EcoNews Vol. 45, No. 5 - OctNov 2015

News From the Center This time of year often drums up echoes of a conversation I had with a wise elder next to an Arctic lake in late August of 2002.

The leaves were falling, the sun was dipping down in the sky and frost was starting to encase the banks of a nearby stream.

I spoke of death and how close it can feel sometimes. She responded that fall is the time when life takes a breath to ready itself for the long winter ahead; a time of passing over.

So now we find ourselves after the autumnal equinox; after the blood moon eclipse that got many of us outside (and inundated social media with a multitude of pictures of the red-tinted lunar body). Temperatures are starting to drop. Fires that have been running rampant are finally settling down. We’ve even felt a few drops of rain. In this time when life is taking a breath, it is an apt time to bid

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1385 8th Street - Suite 226, Arcata, CA 95521 PO Box 4259, Arcata, CA 95518 707- 822-6918, Fax 707-822-6980 www.yournec.org EcoNews is the official bi-monthly publication of the Northcoast Environmental Center (NEC), 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 and Southern Oregon bioregion. The subscription rate is $35 per year.

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

Dan Ehresman, Executive Director

thanks and wish a fond farewell to those who have left us.

Since the last EcoNews went to print, our bioregion has lost several important environmental voices.

Closest to home, Sidney Dominitz— who was a critical part of the NEC for nearly 40 years— passed away in the early hours of Saturday, September 12.

Sid took the helm as EcoNews copy-editor in 1976 with his first article on the cover of the December 1976 issue. Its title: “Buddy, Can You Spare a Nickel?

Strip Mine Looms Over Eel River.”

Over the next several decades, Sid shaped the monthly publication into a respected newspaper with his wit, ability to distill down details and his no-holds-barred approach to editing.

Sid continued at the helm as editor until 2006. Even after his “retirement”, Sid was a regular contributor to EcoNews with the ever-entertaining Eco-Mania and the back-page “fundometer” up until the time of his passing.

Although his red pen was most

renowned, Sid was perhaps proudest of his role in founding NEC’s AdoptA-Beach program and his efforts as part of Coastal Cleanup Day. Sid was cleaning up beaches before it became a statewide and now global phenomenon—and he takes the prize for the longest-running beach cleanup site captain with over 35 years under his belt. It is fitting that the graphic for this year’s California Coastal Cleanup Day is a heartshaped shell with a crack down the middle—for the beach will indeed need more love with Sid’s departure to wherever whip-cracking editors and eco-heroes go. And EcoNews will assuredly need more attention. [Note: for those who have been meaning to submit an article, now would be an appropriate time.]

On August 11, naturalist and advocate for the wild Wendell Wood died after collapsing while hiking in the redwoods near his Crescent City home. He was 65 years old. In the early 70’s when Wendell was attending Humboldt State, he volunteered at NEC office when it first opened and also served as “publicity chairman” writing press releases. Wendell considered his activities with the NEC as a foundation for his lifelong environmental advocacy. He spent

Editor/Layout: Morgan Corviday morgan@yournec.org

NEC Board Of Directors

Advertising: ads@yournec.org Proofreaders: Karen Schatz and Midge Brown Authors: Sid Dominitz, Dan Ehresman, Sarah Marnick, Dan Sealy, Jennifer Kalt, Tom Wheeler, Margaret Gainer, Felice Pace, Anne Maher, Madison Peters, John Williams, Nancy Bailey.

Cover Photo: . Sid Dominitz, at the NEC’s 30th Anniversary dinner. Photo by Mike Diggles.

Artist: Terry Torgerson

NEC Staff NEC Executive Director: Dan Ehresman, dan@yournec.org EcoNews Editor: Morgan Corviday, morgan@yournec.org MPA Outreach Coordinator Delia, delia@yournec.org Coastal Cleanup Coordinator: Madison Peters, madison@yournec.org Membership Associate: Sydney Stewart, sydney@yournec.org

President - Larry Glass, Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment, larryglass71@gmail.com Vice-President - Dan Sealy, At-Large, rangerdans@msn.com Secretary - Jennifer Kalt, Humboldt Baykeeper, jkalt@humboldtbaykeeper.org Treasurer - Chris Jenican Beresford, AtLarge, thegang7@pacbell.net Gary Falxa, Calfornia Native Plant Society, gfalxa@suddenlink.net CJ Ralph, Redwood Region Audubon Society, cjralph@humboldt1.com Richard Kreis, Sierra Club, North Group. rgkreis@gmail.com Scott Greacen, Friends of the Eel River, scott@eelriver.org Tom Wheeler, Environmental Protection Information Center, tom@wildcalifornia.org Bob Morris, Trinity County Representative, At-Large, bob.morris@wildblue.net Keytra Meyer, At-Large, keytra.meyer@gmail.com

the last three decades working with Oregon Wild in various capacities, most recently as wildlands interpreter.

Wendell was a tireless advocate for the Klamath Basin and he was at the frontlines of the fight to save ancient forests. Wendell was definitely one of those rare, big trees for which there is no replacement.

On September 7, our North Coast also lost Zeke Grader, longtime executive director of Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA). Zeke was a celebrated advocate for fish, fishing communities, rivers and the Bay-Delta. He was passionate about protecting West Coast fisheries, a strong advocate for removing the Klamath River dams and a tireless crusader against central valley irrigators in order to preserve river flows for fish. Zeke was not afraid to take a stand and was known for not backing down. He also was incredibly adept at building coalitions and influencing legislation.

Current PCFFA director and friend Tim Sloane perhaps said it best, “You would probably not be eating a wild California salmon today if it were not for Zeke.”

Let us remember the legacies of those who came before.

NEC Member Groups Humboldt Baykeeper

www.humboldtbaykeeper.org 707-268-0664

Sierra Club,North Group, Redwood Chapter www.redwood.sierraclub.org/north/

California Native Plant Society North Coast Chapter www.northcoastcnps.org

Redwood Region Audubon Society www.rras.org, rras@rras.org

Friends of the Eel River www.eelriver.org, foer@eelriver.org 707-822-3342

Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment (SAFE) www.safealt.org

Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC)

www.wildcalifornia.org, epic@wildcalifornia.org 707-822-7711

NEC Affiliate Members Friends of Del Norte

Humboldt Baykeeper

Fiscally sponsored by the NEC Director: Jennifer Kalt, jkalt@humboldtbaykeeper.org Bay Explorations Staff: Jasmin Segura, jasmin@humboldtbaykeeper.org

www.fodn.org

Mattole Restoration Council

www.mattole.org, mrc@mattole.org (707) 629-3514

Zero Waste Humboldt

www.zerowastehumboldt.org contact@zerowastehumboldt.org

Klamath Conundrums

With an apparent deadlock in Congress, a December 31 deadline fast approaching, and stakeholders shifting restlessly, the Klamath Basin agreements are on shakier ground than ever. In midSeptember the Yurok Tribe announced that they intend to withdraw from the agreements given that previously agreed-upon conditions have been altered.

The Karuk Tribe and Klamath Tribes of Oregon also warned they will withdraw from the agreements if legislation does not move by the end of the year. If the agreements go up in smoke, 2016 will likely be a pretty tough year for all involved parties.

Polar Bears declare victory

As this column started in the Arctic, so shall it end there. Just days before going to print, multinational oil barons Royal Dutch Shell announced they are pulling the plug on their Arctic oil and gas exploration “for the foreseeable future.” This is a substantial victory for the climate (see more on page 6) Next step: it is past time for our elected representatives to take a decisive stand and say no more fossil fuel exploration in the Arctic. Period.

Bon Voyage to Jen Savage

After nearly two sunshiny years, we are losing our Coastal Programs director Jennifer Savage to the greener (or should we say browner?) pastures of So Cal. We feel fortunate to have been able to keep here the short time we have but alas she has a great opportunity awaiting her in her new role as CA policy director for Surfrider Foundation.

She promises to stay in touch but we will see how long that lasts given the distance and what we would expect to be a huge workload. Regardless, have fun out there, Jen, and though you may be near Hollywood, don’t break a leg!

Welcome Delia

Greetings, my name is Delia Bense-Kang and I am excited to be the NEC’s new MPA Outreach Coordinator. Born and raised in Arcata, I have a deep appreciation and vested interest in the unique ecosystems of the North Coast. Marine Protected Areas are of special importance to me as much of my livelihood depends on surfing, kayaking, or simply enjoying a walk on the beach.

I studied at UC Santa Cruz for two years and am now in my final semester at Humboldt State University earning a degree in Environmental Management and Protection with an emphasis in planning. At both schools I have held the position of Project Coordinator and Team Manager for PowerSave, a student-run energy efficiency and water conservation organization. I have also been involved with the Humboldt Surfrider Chapter as Volunteer Coordinator and will now be taking over as Chair.

I believe this position fits beautifully with my local knowledge, previous experience, love for surfing, and interest in protecting the environment.

Jennifer Savage has left me well prepared and I will do my best to follow in her footsteps. I look forward to working with the team at the NEC and everyone here on the North Coast.

Japan Tsunami Marine Debris Call or email the NEC to register in advance, or for more information: marinedebris@yournec.org or 707-822-6918.

Monitoring

Humboldt County: SAMOA BEACH

Del Norte County: POINT ST. GEORGE BEACH

SATURDAY @ 10:00 AM November 14, 2015

SUNDAY @ 10:00 AM November 15, 2015

www.yournec.org/tsunamidebris

and

Beach Cleanups

Catch the NEC’s EcoNews Report

Every Thursday, 1:30pm on KHSU - 90.5FM Rotating hosts talk with a variety of experts and guests on a range of topics Past shows are archived on our website for download or streaming

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In Memory: Sid Dominitz California Wolf Pack Pot Ordinance Updates Shell Abandons Arctic Drilling All Species Parade photos In Praise of Wild Rivers Letter to Smokey Eye on Washington Coastal Cleanup Wrapup Humboldt Baykeeper Zero Waste Humboldt EPIC Mattole Restoration Council Sierra Club, North Group California Native Plant Society Blast From the Past Eco-Mania Creature Feature: Menzie’s Wallflower Kids’ Page: Dodder Does What?

