News

Volunteers prepare for tsunami debris

9/10/2012

The Northcoast Environmental Center will sponsor the 28th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day next Saturday (Sept. 15) from 9 a.m. to noon. Volunteers will scour Humboldt County shorelines, from the Klamath River to Shelter Cove and inland to Willow Creek and the South Fork Eel River, to remove debris that has accumulated over the past year.

While much of the garbage contaminating the sea comes from ships, an estimated 60 percent to 80 percent of it originates on land. Cigarette butts, plastic bags, fishing line, six-pack rings, bottles, cans, syringes, tires are just a few of the items commonly found polluting beaches and waterways. It's not only ugly, it can be a health-and safety risk to both humans and wildlife.

Thirty-six years ago, the NEC received federal funding for its Humboldt Beach Beautification and Restoration project, which combined beach cleanup with community education and job training. In 1985, it expanded into California Coastal Cleanup Day (led by the Coastal Commission) and the International Coastal Cleanup (led by the Ocean Conservancy).

Today, the International Coastal Cleanup includes 130 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Last year 598,076 volunteers throughout the world removed 9 million pounds of debris from 20,776 miles of shoreline.

This year's event will also provide one of the first opportunities for documenting debris on the shores that may be a result of last year's devastating tsunami in Japan, when an estimated 1.5 million tons of debris were washed out to sea. The West Coast has already begun to feel its impact, as items as small as a soccer ball and as large as a 100-ton pier have washed ashore north of the California border. None of the items recovered in Humboldt County so far -- including those found on Mad River Beach in June -- have been confirmed to be tsunami debris. To achieve a better understanding of when or if the debris from the tsunami is reaching local shores, the NEC in coordination with the Coastal Commission will be distributing a new, simplified data card for use at selected beaches. These cards will collect information about items that could potentially indicate tsunami debris, and will provide a baseline of data against which future cleanups will be measured.

”Given that Humboldt County's coastline will likely be among the first to be hit in the state, we expect the NEC's Tsunami Debris Monitoring Program will be helpful not only in gathering data, but serving as a watchdog for counties to the south,” said Dan Ehresman, NEC programs manager. “While Japan's tsunami will likely increase the amount of debris washing up on shorelines on the North Coast, we hope it does not take the attention away from the fact that we have a veritable tsunami of debris coming from our own shorelines and inland areas throughout the county.”

For more information, visit www.yournec.org or call 822-6918.

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Management plan in the works for Humboldt community forest; Supervisors approve $17,000 grant to investigate McKay Tract project

9/10/2012

Employees with Humboldt County's public works department are utilizing a $17,000 grant to start formulating a plan to manage parts of the McKay Tract near Cutten as a community forest.

The Trust for Public Land -- a nonprofit conservation organization -- is providing the grant, which was approved Aug. 28 by the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors. The grant will fund the first phase of examining the feasibility of having the county oversee a community forest operation.

Public Works Deputy Director Hank Seemann said the grant will help the county start making more detailed preparations to look at trail opportunities and timber harvesting procedures on the property.

”That's actually already started, and we'll be continuing to do that,” Seemann said.

He said the county will have to determine how to make the management of the forest a cost neutral venture that doesn't dip into the county's general fund -- or at least doesn't dip in too much.

”The board of supervisors will want to see a pretty robust financial plan,” Seemann said.

Since 2010, the trust has been working to purchase up to 1,225 acres in the Ryan Creek Watershed from the Green Diamond Resource Company -- a forest products company that owns and manages forests in California and Washington -- to create the community forest. The trust still needs to raise funds to acquire the property, and doesn't anticipate purchasing it until sometime in 2013.

Since the sale of the property is still tentative, Seemann said the forest concept is going to take some time to develop.

”Best case, this could unfold over the next two to four years,” Seemann said. “It's going to be a journey of a thousand steps.”

North Coast Program Manager John Bernstein said the trust is looking at purchasing 640 acres to 1,225 acres to create the community forest -- an anticipated cost of $8.1 million. The entire cost of implementing the community forest is expected to cost $12 million to $13 million, he said. The plan is use federal, state and donated funds.

”Over the years, we've become one of the go-to nonprofits to put together all these many different pots of public funding,” Bernstein said. “It really takes a long time to get this money together.”

