EcoNews April/May 2011

ECONEWS Arcata, California

Vol. 41, No. 3

April/May 2011

Informing The North Coast On Environmental Issues Since 1971

40 Years of Protecting the Environment

Since 1971

Recycling Contract | NEC Seeks ED | Usal Forest | Plastic Bag Ban | 9th St. Cleanup

Northcoast Environmental Center

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Arcata, CA PERMIT NO. 3

791 Eighth St., P.O. Box 4259 Arcata, CA 95521

How Did the Rich Do?

Did you suffer in the global economic downturn? Have your personal finances dropped to a new low? Lost your pension, your benefits, even your job? Are you taking comfort at least in the notion that you are not alone, that misery loves company?

Well, forget it. None of that applies to the richest people on the planet.

While the rest of us suffered, the number of billionaires actually increased, to a record 1,210. That’s a gain of 214 very, very fat cats.

Number one in the world was Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim Helu, who topped the list for a second year--and actually increased his wealth by $20.5 billion to $74 billion.

Microsoft boss Bill Gates was second with $56 billion and investor Warren Buffett third with $50 billion. The world’s youngest, Facebook billionaire Dustin Moskovitz, is just 26.

None of these people have approached the NEC so far, even though it would take a mere minute of Carlos Slim’s earnings, for example, to match our budget for the whole year.

However, since it seems unlikely that we’ll hear from Señor Slim or any one of the 1,210 big-buck behemoths, we rely on you. Fellow financially stricken, please help us out. We’ll make your donations meaningful, fighting to protect the land you love, as we’ve been doing for 40 years.

After all, we know how to make a little go a long way.

Thank you.

Join the NEC and support our conservation work!

In our fast-paced lives, the indispensable life supports like air, water and wild nature are often overlooked. Your tax-deductible membership donation will get ECONEWS delivered into your mailbox every month – and allow us to continue to educate and inform the public about crucial environmental issues that affect this region and our entire planet.

Mail in this membership form, or join online at www.yournec.org.

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NEC Seeks Executive Director

The Northcoast Environmental Center seeks a new Executive Director! The successful candidate will have non-profit experience in administration, fundraising, and advocacy, will have good public speaking skills, and a desire to be a strong advocate for the north coast environment.

Roles and responsibilities include: oversight of the staff, fundraising/development, program development, community outreach, and being the ‘voice of the NEC’ regarding policy positions and program-related activity.

For more information, please visit our website at: http://yournec.org/content/nec-accepting-applications-executive-director SEND RESUME AND COVER LETTER to tara@yournec.org Please do not call the NEC office regarding this position.

ECONEWS

The Newsletter of the Northcoast Environmental Center

Celebrating 40 Years of Resource Protection

Transitioning to a New Era of Environmental Justice

F. Thomas Cardenas and Jennifer Kalt

The NEC has been a staunch advocate property on Humboldt Bay. That battle led to the for protecting the greater Klamath Basin formation of Humboldt Baykeeper, a Waterkeeper The story of the Northcoast Environmental ecosystem, Lake Earl in Del Norte County Alliance member, which joined the NEC as a Center now stretches across four decades, (see page 9), and many other unique places in the member group in 2008. encompassing many of the region’s most enduring Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion.

In 2006, longtime Executive Director Tim conservation issues and persevering personalities.

Larry Glass, a board member off and McKay’s sudden death from a heart attack resulted The NEC was founded in February of on since the 1970’s, said the NEC is important in upheaval. After several years of restructuring, 1971, the year following the first Earth Day. Since because it offers the community a way to unite for the NEC has managed to survive intact, with a then, the non-profit organization has been at the common interests. strong board of directors who are quite ready to forefront of a wide range of North Coast issues, “We’ve been successful in partnering with turn over the daily operations of the organization including the expansion of Redwood National local Native American tribes on forestry and to new staff (see page 2).

Park, establishing and expanding wilderness water quality issues,” he said. “Stopping areas, launching the area’s first recycling the G-O road was a huge victory for us.” program, improving oyster-farming and logging The Gasquet to Orleans (G-O) practices, fending off the Calpine liquefied road would have cut through the Six natural gas importation facility on Humboldt Rivers National Forest, dividing off the Bay, and advocating for better land use and Blue Creek portion of the wilderness development practices. and impacting sites sacred to “The 70’s and 80’s were a passionate time local tribes. for the NEC,” remembers Scott Sway, a former “I’ll never forget the joy in NEC board president who joined the Center in Tim’s heart when we were able to 1974. “We were the folks that had nothing but gather in a large circle at the road’s could do a lot.” end near the wilderness boundary, Sway said the Center operated on only $40- after passage of the Smith River $50,000 dollars a year, but still became a leader National Recreation Area Act once in Northern California’s growing environmental and for all settled this issue and protection movement. made the road corridor wilderness,” “We took the lead in forestry issues in said Joe Gillespie of Friends of Del Norte. national park and public lands,” he said. “The NEC That was just one in a long list became the place the government looked to for of victories for the NEC, its partners, information from the other side of the coin.” and member organizations over the Under the leadership of Tim McKay, past 40 years.

Lupines blanket the prairies following a prescribed burn in the Bald Hills east between the NEC and its many members and allies were “We had a very successful Weitchpec and Orick The Bald Hills were designated public lands by the Redwood intimately involved in shaping legislation that campaign to stop wholesale National Park Expansion Act of 1978. Photo: Jennifer Kalt.

Over the years, the number of led to permanent protection of many of our clearcutting and get more sensible forestry management practices in our national organizations focused on advocacy expanded, forests,” Glass said. “It’s awe-inspiring but the NEC remains a clearinghouse for to go and see it and know that it communication and coordination.

Today the NEC’s member groups— could all have been logged off, to each with a seat on the Board of Directors— hold our ground in such a polarized environment with overwhelming are the North Group/Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club, Redwood Region Audubon Society, pressure from the logging industry.”

The NEC began as a North Coast Chapter of the California Native Society, Humboldt Baykeeper, and Safe clearinghouse for local environmental Plant Alternatives for Our Forest Environment, as news and concerns coalesced from well as associate member groups Friends of Del different stakeholders. Back in 1971, Norte—an NEC member group since 1973— environmental advocacy was in its and the Environmental Protection Information infancy, and the NEC was a pioneer.

Center (EPIC).

The NEC membership grew, The EcoNews Report, NEC’s weekly representing numerous member radio show, is the longest running public groups over the years, including affairs show on KHSU, the public radio station Redwood Alliance, the Boot and broadcast from Humboldt State University Blister Club, Save our Siskiyous (later campus. EcoNews Report airs every Thursday the Siskiyou Mountains Resources at 1:30 p.m. on 90.5 FM, with a number of hosts Council), and the Arcata Community covering issues of the day include forest issues, Recycling Center, which began as a fish and wildlife protection, water pollution, Protected by the Wilderness Act of 1984, the Duck Lake Botanical Area in the Russian sustainable development, population and project of the NEC (see page 5).

Wilderness contains 17 species of conifers in one square mile, including subalpine fir, Engelman spruce, Brewer’s spruce, whitebark pine, and foxtail pine. Photo: Jennifer Kalt.

In 2001, the NEC headquarters energy issues.

The EcoNews has been reporting on all most treasured public lands. These include the burned down, along with Marino’s, a beloved 1978 expansion of Redwood National Park, Arcata watering hole. After the fire, the NEC things environmental since the NEC’s early days. In numerous Wild and Scenic River designations, rallied support for the Rebuild It Fund. Plans for a today’s fast-paced world of shrinking newspapers and the Wilderness Act of 1984, which created new “green” headquarters were later thwarted by and ever-expanding internet coverage, EcoNews the Siskiyou Wilderness, Russian Wilderness, and the discovery of dry cleaning chemicals in the soil. continues to report on environmental issues, the Trinity Alps Wilderness, among others.

After numerous setbacks, the NEC is scheduled local events, and volunteer opportunities. In Later, the NEC advocated for the to begin the cleanup of that property this recent years, more member groups have added their voices through pages dedicated to their Smith River National Recreation Area Act summer (see page 7). particular issues. of 1990 and Congressman Mike Thompson’s In 2004, NEC joined forces with EPIC Many of the issues of the 21st Century Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage to successfully defeat the Calpine liquid natural are quite different from those of the early 1970s.

Wilderness Act of 2006, which created seven gas (LNG) importation facility and power Recycling has gone from a radical idea to a big new wilderness areas and expanded four others. plant proposed for the City of Eureka’s Samoa business. Energy production has shifted from nuclear power to a combination of natural gas, biomass from wood chips, and a robust solar industry, with proposals for tidal and wind energy on the horizon to help slow climate change, sea level rise, and ocean acidification.

NEC Seeks Executive Director................2 Ninth Street Cleanup Begins...................7 The two largest pulp mills on the west coast, and Job opportunity for new leadership.

Toxic contamination to be removed from soil. major sources of air and water pollution, have been abandoned.

Plastic Bag Ban Draft Planned.................3 Seabird Colonies Lost to Tsunami..........8 The County’s workforce has shifted from HWMA votes to draft bag ban ordinance.

Hawaiian low lying nesting areas washed away. timber harvest to a more diversified economy, Recycling Contract Threatens ACRC.....5 Eco-Mania................................................13 including restoration experts who decommission Local jobs may lose out to fiscal savings.

A Monthly Melange of Salient Sillies. logging roads and improve salmon habitat in Del Norte Nature Festival Cancelled......4 Kid’s Page.................................................17 the hopes of preventing extinction of our oncemighty salmon runs.

-Continued on Page 4 A victim of its own success?

A Life of Slime.

Inside This Issue

ECONEWS 791 Eighth Street Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 822-6918; Fax (707) 822-6980

EcoNews is the official bi-monthly publication of the Northcoast Environmental Center, a non-profit organization. Third class postage paid in Arcata. ISSN No. 0885-7237. ECONEWS is mailed free to our members and distributed free throughout the Northern California/Southern Oregon bioregion.

The subscription rate is $35 per year.

Editor: NEC Staff, nec@yournec.org Layout and Design: Morgan Corviday, morgan@yournec.org Advertising: NEC Staff, ads@yournec.org Proofreaders: Karen Schatz, Midge Brown Staff Photographer: Sam Camp Writers: F. Thomas Cardenas, Abe Walston, Sarah Marnick, Jennifer Kalt, Beth Werner, Sid Dominitz, Colleen Clifford, Morgan Corviday, Robert “Bobcat” Brothers, Kerul Dyer, Ken Burton, Jennifer Savage, Susan Calla, Chris Weston, Martin Swett, Pete Nichols, Sandra Jerabek, Diane Fairchild Beck, Allison Toomey.

Artists: Terry Torgerson Cover Art: Covers from the EcoNews archives.

NEC Mission

To promote understanding of the relations between people and the biosphere and to conserve, protect and celebrate terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems of northern California and southern Oregon.

NEC Board Of Directors

Humboldt Baykeeper Pete Nichols (President) pete@humboldtbaykeeper.org At-Large, Bob Morris (Vice-President, Trinity County Representive) bob.morris@wildblue.net California Native Plant Society Jen Kalt (Secretary) jkalt@asis.com At-Large, Martin Swett (Treasurer) mswett@pacific.net Safe Alternatives For Our Forest Environment Larry Glass lglass@foggy.net Redwood Region Audubon Society Ken Burton brdnrd@sbcglobal.net Sierra Club North Group, Redwood Chapter Diane Fairchild Beck dfbeck@northcoast.com

NEC Affiliate Groups

Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC), North Group/Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club, Redwood Region Audubon Society, North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, Humboldt Baykeeper, Safe Alternatives for Our Forest Environment, and Friends of Del Norte.

Volunteer submissions are welcome!

Full articles of 500 words or fewer may be submitted, preferably by e-mail. Longer articles should be pitched to the editor, 707-822-6918. Include your phone number and e-mail with all submissions.

The ideas and views expressed in ECONEWS are not necessarily those of the NEC.

Every issue of ECONEWS is printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Please Recycle.

Bouquets

News From the Center Since the first Earth Day in 1970, the NEC has been a leading voice for the environment throughout northern California and southern Oregon. From the G-O Road to the Klamath to the General Plan Update, the NEC has always been there for the community. As we look back on 41 years of Earth Day, and 40 years of the NEC, we can be proud of all the good work we have done for the environment and the community. We must also realize that there will always be looming threats to the environment and our quality of life, as well as a critical role for the NEC in this community.

As you will read in this edition of the EcoNews, the attacks on the planet continue.

Conservative legislators in Sacramento are doing all they can to dramatically weaken California’s strongest environmental protection law, the

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Locally, our longoverdue General Planning Process is being dragged down by some in the development community who prefer the status quo rather than working to protect our natural resources and quality of life here on the north coast.

Forty years ago, in the wake of the first Earth Day, the Northcoast Environmental Center opened its doors to act as a voice for the environment and the community.

Much has happened in the past 40 years; victories, defeats, setbacks, and loss, but one thing remains the same: there are those in the community that believe in the NEC and the ‘sense of place’ ethic that lies at the core of the organization.

Over the past several years, the NEC has stepped back and retooled the organization in order to prepare for the NEXT 40 years!

We are very happy to report that to celebrate the NEC’s 40th Anniversary,

For the forests, rivers, and coast----Pete Nichols, President

NEC Seeks Executive Director

For the past several years, the NEC Board of Directors (BOD) has been working to streamline the fiscal health of the NEC. The final phase of this organizational restructuring is hiring an Executive Director to lead the NEC into the future, continuing its role as a conservation leader in northern California and southern Oregon.

The Executive Director (ED) of the NEC will report directly to the Board of Directors, and serve at the will of the BOD. Initially, the ED will work closely with the BOD to implement monthly work plans to guide this initial phase of organizational growth.

The successful candidate will have non-profit experience in administration, fundraising, and advocacy, will have good public speaking skills, and a desire to be a strong advocate for the north coast environment.

 Tara Stetz, NEC Office Manager since Sept. 2009, who gracefully kept the NEC running smoothly during a difficult transition. Best wishes

The roles and responsibility of the NEC Executive Director include:

* Oversight of the Staff of the NEC: This includes direct supervision, hiring/firing, scheduling, and development of staff work plans. * Fundraising/ Development: During the first year of the tenure of the ED it is crucial to develop a solid fundraising strategy that will ensure the fiscal health of the NEC. This includes, but is not limited to: grant writing, major donor development, fundraising events, fund appeals and membership development. * Voice of the NEC: The ED of the NEC will be the ‘voice of the NEC’ regarding all policy positions and program related activity. While the President of the BOD can also act as a spoke person for the NEC, it is preferable that the ED assume this role and be recognized in the community as the leader of the NEC. in your new adventures, Tara-may we see you again soon!  To the lenders whose faith in NEC will help us grow into the next era. You know who you are!

Arts!Arcata at the NEC Join us Friday, May 13 for our Arts!Arcata Celebration!

NEC is pleased to showcase the work of Susan Bornstein.

Artist’s Statement: My work is based on what I see in my own neighborhood, the gardens and yards of friends or other immediate and familiar locations. I take great pleasure in finding unexpected combinations of colors, textures and shapes in my everyday experience of the world. To me the artist’s role is to notice, to take the time to see, to feel and to respond.

Currently, I am painting with acrylics on paper.

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we are poised to hire a new leader for the organization who will guide the NEC in our efforts to protect our environment and advocate for a common vision that supports our quality of life here on the north coast.

We are proud of what we have done to ensure that the NEC is a strong and viable organization, and we thank all of you who have stayed with us and supported our efforts. For those who may have stepped back, or who are new to the NEC, we’d like to ask that you take another look. Stop in for a visit, volunteer to serve on our Board of Directors or one of our committees, or simply patronize one of our great advertisers in the EcoNews. As our website says, this is “Your NEC”. Let’s make it the NEC you want to see for the next 40 years and beyond.

www.yournec.org

* Program Development: It is very important that the ED begins to work to elevate the existing programs of the NEC before taking on new initiatives.

These include: Green Wheels and Healthy Humboldt. In addition, the ED will be expected to monitor conservation-related issues of the day to ensure the NEC is positioned to have its voice heard on important issues related to the mission of the NEC. * Community Outreach: The ED will be responsible for reconnecting with the current and former NEC supporters to ensure that they are well informed and feel ‘engaged’ with the NEC. This will include, but not be limited to: informational forums on conservation issues of the day, speaking at public events and meetings/hearings, tabling at events and participating in the Econews and Econews Report. * Other duties at the discretion of the Board.

SEND RESUME AND COVER LETTER TO: tara@yournec.org Please do not call the NEC office regarding this position.

NEC Welcomes New Staff Member, Ruthie Schafer The NEC welcomes Ruthie Schafer as our new Office Manager/ Outreach Coordinator.

The NEC is sure to benefit from Ruthie’s experience in program implementation, water quality and conservation, volunteer coordination and strong outreach skills. Stop by during Photo: Roslyn Lehman office hours or visit us at Arts! Arcata and meet the newest addition to the NEC staff.

April/May 2011 ECONEWS

HWMA Votes to Draft Bag Ban Ordinance Colleen Clifford The ever-present rain of the past few months has kept members of Surfrider Foundation’s Humboldt Chapter from hosting as many beach clean-ups as they’d like, but the organization’s Rise Above Plastics (RAP) committee continues to fight trash at the source.

Most people are familiar with The North Pacific Gyre and the “Great Garbage Patch” caught up in its slowmoving currents, but not everyone realizes the North Pacific Gyre isn’t the only one – four other gyres exist in the world’s oceans. Research, primarily by the 5 Gyres nonprofit organization (www.5gyres.org) is currently underway to determine the extent of the plastic pollution in these other reaches gyres.

Determining the damage isn’t easy The Bag Monster (Laurie Birdsall ) at a Eureka City Council meeting. Photo: Beth Werner. when the problem is so staggering: in some The lead county agency on this issue is areas, plastic particles outnumber plankton the Humboldt Waste Management Authority forty-six to one. Over 1 million seabirds and over (HWMA). Over the past several months, RAP 100,000 sea mammals die every year from plastic representatives have advocated to city councils ingestion and entanglement. and the Humboldt County Supervisors about Humboldt Surfrider strives to reduce the need to stem the flow of single-use plastic bags. that problem on the local front. Working with In October 2010, the Arcata City Council moved to both the national Surfrider campaign and with ask the Humboldt Waste Management Authority local Humboldt Baykeeper staff, RAP committee (HWMA) to work on an ordinance. In November, chair Colleen Clifford and her team have the Humboldt Board of Supervisors did the same. focused on supporting a county-wide plastic bag The HWMA Board accepted ban ordinance. responsibility of this work at Thursday’s meeting, voting unanimously to begin preparing a bag ban ordinance and necessary CEQA documents to WANT TO HELP? support it. They will develop a variety of options To support banning for each municipality to choose from, determining single-use plastic bags, what type of bags are banned and how much of a contact Humboldt Surfrider fee gets attached to paper bags. Each of HWMA’s at humboldt@surfrider.org.

