Community Outreach

Humboldt Waterkeeper's Community Outreach engages people of all ages in understanding, enjoying, and preserving the health of Humboldt Bay. Our Bay Tours Program highlights the area's natural history. Our dedicated volunteers monitor local streams, table at community events, clean up trash from Tuluwat Island, and watchdog everything that impacts the bay, from illegal dumping to development proposals. To find our more about how you can get involved, contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

King Tide Photo Initiative 2019-20

The highest tides of the year are coming on January 10-12 and Feb. 8-9. Please join our King Tide Photo Initiative to help document rising sea levels around Humboldt Bay!

Baykeeper volunteers have been documenting King Tides since 2011. To get involved, all you need is a camera or a smartphone and submit your photos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Be very cautious of rising water, eroding shorelines, and flooded roadways.

Photo: Jackson Ranch Road in the Arcata Bottoms, Dec. 13, 2012 (Ted Halstead).

Sea Level Rise Maps at North Country Fair

Humboldt Baykeeper and the Sea Level Rise Initiative at Humboldt State University were at the North Country Fair with maps showing 1-meter sea level rise projections in Arcata and Eureka. Thanks to Sea Level Rise Planner Aldaron Laird and all the SLR Initiative members who spent time talking to fair-goers! To learn more about sea level rise in the Humboldt Bay area, click HERE.

Learn to Row Day, Sat. June 2

Join the Humboldt Bay Rowing Association for the 16th annual National Learn to Row Day sponsored by USRowing and Concept2. Two hour sessions will be held on the Eureka waterfront throughout the morning. Must be at least 12 years old to participate.

Click HERE to register.

Widow White Creek Internship Program Finishes 3rd Year

In 2009, Humboldt Baykeeper initiated an internship program in conjunction with Dr. Alison Purcell O’Dowd, Assistant Professor and Environmental Science Program Coordinator at Humboldt State University. Interns are students enrolled in Applied Ecological Restoration (ENVS 450) who study riparian and instream conditions in Widow White Creek, a tributary of the Lower Mad River in McKinleyville.

Baykeeper provides sampling equipment and guidance, along with experts at Pacific Watershed Associates, Redwood Community Action Agency, and Humboldt Fish Action Council.

Why Widow White Creek?

Widow White Creek has been impacted by urbanization of 25% of the watershed, as well as logging and low-density residential development in the upper watershed. It historically supported coho salmon, steelhead trout, cutthroat trout, three-spine stickleback, and sculpins, and thus is an important target for restoration. Citizen "First Flush" monitoring over several years has found extremely high levels of fecal coliform in the creek, particularly at monitoring sites near residential and commercial areas. The sources of the coliform bacteria are unknown.

Most of the Widow White Creek watershed lies within the unincorporated community of McKinleyville. The watershed has lost 33% of its timber and meadow areas compared to historic conditions.

By 2001, one-quarter of the watershed was classified as “dense urban” by Klein and Anderson. In their analysis on the effects of urbanization on flood frequency estimates for lower Widow White Creek, they found that the 2-year flood flow has increased 229% over pre-development conditions.

Current Projects