Bouquets A bodacious oceanic bouquet to Jennifer Savage for your energy, enthusiasm, creativity and uncanny ability to time and time again pull of a pretty darn entertaining raffle regardless of the occasion.

Best of luck riding the waves with your grand new gig! We will miss you!

A beauteous backyard bouquet to Jan and Gary Friedrichsen for going above and beyond in hosting this year’s wonderful patio party & fundraising dinner. We cannot thank you enough. Bountiful blue blossoms to our sponsors: Arcata Scoop, Ramones Bakery, Moonstone Crossing Winery, Coast Seafoods; to our key party people: Terry Roelofs, Erica Upton, Leah Bond, Chuck Krull, Stephen Rice, John Woolley, Dan Sealy, Jen Kalt, Larry Glass, Gary Falxa, Keytra Meyer, Emily Sinkhorn, John Cortenbach, Jasmin Segura, Alicia Hamman, Morgan Corviday, Madison Peters, Anne Maher; to the musicians Good Company and to all the other volunteers and guests who made it such a success—Thank you!

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— for Sid Dominitz a misplaced comma a hastily chosen word there goes your favorite beach it matters that much I used to refer to him as Sid the Knife. Not that he needed a knife, or even the red pen. He did it with words. Added words. Revised words.

Deleted words. Now you hear it. Now you understand it. Like a magician, an editor shows you the cards you were holding. the news flows from wild nature the morning edition at your doorstep with the sun in the evening you read it on the beach it rarely gets into print He and John Ross got into huge arguments about articles John submitted to ECONEWS. John would go through hell for a byline, and sometimes that became the story. He was a jazz poet and a pamphleteer, and like many of us he learned at the ECONEWS to be a reporter. Your editor is your dear friend. accuracy is learned from nature every word exactly where it’s supposed to go every sharp tooth, every eye looking out for strays When my five-year-old granddaughter was visiting I introduced her to Sid. She was still talking baby talk, not ready to give up infancy. The family was letting her grow out of it.

But he mercilessly made fun of her r’s that sounded like w’s, mimicked her till she had to laugh. Next time I saw her she was talking like the rest of us. Your editor is the crazy uncle who can say things no one else will tell you. an unreported wolf or mountain is a dead wolf, a treeless mountain in the ECONEWS they at least had half a chance it matters that much He and John were the last prophets, wandering in the land of the lumberjacks. They had an editorial comment for every rock and tree and bird. Sid’s jokes were often puns, some real groaners. When he heard a juice bar had opened in Arcata, “At last,” he said, “a place of our own.” An editor knows the absurdity of language. It’s all made up. Every word gets deleted.

Every day is a rewrite. in a wilderness not of our devising we live by compassion and wit and accurate reporting One September afternoon I followed the obits from the Trinidad cemetery along Stagecoach Road and down to the beach. From there I floated out to the downstream end of the world, where they say the news is always good. Food and card games and dancing. I was long past deadline and way over on my word count. Sid was already there. Your editor is the first person you meet in heaven.

— Jerry Martien

Above: Sid with the Olivetti typewriter given to him by Andy Alm after the NEC office on 9th St. burned down. Photo courtesy of Andy Alm. Below: Sid in Trinidad, the town he called home for 40 years. Photo from Facebook.

Above right: The crowd of friends, family and colleagues gathered for Sid’s memorial at the Trinidad cemetary, Septemer 19, 2015.

Photo: Mark Larson.

Excerpt from a longer piece submitted by Joe Abbott, who wrote the original grant proposal to fund beach cleanups started by Sid and Tim McKay in 1977 (see page 19 for more). View Joe’s full recollection of the first beach cleanups at yournec.org.

I remember arriving at Sid’s house that first morning. I honked the horn several times and Sid, coffee cup in hand, finally wandered out the door.

Annoyed with my honking, he asked, “What is this, high school?” That set the tone for mornings we cleaned north of Arcata and stopped to pick up Sid. Seemed like he was always having a smoke or sitting on the john when we got there. He had perfect timing.

Also comes to mind the morning when our crew had grown by several guys (hmmm... all guys) and Sid came outside with boxing gloves. Asked if anyone wanted to spar. I’m kind of game for a fight and went at it with Sid. He cleaned my clock. Seems Sid had a bit of Golden Gloves experience. Pretty funny though I was furious at the time. Hard to remain composed when you’re getting pounded.

Sid would’ve liked me to recall that match. Of course I wound up loving the guy. Great New York humor, quick-witted, cleverly cynical in the best

The family asks those who feel compelled to make a donation to the NEC, or plant a tree in Sid’s honor.

Right: The NEC’s softball team, the Snail Darters, in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Dominitz is seated in the frontleft with a baseball mitt on his head.

Photo: Chris Jenican Beresford.

Far right: Sid with Connie Stewart at Tim McKay’s memorial, 2006. Photo: Mark Larson.

Above right: Sid with Michael Matthews, the first ECONEWS editor, at the NEC’s 30th Anniversary dinner. Photo: Mike Diggles.

Do you have memories of Sid, Tim or the NEC? Please share them with us! We would be grateful for your stories, photographs or other anecdotes or information to help fill in the gaps in our collective historical memory.

Email to nec@yournec.org, or call 822-6918.

way. But if you knew Sid you know the guy was rapier sharp with a great, kind heart.

The crew started at Prairie Creek, if memory serves, and worked south each day at every accessible Humboldt County beach, then started over again—south to Shelter Cove. most of what we recovered was plastic, glass, and tires. And as mentioned,diapers. Lots of disposable dirty diapers, particularly along the Clam Beach frontal road. Diapers were Sid’s special vexation and yes, they were pretty disgusting.

I cared a great deal for Tim and Sid and my admiration for both is without reservation. Years ago Tim and Sid came to our wedding reception, and more recently I saw Sid with another old NEC friend at a reading of my first novel. What I’ll always think of is Sid dancing and peering over his gloves as he jabbed, jabbed, that nasty left into my face. A hell of a man in so many ways, all of them good ones. It is good to know he was on this earth.

- Joe Abbott

Wolves have Returned to California State Pot Legislation Moves Forward, Supes Take Lead on Local Ordinance

Blurry photos of five pups and two adult wolves captured by a wildlife camera were released on August 20, proving the presence of a pack in California—the first in nearly a century. Photo: Calirfornia Fish and Wildlife.

Tom Wheeler, EPIC Program and Legal Director A biologist from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife found the dead deer in the middle of a small meadow. There were multiple faint wolf tracks in the dirt. It was clear the deer had been taken by wolves. But how many wolves were out there? Was this a lone wolf, a pair or a new wolf pack? The biologist moved to the edge of the meadow and attached a motion-sensored game camera to a nearby tree.

On August 9, 2015, the shutter clicked: five pups and two adults, frolicking together. The wolves, named the Shasta Pack after nearby Mount Shasta, now call California home. All dark in color, the alpha male and female likely emigrated from Southern Oregon. Their pups were probably born in California, sometime around April, and now weigh a healthy 40 pounds or so.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife wants to know more. Biologists have collected wolf scat to test. The Department also intends to put a GPS collar on one of the adults to monitor their location.

Wolves were missing from the state for nearly one-hundred years; the last wolf recorded in California was killed in 1924. In 2011, a lone male wolf, OR-7 or “Journey,” crossed the Oregon/ California border. After nearly a year and a half of looking for a mate, OR-7 returned back to Oregon, visited California briefly on several occasions

over the next two years, then found a mate in Oregon and established a pack near the border, the Rogue Pack.

Laying Out the Red Carpet

Conservation and wildlife advocate groups have been hard at work to ensure wolves were welcome back in California. Step one was getting adequate protections in place. While the gray wolf has long been protected under the federal Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has attempted to remove protections, arguing that wolves had recovered “enough.” Multiple lawsuits have slowed or stopped the Service’s attempts to remove protections, but the Service seems intent on removing the gray wolf from the Endangered Species Act. In the face of unclear federal protections, local and national environmental groups knew they needed a backup plan. In early 2012, shortly after the lone wolf OR-7 crossed the Oregon/California border, environmental groups petitioned the State to protect gray wolves under the California Endangered Species Act, or CESA, a state law modeled after the federal Act. In 2014, the State moved to protect gray wolves. This was not without controversy or strife. The Department of Fish and Wildlife recommended that the Fish and Game Commission not protect the species under CESA, but rather adopt...

Continued on page 10

Dan Ehresman Nearing the midnight hour on Friday, Sept. 11, the California legislature reached agreement on a three-bill package that will provide a licensing and regulatory framework for medical marijuana. Given the down-to-the-wire deal came together with unprecedented attention from Governor Brown’s office, the bills are expected to be signed into law by mid-October.

The comprehensive legislation seeks to regulate medical weed from seed to smoke—arguably something that should have been crafted as part of Proposition 215 nearly 20 years ago. While the rule package will likely provide a much higher bar for environmental oversight of cultivation activities, the negotiations were not without significant casualties.

Asseblymember Jim Wood’s broadly supported language for a statewide excise tax that would have provided funds for increased enforcement, mitigation and environmental restoration got axed at the 11th hour.

Given the complexities at play, we know that any rule package is not going to be perfect. At the very least, the legislation sets the stage for local jurisdictions to impose their own regulations—and their own taxes.

With the backdrop of new rules moving forward in Sacramento, on Tuesday, Sept 15, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors finally did what they had been reluctant to do for nearly a year: take leadership on an ordinance for outdoor cannabis cultivation.