Check the events calendar for customers—County of Humboldt, Eureka, Arcata, information about Ferndale, Blue Lake, and Rio Dell—will select the upcoming clean-ups. appropriate option for their community and the More information can councils must approve legislation through a vote. be found at www.riseaboveplastics.org.

The need for supplying CEQA documents, specifically an Environmental Impact Report,

stems from the threat of lawsuit by the plastics industry’s “Save the Plastic Bag Coalition” which posits that a plastic bag ban will subsequently lead to the use of more paper bags, which in turn may cause more environmental degradation in the manufacturing process. Successful bag bans in LA County, San Jose, Santa Monica and other California communities have not been legally challenged due to their inclusion of EIRs; however, some areas, such as Marin County, are faced with litigation if a ban passes the council without the supporting documents.

A lawsuit between the City of Manhattan Beach and the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, to be heard by the California State Supreme Court on May 5, may make the need for a supporting EIR moot.

Often making an appearance at events and council meetings is the “Bag Monster,” acquired from Chico Bags, a company that makes reusable bags that can be cinched down to a very small size in order to clip to a purse, or kept in the glove box. Humboldt Surfrider sells Chico Bags, at cost, in order to promote the reusable lifestyle. The two variations of the bags feature the Humboldt Surfrider 2010 logo, designed by acclaimed local surf artists Matt Beard and Shawn Griggs.

Other places the Bag Monster has been sighted are at Ocean Night (co-hosted by Humboldt Surfrider, Humboldt Baykeeper and Ocean Conservancy), Arts! Alive and Arts! Arcata, and the North Coast Co-op board meeting.

Additionally, along with Humboldt Baykeeper, RAP representatives have sent letters to local grocers in order to ask for voluntary action to reduce plastic bag waste, as well as garner support for the plastic ban issue. Convincing consumers to opt for sustainability over single-use continues to be a primary focus for Humboldt Surfrider and the Surfrider Foundation as a whole.

Colleen Clifford is the Rise Above Plastics Coordinator at Surfrider Humboldt.

General Plan Moves Forward Uninterrupted Jennifer Kalt On Tuesday, April 12, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted for a program to encourage broader public participation without stopping the General Plan Update, now in its 11th year. This is a positive outcome that will carry forward the immense amount of work already done, while encouraging more widespread community involvement.

County staff will develop a work plan to hold more meetings to get input from communities in the unincorporated areas of the County, particularly in the McKinleyville and Eureka Community Planning areas, where much of the future development will occur. The County will also meet with cities and the Community Services Districts, which provide water and sewer to these areas and need to work with the County to determine the best ways to accommodate future growth.

The Planning Commission began its final review of the General Plan Update in Nov. 2008 by voting to take public testimony on all sections before making any recommendations. This led to a considerable delay but generated a tremendous amount of valuable input. Below are some of the recent recommendations made by the Planning Commission, which will be analyzed in the Draft EIR and ultimately forwarded to the Board of Supervisors for final approval.

On April 14, the Planning Commission nearly completed its review of the Biological Resources section, which contemplates increased protections for riparian areas, wetlands, and sensitive habitat with the goal of ensuring recovery of listed species, particularly salmonids. The Commission was nearly unanimous in its support for increased riparian buffer zones to protect salmon habitat and water quality, oak woodlands, and sensitive habitats including wetlands.

ECONEWS April/May 2011

The Open Space Element considers how best to protect plants, animals and their habitats; rivers, streams, and coastal waters; forests, ranches, and farms; and areas for outdoor recreation. The Commissioners supported a policy for open space acquisition, including community forests and parks, and stronger policies to promote trails. A slim majority of Commissioners support greenbelts as “community separators,” which protect scenic beauty and recreational opportunities near towns, while preventing those towns from growing into each other, as has happened in many areas in California. Public input over the past 10 years overwhelmingly favors such greenbelts, which will be considered more thoroughly in the upcoming Scenic Resources chapter along with billboard policies.

The Commission narrowly voted (4-3) to recommend that economic and workforce impact analysis be required for big-box stores over 50,000 square feet.

Streetlight standards to protect the night sky from glare were strongly supported, along with a recommendation for separate standards appropriate for rural and urban areas of the County.

The Circulation Element addresses all aspects of transportation, though the 1984 General Plan is heavily biased towards auto usage. The Planning Commission recommended the adoption of Complete Streets policies, which address other forms of transportation as well as autos. Depending on the context— whether rural, suburban, or urban, and what size street—Complete Streets can mean trails, bike lanes, sidewalks, public transit, and safe routes to schools, all of which consider the needs of children, seniors, and people with disabilities.

The Telecommunications Element will be the first in California, and promotes broadband access to serve outlying areas of the County.

The Planning Commission also recommended

www.yournec.org

that the County seek funding for live remote broadcast of public meetings in areas without cable TV or high speed internet service. Cell tower issues will be addressed through setbacks, standards for noise and other concerns, and ongoing monitoring to ensure compliance with FCC regulations concerning human health.

Our current General Plan was completed in 1984. So much has changed since then, from laws governing development and environmental protection to community values. Developers no longer have a clear framework for getting plans approved. We need to move forward with the General Plan Update to guide development that will benefit existing neighborhoods while protecting our environment and quality of life.

Jennifer Kalt is Director of Healthy Humboldt, a coalition of organizations and individuals working for a County General Plan that provides healthy housing and transportation choices while protecting farms, forests, and watersheds.

Want to learn more?

Visit www.healthyhumboldt.org or http://co.humboldt.ca.us/gpu/ for announcements of upcoming hearings and more information on how to comment on the topics that most interest you.

Future topics include: Scenic Resources, Water Resources, and Air Quality.

To SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS on the General Plan Update, email: mspencer@co.humboldt.ca.us OR by U.S. mail: Humboldt County Community Development Services Attn: Martha Spencer, 3015 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501

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In Memoriam: Del Norte’s Nature Festival Ken Burton

of time to spend money in our community.” Each year the festival included puppet shows, kids’ activities, and live birds of prey for the enjoyment of local families.

Festival registration peaked at 275. “People would be here for four days,” said Calla, which translated into a lot of money entering the local economy during the off-season. “We also had well over 1,000 people come through the Cultural Center for community events,” she added.

One incident that stood out for Calla happened at last year’s festival. “A young man who

Del Norte County’s nature festival has fallen victim to hard times and, ironically, the recovery of the bird it was created to honor. In February, the Steering Committee of the California Redwoods Bird and Nature Festival decided to call it quits after losing its organizer to medical problems and two major sponsors to the recession.

These were not the first of the Festival’s challenges. Begun in 1999 as the Aleutian Goose Festival, in part to honor the return of the Aleutian Canada Goose (now known as the Aleutian Cackling Goose) to its historic staging grounds on Castle Rock, it encountered instant opposition from local dairy ranchers, who saw the geese as competitors with their cattle for forage. The geese, like the cattle, graze on grass.

“Our festival is possibly the only bird and nature festival in the nation that ever had a protest lodged against it,” said Susan Calla, one of the Festival’s founders and first coordinators and nicknamed, “Mother Goose.” “One morning (the first year) we had truckloads of people show up with signs saying that the geese were ruining their livelihoods.”

Calla explained that the confrontation was a learning experience for the festival participants. “It gave us an opportunity to talk with them about the challenges when you restore an endangered species and how it affects communities.” The next year’s festival featured a panel consisting of ranchers, researchers, and agency biologists. “It expanded people’s understanding of what happens when we play God,” she said.

The Festival was the brainchild of Sandra Jerabek and Tedd Ward, who felt that the spectacle of the geese arriving on Castle Rock in the evenings and departing in the mornings needed to be shared with the local community and beyond. Jerabek got a grant from the Forest Service that provided $11,000 in seed money for the 2006 Aleutian Goose Festival poster, artwork by Garretta Lamore. first festival, which billed itself as “a celebration was one of the helpers in the children’s activities of hope, renewal, the return of spring and the room came up to me and told me he had first recovery of ... the Aleutian Canada Goose.” The come to the festival when he was seven years old festival’s vision statement reflects such lofty and got really turned on and wanted to help out goals as honoring stewardship, strengthening and give back. It was really cool to know that partnerships, and renewing community spirit there was an impact that way.”

After the initial grant, the Festival and civic pride.

Rather than reinvent the wheel, the scraped by with local support each year. LongFestival organizers borrowed the template of term local sponsors included the City of Crescent Arcata’s already-existing Godwit Days Spring City, Lucky 7 Casino, the Chamber of Commerce, Migration Festival, as well as many of its guides The Daily Triplicate, Redwood National & State and lecturers, but developed a program that was Parks, Sutter Coast Hospital, Bicoastal Media, less bird-focused and highlighted other aspects of KHSU/KHSR, the Yurok Tribe, and Smith River Del Norte’s natural and cultural histories. Over Rancheria. In the later years, benefits were held the years it came to offer boat excursions and field to raise the balance of the money needed to seed trips highlighting such diverse topics as fish the next year’s festival, giving the community the restoration, geology, botany, and Tolowa and opportunity to support the Festival sustainably.

In 2006, the Festival, always considered a sister Yurok cultures–and, of course, birds.

Rick Hiser, another of the Festival’s festival to Godwit Days, became an official founders and its coordinator for many years, Godwit Days project. “It was a perfect match,” explained that from the start, the Festival was said Hiser. But insurmountable obstacles designed for the benefit of the local community. “It was were looming.

As the goose’s numbers rebounded, it established on two distinct tracks,” he said. “One was economic, and that involved the workshops became more of a burden to local ranchers, who and field trips, which we promoted outside our were permitted to scare it off their fields after it area to bring people into our community; and the was delisted in 2001. Agencies began managing other was community events, which were all free land in Humboldt County to shift the population and open to the public at the Cultural Center. We away from Del Norte County. Thus, the Festival eventually found itself celebrating a bird that was promoted that consciously from the beginning.”

The community-benefit goal guided the aggressively being discouraged from being there.

Festival throughout its existence, sometimes to The timing of the Festival (mid-March) meant the Festival’s detriment. “We kept the Festival at predictably bad weather, dampening participants’ the Cultural Center, which was probably not the enthusiasm and forcing the cancellation of many best venue (logistically),” said Hiser. “We wanted of the boat trips. Global events such as 9/11 and its to keep the energy in downtown Crescent City. fallout, and soaring gas prices, also took their toll And we didn’t feed our guests. We wanted them in certain years.

Then, in 2008, the recession hit, leading out in the community having breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We built our system so people had lots to the suspension of the Festival in 2009 because

4

www.yournec.org

of sponsor withdrawals and low registration.

This provided an opportunity for the Steering Committee to reexamine it from top to bottom.

What emerged was the California Redwoods Bird and Nature Festival, to be held in early May. As the lengthy name implies, the new festival lacked the single-species focus of the Aleutian Goose Festival. Some on the Committee felt that made it harder to promote.

“That was a huge challenge to overcome,” said Hiser.

The new festival had only slightly over 100 registrants in 2010, its single year of existence. “I think from the participants’ standpoint, it was one of the best festivals ever because the weather was great, and there were six to eight people on a field trip.

They loved it, absolutely loved it!,” Hiser recalled wistfully. “But at 100 people, it’s not sustainable.” “It takes as much effort to put on a festival for 100 people as it does for 400 people,” Calla added. She came to feel that trying to put on a new festival without any central focus simply wouldn’t work.

Jerabek and Ward disagree. “We believe that the new festival could have become successful, given enough time,” said Jerabek. “I’ve received so many emails from disappointed potential registrants and vendors. You can’t judge a completely new festival by its first year.”

The Committee was well into preparations for this year’s festival when disaster struck. Losing its organizer and two major sponsors only a few months ahead of the event, combined with the ongoing economic downturn, was too much to overcome and forced the painful decision to disband. As it turned out, the tsunami may have dealt the final blow anyway.

“When we took that year off,” Calla said, “we asked ourselves, ‘Have we done what we set out to do in honoring the return of this little goose and celebrating that this county has so much in the way of nature and culture and heritage, and also linking up a whole bunch of diverse people who normally would not connect with each other?’ We felt really strongly that we had been successful in accomplishing that.”

“The geese themselves, when they come in in the evening and fly out in the morning, and they’re flying over our houses, and we hear them, they keep us inspired,” Calla added.

“Their story was so inspiring and so compelling and it spoke to lots and lots of people. We had so many people who went to the morning fly-offs ... come back and say that was life-changing.”

Not to be defeated, this small group of visionaries continues to think big. Calla and Jerabek have set their sights on developing something like a small Yosemite Institute for Del Norte County to continue promoting its natural and cultural wonders. Stay tuned!

Ken Burton is the Redwood Region Audubon Society’s Project Manager and representative to the NEC Board.

40 Years,

Continued from Page 1 Marijuana cultivation—for so long an illegal yet pervasive source of income—has been semi-legalized and moved indoors, creating new environmental issues while drastically changing the area’s economy.

NEC’s two most recent programs, Healthy Humboldt (see page 3) and Green Wheels (see page 11), work to promote sustainable development and transportation while protecting our environment and quality of life.

Now looking for a new executive director, the NEC has weathered a difficult transition and is prepared for a new era in pursuit of environmental justice on the North Coast. Continuing its legacy of education and awareness through EcoNews, EcoNews Report, and an expanding website (http://www. yournec.org) the NEC will continue to keep you informed about the pressing environmental issues of the day.

April/May 2011 ECONEWS

Penny Wise or Pound Foolish?

The Bottom Line of Local Recycling

F. Thomas Cardenas

Manager for the Dobkin Center, which teaches students about the importance of waste reduction, recycling, and composting.

According to Roberta Welty, a Eureka resident, “I think the decision is penny wise and pound foolish. We need to take a larger view for Humboldt County, not just Humboldt Waste Management Authority.”

At its April 14 meeting, the Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA) heard from concerned citizens dismayed at the possibility of losing the Arcata Community Recycling Center (ACRC).

Previously, HWMA had voted to officially award a processing contract for area recyclables to Solid Waste Services (SWS) of Willits, rendering useless ACRC’s new recycling plant in Samoa. The 35,800-square-foot LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified facility processes materials from Arcata, Blue Lake, Eureka, Ferndale, McKinleyville, Rio Dell, Trinidad, and surrounding communities.

Mark Loughmiller, ACRC executive director, said the deal would necessitate a “dramatic shift in the organization,” likely shuttering the 5-year old Samoa facility and eliminating up to 35 local jobs.

According to Loughmiller, the ACRC generates about $4 million in local economic activity in the area through facility and transport jobs, community programs, and its Reusables Depot Thrift Store. Glass bottles collected for recycling. Photo: Jennifer Kalt.

The ACRC also supports the Dobkin “There is a human aspect to your decision Education Center, an on-site classroom facility to make people jobless,” said sorter Chris used to teach school children about the Holmquist. He urged the board to keep valuable importance of recycling and waste reduction. jobs in Humboldt County.

Fire and Light of Arcata has created and Loughmiller said community awareness and education account for much of what would exported handmade dinner and glassware using be lost in the switch to the SWS. ACRC has recycled glass from the ACRC for the past 15 years.

“Local jobs are part of sustainability,” said emphasized education as part of its mission John McClurg, president of Fire and Light, which since its inception in 1970.

Hundreds of students from more than 25 employs about 20 people. He added that the ACRC local schools have benefitted from the educational and their Samoa facility enabled the company to opportunities offered by the ACRC just since provide jobs and a quality product that might not be January, said Allison Poklemba, Education possible with the method SWS uses.

“The single stream method contaminates contents, lowers value, and lowers quality of those commodities and makes it less likely that those materials will create a better, valueadded product,” he said. In a sense, recyclers have become a casualty of their own success, with a major shift to for-profit operators since the 1970s. Today, only a handful of non-profit recyclers remain in the U.S. The ACRC, founded 40 years ago as a project of the NEC, is the oldest continuously operating non-profit recycling center in the country.

At previous meetings, several HWMA board members stated that they would try to give local preference to support local jobs, but once the bids were in, there was a $2.5 million difference between the proposals over five years, with the ACRC bid about $24 a year higher per customer.

The nearly $70 per ton difference between ACRC and SWS was too much to justify passing on to the ratepayers.

“It was a no brainer for the board in that aspect,” said SWS Chief-Executive Officer Jerry Ward. “It’s a volume game.”

Unfortunately for the ACRC, the downturn in the economy over the last few years changed the game dramatically.

Processing one ton of recycling costs about $130, but volume is down by 40 percent since before the recession. Buyers also used to pay $180 per ton of processed recyclables; that price has dropped by 90 percent to just $18 per ton.

In 2007, the ACRC was able to pay suppliers $10 a ton, but once the recyclables market crashed, payments disappeared. Eventually the ACRC had to start charging to process materials to keep the facility afloat. Rates have fluctuated with the facility’s variable interest rate ever since.

-Continued on Page 17

Funding for Usal Redwood Forest Conservation Easement Stalled, Again

F. Thomas Cardenas

The Redwood Forest Foundation Inc. (RFFI), a non-profit community benefit organization, is still struggling to get Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) funding for a conservation easement on the Usal Forest in Mendocino County, three years after a quick and easy sale was supposed to be over. The proposed easement would be purchased by The Conservation Fund with major funding from the Wildlife Conservation Board.

Despite unanimous support from both Humboldt and Mendocino Counties’ Boards of Supervisors, Assemblyman Wes Chesbro, Congressman Mike Thompson, several local cities and environmental groups, the easement has stalled under pressure from its single major opponent, the Mendocino Redwood Company (MRC).

MRC, a Forestry Stewardship Council certified harvester, has been very vocal in its opposition to the project, sending letters to the WCB and lobbying in Sacramento.

Still, with so much local support for the project and the MRC being the only real opposition, the obvious question is, “Why hasn’t this project gone through yet?”

RFFI Executive Director Art Harwood is skeptical about the delays.

“We’ve done everything the WCB has asked,” he said. “We don’t see why this wouldn’t happen. The potential for what can be done as a community forest is really amazing.”

BRANT ELECTRIC

The project was recommended to the board by WCB staff, but Harwood said the MRC’s opposition has affected progress on the easement since 2007.

“They’ve got the political muscle to stop it in spite of everybody’s support,” he said. “When one letter can derail a project like this, you never really know what can happen.”

Funding for the purchase comes from Prop. 84, passed by California voters in 2006 specifically for water quality and natural resource protection projects. It authorized almost $5.4 billion in general obligation bonds, separate from the state’s general fund, for qualified acquisitions and easements.

The WCB administers the bond money, determining which projects are funded and the criteria by which they are chosen.

WCB Executive Director John Donnelly said board members stalled for a number of reasons including the sheer size of the acquisition.

After the initial delay to account for considerations in the first MRC letter, economic decline led to a bond freeze in 2008 and tabled the project. As soon as bond money was available it was reconsidered, Donnelly said. The proposal made the board’s February agenda.

