Another major attraction the marsh is the vast array of wildlife that frequent it. These visitors bring valuable tax dollars to the Arcata area. More than two hundred thousand people visit the marsh every year, it is clearly not your average sewage treatment plant. It is an integrated wastewater treatment system that includes habitat enhancements and public use. Since the genesis of the Arcata Marsh Restoration Project in the early seventies, the marsh has served as a rallying point for this small community.
Arcata residents know that what they dump down the drain today is headed for tomorrow's picnic spot.
The annual Oyster Festival celebrates the products of the Humboldt Bay's aquaculture industry . There is a sense of social responsibility in the town and a real sense of pride. Arcata residents are proud of the fact that they live in a town which utilizes appropriate technologies to treat human waste, foster wildlife, and enhance the natural beauty and utility of what once was wasted post-industrial land.