Caltrans’ emergency effort to stabilize the southbound Eureka Slough Bridge drew scrutiny last week as the California Coastal Commission reviewed the agency’s request for additional emergency authorization and heard concerns about wildlife disturbance near the construction zone.Shana Gray, North Coast District Deputy Director, reported to the Coastal Commission that deteriorated piles discovered during an April inspection prompted immediate safety measures, including shifting southbound Highway 101 traffic, installing monitoring devices, and beginning construction of a temporary work trestle spanning the slough.“The situation is active and still evolving,” Gray said. “Caltrans is in active communication with the National Marine Fisheries Service and Commission staff on these protective measures for seals, including the need for additional avoidance and minimization measures. Staff are working closely with Caltrans on this emergency situation, and we plan to report any further emergency actions to the Commission and the public.”In‑water work and pile driving began on July 7 after Caltrans declared the need for significant structural repairs, including repairs to compromised footings. A second emergency permit has not yet been authorized, and staff said they are still evaluating whether the proposed work is the minimum necessary to address the hazard.Environmental groups urged the commission to strengthen monitoring requirements for harbor seals that haul out near the mouth of the slough. Jennifer Savage of the Surfrider Foundation raised concerns about potential negative impacts on seals and other wildlife in the construction area.“We understand the emergency that there are deteriorated bridge piles requiring immediate safety action, but we do share the concerns that Humboldt Waterkeeper raised. I live a few miles from this bridge. I kayak near that slough. I walk my dog on the adjacent trail, so I know the area really well,” said Savage. “I appreciate staff’s update on the plans, as was just reported. I still want to highlight that two harbor seal haulouts sit within one kilometer of the work site in the Eureka Slough.”Savage shared recent pictures of the seals sitting on the shore of the slough and noted the work coincides with the molting period, when seals rely heavily on undisturbed haulouts.“The pile driving, the core drilling, the heavy machinery — it all generates acoustic and seismic disturbance that travels quickly underwater,” she said. And this work coincides with the start of the harbor seals’ molting period, when sight-faithful animals most depend on undisturbed haulout time.”Jen Kalt of Humboldt Waterkeeper raised concerns about repeated water flushes, which can increase stress and the risk of infection.“We understand the emergency nature of this situation; it’s been very concerning because the harbor seals, as we mentioned in our public comments, are in the very sensitive molting period, where if they get disturbed, they need to go back into the water continuously or frequently, more frequently than they should, which risks infection,” said Kalt. “The draft environmental impact report for this project, the actual bridge replacement project, includes a marine mammal protection plan and hydroacoustic monitoring plan to prevent level B harassment, which is changes in behavior. Caltrans seems to rely on seals moving to unaffected, suitable habitat in the bay, which, in itself, is level B harassment. So, just expecting the seals to relocate to get away from the noise — that is harassment and is really concerning.”Kalt mentioned pile driving has already begun under an emergency permit the Coastal Commission has not yet reviewed, and urged commissioners to closely examine Caltrans’ hydroacoustic and marine mammal protection plans to ensure impacts to nearby harbor seal haulouts are minimized.Cal Poly Humboldt Marine Biologist Dawn Goley urged the commission to require detailed hydroacoustic monitoring and real‑time reporting.“Harbor seals have high site fidelity and are among the most sensitive marine mammals to human disturbance,” said Goley. “They can’t simply relocate to another haulout because those sites are already occupied.”Goley questioned whether Caltrans has provided the required hydroacoustic monitoring plan to federal regulators and asked how the plan addresses marine mammals’ sensitivities to sound. The speaker said real‑time monitoring, clear reporting protocols and sound‑attenuation systems are critical as construction continues under an emergency permit.“These questions need to be urgently addressed to avoid disturbance and potential abandonment of important habitat for federally protected marine mammals,” said Goley.Caltrans spokesperson Myles Cochrane said trestle construction is underway along Highway 101 near Target to give contractor Myers and Sons access to stabilize one of the southbound bridge’s piers. The work, which includes installing new steel piling, is expected to continue through October. He said the agency is balancing structural repairs with environmental protections, noting that crews are maintaining traffic flow while conducting hydroacoustic monitoring, marine mammal surveys, and enforcing shutdown zones during in‑water pile work.