However, two days before the scheduled vote, another letter from the MRC arrived at the WCB office, asking the board to postpone the project. The letter reiterated concerns over the easement’s value to tax payers and the accuracy of its appraisal.

-Continued on Page 17

Save the Dolphin

Calif. License #406330

COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL/INDUSTRIAL NEW CONSTRUCTION/REMODELS

(707)822-3256 ECONEWS April/May 2011

Save Yourself

About the Usal Forest The Usal Redwood Forest Conservation Easement encompasses more than 50,000 acres of forestland stretching along the coastal mountains from south of Leggett, along U.S. 101 to north of Piercy. The easement would create a contiguous protected area from Standish Hickey State Recreation Area to the InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council and Sinkyone Wilderness State Park on the coast.

RFFI officials say the sale of the easement to conservation groups would allow for the surrender of all development rights on the property and keep it as a single, intact forest parcel in perpetuity. Otherwise, the land parcel may have to be sold, which would open it up to partitioning and subdivision.

Though legally owned as private land, RFFI would manage the land as a working community forest. This would allow for recreational uses as well as sustainable timber harvesting and traditional gathering practices for local tribes. The creeks and rivers also refuges for Coho salmon and Steelhead trout.

One of the goals for the easement would be to establish access points along the 101 corridor with trailheads leading through the forest to the beach. Hiking, kayaking and packing tours are all possibilities being discussed for the property.

Heavy logging has greatly depleted the former timberlands, which once belonged to Hawthorne Timber Company, but restoration–to the tune of half-a-million dollars annually–is already underway.

Projects include road removal, watershed enhancement and forest management to restore forest health and timber production.

The arboreal composition is currently about 45 percent tanoak, a less commercially viable species than redwood or Douglas-fir.

More information at

Blue Dolphin Alliance

www.bluedolphin.org 888-694-2537

www.yournec.org

5

Kin to the Earth

SANDRA JERABEK Susan Calla Since her move to Del Norte County in 1993, Sandra Jerabek has dedicated her efforts to educate this remote coastal community about the natural and cultural treasures found there.

Sandra was the inspiration for and founder of the Aleutian Goose Festival, which she shepherded for 11 years. As part of this original vision to promote Del Norte as a bird and nature tourism destination, she was granted funding to edit and publish A Bird Finding Guide to Del Norte County, California by Alan Barron. In early 2000 she helped persuade the State to purchase the 340-acre Point St. George Heritage Area. Sandra was appointed by Del Norte County to serve on the Point St. George Advisory Committee to develop a management plan for the heritage area.

Sandra Jerabek enthusiastically displays a large bolete. Photo: Susan Calla.

Sandra’s greatest passion and achievements have centered on the work she has helped defend this victory as multiple lawsuits done for the Lake Earl Coastal Lagoon. She has have been filed, including a lawsuit against made the protection and restoration of this vast her personally. As the lagoon continues to be 6000-acre wetland complex (the West Coast’s threatened by illegal breaching, Sandra goes out largest estuarine lagoon) and its surrounding 5000 herself and works with other lagoon watchers, acres of Tolowa Dunes State Park her life project. hiding out day and night in the dunes, to watch for For more than 100 years, the Lake Earl any suspicious activity near the lagoon’s mouth.

Coastal Lagoon was drained to create livestock Last year, Sandra coordinated another pasture. Sandra has led a successful citizens’ successful campaign to stop California State Parks’ campaign to support restoration of the lagoon outrageous attempt to allow hunting on sacred to higher and more natural water levels. She has ponds near the Tolowa Indian massacre site at

Yontocket in Tolowa Dunes State Park.

She serves as part-time volunteer Program Manager for Tolowa Dunes Stewards, and has obtained funding for a large European beach grass removal project.

Twice a month, Sandra organizes and participates in grass pulling days. This last summer, Sandra coordinated with Smith River Rancheria and led Tolowa Indian high school students to assist with restoration of their ancestral lands.

She was also responsible for obtaining funding for and coordinating a muchneeded map and guide for the entire Tolowa Coast (Tolowa Dunes State Park, Lake Earl Wildlife Area, Point St. George Heritage Area). To visit the Tolowa Coast go to www.tolowacoasttrails.org.

This amazingly talented woman is also a founding member of Lake Earl Coastal Lagoon Alliance, Northcoast Regional Land Trust, and Rock Creek Ranch Retreat Center on the South Fork of the Smith River (operated by the Smith River Alliance). She also is a member of Friends of Del Norte, serves on the Del Norte Resource Advisory Council and travels to the Bay Area every quarter to serve on the grant selection committee for the Rose Foundation’s Northern California Environmental Grassroots Fund.

The small conservation community that exists in Del Norte County is so lucky to have someone with Sandra’s passion, skills, and talent.

Railbanking from Willits to Humboldt Bay Chris Weston Over 10,400 North Coast residents have signed the “Railbanking” Petition to convert the long-defunct North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) railway into a non-motorized trail.

The Eel River Trails Association (ERTA), a new group based in Southern Humboldt, has a vision to prepare for the post-hydrocarbon age, in which everyone can travel and recreate safely throughout the broader Eel River Watershed.

The expansive vision calls for multiple nonmotorized “trunk” lines North to South and “branch” trails going East and West. What ERTA promotes is a paradigm shift on the North

Map of the existing NCRA railroad route from Willits to Eureka..

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Coast towards greater harmony with nature.

On February 22, the ERTA held a meeting at the Winema Theater in Scotia focusing on the proposed Eel River Trail. The trail would replace the creosote-laden railroad ties and rails from Willits, through the Eel River canyon and the cities of Fortuna, Eureka and Arcata, to Fairhaven on Humboldt Bay. Currently, the railway is owned by the NCRA, a public-owned agency, though the tracks have not been in use since 1998 due to major storm damage that has never been repaired.

150,000 miles of railways had been abandoned by 1983, when “Railbanking” was established as part of the National Trails System Act to “preserve established railroad rights-ofway for future reactivation of rail service, to protect rail transportation corridors” within the broader goal of promoting “the preservation of, public access to, travel within, and enjoyment and appreciation of the open-air, outdoor areas and historic resources of the Nation.” Since then, more than 19,000 miles have been converted into interim-use trails.

By law, rail takes priority over trail, and any freight rail company can call for the return of a “railbanked” corridor, if it has demand, funding and technology to justify it. At least 20 rail-trails have gone full circle and been converted back to railways. Currently, the NCRA is fully occupied with relaunching rail service south of Cloverdale, but it has no intention to consider plans north of Willits for 10 years. ERTA eagerly offers to help plan for a trail there in the interim.

Geological instability in the Eel River canyon makes railway use extremely difficult and expensive. It the 1990’s it was estimated that it would cost $1 million per mile annually to maintain the railway.

The Iron Horse Preservation Society, a Nevadan non-profit specializing in converting rails to trails, has stated they can convert the entire 150 mile corridor–from Willits to Humboldt Bay–with minimal new funding by salvaging the rails and ties. It would be a challenge to maintain the proposed trail, but not nearly as expensive as maintaining rail service.

The Eel River Trail project will bring jobs both in the short run and longer term. The conversion to a trail means jobs and the resulting trail will be a magnet for eco-tourists, which

www.yournec.org

NCRA Tracks along the Eel River near Woodman, just north of Del Rios, with boulders in the foreground from a rockslide. Submitted Photo.

could eventually be an economic boon to this remote area. Rails-to-Trails projects are also good for landowners. Trails are a recreational amenity, improve access to remote areas, enhance security (the vast majority of trail users are good citizens, whose eyes and ears deter trespassers), improve land values and promote ecological conservation. Please join this diverse movement to prepare for the post-hydrocarbon age!

Chris Weston, 53, is Founder of the Eel River Trails Association. He lives on a 600-acre ranch in Southern Humboldt.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

For more information or a copy of the railbanking petition, please call 707-223-2226 or write to P.O. Box 185, Phillipsville, CA 95559.

For information on Rails to Trails, please visit: http://www.railstotrails.org For information on the North Coast Railroad, visit: http://www.northcoastrailroad.org

April/May 2011 ECONEWS

Ninth Street Clean-up Moves Forward Martin Swett The Northcoast Environmental Center, working with GreenWay Partners, is making good progress towards cleaning up the contaminated lot we own on Ninth Street in Arcata. Adhering to the guidelines of the Brownfield Grant that the NEC was awarded last year, GreenWay Partners has submitted an Interim Remedial Action Plan to the Regional Water Quality Control Board and a Sampling and Analysis Plan (SAP) to the EPA. Our initial review was returned with only minor revisions requested, due to GreenWay Partners’ expertise. Both the Remedial Action Plan and the Sampling and Analysis Plan have been approved and the project is entering its next phase. The goal is to ‘break ground’ over the summer.

The site of the NEC until 2001, when a fire destroyed the building, awaits removal of contamination from a prior onsite dry cleaning business. Soil excavation is scheduled to begin this summer, overseen and partially funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Photo: Martin Swett.

For over 10 years, prior to the NEC taking up residence in 1982, the location housed a dry cleaning business. Typical to this industry, the owners used a chemical called Perchloroethylene, also known as PERC, as part of their cleaning process. Over the tenure of the business, this hazardous pollutant, linked to cancer and neurological damage, leaked into the soil below. When it was discovered in the soil during excavations after the 2001 fire, it fell to the NEC to clean up the mess.

As was reported in the June 2010 issue of ECONEWS, the contaminant levels in the soil are relatively low, and the NEC had been given approval to ‘cap-and-build’. This would have allowed the contaminated soil to be entombed under a cement slab and the sale of the property ‘as-is’ for the next owner to legally build upon.

The issue with that scenario is that the soil would still be contaminated, potentially impacting groundwater, and potentially Humboldt Bay. “We could have pursued [the option] to cap the site, and just leave the toxic chemicals there,” Pete Nichols, NEC Board President, has stated.

“But since we’re an environmental organization focused on trying to clean up the environment and protecting Humboldt Bay, we decided to do the right thing and conduct a full cleanup.”

The NEC has done the right thing by procuring this grant and going through the steps to ensure the lot is clean before selling it. Not only is this the right move environmentally, but it is also a wise move fiscally. Regardless of what commercial property values do over the course of the next two years, the NEC will profit from these efforts.

The plan this summer is to start the ‘dig and haul’. This process will involve removing the most contaminated soil, which will then be hauled to a certified toxic waste facility. Once removed, the remaining soil, and area of excavation, will be injected with a bioremediation agent called potassium permanganate, the intent of which is

to modify the chemistry of the contaminated soil so that it becomes less toxic over a shorter period of time.

The Environmental Protection Agency states that oxidants such as potassium permanganate “destroy pollution in soil and groundwater. Oxidants help change harmful chemicals into harmless ones, like water and carbon dioxide.”

Following cleanup, the next phase will be to monitor the site. To determine that the process is working as planned, permanent sampling wells will be installed on the property. Samples, with a standard ‘chain of custody,’ will be sent to a lab with the results being sent directly to the Northcoast Regional Water Quality Control Board. It is anticipated that the duration of sampling will be 18-24 months. After this process, the goal is to receive a clean bill of health from the State Water Board, giving the NEC a very marketable lot in downtown Arcata.

The NEC board would like to thank the folks at GreenWay Partners for the excellent work they are doing for our organization.

We’d also like to thank board member, Bob Morris of Weaverville, who has been the catalyst in getting this entire process started.

Martin Swett is the NEC Board Treasurer

If you would like to know more about the cleanup, please feel free to contact Bob at (530) 623-5410.

And as a reminder, the Brownfield Grant awarded the NEC $200,000 for clean-up, with the stipulation that we raise another $40,000 in matching funds. Currently we are at $29,600 or 74% of goal. The NEC would greatly appreciate earmarked donations to help us complete this process.

THANK YOU!

Republicans Attack California’s Top Environmental Law

Pete Nichols

As California’s budget woes continue, a handful of Republican legislators have moved to significantly weaken California’s premiere environmental protection law, the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), in exchange for concessions for Governor Brown’s proposed budget. The changes would curtail

TAKE ACTION!

Visit http://www.pcl.org for more information, then contact your elected officials!

Governor Jerry Brown: 916-445-2841 fax 916-558-3160 or http://gov.ca.gov/m_contact.php Speaker John Perez: 916-319-2046 fax 916-319-2146 or speaker.perez@assembly.ca.gov State Senator Noreen Evans: Eureka 445-6508; Sacramento (916) 651-4002 or http://sd02.senate.ca.gov/contact State Assembly Wes Chesbro: Eureka 445-7014; Sacramento (916) 319-2001 or http://asmdc.org/members/a01/ (and click on Contact Us).

lawsuits against projects threatening ecological damage, grant waivers to big corporations, and exempt many urban developments from environmental review.

While wholesale attacks on the environment would usually fail dramatically in California’s pro-environment legislature, this attempt is fueled by the Governor’s desire to pass a budget, which will require support from the Republican legislators who have proposed these devastating changes. SB 241, the legislation proposed to overhaul CEQA, was put forward

by Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) and moves to strip CEQA of many provisions that have protected the environment and encouraged public participation for more than 40 years.

The bill is designed to revoke judicial oversight of the environmental review process for 25 new development and transportation projects each year for five years. Essentially, these 125 projects would receive a free pass to violate CEQA by sidestepping the review process designed to ensure developers are accountable for the impacts and the required mitigation of their projects. The bill would rob citizens of their right to speak out for their communities, the environment, and themselves. If successful, this legislation would expose millions of Californians to environmental and health impacts associated with poorly planned development.

What is CEQA? The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), adopted as state law in 1970, was intended to inform citizens and decision makers about environmental impacts of projects by requiring a thorough public review of projects within a framework of environmental concerns (air and water quality, wildlife and habitats, public health, etc.). The CEQA review is meant to identify ways that environmental damage can be avoided or reduced, and requires changes in projects through the use of alternatives or mitigation measures to reduce such impacts. It also requires disclosure to the public the reasons why a project was approved if significant environmental effects are unavoidable. CEQA applies to projects undertaken or funded by a public agency, or requiring the issuance of a permit by a public agency.

David Tyndall

1225 Central Avenue, Suite #4, McKinleyville Tax Preparer

826 -1996

Email: david@BellaVistaTaxCenter.com Bella Vista Plaza at the corner of Central Ave & Bella Vista Rd.

ECONEWS April/May 2011

www.yournec.org

7

Sharing the Beach: Does Fencing for Plovers Interfere with Recreation at Clam Beach?

Diane Fairchild Beck

broader range of community members involved in managing the plover and beach issues.” But, the writer seems to have forgotten that, leading up to the passage of the Clam Beach Management Plan in 2006, the county held five well-publicized public meetings over a two-and-a-half year period seeking input from all user groups and individuals over the hotly debated issue of plover fencing.

These meetings led to a compromise: the 2006 Clam Beach Management Plan.

very low tides, and people with disabilities (with permits). Signage to this effect, with a permit On March 15, the Humboldt County system, has never been placed at the vehicle Board of Supervisors authorized the renewal entrance to the beach because of lack of resources of the seasonal symbolic fencing at Clam Beach in the five years since the plan was approved.

County Park to protect snowy plover nesting The beach has been free of motor vehicles areas. The fencing is designed to alert beachgoers for over a year for another reason, ever since to keep their distance from the nest sites, which a little lake formed just beyond the entrance are typically located on flat, open expanses of gate at the south parking lot. Mother Nature sand, camouflaged by driftwood, and often did what the county failed to do by not erecting difficult to spot until it is too late. It signs. Nevertheless, Mother Nature is is particularly important to keep dogs fickle. The signs need to be in place. from disturbing the nesting adults What was clear five years ago and young chicks. during the public meetings over the Hank Seemans with the Management Plan is that most people County Department of Public Works did not want to share the beach with reported on the declining success of motor vehicles, instead wanted to be nesting on the beach due primarily to able to play, walk, jog, and ride horses predation by crows and ravens. Public without vehicles popping up at 15 Works offered for approval a draft mph-plus or speeding, doing “donuts”, letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife dumping garbage, or running over Service, which is responsible for the symbolic fencing. Clam Beach is managing the endangered plovers. a great county recreational resource, Seemans states it emphasizes “the and it is a far better one without motor need to make meaningful progress to vehicles on it. come up with a strategy for predators.”

Calls demanding a repeat During the public comment of the public process by those who period, around 10 people complained don’t like the Management Plan about the interference with recreation approved in 2006 will likely result in and the “danger” of the symbolic similar outpouring of opposition to fencing to the public. A My Word Western Snowy Plover. Photo: T.A. Blake, Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recreational driving on the beach, and piece in the Times-Standard (3/22/11) there will certainly be more demands dramatically titled “Symbolic Fence or Fiasco” The fuss is over the presumption that to protect the snowy plover nests as best as we maintained that the symbolic fencing was members of the public have no role to play are able. That certainly means limiting vehicle use, “putting a rope hurdle between a tsunami and in “managing the plover.” New Fifth District continuation of the symbolic fencing, and better high ground”–which is surely pure fantasy.

Supervisor Ryan Sundberg may very well public education on the threats to these tiny birds.

In fact, most all beach use is on the not be fully informed of past debates and The western snowy plover is federally waveslope, and the symbolically fenced areas pose circumstances. In fact, only one present listed as endangered, and the Board of Supervisors minimal interference at best. The walkers, joggers, supervisor, Jimmy Smith, was in office during is unlikely to take any action that would bring it clammers, and most horsemen and -women use the debate over the Management Plan. into litigation. Regardless of the law, however, the waveslope, which by its nature has better A major component of the 2006 Clam it is a small thing indeed to ask that plovers be footing for man and beast. And, there is no lack Beach Management Plan is the restriction of motor given what little help we humans can give them. of wide open space for picnickers and sunbathers. vehicles from the beach during the plover nesting The My Word writer “applauds the Board season, from March 1 to September 30, except Diane Fairchild Beck is the Conservation Chair for the of Supervisors . . . for making sure that there is a for licensed commercial fishermen, clammers at North Group Sierra Club Redwood Chapter.

Thousands of Seabirds Lost in Tsunami Ken Burton

earlier storms wiped out about 22% of this year’s albatross cohort.

