trail is on the levee itself, which protects the Richard J. Guadagno Visitor Center and the refuge’s headquarters from tidal water. A news release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says both the levee and the Long Pond tide gate need urgent repairs until they can be replaced.During an extreme high tide event, the trail and refuge buildings could be inundated with water, according to the release.Villa said more water was observed coming from pipes, showing that deterioration was happening between the levee and Humboldt Bay. The unit was fully closed to the public July 21, and the trail was closed a few days earlier once the water was noticed.When the area will be reopened to the public is yet to be determined.The rest of the refuge is open, including the Hookton Slough and Ma-le’l Dunes units. The refuge’s website, www.fws.gov/refuge/humboldt-bay is being updated with closure information.Read More
