In 2020, 6PPD-quinone, the breakdown product of the tire preservative 6PPD, was identified as a major contributor to Urban Runoff Mortality Syndrome in the Puget Sound watershed, where adult Coho Salmon often die before spawning in areas with high concentrations of road runoff. Since then, studies have been done in San Francisco Bay, but little information is available beyond major metropolitan areas. This study is the first to examine concentrations of 6PPD-q in Humboldt County. Photo: Alex Juan sampling Jolly Giant Creek in Arcata for 6PPD-quinone. Photo by Audrey Jackson, Wiyot Tribe Shawir Darrudaluduk.
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Comments are due April 2 on Cal Poly Humboldt's plans to build a parking lot on the site of a former lumber mill in the Arcata Bottoms. This is a new comment period triggered by a major change to the project, so if you commented previously, your input may no longer apply.We hope you will join us in advocating to the University to conduct a full review of contamination on the site in an Environmental Impact Report. The Recirculated Mitigated Negative Declaration—a shortened version of a full EIR—fails to assess the known contamination on the site, and as a result, poses risks to construction workers, neighbors, and future users of the site, as well as fish and wildlife in Janes Creek and Humboldt Bay.
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On February 26, 2026, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced that it will prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for proposed offshore oil and gas lease sales in the Northern, Central, and Southern California planning areas of the Outer Continental Shelf. Comments are due March 30, and this will be the ONLY opportunity to submit your comments!Image: Map of the area impacted two days after the 1997 Kure Oil Spill in Humboldt Bay, from the 2008 Damage Assessment Report by the CA Dept. of Fish & Wildlife.
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Has Saturday's highest King Tide on record gotten you wondering how our neighborhoods, roads, and open space will fare as sea level rises? Now you check out our interactive map of two sea level rise scenarios for the Humboldt Bay Area! Featured are scenarios showing 1- and 2-meters above Year 2000 water levels. For many years, these have been static maps with no simple way for the public to examine points of interest. Now, people wondering if their neighborhood is at risk can zoom in on locations and see street names, etc. King Tides are usually a time to consider how high a typical high tide will be with one foot of sea level rise, but this weekend's high tides were nearly three feet higher than the Mean Higher High Water at the North Spit. Note that this is the preliminary water level from the National Weather Service, which will verify that figure in a few weeks.
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Humboldt County's new Outdoor Lighting Ordinance has many people asking, “How can I protect the night sky?”To protect the night sky, choose lighting that is fully shielded, directed downward, and turns off when not needed. Brightness is 1,000 lumens or less, and the color temperature is warm (2,700 K or less).For info on addingshielding to existing fixtures, buying fully-shielded fixtures, and more, check out our new flier: How to Protect the Night Sky & Prevent Light Pollution!
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We are excited to announce the first digital version of the Humboldt Bay Water Trail map! The original Water Trail Map was developed by Redwood Community Action Agency in 2004.Humboldt Waterkeeper has breathed new life into the map, updating it with more accurate data on tidal mudflats and channel depths from NOAA’s navigational charts, and crowd-sourcing updates on the best boat launches.You can download our georeferenced PDF for mobile apps like Avenza, or access the interactive webmap directly in any browser.
In 2020, 6PPD-quinone, the breakdown product of the tire preservative 6PPD, was identified as a major contributor to Urban Runoff Mortality Syndrome in the Puget Sound watershed, where adult Coho Salmon often die before spawning in areas with high concentrations of road runoff. Since then, studies have been done in San Francisco Bay, but little information is available beyond major metropolitan areas. This study is the first to examine concentrations of 6PPD-q in Humboldt County. Photo: Alex Juan sampling Jolly Giant Creek in Arcata for 6PPD-quinone. Photo by Audrey Jackson, Wiyot Tribe Shawir Darrudaluduk. 
Comments are due April 2 on Cal Poly Humboldt's plans to build a parking lot on the site of a former lumber mill in the Arcata Bottoms. This is a 
Humboldt County's new 
Our second study of mercury in local fish focused on nine species from nearshore coastal waters, including Pacific Halibut and several species of rockfish. We also sampled more Lingcod and California Halibut to add to the findings from our 2018 study. We found that most local fish are safe to eat in moderation—with a few exceptions.Download our mercury fliers in English, Spanish, or Hmong:
