On August 8-9, the California Redwood Coast - Humboldt County Airport in McKinleyville (ACV) hosted the third annual Rumble Over the Redwoods featuring aerial performances and vintage planes to honor service members and inspire future aviators. While the air show brings aviation enthusiasts and community members together, one part of the event is raising serious concerns about its impacts beyond the airport: the use of explosives and their effects on nearby harbor seals.
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Starting in 1890, 40% Wigi (Humboldt Bay) was diked to convert public trust tidelands to private agricultural uses. Now 136 years later, sea level rise is enabling Wigi to begin reclaiming its stolen lands. In January, record King Tides breached a dike along Baduwa’t (Mad River) Slough. Photo by Todd Van Herpe, 2/2/26.
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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. Left: Alex Juan sampling Jolly Giant Creek in Arcata for 6PPD-quinone. Photo by Audrey Jackson, Wiyot Tribe Shawir Darrudaluduk.
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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.
On August 8-9, the California Redwood Coast - Humboldt County Airport in McKinleyville (ACV) hosted the third annual Rumble Over the Redwoods featuring aerial performances and vintage planes to honor service members and inspire future aviators. While the air show brings aviation enthusiasts and community members together, one part of the event is raising serious concerns about its impacts beyond the airport: the use of explosives and their effects on nearby harbor seals. 
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. Left: Alex Juan sampling Jolly Giant Creek in Arcata for 6PPD-quinone. Photo by Audrey Jackson, Wiyot Tribe Shawir Darrudaluduk. 
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:
