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Priority Acquisition
In 1980, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recognized the Eureka Marsh as an "Area of Importance" to the functioning of the Humboldt Bay ecosystem. The California Coastal Commission subsequently placed the site on its list of priorities for public acquisition, and Eureka's Local Coastal Plan designated the Marsh for purchase and enhancement. The City of Eureka requested funding from the Coastal Conservancy for that purpose, and in 1985, received $650,000 to purchase a portion of the site. To date, $1.5 million has been reserved to acquire and restore the site.
For the Birds
With its variety of habitats, including salt and freshwater marshes, beaches, mud flats, and riparian thickets, the Eureka Marsh is one of the area's premier bird-watching spots. Numerous species of shorebirds, waterfowl, and raptors are found there, such as egrets, herons,
common snipes, marsh wrens, Northern harriers
and Coopers' hawks.
The Restoration Plan: Still Missing
This coastal habitat has tremendous potential but has seen its share of impacts through the years. An old lumber mill and other industrial buildings once covered portions of the site, and dikes, levees, and foundations are still found there today. The potential to restore tidal flows and provide coastal access gave rise to public acquisition of the land, and the City of Eureka was chosen to be the steward to carry out this vision. But now, almost twenty years later, the City has yet to release or initiate "Phase 1A" of the "Marsh Enhancement Project."
The City did produce a restoration plan in the early 1990s, but the discovery of soil contamination delayed its implementation. However, cleanup work of this problem was finished long ago, leaving no reason for restoration work to languish as it has.
The Coastal Conservancy has slowly pushed the City
on this issue, establishing and re-establishing deadlines for it to meet. The City last committed to releasing a plan by October 2003, but as of press time, it still hasn't hit the streets.
~Karen Kovacs, CA Dept. of Fish and Game, North Coast Journal, Sept. 26, 2002
Invading the Marsh
One of the outstanding goals of the restoration plan is to address the invasive, non-native plants that are spreading throughout the site. These invasive plants wipe out native species and are a major threat to biological diversity. In addition to pampas grass and Scotch broom infestations along the railroad levee, the Eureka Marsh has the only known local population of the invasive common reed grass. This large, bamboo-like grass grows in brackish and freshwater marshes, where rainwater runoff is trapped in the winter by the railroad levee.
Unblazed Trails
The Eureka Marsh is a missing link in Humboldt Bay's multi-use, waterfront trail system, and could become a beautiful part of the coastal trail along California's coast. The Humboldt Bay Trails Feasibility Study identified the Eureka Marsh as a high priority area for public access, proposing trails that would connect it to the Elk River Wildlife Area.
Development of "Parcel 4"
"Parcel 4" is a 15-acre piece of the Eureka Marsh that features saltwater, freshwater, and brackish marshes and riparian areas dominated by willows. The City requested permission from the Coastal Conservancy to develop the site when it acquired Parcel 4 in 1985, and in a December 23, 2003 letter to the Conservancy, indicated it still intends to pursue industrial port development on the land. Although the City has failed to carry out its commitment to restore the Eureka Marsh, the Conservancy response on April 8 seems willing to allow these plans to proceed.
Parcel 4 is definitely worthy of protection. It is a critical link to the Elk River Wildlife Area and is also home to
two rare plants: the Humboldt Bay owl's clover and the
Pt. Reyes birds-beak. Both are annual, partially parasitic members of the snapdragon family.
Caution: Road Plans Ahead
Plans to restore the Eureka Marsh may have languished, but plans to construct a road through the entire area have moved full steam ahead. This road would create a truck bypass around Highway 101 to facilitate industrial port development, bisecting the Eureka Marsh and cutting through environmentally sensitive habitat.
In May 2002, the City received $250,000 from the California Transportation Commission to design and prepare an environmental impact report on the road. A review of the City's files shows work has steadily proceeded since then, and the permitting process can be expected to begin at any time.
CALL TO ACTION
Please join the effort to protect and restore the Eureka Marsh by (1) writing the City Council members, and (2) attending the upcoming Coastal Conservancy meeting in Eureka.
Please urge officials to: (a) immediately implement plans to restore the Marsh; (b) abandon plans to develop
"Parcel 4"; and (c) cease efforts to construct a road through the Marsh.
Eureka City Council Members
531 K Street
Eureka, CA 95501
California Coastal Conservancy Board Meeting
June 30, 2004
Eureka, CA
(510) 286-1015
through there....The city should protect and preserve open space."
~Chris Kerrigan, Eureka City Council, September 2002