EcoNews Dec11/Jan12

40 Years of Environmental News

EC

Arcata, California

Vol. 41, No. 6 Dec 2011/Jan 2012

NEWS

Published by the Northcoast Environmental Center Since 1971

Framing the

?

Future

We're all creating this picture together.

What does it look like? What shall it be?

Worst Congress Ever | Eco-Occupy | Urban vs. Rural | 9th Street Excavation Eureka Community Forest | Comment on Klamath | Salmon Virus

EC

NEWS

791 Eighth Street, Arcata, CA 95521 707- 822-6918, Fax 707-822-6980 www.yournec.org 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 to our members and distributed free throughout the Northern California/ Southern Oregon bioregion. The subscription rate is $35 per year.

Editor/Layout: Morgan Corviday, morgan@yournec.org Advertising: NEC Staff, ads@yournec.org Proofreaders: Karen Schatz, Midge Brown Writers: Sid Dominitz, Morgan Corviday, Dan Ehresman, Jennifer Kalt, Beth Werner, Vanessa Vasquez, Gary Graham Hughes, Sarah Marnick, Dan Sealy, Calleaghn Kinnamon, Andrea Lanctot, Bob Morris, Ashley Ward , Charles Douglas, Chris Wright and Carol Van der Meer.

Artist: Terry Torgerson NEC Office Manager: Dan Ehresman, dan@yournec.org

NEC’s 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

Safe Alternatives for our Forest EnvironmentLarry Glass, President., larryglass71@gmail.com At Large, Trinity County Rep - Bob Morris, Vice-President, bob.morris@wildblue.net At Large - Chris Jenican Beresford, Treasurer, thegang7@pacbell.net California Native Plant Society - Jennifer Kalt, Secretary, jenkalt@gmail.com Humboldt Baykeeper - Beth Werner, beth@humboldtbaykeeper.org Redwood Region Audubon Society CJ Ralph, theralphs@humboldt1.com Sierra Club North Group, - Diane Fairchild Beck, dfbeck@northcoast.com At-Large - Tom Preble

Member Groups

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.

Affiliate Groups

Environmental Protection Information Center, Friends of Del Norte.

NEC Sponsored Groups

Healthy Humboldt Coalition, Green Wheels Volunteer submissions are welcome!

Full articles of about 500 words or fewer may be submitted, preferably by email.

Please pitch your idea to the editor prior to submitting a draft, to editor@yournec.org.

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!

News From the Center As we wind up our 40th year—that’s right, four decades of conserving, protecting, and celebrating terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems of northern California and southern Oregon—we thought it would be helpful to share some of the questions we have fielded in recent months. We welcome your comments and any other questions you might have.

Q: Why the Staffing Changes at NEC? A: While all organizations treat specifics regarding personnel matters as confidential matters, the board determined that ongoing activities could be maintained by moving to more efficient staffing levels. As a result, the Executive Director position has been eliminated, and the Office Manager position has been reclassified as half-time. In fact, we’ve actually expanded some activities [see below].

NEC’s Board of Directors often has to make difficult decisions but always acts in the best interests of the NEC. Q: What is the NEC’s primary focus now that these changes have been made?

A: We’ve decided to shift priorities to conservation advocacy, while carrying on with the basics as necessary to support the conservation work. We’ve revived the NEC’s email action alert system to inform you about opportunities to comment on, such as: • Caltrans’ 101 corridor project (see Green Wheels page 10); • Klamath Dam Removal DEIS/DEIR (see page 5); • Proposal for two new lighted billboards on 101 near Alton.

To sign up for NEC Action Alerts via email, visit our website at www.yournec.org!

Q: What else has changed?

A: We recently consolidated into one office after a water leak in the ceiling forced us to move out of the front office at Jacoby Storehouse. This means we will no longer host Arts Arcata. We’ll miss seeing friends and supporters but you can still contact us at 707-822-6918 or nec@yournec.org.

Q: Why did you change the EcoNews format?

A: We feel this is a more readable format that will also reduce printing costs substantially.

Q: Who is hosting the NEC’s radio show EcoNews Report these days?

A: We’ve broadened EcoNews Report hosts to include representatives of EPIC, Friends of the Eel River, Greenway Partners, Healthy Humboldt, Humboldt Baykeeper and others. Tune in every Thursday at 1:30 on KHSU: 90.5 FM Arcata-Eureka 91.9 FM Crescent City-Brookings 89.1 FM Ferndale-Fortuna 89.7 FM Garberville 99.7 FM Willow Creek Q: What else is new at NEC? A: We have a new board member: Tom Preble of Eureka joins the Board of Directors as our newest At-Large member. Tom is a member of the Humboldt County Democratic Central Committee and long-time NEC supporter. Chris Beresford joined the board as Treasurer in September.

Chris is another long-time supporter of the NEC, and in fact was married to Tim McKay when he began his work at the NEC in 1976. She recently retired from a long career with State Parks, and brings valuable financial and administrative experience to the Board.

Also, Dan Sealy is now our Legislative Analyst in Washington D.C. (an unpaid, non-lobbying position).

In the 1970s, Dan worked with NEC and Emerald Creek Committee on legislation to expand Redwood National Park to include the Redwood Creek watershed. After a 30-year career with the National Park Service, Dan now runs an environmental consultant company called The Birchbark Canoe in Maryland. Dan looks forward to helping members of NEC follow legislation that is important to them and providing information on news and trends in Washington, D.C. that affect conservation and ecosystem health in the Northcoast.

Dan Ehresman will run the dayto-day operations of the NEC while focusing on conservation work and the organizational basics that are necessary to support that work. In his work with Healthy Humboldt, a project of the NEC, Dan has played an integral role in promoting better land use practices that will benefit human communities and the environment. As the County’s General Plan Update nears completion, Dan hopes to continue NEC’s advocacy for livable communities, healthy watersheds, and sustainable farms and forests.

Q: How’s the financial situation?

A: Umm, well, you know, it’s okay for the short-term but, as with all non-profits, your membership renewal, financial contributions, and participation are the lifeblood of the NEC. And, like all nonprofit organizations, the end of the year marks our appeal for your tax-deductible donations. Look for it in your snail-mail before the end of the year.

Q: What ever happened with that survey you conducted last summer?

A: We recently analyzed the member survey results from the summer fund appeal, and are incorporating these results into our decision-making on priorities and future direction for the NEC. Thanks to all of you who provided feedback along with your membership renewals and donations! (See sidebar summary of results).

—Larry Glass, NEC Board President

Survey Says!

2011Member Survey Results More than 120 of you responded to our member survey this summer, and the results have proven quite informative. Of the two dozen interests listed, the overwhelming priorities (in order) are old growth forests, Klamath restoration, watershed ecology/water conservation, salmon and steelhead, environmental legislation, endangered species, native plant restoration, sustainable agriculture, Trinity River restoration, and biodiversity hotspots. Citizen action was also identified as a priority.

When asked to rank future directions for the NEC, the majority of you chose local government conservation planning as the top priority, followed by environmental education and outreach to schools. Across the board, you expressed strong support and appreciation for both EcoNews and EcoNews Report. Though not a scientific survey, these results are of great interest to the staff and board of the NEC, and are already being used to guide us. Thanks to all of you who responded— we greatly value your input!

In This Issue

Worst Congress Ever............................3 Unprecedented attacks on EPA and Clean Water.

OWS and the Environment.................4 Occupying is about much more than banks.

Green Wheels......................................10

Bike sharing, 101 Corridor update.

EPIC.....................................................11 Thanks and appreciation.

Action Alert! Klamath dams................7

Sandpiper.......................................insert

Eureka Community Forest...................5

CNPS/NGN.........................................12

Gateway to the Dunes..........................6

KS Wild/Siskiyou Merger...................13

Comment period extended to Dec 30.

Supervisors support forest plan.

New Dunes Nature Center.

Kin to the Earth.....................................7 Anjali Appadurai, Youth Delegate to COP17.

Audubon’s newsletter.

Meetings and Events.

Cooperation and pooled resources.

EcoMania.............................................14 Melange of Salient Sillies.

Derrick Jensen at HSU.........................7

ESA Hearing........................................15

Urban vs Rural?.....................................8

Creature Feature.................................17

Humboldt Baykeeper...........................9

Kids’ Page............................................18

“Freaky genius” made for a great birthday.

Who’s the better environmentalist?

Salmon virus, Bag Ban, Waterfront cleanup.

Jobs, recovery, and litigation.

The Dungeness crab.

Explore the Dune Ecosystem.

Soil Excavation of Former NEC HQ Site Complete Bob Morris

After much anticipation, excavation of the NEC’s former headquarters on 9th Street was completed this fall. On October 27, Greenway Partners of Arcata— the NEC’s primary subcontractor—completed the excavation and removal of contaminated soils at the site, which has been vacant since the 2001 fire that razed the former NEC and adjacent buildings. For the past 11 years, the site has remained undeveloped while undergoing Phase I and Phase II assessments, consisting of drilling monitoring wells and sampling both soil and water to determine the range and levels of contamination.

Greenway removed the most contaminated soil, to be hauled to a certified toxic waste facility and disposed of appropriately. The remaining soil at the site will then be injected with a remediation agent, which is intended to modify the chemistry of the contamination so that it becomes less toxic more quickly.

Following the cleanup, the site will be monitored for approximately 12-18 months. To ensure that the process is working as intended, permanent sampling wells have been installed on the property. Ongoing monitoring data and results will be sent directly to the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.

Bob Morris, NEC’s Trinity County representative, has shepherded the Brownfields cleanup. “After 2 years of planning and fundraising, it is heartening to finally be doing the work on the ground that will lead to the final phase of monitoring,” he said.

The NEC occupied the 9th Street site since purchasing it 1982. The building once functioned as a dry cleaning business, and typical to this industry, the owners used a chemical call Perchloroethylene (PCE or PERC) as part of the dry cleaning process. Over the tenure of the business, this chemical leaked into the soil below, leaving the subsequent landowner—the NEC—to do the clean-up.

The PERC levels in the soil are relatively low, and the NEC had been given approval to ‘cap-andbuild,’ which would have entombed the soil under a cement slab, allowing the property to be sold ‘as-is’ for the next owner to legally build upon. Following that

course of action would have left the soil contaminated, potentially impacting groundwater, and possibly Humboldt Bay. The NEC Board of Directors felt that the only ethical course of action was to procure this grant and go 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, since the result will be a saleable lot near the Arcata Plaza,” Morris added.

Larry Glass, President of NEC’s Board of Directors, said, “I am proud that NEC is maintaining our commitment to clean up the contamination that we unknowingly inherited, despite the economic times that have required us to trim some staff and programming. That we continue to receive grants and contributions from the public is a sign that our work remains an important contribution to the wellbeing of the community.”

The Brownfields Grant awarded the NEC $200,000 for clean-up, requiring $40,000 in matching funds. The NEC has thus far received $29,600 or 74% of our goal. Earmarked contributions can be sent to the NEC at P.O. Box 4259, Arcata, CA 95518.

Removing contaminated soil from the former NEC headquarters on 9th Street. Photo: Jennifer Kalt

rom f Letter to the Editor

We certainly live in interesting times.

At nearly 2 a.m., when I should be either sleeping or editing EcoNews articles, I find myself distracted

by Occupy encampment raids happening in real time, right before my eyes. Live streaming video allows the whole world to bear witness.

Just a few weeks ago, I attended my first local General Assembly (a joint meeting of Occupy Arcata, Occupy Eureka, and Occupy Humboldt—called Occupy Humboldt County). Nearly 150 people were present, eager to participate. It is incredibly inspiring to see the energy and momentum Occupy movements have gained all over the world these past few months.

These events have my mind in motion. ~ “The times they are a’ changing,” Bob Dylan ~ We can see now, perhaps more clearly than ever, that it is time to stand up, make our voices heard, and demand the changes that many of us sought our entire lives. We have, in many ways, reached a crossroads, and it’s time to choose a new direction.

Here at the NEC, we too are forging a new path, into a new era of conservation. For 40 years, EcoNews has been a valued resource for important and engaging environmental news in the Northern California and Southern Oregon bioregion. From its humble beginnings as a cut and paste newsletter, to the 24 page full color publication of today, EcoNews has changed with the times. Through thick and thin, victories and trials, tribulations and celebrations, we have perservered to bring you timely, interesting, and action oriented environmental news that matters.

In these tough economic times, however, we too must reevaluate and adapt as we move forward. Our new EcoNews format is part of this necessary evolution. The difficult decision was also made to reduce the number of free papers printed to reduce our overall expenditure.

However, big changes are on the horizon for our website and online content, so stay tuned for exciting developments in the coming months!

A healthy democracy requires an aware, educated public. Help ensure that EcoNews is around for decades to come, to continue to inform, enlighten and inspire active participation in creating a healthy, sustainable future. To do so, we will need your support! Please consider us in your holiday giving—a subscription to EcoNews would make a great gift!

Thank you so much for everything over the years... we couldn’t have done it without you!

—Morgan Corviday, EcoNews editor

Bouquets Bob Ornelas, Green Wheels’ “President for Life”—OUCH! Best wishes for a speedy recovery. We hope to see you back in the saddle soon!

Chris Jenican Beresford—Thank you for taking on the role of NEC board treasurer and your tireless efforts to help move the NEC into the next era!

What on earth would we do without you?

Lynn Ryan—Your many years of dedication to wilderness protection, serving as Sierra Club representative to the NEC Board, and endless enthusiasm deserves commendation! Thank you!

Katie Whiteside, KHSU Program Director—Thanks for patiently and expertly advising NEC’s slew of EcoNews Report hosts. We appreciate all your help!

The Worst Environmental Congress Ever?

Dan Sealy and Morgan Corviday Most Americans assume that our nation’s established environmental laws are permanent watchdogs to protect our air, water, earth and wildlife.

The last 40 years have seen hard-won advances supported by both sides of the aisle, and today the EPA plays an essential role in our everyday lives. But while threats to environmental legislation and funding are not unusual, this year’s have been unprecedented.

Congress attempted this year to pass 170 pieces of antienvironmental legislation.

These latest attempts to undermine environmental protections and cornerstones of American environmental law, such as the Clean Water Act, have many asking “Is this the Worst Environmental Congress Ever?” Could the assaults on environmental regulations get any worse?

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) stated that in all his 36 years in Congress, he’d “never been in a Congress where there was such an overwhelming disconnect between science and public policy.”

His colleague Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA) has been quoted as saying, “This is the most anti-science body since the Catholic Church ostracized Galileo for determining that the earth revolves around the sun.”

“The new Republican majority has a lot of leeway to rewrite laws,” he said, “but they don’t have the ability to rewrite the laws of nature.” And therein lies the problem.