Hundreds of thousands of seabirds were Albatrosses are long-lived, however, killed on atolls in the outer Hawaiian chain by the and since Laysan and black-footed tsunami that followed Japan’s March 11 earthquake. albatrosses nest nearly every year, the About four hours after the magnitude survivors should have many more 9.0 quake struck off Japan’s eastern coast, five- breeding opportunities. Barry Stieglitz, foot waves washed over these low-lying islands, the Refuge manager, anticipates a small sweeping away everything in their path, as they did in dip in the breeding population over the Japan. In this case, it was not towns and farmland that next few years, reflecting the adult birds were in harm’s way, but huge numbers of nesting lost, followed by a more pronounced albatrosses, petrels. dip starting in five years or so when These remote islands are the breeding this year’s lost chicks would have been grounds of millions of birds, and the tsunami recruited into the breeding population. struck at a bad time, when the birds had eggs and Healthy populations can chicks in the nests. Ground-nesting albatrosses withstand events such as this, but these incubating eggs or brooding young refused to birds also face sustained anthropogenic Laysan albatrosses and black-footed albatrosses nesting at Sand Island in the abandon their nests or were simply caught off- threats such as invasive plants, sea-level Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Photo: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. guard as the waves washed over them, tangling rise, ocean pollution, prey depletion, and them in debris or washing them into the sea too mortality from commercial longline fishing. Such from Laysan Island to create an “insurance” waterlogged to fly. Burrow-nesting petrels were factors make it harder and slower for populations to population against events such as this, remains buried alive. rebound from natural disasters. unknown. Laysan Island itself also was hit Particularly hard hit was Midway Atoll “This tsunami provided a preview of what and many thousands of albatross chicks were National Wildlife Refuge, home to more than two could happen when global climate change causes killed there. million birds. Waves completely inundated one the sea level to rise,” said Fish and Wildlife Service There is some good news. A Laysan islet there, 60% of another, and 20% of the third. biologist, Beth Flint. “As the low-lying atolls of albatross named Wisdom, possibly the world’s Among the dead were an estimated 2,000 adult the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands become oldest wild bird at about 60 years old, and her and immature Laysan and inundated, there will be newly-hatched chick were initially missing, but black-footed albatrosses an attendant reduction in have been found unharmed. Midway’s sole chick and 110,000 chicks, and available habitat for the 14 of the endangered short-tailed albatross, the first an unknown number million tropical seabirds ever hatched outside Japan, was found (probably thousands) that have always used these alive after being washed out of its nest. The of adult and nestling land features for breeding Refuge’s populations of threatened Hawaiian Bonin petrels. and nesting.” green turtle and endangered Hawaiian None of the Thousands of fish also monk seal appear to be unaffected. And species killed is were killed when they biologists are hopeful that mortality of adult considered endangered were deposited on the Bonin petrels was reduced because the waves –close to a million Laysan atoll. The fate of the struck at night, when many of them presumably albatrosses nested at refuge’s endangered Laysan were at sea foraging.

Midway Atoll alone–but Rescued albatrosses aboard a Fish & Wildlife Service boat. Photo: ducks, which, ironically, Ken Burton is the Redwood Region Audubon Society’s the tsunami and two U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. were transplanted there Project Manager and representative to the NEC Board.

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www.yournec.org

April/May 2011 ECONEWS

Lake Earl Land Swindle: Legal Battle Continues Sandra Jerabek It’s spring, and the Lake Earl lagoon is breathtakingly full. Except for birds, frogs and the distant pounding surf, all seems quiet and peaceful.

Yet, the fierce unrelenting battle over the fate of this unique place continues. For over 150 years the residents of Del Norte County have been fighting about the water level of Lake Earl, the West Coast’s largest estuarine coastal lagoon.

The battleground, however, has shifted from the hands of ranchers with shovels--digging trenches in the sandbar to drain the lagoon-to pleadings in the hands of Judges in distant California cities.

At this point in the saga, most of the action is in the courts.

In the olden days the loggers A kayaker on Lake Earl, the largest coastal lagoon in California. Photo: Wendell Wood. and duck hunters, wanting the lagoon full of the lagoon water levels to go higher to benefit water, battled with the ranchers who wanted more wildlife. At present, Pacific Shores lies surrounded livestock pasture. Today the State of California by the Lake Earl Wildlife Area and Tolowa and the County of Del Norte are defending Dunes State Park. themselves, and the lagoon, with help from Meanwhile the lot owners managed to conservation groups and others. There are four elect a water district, with taxing authority, which lawsuits currently pending, and the outcomes spent millions but never provided any water or will reverberate through California conservation sewer, never finished an environmental study agencies and communities. or plan, nor obtained any permits. The district In 1963, during a time when the ranchers tried to get permission to drain the lagoon and were victorious in keeping the lagoon low much of keep it low, mistakenly thinking this would the time, a large subdivision called Pacific Shores allow them to build. After existing on paper for was laid out in the sand dunes and wetlands nearly five decades, more than half the lots in the around the lagoon. Even without water and sewer, subdivision were acquired by the State in recent the 1535 half-acre lots sold out quickly, mostly years from willing sellers. sight unseen to residents of southern California.

In 2008, the same Del Norte agency The low lying land is a mosaic of wetlands and that had approved its creation dissolved the threatened species habitats, and the water table District. When this decision was appealed is within three feet of the surface, which makes to the courts, subdivision lot owners septic systems impossible. Other proposed Northcoast Environmental Center and Maxine subdivisions in the dunes were averted in the Curtis intervened to support the County and 1970s. Eventually, in the late 1980s, the California the dissolution.

Represented by Stanford Department of Fish & Game decided to allow University Environmental Law Clinic, NEC and Curtis won in Del Norte Superior Court in 2009, but again the decision was appealed to the California Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

Although there were no more tax dollars, the would-be developers found another attorney (presumably pro bono) to carry their fight forward.

Their “Taking by Flooding” lawsuit against the California Deptartment of Fish & Game and the California Coastal Commission, made it to trial in Sacramento Superior Court in early 2011. The trial lasted almost three weeks.

Whatever the Very high water levels in Lake Earl, March 2003, flood roads in the undeveloped Pacific Shores subdivision, which has been the subject of numerous legal challenges since it was first conceived in 1963. Photo: F.L. Hiser, Jr. Judge’s ruling, it will Missaiya’s

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almost certainly go to the Court of Appeals.

This lawsuit could set a chilling precedent. In part the Pacific Shores plaintiffs’ argument is that Fish & Game, the Lake Earl Wildlife Area manager, and the Coastal Commission have a duty to artificially breach and keep the lagoon at very low water levels, because these were the levels the County tried to maintain when the subdivision was laid out in 1963. The defense counters that there is no duty, because if Fish & Game did nothing, the lagoon waters would naturally go much higher. No flood control structures were ever built, and the method of artificially breaching the lagoon with a bulldozer is dangerous and unreliable. The Smith River also floods the subdivision, and any tsunami could devastate it.

Another allegation is that by acquiring more than half the lots throughout the subdivision from willing sellers, Fish & Game has made it impossible for lot owners to develop anything.

In sum, the plaintiffs charge that the State has taken all of the value of their property by flooding, creating new wetlands, and acquisition, thus effecting inverse condemnation. Now, they suggest, it must pay out the big bucks.

As other plaintiff lot owners have extricated themselves, the takings litigation is driven by the owner of a single lot, Thomas Resch, and by the Property Owners Association of which he is President. Resch purchased his Pacific Shores lot in the 1960s for $1800 and has always been the subdivision’s most uncompromising leader. He personally hired a bulldozer and had the lagoon breached illegally in the 1990s.

Although approached by the County and others over the years, Resch has refused to discuss any smaller, more practical development, e.g. a consolidated campground. Also a real estate broker, he is marketing Pacific Shores half acre lots at over $100,000 each. (The State bought them from willing sellers for $4,000.) During the trial Resch admitted that his real estate disclosure forms fail to mention flooding or access problems, although these issues are at the heart of his lawsuit. In addition, his website offers 160 acres of the lagoon for $29.6 million. Resch also admitted his failure to disclose that the State Lands Commission has a claim against this property as navigable waterways of the state, but noted “There is some buildable area there!”

As we await the rulings, more lawsuits by Pacific Shores plaintiffs have been filed.

Sandra Jerabek is a member of the Friends of Del Norte who is staunchly committed to protecting the coastal wonders of Del Norte County.

To view aerial video of the Pacific Shores area, visit the Thomas Resch Real Estate website, at: http://www.thomasreschrealestate.com/ FlyOver/FlyOver.htm

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9

Adopt-A-Slough Program Untrashes Humboldt Bay Beth Werner

herring and anchovies as well as destination foraging spots for bat rays and other species living Humboldt Baykeeper is revamping the in the Bay. Adopt-A-Slough program to organize and support The sloughs around Humboldt Bay stewardship of the Bay and its tributaries. Sloughs are consistently under threat because people are channels winding through the salt marshes frequently dump refuse into them. Ted Halstead, where sea water mingles with fresh water flowing a Eureka resident, saw the critical state of the into the Bay from streams and stormwater runoff. sloughs and has taken the problem into his own Sloughs are important nursery areas for many hands – literally. Ted has been removing trash aquatic species, including juvenile crabs, smelt, from Liscom Slough at the Jackson Ranch Road site in the Arcata Bottoms for about 15 years, and has found newspaper vending machines, a payphone, televisions, paint containers, washing machines, mattresses, 6,000 pounds of cat litter, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Ted’s dedication to cleaning up our local waterways is an inspiration to Baykeeper and the community.

Baykeeper is working with Ted and his wife Pam to develop the AdoptA-Slough program so more people in the community can pitch in to clean up these waterways.

Baykeeper is looking for motivated community members to patrol the sloughs around the Bay, including Fay Slough, Freshwater Slough, Mad River Slough, and Hookton Ted Halstead collecting the trash dumped into Liscom Slough. Photo: Pam Halstead.

Slough. This is an opportunity to get out on the water and make a difference in our environment.

Please contact Humboldt Baykeeper at (707) 268-8897 or email volunteer@ humboldtbaykeeper.org for more information.

Beth Werner is Humboldt Baykeeper’s Coastal Advocate and Outreach Coordinator..

Liscom Slough on August 10, 2010, near Jackson Ranch Road.

Photo: Ted Halstead.

Humboldt Baykeeper: Deployed to Iraq for the Environment Jennifer Savage Sometimes, insomnia leads to inspiration.

For Humboldt Baykeeper Executive Director Pete Nichols, it’s led to that and then some. He has just returned from a visit to Iraq to expand environmental advocacy in the Middle East.

A few months ago, a sleepless night landed him in front of the computer, listening to a BBC program that included “a great story” about wetland restoration in Iraq. The wetlands where Azzam Alwash grew up in Nasriyah, on the banks of the Euphrates, had been drained under Saddam Hussein’s rule, and now Alwash was not only working to reestablish the natural environment, but promoting eco-tourism along the Tigris River.

The uniqueness of Alwash’s Nature Iraq project caught Nichols’ attention. “Ecotourism and environmentalism in Iraq isn’t something we generally hear about,” he said. Nichols, who also serves on the Waterkeeper Alliance national board of directors, tracked Alwash down through Facebook and began discussing the possibility of establishing a Waterkeeper program in Iraq–the first of its kind in the Middle East.

Certain criteria needed to be met.

Someone has to be the “Waterkeeper,” the primary voice speaking on behalf of the waterway, willing to conduct patrols, to reach out and educate the community, to protect and promote the body of water at hand. Alwash’s efforts had positioned him perfectly. “Working with Nature Iraq was refreshing,” Nichols said. “It’s such a sophisticated organization.” He brought the proposal to the Waterkeeper board, which quickly approved the plan.

One hurdle remained: Someone on the Waterkeeper board would need to do what’s termed a “successful site visit.” The goal of such a visit is to make certain the new program has everything necessary to flourish. Nichols has no qualms about traveling to a country most Americans view as barren, dangerous and wartorn. On the contrary, he’s excited. The northern part of Iraq, Nichols said, is relatively safe, with increasing tourism. Further, he’s looking forward to seeing the parts of Iraq not shown on the national news. “The mountains, the rivers… this was the cradle of civilization before the war took top billing.” The destruction of the wetlands

R C R 

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10

ruined people’s lives, Nichols continued, and to see Alwash’s work to restore the lands upon which he was raised is a unique opportunity.

Besides, the time to get involved in protecting and rebuilding Iraq’s natural resources is now, he said. “Over the next 10 years, Iraq citizens will have the chance to develop and frame environmental regulations and laws.

Everyone wants power – and there’s a need to establish an environmental voice early in an emerging democracy. Creating a Waterkeeper program will help ensure environmental advocates have a seat at the table in developing policies.”

His two weeks in Iraq overlap with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, a coincidence not lost on Nichols, who has spent decades striving to protect the environment. “It’s perfect timing, helping to empower other people to do the same work I have dedicated my life to,” he added proudly.

www.yournec.org

Estate planning, wills, trusts and power of attorney for life transitions PO Box 176, Bayside, CA 95524 maggi@humboldt1.com

April/May 2011 ECONEWS

The Sandpiper

8th Annual Children’s Issue

MAY/JUNE 2011 FIELD TRIPS May - June 2011

Every Saturday: Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.

These are our famous, rain-or-shine, docent-led field trips at the marsh; take your binocular(s) and have a great morning birding! Meet in the parking lot at the south end of I Street in Arcata at 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, May 1: Alderpoint. Enjoy the birds, plant life, and reptiles of the Eel River canyon on this half-day trip just south of Alderpoint. We will walk the railroad tracks about two miles to Cain Rock trestle and back (there are no trains). Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Bluegray Gnatcatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and similar birds of dry habitats in southeast Humboldt County can be expected. A short side trip to Smith Point Bridge to enjoy White-throated Swifts may be made following the trip. Diogenes’ lantern, interior live-oak, and birchleaf mountain-mahogany will be seen as well. Take sun protection, layered clothing, and a small pack for carrying lunch and water. Meet in the Ray’s Food Place parking lot in Garberville at 8:30 a.m. We should return to the Humboldt Bay area by mid-afternoon. Contact David Fix (707-825-1195) for more information.

Saturday, May 7: Del Norte County. Join Ken Burton (707-825-1124) for a half-day outing focusing on spring arrivals. The group will carpool to several locations; walking will be minimal. Some of the species that may be seen or heard include Hermit Warbler, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Black-headed Grosbeak, Yellow-breasted Chat, Warbling Vireo, Bullock’s Oriole, Swainson’s Thrush, and lots of other spring arrivals. We’ll also keep an eye out for the famous Crested Caracara. Conditions permitting, we’ll look for Tufted Puffin, Pigeon Guillemot, Rhinoceros Auklet, and other seabirds. Meet at 7:00 a.m. at the Lake Earl Wildlife Area Information Center, 2591 Old Mill Road, Crescent City. Bring binoculars (and spotting scopes if you have them), drinking water, and snacks.

Sunday, May 8: Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This is a wonderful, two-to-three hour trip for

Redwood Region Audubon Society www.rras.org

people wanting to learn the birds of the Humboldt Bay area. It takes a leisurely pace with emphasis on enjoying the birds! Beginners are more than welcome. Meet at the Refuge Visitor Center at 9:00 a.m. Call David Fix (707825-1195) for more information.

bird rich urban location! For more info on the ebird site survey visit this link at ebird.org: http://ebird.org/content/ ebird/about/eBird_Site_Survey. Meet at 8:00 am at the Shay Park parking lot that is located at the eastern end of Foster Avenue.

Saturday, May 14: Seabirds at Elk Head. We will be searching the rocky shoreline for shorebirds (oystercatchers, turnstones, tattlers) and the offshore rocks for nesting seabirds (murres, cormorants, puffins). We also will attempt to identify the land-birds and flowering plants encountered along the trail to the bluffs. Take spotting scopes if you have them. Meet Gary Lester (707-8393373; garys.lester@gmail.com) at the Elk Head Parking lot at 8:30 a.m.

Saturday, June 4: Shelter Cove California Thrasher Trip.

Daryl Coldren (916-384-8089) will lead this speciesspecific trip to look for California Thrashers around the Shelter Cove area in Southern Humboldt. Please contact Daryl to confirm trip, meet time and place, what to bring, etc. We will be leaving northern Humboldt early in the morning to get down to Shelter Cove by around 8:00 a.m.

Four-wheel drive vehicles preferred.

Saturday-Sunday May 14-15: Orleans. Tom Leskiw (707-442-5444) will lead an overnight field trip to look for both migrant and breeding birds. Lodging will be at Sandy Bar Ranch in Orleans (Google them for directions & rates). Cabins can accommodate up to 4 persons. Please contact Tom prior to making your reservation. He will connect prospective “cabin-poolers.” Meet on Valley West Blvd in front of Espresso 101 at 8 a.m. on Saturday to carpool. Tom may have scouted the previous day and, if so, will meet the carpool(s) at Sandy Bar Ranch between 10:30-11:30 am.

Sunday, May 15: Southern Humboldt Community Park.

Robert Sutherland (707-986-1112) and/or John Gaffin will be leading this monthly walk. All ages and experience levels are encouraged to participate and revel in the beauty of the park and its avian inhabitants on this easy, two- to three-hour walk. Binoculars are not provided and dogs are not allowed; field guides are usually available but please provide your own if possible. Steady rain cancels. Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the parking lot on Kimtu Road in Garberville.

Saturday, May 21: eBird site survey--Shay Park. This monthly trip sounds more formal than it really is! Join Rob Fowler (707-839-3493; migratoriusfwlr@gmail. com) as we survey the extent of Shay Park in Arcata for 1-3 hours and count every species present. Rob does the counting and you do the enjoying of some of the over 130 + species that have been recorded here at this small but

Sunday, June 5: Blue Lake. Greet spring in this wonderfully birdy area along the Mad River. We’ll focus on songs and calls of the summer breeding birds here like Cassin’s Vireo, Bewick’s Wren, Yellow-breasted Chat, Lazuli Bunting, Black-headed Grosbeaks, along with looking for the recent phenomenon of breeding Whitethroated Swifts in the area. Meet Rob Fowler (707-8393493) at Espresso 101in the Valley West Shopping Center at 7:30 a.m.

Saturday, June 11: eBird site survey--Shay Park. See May 21.

Sunday, June 12: Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. See May 8.

Saturday, June 18: Horse Mountain. We will be birding high elevation Humboldt County from Horse Mtn. to Grouse Mtn. on Forest Service Route 1. Target species will include Townsend’s Solitaire, Mountain Quail, Dusky Flycatcher, White-headed Woodpecker, and Northern Pygmy-Owl. Maybe we’ll even luck into a Northern Goshawk! Meet at 7:00 a.m. near Espresso 101 off of Giuntoli. Rob Fowler will lead (707-616-9841; migratoriusfwlr@gmail.com) for more information.

Bring a lunch to enjoy after the trip.

Sunday, June 19: Southern Humboldt Community Park.

See May 15.

May Program

Ice Birds and Icebergs Chet Ogan and Jude Power will present images and vivid descriptions of their January 2010 trip to Antarctica at the Audubon monthly program. The lecture will cover their 18-day voyage among albatrosses, penguins, flightless ducks, big bad giant petrels, toothy leopard seals, whales, and icebergs, with the jovial camaraderie of 50 other adventurers. Their ship called on the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, mainland Antarctica, and the Erebus & Terror Gulf, and they survived to tell about it.

photos © Chet Ogan

The program will be held at the Humboldt County Office of Education at Myrtle and West Avenues in Eureka, on Friday, May 13, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Bring a mug to enjoy shade-grown coffee and come fragrance free.