After nearly 10 months of public comments, op-eds and action alerts demanding that our Supervisors stop deferring to an industry group to write their own rules, the Board passed a motion directing staff to draft a cultivation ordinance and, if necessary, bring other county medical marijuana ordinances into compliance with state legislation. We applaud our representatives for their unanimous decision to take the reins from California Cannabis Voice Humboldt (CCVH)...

Continued on page 7

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Oct/Nov 2015

EcoNews

Climate Catches ‘Huge Break’ as Shell Calls It Quits in the Arctic Jon Queally

This article was originally published online at CommonDreams.org.

In what environmental campaigners are calling “a huge break” for the Arctic region and by extension the world’s climate, the Royal Dutch Shell oil company announced on September 28 it would end exploratory drilling in the Chukchi Sea after disappointing results from its controversial operations in the Alaskan waters that took place this summer.

In a corporate press statement released Monday, the company said that its drilling vessel— located approximately 150 miles offshore and in about 150 feet of water—had “successfully” drilled an exploratory well to the depth of 6800 feet.

Though the company claimed it “found indications of oil and gas,” it said the amount was “insufficient

At least for the “forseeabe future,” the oil giant will put a hold on its offshore drilling in Alaska after finding insufficient deposits.

to warrant further exploration” and said the prospected site will now be “sealed and abandoned.”

Further, citing “high costs associated with the project” as well as what it called “the challenging and unpredictable federal regulatory environment,” Shell said it will now “cease further exploration activity in offshore Alaska for the foreseeable future.”

The announcement comes as a huge blow to Shell, notes the Associated Press, which has spent an estimated $7 billion on its Arctic efforts and was counting on offshore drilling in Alaska to help drive future revenue.

Though a Shell official called the outcome “disappointing,” those opposed to offshore oil and gas development in the Arctic responded quite differently.

“Polar bears, Alaska’s Arctic and our climate just caught a huge break,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans program director for the Center for Biological Diversity, in response to the news. “Here’s hoping Shell leaves the Arctic forever. Drilling for oil there is inherently dangerous and will only drive the world deeper into the climate crisis. If we’re going to leave behind a livable planet, we need to leave that oil in the ground today, tomorrow and always.”

“This is a defining day for the Arctic. It’s a huge victory for the millions of people who stood up against Shell and a disaster for other oil companies with interests in the region.”

—Kumi Naidoo, Greenpeace International Continued on page 6

Ce lebrating All Spe cies at the North Country Fair

Kapow! Salmon and other species bust through a blown-up “dam” during the annual All Species Parade, Sunday, September 20. Part of the North Country Fair, the All SPecies Parade encourages fun, creativity and the celebration of all species on our amazing planet. Photos: Mark Larson.

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In Praise of Wild Rides on Wild Rivers

Supervisors

Continued from page 5 ...and move forward a public process. We are further encouraged that all Supervisors expressed a desire to enact a county framework that would be more protective than what the state may allow.

Community input up to this point has been crucial in providing the pressure necessary to convince the Board that a true public process is the best route forward. Thanks to all who took the time to submit comments or contact the Supervisors directly. It is going to be imperative that our community stands ready for review and comment on the County’s draft ordinance so that we can finally get a handle on the Green Rush that is doing serious damage to our communities, forests and watersheds.

Hillary Finally Says No to Keystone

Dan Sealy As autumn turns to a much-hoped for wet winter, North Coast residents will begin to dream of sunnier days and imagine the next big adventure.

Surely as long as people have come to river shores, they have used them for transportation, sources of food, inspiration and recreation. So important are rivers to life, people have established sacred connections with flowing waters in cultures around the world.

Photographer and river guide, John Blaustein, has had an inspiring personal connection to one of America’s most iconic rivers, the Colorado, through one of the most spectacular landscapes, the Grand Canyon, since the 1970’s. The photos in his book, The Hidden Canyon: A River Journey are stunning, while the accompanying journal entries

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by the late Monkeywrencher, Edward Abbey, will make you laugh and wish you were in the canyon.

Blaustein escaped his city upbringing and headed to the Grand Canyon. Though inexperienced, he was generously taken in by legendary river guide and conservationist, Martin Litton. (See Kin to the Earth in the Feb/Mar 2015 issue of EcoNews for Blaustein’s iconic portrait of Litton). In Blaustein’s first year on the river, the 23year old anthropology graduate went from cook to guide and forged a lifelong friendship with Litton and the Grand Canyon.

Blaustein found another passion that year as well. He began to take photos, first in black and white but moving to stunning color photographs.

When visitors approach the rim of the Grand Canyon, that geologic Continued on page 10

Dan Sealy After much speculation, Democratic Presidential nominee contender, Hillary Clinton, announced in Iowa on September 22: “I oppose it. We shouldn’t be building a pipeline dedicated to moving North America’s dirtiest fuel through our communities. We should be focused on what it will take to make America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century.”

Clinton’s announcement is significant. As former Secretary of State, she could have approved the pipeline from Canada to Texas. Her announcement puts pressure on President Obama to follow her lead and reject the pipeline. Bernie Sanders announced his opposition to the pipeline in autumn of 2011 and Martin O’Malley; the other current leader also announced long ago he would oppose the pipeline.

Green party Candidate, Jill Stein was arrested in 2012 for protesting Keystone Pipeline in Texas. To date, all candidates in the Republican Party have said they approve the pipeline and some have supported legislation in congress to take the decision away from President Obama and approve it immediately.

May Boeve, executive director of the group 350. org established by Bill McKibben, said Clinton’s position change from favoring to rejecting “is clear proof that social movements move politics.”

Invest in the Future Join our Monthly Giving Program For more information, call the NEC at 707-822-6918 www.yournec.org

Oct/Nov 2015

EcoNews

Letter to Smokey

This article was originally published by the Mid-Klamath Watershed Council at mkwc.org/klamathwaypoint

Dear Smokey Bear,

Even though I feel like I know you, I’ve only seen you a few times in my life. When I was a child, you showed up at my school to make an impression.

You certainly did! It was weird, though, because your message was so scary while your big furry personage shook my hand and seemed friendly and oddly cuddly, like an overgrown teddy bear.

When we parted company I remember feeling that somehow I would be personally responsible for a destructive Evil Fire that would burn us all up!

“Only You Can Prevent Wildfire” you said over and over. I guess that’s what you wanted me to feel…so I would be fearful and careful. I was both!

Remember, this was in the sixties, you were still pretty young. I was just a child—simplistic messages appealed to me. Your story and message were compelling but did not paint the whole picture. We know better now. Smokey, we have both grown up.

EcoNews Oct/Nov 2015

Ever since we started excluding fire entirely about 100 years ago, I imagine the ghosts of your grandparents’ grandparents have been whispering into your ear, warning of troubling times. After all, you and yours have known forever that fire is a natural and necessary force in our forested lands. And not only you, but the people who lived here first knew it so well they used it regularly and for eons (until they were forced to stop) as a superb management tool. Regular fires opened the canopy, creating mosaics of new growth and good food for wildlife and people alike. Regular fires deposited nutrients on the forest floor, feeding and replenishing the whole system.

Smokey, I am not blaming you for this conundrum. I know it’s not your fault. You have been saying important things to kids about being careful with fire and not playing with matches. And after all, you don’t even speak for yourself. You have been given your message by your inventors and handlers.

You didn’t even exist until someone thought you up after World War II, when the war machine needed a new focus and found it in fire suppression. You were a direct result of an ad campaign, bent on putting the fear of fire into every heart and mind. Later you were a real bear cub, rescued during a forest fire, with burnt paws and life in a zoo to look forward to.

But that was just a convenient footnote, added to tug the heart strings of people (and children especially) enamored by baby animals.

The years went by and as you listened to your ancestors’ sage whisperings about the tragic exclusion of fire, you must have also been shaking your head in disbelief as more and more of us built our homes squarely in the way, naively wanting to “live in the woods”, without realizing how this would complicate and compound the difficulties in protecting lives and property. Sorry, Smokey, we didn’t realize!

Now, even your handlers agree that you must present a new message. Perhaps you can say something like “Learn to Live with Fire”, or maybe you could use the “Good Fire/Bad Fire“ wording to help people understand the verities of our situation today. Getting fire back into its natural cycle is going to require not only a lot of work but a whole shift in attitude. You have the chance to

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be instrumental in spreading the good news: that a wiser wildfire management is coming our way, and that fire is coming back—as long as we make our communities fire resilient and learn to use the tool of prescribed fire in the places where wildfire cannot go. But you know all that. I swear I have recently seen you with a drip torch!

You will have to be very brave from now on, Smokey. The situation is dire due to a century of fuels buildup. You will be biting your nails, worried about how huge and catastrophic the forest fires are these days and worried about the safety of the brave fire fighters sent to deal with increasingly dangerous and increasingly complicated situations.

You may even worry about prescribed fire escapes, but I remind you, these are actually very occasional; in 2012, out of 16,626 prescribed fires, there were only 14 that escaped! You can do it though. (Only You can Help Educate People!) I encourage you to speak out and tell the truth about fire!

Recently, you might remember, I met you again after all these years. We participated together in some great “Fire-wise” events at the local elementary schools. Because our partners at the Forest Service insisted that an event without you would be lacking, we had invited you to come along. It is true, what they say, that the children adore you. An evaluation at Junction School, for instance, was dominated by kids’ comments about you! So, it looks like you are here to stay. I have to admit, I had been thinking it would be better if you went away entirely (to enjoy a quiet retirement somewhere?) I was thinking your notoriety and cultural permanence would be impossible to alter.

But since you won’t or can’t just leave the scene, I trust that you will work hard to present your NEW MESSAGE, so that people begin to understand that we can’t and shouldn’t keep excluding fire from where it needs to be. Good Luck, Smokey Bear.

