Since 2012, 18 billboards along Humboldt Bay have been removed through hard work and advocacy by Keep Eureka Beautiful, Sierra Club, Humboldt Bay Billboard Bye Bye, Humboldt Baykeeper, the City of Arcata, and many others. And on September 15, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve a limited 5-year permit to rebuild a billboard that fell into the Elk River wetlands along Highway 101 last November – after which it must be removed. 
County planners are again recommending approval of a billboard on coastal wetlands along the Elk River, even though they acknowledge that there is no vested right to rebuild the sign that fell down nearly a year ago.
If you object to billboards on coastal wetlands that obstruct scenic views of open space, please ask your County Supervisor to uphold the Planning Commission's decision and deny the appeal (email addresses below).
Do you love walking along the Eureka Waterfront Trail and the Humboldt Bay Trail in Arcata? Do you enjoy photographing nature? Have you ever admired a wildflower, bird, or insect, and wished you knew its name?
If so, you might enjoy our new Humboldt Coastal Biodiversity Project. It is a great way to contribute to citizen science, learn the names of plants and animals, and connect with other nature-lovers. All you need is a smartphone with the iNaturalist app. This is an outdoor activity you can safely enjoy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Click HERE for safety tips.
Thanks to the California Coastal Conservancy for funding this project, along with our summer bay tours (which we hope to resume later this summer if it's safe to do so).
This winter, we continued our bacteria pollution study with the goal of identifying the sources of fecal bacteria at six sites in Jolly Giant Creek in Arcata. This Humboldt Bay tributary was flagged for further investigation due to the frequency of human genetic material in samples taken near Samoa Blvd. during the Regional Water Board's Coastal Streams Pathogens TMDL Project.
COVID-19 update: Our sampling event scheduled for April 6 has been delayed due to both safety concerns and limited lab capacity. Our extraordinairy colleagues at the Humboldt County Public Health Lab are working diligently to analyze COVID-19 samples. We will resume our Jolly Giant Creek Bacteria Source Study as soon as it is safe to do so.
UPDATED! Humboldt Baykeeper has been testing mercury levels in local fish since July 2016 with funding from the California Environmental Protection Agency. We’ve found that most local fish are safe to eat in moderation—with a few exceptions.
Click HERE for the Final Report
Click HERE for the updated Guidelines
Call Humboldt Baykeeper at (707) 499-3678 to report a spill after business hours, or if you prefer to remain anonymous. Please take photos if possible.
For spills in Humboldt Bay:
For spills in or near storm drains (which drain to creeks and Humboldt Bay):
A brand new version of our popular Humboldt Bay poster is now for sale at Eureka Books at 426 2nd Street in Old Town Eureka. They’ll be open for Arts Alive this Saturday, December 7, until 9pm. Thanks to our friends at Eureka Books for carrying our posters - most of the proceeds will support our work to protect Humboldt Bay!
