Monday, July 25, 2011

Aracata Marsh

A visit to a water treatment facility is not usually high on my bucket list but the Arcata Marsh is an exception.
It is actually only the last part of treatment that was of interest but when we looked at the exhibits in the visitor's center, I found the whole process to be of interest.
In 1979 the city of Arcata embarked on a project to take land that had been used for dumping, pasture and a logging deck and turn it into a marsh and wildlife sanctuary that would be the final stage in the water treatment process.
The plan worked so well that it is now a model for waste water treatment.
Once the waste water has worked its way through the treatment marshes and is dumped into Humbolt Bay it meets or exceeds the Federal clean water standards.
In the process it provides prime habitat for birds and other wildlife






 We were there when the bird activity was at its lowest but we still saw quite a variety.  The marsh is on the Pacific Flyway and looking at the bird list I can see that the best time to visit is during migration.


If you are interested in the waste water process, you can learn all you would ever want to know at their website.

12 comments:

John @ Beans and I on the Loose said...

Funny how man's waste, sewer treatment plants and trash dumps/landfills provide some of the best birding to be had.

Sylvia K said...

What a wonderful, interesting post for the day, Martha! Good to know places like this are doing so much for the environment and birds/wildlife! Terrific captures as always and thanks for the information! Hope your week is off to a great start! Enjoy!

Sylvia

Gaelyn said...

A most logical answer that is obviously working by all the bird approval. Hope this idea spreads.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Made my day to read this post Martha. We found the marsh by accident several years ago (were just staying in the area on the way to somewhere else and out for a drive)...it felt like we'd discovered a miracle. (And I guess we were there during migration because we saw tons of birds. (Pre-digital).....we have been back a few times since but not nearly recently enough. Thanks for sharing.

Barb said...

So interesting, Martha - a green and beautiful place.

Carly said...

It's amazing what they can do!! This looks much more pleasant than a water treatment plant!

Diane AZ said...

Such a beautiful place! I especially love your egret image. That bird list looks interesting; I think you will want to visit again. :)

Owlfarmer said...

I have no idea why more places don't do this; it just makes so much sense in so many ways. Great shots, too. My sister went to school in Arcata, but I never got up there to see the area--so thanks for the virtual visit!

Things are so water-starved around here (even though the D/FW area's not suffering the worst of the drought) that it's wonderfully refreshing to contemplate wetness, especially of the useful variety.

Laura said...

beautiful♥

Judy said...

I have heard of a couple of places where they have made a real commitment to cleaning the city's waste water. I am delighted to add another to my list!

EG CameraGirl said...

Thanks for the reminder, Martha. We have such a facility a couple of towns east of here that's said to be great for birdwatchers too. Somehow I keep forgetting to go there during migration!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

looks like they are doing a good job, my husband is consultant to trying to save a world heritage wetlands that is threatened by too many cows and their S***