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COVER STORY | GARDEN | GOOD NEWS | CALENDAR
Dec. 12, 2002
A canny environmental professional retires by KEITH EASTHOUSE  Don Tuttle has seen Humboldt County change, mostly for the better.
"The air's a lot cleaner and the bay's a lot cleaner. The bird life is tremendous." He spoke with an air of satisfaction, and no wonder. Long Humboldt County's point man on environmental issues, Tuttle, 64, is stepping down from his job as "environmental services manager." "It's time and I'm tired," Tuttle explained in his signature blunt way. It was a position created in the early 1970s by then-Supervisor Ray Peart, an avid fisherman who was growing increasingly concerned about declining water quality due to logging and water diversions. "He wanted to try and protect the natural resources and the quality of life in Humboldt County," Tuttle recalled in a recent interview at his office near the Adorni Center. Tuttle had a trio of college degrees to his credit -- a bachelor's in civil engineering from Purdue University; a master's in the same field from Cal; and a bachelor's in natural resources, which he earned at Humboldt State University in 1971. Add in a couple of years with the public works department of the city of Walnut Creek, Calif., and Tuttle was able to get the job. "It was exactly what I was looking for," Tuttle said. He meant in a professional sense. But he also liked the location. In the mid-1960s, he and his wife, Andrea Tuttle, the current head of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, undertook a months-long, 35,000-mile odyssey of the U.S. and Canada (okay, she only went along for the first 5,000 to 7,000 miles) and the North Coast was the place they liked most. Tuttle, a no-nonsense man with a keen intellect, is encyclopedic on matters environmental, at least when it comes to Humboldt. That shouldn't be surprising since over the years he's been involved in a slough of issues, from monitoring the Butler Valley Dam project on the Mad River (it never happened); sending solid waste out of state (it did); replacing culverts to improve fish habitat; detecting the Western Snowy Plover, a federal threatened species (the detection has restricted land use activities along the coast); and getting more protections for fish affected by the diversion of the Upper Eel River to Sonoma County, known as the Potter Valley Project. He said his greatest accomplishment was compiling an "environmental data bank" comprised of 20,000 aerial photographs, both modern and historic, and a mountain of documents and maps pertaining to archaeological sites, geology, vegetation, wildlife, roads, you name it (it's not computerized, but it is well-organized). The material is likely to guide land-use decisions for decades to come. As for his opinions about things, Tuttle's got some. In terms of the past, he thinks there was too much destructive logging, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s during the post-World War II construction boom. "I think a lot of old growth was cut off of sensitive areas, off of ranches and along streams, that shouldn't have been cut." He said in particular that "many streams along the Mattole were devastated [with] cutting right up to the creeks and `cats' in the streambed itself." He said virgin forest was cut on steep unstable soils in the Six Rivers National Forest "that should have been left alone." And the future? Tuttle believes its likely that more water will get diverted southward from Humboldt County to slake the thirst of a burgeoning population, particularly in the Central Valley. Lest you get the idea Tuttle is a wild-eyed environmentalist, he's not so crazy about environmental regulators, at least the kind who go by a checklist, who don't listen to reason and who lack common sense. Tuttle's frustration is easy to understand when you consider some of the incredibly convoluted and never-ending projects he's been involved with. An effort to widen the shoulders of Old Arcata Road was launched in 1974 and is still going on, held up by permit difficulties. The seemingly straightforward job of maintaining a flood control levee on Redwood Creek that protects Orick has been mired in a host of difficulties -- not least because every time the county starts to remove trees in the levee to prevent sediment buildup that reduces the levee's carrying capacity, federal and state agencies concerned about impacts to fish get agitated. A maintenance project at the levee this past July, for example, was halted after an armed warden with the California Fish and Game Department confronted county workers. Further complicating matters, two different divisions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which built the levee back in the 1960s, are at odds over the county's maintenance role -- one, charged with protecting natural resources, wants less maintenance, while the other, charged with flood protection, wants more. But all of that won't burden Tuttle much longer. He stops going full-time at the end of the year, and will work a couple of days a week with his successor for a few months next year, and that'll be it. About that successor. Tuttle, characteristically, played his cards close to his chest. "A person has been chosen but a name hasn't been released," he said.