“One of the main challenges in all this is keeping this work going in a sensitive environment while maintaining traffic flow along the busiest stretch of state highway in Humboldt County,” said Cochrane. “During in-water pile work, Caltrans is conducting hydroacoustic and marine mammal monitoring and maintaining a shutdown zone to minimize potential disturbance to harbor seals and other marine mammals.”Cochrane said the bridge remains open and safe for travel, with southbound lanes shifted slightly to accommodate construction.“Crews are doing a great job keeping traffic moving as the lanes on the southbound bridge are shifted over a bit. 101 in Eureka is open and safe for travel,” said Cochrane. “We appreciate the public’s patience and encourage drivers to slow down, stay alert, and cruise safely through the cone zone while this job goes on.”A segment of the Eureka Waterfront Trail beneath the bridge remains closed through mid‑October due to trestle construction. Commission staff said they will report back at the next hearing once the full scope of emergency work is understood.Read Original Article
California has lost roughly 60% of its coastal dunes since the mid‑1800s, according to a newly published statewide analysis that used historical maps, aerial photography, and LiDAR to track dune change over time titled “Significant Coastal Dune Loss Challenges California’s Climate Resilience and Biodiversity Goals.” Researchers found that more than 440 square kilometers of dunes have disappeared, largely replaced by roads, neighborhoods, and other development. Remaining dunes are increasingly fragmented, reducing habitat quality for species that depend on open sand, including the western snowy plover and least tern.Along the North Coast, those pressures are visible today as steep sand scarps form along Samoa and other beaches, carved by powerful winter waves and long‑term erosion. Danny O’Shea, who recently retired after 10 years as a lecturer in the oceanography department at Cal Poly Humboldt, said the sharp cliffs now lining parts of the shoreline are a direct result of seasonal storm energy.“That’s caused by winter storm wave erosion,” O’Shea said. “It’s got nothing to do with the beach grass or anything else. Everything to do with the storm wave erosion.”Humboldt County’s dunes, including the Lanphere, Samoa, and Ma‑le’l complexes, are among the largest intact systems left in the state. They exist only where three conditions align: a low‑lying coastline, steady onshore winds, and a reliable sediment supply from the Eel and Mad rivers. O’Shea said those factors make the region’s dunes both dynamic and ecologically significant.“These are large, dynamic dune fields,” he said. “They’re constantly responding to wind, waves, and sediment movement.”Suzie Fortner, executive director of Friends of the Dunes, said Humboldt County’s coastline contains roughly 30 miles of dunes. The region has experienced far less dune loss than other parts of the state, she said, making its conservation value especially significant.“We have one of the largest intact dune systems on the California coast,” said Fortner. “And our dunes here in Humboldt County are even more unique because our vegetation type is much different than other dunes in California.”“What recent research has found is that a restored dune system is more resilient to these erosional events. It doesn’t mean that erosion doesn’t happen. Erosion is going to happen no matter the type of vegetation we have,” said Fortner. “But when we have native plants dominating the foredune rather than the invasive beach grass, that foredune can recover more quickly from the erosional events. Sometimes two years faster than a dune dominated by European beach grass, and that allows sand to re-enter the system and replenish the dune system, which is what we want to see. Our restored dunes are filled with diverse vegetation. They’re blooming, full of pollinators; it’s not a bare landscape.”Read Original Article
One hundred and fifty gray whales have washed up dead on the West Coast this year, with an unusually high number of strandings taking place in the Pacific Northwest, federal scientists report.According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s most recent data, 11 of the stranded gray whales have washed up in Oregon and 30 in Washington.This year’s West Coast stranding total has already surpassed the records from 2021-24, though it still remains below last year’s 179 reported strandings and the 216 recorded in 2019, according to NOAA data.While this year’s stranding numbers are high, scientists aren’t stumped by the cause of the deaths.The organization’s officials say this year’s elevated deaths appear to stem from the same food-supply issues, due to changes in Arctic conditions where gray whales typically feed, that have plagued the species since 2019.The whales that have washed ashore continue to primarily appear malnourished and emaciated, according to Michael Milstein, a NOAA spokesperson.“We certainly recognize the strandings continue to be elevated in number, and we are watching that carefully,” Milstein said. “We’re continuing the counts every year to keep as close track as we can to be able to detect if something new is at play.”Keep Reading