Seemann said the county plans to apply for a Headwaters Fund grant to cover the remaining costs of drafting a complete community forest management plan. He said the full plan is anticipated to cost about $125,000, so the county would be applying for a $108,000 grant to supplement the trust's starting grant of $17,000. The Headwaters Fund was created by the county to utilize $22 million in state and federal funds given to offset the sale of the Headwaters Forest Reserve.

While the trust hopes to acquire 1,225 acres for a community forest, the Green Diamond Resource Company owns a total of about 7,500 acres in the Ryan Creek Watershed. Bernstein said the trust wants to have the remaining land protected by a conservation easement.

Wave energy test up and running on the Oregon coast

9/7/12

After years of optimistic pronouncements, haggling with coastal residents and fishermen, and one project that landed in Davy Jones' locker, a new wave of Oregon's renewable energy experiment is taking shape off the coast.

Only time will tell whether this science project can gather momentum, or the necessary funding it will need to reach commercial viability.

In late August, researchers at Oregon State University launched the first of what they hope will be a fleet of wave energy devices at their new test bed two miles offshore of Yaquina Head.

The Wave Energy Technology-New Zealand or Wet-NZ buoy, has been bobbing lazily in the summers swells for two weeks, sending reams of data and a trickle of electricity via underwater umbilical to the Ocean Sentinel, a floating battery pack and data hub anchored nearby.

A five-week test will allow the prototype's owner, Northwest Energy Innovations, Inc., to gather performance data on the $750,000 prototype and its mooring system. The plan is to pluck the device out of the water before it meets the full fury of fall on the Oregon coast, then go on to develop a full-scale model.

OSU scientists are hovering nearby, dropping their hydrophones and related equipment into surrounding waters to measure the device's acoustic footprint, electromagnetic frequencies and impact on sea life, whether its bottom dwellers or migrating gray whales. Meanwhile, the Ocean Sentinel monitors the strength of wind waves and the current, in tandem with the power buoy's output.

"It's naive to think there will be no impact from these devices," said Belinda Batten, director Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center at OSU. "We can help answer some of those important questions."

OSU is one of three federally funded research centers addressing the technical, environmental and social challenges of wave and tidal energy. Established in 2008, its aim is to provide standardized facilities that commercial developers can use to deploy and test power buoys without a protracted siting process.

Wave buoys have been controversial on the coast, and the test site was chosen after two years of discussion with crabbers, fishermen, state agencies, wave energy developers and scientists.

For developers, the tests can provide crucial information on their devices' durability, efficiency in different wave conditions, and other maintenance issues and costs. The WetNZ is the first prototype moored at the Yaquina Head site. But the center hopes to score another $25 million from the U.S. Department of Energy for a second Oregon test zone with berths for four buoys -- this one fully connected to the electrical grid on land. Batten said she expects an answerin the next couple months, though it could depend on the election and congressional jockeying over spending cuts.

Meanwhile, the center says more tests will be forthcoming. There are myriad designs to maximize the extraction of the kinetic energy in waves. Some are for near shore deployment, others for deeper waters. Some float, others sit on the sea floor. Mechanical systems vary widely. Developers are looking to capture the most energy at the least cost. The answer may depend on location.

DOG OWNERS BEWARE! Blue-green algae warning issued

Department of Health and Human Services Press Release

8/31/12

The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) cautions recreational users of local lagoons and rivers to be on the lookout for blue-green algae, which can be hazardous to dogs and humans.

Since 2001, 11 dogs are believed to have been killed by blue-green algae, which is common this time of year in warm, stagnant water. The dogs died shortly after swimming in affected areas of Big Lagoon and the South Fork Eel and Van Duzen rivers.

A nerve toxin associated with blue-green algae was found in the stomachs of the dogs that died on the South Fork Eel River in 2002. The same toxin was found in water samples from the South Fork Eel and Van Duzen rivers in 2009 shortly after two dogs died. Blue-green algae blooms that produce a liver toxin have been documented in Klamath River reservoirs and the Klamath River this year.

Dogs are more vulnerable than people to the effects of blue-green algae because they can swallow the algae when they lick their fur. Dogs have died within 30 minutes to one hour after leaving the water.