The 40-mile test:
Arcata to Willow Creek, one stride at a time by ANDREW EDWARDS  Imagine running from Arcata to Blue Lake. Now imagine running on to the top of Lord Ellis. It's only 2,600 feet, you could do it. It's all downhill from there. Until the next mountain, that is, another 2,000 feet of climbing. And then it truly is downhill. By now, you've already run a tough marathon, something to be proud of no matter who you are. But you still have more than 10 miles to go until the finish line, in Willow Creek.
If all of that sounds insane, or just impossible, then you've never heard of the sport of ultra-marathoning and its Humboldt incarnation, the Arcata-to-Willow Creek ultra-40 miler, scheduled for Saturday. The starting time for the 30-year-old event is 8 a.m., and the starting point is the intersection of L.K. Wood and California Street. Be there or be square. A standard marathon is 26.2 miles. Anything over that is an ultra-marathon. For many, the very idea of running is foreign, much less running to a nearby town, so what does it take to be an ultra-marathoner? "[It takes] a certain kind of nut; how about that?" said George Crandell [at left in photo above], the race's director and a veteran ultra-runner. "Actually it takes the kind of person who is into challenges that people don't think are possible." Crandell would know. He has finished the Arcata-to-Willow Creek race 16 times, more than anyone else, and holds four age-group records for the course. Basically, he holds every record for runners from age 40-64. He quit running the race four years ago at age 66 on the advice of his doctor, though he says he would still like to go out and give it a go. "I would still like to do it actually," Crandell said. "I would like to do it this year." Crandell, who turned 70 last week, celebrated his birthday by going out and running 20 miles. A retired Humboldt State University oceanography professor, the nut-brown Crandell looks and sounds like someone 20 years his junior. He didn't get into running "seriously" until the early 1970s, when he was in his 40s. His best time was in 1977, when, at age 45, he ran the course in 4 hours and 51 minutes. That's a pace of just over 8 miles per hour. On Saturday, six people, five men and one woman, will attempt to run the course. Actually, it could be just five guys as the female runner, Karen Angel (also a record-holder), is recovering from a knee injury. Of the 258 starts in the race's history, 208 were finishes, just over 80 percent. That's impressive considering the climbs and physical beating the race entails, not to mention the training that has to be done beforehand. "You pretty much need to be a marathoner before you start it," Crandell said. He said people who run it usually already do 100 miles of running a week, including several 30-mile work outs. "You really have to pay your dues and get out there on the roads on the weekends," Crandell said. Going into the race there are three kinds of competitors, those in it to finish, those in it to win, and those in it to set records. Oddly, the four fastest times were all set in 1982. The winner that year was local runner (at the time) Howard Labrie, who triumphed over several serious outside-the-area competitors and ran the course in the remarkable time of 4 hours and 10 minutes. That's a pace of just under 10 miles per hour for 40 miles. "When people hear that you ran 40 miles, they say `wow, my car would have trouble doing that,'" said Bill Daniel [at right in photo above], who at one time held the course record (he still has the record of most finishes under the magic five-hour mark -- six). His record-setting run, in 1977, came as a surprise. His goal at first was just to keep up with the leaders, but when he found himself in the lead at the 10-mile mark, he decided he was going to win. Dogging his heels was a "young whippersnapper" more than 10 years his junior. He said it was back and forth until the final hump, a brief shift from the long downhill that leads into Willow Creek. After 30-plus miles, that small climb can feel like a mountain. "At that point he psychologically broke," Daniel said. Daniel continued to run to Willow Creek, completing the course in 4 hours and 35 minutes. "Everyone said `oh they'll never break that one,'" Daniel said. "It was broken the next year." The only person with any chance of setting a new course record, or at least getting close, is Billy Morris, a teacher at Eureka High School. Last year, he chalked up the first under-five-hour time in a long while, making him, in Crandell's words, "the current star." Morris could not be reached for this report, in part because has been busy doing training runs. Crandell said the sport has suffered a real decline in the last 15 to 20 years with slower times and fewer racers. "I don't think there are as many people interested in getting the most out of their bodies," Crandell said. "But I think it will come back. These things go in cycles."