When lawmakers continue to behave as if their actions have no consequence in the balance of the natural world, and particularly on life sustaining systems such as air and water, the ultimate result could be nothing short of catastrophic. This is what we’re seeing now on a global scale, with unprecendeted extreme weather events wrecking havok all over the world, combined with unprecendented manmade ecological disasters, such as the Gulf Oil spill last year.

Lisa Jackson, current administrator of the EPA, wrote about last year’s elections: “[They] were not a vote for dirtier air or more pollution in our water. No one was sent to Congress with a mandate to increase health threats to our children or return us to the era before the EPA’s existence when, for example, nearly every meal in America contained elements of pesticides linked to nerve damage, cancer and sometimes death.

In Los Angeles, smog-thick air was a daily fact of life, while in New York 21,000 tons of toxic waste awaited discovery beneath the small community of Love Canal, and flames erupted from pollution coating the surface of Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River.”

In 1969, when the Cuyahoga caught fire in Ohio, the country’s unregulated industries and water quality

Historical photo from June 22, 1969, when an oil slick and debris in the Cuyahoga River caught fire and burned high enough to destroy bridges.

problems were just beginning to garner serious public attention. Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” had done much to raise America’s awareness of how one thing designed for a specific use, like a pesticide, can have far reaching devestating effects in the broader ecosystem. But it took disasters like the Cuyahoga fire, and the time-period’s largest oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara, to catalyze support for the creation of what became known as the Clean Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

“Clean air, clean water, open spaces— these should once again be the birthright of every American.” President Richard Nixon, 1970 State of the Union Address.

The Clean Water Act (CWA) provides a yardstick by which to measure impacts to water quality and has resulted in significant progress towards improvement.

In 1972, when the CWA was passed, only 30-40% of assessed US waters met water quality goals. By 2004, 56 percent of streams and rivers, and 70 percent of bays and estuaries were in good condition and met federal water quality standards.

This year the 112th Congress, however, launched the “Most Significant Attack on the Clean Water Act in at Least 15 Years”, according to Steve Fleischli, Senior Attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, D.C. House Resolution (H.R.) 2018—sponsored

by Rep. John Mica (R-FL)—is a prime example of

these destructive bills. Passed in the House, the Bill would effectively strip the EPA of its ability to adequately protect national water quality. Thankfully, the Bill is currently stalled in the Senate, largely due to public outcry.

A landmark 2006 case by the Northwest Environmental Defense Center, forcing the State of Oregon to include logging road impacts in CWA violations, is just one of many examples of a case that would have had no legal standing without the CWA. Without the regulatory framework and legal “teeth” of the CWA, our ability to protect our rivers, lakes, bays, and even drinking water could be severely limited. Much of the progress made regarding logging operations and fish habitat protection could be undone.

Now is a particularly bad time time to abandon clean water safeguards, as concerns about the links between fracking chemicals and water quality on the rise. Just days ago, in fact, the EPA released a report linking tainted water to fracking in Wyoming.

The legal means by which fracking contamination will be tackled is housed within the framework of the CWA. Without it, then what?

Members of President Obama’s Administration including the EPA director, Lisa Jackson and Secretary of Interior, Ken Salazar, have opposed these bills and have said they will recommend veto if necessary.

However, in spite of strong public support of environmental laws, members of Congress have means to force unpopular anti-environment measures by attaching them as “riders” to other, often unrelated legislation. Placing a rider to limit the effectiveness of the EPA, for example, onto a bill that has strong public support such as a tax or budget bill, is a common way to circumvent the typical legislative process.

This was the case with the Barrasso-Heller Amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations Act (H.R. 2354) this summer, another bill which would have tied the hands of states and the EPA to protect water quality. The Amendment has so far failed, thanks largely to the efforts of organizations such as Baykeeper Alliance and Natural Resources Defense Council.

If you are concerned about the strength of landmark environmental policies and laws such as the Clean Water Act and other environmental regulations, let your congressional representatives know how you feel about keeping these laws strong so water quality and biological habitat can be protected for future generations. For Congressional contact information, please visit www.yournec.org/representatives.

Dan Sealy is the NEC”s Legislative Analyst based in Washington, D.C.

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December 2011/January 2012 ECONEWS

Connecting the Dots: OWS and the Environment Ashley Ward and Morgan Corviday

It may not seem obvious at first. Occupy Wall Street is about financial inequity, bailouts and political corruption, right? What does illegally camping in a city park have to do with saving the planet? Quite a lot, actually.

Occupy Wall Street has always been about more than just Wall Street; it is something much bigger than a movement against big banks and modern finance.

Glenn Hurowitz, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, says the protests and environmental issues naturally overlap. “Nobody is a better symbol of...corporate greed and corruption than the oil and coal industries,” he says. “For a lot of people in the Occupy movement, part of creating a better world is making sure we have a living planet.”

Occupy protester indicates his concern for our planet.

“I am not an environmentalist, but I can Photo: PlanetSave.com. understand that we need to discover a better way to live,” said Humboldt Occupier and Anthropology In Washington, D.C., Kelly Mears, who “handles major at Humboldt State University, Carolynn all the tech stuff ” for the Occupy camp, stated that Williams. “My greatest fear is that the wonderful life “the true Occupiers are very, very excited” about the that I live today is what will make it impossible for the acquisition of solar panels. human race to continue later.”

Sustainable food production is another concern Since its the movement was born on September among Occupiers. Williams is an advocate for reduced 17 in New York City, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) has meat consumption. “As a planet we don’t have water to grown and sprouted solidarity Occupy groups across spare,” she said. “We don’t have the energy to spare; the country, and around the globe. we don’t have the food to spare to support [it].”

Perhaps due to our deep activist roots here in Elizabeth Clark shares Williams’ concerns about Humboldt, not one, but three individual Occupy our food production system. “I want to see more local encampents sprung up in the early weeks of the sustainability as far as the food industry goes,” Clark movement: Arcata, Eureka, and Humboldt (HSU said. “So that we are not producing and wasting so campus). Much larger cities, in comparison, much dirty energy on mass production.” only have one! Recently, a county-wide group Climate change is another major issue of conwas formed to facilitate cooperation, support, cern. “The reason that it’s so great that we’re occupyparticipation and consensus building between the ing Wall Street is because Wall Street has been occuthree satellite groups. pying the atmosphere,” stated Bill McKibben, author Desiree Perez, Humboldt Occupier and Arcata and co-founder of 350.org and Tar Sands Action. By resident, said she joined Occupy Humboldt because combing energies, Occupy and tar sands activists of her frustrations over false government claims. “Of, were able to organize major protests against the Keyfor and by the people had become too bald a lie,” she stone XL pipeline, which would have pumped toxic said. “I couldn’t remain quiet anymore. I wanted to be tar sands oil from Canada to the Gulf Coast. NASA active in challenging and changing that hypocrisy.”

Climate expert James Hansen famously described tar Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone describes it this sands oil extraction as “game over” for our climate. way, “This is a visceral, impassioned, deep-seated “There is easy oil to get, there is hard oil to get,” rejection of the entire direction of our society, a Williams said. “We don’t have the easy oil anymore; refusal to take even one more step forward into we burned all of the easy oil. And it’s hard to get at the shallow commercial abyss of phoniness, shortthe hard oil.” term calculation, withered idealism and intellectual The ongoing Gulf oil catastrophe is another prime bankruptcy that American mass society has become”. example of how putting profits and industry interests Jerry Dinzes, Humboldt Occupier, suggests above the well being of the environment often results taxpayer’s dollars would be better used to restore the in disaster. “BP wasn’t just risking its oil well, it was environment, instead of bailing out Wall Street and risking the entire Gulf of Mexico ecosystem, which is banks. “California state park systems are going down, but something that wasn’t theirs,” she said. Ruined, for the Wall Street is given trillions of dollars,” Dinzes said. profits and interests of the oil industry.

Williams, Perez and Dinzes have been involved By identifying the movement as the 99% vs with Occupy Humboldt since it began October 1, the 1%, the inequity between those responsible for helping with the media and outreach committee, environmental and economic catastrophese and those among other things. At many encampments, who bear the brunt of the consequences is made clear. sustainabililty working groups, such as permaculture, The one percent is a representation of the political greywater, seed bombs, peddle power, composting, and corporate personhood that generates a majority and solar energy might also be found, as they of decisions the 99% are forced live with. were in New York.

Perez feels strongly about the inequality Occupy Humboldt’s camp uses a solar panel to represented through the divide. “As long as we continue help charge media devices like laptops and cell phones. to have a revolving door between regulatory bodies

ECONEWS December 2011/January 2012

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and the industries they regulate; as long as profit and cost are recognized only in terms of money,” Perez said.

“As long as growth is more important than sustainability, then it will always be in the interest of the one percent to overlook, ignore and even stand in the way of efforts to live in harmony with the natural world.”

The voices of the 99% are making it difficult for the one percent to ignore their grievances.

Occupations worldwide are staying connected and working together via conference calls, online social media, and email exchanges.

Zachary Shahan of Planet Save wrote, “I don’t think Occupy Wall Street is going away. And those concerned about the environment, global warming, and climate change have every reason to join in the movement and push for real change. We all should.”

“By the people, for the people,” Clark said.

“Together, we make the change.”

Ashley Ward is a journalism student at HSU and a Humboldt Occupier.

4

Action Alert!

Klamath Dam Comment Deadline Extended to December 30

• will create jobs, both short-term construction-related jobs and long-term jobs related to fishing, tourism, and restoration; • will virtually eliminate the toxic algal and fish diseases in theKlamath River; • will restore more natural flows and introduce more gravel important for spawning grounds; • will restore more natural temperature regimes, so that water will warm up faster in spring, and cool down much faster in fall, improving conditions for spawning salmon.

Dams on the Klamath River must be removed to restore Coho and Chinook salmon and steelhead runs. Removing the four lower dams will open up historic spawning grounds, improve water quality, and restore more natural flows. It is critical that government officials hear from you NOW to advance the restoration of the Klamath River!

We urge you to support:

Review the DEIS:

• removal of all dams on the Klamath River and its tributaries; • restoration of the wetlands and marshes in the upper Klamath basin, including Lower Klamath Lake, Tule Lake, and Upper Klamath Lake; • minimum flows for fish that will comply with the Endangered Species Act and Biological Opinions; • release of the 50,000 acre feet promised to Humboldt County from the Trinity River to benefit salmon and other species.

Fishkill on the Klamath River, 2002. Photo: Tim McKay

Background:

According to the DEIS, the Preferred Alternative: • will reopen 420 miles of steelhead habitat and 80 miles of coho habitat; • anticipates an 80% increase in Chinook, resulting in a major increase in commercial, tribal, and recreational uses;

To review the DEIS, scientific studies, Klamath Settlement Agreements, and other info, visit http://klamathrestoration.gov/.

Submit Comments:

To submit comments that will be considered in the federal government’s decision, visit http:// klamathrestoration.gov/Draft-EIS-EIR/feedback.

Would you like to receive timely NEC Action Alerts right in your inbox?

Visit www.yournec.org to sign up!

Supes Support Community Forest Formation Charles Douglas

The proposed Humboldt Bay Region Community Forest.

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Humboldt County Supervisors voiced their unanimous support this morning for the creation of a Humboldt Bay Region Community Forest along the eastern border of Cutten and Myrtletown.

Although occasionally tied in with more controversial plans to turn a part of the McKay Tract of forestlands into a high-end housing and strip mall development site, the idea of a county-owned public forest has brought together the landowner, Green Diamond timber company, the Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national non-profit land conservation group, and various local stakeholders.

Along with a 2,000 acre publicly-owned forest envisioned for phases one and two, phase three would provide for a 5,500 acre conservation easement east of Ryan Creek, allowing Green Diamond to continue timber harvesting under the understanding that the land could not be subdivided and converted to nontimberland use.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Humboldt County to provide,” Byrd Lochtie of the League of Women Voters told Supervisors. “I heartily support a community forest and I’m glad to hear that most of you do too.”

The move would triple the size of lands currently under the County Parks and Trails system managed

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by the Department of Public Works, but their director, Tom Mattson, claims that the acquisition wouldn’t impact the county’s General Fund.

“Public Works believes the next step is to develop a management plan that provides the framework for an economically self-sustaining community forest based on robust community engagement and input,” Mattson stated in his report to the Board.

To this end, his department has already submitted a concept proposal to the Cal-Fire Urban and Community Forestry Grant Program to develop this plan, and Supervisors also backed his move to seek support from the Headwaters Fund, whose members the Board also appoints.

As the county hasn’t completed their study to ensure that they could manage the proposed community forest in a revenue-neutral way, Mattson pointed to TPL’s work with the Redwood Forest Foundation, Inc. to serve as interim owner of the 640acre phase one of the project. RFFI already manages the 50,000 acre Usal Redwood Forest in Mendocino County, and they’ve offered to be the applicant for funding from the state River Parkways Grant Program.

While State Fish and Game was on hand to offer their full support for the community forest as a means to protect the Ryan Creek watershed and help recover populations of threatened Coho Salmon, more -Continued on Page 13

December 2011/January 2012 ECONEWS

Nature Center: Gateway to the Dunes

Carol Vander Meer The Humboldt Coastal Nature Center is open and welcoming visitors to the dunes. The unique earth sheltered building has been renovated into a nature center with ocean and bay views, exhibits and trails that serve as a gateway to the dunes.

The nature center building and 113 acres of dunes are owned and managed by Friends of the Dunes. In 2007, Friends of the Dunes purchased the initial 38 acres of coastal dunes and what was formerly the home of Rachel and Charles Stamps. Additional properties were subsequently purchased and now the 113-acre reserve connects to adjacent public access and conservation lands creating a gateway to over 1000 acres of coastal dunes.

Charles and Rachel originally built the house as their retirement home 1985 from an earth shelter kit.

The couple was known for sharing their property with family and friends and expressed their desire that the public would always be able to enjoy access to the beach. After the couple had passed away, their sons contacted Friends of the Dunes to see if they were interested in purchasing the property and protecting it for the enjoyment of future generations.

The first phase of renovations of the Stamps House began in April of 2010 and completed in June of 2011. Improvements included a new watertight roof, now planted with native dune plants, public parking, restrooms, radiant heat, new windows and walkways. The building is in the process of become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified and serves

include assisting with guided walks, programs, tabling events and staffing the reception area at the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center.

More information about volunteer opportunities and public programs can be found at the Friends of the Dunes website at: www.friendsofthedunes.org or calling 444-1397. The Humboldt Coastal Nature Center is open Saturdays from 10am-4pm and during the week when staff is present (generally 10a.m.-4p.m).

Carol Vander Meer is Executive Director of Friends of the Dunes.

as a demonstration site for green building design.

Plans are underway for exhibits highlighting coastal environments and inspiring visitors to experience, learn about and care for the land. Soon a mural by local artist Gary Bloomfield, will become part of an exhibit highlighting bay, dune and beach habitats. The center also serves as a site for educational workshops and programs.