Your friend, Nancy Bailey

Nancy Bailey is Co-Director of the Mid Klamath Watershed Council (MKWC) Fire and Fuels Program and a long-time resident and steward of the Middle Klamath subbasin.

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Eye on

Ring of Fire Unprecedented summer fires have also created an opportunity for those who favor much more aggressive logging to stake the stage.

Congressman Huffman and his staff were in the district this summer to witness the very real human and ecological tolls the fires have taken in Northern CA. Some conservation-minded legislators clearly show the US Forest Service and other federal agencies currently have the authority they need to implement modern fire prevention tools—such as controlled burns, “management fires” (where natural fires are allowed to slowly burn and smolder when weather conditions are not volatile) and working with communities to create buffers to towns and roads. In fact, some federal agencies have been using these tools for decades.

Congressman Westerman (R-AR) however used the emotional effects of recent wildfires as a means to rewrite forest management policy by getting his bill, HR 2647 ‘‘Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015’’ passed in the House this summer.

Dozens of conservation organizations, including the NEC, wrote to oppose this bill.

The bill demands more aggressive clear-cuts, salvage logging on steep slopes and in endangered species habitat. Conservationists fear the energy behind the fire legislation could be added to forest management bills in a Senate/House version that would inhibit important environmental laws that protect endangered species such as spotted owls, fisheries, forests and watersheds.

This will be a busy autumn and, as has increasingly been the case, threats of government shutdown in October can shift the focus and attention in unpredicted directions.

Washington Dan Sealy, NEC Legislative Analyst

Western-Styled Showdown on Water Senator Murkowski (R-AK), Chair of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced an October hearing to grapple with the various water bills that have passed the house and Senate this year. On one side of the shootout will be champions of Rep. Valadao’s (R-CA) “Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Emergency Water Delivery Act” (HR 3964), which passed the House.

HR 3964 would rewrite water rights throughout the state to favor his south-central valley constituents and reduce the ability of N. CA to have adequate water for fish, ecosystems and communities.

Leading the other side is Senators Boxer (DCA) and Feinstein (D-CA). They introduced the “California Emergency Drought Relief Act” in July and at a hearing before the August recess. That bill is aimed at retaining much of current water rights while looking for new solutions in order to solve current and long-term drought concerns, and includes some provisions written by Congressman Huffman. The Boxer/Feinstein bill does, however, include some very troubling provisions.

The issue has clearly shifted from “water” to “drought.” Some legislators want the October before-winter rains to dampen the urgency fueling Valadao’s bill. The battle is drawing an out-of-state crowd, however. Senator Flake (R-AZ) announced, “We (Arizona) will want to make sure that California doesn’t take our water like they always try to do.”

Feinstein has indicated she is willing to include other western states’ issues in her bill. Conservationists will need to be ready for this showdown and pick their poison. Any Senate bill that passes will have to be written to integrate Valadao’s bill.

113 Ways to Lose Endangered Species There are currently 113 riders on bills to fund federal agencies that could negatively affect endangered species through the U.S. For those who follow conservation policy and politics, this could be the Prize Fight of land use legislation. So get out the hankies or popcorn (or put on the boxing gloves) and contact your Congressional representatives.

Arctic Drilling

Continued from page 6 Naidoo stated “Shell has gambled big and lost big, both in terms of financial cost and its public reputation. This has become the most controversial oil project in the world, and despite its bluster Shell has been forced to walk away with nothing.”

“Here’s hoping Shell leaves the Arctic forever.

Drilling for oil there is inherently dangerous and will only drive the world deeper into the climate crisis. If we’re going to leave behind a livable planet, we need to leave that oil in the ground today, tomorrow and always.”

—Miyoko Sakashita, Center for Biological Diversity Niel Lawrence, the Alaska director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, told the Fuel Fix blog that Shell’s announcement should be seen as “a watershed moment for the climate, the company’s investors, the fragile region and its iconic wildlife, and American consumers.”

When it comes to the climate, Lawrence added, “Shell won’t be locking in fossil fuel production we don’t need and can’t afford if we want to limit global warming.”

And Lois Epstein, the director of The Wilderness Society’s Arctic Program, said Shell’s announcement should deter other companies from taking similar risks in the arctic.

“Hopefully, this means that we are done with oil companies gambling with the Arctic Ocean, and we can celebrate the news that the Arctic Ocean will be safe for the foreseeable future,” Epstein said.

According to Naidoo, however, the decision to drill or not to drill in the Arctic should not be left to the risk assessments of oil companies. “It’s time to make the Arctic ocean off limits to all oil companies,” argued Naidoo. “This may be the best chance we get to create permanent protection for the Arctic and make the switch to renewable energy instead.

If we are serious about dealing with climate change we will need to completely change our current way of thinking. Drilling in the melting Arctic is not compatible with this shift.”

As the news spread on Monday morning, the #ShellNo hashtag—which has been used to protest Shell’s arctic drilling plans throughout the summer— was also celebrating what was largely received as a vindication for that opposition.

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Blaustein

Continued from page 7 ...chasm for the first time, they frequently say, “Pictures can’t capture this!” Blaustein’s images come as close as a human can get. His book is full of photos of sunlit canyon walls, gut-wrenching images of small boats upended by muddy brown rapids and the intricate ecosystem hidden deep in the canyon.

If you have had the luck to hike into the canyon or, better yet, run the river in a boat, The Hidden Canyon will take you back. If you have never been, the book will inspire those adventure plans.

Blaustein’s photographs set the tone for passages from Edward Abbey, who Blaustein knew. Abbey, in turn, quotes from the 1869 journals of the first person to float the entire Grand Canyon, John Wesley Powell, regarding the same points 100 years later. The result is a book that uses mixed forms of art to bring the place to life. Top that off with a preface by the photographer, an introduction by the late Martin Litton, and a new afterward by Kevin Fedarko (author of the much-acclaimed The Emerald Mile) and you have a classic work that still makes the heart race; hence the demand for a new, Third Edition.

If the book inspires you to a new river adventure, you do not need head to Arizona and Utah. Thanks to forward thinking conservationists here in Northern California, many of our rivers have been protected—including all or parts of the Klamath, Salmon, Smith, Trinity and Eel Rivers— under the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers legislation that created a system to keep our rivers wild. You can maneuver your own kayak or raft; on some rivers, like the Trinity, you can explore its wild nature with a raft company guide.

The Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, however, is an excellent example of the limits of the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. In spite of the strong connections people have with the Grand Canyon and the river that winds through it, political squabbles and never-ending plans for development have prevented its inclusion as Wild and Scenic.

Look at Blaustein’s pictures and the reader gets a sense of the insanity of those politics.

Similarly, the work is not done here closer to home. Again, this summer, we read of the fish diseases caused by warm water behind dams on the

Klamath and the demands to release more water to save the fish and those who rely on them. Some beautiful stretches of waterways—such as Canyon Creek in the Trinity Alps Wilderness area and Redwood Creek, which flows through Redwood National and State Parks—do not have this important layer of protection. Local communities hope to change that oversight.

In the meantime, check out Blaustein’s newest edition to his now-classic river book. Fulfill a vicarious raft trip in your own living room, let it excite you about your next adventure, or inspire a friend with the book as a gift.

Wolves

Continued from page 5

...other rules which would offer returning wolves some protections. This was not sufficient, and wolf advocates continued to push the Commission to adopt full protections under CESA. Thanks to the legal and scientific arguments presented to the Commission by the four petitioning organizations, and to the thousands of public comments in favor of wolf protections, the Commission listened and in 2014 voted to give the gray wolf the fullest protections under CESA. The Department also began to craft a “wolf management plan.” This plan is intended to guide how the Department’ manages wolves in cases of potential conflicts between wolves and humans, such as conflicts with livestock. Conservation voices have offered feedback to the Department and a draft version of the plan is expected to be released for public comment by the end of this year.

Kimberly Baker, of the Environmental Protection Information Center and the Klamath Forest Alliance, says that the management plan is concerned primarily with human/wolf interactions. “We are anticipating the release of the Plan to see if adequate protections are in place for a viable population in California and that non-lethal measures for ‘managing’ wolves are given the highest priority.”

The Work Has Just Begun

Getting wolves back to California was the easy part—we really just had to cross our fingers and wait. The real work protecting wolves has just begun.

Wolves are cursed with infamously bad PR. Before wolves are considered safe, wolf advocates will need to change the hearts and minds of ranchers and other folks who are afraid of the big bad wolf.

“We lost wolves in California because we killed them all, due to fear for our safety or the safety of livestock, and due to ignorance of the essential role wolves play in keeping nature healthy and wild,” said Amaroq Weiss of the Center for Biological Diversity. “The fact is, wolves can live wherever people will tolerate them. To get to that place of coexistence will require a great deal of public education. That work will take a long time, but we are up for it.”

The Colorado River winds through a golden canyon. Photo: John Blaustein, from his book, The Hidden Canyon.

Carol Ann Conners 707-725-3400 654 Main Street, Fortuna carol@pattersonconners.com CA License #0E79262

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707-822-7066

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YOU made a difference 5 1 for our and 0 Coasts Waterways 2

on

Coastal Cleanup Day Madison Peters, Coastal Programs Coordinator Saturday, September 19, started out as any other day in Humboldt County does, a bit chilly in the coastal areas with the fog and the early morning sun shining bright in the inland areas. Something special was brewing this particular Saturday morning, and not just the coffee. Hundreds of local residents were waking up early to get outside and get a little dirty for Coastal Cleanup Day. Hundreds of volunteers, ranging from elementary school age through college, as well as seasoned cleanup veterans, scoured our local beaches and waterways at nearly 60 area sites for the better half of the morning and throughout the day— amassing over 6 tons of garbage!

Coastal Cleanup Day is one of the world’s largest volunteering events—coordinated internationally by the Ocean Conservancy— to reduce marine debris from entering our waterways and oceans.

