Coastal Currents

Beth Werner checks in from yet another government meeting in which she and other trail advocates are in the bizarre position of having to prove how sensible a bay trail could be. Larry Goldberg previews the 2012 Plan It Green conference and discusses Humboldt's strengths and weaknesses for future changes. Beth talks about the Crescent City harbor and it's post-tsunami progress.

Casi Calloway of Mobile Baykeeper shares her thoughts on the Restore Act, BP's current activities, and the unparalleled softness of Alabama's beach sand.

Beth reminds us all to bring a garbage bag to the beach for fireworks cleanup.

Ocean Conservancy's Jennifer Savage discusses today's make-or-break Marine Life Protection Act meeting just minutes before it commences. Will NorCal's unified voice be formally heard by Fish & Game?

Baykeeper's Beth Werner high-fives the Eureka City Council for getting started on a new bay trail. Ocean Night and the Sand Sculpture Festival are enthusiastically plugged.

Eureka City Council is faced with an easy decision to put a multi-purpose trail along another stretch of Eureka waterfront. Will they do it?

Also, sin-absolvement opportunities abound for recovering littererbugs.

Troy Niccolini of the National Weather Service walks through the machinations of today's Tsunami Warning Test. What worked, what didn't, and how to help improve the system.

Local marine biologist Adam Brown has been tagging & tracking Great White Sharks on the north coast & around the world. Turns out, they're in some surprisingly inconvenient places for people. Also, he addresses the claim that sharks are attracted to human urine.

A crash course in our local crab fisheries, led by Humboldt Bay Harbor District Harbor District conservation biologist Dan Berman.

Why was the season delayed?

How important is crabbing to Humboldt Bay's harbor?

Can it be sustained?

Why can you only eat the legs of crab?

Jen Kalt exalts the people working to fix McKinleyville's Widow White Creek. Much of its watershed is in "dense urban" development. As such, it no longer hosts spawning Coho, Steelhead, or Cutthroat.

Between HSU's "all star" restoration expert Allison Purcell-O'Dowd, heavy lifting by RCAA, and monitoring by Humboldt Baykeeper, Widow White Creek is on a path to its former glory.

Deadhead Bonus Points: Find out if Beth Werner or Jen Kalt are familiar with "The Phil Zone."

Arcata uses three to five MILLION plastic bags a year? What the what?!

Today's Coastal Currents featured Humboldt Baykeeper's Vanessa Vasquez and Humboldt Surfrider's MJ Mazurek. Tomorrow is Day Without a (disposable) Bag.

From 11AM – 1PM, Humblodt Baykeeper and Surfrider will have tables at four grocery stores in Humboldt asking shoppers to forgo disposable bags. According to an HSU study:

"The amount of energy used for 3,000,000 bags is equal to over 1,000 one way trips to San Francisco in a 2010 Chevy Tahoe."

Cliff and Emily talk with Merrit Perry about progress and challenges on the Annie And Mary Rail Trail