Northern California’s kelp forests have been in steep decline, with an estimated 95% loss of canopy since 2014. NASA and USGS Landsat analysis shows Northern California’s kelp canopies’ rapid decline was driven by a marine heatwave, El Niño conditions, and the loss of sunflower sea stars to wasting disease. With the region’s primary urchin predator gone, purple urchins surged across the seafloor and converted once‑productive kelp forests into persistent urchin barrens.The disappearance of sunflower sea stars caused the ecosystem’s resilience to plummet, leaving little capacity for kelp to recover under current ocean conditions. Along the Klamath River shoreline, the Yurok Tribe’s marine program is documenting the same pattern NASA identified offshore. Unlike the towering bull kelp farther south, benthic kelp, which grows as a thin, fuzzy layer on rocks, has also been threatened.“The benthic kelp is in threat of decline because the system’s out of balance with no top‑level predators anymore,” said McKernan. “Sea otters and sunflower sea stars kept purple urchins in check, and without them, urchins have wiped out large kelp forests.”The Yurok Tribe relies on several species of kelp for food, cultural materials, and regalia. Benthic kelp supports abalone, a culturally important species used for both subsistence and ceremonial dress. The loss of kelp also affects rockfish, crabs, and other nearshore species that depend on kelp for shelter and feeding.“The tribe uses kelp directly…there are several different species of kelp that are harvested and used directly as food. Also, that kelp feeds an ecosystem that’s important to other culturally important species, both for food and for regalia, those primarily being abalone,” said McKernan. “Abalone depend on benthic kelp for food, and abalone is an important food source, as well as cultural material for regalia. In tribal regalia, both jewelry, as well as dresses, and other parts of their cultural ceremonies, and then everything else that the kelp supports is also impacted.”Kelp loss varies along the North Coast, with larger kelp beds historically found near Trinidad and Crescent City. Recent monitoring has documented that benthic kelp has been grazed down north of the Klamath River, raising concerns for tribal harvesters and marine programs working to track changes along the coastline.“Down in the Sonoma-Mendocino coast, the tribes down there, the Pomo and others, have uses of bull kelp, as well as Tolowa up in Del Norte County, as well as Yurok, but kind of more localized around, the Klamath River, and any tide pools between, Trinidad and Crescent City, a lot of those areas, the rocky kelp, is the more commonly used,” said Kevin McKernan with the Yurok Tribe.Scientists say community awareness of benthic kelp loss remains low despite the scale of the ecological shift. The absence of sea otters for more than a century and the recent collapse of sunflower sea stars have allowed purple urchin populations to explode, creating “urchin barrens” where kelp once thrived.“I think there needs to be a greater awareness by the community about the system being out of balance, meaning the lack of predators,” said McKernan. “A lot of people don’t think much of sea stars or starfish, but they’re critical predators. Hopefully (they) make their way back here, you know, in the next several years.“Reintroduction of sea otters is being explored as a long‑term restoration strategy. Tribal scientists say otters could help restore ecological function in the nearshore environment, similar to recovery seen along the Central Coast.“One main predator that we’ve been missing for the last 100-plus years is the sea otter on the North Coast of California. There are perceptions and realities, and you know all the things that usually go around the introduction of new species that the community may or may not embrace,” said McKernan. “Anywhere where sea otters currently exist or have come back (and) have shown to help increase kelp bed populations, primarily down in the Santa Cruz and Monterey area, we’d expect the same up in this area.”Keep Reading
A quick heads-up for people interested in offshore wind development on the North Coast — the Humboldt Bay Harbor District is hosting a public meeting in Arcata next week to discuss next steps for the Offshore Wind Heavy Lift Marine Terminal slated for the Samoa Peninsula.If you haven’t been following the project up to this point, now is a good time to tune in.Why now? The Harbor District is preparing environmental documents for the heavy lift marine terminal, and the agency needs community input to ensure the draft environmental impact report (DEIR) thoroughly addresses concerns surrounding the project. The June 24 meeting will be one of several opportunities the public will have to share their thoughts on the proposed project before the district recirculates the notice of preparation later this summer.Keep Reading