We are proud that Coastal Cleanup Day began with the NEC, here in Humboldt County, over 35 years ago (special thanks to Sid Dominitz, see page 3-4).

Statewide, the California Coastal Commission’s preliminary numbers for Saturday’s cleanups showed more than 53,555 volunteers cleaned up over 548,450 pounds of trash and an additional 65,738 pounds of recyclables. This amounts to around 307 tons of debris picked up from over 900 sites.

Many of our volunteers have been participating in cleanups as a tradition for several years and we are always excited by how many new volunteers sign up each year to help.

Coastal Cleanup Day would not be as successful without support from agencies, organizations, businesses, and of course you, our volunteers! We cannot thank you enough for your commitment to helping us keep unwanted debris out of our waterways.

Preliminary Totals for the North Coast:

~ 60 site captains ~ 65 cleanup sites ~ 400 volunteers ~ 6-8 tons of debris collected For more information visit:

yournec.org/coastalcleanup

2015 Cleanup Site Captains • Dan Ehresman, NEC - Stone Lagoon • Dan Sealy, NEC - Agate Beach • Sawar Young-Tripp - College Cove • Rebecca Lueck, Trinidad Union School - Trinidad State Beach • Cliff Vancott, Humboldt Skindivers - Trinidad Harbor • Carol Mone - Indian Beach / Old Home Beach • Greg Gibbs - Baker Beach • Tina & Scott Davies - Luffenholtz Beach County Park • Rachel Montgomery, PG&E Vegetation Management - Table Bluff County Park Beach to Eel River Mouth • Kim Thorpe - Moonstone Beach County Park • Julie Layshock - Freshwater Lagoon Shoreline/Beach • Hannah Eisloeffel & Amber Madrone, WildberriesClam Beach County Park • Harriet Hill, Humboldt County Environmental HealthHiller Park • Lynn Casillas, GHD - Mad River Beach County Park • Shana Langer & Jenny Rushby, Coastal Grove SchoolMad River Beach County Park • Ted Halstead - Liscom Slough • George Ziminsky, Friends of Arcata Marsh Arcata Marsh • Brenda Harper, North Coast Co-op - Mad River Slough / Samoa Blvd • Dave Feral & Tim Haywood, Mad River Alliance & PacOut Green Team - Mad River in Blue Lake • Miki Takada - Ma-le’l Dunes: North • Dave Haller, Freshwater Elementary - Ma-le’l Dunes: South • Suzie Fortner & Emily Walter, Friends of the DunesHumboldt Coastal Nature Center • Stacey Becker, HSU Center for Service Learning/ Day of Caring - Manila Beach, Cooper Gulch Park, Eureka Waterfront: Boardwalk • Dale Unea, Samoa Volunteer Fire Dept - Vance Ave/ Under Samoa Bridge, Fairhaven at Park Street, Samoa Boat Launch/County Park

• Billy Gartman, US Coast Guard - Old Navy Base Road, Samoa Beach • Mary Lou Willits, Humboldt Surfrider - Samoa Dunes Recreation Area / North Jetty • Mike Roberts, Sarraya Odurokwartnen & Lindsey Wright, One Love Stand Up and Surf - Samoa Beach: Power Poles (JTMD cleanup) • Lucia Boyer, Eureka High School - Cooper Gulch Park, Eureka Boardwalk / Old Town • Amanda Auston, Sequoia Park Zoo - Sequoia Park • Jane Stock, Volunteer Trail Stewards - Eureka Waterfront: Hikshari Trail • Heather Brown, East High School-Fortuna - South Jetty/ South Spit • Mark Wheetley - South Jetty / South Spit • Terra Joy Carver, CCVH - Camel Rock Beach / Houda Point • Bruce Slocum - Eel River Mouth and Estuary / Pedrazzini Boat Ramp • Emily Afrait-Hyman, Eel River Estuary Preserve - Eel River Estuary Preserve • Pam Halstead, Fortuna Creeks Program - Fortuna CreeksRohner Creek, Strong’s Creek, Eel River • Monica Scholey, Mattole Youth Environmental StewardsMattole Estuary/Petrolia Beach • Richard Barnick, Tsunami Surf - Shelter Cove • Dan Tangney, Trinity River - South Fork Bridge to Kimtu • Barbara Sopjes, North of the Mouth of the Mattole • Don Wilkes & Maggie Herbelin, Eureka Public MarinaEureka Waterfront, Eureka Public Marina, Hikshari Trail to Samoa Bridge • Michele Bisgrove & Matt Porter, Kokatat - Big Lagoon • Jamie - Crab Park, Cock Robin Island • Deserie K. Donae, HSU Aquatic Center - Woodley Island/ Samoa Bridge • Jasmin Segura & Jen Kalt, Humboldt Baykeeper - Indian Island • Sandy Haux, Explore North Coast - Woodley Islandnorthwest side, Eureka Slough, Mad River Slough • Doby Class, Yacht Club - Eureka Waterfront

THANK YOU for making this Coastal Cleanup such a success!

Your commitment—often year after year—is truly inspiring.

Can’t Get Enough?

Adopt-a-Beach!

Unable to make it out for Coastal Cleanup Day but still want to do your part? Have a passion for preventing debris from entering our waterways?

Adopt-A-Beach through the NEC and give our beaches some love year round!

We provide bags, gloves, and other supplies.

You cleanup your adopted site on your own schedule! Contact us for more information:

707-822-6918 adoptabeach@yournec.org

yournec.org/adoptabeach

Explore Eureka’s Hikshari’ Trail free walks and kayak tours along the Hikshari’ Trail.

Our last tours of 2016 are scheduled for October 10 (motor boat tour) and October 24 (Hikshari’ Trail walk and kayak tour).

Visit our website and like us on Facebook for more information. You can also sign up for email announcements by sending a message to alerts@humboldtbaykeeper. org or call Jasmin Segura, Bay Tours Coordinator, at 707825-1020.

Jennifer Kalt, Director The Hikshari’ Trail in south Eureka is a 1.5 mile trail completed in 2013 that winds along the Elk River and through the Elk River Wildlife Sanctuary. Bicycle, walk, jog, rollerblade, or paddle among coastal willow patches, sand dune systems, salt marsh, and riverine habitat. Named for the Wiyot place name for the Elk River area, the Hikshari’ Trail is Eureka’s newest segment of the California Coastal Trail. Future trail segments are being planned through Palco Marsh and along Eureka’s waterfront to Halvorsen Park, where it will connect to the Bay Trail to follow the Humboldt Bay shoreline between Highway 101 and the railroad corridor.

Interpretive signs along the trail highlight the area’s natural and cultural history. A stroll along the Hikshari’ Trail is a great way to enjoy spectacular views of Humboldt Bay while learning about Wiyot culture, birds, marine life, dune ecology, marsh restoration, geology, plant and animal identification, and more. There are four parking lots and trailheads to access the trail: one at Truesdale Avenue (just south of the Bayshore Mall), two along Hilfiker Lane, and one near the Herrick Avenue exit on Highway 101 at the Pound Road Park and Ride. The City of Eureka’s parking lot at Truesdale Avenue highlights Low Impact Development methods to protect the bay from polluted stormwater by directing parking lot runoff to bioswales and permeable paving stones.

Thanks to a generous grant from the California Coastal Conservancy, Humboldt Baykeeper leads

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Above: Elk River kayak tour, August 2015. Photo: Jennifer Kalt.

Below: Humboldt Baykeeper’s Bay Tours will conclude the 2015 season in October, but you can visit these coastal access areas via public transit all year round. Graphic by Humboldt Baykeeper and Coastal Conservancy. Right: The Melvin “Cappy” McKinney Loop Trail, part of the Hikshari’ Trail. Photo: Jennifer Kalt.

Arcata

Explore Humboldt Bay Explora la Bahía

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1. Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary From 5th x G Street or 6th x H Street stops, access the Marsh at the south end of South G or I Street. Friends of the Arcata Marsh leads guided walks. Call 826-2359 for info.

Desde la parada de autobús 5th y G Street o 6th y H Street, accede la marisma en el extremo sur de South G Street. Guidas gratis son ofrecidas por los Friends of the Arcata Marsh. Llama 826-2359 para información.

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Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary

Manila Dunes Recreation Area

Eureka

2. Manila Dunes Recreation Area From the Manila stop, access the Dunes from the Manila Community Center.

Desde la parada de autobús Manila Community Center, explora las dunas a lo largo del borde occidental de la bahía de Humboldt.

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Hikshari’ Trail

3. Hikshari’ Trail From the Broadway x McCullens stop, access Eureka's newest Coastal Trail at Truesdale Ave. behind Shamus T. Bones. Humboldt Baykeeper offers free natural history tours in Spanish and English.

Call 825-1020 or visit humboldtbaykeeper.org for more info.

Desde la parada de autobús Broadway y McCullens, visita el nuevo sender costero de Eureka desde Truesdale Ave. detrás de Shamus T. Bones.

Humboldt Baykeeper ofrece tours de la historia natural gratis en español y inglés. Llama 825-1020 o visita humboldtbaykeeper.org para más información.

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Oct/Nov 2015

EcoNews

Zero Waste Day November 15

Make this year to adopt the Refill-Not-Landfill habit!

Margaret Gainer Zero Waste Humboldt challenges you to do without single use packaging on Zero Waste Day, November 15, 2015. Join the refillable revolution by bringing your own refillable water bottle with you, use your own coffee cup, remember your reusable shopping bag, bring your food container from home when you stop for lunch at a deli. Do without single use plastic straws (Go Strawless!), plastic lids, and plastic utensils. You’ll be surprised at how much you will reduce your waste!

It is estimated that 14 billion paper coffee cups are thrown away every year—enough to circle the earth 55 times and weigh 900 million pounds. 500 million plastic straws are used and discarded in the U.S. annually. Ban-the-Bottle says that Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles last year—only about one-fifth of which are recycled.

