King tides show us what sea level rise is going to mean for our coastline. If you are interested in taking photos of super-high tides around the county in November and December, the California Coastal Commission would be delighted if you would share your work with them in the name of citizen science.King tides are typically at least one to two feet above the average high tide. For comparison, ocean levels in California are projected to rise as much as 1.2 feet by 2050 and up to 6.6 feet by the end of the century.King Tides are caused when the sun, moon and Earth are aligned, creating a stronger than normal gravitational pull. When these astronomical conditions are coupled with storm surges, the potential for property and other types of damage dramatically increases.Keep Reading
Nearly 360 acres of coastal dunes and wetlands are back in the hands of the Wiyot Tribe.“Today, we celebrate the return of Digawututklh,” said Wiyot Tribal Chair Brian Mead. “Traditionally, the Wiyot people lived along the Samoa Peninsula. This area was a place where we gathered food … caught surf fish and dug plants to feed our families. The forest here is peppered and plants that we traditionally use for our culture. … We hope to restore this place and return to our cultural practices.”Friends of the Dunes has spent the last 25 years working with the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, the Wildlife Conservation Board, the California Natural Resources Agency, the California State Coastal Conservancy and others to acquire the peninsula site, also known as Dog Ranch, for long-term conservation management.“Friends of the Dunes has been involved in protecting this site for more than 30 years, but that pales in comparison to the generations of Wiyot who have had a relationship with this land, which is now being returned,” said Friends of the Dunes board member Carol Vander Meer. “We pledge our support in whatever ways are helpful to the Tribe, be that in assisting with guided walks, securing funding for ongoing stewardship or collaborative work days. We would be honored to play a supporting role in ensuring that this place continues to be revered and protected and enjoyed for generations to come.”Keep Reading
The federal agency that suspended the Vineyard Wind project following the July 13 blade failure is now requiring the company to complete a new study evaluating the "environmental harm" caused by the incident in the waters southwest of Nantucket, according to a document obtained by Nantucket Current.In a Sept. 27 letter from the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) addressed to Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Moeller, the agency ordered the offshore wind energy company to "conduct a site-specific study that evaluates the environmental harm and other potential damage flowing from" the blade failure, and to identify potential mitigation measures for that damage.The order was obtained by Nantucket Current through a Freedom of Information Act request to the U.S. Department of the Interior.The Vineyard Wind project remains under a suspension order from BSEE following the disastrous turbine blade failure on July 13 that left Nantucket's beaches littered with foam and fiberglass debris. That order was modified in August to allow Vineyard Wind to continue installing turbine towers and nacelles, but it is forbidden from producing power or installing blades.Keep Reading
It’s a pivotal time for the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, which has permit jurisdiction over the bay’s harbors, ports and surrounding lands.And yet with three seats on that agency’s board of commissioners up for re-election this November, only one has multiple candidates: Division 5, which extends from McKinleyville north to the county line and east to Willow Creek, the Hoopa Valley and surrounding areas. (Division 1 incumbent Aaron Newman and Division 2 incumbent Greg Dale are both running unopposed.)With the retirement of longtime Division 5 Commissioner Patrick Higgins — who told the Outpost that he plans to further commit to his environmental stewardship work on the Eel River — this seat is wide open.Enter Jack Norton and Wilfred “Wil” Franklin.Keep Reading
Even with this nice, dry fall weather we’ve been enjoying, construction of the trail’s southern portion — between the Bracut Industrial Park and the parking lot behind Target — won’t be finished as scheduled before Halloween, which is the hard cutoff date for ground-disturbing work in the county’s environmental permits.Reached by phone earlier today, Humboldt County’s deputy director of environmental sciences and preeminent trail guy Hank Seemann said the contractor, Arcata-based McCullough Construction, has been working steadily since spring, but a number of contributing factors led to the delay.“It’s a sensitive area next to the bay,” Seemann said. “It’s a very constrained corridor and construction area, so access and logistics are tricky. And then there’s just a lot of substantial work, including three new bridges.”Keep Reading