CHAPTER LEADERS OFFICERS President— Jim Clark …..........................… 445-8311 Vice President — Chet Ogan …................… 442-9353 Immediate Past-President— Kerry Ross......496-0764 Secretary—Adam Brown................abrown@prbo.org Treasurer—Susan Calla..................................465-6191 DIRECTORS AT LARGE Jan Andersen...................................................616-3888 Rob Fowler ………………..............……….. 839-3493 Lew & Judie Norton.......................................445-1791 Syn-dee Noel …...............................................442-8862 Chet Ogan ………………..............………… 442-9353 C.J. Ralph .......................................................822-2015 Josée Rousseau................................................839-5763 OTHER CHAPTER LEADERS Conservation—Chet Ogan ..........................442-9353 Education — Syn-dee Noel ….......................442-8862 eBird Liason — Rob Fowler …………..….. 839-3493 Field Trips—Rob Fowler ………......…..….. 839-3493 Historian—John Hewston ..........................822-5288 Membership—Lew & Judie Norton.............445-1791 NEC Representative—Ken Burton...............825-1124 Field Notes—Daryl Coldren...................916-384-8089 Nominating – Kerry Ross...............................496-0764 Programs—C.J. Ralph...................................822-2015 Publicity—Sue Leskiw....................................442-5444 Sandpiper—David Schumaker...............530-227-5192 —Gary Bloomfield........................822-0210 Volunteer Coordinator—Josée Rousseau.....839-5763 Webmaster—Sean McAllister ......................268-0592 Lake Earl Branch—Sue Calla.......................465-6191 RRAS Web Page......................................www.rras.org Arcata Bird Alert .....................822-LOON (822-5666) The Sandpiper is published six times each year by Redwood Region Audubon Society P.O. Box 1054, Eureka, CA 95502.

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The 2010 Humboldt City BIG YEAR

By Ken Burton Late in 2009, I was birding in Alameda County with a friend who, along with some friends of hers, was just finishing up a Berkeley Big Year. A Big Year is an effort to find as many types of birds (or butterflies or whatever) as possible within a predetermined area in a calendar year. Perhaps the best-known Big Year ever done is the one chronicled in Mark Obmascik's book titled, of all things, The Big Year. My friend's Big Year got me thinking about doing an Arcata Big Year.

That idea somehow morphed into a friendly public competition among all 8 cities in the area to see which could document the most species within its limits in a year.

When I proposed this idea to the local birding community, it was met with enough enthusiasm to encourage me to pursue it. The McKinleyville birding community clamored to be let in, despite the fact that McKinleyville isn't incorporated. I ultimately relented; after all, I have friends there I'd just as soon not lose.

But how to define "McKinleyville"? It was suggested that we utilize the boundaries of the McKinleyville Community Services District (CSD). To be fair, I opened the competition up to all the CSDs in the region.

Elias Elias helpfully compiled a digital map of many of the city and CSD boundaries; contact me if you want to see it. Rob Fowler was a big help with alerting me to records I had overlooked. Sean McAllister posted monthly updates to the RRAS Web site.

Ultimately, only the "Big Three" – Arcata, Eureka, and McKinleyville – and, to a lesser degree, Ferndale, really wound up playing. I contributed nearly all the Blue Lake, Fortuna, Rio Dell, and Trinidad records myself. It was clear early on that Crescent City just wasn't happening, and it got dropped. None of the CSDs other than McKinleyville submitted any reports either, and they, too, were dropped.

Okay, the results: 258 species were recorded in at least 1 of the 8 participating towns; 14 were recorded in all 8. Going in, we Arcatans smugly assumed we would win, but, frankly, McKinleyville kicked our butt. It racked up 224 species, followed by Arcata with 202 and Eureka with 179. Among the smaller towns, which were clearly underreported, Ferndale had 92, Fortuna 69, Blue Lake 64, Trinidad 58, and Rio Dell 24. Trinidad, the only town besides McKinleyville with ocean frontage, was especially disappointing, and as evidenced by the disproportionately high number of species that were reported only there, could have done much better had anyone there bothered to play. The complete spreadsheet can be viewed at rras.org under Local Birding.

Why did McKinleyville do so well? The CSD is quite large, extending from Clam Beach and the old Forest Service seed orchard in the north to the Mad River Bottoms and Azalea Reserve in the south, with coastline and a lot of undeveloped land. If it ever

R EDWOOD R EGION A UDUBON S OCIETY

Please make checks to the National Audubon Society.

Send this application and your check to:

PO BOX 1054, EUREKA, CALIFORNIA 95502 April 8, 2011

National Audubon Society P.O. Box 422250 Palm Coast, FL 32142-2250

Scott Artis Founding Director Burrowing Owl Conservation Network P.O. Box 128 Brentwood, CA 94513

--------------LOCAL CHAPTER-------------

REDWOOD REGION AUDUBON SOCIETY P.O. BOX 1054 EUREKA, CA 95502

New Members

Redwood Region Audubon Society welcomes the following new members and subscribers: Arcata – Ben Vernasco, Grace Marton, Judith L. MacKey, Pat Lyda Blue Lake – Louise L. Iversen Crescent City – Keith Thompson Eureka – Clodell Meierding, Gael Hodgkins, Joan McDowell, Joyce Hill, Lisa Embree, Melissa Evask, Michael Bresnahan, Tamara Williams Ferndale – Elaine Hattan Fortuna – Eudie Rodrigues Garberville – Bert Thomas McKinleyville – Janice K. Barham, Luke Moorhead, Sharon S. Bailey, Stephanie Holliday Rio Dell – Chester Kesler Samoa – Hal Grotke Somes Bar – Hope Woodward Trinidad – Marie K. Roy

We look forward to seeing you on field trips and at our monthly programs.

Dear Scott,

This is to confirm that Redwood Region Audubon Society wishes to sign on to the Burrowing Owl Conservation Network letter to Governor Brown, Secretary Laird, and Director McCamman urging the immediate development and public release of a Burrowing Owl Comprehensive Conservation Strategy.

Because of the rapid and progressive taking of Western Burrowing Owl habitat we suggest including a complete study of the current population and habitat be undertaken to determine its true status under the Endangered Species Act. Although listed as a species of special concern in 2008, further declines in its numbers may have changed its ESA status.

does incorporate, it undoubtedly will be much less expansive. Then there's the fact that the town hosts several superb birders who really got into the game; credit should be given where it's due.

I guess it's nice to see McKinleyville excel at something. Finally. No, I'm not bitter.

Those of us who participated learned a lot about the official boundaries of our communities and wound up spending time in areas we might not have otherwise. Owen Head commented, "Birding in the Ferndale city limits proved to be more difficult than I originally expected. The small area and limited habitat made it impossible to keep up with the larger cities.

Come to find out, Ferndale doesn't have any wetland habitat for shorebirds or waterfowl. Given these conditions, I still enjoyed the challenge and the nice people of Ferndale who never once questioned my intentions as I intently peered into their yards."

Gary Lester provided this "acceptance speech" of McKinleyville's first-place award. "Initially I was less interested in the challenge than Lauren [his wife] was because I was focused on the Centerville and Willow Creek Christmas Bird Count compilation duties. It was clear that Kerry Ross was making a strong effort to establish McKinleyville as a player although I was convinced early on that Arcata would boat race all the competition. I was most interested in helping the McKinleyville cause when it was clear to me that Lauren's & my COASST survey beach was within the boundaries. We often walk there between surveys as well. With Lauren's continued support and Kerry's enthusiasm that McKinleyville was in the running (briefly nudging ahead of Arcata at times in mid-season), we began to look in earnest and even contribute. With stunning fall discoveries on Widow White Creek by Paul Roush (Summer Tanager) and Owen Head (Blue-headed Vireo), and Rob Fowler moving here, it became clear that McKinleyville was in this race. A fall run of Hooded Warbler, Lapland Longspur, American Tree Sparrow, and Sabine's Gull (Rob's find) gave McKinleyville a small lead. A single discovery in late November cinched the competition in McKinleyville's favor when Lauren & I found the Brown Shrike on our beach. Not only was it the only shrike of any type found in the city challenge, it was a first Humboldt County record that brought out the birding community to search for it and, in the process, discover additional birds for McKinleyville. I was most pleased to have the shrike shared by many and have McKinleyville earn some local, regional, and national recognition.

One last contribution was my first McKinleyville Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, a yard bird found while Lauren & I were doing the Arcata Christmas Count! I would like to acknowledge the contributions by the wildlife staff at Green Diamond for sharing its sightings of Spotted Owl and Northern Saw-whet Owl in McKinleyville."

RRAS Sponsors Ninth Annual Science Fair Award

“Effects of Native Dune Flora on Mammalian Diversity” by Triston Pigg and Owen Reiss, 7th graders at Jacoby Creek School, received a $50 prize as the best project related to birds or their habitat at the annual Humboldt County Science Fair held in mid-March.

The boys hypothesized that the number of mammal signs per square meter of open sand,as well as mammalian diversity found in a dune environment, would significantly increase when botanical diversity increases and/or when percentage of native plant species increases.

They collected data in plots laid out at Clam Beach, Mad River Beach, and Ma’lel Dunes.

However, their results found a negative correlation between the number of mammal signs and the proportion of native plants, but a positive correlation between mammal signs and overall coverage by vegetation. “It appears as if animals are not partial to native species, as long as adequate shelter and food are provided.” The data seemed to show that plant height influenced area use by mammals (higher plants = more cover = more use), and native plants tended to lie lower than introduced ones.

Redwood Region Audubon Society has over 800 members and includes Del Norte, Humboldt and western Trinity Counties.

Sincerely, Jim Clark, President Redwood Region Audubon Society Cc

RRAS Board of Directors Spotted Owl by Angel McElroy, Grade 1, 3rd place

2011 Student Bird Art Contest Results Some 465 local K-12 students pulled out paints, pencils, pastels, or paste to enter the Eighth Annual Student Bird Art Contest held in association with Godwit Days. RRAS cosponsored the competition with Friends of the Arcata Marsh (FOAM). All entries were displayed at the Arcata Community Center during the Festival, with copies of the winners to be hung at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center during May. Prizes totaling $555 were given out, thanks to FOAM and RRAS. Thirty-two of those were monetary prizes, plus 20 honorable mentions. FOAM also funded three prizes for Best Depiction of a Bird in Its Habitat.

6th Annual Student Nature Writing Contest Tom Leskiw, Contest Organizer

I start to think about the paper due And how to write what I have discovered And the winner is… Rowan Baker, an 8 grader The exact manner in which it was uncovered who attends Sunny Brae Middle School. Mercedes I am being perfectly honest when I say th Butterworth, an 8 ndgrader who attends Sunny Brae Middle I haven’t got a clue School was the 2th -place winner. Ciara Cheli-Colando, a rd home-schooled 7 grader, was the 3 -place winner.

Nature means so much to me: Honorable Mention went to Emi Bell and Maddy My home, escape, and safety th Fraser, 7 graders who attendth Salmon Creek Community So it is easy to see School, Tessa Opalach, a 12 graderth who attends Arcata That nature means everything to me High School, and Sean Taggart, an 8 grader who attends th Sunny Brae Middle School. Unfortunately, there was Rowan Baker, 8 grade insufficient space to publish the work of the Honorable Sunny Brae Middle School. st Mention winners in either the print or on-line versions of 1 Place the Sandpiper. However, the judges were so impressed with the quality of the submissions this year that I Rowan Baker, made arrangements with RRAS to post the work of the 1st Place Writing Contest Winner Honorable Mention winners at www.tomleskiw.com.

The judges wish to thank all those who contributed. What Nature Means to Me The quality of the submissions this year was amazing Does nature have an exact definition in your mind? and made our decision difficult. Rowan Baker’s winning Does it stand out as something green and lush, or more entry, which describes her tapping of pencil and self- as something you wish you could experience? I think doubt while waiting for the muse to arrive, reminds us of it as a song that plays over and over again to the that no one ever said the nature writer’s task was an same melody, just with different words. Each new easy one. Nature simply is. And sometimes, words fail place in the wild I discover is nature. The feeling that us when we try distill our experience for others to enjoy. I’m the first person to be in a certain spot is the feeling But, clearly, inspiration did come to Rowan; the judges of being in nature, too. I really enjoy how nature looks, recall the words of writer Vivian Gornick, “Penetrating smells, feels, and tastes. the familiar is by no means a given. On the contrary, it At first thought, nature reminds me of spending is hard, hard work.” Without further ado, here are this time in the words on sunny, crisp days. Rays of year’s winning entries. sunlight barely making their way through the canopy, and gentle green moss silently growing up the bark of Pondering Nature trees. Nature smalls like home to me. During summer Tap, tap, tap months, the air is heavy with moisture; breathing the My pencil hitting a desk humid air makes my lungs feel as if they are carrying A blank page sitting in my lap the sun. During spring and fall, nature smells like a This assignment is such a task butterfly in metamorphosis. In spring, the air in nature is just warming up, taking its first few steps away from Oh, what to do; oh where to start? winter. In fall, it’s cooling down and the air smells of Why can’t I express what’s in my heart? dead leaves. In winter, nature mostly smells of pine.

The question is what nature means to me The freezing dry air often scratches my throat. Overall, But so many things it happens to be nature is amazing. Its looks and smells could never be A place of style and of grace replaced.

A place I call my home The brush of a tree against your sleeve; the crunch And even where the animals roam of frosty grass as you step; a cool river soothing the Why can’t I write what’s before my face! heat; people touch nature more than they think. One thing that I like to pick up in nature is bugs. I think My brain starts to swell they’re really fun to mess around with. Flowers are Still nothing written on my paper also fun to play with. It’s really fascinating how each How can I not tell, different flower feels somewhat the same, yet they all What I think about nature? have completely different-looking petals.

To me, nature has the taste of fresh vegetables.

Stare outside pondering Some veggies that remind me of being in the outdoors Why on Earth am I wondering? are tomatoes and squash. I think that they remind me The answer I decide of nature because when I was little we used to have a Is right outside, right outside! garden and in it we grew fresh squash and tomatoes.

When I was younger, we lived out in the woods where I get up from my seat I was in nature constantly. I think that everyone has As quiet as can be different things that remind them of nature.

And run out of my classroom People can be reminded of nature by what To see what inspires me experiences they had with it in childhood. Nature brings a happy warm feeling to me. When the sun I sprint to a forest shines through the canopy of a forest, or when it’s sunny Which was dark and eerie and all of a sudden it starts raining, nature fascinates Then I heard a song bird’s chorus me. Sometimes, though, nature does the opposite of After that it became quite cheerie fascinate me. Slipping in the mud on a hike and getting dirty and wet when you don’t have a change of clothes I start to climb the highest tree is very frustrating. I think that nature is very beautiful That I could simply find and sacred. Although sometimes it can be frustrating, I climbed until I could see overall, nature brings happy feelings.

Farther than all of mankind I think that all of nature is very interesting because of its sights, smells, sounds, tastes and feelings it gives The wind blowing through my hair people. I personally love it the most for its sights.

Blue skies pierce my eyes Nature is awe-dropping awesome. Tastes are not often And when I breathe in the air associated with nature, but they still contribute to the I feel as though I could fly feeling of it. All in all, nature is pretty amazing and it carries strong feelings.

Green and brown all below me th Paint this a gorgeous scene Mercedes Butterworth, 8 grade With a winding blue river in the middle Sunny Brae Middle School nd Quite long and lean 2 Place All of this makes me feel little th

Continued on next page

The winners were: Kindergarten-Grade 1 1st Place: Julia Grant, Orleans Elementary, Spotted Owl 1st Place: Maxwell Mohatt, Fuente Nueva Charter, American Crow 2nd Place: Finn Murphy, Union Street Charter, Peregrine Falcon 2nd Place: Zea Weiss Wynne, Fuente Nueva Charter, Northern Flicker 3rd Place: Angel McElroy, North Coast Learning Academy, Spotted Owl 3rd Place: Roxy Sexton, Fuente Nueva Charter, Wood Ducks Grade 2 1st Place: Kylee Moore, Maple Creek School, Pileated Woodpecker 2nd Place: Autumn Arambula, Orleans Elementary, Northern Flicker 3rd Place: West Wood, Trinidad School, Steller’s Jay Grade 3 1st Place: Coby Stolz, Hydesville Elementary, Wood Duck 2nd Place: Ella Villamor, Union Street Charter, Great Blue Heron 3rd Place: Leo Jansen, Coastal Grove Charter, American Robin Grades 4-5 1st Place: Brenden Houseworth, North Coast Learning Academy, Great Blue Heron 1st Place: Connor Richmond, Homeschooled, Osprey 1st Place: Jacquelyn Opalach, Arcata Elementary, Common Yellowthroat 2nd Place: Carson Pope, Union Street Charter, Peregrine Falcon 2nd Place: Tatianna Hendrickson, North Coast Learning Academy, Great Egret 2nd Place: Octavia Perez, North Coast Learning Academy, Red-breasted Nuthatch 3rd Place: Devon Wellington, Jacoby Creek School, Spotted Towhee 3rd Place: Isaiah Cappelen, North Coast Learning Academy, Great Blue Heron 3rd Place: Michael Berkowitz, Union Street Charter, Great Blue Heron Grades 6-7 1st Place: Isabella Myers, Alder Grove Charter, Bald Eagles 1st Place: Olivia Kline, Fuente Nueva Charter, Spotted Owl 2nd Place: Melody Gambrell, Big Lagoon Union, Osprey 2nd Place: Eleanor McGee, Freshwater Elementary, Cedar Waxwing 3rd Place: Naomi Huddleston, Forks of Salmon Elementary, Belted Kingfisher 3rd Place: Sierra Bennett, Freshwater Elementary, Cedar Waxwing Grades 8-12 1st Place: Margo LaClair, Jacoby Creek School, Wood Duck 2nd Place: Taylor Vitale, North Coast Learning Academy, Northern Goshawk 2nd Place: Rachael Greenfield, South Fork High, Chestnut-backed Chickadee 3rd Place: She’ifa Punla-Green, North Coast Performing Arts & Preparatory Academy, Great Blue Heron 3rd Place: Jesus Lopez, South Fork High, Red-shouldered Hawk Best Depiction of Bird in Its Habitat Award Emily Laursen, Grade 3, Hydesville Elementary, American Robin William Houghton, Grade 6, Freshwater School, Snowy Plover Kasper Herbst, Grade 6, Garfield Elementary, Spotted Owl Honorable Mentions: Kindergarten, Justin Powell, Julia Rants Grade 1, Luna Weiss Wynne, Lee Pobiecke, Roberto St Peters Grade 2, Michael Adams, Kylee Anna Clinton, Caine Ebaugh, Ai Li George Grade 3, Elias Surber, Jeremiah Bonato Grade 4, Brianna Chapman, Nicolette Reinsmith Grade 5, SeaAir Gale Grade 6, Madrone Topolewski, Jade Dare, Ryan Mollier Grade 10, Kristan Rotbergs Grade 11, Megan Cardoza High School, Kassie Humphrey