A wide variety of volunteer opportunities are available at the center. On January 21st, from 9amnoon, volunteers are needed to help continue native dune planting project on the east side of the nature center building. Restoration volunteers help bring back natural diversity by removing invasive species.

Volunteers are also needed to help introduce people to the beauty and natural diversity of our coast by becoming a volunteer Coastal Naturalist Ambassador. The next Coastal Naturalist Ambassador training will be on Saturday, January 28th, 2-4p.m. at the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center. Volunteer opportunities for Coastal Naturalist Ambassadors Helping Buyers and Sellers make “Green” Decisions about Humboldt County Real Estate.

CALL TO LEARN MORE TODAY! Karen Orsolics, Broker/Owner 707-834-1818 655 F Street, Arcata, CA www.arcataproperty.com

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ECONEWS December 2011/January the Hospice 2012

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6

Kin to the Earth

ANJALI APPADURAI

COP 17 Climate Conference Youth Delegate

Morgan Corviday There are moments in time, when change is so thick in the air you can almost taste it. Something in the air...yes. Perhaps, ironically, it is sometimes exactly that. Fourteen years after the signing of the Kyoto Protocol, we’ve seen the carbon in our atmosphere rise uncontrollably, with plans for binding emissions reductions still nowhere in sight.

Time is running very, very short. and sometimes what needs to be said just need to be said. The Occupy Movement is inspiring many around the world to speak up and tell it like it is. Anjali Appadurai, Youth Delegate from the College of the Atlantic in Maine, did exactly that last week at the COP 17 Climate Conference held in Durban, South Africa.

Speaking not only for the world’s youth, but also inspired by the 99%, her was speech short, but empassioned (see text below). Blogger Brendan DeMelle (desmogblog.com) put it this way: “Her scornful depiction of the utter failure of the international community to act on climate change—a failure chiefly owned by the

largest polluting nations who have caused most of the damage to the global climate—is spot on.”

Following her speech, perhaps the most powerful of all at the conference, she stepped away from the podium amidst wild applaus and confidently screamed: mic check! Around fifty youth in the room, who had remained cheering in standing ovation, echoed back: mic check!

Equity now! Equity now!

You’ve run out of excuses.

You’ve run out of excuses.

And we’re running out of time.

And we’re running out of time.

Get it done! Get it done!

Youth Delegate, Anjali Appadurai, mic-checks the COP 17 Climate Conference, Dec. 9, 2011. Photo: ©Robert Van Waapde, SurvivalMedia.

I speak for more than half the world’s population.

We are the silent majority. You’ve given us a seat in this hall, but our interests are not on the table.

What does it take to get a stake in this game? Lobbyists? Corporate influence? Money?

You have been negotiating all of my life. In that time, you’ve failed to meet pledges, you’ve missed targets, and you’ve broken promises.

But you’ve heard this all before.

We’re in Africa, home to communities on the frontline of climate change. The world’s poorest countries need funding for adaptation NOW. The Horn of Africa, and those nearby in KwaMashu, needed it yesterday.

But as 2012 dawns, our Green Climate Fund remains empty.

The IEA tells us that we have 5 years until the window to avoid irreversible climate change closes.

The science tells us that we have 5 years, MAXIMUM. You’re saying: give us 10.

The most stark betrayal of your generation’s responsibility to ours is that you call this AMBITION. Where is the courage in this room? Now is not the time for incremental action. In the longrun, these will be seen as the defining moments of an era in which narrow self-interest prevailed over science, reason, and common compassion.

There is real ambition in this room but it’s been dismissed as radical, deemed not "politically possible".

Long-term thinking is not radical. What’s radical is to completely alter the planet’s climate, to betray the future of my generation and to condemn millions to death by climate change.

What’s radical is to write off the fact that change is within our reach.

Stand with Africa.

2011 was the year in which the silent majority found their voice, the year when the bottom shook the top, 2011 was the year when the radical became reality.

Common but differentiated and historical responsibility are NOT up for debate. Respect the foundational principles of this Convention. Respect the integral values of humanity.

Respect the future of your descendants.

Mandela said "It always seems impossible, until it’s done".

So, distinguished delegates and governments of the developed world—deep cuts now. Get it done!

7

www.yournec.org

As she exited, the chair of the European Commission climate team responded warmly, and wisely, “I wonder why we let not speak half of the world’s population first in this conference, but only last”.

Indeed, Mr. Chairperson. Indeed. May her words be an inspiration to everyone out there trying to change the world. Just get it done.

“Freaky Genius” Derrick Jensen Inspiring at HSU Calleaghn Kinnamon

My birthday is always a big day on my calendar.

This year, I was back in Humboldt for a few days, looking for something special to do. Then I saw it, in the Journal—Derrick Jensen, speaking at HSU. The Jensen fan-girl in me was born years ago with the reading of “Language Older Than Words”. If you’re not familiar with his work, I suggest starting there. That book changed everything for me. He wrote things that I had thought, but hadn’t heard spoken aloud. He’s a revolutionary among revolutionaries.

Somehow, I had not managed in all these years to see him in person, to have the persona cloaking all that gorgeous freaky genius-ness sitting in front of me.

“The questions I keep coming back to are these: in this time, as countless multitudes of humans and nonhumans suffer for the profits and luxuries of a few, and as species go extinct at rates greater than any in the last scores of millions of years—as largevertebrate evolution itself is being halted—what does the world need? What does the world need from me?” ~ Derrick Jensen, Calling All Fanatics

After a brief intro, Tony Silvaggio, PhD (HSU Sociology Deptartment) simply asked Derrick: “How did you get here?” And we were off!

For the next hour or so, Derrick shared with us highlights of his personal evolution and how it tied into his thoughts about—and experiences with—the natural world. He shared how his journey led him to writing and lecturing, his views on the current state of the environment...

-Continued on Page 16

December 2011/January 2012 ECONEWS

Urban vs. Rural:

Who’s the better environmentalist?

Dan Ehresman

Clearly there are strong opinions on all sides of the aisle regarding whether city-dwellers, ranchers, backto-the-landers, or industrial timber managers pose the most significant threat to the environment. This finger pointing exercise that has been going full-bore for decades has resulted in a divided populace, with energy wasted on fighting with one another when we could be working together on solutions to safeguard the land and rivers that we all cherish and enjoy.

The fact is, no matter where we live or what we do, our mere existence on this earth results in drastic impacts on our environment, either directly or indirectly. In town, many landscapes and watersheds have been deemed sacrifice zones—with living earth paved over and water piped and polluted—some of the lower reaches of creeks and rivers maintain a fraction of their once pristine ecological value. In the hills, many watersheds are increasingly impacted by poorly-planned and mismanaged roads bleeding sediment and cutting off beneficial sub-surface flows, while formerly contiguous wildlands have been chunked up to make way for houses, yards, and marijuana grows. Industrial timber has laid waste to forests, while large-scale agriculture (legal and otherwise) relies on vast amounts of water and energy for the goods we consume. Sure there are local examples of ecologically-sound urban design, sustainable agriculture, harmonious homesteading, and responsible forestry, but we have a long way to go to restore watersheds and landscapes to a healthy condition.

The issue before us in the General Plan Update is not one of keeping people from living and working on their land, it is to promote wise use of that land through responsible land management. The question that we need to answer is how can we maintain the rural character of this County, along with the livelihoods that depend on it. We need to make sure that forests and farms stay forests and farms, and are not just sold off to the highest bidder. Property rights must be balanced with protection of forest and watershed values for the long-term health of the environment and the economy, which are inseparable.

The idealistic belief that landowners buy absolute freedom along with their property rights requires denial of the fact that most uses of property can and do impact others, both human and wild. As a wise Humboldt rancher once said, each homestead may be using just a little bit of water, but when you add it all up, with all the little straws in the creek, pretty soon the entire creek is dry. It is problematic when the fight for personal freedoms supersedes that of the common good such as the right to clean air and water.

We need to re-envision a land ethic that is applied not just to wildlands, but to our towns and cities as well. We have a lot of work to do to figure out how best to safeguard the very foundation of life on earth.

And we’d better start learning to do it together.

Permaculture Design Course Comes to Arcata Andrea Lanctot

How can we design our communities and homes to use less resources, clean, protect, and recharge our water sources, build soil fertility, provide yearround food, harness renewable energy resources, and provide healthy habitat for plants, animals, and humans? We can find the answer by asking how nature accomplishes all these things. Through the thoughtful observation of natural ecosystems, we can protract a model for building diverse, resilient, and selfsustaining human habitats. This is the main concept behind Permaculture, using nature as teacher.

Permaculture is a land use and community planning philosophy developed to design ecological and self-sufficient human settlements. Using nature as a model, we can place elements such as buildings, infrastructure, energy sources, food production, and animals in such a way that they support and provide for each other, decreasing the need for inputs (resources) and increasing the variety of yields (products). Permaculture, a term coined by Bill Mollison, refers to both “permanent agriculture” and “permanent culture” and strives for the harmonious integration of human dwellings, energy systems, micro-climate, annual and perennial plants, animals, soils, and water into stable, productive communities.

Want to learn more about Permaculture and how you can utilize Permaculture design ethics and principles? From March 2012 to October 2012,

Klamath Knot Permaculture will host a 10month extended Permaculture Design Course that will draw on a wide array of sites and instructors, from the North Coast to the interior Klamath River region.

The course will meet one weekend a month, offering an in-depth learning experience through the seasons, with a combination of residential weekends at Sandy Bar Ranch, a 20-year-old established Permaculture site, and daylong sessions in the Arcata/Eureka area. Upon completion, participants will receive a Permaculture Design Certificate and gain skills in a broad array of subjects such as organic gardening, integrated pest management, natural building, appropriate technology, traditional ecological knowledge, mycology, animal husbandry, water harvesting and conservation, design processes, community mapping, and more.

For more information contact Mark DuPont or Andrea Lanctot at Sandy Bar Ranch, (530) 627-3379, mail@sandybar.com, or visit www.sandybar.com.

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Dandelion Herbal Center Presents Upcoming Classes with Jane Bothwell 10 Month Herbal Studies Program Feb-Nov 2012 • 10am-4pm Meets 1 Weekend a Month

Learn medicine making, plant ID, herbal first aid, herb gardening & much more.

Beginning with Herbs January 25 • March 28, 2012

8 Wednesday Evenings • 7:00-9:30 pm Plus 2 Herb Walks

Register Online or Call 707-442-8157

www.dandelionherb.com • janeb@arcatanet.com

Dan Ehresman is a regenerative design consultant and serves as a policy analyst for Healthy Humboldt.

ECONEWS December 2011/January 2012

www.yournec.org

8

Virus Detected in Pacific Salmon

Beth Werner In October, the highly contagious and lethal Infectious Salmon Anemia (ISA) was detected in two sockeye salmon from Rivers Inlet, British Columbia. Weeks later, additional detections were made in sockeye and coho from the Fraser River, 200 miles to the south.

The recent findings in Pacific salmon point to salmon farms off the coast of B.C. as the potential source of the virus. The aquaculture industry in B.C. grows Atlantic salmon using eggs from Iceland, Norway, and the eastern U.S. The ISA detected in the B.C. Pacific salmon was a European strain of the virus, which until recently was thought to not infect Pacific salmon. The virus has decimated Atlantic salmon populations in farms in Chile, Norway, Scotland, and New Brunswick. The virus is not known to affect mammals.

Salmon farms are contentious due to their impacts on the environment and on native salmon, and the recent findings of ISA have lead to more hesitation regarding the industry’s claims of sustainable fish farms. Fish farms crowd large numbers of salmon into net-pens, and Atlantic salmon have been known to escape, potentially spreading ISA to Pacific salmon.

The aquaculture industry is responding to the ISA detections by claiming that there are protocols in place to ensure the fish in the farms are healthy. The protocols include marking each fish so escapees can be traced, quarantining imported fish eggs, and treating the eggs with disinfectant. Additionally, there are

several vaccines available to inoculate Atlantic salmon from the virus. These measures are questionable at best, leaving one to wonder whether fish farms are producing a healthy product for consumers, not to mention the impacts on ocean waters and marine life.

Fish farms are a growing business and the recent findings of ISA in Pacific salmon only add to the growing concern of the industry’s practices.

Concerns include sea-lice that kill juvenile fish, dead zones below the net-pens from high levels of organic material, unsustainable harvest of “bait” fish used to feed the farmed fish, the health value of farmed salmon given the chemical treatments and antibiotics the fish are administered, and now the spectra of ISA spreading to Pacific salmon.

As more information is gathered to determine the potential spread of ISA on Pacific salmon, consumers have a voice to quell the demand on the industry.

Making the choice to buy ONLY wild-caught salmon at grocery stores and asking restaurants to serve wild-caught salmon instead of farmed are two ways to ensure you are not supporting the growing fish farming industry. Hopefully, it is not too late to slow down the growth of the fish farms on the Pacific coast so we can see our Pacific salmon survive and continue to supply our wild creatures with food.

For more information and news updates on this issue, please check out the Humboldt Baykeeper website at www.humboldtbaykeeper.org

Beth Werner is Humboldt Baykeeper’s Executive Director.

Ban the Bag! Humboldt County Vanessa Vasquez

Humboldt County may be next on the growing list of California cities and counties to enact an ordinance to ban single-use plastic bags.

The Humboldt Waste Management Authority has begun to develop a buffet-style ordinance that would provide cities within the county with a range of options that would ultimately reduce the amount of plastic bags used in Humboldt County.

In 2010, Humboldt State Professor, Lonny Grafman, and his Engineering Environment and Technology class analyzed plastic bag consumption in Arcata, finding that 3-5 million plastic bags are used annually within the City. This surprisingly high number speaks to the immediate need to address plastic product usage and pollution on the North Coast.

Plastic does not biodegrade and remains suspended in the water column for hundreds of years.

Plastic bags on the surface of the water will photodegrade in the sun, breaking the plastic into smaller components that fall down the water column in a plastic-soup. These small plastic particles resemble

9

plankton, and are therefore consumed by fish, birds and mammals which then bioaccumulate the plastic in their stomachs.

Research on the Laysan albatross concludes that ingestion of plastic leads to digestive blockages, and a false sense of being full causes the bird to slowly starve.

The impact of plastic consumption by other marine animals and how it may be impacting the human food chain is currently being studied by scientists from NOAA, the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and other research institutions.

Vanessa Vasquez is Humboldt Baykeeper’s Office and Outreach Coordinator.

Humboldt Baykeeper’s mission is to safeguard our coastal resources for the health, enjoyment and economic strength of the Humboldt Bay community through education, scientific research, and enforcement of laws to fight pollution.

For more info, visit our website at www.humboldtbaykeeper.org, or call us at 268-8897.

www.yournec.org

Cleanup of Eureka Waterfront Property Moves Forward

Jennifer Kalt On November 10, the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District unanimously approved the environmental analysis and granted a permit to Union Pacific Railroad for cleanup of the former G&R Metals property on the Eureka waterfront.

