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. The air show took place on the runway on the bluff just above the mouth of the Mad River. At the mouth is an important harbor seal haul-out where seals rest, breed, nurse their pups, and molt. Videos of the haul-out taken by a local paddler and wildlife biologist during the air show on August 8 reveal seals becoming visibly disturbed, with many fleeing into the water. This is especially disruptive during the molting season, where seals rest on shore while shedding their thick fur coats and regrowing new ones.Dr. Dawn Goley, Cal Poly Humboldt Professor of Zoology and Marine Biology, reviewed the videos of the seals’ reactions during the air show.“The noise from airplane operations did not seem to affect them, but all the seals flushed into the water following the explosions,” Goley said. “Harbor seals are among the most sensitive marine mammals to acoustic disturbance, both in the water and on land. Although the seals at the mouth of the Mad River have become somewhat acclimated to normal air traffic because of their proximity to the airport’s flight path, the acoustic—and potentially seismic—effects of the explosions appeared to exceed that threshold. Disturbances of this kind can have impacts ranging from physical stress caused by a lack of rest at the haul-out site to physical damage to the seals’ hearing.”The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects harbor seals, and requires permits for activities that are reasonably expected to disturb marine mammals (known as Incidental Harassment). The air show’s loud explosions simulating bombs and gunfire caused a direct and observable behavioral response among the seals, forcing hauled-out animals to enter the water, a behavior consistent with Level B harassment under the act.The Rumble Over the Redwoods can continue to bring our community together and honor service members without the simulated bombs and gunfire. Beyond marine mammals in the area, these loud noises have effects on other wildlife, pets, and people, with residents reporting hearing them as far as away as Arcata and Trinidad. The community and wildlife in the surrounding environment have adapted to the frequent noise from commercial jets, Coast Guard helicopters, and other aircraft, but the explosives used at this event are harmful and unnecessary. Since the seals seem to be acclimated to airplane noise, our objection is not to the air show itself — what we object to is the explosive effects that clearly and unnecessarily disturb the seals. If the air show cannot be held without explosives, it should not be held again at the County Airport in McKinleyville. Rumble Over the Redwoods Air Show Explosions Raise Concerns for Harbor Seals
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. The air show took place on the runway on the bluff just above the mouth of the Mad River. At the mouth is an important harbor seal haul-out where seals rest, breed, nurse their pups, and molt. Videos of the haul-out taken by a local paddler and wildlife biologist during the air show on August 8 reveal seals becoming visibly disturbed, with many fleeing into the water. This is especially disruptive during the molting season, where seals rest on shore while shedding their thick fur coats and regrowing new ones.Dr. Dawn Goley, Cal Poly Humboldt Professor of Zoology and Marine Biology, reviewed the videos of the seals’ reactions during the air show.“The noise from airplane operations did not seem to affect them, but all the seals flushed into the water following the explosions,” Goley said. “Harbor seals are among the most sensitive marine mammals to acoustic disturbance, both in the water and on land. Although the seals at the mouth of the Mad River have become somewhat acclimated to normal air traffic because of their proximity to the airport’s flight path, the acoustic—and potentially seismic—effects of the explosions appeared to exceed that threshold. Disturbances of this kind can have impacts ranging from physical stress caused by a lack of rest at the haul-out site to physical damage to the seals’ hearing.”The Marine Mammal Protection Act protects harbor seals, and requires permits for activities that are reasonably expected to disturb marine mammals (known as Incidental Harassment). The air show’s loud explosions simulating bombs and gunfire caused a direct and observable behavioral response among the seals, forcing hauled-out animals to enter the water, a behavior consistent with Level B harassment under the act.The Rumble Over the Redwoods can continue to bring our community together and honor service members without the simulated bombs and gunfire. Beyond marine mammals in the area, these loud noises have effects on other wildlife, pets, and people, with residents reporting hearing them as far as away as Arcata and Trinidad. The community and wildlife in the surrounding environment have adapted to the frequent noise from commercial jets, Coast Guard helicopters, and other aircraft, but the explosives used at this event are harmful and unnecessary. Since the seals seem to be acclimated to airplane noise, our objection is not to the air show itself — what we object to is the explosive effects that clearly and unnecessarily disturb the seals. If the air show cannot be held without explosives, it should not be held again at the County Airport in McKinleyville. 
