Humboldt Bay

The Humboldt Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean in Humboldt County in northern California. Are the cities of Eureka and Arcata on the bay.

At the Humboldt Bay is close to areas that are regularly flooded by the tides. The bay and these wetlands are an important habitat for birds. Especially in winter, raced up to 100,000 migratory birds at the same time here.

Large parts of the coast of Humboldt Bay are of the ordinary beach grass (Ammophila arenaria ) overgrown. This invasive neophyte displaces native plants and is being fought all year for this reason. To preserve the native flora a botanical garden was laid directly on the bay.

Geography and port

History

Humboldt Bay was discovered in 1849 by an expedition of seven men, led by Josiah Gregg. He was broken in about 250 km away Weaverville. The group was very slow and reached the bay near starvation. 1850 Humboldt Bay was first navigated by ships General Morgan and Laura Virginia, who had set out from San Francisco. The sailors of the Laura Virginia named the bay after Alexander von Humboldt.

From 1963 to 1976, a boiling water reactor was right on the bay in operation. Today there are working two thermal power plants using fossil fuels, a third is under construction.