The site, located at 701 First Street, has been fenced off for years while being monitored and assessed in preparation for the cleanup.

Currently owned by Union Pacific Railroad, both the upland portion of the site and the adjacent intertidal mudflats in Humboldt Bay are contaminated

by PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), metals, and PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) from decades of use as a metal salvage yard.

The District incorporated limited dioxin sampling in response to Humboldt Baykeeper’s comments on the project. Although this site is not a known or suspected source of dioxin contamination, sediment sampling conducted by the Regional Water Quality Control Board in 2007 found elevated levels adjacent to the site. The sampling conducted as a result of the Harbor District’s actions will provide valuable information on dioxin levels in this portion of Humboldt Bay. Humboldt Bay was listed as Impaired by PCBs under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act in 2002, based on levels of PCBs found in fish tissue. PCBs have been demonstrated to cause a variety of negative health effects, including cancer and serious effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, and endocrine system.

Once in the environment, PCBs do not readily break down and may persist for long periods of time, cycling between air, water, and soil. PCBs can be carried long distances, and have been found in snow, sea water, and wildlife in areas far from where they were released into the environment.

PCBs accumulate in the above-ground parts of plants, including food crops, and are also taken up into the bodies of small organisms, which are then consumed by birds, mammals, and other fish. People may be exposed to PCBs that have bioaccumulated in the fish or other contaminated materials they are ingesting.

The property and the surrounding waterfront are zoned “waterfront commercial,” and the City of Eureka’s redevelopment plans include a parking lot and open space/park along the waterfront. Pending other agency approvals, work will begin in spring. Sediment excavation will be done at low tide between July and September to avoid impacts to fish in Humboldt Bay. Jennifer Kalt is Humboldt Baykeeper’s Policy Director.

December 2011/January 2012 ECONEWS

S

The

andpiper

DECEMBER 2011/JANUARY 2012

Redwood Region Audubon Society Every Saturday: Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary.

Our famous rain-or-shine docent-led field trips at the marsh; take your binoculars 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, December 18: Southern Humboldt Community Park. Jay Sooter and/or John Gaffin (707-943-3096) will lead 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 2- to 3-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 9:00 a.m. in the parking lot on Kimtu Road in Garberville.

Saturday, January 7: Winter Rarities. We’ll start in Arcata and end in the Ferndale area, concentrating on looking for rarities that were found on the Arcata and Centerville CBCs while also enjoying all the species we could expect to see along the way. Rob Fowler will lead.

Meet at 7:30 a.m. at the Arcata Marsh G Street parking lot.

Bring a lunch and expect to end around 2-3 p.m. or later.

Dress warmly; heavy rain cancels.

Sunday, January 8: Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This is a wonderful 2- to 3-hour trip for 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 Jude Power (707-822-

www.rras.org

FIELD TRIPS

3613) or David Fix (707-825-1195) for more information.

Sunday, January 15: Potawot Health Village. Join Mark Morrissette (707-441-1917) for this unique and educational half-day trip. Bird the trail system that winds through the integrated landscape that surrounds the health clinic. Come see the wildlife using the Ku’ wah-dahwilth Restoration Area, organic permaculture garden, and storm-water system that maintain wetlands on the village conservation easement. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot at the end of Weott Way in Arcata (off Janes Road opposite Ernest Way).

Sunday, January 15: Southern Humboldt Community Park. See Dec 18.

Saturday, January 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) to survey the extent of Shay Park in Arcata for 1-3 hours and count every species present. 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 a.m. at the Shay Park parking lot located at the east end of Foster Avenue.

Winter Raptor Surveys: If you are interested in participating in any of this winter’s raptor surveys in Loleta and Ferndale, contact Ken Burton (707-499-1146 or shrikethree@gmail.com) for more information or to be put on the notification list.

January Program Predators of the Pond: California Dragonflies

Kathy Biggs, a birder who became interested in dragonflies, will give us a fascinating introduction to colorful dragonflies and damselflies of California. Kathy has written several books on dragonflies of California, the Southwest, and North America, as well as dragonfly activity books for children. She and her husband, both Humboldt State University alums, live in Sebastopol, where they give workshops on building ponds to attract wildlife. Kathy advises a citizen science program monitoring ponds to discovering more about distribution and variety of pond dragons.

Friday, January 13, 2012, starting at 7:30 p.m.

The program will be held at the Humboldt County Office of Education at Myrtle and West avenues in Eureka.

RRAS Annual Banquet & Art Auction

Save the date! Saturday, February 18, 2012, is the date of our next Annual Banquet & Art Auction. HSU wildlife professor Dr. Matthew Johnson will be the featured speaker. Watch for a flyer in your mail announcing the location, topic, and price. Also check the web page (www.rras.org), where information will be posted as it becomes available.

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS

Arcata: Saturday, Dec. 17, Daryl Coldren (916-384-8089; QuiAvisPetit@aol.com). The count circle is centered on Arcata, stretching north to McKinleyville south of Murray Road, west to Samoa and Manila, east to Bayside up to the Baywood Golf Course, and south including Freshwater and to Eureka along the waterfront to Bayshore Mall. Compilation at Rita's Mexican Restaurant (banquet room), 1134 5th Street, Eureka, beginning at 6 p.m.

Del Norte: Sunday, Dec. 18, Alan Barron (707465-8904; flockfinder@yahoo.com) or Gary Lester (707839-3373; garys.lester@gmail.com). The count circle includes Crescent City, Smith River, Fort Dick, Lake Earl, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park/Redwood National Park, and the western portion of the Smith River National Recreation Area. Compilation at Pizza King in Crescent City beginning at 4:30-5 p.m.; morning start at Denny’s in Crescent City at 7 a.m.

Willow Creek: Friday, Dec. 23, contact Gary Lester (see Del Norte). The count circle, centered on Willow Creek, includes Horse Mountain, portions of the South Fork & Main Stem of the Trinity River, the small community of Salyer, and the southern Hoopa Valley.

Centerville: Sunday, Jan. 1, Gary Lester (see Del Norte CBC). The count circle is centered on Loleta, divided into geographic sectors of (1) Fields Landing, King Salmon, College of the Redwoods; (2) Table Bluff; (3) Loleta; (4) Fortuna; (5) Ferndale; (6) Centerville Road; (7) Port Kenyon Road; (8) Grizzly Bluff Road; (9) South Spit; (10) Centerville Beach; (11) Elk River Valley; (12) Humboldt Hill; and (13) Salt River.

Tall Trees: Wednesday, Jan. 4, Ken Burton (707-499-1146; shrikethree@gmail.com). A new count circle between Big Lagoon and Orick, inland to Lyon’s Ranch in Redwood National Park.

CHAPTER LEADERS OFFICERS President— Jim Clark …..........................… 445-8311 Vice President — Chet Ogan …................… 442-9353 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 Liaison — Rob Fowler …………..….. 839-3493 Field Notes — Daryl Coldren..................916-384-8089 Field Trips— Rob Fowler ………......…..….. 839-3493 Historian — John Hewston ............................822-5288 Membership — Lew & Judie Norton.............445-1791 NEC Representative — C.J. Ralph.................822-2015 Nominating – Vacant Programs — C.J. Ralph...................................822-2015 Publications --- Vacant Publicity — Sue Leskiw....................................442-5444 Sandpiper (editorial) — Tom & Sue Leskiw......442-5444 —Jan Andersen ………616-3888 Sandpiper (layout) — Gary Bloomfield..........822-0210 Volunteer Coordinator — Josée Rousseau.....839-5763 Website Gatekeeper — Sue Leskiw ...............442-5444 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.

New Members

Redwood Region Audubon Society welcomes the following new members and subscribers:

Arcata – Caroline Allander, Donald Hosterman, Samuel P. & Pearl Oliner, Diana York Bayside – Katherine Blume Blue Lake – Roy Dahlberg & Carrie Peyton-Dahlberg Bridgeville – Bridgeville Community Center Carlotta – Nancy & Daniel Carter, Ida Schellhous Crescent City – Gloria M. Long, Ray Solbau, Thira Srisomboon Eureka – David Beard, Kenneth Daer, Michele Gerdes, Michael Lyons, Nancy McCaroll, Thomas & Catherine McNally, Beth Powell, Dolores Terry, Coco Thorpe Loleta – Jeff S. Chase McKinleyville – Michelle Lane, Peder Lildequist, Penni Lindsey, Edward M. Stewart Miranda – John Christianson Myers Flat – Sandra L. Estrada Rio Dell – Patty Haao Salyer – Lpat Haydon, Charlene Lundblade Trinidad – Gail Kenny Willow Creek – Robert Van Orden Whitethorn – Ron Broughton We look forward to seeing you on field trips and at our monthly programs.

President’s Column: Attracting the Right Species

By Jim Clark Sandpiper: Media Changes, Message Remains The other day, friends of ours mentioned that one of their Our revamped website by Marika Benko is now favorite Facebook sites was Audubon California (AC). up-to-date and well managed by gatekeeper Sue Leskiw.

They like it because they can find out quickly what is going However, we have yet to include social media (Facebook, on at AC and go to what interests them. What caught my Blog, Twitter) that can alert people to many time-critical attention was not that they liked Facebook but that they events. [Our appeal in the June-July issue for an electronic are of my boomer generation and probably fairly typical media specialist and website advisory subcommittee RRAS members. In their case, AC has been successful volunteers went unanswered.] There is also the potential in using social media to spread the word about what it is for an online chapter store through online service providers doing—in other words, serving its members. such as Café Press.

When the Northcoast Environmental Center’s The NEC and RRAS have agreed that interest on (NEC) financial situation required cutting back on a previous loan to the NEC will be paid in-kind by covering ECONEWS publication frequency, we found that The the printing costs of The Sandpiper until the interest is Sandpiper, which is copublished with it, could not provide paid off. When that occurs, publication and distribution timely service to our members. Also, RRAS had never paid of the current 4-page Sandpiper within ECONEWS will the true cost of publication (printing and distributing). As cease. Instead of a pull-out insert, there will be a half-page a result of this change, the Board of Directors considered “Least Sandpiper” in ECONEWS consisting of selected several combinations of printed and web-based media for information from the complete website edition. The board The Sandpiper. discussed offering a subscription option for those who As you might imagine, there is a wide range of wanted to continue to receive a printed edition, but it was opinions of how to best serve our members and spread the decided that RRAS does not have the volunteer capacity word about RRAS activities. There was no controversy to deal with the extra complexity, and paying someone to about publishing The Sandpiper on our website, but do it would not be cost-effective. It is the board’s intent opinions differed as to the extent the printed version to use the savings in printing and distribution costs for should be replaced by the web version. Opinions varied other outreach, such as individual mailings and website from “If it is not printed and on my coffee table, it won’t enhancements. get read” to “If it isn’t on the web, it won’t get read.” The On behalf of the RRAS Board, I regret that some projected annual publication and distribution cost of the of you may not be able to read the complete Sandpiper as printed Sandpiper at $8,900, compared with the website you would like to, or at all, as we transition to electronic publication cost of less than $100/year, also weighed media. I hope that many readers will learn to enjoy the heavily in the decision. rich content that our web-based version offers.

March 23 Deadline for Student Bird Art Contest Entries

For the 9th consecutive year, RRAS and Friends of the Arcata Marsh are co-sponsoring a Student Bird Art Contest. Over $500 will be awarded to Humboldt County K-12 students.

All entries will be displayed at the Arcata Community Center during Godwit Days in April. Visit www.rras.org to view a flyer with complete submission rules.

Volunteer Opportunities!

Social Media Coordinator: Now that we’ve updated our website, we’re seeking someone familiar with Facebook, Twitter, and/or blogging to set up and moderate one or more of these sites. This is a twofer: provide a valuable service to RRAS and add the experience to your resume.

Publications Chair: Guide and direct the flow of the chapter’s newsletter, field guides, and other materials.

Possibility exists for creating other publications.

NEC Representative: Be the chapter liaison between RRAS and the Northcoast Environmental Center. You will receive guidance in what is required.

Board Member: The RRAS Board of Directors meets monthly to carry out the chapter mission.

If interested in this or any other position, please contact current president Jim Clark (dancebirds@sbcglobal. net) or one of the chapter leaders listed on page 2.

Thinking of Joining the National Audubon Society?

If so, please use the coupon below. By sending in your membership on this form, rather than replying to solicitations from National Audubon, $20 is sent directly to RRAS. This is how NAS rewards local chapters for recruiting national members. (Otherwise, the RRAS dues share per new member is only a couple of dollars.) Thank you.

Chapter Membership Application

Yes, I’d like to join.

Please enroll me as a member of the National Audubon Society and of my local chapter. Please send AUDUBON magazine and my membership card to the address below.

My check for $20 is enclosed. (Introductory offer)

NAME_______________________________ ADDRESS___________________________ CITY ______________________________ STATE____________ZIP______________ email ______________________________ Local Chapter Code: C1ZC240Z Please make checks to the National Audubon Society.

Send this application and your check to:

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

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

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

Student Nature Writing Contest Deadline 3/19

For the 7th year, RRAS is sponsoring a student nature writing contest. Up to 3 cash prizes will be awarded for the best essay(s) or poem(s) by a Humboldt or Del Norte county student in grades 4-12 on the topic, “What nature means to me.” Winning entries will appear on the RRAS website, and awards will be presented at Godwit Days in April. Visit www.rras. org to view a flyer with complete submission rules.

Plover Success at Big Lagoon

Hooray for Our Volunteers!

By Sue Leskiw and Josée Rousseau

RRAS could not operate without many types of volunteers. To recognize their contributions of time and energy during the past year, a Volunteer Appreciation evening was held on November 4. Nearly 40 people attended this first of what we hope will become an annual tradition.

The Humboldt Area Foundation proved to be an excellent venue for people to chat, eat, and drink.

Event planning was performed by Josée Rousseau, Sue Leskiw, Jim Clark, and Adam Brown, with set-up help from Sue Calla and Gary Bloomfield. Josée put together a

By Ken Burton

The coastal population of the Western Snowy Plover is federally listed as a threatened species. Threats include spread of exotic plants; disturbance and nest destruction by humans and dogs; and predation, primarily by ravens. The problem is particularly severe in our area, which has the lowest breeding success rate anywhere, putting the population in what can be termed an “extinction vortex.” Most readers probably are aware of the local controversy surrounding this population, especially at Clam/Little River Beach, until recently the only remaining breeding site in California north of Humboldt Bay. Snowy Plovers used to nest regularly on the Big Lagoon spit, but essentially disappeared from there in the 1990s, except for the continued presence of wintering birds. Last year, RRAS received a $7500 grant from Audubon California through the Audubon Endowment for State Parks to improve conditions on the spit, in the hope of enticing Snowy Plovers to nest there once again. The site already was in relatively good shape, with far less disturbance and exotic vegetation than Clam/Little River.

