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Pulp Mill Legacy: How legal advocacy cleaned up our air and water, and bold government action averted disaster

Details
Jennifer Kalt
Toxics Initiative and Enforcement
Last Updated: 02 June 2023
The American Lung Association recently ranked Humboldt County’s air quality as among the cleanest in the state. But that wasn’t always so. For decades, two pulp mills just across Humboldt Bay from Eureka smothered the city with stinky white smoke. Some say it was the “smell of money,” but the cleanup has cost taxpayers more than $30 million – with a huge mess still left behind. 
Photo: When the Harbor District acquired the former Samoa pulp mill, hazardous materials, dilapidated structures, and debris covered the site, as seen in 2014 from the roof of the 15-story boiler building. Photo by Jennifer Savage, Surfrider Foundation.
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Responsible Offshore Wind Development Starts at the Port

Details
Guest Opinion, Lost Coast Outpost
Offshore Wind Energy
Last Updated: 10 May 2023
Humboldt's proposed offshore wind project would significantly reduce carbon emissions throughout California. But to ensure the success of offshore wind and to meet the promise of climate action, decision-makers must commit to a green port facility capable of building and servicing the turbines while not further contributing to greenhouse gas emissions or polluting Humboldt Bay.
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West Coast Gray Whale “Unusual Mortality Event” Continues

Details
Jen Kalt, Humboldt Baykeeper
Wildlife
Last Updated: 24 March 2023
Between January 1, 2019 and February 8 of this year, 613 stranded gray whales have been found along the west coast of North America between Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and the Chukchi Sea in northern Alaska. Eight were found along the coast between South Humboldt Bay and the Oregon border. This has been declared an Unusual Mortality Event (UME)...

Photo credit: NOAA Fisheries.
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Eating Local Fish Safely: Humboldt Bay Mercury Assessment, Phase II

Details
Jennifer Kalt
Mercury Assessment
Last Updated: 27 February 2023
Humboldt Baykeeper's second study of mercury in local fish focused on species from nearshore coastal waters. We sampled 70 individual fish across nine species, including Pacific Halibut and several species of rockfish. We also sampled additional Lingcod and California Halibut to add to the data from our 2018 study. We found that most local fish are safe to eat in moderation—with a few exceptions.
Click HERE for revised recommendations on Eating Fish Safely.
Comiendo Pescado Con Seguridad Pautas
Yuav Ua Li Cas Noj Ntses Yam Xyuam Xim Cov Txhooj Cai Rau Humboldt Bay
 
New! Pocket-sized images for handy reference (click to print or download to your phone):
Women <45 and Children             
Women >45 and Men
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Rising Groundwater: Flooding from Below

Details
Jennifer Kalt
Toxics Initiative and Enforcement
Last Updated: 01 June 2023
RisingGroundwaterHumboldt Baykeeper recently received a grant from the California Environmental Protection Agency to prioritize contaminated sites around the bay that are most at risk from rising sea level and groundwater.

We first began assessing the risks to contaminated sites due to flooding and erosion from sea level rise in 2012. But rising groundwater is also a concern, since it will likely impact low-lying areas around the bay before they are affected by surface inundation.  
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This Land is Their Land

Details
Jerry Rohde, North Coast Journal
Latest
Last Updated: 01 September 2022

Most of us know that what we call Humboldt Bay was part of the territory of the Wiyot people. And most us of know of the terrible mass killing that occurred in 1860 on what was called Indian Island.

But most of us do not know much more about the Wiyots and what has happened to their homeland over time. Here is part of that story.

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Dioxin Hot-Spot in Arcata Marsh To Be Assessed

Details
Jennifer Kalt
Toxics Initiative and Enforcement
Last Updated: 01 June 2023
On March 7, Humboldt Baykeeper, the City of Arcata, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields* Program staff met for a tour of a contaminated site at the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. This site has been on our radar since 2015, when a dioxin hotspot was identified in nearby Humboldt Bay sediments during a study of areas proposed for wetland restoration. 
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More Articles ...

  1. The Climate Crisis on the North Coast (& what we can do about it)
  2. Clam Beach Pollution Study Points to Birds
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In The News

  • Crowley property to host transitional housing units by late fall
  • Post-Sackett, chaos erupts for wetlands oversight
  • "Everybody Thinks the Ocean is Limitless"
  • Supreme Court Sharply Limits Federal Government's Ability to Police Pollution Into Certain Wetlands
  • Cal Poly Humboldt women’s rowing team win the NCAA Division II National Championship
  • Harbor District Awarded $500,000 EPA Grant to Assess Contamination at Redwood Marine Terminal
  • California bill would formally ban herbicides on state roads
  • Lanphere, Ma-le’l Dunes now a national landmark
  • Mike McGuire: Local infrastructure needs upgrades to support wind energy
  • Time to stop doing the same things we’ve been doing for 50 years
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