The Humboldt County statistics are similar, but we have much longer distances to market.

ZWH seeks Project Manager

ZWH has announced a Request for Qualifications for a contract Project Manager.

Individuals experienced in project and budget management, working collaboratively with community partners, and organization development are invited to email the ZWH Personnel Committee for details at contact@zerowastehumboldt.org.

2015-2016 ZWH Zero Waste Solutions Series ZWH presents a series of five evening events emphasizing solutions, featuring expert speakers and short videos on the following topics of importance to Redwood Coast local governments, businesses and the general public:

Food Waste Solutions

Thursday, October 29, 2015 6:00-7:30p.m., Humboldt Area Foundation, Bayside Presenters: Juliette Bohn, Sustainable Development Consultant & Morgan King, Humboldt State University Sustainability & Waste Coordinator

How Your Business Can Achieve Zero Waste Certification

Thursday, January 21, 2016 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at HSU Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, Eureka Presenters: Cheri Chastain, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Josh Prigge, Fetzer Vineyards

Clearing Up the Confusion about Plastics and Single Use Packaging

Plastic Microbeads be Gone

California Assemblymember, Richard Bloom, reported on September 8, 2015 that his proposed Plastic Microbeads legislation passed the Assembly on concurrence, and that it will move on to Governor Brown to hopefully sign. Microbeads, common in facial scrubs and toothpastes, don’t biodegrade when washed down drains and into our waterways, thus polluting water sources and causing harm to marine wildlife.

If signed into law, Bloom’s bill AB888, will prohibit “selling or offering for promotional purposes in this state a personal care product containing plastic microbeads that are used to exfoliate or cleanse in a rinse-off product.” The legislation would go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.

Mark Murray, executive director of Californians Against Waste, said in a statement, “I am

Thursday, February 25, 2016 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., HSU Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, Eureka Presenter: Julie Layshock, Ph.D., Humboldt State University Chemistry Dept. Lecturer

Zero Waste Legislation—Recent and Pending

Friday, March 4, 2016 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. at HSU College Creek Great Hall Presenter: Mark Murray, Executive Director of Californians Against Waste

How to Reduce Waste at Fairs and Festivals

Friday, April 8, 2016 6:00 – 7:30 p.m., Humboldt Area Foundation, Bayside Presenter: Marialyce Pedersen, Senior Representative for Walt Disney Company’s Corporate Citizenship, Environment & Conservation Team

confident that, if the governor signs this bill, future generations will look back and wonder why these tiny pieces of plastic were ever even considered for use in products that are designed to be washed down the drain.”

Contact Zero Waste Humboldt contact@zerowastehumboldt.org

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The Environmental Protection Information Center

ep c

Fire Doesn’t Kill Forests, Logging Does Tom Wheeler Program and Legal Manager In 2014, over 160,000 acres of the Klamath National Forest burned. Before the fires were contained, the Forest Service was already planning a post-fire timber sale, the Westside Project. EPIC has spent the better part of a year tracking the development of the Project. Environmental voices have already forced the Forest Service to reduce the Project in size through grassroots activism.

Combined, environmental groups submitted more than 13,000 comments opposing the Westside Project.

The Westside Project, as outlined in the Forest Service’s environmental impact statement, will be massive. The logging numbers are the most shocking.

The Forest Service wants to clear-cut nearly 6,000 acres, 1,973 acres of which are in identified “Riparian Reserves”—areas with the greatest potential to impact water quality. This logging would generate approximately 95 million board feet of timber. That’s a LOT of wood. To haul all that timber, it would take around 20,000 logging trucks, which if parked front to back would stretch around 300 miles.

The Forest Service has been using the guise of “salvaging” timber as a basis to log some of the most biologically diverse and geologically unstable mountains on the West coast, within Wild and Scenic Rivers adjacent to the Marble Mountain and Russian Wilderness areas and the Pacific Crest Trail.

These sensitive post-fire watersheds provide critical habitat for salmon and many rare and endemic species. Fire doesn’t kill a forest, logging does. The Forest Service needs to live up to its responsibility to protect the values that our national forests provide by keeping our wild lands and rivers intact rather than trying to make a quick buck.

Fire does not kill a forest

Public Lands Advocate Kimberly Baker recently returned to the Klamath to “groundtruth” the Project—ensuring that the Forest Service is doing what they said they were going to do. In areas proposed for clear-cut style logging she found scores of big, live trees scheduled to be cut. Ponderosa pines and white fir “flush” after a fire, taking a year to shed browned needles with new, fresh growth.

When the Forest Service marked these areas, it failed to consider that some trees may appear to be dead immediately after a fire and up to three growing seasons before exhibiting signs of new growth. Even

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fodder for spotted owl prey. This promotes a bedroom/kitchen effect. Owls will generally live and nest in nearby green forests (and because most fires, even big ones, burn at low-severity, there’s usually a good amount of nearby green trees) but spend a good amount of time feeding in higher-severity snag forests.

Logging kills forests By contrast, post-fire logging will remove the largest snags—those which would provide the more habitat value and which have the most likelihood to remain standing while new trees grow. Logging also will inhibit the natural recovery of some areas.

Ground disturbing activities, such as tractor logging, will compress soils and help to kill the young plants which are already being established. Logging will also result in considerable slash (unmerchantable wood such as branches) being left on the ground, in some places so thick that regrowth will be virtually impossible for years. These thick piles of slash will be slow to decompose and will increase the risk of future high-intensity fires.

Photo: Kimberly Baker A proposed landing site that would cut live old growth trees.

in high-severity patches where fire swept through and left blackened snags, life is teeming. Encouraged by the warm dry winter and plentiful dead wood, beetles have swarmed in. Following the beetles are the woodpeckers. The steady drumming of woodpeckers fills the forests now. In time, the woodpeckers and beetles will create cavities in the snags, which can be used by many other animals. On the forest floor, new growth is sprouting. Conifers are regenerating as well as shrubs and hardwoods. Left alone, this new growth will create future big trees.

The more we study post-fire forests, the more we learn that unexpected species, such as the northern spotted owl which is typically associated with green old-growth forests, utilize them. Emerging research shows that unlogged post-fire forests provide good foraging grounds for owls. The standing snags provide a perch for the owls to look for prey. The decaying wood and new growth provides good www.yournec.org

Photo: EPIC Westside timber sale units on Grider and Walker Creeks (Klamath River on top right)Aqua is proposed helicopter logging Dark blue=skyline logging Red=tractor logging Spots are proposed landing locations

For more info visit wildcalifornia.org Oct/Nov 2015

EcoNews

Pope Addresses Climate Change and More environmental and social disaster, driven mainly by our profit and consumption-oriented economy, to which we should respond in the same way, and benefit from the same reward. On the threat, he

the attraction of consumer goods, an alternative view of life and a culture based on concern From my childhood, shortly after the for natural and human communities, and the Depression, I remember the slogan “Production realization that only within such a culture can we for use, not for profit,” and people talked develop fully as individuals. He emphasizes about the irrationality of the market. In that people need useful work, and economies this country and in powerful circles around should aim to provide such work and minimize the world, ideas like these have long been environmental harm, as well as provide goods relegated to occasional pious declarations and services that people need: “Once more, that everyone expects will be ignored. we need to reject a magical conception of the Now, Pope Francis has united concern for market, which would suggest that problems the poor with concern for the earth in a can be solved simply by an increase in the powerful encyclical addressed to everyone, profits of companies or individuals.” not just Catholics, and has taken his message These ideas are not new, even within on the road to insist that we take such the Catholic Church, and especially the ideas seriously.

Church in formerly colonial countries such The encyclical, titled Laudato si’, discusses as Francis’s own. Similarly, his attention climate change, which got the press coverage to indigenous people, and his dark view when it was released, but that’s not the end of big business and big finance, seems of the story. “Recognizing the reasons why a rooted in the conditions and history of given area is polluted requires a study of the his native region. workings of society, its economy, its behavior So, what is to be done? The practical patterns, and the ways it grasps reality. … We recommendations are familiar. For our daily are faced not with two separate crises, one lives, practice random kindness and senseless environmental and the other social, but rather acts of beauty, use and waste less, recycle, with one complex crisis which is both social buy locally, live thoughtfully, and give more and environmental.” attention to family and friends than to digital Laudato si’ comprises 246 long paragraphs distractions. For our public lives, join in divided into 6 chapters, each with 3 to 9 community activity and, if so inclined, social, sections. It is written in simple, conversational environmental or political activism. What is style, but the ideas are complex as they new is having these ideas united in a coherent are as bold. As noted in the introduction, Pope Francis, during a 2014 visit to Korea. Photo: Korea.net, Wikimedia Commons. and forceful way, by such a person in such a “Although each chapter will have its own prestigious position. subject and specific approach, it will also take up does not mince words: Will Laudato si’ matter? Stalin famously and re-examine important questions previously Doomsday predictions can no longer be met asked: “The Pope: how many divisions has he got?” dealt with.” The broad coverage, looping structure, with irony or disdain. We may well be leaving to Even though Francis is the head of the Catholic and conversational language make it a slow read coming generations debris, desolation and filth.

