50 Years Later – The Legacy of the

1964 Flood Mary Ann Madej

LANDSLIDES

Landslides strip soil and trees off hillslopes

(1978 Photo)

Redwood Creek

1964 flood caused massive landsliding on the North Coast

6 million cubic meters in Redwood Creek alone

Arcata Marsh: 307 acres-

Entire Arcata Marsh:

Could be covered by 17 ft. of sediment

(McKinley statue)

from Redwood Creek alone

Simon Creek

1966

1978

Long-term loss of soil productivity

WOOD

Formation (and persistence) of large log jams

BRIDGES

Log jam on Van Duzen River, 1964

From Rumney and Stockton, 2014

CHANNEL SEDIMENT

Trees killed by gravel deposits

Height of flood deposits

FLOODPLAIN

SEDIMENT

Palm Cafe

Orick

1964 Flood Deposits in Orick Valley: Sand and Silt

From Ricks, 1995

Overbank flood deposits

High water mark

NEAR-SHORE

DEPOSITS

Near-shore sediment deposition – Preservation of flood events

Several studies of Eel River shelf

FLOOD CONTROL

LEVEES

Construction of flood control levees in 1968 dramatically changed circulation patterns in estuary

POLICY, LAWS

100-year flood inundation map for Orick valley(Data from USGS, NOAA, USDA, NASA and more)

Revised FEMA mapping

Increased recognition of impacts of logging helped lead to: 1) establishment of Redwood National Park in 1968 2) California Forest Practice Rules, 1973.

1964: G. I. Joe enters the market