Peregrine Falcon by Finn Murphy, Grade 1, 2nd place

Field Notes

By Daryl Coldren

S U M M A RY O F N O R T H W E S T E R N C A L I F O R N I A B I R D R E P O R T S

Field Notes 1 February - 31 March 2011 Greater White-fronted Goose: 15, Humboldt Bay NWR, 13 Feb (DFx); 24, Bayside, 16 Feb (RB); 3-6, Arcata Bottoms, 6-15 Mar (DC, DS, JCP, KR, RS); 1, Bald Hill, 2 Mar (DT) • Snow Goose: 1, Clam Beach, 14 Feb (GSL, KBu); 2, Arcata Bottoms, 15 Mar (KR, RS) • Ross’s Goose: 1-10, Humboldt Bay NWR, 13 Feb-19 Mar (RB, DFx, JO, RHw MOb) • “Cackling” Cackling Goose: 20, Humboldt Bay NWR, 19 Mar (RHw) • “Dusky” Canada Goose: 1, Arcata Bottoms, 20-25 Feb (JB, RF, SH, DC, DS) • Eurasian Wigeon: many reports of 1-4, Arcata Bottoms, Eel River Bottoms, Humboldt Bay NWR, Fay Slough Wildlife Area, Humboldt Bay, Feb 1-24 Mar (MOb) • Blue-winged Teal: 1, Arcata Oxi Ponds, 5 Feb (RB) • “Eurasian” Green-winged Teal: 1, Arcata Oxi Ponds, 1-20 Feb (DFx, JS, MOb) • Harlequin Duck: 2-4, Glass Beach, 7-12 Feb (DT); 1-2, Humboldt Bay Entrance, 1 Feb-27 Mar (MOb) • Long-tailed Duck: 1, Fairhaven, 19 Feb (KBu); 1-3, Fields Landing, 13 Feb-20 Mar (MW, NG, MP, MOb); 3, Lake Tolowa, 20 Mar (LB); 1, Laguna Pt, 10 Mar (DT) • BARROW’S GOLDENEYE: 1, Eel River, near Ferndale, 21 Feb- 6 Mar (TK, JS, DC, MOb) • Cattle Egret: 1, Arcata Bottoms, 7 Nov-10 Mar (RF, MOb) • Green Heron: 1, Arcata Marsh, 4 Feb-31 Mar (JO, KBu, GZ, MOb) • Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk: 1 light morph, Orick, 12 Mar (KR); 1 (long returning), Bayside, 15-17 Feb, (KR, RS, RF, DC) • Ferruginous Hawk: 2, Ferndale Bottoms, 6 Mar (DC, DS); 2, Bear River Ridge, 12 Feb (DC); 6, Smith River Bottoms, 20 Feb (LB) • Rough-legged Hawk: 2-4, Bear River Ridge, 12 Feb-10 Mar (DC, OH, MOb); 1, Arcata Bottoms, 3-16 Mar (KR, RS, RF, DFx); 1, Ferndale Bottoms, 25 Feb (KR, RS) • Golden Eagle: 3, Alderpoint, 18 Feb (DC, TK); 1, Bear River Ridge, 12 Feb (DC) • Crested Caracara: 1, Smith River Bottoms, Nov- Apr 1 (AB, MOb) • Pacific Golden-Plover: 5-16, Loleta Bottoms, 15-26 Feb (MOb) • Mountain Plover: 1, Clam Beach, 23 Jan- 23 Feb (RR, MOb) • Ruddy Turnstone: 1, Field’s Landing, 2 Feb (RHw) • Rock Sandpiper: 1-10, North Jetty, 1 Feb-23 Mar (MOb) • Vega Herring Gull: 1, Crescent City, 7 Feb (LB) • Glaucous Gull: several reports of 1-2 birds, Ferndale Bottoms, Laguna Pt, Pudding Creek, 10 Mile Area, Feb 1-17 Mar (OH, TK, DC, MW, DT, EF, KH, MOb) • Black-legged Kittiwake: many reports of 1-200, offshore Humboldt and Del Norte Counties, Mad River Mouth, Eel River Mouth 3 Feb-23 Mar (MOb); many reports of 1-15, within Humboldt Bay, Feb 3-Mar 23, (MOb); 71! (high count within Humboldt Bay), Fields Landing, 23 Feb (MW); 1, Laguna Pt, 22-26 Feb (DT); 1, Virgin Creek, 20 Feb (RHu) • Parasitic Jaeger: 1, North Jetty, 13 Feb (RF) • LONG-BILLED MURRELET: 1, off Crescent City Harbor, 3 Feb (JJ); 1, Pt St. George, 3 Mar (CS) • Burrowing Owl: 1 South Spit, 24-26 Feb (DC, MW, KR, RS, KB); 1, 10 Mile Area, 4 Feb (DT) • Short-eared Owl: many reports of 1-5, Arcata Marsh, Arcata Bottoms, 1 Feb-28 Mar (MOb) • COMMON POORWILL: 1, Lanphere Rd, 9-10 Mar (CJR, CR, DC, KBu, TK, CM); 1, McKinleyville, 4 Feb (KBr) • White-throated Swift: 3, Blue Lake, 30 Mar-1 Apr (KI, RHw) • Rufous Hummingbird: (FOS) 1, McKinleyville, 15 Feb (KR, RS) • Allen’s Hummingbird: (FOS) 1, McKinleyville, 11 Feb (KR, RS) • YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER: 1, Ft Bragg, 4 Feb -20 Mar (JW, DT) • Say’s Phoebe: 1, Arcata Bottoms, 6 Mar (TK, DC, DS): 1, Klamath, 20 Feb (LB) • BROWN SHRIKE: 1, Clam Beach, Nov 21- 1 Apr, (GSL, LGL, MOb) • Horned Lark: 1, Clam Beach, 3 Mar (GSL, LGL); 4, Bear River Ridge, 10 Mar (OH) • Northern Rough-winged Swallow: (FOS) 1, Arcata

Marsh, 17 Mar (DFx) • Oak Titmouse: 1-3, Alderpoint, 18-19 Feb (DC, TK, JL); 1, Crescent City, 17 Nov-13 Feb (SL, AB, MOb) • White-breasted Nuthatch: 2-3, Alderpoint, 18-19 Feb (DC, TK, JL) • Rock Wren: 1, Dyerville Rd, 1819 Feb (DC, TK, JL) • House Wren: 1, Shay Park, 11 Dec-4 Feb (RF, MOb) • Western Bluebird: 2, Crannell Rd, 2428 Mar (KBu, KI); 8, Alder Point, 18 Feb (DC, TK); 3, Arcata Airport, 22 Feb (KR, RS); 6, Horse Mt., 4 Mar (GB) • Northern Mockingbird: 1, Arcata, 23 Feb (AM) • “Japonicus” American Pipit: 1, Lake Tolowa, 6 Mar (LB) • Nashville Warbler: 1, Ft Humboldt, 25 Mar (KB); 1, Arcata Marsh, 22 Mar (RF); 1, Cooper Gulch, 6 Mar (TK) • Yellow Warbler: 1, Eureka, 13-14 Feb (SM, AT, KB) • Palm Warbler: many reports of 1-4, Arcata Marsh, 1 Feb31 Mar (MOb); 1, McKinleyville, 11 Mar (RF) • Black-and-white Warbler: 1, Humboldt Bay NWR, 15 Jan-13 Feb (RS, MOb) • Northern Waterthrush: 1, Arcata Marsh, Dec 3-22 Mar (MOb) • Chipping Sparrow: 1, Arcata, 28 Mar (KI) • Lark Sparrow: 1, 10 Mile Area, 19-21 Mar (KH) • Swamp Sparrow: 1, Arcata Marsh, 1 Feb (RF);

Orchard Oriole, - © Kerry Ross Eureka

Writing Contest continued from previous page

What Nature Means To Me The throat-call of the geese carries through the air, bugling The honking V flies overhead.

The snowy egret takes flight, on white wing gliding Not a sound is heard.

The ducks move smoothly while underneath they are paddling They sway from side to side.

The sandpipers nibble the sand as their beaks are plunging They strike again and again.

The red-winged blackbird cries out to those who will listen to it calling It is desperate to be heard.

Barrow’s Goldeneye, - © Daryl Coldren Eel River near Ferndale

1, Humboldt Bay NWR, 27 Feb (CO); 1, Samoa Bridge, 12 Mar (RF) • White-throated Sparrow: 1, Ferndale Bottoms, 21 Feb (TK, JS); 1, Eureka, 2-18 Feb (CO); 1, Myrtletown, 3 Mar (LD); 1, Ft Bragg, 15-22 Feb (DT) • Lapland Longspur: several reports of 1-2, Arcata Bottoms, 2-6 Feb (OH, DS, KBu,CO, RF); 23, Arcata Bottoms, 21 Feb (RF) • Tricolored Blackbird: 6, Ft Dick, 16 Feb (AB); 1 Arcata Bottoms, Feb 24 (RF) • Yellowheaded Blackbird: 1, Ferndale Bottoms, 6 Feb (DS, DC), 19 Mar (RH); 1, Arcata Bottoms, 9 Feb (TK, JS) • Orchard Oriole: 1, Eureka, 28 Feb-20 Mar (HH, DC, TK, KB, MOb) • Hooded Oriole: 1, Crescent City, 6 Feb (SL) • Bullock’s Oriole: 1-2, Crescent City, 6-14 Feb (SL, AB); 3, Ft Bragg, 4 Feb (JW) • Evening Grosbeak: (high numbers)16, Bayside, 6 Mar (SW); 30, McKinleyville, 9 Mar (RF).

The sounds, the movements, they come together convening They are Nature.

They are what Nature means to me.

Ciara A. Cheli-Colando, th 7 grade Homeschooled rd 3 Place

Ciara A. Cheli-Colando, 3rd Place Winner

Many thanks to all who have submitted sightings.

Please keep them coming! Special thanks to Sean McAllister for compiling the Field Notes for the past two years.

Observers:

Dusky Canada Goose,© Daryl Coldren - Arcata Bottoms

Alan Barron, Jeff Black, Gary Bloomfield, Matt Brady, Lucas Brug, Ralph Bucher, Kathleen Brubaker, Ken Burton, Daryl Coldren, Laura Dodd, Erica Fielder, David Fix, Rob Fowler, Noah Gaines, Stan Harris, Holly Harvey, Karen Havlena, Owen Head, Rob Hewitt, Richard Hubacek, Ken Irwin, Jeff Jacobsen, Tony Kurz, Gary Lester, Lauren Lester, Sky Lloyd, Jim Lomax, Cindy Moyer, Alisa Muniz, Chet Ogan, John Oliver, Michael Park, Jude Power, C. J. Ralph, Carol Ralph, Rich Ridenaur, Kerry Ross, Jesse Sargent, Ryan Shaw, Rachel Smith, Dave Spangenburg, Craig Strong, Dorothy “Toby” Tobkin, Amber Transou, Matt Wachs, Jerry White, Sylvia White, George Ziminski

American Robin by Leo Jansen, Grade 3, 3rd place

Community Wheel greenwheels

A PUBLICATION OF Humboldt’s Advocate for Transportation Choices

Green Wheels’ Mission Green Wheels works for a healthier community, economy and environment, advocating for balanced and sustainable transportation on the North Coast. This means transit as a viable alternative to driving for working families, land use planning to make sustainable transportation more cost- and timeeffective, and bike and pedestrian infrastructure that everyone feels safe using, including a Humboldt Bay Trail between Eureka and Arcata.

Above and right: Cyclists participate in the North Coast Community Garden Collaborative Bike Tour, September 25, 2010. Photos: C. Bligh.

Equinox! Springtime! Not only are these welcome seasonal signs for us on the drippy North Coast, they are also good metaphors for what’s happening at Green Wheels! Equinox is a time of balance and Green Wheels has been making changes to create a more balanced organization---where our resources are balanced with our endeavors. Springtime is a good symbol for Green Wheels’ new sprouts and blossoms. Green Wheels worked away the winter putting energy into the roots of the foundation, pruning back branches to direct energy to the strongest limbs.

New Starts for Green Wheels

Non-metaphorically speaking, what are we talkin’ about?

Green Wheels is a leaner organization.

We are now all volunteer, and no longer have paid staff. We do have a membership of forward-looking people who believe in balanced transportation for a sustainable future. We have a volunteer base of feisty, fun-loving people who are generous with their time, support, and enthusiasm. We have an Advisory Board of dedicated, hard-working people who don’t take themselves too seriously as they go about saving the world.

And we are especially proud and pleased to have a new, talented Advisory Board member, Emily Sinkhorn, who has been a dedicated volunteer for years. You’ve probably seen Emily leading Arts Arcata bike rides and have read her articles in the Community Wheel.

Where are we going, and what’s the handbasket on the bike for?

Green Wheels is a key player pushing to expand alternative transportation choices.

We also believe that walking, bicycling, and daydreaming on the bus is HEALTHY & FUN. Green Wheels works to make the handbasket a carrier for picnic lunches, rather than a one-way ride.

We believe that a world economy driven to serve the single-occupant car is unsustainable. We believe that the realities of peak oil, global warming, and sea level rise will not be easily endured by creatures of the globe, particularly coastal inhabitants like us.

We believe that depending on perpetually low fuel prices is routinely destabilizing—on jobs, on food prices, on budgets everywhere. In contrast, alternative forms of transportation keep more dollars local and contribute to the well being of the people of Humboldt.

Achievements in 2010

Last year Green Wheels promoted sustainable transportation in policy and in practice. Green Wheels is part of a wellregarded coalition, the Complete Streets Working Group, that provided alternative policy language for the Circulation Element of the County General Plan Update. Green Wheels performed a Teen Transportation Study to find out how teenagers choose their transportation modes and begin to develop lifelong habits. Many of you pedaled with us on the Green Wheels co-sponsored Future-Sea-Level-Rise Awareness Day Ride, Eureka Community Garden Bike Tour, or Arts Alive or Arts Arcata Rides. And you must’ve been part of the hip crowd at the Green Wheels Gala, where we gave the Third Annual Govie Award to Stephen Avis of the City of Fortuna (see box lower right).

Know What’s Happening

As a program of NEC, Green Wheels will be publishing articles and updates in EcoNews. You’ll also be able to keep apace of Green Wheels campaigns and events through the website/blog, www.green-wheels.org.

E-mail us at info@green-wheels.org, or send us a note: Green Wheels, c/o NEC, 791 8th Street, Arcata, CA 95521.

Studies show that the bicycling industry contributes an estimated $133 billion a year to the U.S. economy. It supports nearly 1.1 million jobs and generates $17.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes. Another $46.9 billion is spent on meals, transportation, lodging, gifts and entertainment during bike trips and tours.

–

“The Active Outdoor Recreation Economy,” by the Outdoor Industry Foundation (2010).

What We Can Do In 2011

We’re getting ready, getting set, and going... to ramp it up on two chief campaigns this year. Green Wheels will continue advocating for the “no build” alternative for Caltrans’ proposed traffic project for the 101 Safety Corridor. Our other main campaign will be advocating to build a Humboldt Bay trail along the NCRA rail corridor–a great solution for simultaneously protecting the corridor and making use of a crumbling public resource. Additionally, Green Wheels will continue educating people and giving testimony to agencies about the issues and benefits of an alternative, sustainable transportation paradigm.

Get Involved!

So now that you know what Green Wheels has planned, we’d love to hear from you! Green Wheels contributors are fun and engaging folks. Become a member or volunteer with us and be a part of transforming how your community moves around. There are many ways to get involved: • come out to Bike Month events during the month of May, • join or help lead a community bike ride in May during Arts Alive and Arts Arcata, • or write an article for the Community Wheel as part of the Econews.

Green Wheels is also looking for help at the finish line of the Tour of the Unknown Coast on Saturday, May 7, at the Humboldt County Fairgrounds in Ferndale. Green Wheels needs volunteers to assist with timing and handing out patches to cyclists. Team Bigfoot will generously donate to Green Wheels for assisting at the finish line, and we would love your help! Come out and watch the culmination of California’s Toughest Century and the family-friendly bike rides that day.

If you are interested, contact info@greenwheels.org or call 269-2061. Hope to see you out there!

Green Wheels’ Govie Award a catalyst for positive change.

“I concluded that I was receiving the award not so much for what I have accomplished but as inspiration to actually do something worthwhile.

So I decided to take up the challenge. A day after learning that I was this year’s recipient, I approached the Assistant City Manager about setting aside a space where I could leave a bicycle that would become my “site visit” vehicle when weather permits. So I have moved my 25-year-old Bridgestone CB-1 into the storage room behind Council Chambers. Assuming the rain stops, I will be riding from place to place for business instead of driving. My own boss and then the Assistant City Clerk popped in and announced that if I was going to bring a bike to work, they wanted to do the same. Wow!” – Stephen Avis, Associate Planner, City of Fortuna

May is National Bike Month!

May is National Bike Month! So gear up and roll on out for a series of community events throughout the Humboldt Bay area. Green Wheels, as part of the Humboldt Bike Month Coalition, is helping put on a series of events during May to celebrate bicycling as a viable transportation option and to support others who are joining the pedaling crowd. Bike to Work Day will be the prominent event for Humboldt Bike Month and will be celebrated in Arcata on May 12th and in Eureka on May 19th. Bike to Work Day is a great way to meet fellow cyclists, learn bicycle safety and commuting skills, and exhibit community support for the bicycle as a vital transportation choice. On Bike to Work Days, roll up to the North Coast Co-op from 7-9 a.m. for free hot drinks and snacks and get your bike a free tune-up offered by Adventure’s Edge.

The Bike to Work Day celebration will continue at noon on the Arcata Plaza (May 12) and Eureka Old Town Gazebo (May 19). Join us at the Bike to Work Day rallies to help Green Wheels win the contest of having the most cyclists at the rally! If you miss the Bike to Work Day events, there are many more bike-tastic events happening throughout May—such as the 3rd Annual Bicycle Gear Swap, kids’ bike rodeos, and community bike rides. Check out the Green Wheels blog (www.green-wheels.org) for a calendar of Bike Month events.

ECONEWS April/May 2011

www.yournec.org

11

The Good News Page Growing Up Green at Laurel Tree

Students are involved in every aspect of the garden’s maintenance and care. The middle and high school students also prepare vegetarian lunches for students and staff featuring produce harvested right outside the door.

K-3rd grade students, affectionately referred to at the school as “the Littles”, hand raise free-range chickens, watch chicks hatch and gather eggs. Sales of the eggs to students’ families pays for hay and feed.

High school students constructed a small wetland behind the school, with a rain catchment system to harvest rainwater from the roof. The water filters through the wetland into the pond and water barrels for the gardens.

Teachers and staff at Laurel Tree participate in ongoing sustainability and permaculture trainings, and hope to offer workshops for community educators and the public in the future.

Robert “Bobcat” Brothers, Ph.D. and Morgan Corviday

Imagine the wonder in a child’s eyes seeing a tiny leaf pushing up through the soil, from a seed they themselves planted. Unfortunately, many children never have the chance to experience this.

