Bay to Dunes
for Teachers

General Information

• Bay to Dunes Program Overview
• A First Year History of Bay to Dunes
• Overview of Humboldt Coastal Habitats
• History of the Manila Community Park
• Bay to Dunes Key Terms
• Common Wildlife of Coastal Habitats
• California Content Standards met by Bay to Dunes

Bay to Dunes Program Overview

The Bay to Dunes Education Program has been providing young students (grades K-8) with educational experiences exploring local bay, salt marsh, freshwater marsh, coastal forest, beach, and dune habitats since the fall of 1997. Cultural history is integrated into the curriculum to help students understand the relationship of humans, past and present, to the ecology of the area.

The cultural and natural history of the area is introduced to students during a pre-trip classroom presentation, which includes a PowerPoint slide show and interactive activities. The in-class presentation is followed by a daylong field trip to explore bay and dune habitats. Among other things, students use dip nets to discover small animals living in a freshwater marsh, use binoculars to view shorebirds feeding on the mudflats of the bay, participate in a dune restoration activity by removing invasive plants from native plant communities, and identify animal tracks in the open dunes. Our vision for the program is that every Humboldt County child will experience, value, and advocate for the beauty and natural diversity of coastal bay and dune habitats.

A First Year History of Bay to Dunes

The Bay to Dunes Education Program was initiated as a concept in 1997 by a small group of people who were building an organization dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity in northwestern California. Education had been identified as a primary goal. Two members in particular were interested in developing a local environmental education program that exposed schoolchildren to the ecological intricacies of local landscapes. Jennifer Bloeser and Shayne Green decided on a program that emphasized bay and dune habitats.

Shayne Green, a lifetime resident of coastal Humboldt County, recalls cutting classes in high school in order to explore local dune systems and go fishing. He often found himself eschewing the traditional school environment in favor of the richer and more engaging educational opportunities that the outdoors offered. The idea of a program, which enabled students to explore the wonders of nature as a part of their schooling appealed to him on a personal level.

Bloeser had worked as an environmental educator at the Newfound Harbor Marine Institute in the Florida Keys, the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, as well as the Joliet Nature Center before enrolling at Humboldt State University’s graduate program in fisheries. She believes in the value of experiential education, and saw great potential for this in a program that exposed students to local bay and dune habitats. Along with her training as a marine biologist, she brought with her a working knowledge of outdoor education and the skills needed to create a successful program.

Bloeser and Green contacted Friends of the Dunes (FOD) to see if the organization was interested in supporting the effort. This was the first step in what became a yearlong collaborative effort. The collaboration was between Friends of the Dunes and a group, that would later become Legacy-The Landscape Connection, a Humboldt State University club. Working together, the two groups developed and submitted a grant proposal to the Humboldt Area Foundation. At this time the program officially became a Friends of the Dunes project.

Bloeser and Green, along with Legacy and Friends of the Dunes volunteers created the first Bay to Dunes curriculum. Twice a week, buses arrived at the Manila Community Center carrying energetic and inquisitive third through ninth grade students from Arcata, Big Lagoon, Eureka, and McKinleyville schools. These early walks invoked an enthusiastic response from students who were fascinated by the flora and fauna of the bay and dune environments, and teachers who valued the lessons that were learned there. The program received positive feedback from the students, parents, and teachers participating. It had taken ambition, imagination, cooperation, and commitment, but the Bay to Dunes Program had finally taken root, and continues today thanks to the hard work and commitment of the Friends of the Dunes and their dedicated volunteers!

Overview of Humboldt Coastal Habitats

The Humboldt Bay beaches and dunes are the largest continuous dune system in northern California. Stretching along a thin 34-mile section of our coast, this unique and vulnerable area encompasses a variety of wildlife habitats. In a narrow strip less than a mile wide, one can experience the pounding surf on ocean beaches, wildflowers of the dune mat, wetland swales, open sand dunes, beach pine forests and eel-grass carpeted mudflats. You can become a positive force in preserving and restoring the dunes by learning more about the area, its unique plants and animals, cultural history and natural beauty.

The Beach

The wave slope is the area of the beach that shows evidence of having been washed by waves during the last tidal cycle. Beachcombing here one can find everything from eelgrass, pacific razor clam shells and sand dollars to the carcass of a gray whale. This is also the feeding area for a number of shore birds. They feed on small invertebrates in the sand and in the seaweeds washed on shore. The upper end of the waveslope is the strand. Here you may find plants such as searocket and native dune grass starting to colonize the bare sands.