RRAS partnered with State Parks and Friends of the Dunes to erect symbolic fencing and deploy docents to patrol the beach, documenting numbers of people, dogs, and ravens; informing visitors of park regulations (especially prohibition of dogs); watching for plovers; monitoring the fenced area; picking up trash; and pulling exotic plants. In 2010, we logged over 200 hours on the spit from March to October, with dozens of visitor interactions and many pounds of trash removed.

An additional aspect of the project was the experimental use of wooden Snowy Plover decoys as an attractant. Although this technique has not been proven effective with Snowy Plovers, the species exhibits a number of traits, such as semi-colonial nesting, that make it potentially a good candidate, and there is a long history of decoy use for the hunting of shorebirds.

Decoys were placed in the fenced area last year and again this year.

No plover nesting occurred at Big Lagoon last year, which was somewhat discouraging. However, 3 nests were initiated near the decoys this year (the first at Big Lagoon since 2005) and successfully fledged a total of 4 young. Although this is a small number, it accounts for fully half of this year’s reproductive output between Sonoma County and Oregon!

State Parks is attempting to secure funding to continue the decoy study in order to ascertain whether decoys do, in fact, lure birds to potential nest sites.

Regardless of the connection, we are thrilled that plovers are once again nesting at Big Lagoon and proud of our role in making the site more attractive to them.

Jan Andersen, Jay Sooter, and Gary Bloomfield.

Tom Leskiw and Kate McClain.

Adam Brown, Jim Clark, Sue Leskiw, and Josée Rousseau.

Cindy Moyer, Pat Bitton, and Jude Power.

PowerPoint presentation showing volunteers in action and giving hour totals for certain types of tasks.

We also posted comments submitted by volunteers and asked people to ID the writers. All blurbs and names appear in quiz form at www.rras.org under “News.”

Our volunteers have demonstrated skills and enthusiasm through a wide range of tasks and activities.

Leading field trips, producing The Sandpiper, attending meetings, redesigning the website, mailing membership information, working at the Godwit Café, planning special events— the total number of tasks achieved by our volunteers and the number of hours donated weekly, monthly, and annually is simply astonishing!

Tip # 5

Using the eBird Mapping Function to Discover New Birding Locations

By Rob Fowler Many—if not most—birders are creatures of habit. We generally know where the birds are and go to locations that regularly produce a large variety of species—specific species that are very local and hard to find elsewhere— and locations that are most likely to provide rarities. Take winter birding, for instance. If you want a large species list and good numbers of birds for your outing, then you will probably spend the morning eBirding most of Arcata Marsh or Humboldt Bay NWR. In September, if you want to have the best chance of finding vagrant flycatchers, vireos, and warblers, you head out to the various wellestablished vagrant-trap willow patches on the North Spit of Humboldt Bay. You want large numbers of shorebirds in late August to early September? Most people this fall went to the new hotspot, the Centerville (or Russ Ranch) wetlands, to see up to and possibly over, 20 species of shorebirds. This novel location now has an associated eBird hotspot marker after being discovered by visiting rarity-digger, Todd Easterla (read T. Leskiw’s Oct.-Nov. 2011 Sandpiper article if you’re not familiar with Todd).

Before Easterla discovered it, however, few birders birded there, possibly due to past conditions that weren’t conducive to concentrating shorebirds. Nonetheless, like the Centerville wetlands, quite a few of these little-known eBird “hotspots” can be discovered with just a bit of work with the eBird mapping function. Let’s look at how to do this easy yet productive task of finding new or littleknown locations to go eBirding.

Assuming you have an eBird account already, go to the eBird homepage and click the link “Submit Observations.” Next click the “Find It on a Map” link.

Now choose the county and state you are going to bird in (we’ll enter Humboldt and CA, respectively). Let’s look at one city and zoom into the Arcata area. Remember, hotspots are the red markers, and the blue are your personal (private) locations. Many locations in the small Arcata area are hotspots that are seldom checked out. How

many times do you suppose birders go to the Greenwood Cemetery (just southeast of Shay Park) or the 8th and N riparian hotspot (northwest of K St. and Samoa Blvd.)? Do you know about the Potawot Health Village Restoration Area? Go check it out! You’ve heard about the Aldergrove Marsh but aren’t sure where it is but want to go there?

There’s a hotspot for that to make it easy to find. Go out on the North Spit. Did any of you go out to the Eureka Airport Pond this fall? If not, make a note to yourself to do that next fall.

Looking at hotspot locations in the eBird mapping function can also be helpful in planning a trip out of the area. Are you going to be down in the San Diego area this winter? Check out the hundreds of hotspots down there. There are almost too many locations to go eBirding!

I would also recommend checking their local birding listserv: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SDBIRDS/ to narrow down your choices. eBird Update: Right now eBird is being betatested for the ability to attach pictures to eBird checklists.

No more having to add a link to your photos to Flickr of your great find of a Northern Wheatear or Red-Flanked Bluetail. Soon you’ll be able to attach specific photos directly to your checklist. Stay tuned.

Last, here’s a helpful article on the difference between “personal locations” and “shared locations” (hotspots) by California hotspot reviewer, Amy McDonald: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/16832999/ eBirdLocationsAndHotspots.pdf.

The Sandpiper eBird tip is a column that hopes to inspire increased eBird use in northwestern California. If you have suggestions for an eBird tip or any other eBirdrelated questions, contact RRAS eBird liaison Rob Fowler at migratoriusfwlr@gmail.com. Rob reviews eBird records for Humboldt, Trinity, and Siskiyou counties and openly admits to his eBird addiction.

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

September 23 to November 11, 2011 Field Notes is a compilation of bird sighting reports for Del Norte, Humboldt, northern Mendocino, Trinity, and western Siskiyou counties. Sources include the RRAS bird alert (707 822-LOON), the online northwestern California birding and information exchange (nwcalbird@yahoogroups.com), the Mendocino County birders’ listserv (mendobirds@yahoogroups.com), eBird (http://ebird.org/content/klamath-siskiyou), and reports submitted directly to the compiler. Future reports may be submitted to any of the sources mentioned above or to Daryl Coldren: 916/384-8089; QuiAvisPetit@aol.com.

HO = holdover from previous period; HBBO = Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory; MOb = many observers; SP = State Park.

Greater White-fronted Goose: 1,800!, Smith River Bottoms, 18 Oct (AB); many reports of 1-300, V St Loop, McKinleyville, Arcata Bottoms, Eureka, Ocean Meadows, Blue Lake, 28 Sep-6 Nov (MOb) • Snow Goose: 1, Arcata, 17 Oct (TK); 1, Humboldt Hill, 6 Nov (DC, LT, MOb) • Ross’s Goose: 1, Arcata Bottoms, 23 Oct (MMa); 1, V St Loop, 8 Nov (KI, AM, BH) • “Aleutian” Cackling Goose: many reports of 1-500, Arcata, Eureka, Ocean Meadows, McKinleyville, 30 Sep-Nov 11 (MOb) • Eurasian Wigeon: 1, Arcata Marsh, 10 Oct (RF, MOb) • Blue-winged Teal: 1-5, Arcata Marsh, 1 Oct-6 Nov (JO, RF, RB, BH); 1, Palco Marsh, 26 Oct (RB) • Harlequin Duck: 2, Humboldt Bay, 25 Oct (DB) • Long-tailed Duck: 2, North Jetty, 8 Nov (JC); 1, King Salmon, 19 Oct-5 Nov (MW, JO, MMa) • Black Scoter: 1-2, Humboldt Bay Mouth, 29 Oct-2 Nov (TK, DR) • Hooded Merganser: 1, Arcata Marsh, 24 Sep (AM), 9 Oct (RB), 28 Oct (JO); 2, Orick, 7 Oct (KI); 3, Mad River Slough, 30 Oct (MMa); 5, Hammond Bridge, 31 Oct (RB); 4, V St Loop, 6 Nov (DC, LT, MOb) • Ruffed Grouse: 1, Big Hill, 13 Oct (DC, LT); 1, Snow Camp Rd, 19 Oct (MMo); • Red-necked Grebe: 1-5, Humboldt Bay, 7 Oct-5 Nov (MOb); 1-2, Big Lagoon, 7-9 Nov (TK) • Laysan Albatross: 1, Eel River Canyon, 29 Oct (DC, TK, MOb); 1-2, Ft Bragg Pelagic, DATE?Nov (RF, MOb) • Green Heron: 1, Mad River County Park, 15 Oct (AM, BH); 1, Arcata Marsh, 18 Oct-7 Nov (GZ) • Bald Eagle: 2, Big Lagoon, 1 Nov (TK) • Northern Goshawk: 1, Bear River Ridge, 5 Nov (TK, DC, MOb) • BROAD-WINGED HAWK: 1, Bear River Ridge, 7 Oct (DC, LT); 1 (probable), Elk River, 8 Oct (SM); 1, V St Loop, 27 Oct (KI) • “Harlan’s” Red-tailed Hawk: 1, Bayside, 10 Nov (DC) • Ferruginous Hawk: 1, Smith River Bottoms, 3 Oct (LB), 18 Oct (AB); 1, Dyerville Loop Rd, 21 Oct (DC, PC); 1, Ocean Meadows, 27 Oct (KH); 1, Kneeland, 5 Nov (TK, JO); 1, Bear River Ridge, 5 Nov (DC, MOb) • Golden Eagle: 1, Bear River Ridge, 12 Oct (TL); 1, Dyerville Loop, 18 Oct (JG); 1, Shower’s Pass Rd, 5 Nov (TK, JO) • Crested Caracara: 1 (HO), Smith River Bottoms, - Nov (AB) • GYRFALCON: 1, Lake Tolowa, 26 Sep (LB); 1, V St Loop, 26 Sep & 26 Oct (KI); 1, North Spit, 27 Sep (CO); 1 (same as Arcata bird?), Redwood Creek Mouth, 29 Sep (KI), 30 Sep (TL, DC, LT), 2 Oct (DC, RH) • Prairie Falcon: 1, Blue Lake, 25 Oct (KI); 1, V St Loop, 27-29 Oct (AM, JH, KI); 2, Shower’s Pass Rd, 5 Nov (TK, JO) • Sandhill Crane: 5, Eureka, 30 Sep (CO) • American Golden-Plover: 1, Mad River Bottoms, 6 Oct (RF) • Pacific Golden-Plover: 3-6, Cannibal Island Rd, 26 Sep-8 Oct (TK, RH, JO); 2, Morgan Rd, 15 Oct (MW, DC); 1-2, Mad River Bottoms, 24-31 Oct (RF, DR) • Ruddy Turnstone: 1, Crab Park, 14 Oct (GC); 1, Klopp Lake, 29 Oct (JP, DF) • Ruff: 1, Lake Tolowa, 2 Oct (LB); 1, Morgan Rd, 15 Oct (DC, MW) • Red-necked Phalarope: 1 (late), V St Loop, 29 Oct (RF) • Sabine’s Gull: 1, Mad River Beach, 16 Oct (RR, LD) • Pigeon Guillemot: 1, King Salmon, 19 Oct (MW) • Xantus’s Murrelet: 2, Centerville Overlook, 15 Oct (MW, DC) • Tufted Puffin: 2, Centerville Beach, 22 Oct (MW, DC) • White-winged Dove: 1-2, Arcata, DATE?-15 Oct (GB, MOb) • Burrowing Owl: 1, V St Loop, 27 Oct (KI); 1, Bear River Ridge, 5 Nov (TK, DC, MOb); 1, South Spit, 5 Nov (DC, LT, AP, MOb) • Short-eared Owl: 1, V St Loop, 11 Oct-3 Nov (TK, AM); 1-2, Arcata Marsh, 19-24 Oct (GZ, MOb) • White-throated Swift: several reports of 4-200, Garberville, Redway, 26 Sep-30 Oct

(JSo) • Lewis’s Woodpecker: 3, Bald Hills Rd, 30 Sep (TL) • Willow Flycatcher: 1, Orick, 13 Oct (KI) • Say’s Phoebe: 1, Brown Rd, 24 Sep (JGa); 1, Bald Hills Rd, 30 Sep (TL, DC, LT); 1, Redwood Creek, 1 Oct (AM, TK, JO); 1, Capetown, 12 Oct (TL), 24 Oct (DC, TL, LT, TK); 1, Centerville Beach, 2 Nov (DC, MW); 1, Loleta, 5 Nov (LT, DC, AP, MOb)

Tropical Kingbird, © Tony Kurz Humboldt County

Tropical Kingbird: 1, Manila, 9-11 Oct (ST, DC, MOb); 1, North Spit, 17 Oct (??); 1, Jacoby Creek, 17 Oct (CO); 1, Crescent City, 17 Oct (JD); 1, Cannibal Island Rd, 17 Oct (MW, TL, DC); 3-1???, Vance Rd/255, 18-25 Oct (DC, LT, TK, RF); 1, Morgan Rd, 22 Oct (MW, DC); 1, Centerville Rd, 23 Oct (MW, LT, AP, DC); 2, Port Kenyon Rd, 2 Nov (DC, MW); 1, Mad River Rd, 3 Nov (BH, JH); 1, King Salmon, 8-9 Nov (MW); 1, Ft Humboldt, 10 Nov (DJ) • Warbling Vireo: 1 (late), Mad River Co Park, 1617 Oct (DC, RF) • Philadelphia Vireo: 1, Mad River Co Park, 16 Oct (DC) • Clark’s Nutcracker: 1, Trinidad, 24 Sep (JK); 1, Big Hill, 13 Oct (DC, LT) • Horned Lark: 1, Big Lagoon, 1-9 Nov (TK); 2, Bear River Ridge, 5 Nov (DC, MOb); 2, Stone Lagoon, 7 Nov (DC, LT) • White-breasted Nuthatch: 2, Bald Hills Rd, 30 Sep (DC, LT); 1-4, Dyerville Loop Rd, 2-31 Oct (JGa) • Rock Wren: 1, Dyerville Loop Rd, 21 Sep (DC, PC) • Bewick’s Wren: 1, Redwood Creek, 30 Sep (DC, LT, RF) • Blue-gray Gnatcatcher: 1, Elk River Wildlife Area (Sanctuary??), 9 Nov (JO) • NORTHERN WHEATEAR: 1, Anchor Bay (Mendo), 2-5 Oct (RT) • Northern Mockingbird: 1, North Spit, 30 Sep (LT, DC); 1, McKinleyville, 10 Oct (GL); 1, Moxon Dairy, 16 Oct (DC); 2, Garberville, 16-19 Oct (JSo); 1, South Spit, 17 Oct (DC, TL, MW); 1, Arcata Bottoms, 6 Nov (MMa); 1, Eureka, 8 Nov (GC); 1, Eureka, 9 Nov (CO); 1, Arcata, 11 Nov (LT) • Tennessee Warbler: 1 (HO), Shay Park, 24 Sep (RF, MOb) • Nashville Warbler: 1, McKinleyville, 1 Oct (RF); 1, V St Loop, 7 Nov (RF, DC, RH); 1, MacKerricher SP, 23 Oct (KH) • Yellow Warbler: 1 (late), Arcata Oxi Ponds, 6 Nov (BH) • Chestnutsided Warbler: 1, Cooper Gulch, 25-26 Sep (TL, TK, GZ); 1, Janes Creek, 26 Sep (RF); 1, Cock Robin Island, 26 Sep (TK, RH); 1, Orick Dump, 29 Sep (KI); 1, Widow White Creek, 1 Oct (RF); 1, Orick, 7 Oct (KI) • Magnolia Warbler: 1, Crannell Rd, 25 Sep (KI, DC, LT, MOb) • Blackburnian Warbler: 1, Cooper Gulch, 25 Sep (TL); 1, Klamath Glen, 28 Sep (LB); 1, Mad River Co Park, 6 Oct (TK, AM) • Palm Warbler: many Humboldt reports of 1-2, V St, Arcata Marsh, HSU Campus, Centerville, Orick, North Spit, Redwood Creek, 27 Sep-30 Oct (MOb); 1, Ten Mile/Ocean Meadows (Mendo), 21 Oct (KH) • Blackpoll Warbler: 1, Arcata Marsh, 25 Sep (RF); 1 (breeding plumage male!), Widow White Creek, 30 Sep (DC, LT, RF); 1, Arcata Marsh, 11 Oct (RF, ST) • Black-and-white Warbler: 1, Crannell Rd, 27 Sep (KI) • American Redstart: 1, Cannibal Island Rd, 14 Oct (DC, LT) • Northern Waterthrush: 1, Arcata Marsh, 24 Sep-14 Oct (TK, JO, AM, MOb); 1, Elk River, 8 Oct

