and agencies is well represented in the collections at Humboldt State University
(HSU) and the DPW. In addition, the investigators preparing this data review
accessed a substantial amount of information on Humboldt Bay already
assembled in project files from their studies spanning the last 25 years.
For this review, contacts were initiated with Federal, state, and local
government agencies, academic investigators and repositories, environmental
groups, and other appropriate nongovernmental organizations. Specific
information for those contacts of primary interest is listed in Appendix G. The
primary contacts and sources of data discussed or complied in this report are as
follows:
a. DPW, Natural Resources Division.
b. Humboldt Bay Harbor Recreation and Conservation District (HBHRCD).
c. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Field, District, and Division
offices.
d. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
e. HSU.
f.
University of California (Berkeley, San Diego).
g. California Department Fish and Game (CDFG).
h. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National
Ocean Service (NOS).
Scope and Limitations
Chapter 2 of the data review presents an overview of the study area and and
general description of the physical behavior of the Humboldt Bay entrance and
adjacent littoral cells. This overview is intended to provide background and a
framework for the review of the data compilations, which is the main objective of
this report. References provided in the descriptions, as well as the complete
bibliography, can be consulted for additional details.
Chapter 3 of the report presents a set of chronologies, again provided as a
framework within which to consider and interpret the data compilations. The
history of European settlement and commercial use of Humboldt Bay is
relatively brief, beginning about 1850, with some indication of traders as early as
1806. The chronologies presented focus on the major engineering events
involving the establishment of jetties and navigation channels, the intensity of
maintenance dredging, and the relationship of the various studies of the physical
processes of the bay and adjacent beaches. These three aspects are the most
central for understanding the natural and anthropogenic influences on the existing
morphology and operation of the entrance.
Chapter 4 presents the data compilations in four categories: (a) aerial
photographs, (b) maps and charts, (c) studies and reports, and (d) data sources
and compilations. It is unlikely that any data review can list every possible
source of information. The intent of this review is to provide sufficient
information so that the data needs of the inlet study would be satisfied at least to
the extent that there is a high confidence that all critical or relevant information is
4
Chapter 1 Introduction
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