The highest King Tides of 2018-19 are this Sunday at 11:09 AM and Monday at 11:59 AM (January 20-21). The City of Arcata is asking people to document water levels to help with Sea Level Rise response measures by documenting changes from year to year.
The City is most interested in 15 locations near the Arcata Marsh and along the Bay Trail South. Sites are marked with stakes.
Click HERE for more info.
UPDATE: The Board of Supervisors voted to hold community meetings before moving forward with the rezoning. Please thank them for slowing this process down to allow for meaningful public input!
On Tuesday, Jan. 15, the Board of Supervisors reconsidered the Countywide Rezoning that was met with consternation back in December. The County's new plan for the massive rezoning has been posted online. Meeting dates will be announced as they are scheduled. Thanks to everyone who expressed their views on this important issue!
In November, Humboldt Baykeeper filed an appeal to the California Coastal Commission of Mercer Fraser's asphalt plant at Big Lagoon. Mercer-Fraser Co. has waived the deadline for the appeal hearing. We will keep you informed of next steps.
Photo: Asphalt plant east of Big Lagoon operating under a temporary permit in 2017.
In October, the State of California issued an official fish advisory for Humboldt Bay using data from Humboldt Baykeeper's recent study of mercury in fish and shellfish. The advisory addresses eight species of fish, some of which are safe to eat up to seven times a week.
Only leopard shark is listed as unsafe to consume in any amount.
It’s a beautiful photograph in a slick magazine. Vanity Fair’s Summer 2018 issue has a feature article titled “Clear the Coast: A Band of Passionate Californians Is Fighting To Keep Crucial Waterways Clean” and the photograph was taken in Rancho Palos Verdes.
Jennifer Kalt, the director of Humboldt Baykeeper is third from the right, wearing her well worn field vest over a Humboldt Baykeeper T-shirt. Thanks for representing!
In late 2017 Humboldt Baykeeper rode a tidal wave of Clean Water Act victories aimed at reducing pollution in California’s second-largest natural estuary, filing four court actions, and winning each time.
But despite Humboldt Baykeeper’s banner year, Jen Kalt bemoans the current lack of enforcement of environmental laws across the United States. For authorities to enable businesses to operate outside of those laws, she says, is “an injustice to the people who believe in running their businesses in ways that follow the law and protect the environment.”
Photo: Humboldt Baykeeper Jen Kalt collecting bacteria samples for a continuing source identification study. Photo by Todd Kraemer, Pacific Watershed Associates.
The Humboldt Bay area may become the site of the first offshore wind energy project on the west coast of North America. The pieces are quickly falling into place for Redwood Coast Energy Authority to become the first local government entity to apply for a commercial offshore wind lease from the federal government. Unlike land-based projects, this lease bid would be just the beginning of a series of studies and related permits that could culminate in project development in 5-7 years.
