Humboldt Bay (United States)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Humboldt Bay is located in Humboldt County along the rugged north coast of California, United States. The towns of Eureka and Arcata are adjacent to the bay.
Contents |
[edit] Environment
Humboldt Bay and its tidal sloughs are open to fishing year-round, and the bay is home to a national wildlife refuge complex for the protection of wetlands and bay habitats for migratory birds. In the winter it is not unusual for the bay to serve as a feeding and resting site for more than one hundred thousand birds. The Humboldt Botanical Garden is now under construction near the Bay, with the intent of preserving its native plants.
Unfortunately, most of the dunes in Humboldt Bay are home to Ammophila arenaria, a non-native beach grass. The California Conservation Corps, with the Bureau of Land Management, work year-round to combat this invasive species.
[edit] Geography
Humboldt Bay is the only deep water bay between San Francisco, California and Coos Bay, Oregon. Despite being the best harbor along the approximately six hundred miles of coastline it went undiscovered for some time because it is extremely difficult to see from the ocean. It opens to the sea through a very narrow and treacherous passage. Contributing to its isolation was the coastal mountain range which extends from the ocean approximately one hundred and fifty miles inland.
[edit] History
In 1849, an expedition of seven men led by Josiah Gregg attempted to find an overland route to the Pacific ocean. They left from the gold town of Weaverville for the 150 mile trek to the sea. Because of the density of the redwood forests and because Gregg stopped frequently to measure latitude and the size of the trees the expedition averaged only two miles a day. The party was near starvation when they emerged on the coast. After stocking up on food the party walked to San Francisco to report their discovery of the bay. In March 1850 two ships, the General Morgan and the Laura Virginia, were sent to the bay from San Francisco. After considerable initial difficulty due to sand bars and ocean swells the ships entered the bay. The sailors from the Laura Virginia named the bay after Alexander von Humboldt, a famous naturalist.