(SM) • MacGillivray’s Warbler: 1, Widow White Creek, 1 Oct (RF) • Wilson’s Warbler: 1 (late), V St Loop, 7 Nov (LT) • CANADA WARBLER 1, Ft Dick, 30 Sep-1 Oct (AB) • American Tree Sparrow: 1, Arcata Oxi Ponds, 26 Oct (LT, DC, RH) • Brewer’s Sparrow: 1, Klopp Lake, 7 Oct (AM, BH, JH) • Clay-colored Sparrow: 1, Arcata Marsh, 25 Sep (RF, DC, TK, MOb); 1, banded at HBBO, 1 Oct (LT); 1, Kneeland, 3 Oct (LT, DC) 1-2, Orick, 13-16 Oct (KI); 1, Big Lagoon, 14 Oct (TK); 1, School Rd, 16 Oct (RF) 1, Trinidad, 18 Oct (?); 1, Wages Creek (MEN), 27 Oct (KH); 1, V St Loop, 29 Oct (KI) 2, V St Loop, 6-7 Nov (DC, LT, RH, MOb); 1, Lanphere Rd, 9 Nov (RF) • Vesper Sparrow: 1, Bald Hills Rd, 30 Sep (DC, LT); 1, Redwood Creek, 2 Oct (KI) • Lark Sparrow: 1, Humboldt Hill, 12 Oct (DC); 1, Redwood Creek, 7 Nov (DC, LT); • Grasshopper Sparrow: 1, Redwood Creek, 18 Oct (JA) • Swamp Sparrow: 1, Arcata Marsh, 3 Oct-7 Nov (JP, DF); 1, V St Loop, 10 Oct (LT, DC); 1, MacKerricher SP, 23 Oct (KH); 1, Capetown, 24 Oct (DC, TL, LT, TK) 1, Arcata Oxi Ponds, 6 Nov (BH) •Harris’s Sparrow: 1, V St Loop, 4 Oct (LT) • White-throated Sparrow: several reports of 1-2, Arcata Bottoms, Bridgeville, Ocean Meadows, McKinleyville, Eureka, 13 Oct-6 Nov (MOb) • Slate-colored Junco: 1, Eureka, 27 Oct (TL) • MCCOWN’S LONGSPUR (1st confirmed County record!): 1, V St Loop, 26 Oct-9 Nov (KI, DC, LT, CO) • Lapland Longspur: many reports of 1-3, King Salmon, Humboldt Lagoons, Arcata Bottoms, Centerville, 6 Oct-11 Nov (MOb); 1, Mendocino Headlands, 28 Oct (DT) • Chestnut-collared Longspur: 1, Tolowa Dunes, 13-18 Oct (TK, AB) • Blue Grosbeak: 1, Arcata Bottoms, 30 Sep (LT, DC) • Bobolink: 1, Mad River Rd, 17 Oct (RF) • Tricolored Blackbird: 1-3, Mad River Rd, 3-16 Oct (LT, DC, TK, BH); 1, Smith River Bottoms, 18 Oct (AB); 12, Ocean Meadows, 27 Oct (KH) • Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1, Ocean Meadows, 7 Oct (KH); 2, Mad River Rd, 16 Oct (TK, BH); 3, Ferndale Bottoms, 1 Nov (DC, RH); • Cassin’s Finch: 1, Big Hill, 13 Oct (DC, LT) • Evening Grosbeak: 36, Orick, 7 Oct (KI); 1-2, McKinleyville, 23 Oct (RF).

Brewer’s Sparrow, © Jared Hughey Klopp Lake, Arcata, Humboldt County

Please remember to report unusual birds to the Arcata Bird Alert! (707) 822-LOON. Thanks to all who have submitted sightings!

Cited Observers: Jeff Allen, Alan Barron, Gary Bloomfield, Lucas Brug, Daniel Bylin, Joe Ceriani, Phil Chaon, Greg Chapman, Daryl Coldren, Jeff Davis, David Fix, Rob Fowler, Karen Havlena, Rob Hewitt, Brendon Higgens, Jared Hughey, Ken Irwin, David Juliano, Jeremy Kimm, Tony Kurz, Will Lawton, Tom Leskiw, Gary Lester, Paul Lohse, Mark Magnuson (MMa), Michael Morris (MMo), Sean McAllister, Annie Meyer, Chet Ogan, John Oliver, Amy Patten, Jude Power, Diane Rose, Jesse Sargent, Keith Slauson, Jay Sooter (JSo), Gary Stacey, Scott Terrill, Dorothy “Toby” Tobkin, Amber Transou, Rich Trissel, Leslie Tucci, Ben Vernasco, Matt Wachs, George Ziminsky.

Community Wheel A PUBLICATION OF

greenwheels

Humboldt’s Advocate for Transportation Choices

Bike Sharing Program Coming to HSU?

There is a rumor going around that HSU may start a bike sharing program. Graduate student Michael Conway, who is studying the perceptions of bicycle commuters in the Environment and Community program at HSU, has submitted a grant to the Humboldt Energy Independence Fund for a bike sharing program that will be operated through the campus library.

Bikes will be checked out through the library— much like checking out a book. This will be the first of its kind on a CSU campus. The program will be modeled after the successful bicycle sharing system at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon.

The program, if funded, will begin with ten bicycles purchased from a local bike shop, and can

be easily expanded if the need increases. The grant funding requested by Mr. Conway will cover the cost of the program for the first year and then a nominal fee will be assessed to sustain the program.

There are so many benefits associated with riding a bicycle: improved health, better for the environment, and less expensive to maintain than a car. Research supports that the use of a bicycle requires far less energy than the use of a car or bus. The Worldwatch institute states that riding a bicycle for four miles keeps 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air.

Moreover, a bicycle sharing program will utilize far less of the limited campus landscape than additional parking spots. According to Jeff Mapes, author of Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing

Green Wheels is all Geared Up!

101 Corridor: A Brief Update

Thank you new members and returning supporters for a successful Green Wheels Gears Up in October! Green Wheels kicked off a fresh start to our continued dedication to advocating for sustainable transportation options in our local communities.

We celebrated the 4th Annual Govie Award, paying tribute to the hard-working transportation and trails professionals that have made huge impacts in our community! The City of Eureka’s Trails and Traffic Safety team graciously accepted this year’s Govie Award, and said that their work completing the Eureka Waterfront Trail and improving bicycling safety and connectivity in the City of Eureka was done through extensive teamwork. Green Wheels also presented a Professional Achievement Award to Neleen Fregoso for her leadership at the helm of Humboldt Transit Authority. Ms. Fregoso just retired as General Manager, and leaves a legacy of instituting the Jack Pass, improving transit access throughout the County for HSU students and staff.

The lively Gears Up crowd danced their bums off to the live rhythms of SambAmore.

Green Wheels Gears Up was a fun way to show how much we appreciate the dedicated, hard-working, local transportation visionaries who are determined to build a balanced transportation system in Humboldt Bob Ornelas and Neleen Fregoso County.

ECONEWS December 2011/January 2012

The Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) voted December 1 to fund Caltrans’ proposed safety improvement project on the 101 corridor between Eureka and Arcata, despite inadequate safety accommodations for bicyclists and pedestrians and a lack of planning for sea level rise.

HCAOG voted 8-2 (with the cities of Arcata and Fortuna dissenting) to spend $16 million of State Transportation Improvement Program funds on a portion of the project, which includes an overpass of northbound 101 at the intersection with Indianola Road, a ½ traffic signal at the intersection with Airport Road and Highway 101 (stopping northbound traffic) and the closure of all other medians along the corridor.

Unfortunately, this decision allocates scarce resources to a hugely expensive, misguided interchange without improving safety and connectivity for non-motorized users of the corridor and limiting opportunities to fund many vital safety improvements projects elsewhere through our county.

Next the 101 project will be reviewed by the California Coastal Commission, though it is unlikely to achieve approval as proposed. Coastal Commission staff continue to maintain in written comments that the project as proposed is inconsistent with the California Coastal Act with regards to safe accommodations for non-motorized users along this coastal access corridor, sea level rise and the interchange at Indianola.

Green Wheels continues to speak out for the need for safety improvements for all users of the 101 corridor. For more details and to get involved please visit www.green-wheels.org!

www.yournec.org

American Cities, “Cars take up a lot of space and it is expensive to provide the room to park them (parking garages can cost upwards of $10,000 a space).”

League of American Bicyclists states that between six and twenty bicycles can fit in the space of one car parking spot in a paved lot. Moreover, they exclaim that “…bike riding is a safe, low-impact, aerobic activity for Americans of all ages. A 150-pound cyclist burns 410 calories while pedaling 12 miles in an hour.” And now these benefits can be shared by those that do not have a bicycle or the money to pay for a bicycle.

A bicycle sharing program will be a wonderful addition to HSU’s campus. Let’s hope they approve Mr. Conway’s grant. Let the sharing begin!!

Want to Volunteer?

Ask not what your community organization can do for you, but what you can do for your community organization.

Green Wheels is looking for hard working, funloving and caring individuals to make a difference in our community. Green Wheels needs grant writers, event planners, financial wizards, graphic artists, and any one with an interest in contributing their time and skills! Do you like to bike, walk, or ride the bus?

Do want to see you community move towards a more sustainable and resilient transportation system? If you care about expanding alternative transportation options and want to help an organization that is actively working to accomplish these goals, please contact us at info@green-wheels.org. We can’t wait to hear from you!

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

www.wildcalifornia.org

(707) 822.7711

Thanks and Appreciation: An EPIC Holiday Message Gary Graham Hughes, Executive Director

As the year comes to a close, we at the Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) are reflecting on the efforts EPIC has undertaken on behalf of Northwest California’s endangered species and wild areas during 2011, and we are grateful to all of the people that have stepped up and joined our effort to protect Wild California.

EPIC has undergone important staffing changes with exceptional smoothness, we have strengthened our advocacy work, and we are succeeding at making EPIC an innovative, effective and independent environmental watchdog organization.

In 2011 EPIC: • Defended Richardson Grove State Park from unnecessary highway development, halting the illadvised Caltrans proposal for widening Highway 101 with a Preliminary Injunction granted in Federal Court; • Put an end to illegal grazing in Tolowa Dunes State Park, as well as engaging parks management to enforce prohibitions against off-highway vehicle use in that park; • Commented on dozens of Timber Harvest Plans slated for private industrial forestlands across our region, forcing changes in harvest activities that have directly protected the habitat of endangered species like the Northern Spotted Owl and Coho Salmon; • Monitored and secured changes on numerous commercial timber sales on National Forest lands, and supported legal strategies addressing damaging grazing, logging, mining, and travel management issues that present direct conservation threats to our public lands; • Advocated for the legal protections of species like the Humboldt Marten, the Pacific Fisher, the Klamath Spring Chinook Salmon, and the Marbled

Murrelet through the innovative use of the United States Endangered Species Act; • Supported local residents grappling with environmental challenges who look to EPIC as a clearinghouse for information on managing environmental issues.

The staff and board of EPIC want to extend Thanks and Appreciation to all of the individuals, businesses, and sister organizations that have contributed money, goods, time, talent, and love to our organization.

Our members make EPIC a unique expression of the redwood coast community, and it is this foundation of support that keeps EPIC vibrant and fighting for the natural wonders of our home. Importantly, as we look ahead and prepare for the coming year of 2012, we need our community to dig deep and make a year-end contribution to EPIC today!

There are unimaginable geopolitical events awaiting us in the next year, and the global economy is tottering under the weight of its own surreal unsustainable dependence on the unfettered exploitation of people and natural resources. 2012 promises to break the mold of what we have come to expect in environmental politics.

An emerging nationwide social movement addressing the severe inequalities in our society is growing by leaps and bounds, while at the same time the most dangerous and anti-earth political establishment in decades has captured the US Congress, threatening to unravel the very foundation of environmental law that provides protections for water, air, and biodiversity. On the state level, from park closures to the unfunded mandate of regulatory agencies, the signs are clear that many politicians

One of the best ways to stay informed and help protect the forests, rivers, and coast of northwest California is to become a member of EPIC. You’ll receive bi-monthly electronic newsletters, plus action alerts on important issues and you’ll know that you’re helping to protect our unique region for generations to come.

If you’re already a member please consider a gift membership for a friend or loved one. basic membership is $35 a year for an individual or $50 for a household.

To send a check or credit card information by mail, please fill out this form and mail it to: EPIC P.O. Box 543 Redway, CA 95560

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are ready to sacrifice the environment on the altar of economic expediency.

This precarious state of affairs is a strong argument for becoming a member of EPIC and for making a significant donation today!

Investing in our organization is your insurance for having a consistent and visionary voice for the Northwest California environment.

We thank you for considering EPIC in your year-end giving, and we thank you for all of the support and dedication that you have provided us this year. We thank the forests and the rivers for the lessons and humility that they teach us, and for the bounty that they provide us. The glorious beauty of the soft golden sun caressing the moss and lichen laden upper branches of an elder oak tree is the aesthetic essence of our drive to contribute our energies to integrating human and natural communities on the North Coast of California. The health and vitality of our futures, and that of our children and grandchildren, is contingent upon our ability to respond to the cries for help from a stressed landscape. Over the years EPIC has gained the trust of our supporters, and now more than ever we need people to pitch in to this collective effort. Make your donation today, and rest assured that the guardian of your wild backyard will be ready to serve you and our planet in the years to come.

