Given the past few days of glorious weather, you may have gotten the chance to venture out to the coast and remember how beautiful Humboldt is and why we love it here so much! Here’s some photos in case you forgot.

Trinidad Head. Photo: Delia Bense-Kang.

Lost Coast Headlands. Photo: Delia Bense-Kang.

Lighthouse Ranch. Photo: Jennifer Savage.

Besides being beautiful, California’s coast shines with historical, cultural, scientific, ecological and recreational significance. Too bad not everyone thinks so. Last week, President Trump signed two executive orders potentially jeopardizing the future of California’s coastline; a review of National Monuments designated by presidents since 1996, and a push to expand offshore oil drilling.

The above shots happen to be places in Humboldt that are part of the California Coastal National Monument (CCNM) -Trinidad Head, Lighthouse Ranch and the Lost Coast Headlands. They were added to the CCNM by President Barack Obama last January by use of the Antiquities Act, the 1906 law that allows presidents to designate public lands as national monuments to protect their significant natural, cultural, or scientific features. President Trump’s executive order directs the Secretary of the Interior to review all 24 National Monuments designated by U.S. Presidents since 1996, that are 100,000 acres or more. The CCNM is smaller than 100,000 acres, but it is still not completely safe from the chopping block. A second part of the order calls for review, “where the Secretary determines that the designation or expansion was made without adequate public outreach and coordination with relevant stakeholders.”

Following the National Monuments “review” order, on April 28th, Trump signed another executive order to expand offshore oil drilling in U.S. waters, including areas in the Atlantic, Arctic, and off the coast of California. The order directs the Interior Department to develop a five-year oil and gas leasing program, blocks the creation of new national marine sanctuaries, and orders a review of existing marine monuments designated or expanded in the past 10 years.

The order triggered immense pushback from California’s leaders and coastal advocates. “Our ocean, waves and beaches are vital recreational, economic and ecological treasures that would be polluted by an increase in offshore oil drilling, regardless of whether or not there is a spill,” said Dr. Chad Nelsen, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation. “With today’s action, the Trump administration is putting the interests of the oil and gas lobby over the hundreds of communities, thousands of businesses, and millions of citizens who rely on the ocean and coasts for their jobs and livelihoods.”

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While President Trump is ordering studies that would jeopardize the future of the ocean, others are studying the ocean for the purpose of protecting it.

On Friday May 5th, the Humboldt Marine and Coastal Science Institute is hosting a public symposium; Making connections and sharing results from Marine Protected Areas Baseline Monitoring. The event is designed for researchers, fishermen, Tribes, nonprofit organizations, students, educators, and anyone else with an interest in the health of our ocean. Presenters will share key findings from 11 state-funded projects that collected data inside and outside of Marine Protected Areas on the North Coast. The focus will be to hear results and highlight the partnerships that gathered data and knowledge on the North Coast. The day will also include an integration workshop to discuss ways to build on this knowledge and ways to inform management decisions for the MPA network and the State of California.

  • When: Friday, May 5th, from 8 am - 5 pm
  • Where: Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, Eureka, CA

REGISTER (free)

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Ocean Night is this Thursday!

  • Thursday May 4th
  • Arcata Theater Lounge
  • Doors 6:30 Films 7:00
  • All ages
  • $3 Suggested Donation

This month will feature the films, “Our Local Epic,” and “The Present.”

Our Local Epic

“Flowing through one of North America’s deepest canyons, filled with dangerous whitewater, the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone’s sheer granite walls are a perfect place for a massive dam. Follow the story of this amazing river from the flight of the Nez Perce to the adventures of modern day explorers, as kayaking led to conservation and the Clarks Fork was saved from damnation as Wyoming’s first Wild & Scenic River. Starring Yvon Chouinard, Lamar Empey, Rob Lesser, Mick Hopkinson, and Aaron Pruzan.”

— Our Local Epic.

The Present

“The 3rd and newest film from the acclaimed surf movie director/artist Thomas Campbell, director of The Seedling and Sprout, The Present is yet another look in to a wide ranging possibilities of accessing the surfing experience,with a multi cultural, diverse surf craft and wide range of surfers.”

— The Present, Woodshed Films.

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Delia Bense-Kang serves as the Northcoast Environmental Center’s Marine Protected Area Outreach Coordinator and chairs Surfrider Foundation’s Humboldt Chapter.