The Dunes

Building a Sand Dune

The key ingredients needed to build a dune system include a source of sand, a shoreline perpendicular to the prevailing winds and a low landscape over which dunes can migrate. In addition, plant species that are adapted to survive the drying winds and shifting sands are needed to help shape and build the dunes. Here in the Humboldt Bay area, the Mad and Eel rivers supply most of the sand. Winter storms flood these rivers and transport sand to the ocean. Sand is carried by currents along the coast and pushed up on to the beach by gentle summer waves. Once dry, the sand is moved by the prevailing summer winds from the northwest. This dynamic process has created a variety of dune habitats within a narrow stretch of coastline.

The Foredunes

The series of dunes and ridges paralleling the beach are collectively called the foredunes. In areas that are relatively undisturbed by invasive species, you can find a unique community of plants referred to as the dune mat. Here, a wide array of wildflowers adapted to the drying conditions of the dunes helps stabilize the shifting sand. The dune mat is home to two federally listed endangered plant species, the Humboldt Bay wallflower and the beach layia. Take care to stay on the main trails through these areas.

Dune Swales

Swales form when the summer wind has removed the sand down to the water table, allowing water-loving plants to move in. During winter storms the water table rises and forms seasonal ponds in these areas. Tadpoles of the pacific tree frog and red-legged frog can be found here. Eventually forests may develop in these areas.

Open Dunes

Few plants can survive in the open sands of moving dunes. It is easy to see the tracks of nocturnal animals such as gray fox, skunk and raccoon criss-crossing the bare sands. In some places, you can see that these moving dunes are slowly covering the dune forest.

Dune Forest

Large beach pine and Sitka spruce create an area that is surprisingly diverse. Developed soils allow for thick plant growth, with huckleberry, silk tassel, red-flowering currant and salal. The forest is also home to many species of lichens, including puffy mats of reindeer lichens, more characteristic of northern forests.

Salt Marshes and Estuaries

Salt marshes and estuaries are recognized by biologists as among the most productive habitats in the world. The nutrient rich waters form the basis of the salt marsh food chain. Plants such as pickleweed and salt grass are specially adapted to tolerating the salty conditions of a tidal area. Chilean cordgrass (Spartina densiflora) is an invasive species that threatens Humboldt County’s salt marshes.

Restoring the Dunes

The natural land areas around the Humboldt Bay and dunes have been greatly impacted since the arrival of settlers in the early 1800’s. As human populations here have increased, so has degradation of the land. Over the past 30 years, individuals, groups, organizations and government agencies have been working to restore many impacted areas to their historic and natural states. Much of the focus has been on restoring dune areas. Over the years, many non-native, invasive species have been introduced to the dunes. These invasive plants out-compete native plants, change soil chemistry and ultimately alter the functionality of entire dune ecosystems. The main invaders are yellow bush lupine, European beachgrass, and iceplant. Removal of these plants allows native plants to re-establish, which returns plant diversity to the dunes and provides habitat for animals dependent on the native dune plant community.

Friends of the Dunes has been helping to restore local dunes for over 20 years. Our Dune Ecosystem Restoration Team (DERT) holds restoration workdays in various locations on most weekends. DERT is comprised of community members who volunteer a few hours at a time to remove invasive plants at several dune areas. Volunteers return month after month, and year after year, seeing first hand the difference a small group of individuals can accomplish in a few hours. While most restoration efforts are focused on the dunes, research is also being conducted on restoration methods for Humboldt Bay. A current hot topic is the removal of Spartina densiflora, which grows along mudflat edges in and around the sloughs of the bay.

History of the Manila Community Park

The Manila Community Park, managed by the Manila Community Services District, is located along the edge of the bay at the corner of Lupine Drive and Peninsula Drive. It is a popular recreation area with a newly built playground, disc golf course, soocer field, and access to both freshwater and saltwater marshes. However this area did not always look the way it does today, the park has a history of industry and degradation.

The Peerless Lumber Mill acquired the land in late 1940’s, and the mill burnt down and was abandoned in the late 1960s. The site soon became a dumping ground for garbage, junk and old cars, posing serious concerns for public safety. This visual blight along the shore of the bay enraged community activists. The Manila Community Association was formed, a nonprofit with local residents and school PTA members as its founders. This association helped secure funding to finance the removal of more than 350 old car bodies off the site. In 1986, the County transferred ownership of the property to the Manila Community Services District. Today the park is an asset to the community providing open space, wildlife habitat and recreation area. The “hands-on” participation by Manila residents helped develop a strong sense of personal investment and community empowerment, while restoring the natural habitats of the Samoa Peninsula. Evidences of the mill can still be found, including railroad tracks in the parking lot, and out of place slices of redwood trees along the edge of the bay.

Bay to Dunes Key Terms

Common Wildlife of Coastal Habitats

California Content Standards met by Bay to Dunes