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NCJ Daily Online
Arkley’s ‘Dog Ranch’ Sold to Conservation Coalition
It turns out “never, ever, ever, ever, ever” isn’t so long after all — sometimes it’s a little more than 15 years, in fact.
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Back in 2005, after swooping in at the 11th hour to outbid Friends of the Dunes and the Humboldt Bay Harbor District for a 200-acre property on the Samoa Peninsula known as the Dog Ranch, foiling preservation plans, Eureka businessman and billionaire Rob Arkley made no e ort to conceal his glee, according to a report in the Journal.
“They got in second place!” he said, adding that one of the first things he intended to do was fence the property o from public access. “And it’ll never, ever, ever, ever be sold to them. I’m not going to give it to the government agencies. I believe there’s far too much government land.”
While it’s unclear what prompted the change of heart or wallet, there clearly was a change, as Friends of the Dunes announced Oct. 15 that it, the Harbor District, the Wildlife Conservation Board, the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Coastal Conservancy had completed a deal with Arkley’s Security National Investments X to purchase the property “for the purposes of conservation and public access.”
Arkley put the property west of the Samoa Bridge — which included an older home, outbuildings, a ranch facility, a wide swath of sensitive dune habitats and an ecologically significant piece of coastal forest — back on the market in 2014 with an asking price of $2 million. Friends of the Dunes Executive Director Mike Cipra said the final purchase price was “right around” that number.
Cipra, who said he “picked up the keys from Security National” on Oct. 16, described the property as special and repeatedly expressed gratitude to the other agencies and organizations involved in the purchase. — Thadeus Greeson POSTED 10.16.20. Read the full story online.
Veiled Display
Isadora Sharon joined Shoshanna and Jessica Vonada practicing with their long veil during rehearsal of “Veil/Re-Veil” before sunset on Moonstone Beach. The dance, with no in-person audience, was part of the Arcata Playhouse Arts virtual presentation Intersections, Where We Meet, which featured remote performances from locations around the county and beyond. See the full slideshow at www.northcoastjournal.com. POSTED 10.20.20. Photo by Mark Larson
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Charges Filed: Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming announced Oct. 16 that her o ce has charged the driver of a red Jeep who drove through a crowd of protestors on May 30 with reckless driving. The person who was hit su ered a concussion and significant bruising. POSTED 10.16.20
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Homicide Investigation: Pelican Bay State Prison authorities are investigating the death of Joshua E. Kirtley, in prison for the 1998 murder of Paul Sanders at a marijuana grow in the Southern Humboldt area, as a homicide. He was found dead in his cell on Oct. 17. POSTED 10.19.20
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Yurok Homeless Grant: The Yurok Tribe received a $2.2 million grant from California’s Homekey Program to address homelessness, the same grant St. Joseph Health received for its Providence Eureka housing project. POSTED 10.16.20
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They Said It
— A sta report by Eureka City Clerk Pam Powell on an agenda item being decided as the Journal was going to press on opening council future meetings with a land acknowledgement. POSTED 10.17.20
Comment of the Week
“ Mac and cheese is back!!!! I’ve missed you so!” homelands we reside on and is a recognition of the original people and nations who
— Reader Debbie Rush commenting on a Facebook post about the news that Italian restaurant mainstay Babetta’s is starting to o er a trio of family-sized take-out meals, including one of Rush’s apparent favorites. POSTED 10.19.20