Church, how much it matters will depend on and hard to summarize. I’ve never been religious, The pace of consumption, waste and environmental ordinary people of good will within and outside so I can only read the religious parts as allegory. I change has so stretched the planet’s capacity that the Church. If we ignore it, others who are disagree regarding family planning and some other our contemporary lifestyle, unsustainable as it is, challenged by it will be happy to do so as well. issues. No matter: reading Laudato si’ carefully can only precipitate catastrophes, such as those If we read it, discuss it, apply its message to our is well worth the effort; just don’t expect to do it which even now periodically occur in different areas own lives and to political questions at all levels, in one sitting. of the world. The effects of the present imbalance and insist that political candidates address these As I read it, the non-doctrinal parts of Laudato can only be reduced by our decisive action, questions, then it may matter a lot. Moreover, si’ can be summarized through an example. In the here and now. it gives us in the environmental community an face of disasters such as earthquakes or floods, For Francis, the roots of the problem lie not in opportunity to open discussions and build mutual people commonly put aside petty differences technology and capitalism per se, but in the selfunderstanding with the faith community and and narrow self-interest to work together for the centered, individualistic, and free market ideology others concerned directly with the problems of common good, and find this temporary solidarity and consumerist culture that have developed the poor, and so give greater weight to the ideas and common purpose emotionally rewarding. along with them, and in the power of transnational of social, economic and environmental justice. In Pope Francis calls on us to recognize that globally corporations and financial institutions.

The unity there is strength. We would be wise to not let we are creating an enormous if slow moving challenge is to develop, in the face of that power and this opportunity pass.

John Williams, MRC Board Vice Chair

EcoNews Oct/Nov 2015

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NORTH GROUP REDWOOD CHAPTER Streamflow and Water Pollution—the Shasta River

To learn more about the Water Boards

Felice Pace, Water Resources Chair The answer to pollution is dilution.

This famous saying expresses a fundamental truth: a stream’s water quality and flow are intertwined and cannot be separated.

Let’s consider the Shasta River as an example. The North Coast Regional Water Quality Board (North Coast Board) designated the Shasta River as “impaired” with respect to water temperature and dissolved oxygen in the early 1990s. Eventually—and only after This thermal image shows the hotter water of Shasta River entering the already hot water in the Klamath River near Yreka. Photo courtesy of Krisweb. a lawsuit by environmental groups— the North Coast Board conducted a Water Board on “documenting dedicated cold study to identify the sources of impairment and an water instream flow in the Shasta River in relation implementation plan to clean-up the pollution and to the 45 cfs goal or alternative flow regime that restore those beneficial uses, including ESA-listed achieves the same temperature reductions from Coho and at-risk Chinook Salmon, as required by May 15 to October 15.” the federal Clean Water Act and the state Porter The report was due in 2002, but there is no Cologne Act, The Shasta TMDL (Total Daily evidence that it has ever been filed.

Maximum Load) and Implementation Plan was The deadline for achieving the required 45 cfs adopted in 2006. increase in river flows through voluntary means was The study found that the temperature of Shasta also 2002. If the flow increase was not achieved, the River water could be reduced low enough to support Implementation Plan states that the Water Board: salmon and other beneficial uses if Shasta River “May recommend that the State Water Board flows were increased by 45 cubic feet per second. consider seeking modifications to the decree, The Shasta TMDL Implementation Plan calls for conducting proceedings under the public trust that flow increase to be achieved by those who divert doctrine, and/or conducting proceedings under water from the River and its tributaries employing the waste and unreasonable use provisions of the “water management practices and activities that California Constitution and the California result in increased dedicated cold water instream Water Code.” flowing the Shasta River and its tributaries.”

Needless to say, the “required” 45 cfs increase The plan calls for those diverting water from in Shasta River flows has not been achieved. Nor the river and its tributaries to report to the Regional has the Water Board recommended modification of the Shasta River water right adjudication decree. The Board’s Executive Officer has not even informed the North Coast Board that Shasta River flows, and the beneficial uses those flows support, remain impaired.

As this report was written, Shasta River flows were a pitiful 24 cfs. No doubt those who divert water from the River would blame the drought.

However, measurements of Shasta River flows over time by the US Geological Survey near the River’s mouth indicates that the flows have been very similar year after year since the USGS first began measuring the flows in 2007. This is because the Shasta River flows derive mostly from large volcanic springs rather than snowmelt. Volcanic springs are little affected by short term changes in precipitation or snow pack.

North Group Elections

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plans and actions to clean up water quality problems on the Shasta River, visit: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/northcoast/ water_issues/programs/tmdls/shasta_ river/060707/finalshastatmdlactionplan.pdf ) Check out current and time series flows for the Shasta and other streams in California and across the nation here: http://nwis.waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/rt.

Events All our hikes are open to the public. Contact hike leaders for more information: Saturday, October 24—North Group Sierra Club Lacks Creek/Pine Ridge Prairies Hike.

Explore this nearby Bureau of Land Management area off Highway 299, on new and old trails created

by BLM, Humboldt Trails Council, and Redwood Coast Mountain Bike Association. See a mix of oak savannas, old-growth conifers, and regenerating hardwood-covered slopes. Bring lunch and water.

Dress for a fall day at 3,600 feet elevation. Medium difficulty, five miles, less than 1,000 ft. elevation change. Carpools: Meet 9 a.m. Ray’s Market in Valley West, trailhead 10 a.m. Leader Ned, nedforsyth48@ gmail.com, 707-825-3652. Heavy rain cancels.

Saturday, November 14—North Group Sierra Club Humboldt Redwoods State Park Avenue of the Giants Hike. Two separate trails, about a mile apart, take us to a view of the Eel River from High Rock (an actual rock along the river), and to a grove of stately redwoods about 1,000 feet above.

Fall colors. Band-tailed Pigeons? Bring lunch and water. Medium difficulty, 5 miles, 1,000 ft. elevation change. Carpools: Meet 9 a.m. at Herrick Avenue Park & Ride in Eureka. Leader Ned, nedforsyth48@ gmail.com, 707-825-3652.

Join Us!

The North Group’s Executive Committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month in the first floor conference room at the Adorni Center on the waterfront in Eureka. The meeting, which covers regular business and conservation issues, begins at 6:45 PM. Members and non-members with environmental concerns are encouraged to attend. When a new person comes to us with an environmental issue or concern, we often place them first or early on the agenda.

Oct/Nov 2015

EcoNews

NORTHCOAST CHAPTER Sign up for e-mail announcements:

Northcoast_CNPS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com For more details and later additions, visit:

WWW.NORTHCOASTCNPS.ORG

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.

Field Trips & Plant Walks

October 4, Sunday. Tolowa Dunes Day, a field trip. We’ll walk a trail in Tolowa Dunes State Park, Crescent City, comparing this dune forest, dune hollows, and dune mat with what we know from Humboldt Bay area. We also might visit the lakeshore, the sweeping coastal prairie on Point St. George, and Whaler’s Island in the harbor, or help pull European Beach Grass with the Tolowa Dunes Stewards’ restoration volunteers, Dress for the weather; bring lunch and water. Meet at Pacific Union School (3001 Janes Rd, Arcata) at 8:30 a.m. to carpool, or arrange another place. Return late afternoon. Tell Carol you’re coming, 822-2015.

November 7, Saturday. Shrubs from Coast to Mountain. With no flowers to look for and with two new shrub books in hand, it’s a good day to see how many species of shrubs we can find in one day while still having a good time. The route could include dune forest, Azalea State Reserve, Blue Lake Hatchery or Industrial Loop, Chezem Rd., Lord Ellis Summit, Vista Point, Berry Summit, Horse Mountain, and East Fork Willow Creek. We can decide as we go. Dress for the weather; bring lunch and water. Meet at Pacific Union School (3001 Janes Rd, Arcata) at 8:30 a.m. to carpool, or arrange another place. Return late afternoon.

RSVP with Carol 822-2015.

European beach grass grew here until Tolowa Dunes Stewards pulled it out. We will see this area on our field trip October 4.

Photo by Sue Calla.

Trees as Targets Trees don’t squeal, run, convulse, and collapse when shot, but they do bleed, die, and crash to earth. Chris Hammond documented these three stages of what happens to Jeffrey Pine when they are used repeatedly as targets, first bleeding sap, then losing bark in patches, then falling. Ironically the trees pictured are all in the Horse Mountain Botanical Area, an area in Six Rivers National Forest designated to protect botanical resources like these serpentine-growing pines. Since target shooters never pick up their spent ammunition or blasted targets, their activity creates concentrations of trash and lead, as well as dead trees and vandalized signs. Hopefully regulation, enforcement, or social responsibility will put an end to this practice. Chris took these photos as an adopter of Horse Mountain Botanical Area in the Adopt-A-Botanical-Area program of Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center (KSWild).

Evening Programs At the Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Rd., near 7th and Union, Arcata. Refreshments at 7:00 p.m.; program at 7:30 p.m.

October 14, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. A Tolowa Coast Evening.

Long-time Tolowa Dunes resident, nature writer, organizer, and advocate Susan Calla will present “The Tolowa Coast, a Liquid Landscape,” an overview of the diverse dune, wetland, lagoon, and shoreline habitats and species found within Tolowa Dunes State Park and the Lake Earl Wildlife Area in Del Norte County.

Laura Julian, biotechnician at Redwood National and State Parks and leader of countless public walks and work parties in the Tolowa Dunes, studied the bees there. In her talk “Food Deserts and Invasive

EcoNews Oct/Nov 2015

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Plants, or, Where Can a Bee Find a Snug Bed and a Good Meal?” she will share some conclusions about the links between food, nest availability, and invasive plants.

November 11, Wednesday. 7:30 p.m. “Linneaus, God’s Registrar.” Carolus Linnaeus was the most famous scientist of his time. He named thousands of plants and animals, which led to his being called “God’s Registrar.” Dr. James P. Smith, Jr., Professor of Botany, emeritus at Humboldt State University will review this man’s life. Why did he stop practicing medicine? Why were some of his botanical works banned? Was he a creationist? And, did he actually develop the system of naming plants and animals that we still use today?

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Excerpts from the first issues in which Sid Dominitz’s then-new Eco-Mania series appeared, in 1977. The above column from 1979 highlights the beginning of the NEC’s Adopt-A-Beach and Coastal Cleanup program.