Blue-green algae looks like green, blue-green, white or brown scum, foam or mats floating on the water. These floating algal masses, or “blooms,” can produce natural toxins that are potent. Dogs and children are most likely to be affected because of their smaller body size and tendency to stay in the water for longer periods.

Potential symptoms in dogs following exposure to blue-green algae toxins can include lethargy, difficulty breathing, salivation, vomiting, urination, diarrhea or convulsions. People can experience eye irritation, skin rash, mouth ulcers, vomiting, diarrhea and cold or flu-like symptoms.

DHHS officials recommend the following guidelines for swimmers and boaters in all freshwater areas in Humboldt County:

• Keep children, pets and livestock from swimming in or drinking water containing algal scums or mats. • Adults should also avoid wading and swimming in water containing algal blooms. Try not to swallow or inhale water spray in an algal bloom area. • If no algal scums or mats are visible, you should still carefully watch young children and warn them not to swallow any water. • Fish should be consumed only after removing the guts and liver and rinsing fillets in tap water. • Never drink, cook with or wash dishes with water from rivers, streams or lakes. • Get medical attention immediately if you think that you, your pet or livestock might have been poisoned by blue-green algae toxins. Be sure to tell the doctor about possible contact with blue-green algae.

Human activities can dramatically affect nutrient and water flows in rivers, streams or lakes. Phosphorous and nitrogen found in fertilizers and animal and human waste can stimulate blooms. Water diversions can increase water temperatures and reduce flows.

People can take the following measures to reduce the occurrence of algal blooms in local waters:

• Be conservative with the use of water, fertilizers and pesticides on your lawn, garden or agricultural operation. • Recycle any “spent” soil that has been used for intensive growing by tilling it back into gardens or protect it from rainfall to avoid nutrient runoff. • Plant or maintain native plants around banks. These plants help filter water and don’t require fertilizers. • Pump and maintain your septic system every three to four years. • Prevent surface water runoff from agricultural and livestock areas. • Prevent erosion around construction and logging operations.

For more information, contact the DHHS Division of Environmental Health at (707) 445-6215 or 1-800-963-9241. The California Department of Public Health website also has more details at www.cdph.ca.gov/healthinfo/environhealth/water/Pages/bluegreenalgae.aspx.

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Oregon wave power project gets federal permit

Wave power developers planning a project off the Oregon Coast now have the nation's only federal permit to develop a commercial wave power park

8/20/12

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc., based in Pennington, N.J., said Monday it will be deploying the first buoy for testing sometime this year off Reedsport.

Charles Dunleavy, CEO of the publicly held company, said they hope to have the country's first commercial wave power park online within two or three years of securing full financing.

The project will include 10 buoys anchored 2 1/2 miles off the coast and covering about 30 acres. They will produce 1.5 megawatts - enough to power about 1,000 homes. An undersea cable will carry the power to a site slated for the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, and connect to the grid at a substation in Gardner.

The Oregon Coast has become a hotspot for wave power research and development. Atmocean, Inc., in Santa Fe, N.M., plans to test three buoys this year off Coos Bay. The Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Facility at Oregon State University recently towed out to sea near Newport the nation's first publicly available wave power test facility, called Ocean Sentinel. Oregon state is looking for a site to build a grid-connected test facility known as the Pacific Marine Energy Center.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the 35-year permit to Ocean Power last week. A conditional permit issued for a project in Makah Bay, Wash., was returned in 2007, the agency said.

The first buoy is being built by companies in Oregon, including Oregon Ironworks in Clackamas, Vigor Marine in Portland, and American Bridge in Gardner. Ocean Power hopes to put the buoy in the Willamette River this fall, and tow it to the site off Reedsport, Dunleavy said.

The buoy harnesses the power of the ocean's waves through a float encircling the cylindrical buoy. The float goes up and down with the water while the buoy remains relatively stable. That motion is transferred to turning a generator, which produces electricity.

The final cost of the project is not determined, Dunleavy said. The company has a $4.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, $420,000 from the Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative, and a state business energy tax credit worth $900,000.

Ocean Power previously built the nation's first wave power project off Hawaii, Dunleavy said. It operated two years for the U.S. Navy, before being decommissioned last January.

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