Dune Buggies to Dunes — LA Times Gets Stunned by Ma-le’l
7/22/16
Esteemed LA Times columnist and award-winning author Steve Lopez left his footprints in Humboldt County sand last weekend, the first of many stops on his road trip across the California coast. Ever since February, when the Coastal Commission fired executive director Dr. Charles Lester, articles have been flying off of Lopez’s keyboard in attempt to shine a light on the happenings of the powerful agency.
Now he is road-tripping the California coast from Oregon to Mexico to show, through personal experiences, the importance of the Coastal Act, and why we should all care about what is going on with the commission. Along the way he is talking with coastal stewards and visiting the Coastal Act and Coastal Commissions successes, failures and ongoing battlegrounds.
Jennifer Kalt, Director of Humboldt Baykeeper, was Lopez’s tour guide for the Humboldt leg of his journey. Kalt had the difficult task of deciding which stretch of Humboldt coast to take Lopez to, and decided on a hike through the Ma-le’l North Dunes. “I chose the area for its uniqueness and coastal preservation victory with Buggy Club,” stated Kalt.