Name_________________________________________ Email_________________________________________ Address_____________________________________ Phone (________)________________________

Date _____________

One time Donation of $________________ or a Recurring Donation $_______ per month I want to support by check I want to support by credit card: Visa Mastercard Card #_____________________________________________ Exp. Date______________ Security Code____________ Signature_______________________

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December 2011/January 2012 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.

Almost all of our events are free. All of our events are made possible by volunteer effort.

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.

Wednesday, December 14. Native Plant Show & Tell. An informal evening for anyone to share photos, artifacts, readings, or food relating to native plants and their habitats. Presenters include Jim and Ginny Waters on the wilds of Alaska, Ron Johnson with his orchids and lilies, Judie Hinman and Carol Ralph (in absentia) with Trinity Alps flower exuberance, and Ann Wallace looking at wildflowers with an artist’s eye. If you would like to contribute, contact Dave Imper at dimper@suddenlink.net or 707-444-2756.

Wednesday. January 11. Botanical FAQ’s: At 7:15 p.m. until 7:30p.m., Pete Haggard shares a brief, hands-on demonstration and discussion.

Wednesday, January 11. Butterfly-insect-flower relationships in Humboldt County. Lured into butterfly-watching by the large species, such as swallowtails and admirals, people inevitably want to know about the small species, such as hairstreaks, blues, and skippers, as well as other common insects that forage on flowers. Bob Stewart, all-around naturalist, veteran interpreter, and author of two photographic butterfly books, will help in this pursuit by sharing photos, information, and tales of common butterflies and other flower-visitors and their relations to host and nectar plants.

Wednesday, February 8. “The Big Story of Plant Evolution: From a Predator that Ate Photosynthesis to a Modern Flower”, by Frank Shaughnessy.

A long, long time ago, in a puddle far, far away a cyanobacterium produced oxygen during photosynthesis and changed the planet forever.

Meanwhile, unicellular predators were swimming around consuming smaller cells like these, one of which continued to live inside the predator host rather than being digested. Thus evolved our first plant about 1.5 to 2.5 billion years ago. Descendants of this event include the red and green algae of the sea and the freshwater green algae from which land plants

evolved about 500 million years ago. The subsequent radiation of terrestrial plants included adaptations for vertical growth, light capture, water conservation, and independence from the ancestral reliance on water for sexual reproduction. And the story continues...

California Native Plant Society 2012 Conservation Conference. San Diego, Jan. 10 – 14.

The upcoming statewide CNPS Conservation Conference is an opportunity for all of us to come together and celebrate everything we do as a leading plant conservation organization in California. There are sessions and activities for everyone from career botanists to garden enthusiasts. For information, visit the conference website, www.cnps.org/2012, for up to date information on all the events, registration information, volunteer opportunities, and to find information for students, including registration and/ or travel stipend funding.

Please watch for later additions on our Web site (www. northcoastcnps.org) or sign up for e-mail announcements Northcoast_CNPS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com).

Everyone is welcome. No botanical knowledge required.

We are out there to share and enjoy.

NORTH GROUP NEWS

Events & Conservation Updates From the North Group Redwood Chapter Sierra Club Group/Chapter Election Coming Up The following slate is running for 2-year terms on the North Group Executive Committee, to begin in January: Ned Forsyth, Gregg Gold, Felice Pace, and Nick Vogel. Watch for the next issue of the Redwood Chapter Needles newsletter that contains the ballot.

Grazing Study Support NG contributed money to fund research this summer into the effects of cattle grazing in wilderness areas of the Klamath National Forest. HSU student Victor Reuther, with mentor Felice Pace, backpacked in August and October to check six allotments under US Forest Service management. They photo documented negative environmental consequences of grazing (e.g., streambank erosion, trampling of wet meadows, cow patties in and near watercourses, excessive willow browsing). A report will be submitted to USFS and the Regional Water Quality Control Board.

North Group on Twitter Thanks to our Social Media coordinator Nick Vogel, NG has a Twitter address at Twitter@casierranorth.

Camper Essays

Events & Conservation Updates From the North Group Redwood Club age 10NG receivedChapter essays from Sierra the four children,

Klamath Dam Forum Well Attended Over 100 people attended “Klamath River in the Balance: Decoding the Federal Dam Removal Process,” an October 17 forum in Eureka cosponsored by North Group and Redwood Chapter Sierra Club, among others. Four speakers—Andrew Orahoske from the Environmental Protection Information Center, Bob Hunter of Oregon Water Watch, fisheries biologist Patrick Higgins, and Hayley Hutt from the Hoopa Valley Tribe— highlighted portions of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Report issued on September 22 for public comment. The speakers also examined deficiencies of the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) and the Klamath Hydropower Settlement Agreement (KHSA). The presentations were followed by audience questions. Although there was universal agreement expressed that four dams on the river should be removed, there was dissention about the best way to accomplish that goal. As the Klamath spans three Sierra Club chapters, a formal Redwood Chapter position had yet to be finalized. The comment period has been extended until Dec. 30.

ECONEWS December 2011/January 2012

Halloween Party A small, costumed group of NG members attended our first Halloween potluck. There was great food and spirited conversation, capped by a chocolate spider cake made by hostess Sue Leskiw.

DEAL Representative Appointed NG has appointed Shane Brinton as its representative to meet quarterly with our local CalTrans district, to advise the agency about safety and impacts of local projects. Shane is currently a member of the Arcata City Council who was endorsed by the Sierra Club when he ran for office in 2008. An avid bicyclist, he states “We always need to be looking at how we can expand public transportation. Road upgrades need to be done with pedestrians, bikes, and handicapped individuals in mind.”

www.yournec.org

12, that we sponsored to attend Arcata’s Natural Resources day camps. Here are excerpts: “The science camp leaders were really nice and smart and did a good job teaching us about renewable energy.

I wouldn’t have been able to attend without the scholarship”… “We pedal-powered a DVD player, made recycled paper, learned how to make biodiesel out of used vegetable oil, built our own wind farms and propellers, and had a talent show”… “When the leader cut up the fish, brown liquid and stuff came out; we went tidepooling and saw hermit crabs, tiny sea anemones, and barnacles”… “I found a moss, got buried in the sand, and learned about Google Earth.”

Outings & Meetings Tuesday, December 13. NG ExCom Meeting.

Discuss local conservation issues 8-9 p.m. or come for business meeting 7 p.m. Adorni Center, Eureka. Info: Gregg 707-826-3740.

Tuesday, January 10. NG ExCom Meeting. See listing for December 13.

There are no outings scheduled for December 2011 or January 2012.

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KS Wild/Siskiyou Project Merges Jennifer Kalt

In October, the Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KS Wild) and the Siskiyou Project announced they would merge to become one organization working for environmental protection and sustainable communities. For more than fifteen years, KS Wild and the Siskiyou Project have worked as separate organizations to protect clean water, healthy salmon runs, and old-growth forest stands in the KlamathSiskiyou region. They will now work together under the KS Wild banner.

“While we have always done our best to coordinate and minimize overlap, the inescapable reality is that having two regional groups with similar missions is not always the most efficient or effective way to go about getting things done,” said KS Wild Executive Director, Stephanie Tidwell.

A 2004 article written by Andy Kerr—a long-time activist based in Ashland—made an eloquent case for such mergers to be more effective advocates (see “Mergers, Acquisitions, Diversifications, Restructurings, and/or Die-off in the Conservation Movement” in the Spring/Summer 2004 issue of Wild Earth magazine).

The general thrust of Kerr’s article is that with fewer resources spent on administration and other overhead, more resources can be focused on the organization’s mission. This merger will enable the two groups to do just that.

KS Wild, which launched the Rogue Riverkeeper in 2009, will now house the former Siskiyou Project as the Siskiyou Wild Rivers Program.

Two Siskiyou Project staff, Shane Jimerfield and Rich Nawa, will continue their work as KS Wild employees. Three Siskiyou Project board members have transitioned over to the KS Wild board of directors. By merging the two organizations, they now have a membership base over 4,500.

Jimerfield, who has directed the Siskiyou Project for the past four years, said the merger will give them greater capacity by saving in administrative work while having more time for conservation work.

KS Wild is proud of how much it has accomplished with the limited resources available to a small organization such as ours, and we are confident that this merger is not only programmatically wise but also fiscally prudent.

For more info, visit www.kswild.org.

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Save the Dolphin Save Yourself

More information at

Blue Dolphin Alliance

Eureka Forest

Continued from page 5 strident enviros sounded a note of caution as to Green Diamond’s larger agenda.

Jeremy “Farmer” Jensen from Earth First! noted that some of the proposed areas were downstream from currently operating tree sits in the McKay Tract in Cutten, put there by his “affinity group” to prevent residential and commercial development.

“There are some areas that are so significant that they need to stand on their own,” Jensen said. “I don’t feel like anybody feels like they’re giving in to preserve this forest.”

In giving the green light to the concept and the applications for outside funding, Supervisors also formed a working group with Public Works, Community Development Services, County Counsel Wendy Chatin, County Administrative Officer Phillip Smith-Hanes, the Humboldt County Forestry Review Committee and the University of California Cooperative Extension Forest Advisor’s Office.

Third District Supervisor Mark Lovelace of Arcata, whose district encompasses the Myrtletown area, asked to be the direct Board representative to this working group. First District Supervisor Jimmy Smith quickly shot down this idea, as he pointed out the immediate impacts this proposal would have on development plans in the Cutten area of his district, not to mention the water and environmental quality implications downstream in Virginia Bass’ Fourth District in Eureka. The adopted motion clarified that the entire Board will liaise with the working group.

If implemented, the Forest Review Committee, made up of Community Development Director Kurt Girard, Assessor Mari Wilson and seven voting members appointed to four-year terms by the Board, would oversee management of the community forest.

All seven public members are required to be registered professional foresters.

Reprinted with permission from the Humboldt Sentinel, www.humboldtsentinel.com.

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David Tyndall

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December 2011/January 2012 ECONEWS

Eco-Mania

COCONUTS & SUNSHINE: Solar power next year will provide 93 percent of all the electricity demands of the South Pacific islands of Tokelau, three small atolls with a population of 1,500. Coconut oil—around 200 coconuts—will do the rest.

In 2007, Samsø, a Danish island twice the size of Manhattan, became the first region to be powered only by renewable power, much of it supplied by wind turbines. El Hierro, the smallest of Spain’s Canary Islands and home to 11,000 people, also hopes to be powered solely by renewable energy by the end of next year.

A Melange of Salient Sillies..

BIO-CLOTHING: Microbiologist Anke Domaske has come up with a range of clothing made out of milk.

She discovered a way of combining powdered organic milk with other ingredients to weave a special material, saying: “The milk fabric even has proteins in the powder to keep your skin in great condition.”

YUMMY: The European Union is conducting a fourmillion-dollar project to investigate the nutritional value of eating insects—since they will relieve food shortages and help save the environment.

Proponents of entomophagy—the eating of insects— say that bugs are a low-cholesterol, low-fat, protein food source. Crickets are said to be high in calcium, termites rich in iron, while a giant silkworm moth larvae provides all the daily copper and riboflavin requirements.

Professor Marcel Dicke, leading a team in the Netherlands, said: “By 2020, you will be buying insects in supermarkets. I think it will start with ground-up insects in sauces and burgers. Grinding them up will make them look more palatable.”

MAGIC MUSHROOMS ARE MAINLY GOOD FOR YOU: Many individuals who took just a single dose of psilocybin showed alterations in personality—largely for the better—that persisted for more than a year, a scientific study showed.

Participants who reported “mystical experiences” during the hallucinogen sessions tended to show increases in openness, a trait which includes aesthetic sensitivity, imagination, intellectual engagement and awareness of feelings. According to Dr. Katherine MacLean of Johns Hopkins University, they found no adverse effects from the drug exposure.

THE NOSE KNOWS: Nasal cilia continue to beat after death, and slow at a predictable rate irrespective of environmental factors, so investigators will now be able to estimate the time of death more accurately.

That was the discovery of Biagio Solarino and his colleagues at the University of Bari who took scrapings of the noses of 100 cadavers—but only if the bodies were fresh, no more than a day old.

TAKE A HIKE: After 11 years and 53 pairs of shoes, Jean Beliveau of Canada is coming home from the longest uninterrupted walk around the world.

Beliveau, 56, left Montreal on his 45th birthday in 2000, after his small sign business went bankrupt.

He crossed deserts and mountains, fell in love— for nine days—in Mexico, and wore a turban and a long beard in Sudan. He ate insects in Africa, dog in South Korea and snake in China, and was escorted by armed soldiers in the Philippines.

Now, 46,600 miles and 64 countries later, he is returning to a girlfriend and two now-adult sons.

ECONEWS December 2011/January 2012

MEDITATING MARMOSETS: Monkeys have been trained to put themselves into a Zen-like trance—out of a desire for marshmallows.

Researchers discovered this when they checked the animals to see if they could do neurofeedback— controlling their state of mind via the electrical activity of the brain. So marmoset monkeys were wired to pick up electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, and they got marshmallows every time they tuned their brain activity to a certain frequency range—which, in humans, is associated with meditation.

www.yournec.org

STINKY SEX: A male rove beetle (Aleochara curtula) injects a smelly chemical into the female it mates with, leaving her unattractive to rival males.

Scientists at the University of Freiburg in Germany say females benefit from being smelly, too, since they are not sexually harassed by horny males once their eggs have been fertilized.

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Legislation toWatch

Although wilderness is frequently blamed in congressional hearing rooms for many of the current ills of the economy, there are bills in congress authored and sponsored by both parties. A few that may be of interest to you: H.R.41—The Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Wilderness Act of 2011, introduced by RepresentativeIssa (R- CA). The Act proposes to add approximately 7,796 acres, designated as wilderness, to the existing Agua Tibia Wilderness. The bill also designates over 13,000 acres of BLM lands in San Diego County, CA, to be part of the Beauty Mountain Wilderness.

H.R.113—Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests Protection Act, introduced by Representative David Dreier (R-CA) (co-sponsor Representative Chu (D-CA)), would expand the Cucamonga Wilderness Area by approximately 18,983 acres, and expand the Sheep Mountain Wilderness Area by approximately 53,889 acres. The bill also includes language to prevent and prepare for wildfires in the Cucamonga, Sheep Mountain, and San Gabriel Wilderness Areas, and address the backlog of maintenance in the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests.