Eco-Mania

SPORTS BRA SAVES CYCLIST: A 41-yearold German woman was saved by the metallic underpinnings of her sports bra after she unwittingly rode in an area where a wild boar hunt was underway.

The woman felt a sharp pain in her chest but only suffered a bruise. German police said a young boar was found dead in the area and speculated that the bullet that killed him then rebounded and hit the woman.

A merry melange: salient or silly.

by Sid Dominitz from 1977-2015 HOT CHEESE: Russian police have arrested smugglers of $30 million dollars worth of cheese.

The action was a response by Vladimir Putin to Western sanctions imposed on Russia for its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula.

Police said the 470 pounds of cheese illegally brought into Russia by six suspects had been repackaged and passed off as a higher quality than it really was.

BEAR DRIVEN BUT NOT ARRESTED: Colorado Springs police rescued a bear cub whose head got stuck in a large plastic tub of protein powder by giving her a ride in a police cruiser all the way to a Department of Wildlife ranger, who tranquilized her.

SOUNDS OF LOVE: The wolf spider actually makes an audible purr to attract females.

Other spiders use vibrations to communicate, but the wolf spider actually creates a sound. “If you were in a room with a courting spider,” George Uetz of the University of Cincinnati, who made the discovery, told the Acoustical Society of America, “the sound is at a level that’s audible by human hearing at about a meter away.”

BIONIC ANIMALS: Okinawa has the world’s first dolphin with an artificial fin. And Thailand has the world’s first elephant with an artificial leg.

Fuji the dolphin lost 75% of her tail due to a necrotic disease and had it amputated, but Bridgestone--the largest maker of tires in Japan--built a replacement made out of silicone, cushioned with foam rubber and reinforced with carbon fiber. Fuji now performs jumps and tricks.

In Thailand, the only country in the world with an elephant hospital, Motala, 50, lost her left front foot by stepping on a land mine while hauling logs. It took three days to walk Motala to the hospital because the elephant could only walk a few steps at a time—and it took 10 years before all the wounds healed and Motala was fitted with the prosthetic.

BLOCKING THE SUN: Want an all-natural sun screen? Try a material made from fish mucus, algae and shrimp. They absorb damaging UV rays, are biodegradable—and the resultant compound doesn’t smell like fish.

MEET THE SLOTH WOMAN: That’s what people are calling Monique Pool of Suriname in South America who gets phone calls whenever a lazy mammal is injured or in trouble—”even the zoo calls me,” she says. Her nonprofit, Green Heritage Fund Suriname, helps conservation efforts and she herself provides sanctuary for sloths and and also anteaters, armadillos and porcupines, and about 600 of them have been rehabilitated and returned to the rainforest.

SPLITSVILLE: Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy have announced they are no longer a couple.

In an official statement, Kermit confirmed he is dating another pig named Denise.

Asked why he was so attracted to pigs, he said: ‘It’s the curly tail. It’s fascinating. I don’t know why it makes a difference to frogs, but it’s pretty cool.”

EcoNews Oct/Nov 2015

RABBIT WHISPERER: That’s what 60-year-old Cliff Penrose calls himself, saying he can hypnotize bunnies by applying pressure and massaging their bellies, which he says relaxes them.

He claims the rabbits have been put into a trance, rolling on their backs with their legs in the air. He also treats “problem” rabbits with behavioral issues. www.yournec.org

NOT SUCH A HAPPY MEAL: A young mother in Swansea, Wales, was fined $132 for dropping a piece of lettuce from a McDonald’s Happy Meal. A litter warden following the woman’s car from a drive-thru thought she had thrown a receipt out of the window but the woman said it was a shred of lettuce from her $2.30 ‘happy meal’—and that lettuce was biodegradable and not litter.

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Humboldt Bay Wallflower

Erysimum menziesii ssp. eurekense

Menzies’ wallflower, Yadon’s wallflower, and curly wallflower.

While the Menzies’ subspecies is primarily found in Mendocino and Monterey counties, the Humboldt Bay wallflower (E. menziesii ssp. eurekense) is restricted to Humboldt County.

The wallflower is a succulent from the mustard family (Brassicaceae), and Menzies’ wallflower blooming in the dunes. Photo: Dave Impe, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. can be identified by Anne Maher its uniquely circularly arranged, spoon-shaped A flower that blooms in bursts of bright leaves. Up to eight years after its leaves are yellow in the dunes is one of only three federally formed, it produces bunches of bright yellow endangered plant species along our coast. This flowers, after which it dies. rare find, Menzies’ wallflower, grows exclusively The Humboldt Bay wallflower is pollinated along California’s northern and central coastal by only one species of dune bee, Emphoropsis dunes, within the counties of Humboldt, miserabilis, the dune’s ‘silver bees’. These are Mendocino, and Monterey. solitary bees, meaning they don’t form colonies Four subspecies of this wallflower are or hives. The Menzies’ wallflower (especially recognized—the Humboldt Bay wallflower, the Humboldt subspecies) does not have a long-

lived ‘seed bank’ within the soil, and additionally has a seed mortality rate as high as 98.3 percent within the first year.

The Humboldt Bay wallflower has been listed as a federally endangered species under the Endangered Species Act since 1992.

Threats to the flower include pedestrian activity, joggers, deer predation, equestrian use, sand mining, beach erosion, and invasive species within their habitat. In Humboldt, common invasive species that threaten its habitat include European beachgrass, iceplant, and yellow bush lupine. Additionally this subspecies is uniquely threatened by white rust disease.

Since its listing, a recovery plan as well as a five-year review have been created. It is believed that Humboldt Bay’s population of the Menzies’ wallflower is increasing over the past twenty years. It is currently estimated at 29,700 plants. The wallflower’s recovery plan calls for invasive plant removal, restoration, and habitat protection by decreasing trespassing on protected habitat, fencing rare plant habitat, and creating vehicle-free zones to bring about Menzies’ wallflower’s return to a steady population.

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Oct/Nov 2015

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the Kids’ Page: Dodder does what?

Did you know that some plants feed off of other

plants? They’re called parasitic plants. The most famous example is mistletoe. Another great example is the dodder plant, also called “devil’s guts”.

Dodder can be found in most tropical and temperate rain forest climates. There are 100-170 species, with California dodder being found in, you guessed it, California.

The dodder is a yellow, orange, or red vine with many tendrils. It is not green, like most plants, because it lacks chlorophyll (the chemical in plants that turns sunlight into energy, and also causes plants to be green).

Dodder, like most plants, starts as a seed on the ground.

Once germinated (starts to grow), it has 5-10 days to find a host plant or it will die. Dodder is a special parasite because it “smells out” its host plant.

The young dodder seedling smells the air (senses chemicals in the air) for plants on which to attach. It prefers some plants to others and will grow towards preferred species.

Once it reaches the host plant, it wraps its tendrils around the plant and grows a root that pokes inside the host plant, called haustoria. It is through these haustorium that the dodder sucks nutrients out of the host plant to survive.

The original roots in the ground then die.

Dodder can completely blanket crops, and the host plants will eventually die. Some of the plants it prefers include crops such as flax, alfalfa and clover. It can also grow on shrubs and trees, and reach the top of the canopy.

Dodder can be very difficult to get rid of, as it can regrow itself from the haustorium. The best thing farmers can do to stop the spread is to plant crop species that dodder does not like the next year, such as wheat, grasses, or corn.

by Sarah Marnick

Word Search M Q V G D T V H B M E L C E X

J Z U H R P V A J T S H L P K

L Q O T I O E U I P L J R O H

H S C N G B W S L O Q S X L J

BORE CANOPY CHLOROPHYLL CHOKE CROP DODDER

T G S F E J A T R J U Z M E S

E M G O R R I O H R Y E D V P

Y K Z N A H P R V S P U Q N E

B Y O P I H A I B C O Y V E C

E O R H Y L V U V P N O N Q I

ENVELOPE GERMINATE GROWTHS HAUSTORIA HAUSTORIUM HOST

B V R L C A D M S X A Q D D E

W B L E L W H E C T C W T C S

G E R M I N A T E X O P K R Y

J M E D O D D E R S R R B O F

E I V A D A S H A Y D B I P F

U Z P S L I R D N E T V S A V

PARASITE SEEDLING SPECIES SURVIVAL TENDRILS

Above: Orange dodder tendrils wrapping around California buckwheat. Photo: Jon Sullivan, Flickr.com CC. Left, a mat of dodder. Photo: Flickred!, Flickr.com CC.

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For over 30 years, Sid Dominitz presided over our back-page “fundometer” with his standard wit and cynicism and decades-long love for the NEC. We are not going to attempt to emulate his style in an effort to fill this page with quirky musings on why you should provide support (financial or otherwise) to the publishers of this here paper.

Sid’s role at the NEC was monumental—with his work as long-time editor of ECONEWS, nearly 40-year author of Eco-Mania, as co-founder of the NEC’s Adopt-A-Beach and Coastal Cleanup program and as someone who invested so passionately to care for this place we call home.

To honor this legacy and lend your support to protect this special corner of the world, you should probably re-up your commitment to keep our rivers and coastline clean by consuming less plastic and picking up those nasty bits when you come across them on your neighborhood walk or ocean-side stroll.

Now would also be a good time to get a team together and sign up officially with NEC’s Adopt-A-Beach program (for more info call the NEC at 822-6918 or email adoptabeach@yournec.org). You can also volunteer with our EcoNews archive project to help get nearly 45 years of our regional eco-history up online.

Lastly, but not leastly, Sid would want you to contribute financially—as much as you comfortably can— to support this paper and to support the ongoing work to conserve and celebrate our wild, wacky and wondrous bioregion. Give a gift in Sid’s memory—send a check with the form on this page or contribute online at yournec.org. (Note: if contributing online, we suggest paying through our Network for Good link where you can name the donation in memory or in honor of the eco-hero in your life).

Thank you.