“Nature Deficit Disorder” refers to a group of problems that can occur when children become disconnected from nature. Coined by Richard Louv in Last Child in the Woods, these issues can include obesity and ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders, as well as a lack of understanding of where food comes from. School gardens provide one easy way to reconnect.

School gardens are regaining popularity nationwide. Locally, teachers and students at the Laurel Tree Learning Center, a K-12 charter school in Arcata, do more than garden. They are also incorporating permaculture design concepts into their classes.

Laurel Tree recognizes the need for kids to not only get their hands dirty, but more importantly to gain first hand knowledge of how to live within their ecological means. Succesfully achieving this goal requires ingenuity, community involvement, and an intimate knowledge of place.

In the space between the south facing walls and the parking lot, their organic, biointensive garden features several raised beds of vegetables and berries, recently planted fruit trees, and a native plant nursery.

Above: Vegetables growing in Laurel Tree’s organic permaculture garden. Right: The native plant nursery and water catchment barrels.

Photos: Morgan Corviday.

Monarch Butterflies Make a Comeback in Mexico Allison Toomey

The Monarch’s wintering location is characterized by its high elevation (2 miles above sea level) and stable microclimate. The pine Oyamel Forest, located on mountainous hillsides of Michoacan, Mexico, provide the perfect habitat for them to spend the winter months. They cluster together to keep warm and while individually weighing less than a gram, together they have been known to snap branches.

Monarch butterflies have a remarkable migration pattern. Traveling as far north as Canada and as far south as Mexico, they typically fly 50 to 100 miles a day. The longest known flight was 265 miles! The journey north takes

Monarch butterflies are the only known butterfly to make a two-way migration similar to that of many bird species. They travel up to three thousand miles between areas in Canada and their winter homes in Mexico.

Frosting the trees with their orange and black hue, they will rest there for months before making the return journey. These critical wintering grounds continue to be threatened by deforestation and climate change. In addition, genetically engineered crops and pesticides are crowding out the milkweed plant, which serves as the nursery for Monarch eggs and their food source.

This winter, Monarch butterflies made a tremendous comeback amounting to a two-fold increase in the extent of their occupied habitat in Western Central Mexico. During the 2009-2010 season, the population covered about 4.7 acres. The area occupied in the 2010-2011 season was 9.9 acres.

Last year’s dismal showing had experts worried, as it was the lowest since recording began in 1993. Efforts by the World Wildlife Fund, private companies, international groups and Mexican governments to combat deforestation over the past decade has paid off enormously, with the amount of illegal logging down 97% in just two years. According to Omar Vidal, the director of the conservation group World Wildlife Fund Mexico, “These figures are encouraging, compared to last year, because they show a Monarch butterflies congregate on Eucalyptus trees in Santa Cruz, January 2010. trend toward recovery.”

Photo by Howard Kalt.

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generations to complete, since individuals don’t live long enough to complete the migration.

The life span of Monarchs in North America range from two to six weeks in the first three generations of the year, and up to eight months for the fourth generation. Sites of reproduction are particularly important to the species. While an individual female will lay hundreds of eggs, only one or two will survive to adulthood. The hatched butterflies in the north make their way south, without ever having made the trip before. It is theorized that they navigate by gauging the angle of the sunlight, using ultraviolet photoreceptors in their antennae.

Monarchs can be seen during migration seasons in California, in areas such as Fremont, Santa Cruz, and San Diego.

This jump in numbers, while good news in the short-term, does not guarantee that Monarchs will make an overall comeback. The past seven years have seen less than the average numbers of Monarchs, an ominous sign according to Lincoln Brower, a zoology professor at the University of Florida and an expert on the subject. Record keeping began in 1993, and while annual fluctuation is not unusual for insect populations, an overall trend must be observed to determine the future of these distinctively colored creatures. Therefore, conservation efforts must continue to protect Monarchs into the future.

Allison Toomey studies Environmental Science at Humboldt State University, and is a workstudy employee at the NEC.

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Eco-Mania

BUT DOES HE KNOW THEIR NAMES: An Indian man has 39 wives, 94 children and 33 grandchildren--all living under the same roof.

They live in a four-story building with 100 rooms in a mountainous village in India’s remote northeast.

The family, all 167 of them, consumes around 200 pounds of rice and 130 pound of potatoes a day.

The wives share a dormitory near the private bedroom of Ziona Chana, 66, although he said he likes to have seven or eight of them by his side at all times. He heads a local Christian religious sect that allows polygamy.

A monthly melange of salient sillies..

SUCCULENT: They were lining up in London for ice cream made from human breast milk but the stuff was banned by a local council after two complaints.

An official said, “Selling foodstuffs made from another person’s bodily fluids can lead to viruses being passed on--in this case, potentially hepatitis.”

The recipe calls for breast milk, provided by mothers who answered an advertisement online, combined with Madagascan vanilla pods and lemon zest, then churned into ice cream.

TASER GRENADES: The Pentagon has ordered long-range electroshock projectiles from Taser International which are designed to be fired from military grenade launchers.

The period of incapacitation is currently set to 30 seconds, much higher than usual shock of 5 seconds, and can be extended upwards to several minutes.

The 40-millimeter Human Electro-Muscular Incapacitation (HEMI) projectile is a self-contained unit which sticks to the target. This “wireless” approach gives it a range of 100 meters.

NO SLIP-UPS: Minced banana peels do as well as or better at purifying water that is tainted with toxic metals than most other materials, scientists say.

The peels were especially good at separating lead and copper from river water, and they can be used 11 times before losing their metal-binding properties.

OPOSSUM ON OSCARS: Heidi the cross-eyed opossum fell just one short of perfectly predicting this year’s Oscar results.

The two-and-a-half year-old incorrectly guessed “127 Hours” to win best picture, which instead went to “The King’s Speech.” Heidi’s tips were selected at her enclosure in Leipzig, Germany, by placing her paw on an Oscar statuette with the actor’s photo.

For best picture, Heidi had a choice of grapes laid in front of placards of the nominated films.

GENDER EQUITY? Women drivers are facing a big hike in costs after the European court ruled insurance companies should not take gender into account when arranging coverage.

Currently, insurance companies across Europe base their charges for drivers on the differences in life expectancy and accident statistics--which benefit women.

The new rules will see women drivers under 26 facing a 25% rise in premiums, while men can expect a 10% drop. Similarly for life insurance--men could see a 10% drop, while women’s rates could rise by 20%.

KOALAS IN PERIL: Australia’s koalas face a bleak future even if all the deforested land there is replanted to help the tree-dwellers, which have lost more than 60 per cent of the population in the past 10 years.

Jonathan Rhodes at Brisbane’s University of Queensland, using a mathematical model, predicted that reforestation alone will not be enough. Neither will focusing solely on eliminating road deaths or preventing attacks by dogs. In addition, there is currently no treatment for the Koala retrovirus that is killing the animals.

All is not lost, though. The east coast koalas could bounce back if the threats from disease, dogs and cars are all tackled at the same time. And once the koala population rebounds, more trees would help maintain it.

WHOOO KICKED ME: A Panamanian soccer player is facing suspension for kicking an injured owl during a match.

The bird was first hit by the ball, prompting the referee to stop play in the Colombian championship match between Pereira and Atletico Junior.

But Pereira defender Pedro Moreno--apparently impatient over the delay--kicked the bird out of bounds.

Fans chanted “murderer” at Moreno. The owl was rescued by ground staff and taken to a vet, who described its condition as serious.

BITTER ISN’T BETTER: Bitter tastes makes you more judgmental.

So says Kendall Eskine and her colleagues at the City University of New York, who asked 57 volunteers to rate how morally questionable a set of scenarios were--including a man eating his already-dead dog, and second cousins engaging in consensual sex. The participants also indicated their political orientation.

Before and halfway through the exercise, participants were given a bitter drink, a sweet juice or water. Those who drank bitter drinks were much harsher, averaging 27 per cent higher. Intriguingly, political conservatives were more strongly affected by bitter tastes than liberals.

SLOW BUT STEADY: The world’s first marathon for robots has five androids racing around a track more than 400 times, but the knee-high robots’ paces are so slow that it is expected to take four days to find a winner.

Their operators are allowed to change the robots’ batteries and motors. However, if the machines fall over, they have to get up by themselves. Organizers say they expect the race to be won not by the fastest robot but by the one that can withstand the most wear and tear.

FREAK SHOW: The world’s first agency for albino and two-headed animals has opened up in Germany.

It features such genetic quirks as a two-headed python called Mince, valued at about $35,000, as well as a two-headed turtle. Other oddities are an albino lizard and a rare albino raccoon. Owner Tom Beser, who rents out the creatures for movies or advertisements, said: “Apart from being albinos or having two heads, my animals are no different than normal animals.”

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ECONEWS April/May 2011

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NORTH GROUP NEWS

A List of Events & Conservation Updates From the North Group Redwood Chapter Sierra Club Seeking NG Rep for CalTrans Advisory Group North Group seeks a conservation-minded transportation advocate for a seat on the CalTrans DEAL Committee. That group meets quarterly in Eureka for approximately 90 minutes (weekday morning). Here’s your chance to sit on a committee with Humboldt and Del Norte County supervisors, field staff from the State Assembly and Senate, and representatives from the Harbor District, CHP, Teamsters, building trades industry, and more.

You’ll advise CalTrans about safety and impacts of local projects and report back to NG. For more info about the DEAL committee, call Lucille Vinyard (707) 677-3487. To apply, send at least one paragraph about your qualifications to northgroupclimate@sbcglobal.net or call Jennifer Wood (707) 845-1216.

Camper Applications & Donors Sought Monday, May 16 is the application deadline to attend overnight nature camp at Redwood National and State Parks, Orick. Redwoods Field Study from July 4-8 is for grades 6-8.

Details at Oregon Museum of Science & Industry website (www.omsi.edu). North Group hopes to support three kids living in our membership area of Humboldt, Del Norte, and western Trinity Counties, as well as four students age 9-12 to attend Arcata Recreation’s Natural Resources Science week-long Day Camps (www.cityofarcata.org). Call (707) 442-5444 or e-mail sueleskiw@suddenlink. net for application. Past recipients not eligible.

Contributions to underwrite tuition should be sent to Environmental Education Fund, c/o North Group Sierra Club, PO Box 238, Arcata CA 95518.

Hikes & Meetings Saturday, 4/23 -Headwaters Forest.

11-mile, medium-difficulty hike. Begin at parking lot, end Elk River Rd, Eureka.

Level for 3 miles, through scenic second-growth redwood; next 2 miles steep climb/loop through oldgrowth. Bring snacks and water. Carpools meet 9 a.m. Herrick Park & Ride or trailhead 9:30 a.m. No dogs.

Info: Xandra (707) 441-0702.

Sunday, 5/1 -- Skunk Cabbage Trail, Redwood National Park.

North Group 2011 ExCom and Officers. (Front row, from left) Jennifer Wood, Gregg Gold, 9-mile, medium-difficulty Lucille Vinyard, Diane Beck. (Back row) Ned Forsyth, Sue Leskiw, Melvin McKinney. Not hike to view spruce and shown: Felice Pace. Photo: Dan Brenner. blooming skunk cabbage, before lunch on south between ocean and sloughs to mouth beach. Meet 11 a.m. at Skunk Cabbage trailhead. of Eel. Return along dunes and McNulty Bring water and lunch. No dogs. Carpools Slough. Carpools meet Herrick Park & Ride 9 meet 10 a.m. McKinleyville Safeway parking a.m. or beach below Table Bluff 9:30 a.m. Info: lot. Info: Bill (707) 839-5971. Rain cancels. Xandra (707) 441-0702. Rain cancels.

Sat, 5/28 -- Headwaters Forest. [See 4/23 Sat, 5/7 -- Table Bluff/Mouth of Eel. description.]

9-mile, medium-difficulty hike follows beach

NG Picnic Set for August Mark your calendars for Saturday, Aug 27, to attend a picnic at Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad. We’re hosting Redwood Region Audubon Society members. Bring a dish to share; NG will supply drinks, place settings, and a grill. Bird walk at 10 am; lunch at noon. Info: Sue (707) 442-5444.

Science Projects Receive Awards For the fifth year, NG sponsored a $50 award for the best project dealing with environmental issues at the Humboldt County Science Fair in mid-March. (The projects were so competitive that a second prize of $25 was awarded.) First prize went to “Jolly Giant Creek Watershed: Solve the Dissolve” by Allysun Robie, 8th grader at Sunny Brae Middle School. She measured two sites in this urban watershed for dissolved oxygen, temperature, and oxygen saturation.

She found that the creek was adequate to sustain a healthy salmonid population.

Second prizes went to “RU Aware? Is There a Correlation between E-waste Awareness & Education?” by Carrie Wolski, 7th grader at Jacoby Creek School. She surveyed Bayside residents about what they knew about how to dispose of e-waste and correlated results with respondents’ education, age, and sex. She found younger, more educated males were the most knowledgeable. Judges were Sue Leskiw and Ned Forsyth.

NG Meets with Supervisor Sundberg Four Group leaders met with newly-elected Fifth District Supervisor Ryan Sundberg to discuss issues of interest to our group. Most of the time was devoted to the General Plan Update and timberland conversion.

Change at Outings Helm Outings Co-chair Al Muelhoefer has announced his retirement. We thank him for serving nearly 5 years, and welcome Bill Knight as new cochair. NG greatly appreciates our hike leaders for sharing their time and knowledge about great places to hike in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. To become a leader and help people explore our beautiful North Coast, contact Bill at billknight@peoplepc.com.

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April/May 2011 ECONEWS

CNPS HAPPENINGS

News and Events from the North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society Beginners and experts, non-members and members are all welcome at our programs and on our outings. Most events are free, and are made possible by volunteer effort.

To join or learn more about CNPS, visit www.northcoastcnps.org or www.cnps.org.

goodies. Hiking will be cross-country or on old mining roads with some steep slopes.

Wear good hiking boots. Be prepared for any weather, including sun. Bring lunch and plenty of water. Some of us will camp somewhere in the area Saturday night and explore more on Sunday. Lodging is available in Orleans. Meet at the Orleans Ranger Station at 10 a.m., about 2 hours from Eureka.

Call Carol 822-2015 or Dave 444-2756 to tell us you are coming:

EVENING PROGRAMS Second Wednesday evening, September through May. Refreshments at 7 p.m.; program at 7:30 p.m. at the Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road, near 7th and Union, Arcata.

28th Annual SPRING WILDFLOWER SHOW April 29-May 1.

Please see flyer on facing page for details.

May 11, Wednesday 7:30 p.m. InsectThe Spring Wildflower Show is more than just Plant Relationships with Bob Case flowers; it’s a community event. In addition to Tips on photographing insects that hundreds of flowers from prairies, woodlands, pollinate, prey and play on native plants. and wetlands from all over northwest Join us for an insightful exploration of California, there will be demonstrations of these important relationships. Bob Case gardening, edible and medicinal plants, rare is a former college biology teacher and plants, invasive plants, Native American The Spring Wildflower Show offers olfactory as well as visual delights, as enretired Pest Management Coordinator for joyed by Richard Beresford, our new Wildflower Show organizer. culture, Sudden Oak Death, habitats, and the Contra Costa County Deptartment Photo: Carol Ralph. live insects. There will also be guided walks of Agriculture. His photographs have in the dunes, Art Night, a native plant sale, appeared in many books and plant publications.

May 7, Saturday, 12:30–4:30 p.m. Stony Creek and more. Student and youth group programs, Half-day Hike including a walk in the dunes, are available on New! Plant FAQs with Pete Haggard Led by Dennis Walker in conjunction with the Ruby Friday by pre-scheduled appointment (444-1397).

A short, interactive, hands-on lesson on a fun, Van Deventer Wildflower Show in Crescent City. If you wish to volunteer at this event, please local, seasonal topic. 7:15-7:30 p.m., immediately This famous and favorite botanical destination call 822-7190. preceding the evening program. To suggest a offers diverse, almost entirely native vegetation. topic, contact Pete: phaggard@suddenlink.net; Western azalea, Pacific rhododendron, Del NATIVE PLANT SALE. Saturday, April 30 and 839-0307.

Norte iris, California lady’s slipper, and Oregon Sunday, May 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. anemone are among the expected bloomers. The Manila Community Center, 1611 Peninsula FIELD TRIPS AND PLANT WALKS 2-mile roundtrip trail is somewhat narrow and Dr., Manila. A tremendous variety of native Outings are open to everyone, not just members. uneven, with an optional extension over boulders. plants for home gardeners will be for sale. All All levels of expertise, from beginners to Meet at 12:30 p.m. at the Ruby Van Deventer proceeds support the California Native Plant experienced botanizers, are welcome. Address Wildflower Show at the Del Norte County Society, North Coast Chapter. 826-0259. questions about physical ability requirements to Fairgrounds in Crescent City (along 101 at north the trip leader. end of town; opens at 11 a.m.) or at the Gasquet Please watch for later additions on our Web site store-post office at 1 p.m. Please tell us you are (www.northcoastcnps.org) or sign up for e-mail April 23, Saturday. 1-3 pm Ferns in and announcements Northcoast_CNPS-subscribe@ coming: 822-2015. around the Dunes yahoogroups.com). Everyone is welcome. No Carol Ralph will lead this walk and show how May 21, Saturday, 8:30 a.m. Mattole botanical knowledge required. We are out there “Prehistoric, persistent, and lovely” describes most Wildflower Tour to share and enjoy. ferns. Meet eight species and learn about their Windswept coastal prairies, sunny roadside banks, morphology, reproduction, and identification on sandy beaches, and shady river forests are all part a walk along the Lanphere Dunes entrance road. of the Mattole Rd. scenery as it winds south from Led by our State Bring a hand lens. Meet at Pacific Union School, Ferndale past Cape Mendocino and Bear River Senator, Noreen 3001 Janes Road in Arcata and carpool to the to Petrolia. This trip will be roadside botanizing, Lanphere Dunes. Please pre-register by calling until we arrive at the mouth of the Mattole River, Evans, the state 444-1397 or info@friendsofthedunes.org. Co- where we will find that sandy beaches south of legislature has sponsored by California Native Plant Society and Cape Mendocino have different plants than those declared the Friends of the Dunes. north. Our route back home will be decided when third week in we are ready to leave Mattole Beach. Bring lunch April to be California Native Plant Week. You April 23, Saturday. 1 p.m. Trinidad Museum’s and water and a two-way radio if you have one. can celebrate and learn about native plants Native Plant Garden with guided walk by Ron Dress for the weather, including wind. Meet at by participating in many scheduled activities Johnson at 1 p.m. 400 Janis Court, Trinidad will 8:30 a.m. at Pacific Union School (3001 Janes throughout the state. be open for self-guided tours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Rd., Arcata) or arrange a place farther south.

Return late afternoon. Tell Carol you are April 24, Easter Sunday. 1-3 p.m. Easter coming: 822-2015.

Wildflowers in a Hydesville Forest.