Closer to Home

H.R. 1413—Introduced by Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), and co-sponsored by Rep Blumenauer (D-OR), Rep. Schrader (D-OR), and Rep Wu (D-OR). Along with the companion bill in the Senate (S.766, Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Act of 2011, introduced by Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley (both D-OR)), these bills include safeguards for nearly 30,000 acres on Wassen Creek in Oregon’s Coast Range, a designated Devil’s Staircase Wilderness Area in the State of Oregon, as well as designating segments of Wasson and Franklin Creeks in the State of Oregon as wild or recreation rivers.

Please contact your representatives to thank them for having the leadership to introduce legislation to provide important protections for ecosystems while assuring hundreds of thousands of acres for future generations to enjoy.

Dan Sealy. NEC’s Legislative Analyst.

Pardee Dam Expansion Defeated

On Monday, December 5, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD) announced that the soonto-be released revised draft environmental impact report for its long-range water plan recommends that the utility not include the controversial expansion of Pardee Reservoir (see the Aug/Sept issue of EcoNews, page 5). The proposed expansion would flood a freeflowing section of the Mokelumne River near Jackson, drowning two river reaches highly valued for their recreational, historic, and cultural significance.

Mokelumne River advocates Foothill Conservancy are delighted by the news. “It’s a wise decision that everyone should feel good about,” said Foothill Conservancy Executive Director Chris Wright. “And it looks like a huge victory for the river. We have yet to see the EIR, but this announcement indicates that EBMUD agrees with us that there are better, lessdestructive ways to meet its future water needs.

“The strong, unified community opposition in Amador and Calaveras made a real difference,” Wright said. “EBMUD claims it won’t do water projects without local community support, and it was clear that the Pardee expansion had virtually none.”

The Foothill Conservancy, Friends of the River, and California Sportfishing filed a suit against the water utility’s long-term water plan proposal in 2009, claiming it violated the California Environmental Quality Act. An April 2011 Superior Court decision voided the plan, pending re-examination of aspects of the related EIR. Among the key points of the court’s decision was that EBMUD had failed to look at a reasonable range of alternatives in its planning process, including the possibility of partnering with neighboring water districts in the future to expand other reservoirs, instead of the Pardee.

The announcement does not automatically mean permanent protection of the Mokelumne. “We need

15

to secure National Wild and Scenic River designation to make sure neither EBMUD nor any other agency can build new dams or diversions between Salt Springs Reservoir and Pardee”, states Wright.

There is hope that a new partnership might be forged between the water district, conservation groups, and foothill communities to focus on preserving the free-flowing Moke and the watershed, beginning with Wild and Scenic designation, while maintaining the water quality needed for the district.

For more information, contact Chris Wright at 209-295-4900 or chris @foothillconservancy.org.

North Fork Mokelumne River. Photo: Carolyn Silva.

www.yournec.org

ESA Hearing: Jobs, Recovery and Litigation Dan Sealy

On Dec. 6th, the House Natural Resources Committee held an oversight hearing on the Endangered Species Act, the first in a series over the next year, titled “The Endangered Species Act: How Litigation is Costing Jobs and Impeding True Recovery Efforts.”

The representative for the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) received the majority of the questions—and accusations—during the hearing.

CBD and their science team have spawned thousands of letters commenting on recovery plans for listed endangered species, and species proposed for listing, as well as engaging in conservation-based litigation.

Although all the witnesses at the hearing did state support for the ESA, two have been actively engaged in efforts to limit the full application of ESA law. Ms. Karen Budd-Falen, a Wyoming rancher, attorney and former Reagan administration appointee under Sec. James Watt, has interceded when she or her clients feel enforcement of ESA law infringes on individual property rights. Ms. Budd-Falen has also accused some environmental organizations—including two that shared the witness table with her (CBD and WildEarth Guardians)—of using the ESA as a “gravy train” to fund their conservation activities.

The other “pro-property and individual rights vs. endangered species” point of view was brought by Mr. Brandon Middleton with the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), based in Sacramento. Mr. Middleton has successfully litigated cases before the Supreme Court that ultimately sided against the ESA. Interestingly, PLF’s original funding was achieved, in part, through associations with President Reagan and his Attorney General, Ed Meese. The Legacy of the “Secretary Watt/Sage Brush Rebellion” private property rights contingency of the 1980’s and 1990’s continues today.

The hearing provided interesting examples of how the shape of the information presented depends upon the perspectives of those invited to testify. In this case, thankfully, there were knowledgeable and concerned witnesses present who support the ESA. Congresswoman Napolitano (D-CA), for example, stated that although ESA protections initially had a negative impact on salmon fishing, time has shown that conditions improve and populations can rebound.

However, Rep. McClintock (R-CA) expressed concern that it is impossible to tell if populations of species decline due to natural fluctuations or human caused effects, not unlike the similarly angled arguments of climate-deniers. He also expressed a concern—that will likely result in a lot of discussion in the context of the ESA—regarding whether hatchery-reared fish, experimental populations and/or endangered species are, or are not, counted in recovery statistics. Unfortunately, witnesses at the hearing were not given an opportunity to fully respond to the question.

Dan Sealy is the NEC’s Legislative Analyst, based in Washington, D.C.

December 2011/January 2012 ECONEWS

Jensen

Continued from page 7

Enough of agencies, corporations and politicians framing the debate The Klamath’s water is ours to Celebrate Not to slice and dice as they adjudicate Water is not a commodity, I’m sorry, it’s how we are made A gift from the Creator that animates all life Let’s do the earth proud and move beyond strife Wake up to the plunder we do to our mother The water we have shouldn’t tear us asunder Get out on the water, drink deep in wonder Look to nature for wisdom of the natural plan How would She deal with the follies of man?

Flow on, run free, blow out the damn dam.

Jim Carpenter, Sailor/Activist

bigfoot rafting

...as well as critique of the environmental movement and “civilization� as a whole.

When posed with a question (even those he asked of himself), he would look down at his hands on the table, take his time, collecting his thoughts. When ready, he’d look up, meet our eyes and give it to us straight. He didn’t talk down; he talked plain, told hard truths. As in his books, he says the things that not many are saying, even in the environmental movement. Things like: we’re killing our world and if we don’t change our ways, we’re goners, along with millions of other species that we haven’t yet managed to kill; things like “by any means necessary� we must stop.

He was personable, easy to understand, and funnier than expected. It’s fascinating how we manage to maintain a sense of humor when delving deep into such worrisome, even terrifying subjects— especially such self-incriminating ones. But, as in many situations where we’re looking death in the face on a regular basis (although in this case, we were talking about, you know, total extinction) there was laughter.

It’s good to feel not-so-alone, as a fringe person among fringe people; it’s especially good, as a communicator, to have clarification of the issues, to be challenged to examine my own thinking on a deeper level and see where I can tighten up my “walking of the talk�.

Maybe most importantly, I am again feeling a little better about being in a world that has people like Derrick in it, a little more motivated to keep on keeping on.

For more specifics in regard to Derrick’s ideas (which are legion), you can find them, including his touring schedule and more here: http://www.derrickjensen.org/.

Calleaghn Kinnamon is dedicated to revolution through art and personal healing, and has a thing for “freaky geniuses�.

Occupy Our Watershed!

ECONEWS December 2011/January 2012

Roadless Rule Reinstated

With all the environmental attacks from Congress this year, it was a relief to get some good news coming out of Washington. After a decade of battles, the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule was recently reinstated—protecting almost 60 million acres of America’s wildest and most pristine forests and waters for generations to come.

For purposes of the rule, “roadless areas� are defined as contiguous blocks of backcountry public land that are 5,000 acres or larger and do not have improved roads. The Roadless Rule protects these areas from new road construction and logging, with a few exeptions.Roadless areas are some of the most ecologically important lands that we have remaining in the nation. The rule is crucial to prevent the continued fragmentation of roadless lands, which serve as sanctuaries for wildlife. “Our national forests are major economic drivers, providing recreational opportunities that contribute billions to the US economy and employ thousands of people. Congress should formalize protections for our roadless forests. Doing so will benefit our current economy and future generations,� said Matthew Kirby, lands policy expert for the Sierra Club’s Resilient Habitats campaign. “The bipartisan support for protecting America’s last undisturbed forests and the wildlife they sustain is a testament to the important place these lands hold in the hearts of all Americans,� said Robert Dewey, vice president of government relations for Defenders of Wildlife. “Although 2011 has seen a barrage of assaults against environmental laws, this legislation shows that there is still significant political support for preserving our natural heritage.�

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16

Creature Feature DUNGENESS CRAB

Jennifer Kalt

Metacarcinus magister (formerly Cancer magister)

Named for the port of Dungeness, Washington, Dungeness crab are an important food source harvested commercially and recreationally along the coast from Central California to Alaska.

Estuaries such as Humboldt Bay and San Francisco Bay are important nursery areas for young crab. Elsewhere, Dungeness crab develop and grow in nearshore coastal waters, in eelgrass beds, and on muddy or sandy bottoms.

Dungeness crab begin life as planktonic larvae, floating and drifting on ocean currents.

They go through six larval stages, first being transported offshore, then onshore, before transforming to the benthic (bottomdwelling), sideways-scuttling adult stage we all recognize. It takes a Dungeness crab about Captive Dungeness crab at San Francisco’s Aquarium of the Bay. Photo: Suede Bicycle, Flickr Creative Commons. two years to mature.

Adult crabs can see fairly well with their compound Dungeness crabs feed on shrimp and bivalves, and are eyes, perched atop eyestalks. They also have two pair of eaten by humans, harbor seals, and sea lions. antennae, which are primarily sensory organs in Dungeness crab larvae are important food adults, but are also used for swimming in larval stages. for Pacific herring, Pacific sardines, rockfish, and Chinook salmon. Juvenile Dungeness crabs are eaten Crabs have five pairs of armored legs, the foremost by starry flounder, English and rock sole, ling cod, pair end in claws used in defense and to tear apart rockfish, sturgeon, sharks, and skates. food. The smaller appendages pass food particles into Dungeness crabs mate and molt between spring its mouth. Juvenile Dungeness crabs feed primarily and fall. Crabs must molt and grow new shells to on fish, shrimp, molluscs, and crustaceans. Adult

grow—a process called ecdysis. The shells harden over time. Mating occurs immediately after the female molts, before her shell hardens.

Her eggs remain attached under her body for three to five months before they hatch.

The recreational crab season opens in early November each year. Around that time, the Department of Fish and Game begins testing the meat-to-shell ratio, which determines when the commercial crab season will be declared open.

Early in the season, they haven’t yet filled out their shells, so the meat-to-shell ratio is too low to be worth harvesting. With crabs currently still well below the required 25 percent ratio, this winter’s season opener has been postponed until January 16.

Dungeness crabs are considered a sustainable fishery, since only males over 6 1/4 inches in breadth are harvested, and they are caught with baited traps (crab pots) which allow small crabs and bycatch to be released unharmed.

Eating the hepatopancreas (the green stuff ) should be avoided, since it accumulates toxins.

Humboldt Baykeeper has developed crab cleaning tips for removing the hepatopancreas and internal organs before cooking (see Safety Tips for Cleaning and Cooking Dungeness Crab at http:// humboldtbaykeeper.org/docs/HBK_Crab_Card.pdf ).

Can you find these species? Sanderling, California gull, sand dollar, Dungenss crab shell, dunegrass, beach buckwheat, bullwhip kelp, black-tailed jackrabbit.

Color this ecosystem!

Illustration © Gary Bloomfield, used with permission. Detail from the soon-to-be-installed mural at the Friends of the Dunes’ Humboldt Coastal Nature Center in Manila.

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www.yournec.org

December 2011/January 2012 ECONEWS

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the Kids’ Page DISCOVER DUNE ECOSYSTEMS

et’s take a walk through the dunes on our coast. Start at the edge of the sea, where the water washes up on the sand. The sand is wet and flat, and looks a little darker than the dry sand. Look towards the dunes—can you see where the last high tide reached toward the dunes? The water leaves behind a line of shells, seaweed, and driftwood left. The area from the water to the high tide line is called the waveslope.

The area between the waveslope and the upcoming hills of sand is called the strand. The strand is the area that feeds the dunes.

As dry sand gathers here, the wind blows it inland and starts to form the dunes. The sand mounds closest to the water are called the foredunes. They help protect the dunes behind them from ocean storms.

These foredunes are the first thing a storm hits when blown ashore; they only have a few types of plants growing on them, such as beach grasses and small groundcovering plants. Behind the foredunes are areas with lots of plants, and some without any plants. The plant-filled areas are called the dune mat. The plants help to stabilize the dunes so the dunes don’t blow away.

The farther we walk away from the ocean, the closer we get to the back dunes, where there are trees, bushes and the beginnings of other ecosystems, like a marsh, lagoon, forest, and so on.

The dunes are home to a variety of animals. Small invertebrates —animals without backbones, like insects and crabs—live in the sand and shorebirds feed on them.

One of our locally threatened shorebirds is the snowy plover. It finds food in the waveslope and makes its nest in the sand on the dunes. The nests are very hard to see, and are often accidentally damaged by human activities like driving trucks on the beach.

The valleys in the dunes are home to tadpoles in the spring.

The valleys are dry during the summer, but when the rain starts, these areas fill up with water and make seasonal pools. Our Redlegged frog and Pacific tree frog lay their eggs in these seasonal pools.

If you see one of these seasonal pools in February or March, look for egg masses. If they are in one small mass and stuck to a stick or piece of grass, they are Pacific tree frog eggs. If you see eggs all over the place, not stuck on a stick, they are Red-legged frog eggs. The months of April and May are a good time to look for tadpoles.

More kinds of wildflowers and pollinator insects are found in the dune mats than anywhere else on the dunes. Our coastal dunes are home to two endangered plants: the Humboldt Bay wallflower, and the beach layia—both threatened by human disturbance and invasive plants. European beach grass, yellow bush lupine, and iceplant have the most impact on our dunes.

The dunes are also home to several types of bees. The wool carder bee is particularly interesting. It is a solitary bee, which means it lives alone, not as part of a colony like honeybees. The wool carder bee chews the fuzz off the beach buckwheat leaves and uses it to make its nest! The beach buckwheat is an easy plant to spot.

It has a pink ball of flowers on its stem. It looks like a lollypop and the leaves are roundish and covered in white fuzz. If you notice a section of fuzz missing, you can bet a wool carder bee did it.

Larger animals like rabbits, skunks, and raccoons can also be found using the dunes. Tracks and scat from these animals are often scattered about in between dune mats.

How many tracks can you find?

Sarah Marnick

ECONEWS December 2011/January 2012

Word Search

R A S R F X I J H B E S W C Z

C E N K O L F J F A C C H X B

S G D R C R B O D C N A C H N

B E U R O A R Y N K A T N R Y

BACK DUNES DISTURBANCE DUNE MAT FORE DUNES

S K A G A E R T A D B R D D H

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STRAND TRACKS WAVESLOPE WOOL CARDER

Native vegetaion on the Manila Dunes. Photo: Emily Walters.

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