Clarence Irwin Haydock

Clarence Irwin Haydock, Ph.D., California ecologist, passed away peacefully the evening of July 30, 2011 in Fountain Valley, CA having been born April 15, 1938 in Bakersfield, CA. As a boy, growing up in northern CA he sculled a duck boat on San Francisco Bay in the winter and was a gondolier and glass bottom boat guide in the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens for the summer. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Biology from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Masters of Science in Marine Sciences from Hopkins Marine Station (Stanford) and Pacific Marine Station (UOP). He then trained at the side of internationally known experts in ecology and fisheries biology and graduated from UC Davis in Zoology (Ph.D., 1968).

He was a fourth generation native (roots in the first tin-caning fruit industry in the Santa Clara Valley) with over 50 years direct experience and knowledge focused on statewide marine, estuarine and fresh water resources and their burgeoning problems.

For the past 30 years Dr. Haydock was involved in studies of mans’ impact on the ocean off southern California. He has authored or co-authored many scientific publications on a variety of water resources subjects. His career included work for the Southern California Coastal Water Research Project, Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts and he retired in 1997 after significant contributions to the Marine Monitoring Program and as a Chief Scientist of the County Sanitation Districts of Orange County.

He is especially proud of his work with the CA Coastal Commission projects in the 1970’s, his role as Environmental Advisor to congressman Alphonzo Bell in the formation of the Channel Islands National Park and his years as chairman of the Huntington Beach Environmental Board working on local wetlands problems in the 1980’s.

His extracurricular interest has centered on the history and future of CA water resources. He was on Gov. Pete Wilson’s CalFed Science Advisory Committee, has advised the National Water Research Institute (Orange County) and served his children and grandchildren through volunteer service to various watershed management committee activities in Orange County. He remained engaged in the ongoing debate over critically scarce wetland habitats and plans for enhancement and restoration of the Bolsa Chica and Upper Newport Bay.

During this last decade Dr. Haydock remained focused on the Upper Newport Bay where through a variety of forums he exhibited his grasp of current coastal zone politics, his network of colleagues throughout the environmental sector, and the vision of an adaptive ecosystem based management concept “To protect the crown jewels of California” was how he put it. Salty at times but very soft spoken he was just as committed to helping others achieve their goals. His friends would say a valuable and irreplaceable reference
book has disappeared from our shelves, as a truly great friend has disappeared from our lives, but we remember and so his work goes on.

C. Irwin Haydock, Ph.D. is survived by his sons James Wesley Haydock, Huntington Beach, CA, Russell Courtney Haydock, Murray, Utah and daughters Marina Dee West, Landers, CA and Lara Elaine Voeks, Hood River, OR as well as 12 grandchildren amongst them.