An easy plant walk near Hydesville, hosted by June 18, Saturday, 8:30 a.m. -12 noon. Horse Bill and Linda Shapeero. A grand fir forest, shady Mountain Outing stream, pasture, and pond offer a rich assortment Horse Mountain Botanical Area features of flowering herbaceous plants. From 101 at the serpentine soils and their special flora at this south end of Fortuna take the Highway 36 exit; accessible, montane area of Six Rivers National go about 3 miles up to Hydesville, turn left at the Forest. This 2 mile walk on gravel roads features church onto Rohnerville Road, go about 1 mile, interesting shrubs, conifers, and spring flowers turn right onto Puddin Lane at the bottom of a among grand vistas. Dress for mountain weather gulch, follow signs and balloons to Shapeero. The (much colder than the coast). Bring lunch and ground may be damp. 768-3287 or 822-2015. water. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pacific Union School The only Certified Organic (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata), or at 9 a.m. at the Grocer on the North Coast!

April 30, Saturday. 10 a.m.–noon. Flora of the Dunes beginning of Titlow Hill Road off Highway 299, or A guided walk with Friends of the Dunes docent 9:30 a.m. at the parking area on Titlow Hill Rd. and local artist Patty Sennott. Meet in front of the at the turn-off to Horse Mountain summit. Call main hall at Manila Community Center, where Carol to say where you will meet us: 822-2015. the Spring Wildflower Show will be happening, • BEST Green Friendly Store 1611 Peninsula Dr., Manila.

June 25, Saturday, and June 26, Sunday.

Looking for Lewisia: a Rare Plant Treasure Hunt • Bakery • Full Deli May 1, Sunday. 10 a.m.-noon. Amazing Recently discovered northwest of Orleans, Adaptations of Dune Plants the Lewisia kelloggii, Kellogg’s bitterroot, was • Espresso • Free Wi-Fi A guided walk with renowned dune ecologist previously thought to live only in the Sierra Andrea Pickart. Learn about the difficulties of Nevada. On this trip we will look for more. life in a pile of sand and about how some plants First we will drive a short distance up Forest overcome those challenges. Meet in front of the Road 12N12 (Cedar Camp Rd.) and hike a short main hall at Manila Community Center, where distance to see the known plant and explore the Full Service the Spring Wildflower Show will be happening, interesting serpentine flora. Then we’ll spread out EUREKA CO-OP ARCATA CO-OP 4th and B Streets Natural Foods Grocery Stores 8th and I Streets 1611 Peninsula Dr., Manila. Organized by Friends to search for more Lewisia and other serpentine www.northcoastco-op.com 822-5947 443-6027 of the Dunes.

2009

ECONEWS April/May 2011

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15

ep c

The Environmental Protection Information Center 145 G Street, Suite A, Arcata, CA 95521

www. wildcalifornia.org

(707) 822-7711

Spring Brings an Exciting New Season For EPIC As the rivers run high and the snow begins to melt we mark the transition from winter to spring.

This year, we will experience much more than just seasonal changes for all of us here at EPIC. After eight dedicated years of service to EPIC, Scott Greacen will be stepping down as EPIC’s Executive Director to become North Coast Director for Friends of the Eel River.

Meanwhile, as the colors erupt into a rainbow of blossoms this spring, we welcome a new leadership team at EPIC. With an eye for innovative transformation, EPIC’s Board of Directors has filled three Director-level positions. These people will carry on the traditional roles EPIC fills as environmental watchdogs, but also build real capacity for elevating effective campaigns and building our membership.

We welcome Natalynne DeLapp, as Development Director. Natalynne may be familiar to many of you from her three years working with EPIC, first as an intern through the Environmental Science program at Humboldt State University, then as a Policy Advocate in Sacramento on EPIC’s behalf. More likely you remember Natalynne for managing the campaign that successfully re-elected Paul Gallegos, Humboldt

County’s District Attorney. Natalynne will work with the community to grow EPIC’s membership and organize regional events aimed at sanctioning membership involvement in EPIC’s ongoing work to protect and restore Northwestern California’s irreplaceable heritage.

We welcome Andrew Orahoske as Conservation Director.

Andrew comes to EPIC as a environmental law expert who is versed in biodiversity protection strategies.

He holds a J.D. from the University of Oregon, and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Colorado. His extensive track record as an environmental advocate includes work with the Earth Island Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, Earthjustice, Western Environmental

Law Center, and others. He has also worked as a field biologist in a number of locations, including northern California, Oregon, Montana, Arizona, Jamaica and Venezuela.

We welcome Gary Graham Hughes, as Executive Director. After two years serving on EPIC’s Board of Directors, Gary joins EPIC with a deep understanding of EPIC’s program work and history, and Humboldt County. Gary has an M.S. in Environmental Studies from the University of Montana, a B.S. in Sociology from the University of Oregon, and extensive experience in management of U.S. and international environmental programs. Most recently he served as Patagonia Campaign Coordinator, Latin America Program, for International Rivers.

Please stay tuned!

New staff and leadership at EPIC means changes in the way we communicate, operate, and coordinate our campaign work to protect Northwest California’s incredible treasure, a dynamic – and threatened – ecosystem.

Flawed Process Threatens Forest, Owl

Klamath Chinook Status Review In response to a petition from EPIC, the Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Wild, and the Larch Company, on April 11, the National Marine Fisheries Service determined that upper Klamath River Chinook salmon may warrant protection under the federal Endangered Species Act and initiated a status review to determine if protection is warranted.

The petition requested protection first and foremost for spring-run Chinook, once the most abundant run of Klamath Chinook, now near extinction. Biologists now count just 300 to 3,000 wild-spawning spring Chinook each year. These fish are marvels of evolution, living most of their lives in the Pacific Ocean only to return to the river in the spring with enough fat reserves to survive without eating until early fall when it’s time for them to spawn. They have long been prized as one of the best-tasting salmon species and historically the most economically important Klamath fish.

EPIC welcomes the agency’s decision to conduct a full status review as a first step to acknowledging that Klamath Chinook need help now. A century of logging, mining, dam-building, water diversions and habitat destruction have pushed the fish to the brink of extinction.

In 2011, EPIC has a renewed committment to work for the longterm recovery of the species, as one part of a complex and interdependent ecosystem. We look forward to deepening relationships with diverse groups and communities working to protect and restoring Klamath Basin.

16

By Rob DiPerna The case of THP 2-10-019TRI, “Ebert” represents a classic example of how the Cal Fire THP review process is fatally flawed, and why Cal Fire should not be the authority determining harm of Northern Spotted Owls. Companies like Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) continue to push Cal Fire for everreduced protections for owls, and continue to propose logging that would result in harm to owls.

THP 2-10-019TRI, “Ebert” contains a clearcut logging unit within 500 feet of a known Northern Spotted Owl (NSO) nest. SPI claimed that these potentially illegal operations would avoid harm to owls despite the close proximity and the severity of the proposed logging. The NSO home range to be impacted by this proposed clearcut logging has been identified as being deficient in essential high quality habitats that would support essential owl behaviors such as nesting, roosting, feeding, breeding, sheltering, and dispersal.

Despite the high risk of harm to owls posed by clearcut logging within 500 feet of a known owl nest, the Cal Fire THP review team recommended the “Ebert” THP for approval on March 23, 2011.

On March 24, 2011, we contacted the US Fish and Wildlife Service to express our concerns over these proposed logging operations and the threat they posed to owls. The Service in turn contacted Cal Fire and expressed similar concerns.

During the course of our review of past activities near this NSO home range, we discovered that the unit in the “Ebert” THP was in fact a recycle of a unit that had been restricted to modified harvest by the US Fish and Wildlife Service under a previous technical assistance letter. Thus SPI was attempting to ‘double dip’ in this unit in very close proximity to an NSO nest site. Furthermore, we found that the Service had requested involvement with planning of any further logging within this owl home range due to the lack of high quality habitats, and the potential for cumulative impacts and harm to occur.

The Cal Fire review team failed to pick up on any of this until we contacted the Service and the Service in turn contacted the Department. These essential facts demonstrate why Cal Fire does not have the expertise to make determinations regarding harm to owls. The review team process failed to consider past THPs within the range of

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Clearcut logging create a wasteland on Sierra Pacific Industries’ lands across California. Photo by Lindsey Holm

the owls in question, and failed to consult with the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s technical assistance packages for past THPs. On 3/25/11, Cal Fire back tracked and sent a letter to SPI, retracting the recommendation for approval, and giving SPI three choices to fix the situation: delete the unit, maintain the habitat characteristics per the previous Technical Assistance letter, or seek further Technical Assistance from the Service. On 3/30/11, SPI responded to Cal Fire by changing the harvest from clearcutting to selection, and also deferred harvest of the unit until the NSO home range in question is determined to be abandoned.

Cal Fire review team failed to catch significant problems with the THP as proposed before recommending it for approval. It is clear that Cal Fire did not consult the past TA’s when reviewing the THP. It is also clear that Cal Fire would not have balked at logging within 500 feet of the activity center had we not made the call to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It is also clear that SPI was trying to get one over on Cal Fire, hoping that they wouldn’t notice the recycled unit. This is another example of how the Cal Fire review team process is flawed, and that the Department of Forestry is only movable on NSO take issues if someone raises a concern. EPIC will continue to track THPs that threaten harm to owls and will continue to advocate for protection of owls and owl habitat in Northwest California.

April/May 2011 ECONEWS

Recycling,

Continued from Page 3

Due to the ACRC’s financial difficulties, an HWMA feasibility study had looked into buying the recycling center. The study examined the high cost of the ACRC’s dual stream processing plant, among other factors, and concluded that sending the materials to Willits would be a better fiscal choice. In an interview prior to this week’s contentious meeting, HWMA Executive Director Jim Test said the contract would not significantly change the way recycling is done on the North Coast.

“Everything we do up here gets trucked out of the county anyway, this isn’t really going to change things,” Test said. “What it’s costing our rate payers to process recycling is my main focus. [HWMA customers] will not have an increase in their rates.”

Concerns have also been raised about SWS’s shipping route through Richardson Grove, the location of Caltrans’ controversial proposed

Usal,

Continued from Page 3

At the Feb. 24 meeting, the board decided an independent appraisal review must now be conducted before the project can be voted on. This additional step is required only for projects over $25 million, but the Usal easement purchase totals about $19.5 million.

Official letters to and from the board are available on the MRC website. (http://www. mrc.com/Communications-BulletinBoard.aspx).

Mike Jani, president and chief forester of the Mendocino Redwood Company and

View from the Usal Road. Photo: Richard Geinger

Highway 101 curve-realignment. However, Ward said the Grove’s size restrictions have never been a problem for SWS. “Everything we use is 48 feet or smaller,” he said, adding that the capability “certainly helped out a bit” during the bidding process because no new equipment would be needed if the Richardson Grove widening project does not move forward.

From Ward’s point of view, the deal would actually increase efficiency and reduce pollution.

“We send woodchips up to Scotia daily and the trucks return empty, this would be an improvement,” he said.

Ward said the new contract will also benefit Humboldt rate payers because they will have expanded recycling abilities for materials that previously went to the dump like green waste, wood, porcelain, and asphalt shingles.

Although the contract is valid for five years, Ward was not opposed to a switch when it expires.

“We realize this is a short term project,

maybe in five years they will be in a better position to have a local processing plant up there handle it again,” Ward said.

The HWMA board–which is comprised of elected officials from six local jur i s dic tions – voted 5-1 to ask the city councils and the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors to take up the issue.

Humboldt Redwood Company, said opposition to the project is in the public interest. He said the while the MRC supports the RFFI and Prop.

84 acquisitions; their objections go beyond individual projects.

“The issue is with the WCB process of reviewing projects like this and their process of prioritizing where tax payer money is going,” Jani said.

“Are we getting the most bang for our buck.”

If the price is divided directly by the acreage of the Usal purchase, the land costs about $385 an acre, much less than MRC’s 2003 Willow Creek sale of 3,373 acres to the Sonoma County Open Space District for $5,373 per acre.

“We think this is one of the best deals the people of California have ever had,” RFFI Executive Director Art Harwood said. “[MRC] reasons seem to be a bit disingenuous.

On the surface they just don’t pass the sniff test.”

Chris Kelly, California program director for the Conservation Fund, a nationwide non-profit that will hold the easement, said the WCB has purchased several similar easements and MRC opposition is typically reserved for adjacent properties.

“They seem to object only to projects in their immediate vicinity,” Kelly said. “If it was mainly a policy issue I think the MRC would object more broadly.”

In addition to the Usal proposal, MRC opposes funding for a conservation easement in the Gualala River watershed near which it owns land. The WCB delayed this project at the February meeting as well, citing more policy and public benefit issues.

Paul Mason, California policy director for the Pacific Forest Trust, said that large tracts of land are important to ensure viability for working landscapes into the future. He said intact functioning ecosystems are far less expensive than paying individually for the natural services they provide.

“Conservation easements are a great way to ensure those critical forest values are always going to be there,” Mason said. “Large tracts of land are important for water quality protection, species adaptation, and sustainable timber practices.”

The WCB says they are currently examining prospective appraisal reviewers and should have the necessary information to vote this summer. All things considered, stakeholders expect the project to pass in June. However, they had also expected it to pass in February, and before that, when it was first considered in 2007.

Fire and Light recycled glassware on display at Plaza Design. Fire and Light glassware has been made from glass bottles collected at the ACRC for 15 years.

Photo: Jennifer Kalt.

F. Thomas Cardenas is the Econews intern and currently a junior at Humboldt State University studying journalism and environmental planning.

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Featured Life Form SIERRA NEVADA RED FOX Abe Walston

Vulpes vulpes necator

population in the state. Though genetically distinct, these two groups are more closely related to each other than to those in the Sacramento Valley, northern Cascades, or northern Rockies.

Now known as Vulpes vulpes patwin, these foxes are a unique race only found in California, and will hopefully enjoy greater protection as a result of these findings.

The historic range of the Sierra Nevada red fox includes separate populations in the

In August 2010, a crew of U.S. Forest Service wildlife biologists placed a small bag baited with chicken scraps rigged to a camera near Sonora Pass in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Some of the pictures taken showed what appeared to be a red fox approaching the bag.

After DNA testing was performed on saliva removed from the bag, the animal’s identity was confirmed as the Sierra Nevada red fox, officially absent from the area since the 1930’s.

While a scattering of anecdotal reports (including a photograph from Yosemite National Park in 1991) helped substantiate the hope that there were red foxes in the high Sierra, DNA sequencing, performed at U.C. Davis, was crucial to confirm the identity and unique genetic signature of this mammal, among the most elusive in North America.

Red foxes are wellknown canids, as their present range includes much of North America, Europe, Asia, and even Australia. But there is much to be learned about their ecology and distribution in California.

California is also home to island foxes, kit foxes, gray foxes and coyotes, the latter two of which are found throughout the state and are often reddish-tinged.

Complicating the matter further is the introduction of non-native Sierra Nevada red fox. Photo: Keith Slauson, U.S. Forest Service. red foxes from Alaska, as well as European red foxes by settlers on the East High Sierra between Sierra and Tulare counties, Coast (apparently native red foxes were not good Lassen Peak, Mt. Shasta, and into northwestern enough). Some of these non-native populations Trinity County. It utilizes a variety of alpine and have become established in the San Francisco Bay subalpine habitats including forests, shrubfields, area, San Joaquin Valley, and in various parts of and rugged, remote areas above treeline. Though Southern California. most individuals are red in hue, dark, silver and The Sierra Nevada red fox was separated “cross” variants also exist. The best way to identify from the more widespread Rocky Mtn./ a red fox is by the tip of its tail (white) and the Northern Cascades subspecies during the last ice age. It was also at this time that the WANT TO LEARN MORE? Sierra Nevada red fox was isolated from its closest relatives, a population of red foxes in For more information about efforts to promote safety and solitude for backcountry skiers, snowshoers, the Sacramento Valley previously thought to snowboarders and other outdoors people who be non-native. value the physical and spiritual joys of winter and Genetic tests brought on by this sighting winter travel using their own muscle power, visit the have revealed some surprising facts about Snowlands Network at http://www.snowlands.org/.

Sierra Nevada red foxes. The tests showed the animal documented in the Humboldt-Toiyabe Anyone who believes they might have seen a Sierra to be genetically distinct from individuals in the Nevada red fox should report their observations to: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/regions/1/redfoxsurvey Lassen Peak region, a group of about 15-50 foxes until now thought to be the only remnant

back of the ears (black). Gray foxes and coyotes have dark-tipped tails and orange behind the ears.

The Sierra Nevada red fox is believed to have been uncommon historically throughout its range, and trapping and other disturbances to its limited habitat nearly caused it to vanish from the Sierras. The State of California banned the killing of Sierra Nevada red fox in 1974, and listed them as threatened in 1980. Biologists attribute recent detections to advanced monitoring techniques, including the baited remote camera station which provided the sighting in August. Two other sightings in the same area this winter suggest there may be more foxes nearby.

One of the lead biologists who made the rediscovery is Humboldt State alumna Sherri Lisius. She states that the best thing we can do for the Sierra Nevada red fox is to “...find out more about where it lives and what it eats and find ways to make those elements thrive. An example of this is if we find a den, we put a limited operating period on activities surrounding the den. “ Threats to the Sierra Nevada red fox include development, recreation, incursion by coyotes and exotic red foxes, domestic dog diseases, and, of course, climate change. How influential each of these threats are will not be fully understood without further study of the existing population(s). Human activity on any scale proposes a threat, especially around fox dens. Proper food storage is crucial in wilderness areas, so that native wildlife does not become habituated to our presence there.

Certain individual foxes in the Lassen Peak population have been reported begging at campground and picnic areas. Sightings in the Sierra are near State Highway 108, frequented by summer travelers.

Fortunately, much of Sierra Nevada red fox habitat has been federally designated (or proposed) as wilderness. Less fortunately, the Forest Service wants to establish a snowmobile route in the vicinity of last year’s Sierra Nevada red fox detections in the Bridgeport Ranger District in the Humboldt-Yoiyabe National Forest. Since snowmobiles and other motorized vehicles are prohibited in the wilderness, the Forest Service would have to amend its Forest Plan to allow such use.

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April/May 2011 ECONEWS

the Kids’ Page A LIFE OF SLIME The Hagfish

Did you know that there is a fish that makes slime and

looks like an eel? It is called the hagfish, or slime eel. Scientists classify the slime eel as a fish, even though it looks like an eel. They are a primitive type of fish that do not have jaws, scales, or a backbone. They have no fins and a paddlelike tail. Hagfish have 75-100 slime glands located all over their bodies that make a super sticky slime when they are alarmed, which helps protect them from predators. They make so much slime that one hagfish could easily fill a milk jug if alarmed! In order to get the slime off, the Hagfish ties itself into a knot. As the fish swims through its own knot, the slime gets scraped off. They sneeze to remove slime

By Sarah Marnick from their nostrils!

A curled up hagfish. Photo: Science Photo Library, http://www.sciencephoto.com.

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