Grand Jury: Eureka parking needs attention
Business owners support parking garage, but no assessment by GEOFF S. FEIN
The city of Eureka will need to add more metered parking or look to property owners to help pay for parking garages in order to alleviate downtown parking woes. That was one of 12 findings made by the 2001-2002 Humboldt County Grand Jury. The 32-page final report and the responses from county departments and other agencies, released last month, also includes the Grand Jury's findings on a complaint about Humboldt County's Healthy Moms program; Child Welfare Services; and the need for upgrading the Sheriff's evidence room and juvenile hall. The Grand Jury's findings on the parking problem in downtown Eureka are supported by studies done in conjunction with the Eureka Main Street program. The Grand Jury found the city of Eureka should develop more planning for parking for new downtown developments; bring city-owned parking lots up to the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements; require business owners, their employees and government workers to use long-term parking lots; and increase the number of metered parking spaces or assess business owners to help build new lots. Since 1979 the city has spent about $190,000 on various studies. One study done in 1998 concluded there was not a parking problem. In fact the study showed there is plenty of parking within one to two blocks of most downtown businesses. But the most recent study, the Eureka Downtown/Old Town Property Owner Parking Needs Survey (conducted by the Eureka Main Street program in 2002 and sent to downtown property owners), showed that almost 60 percent (30 property owners) believe downtown parking is inadequate. Property owners said they need 103 spaces for residents living in the area, 887 spaces for workers, 108 for company vehicles and 516 spaces for customers. About 70 percent of those surveyed (35 property owners) favor a multi-level parking garage. About 51 percent (25) favor building a structure at 3rd and G streets. In 2000 the city and the Eureka Main Street program did a parking survey of six city-owned lots. The survey showed that 84 percent of the vehicles parked in the lots belonged to workers; 4 percent belonged to shoppers and 11 percent belonged to residents. Part of the problem, the studies found, is that businesses do not provide parking for employees. Workers either park on downtown streets and move their cars every two hours, or pay 50 cents to park all day in any of the 15 public parking lots (between 8th and First streets and A and I streets). Those lots, however, tend to fill up quickly. The end result is that workers and shoppers compete for on-street parking. There are a total of 3,550 parking spaces in a 55-block area of downtown. Of that amount, 1,516 are on-street spaces with the majority limited to two-hour parking. Another 1,400 spaces are privately owned for the exclusive use by business employees or customers. The remaining 633 spaces are in city-owned lots. The city has considered building parking garages, but downtown business and property owners scoffed at being assessed for construction costs. Even when the city has offered to split the $4 million price tag, property owners still rejected the proposal, said Brent Siemer, Eureka public works director. It costs approximately $3,500 per space to pave a parking lot. That figure increases almost four-fold, to $13,000 per space, when it comes to building parking garages, Siemer said. "It's not a simple solution," he said. "Any assessments were pretty much squelched all along. It was something property owners felt would affect businesses." The last time the city discussed assessments was 15 years ago. The cost for building a parking structure has probably doubled in that time, Siemer said. Ironically, while property and business owners have refused to approve any assessments, they continue to question why the city hasn't built a parking garage, Siemer added. The only solutions for the city appear to be either finding empty lots to convert into surface parking or tearing down buildings to add parking lots. But taking down buildings is not an option Siemer is considering. The Grand Jury report also found that city-owned parking lots must be brought up to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. While it was not mentioned in the report, the city is involved in a slip-and-fall lawsuit being brought by Eureka lawyer Jason Singleton on behalf of a wheelchair bound client who fell on a curb cut that did not meet ADA standards according to Eureka City Manager David Tyson. Granite Construction Co. is resurfacing 11 city-owned lots to bring handicapped spaces up to code. A letter from a Eureka resident led the Grand Jury to look into the Humboldt County Healthy Moms Program (HMP). The resident said the county failed to follow proper procedures for purchasing property on H Street. The resident was also worried that the county-run program will create parking problems as well as lower property values in the neighborhood. The county purchased the H Street house for $225,000 and spent almost $250,000, three times the original estimate of $75,000, on remodeling costs. The Healthy Moms Program provides drug and alcohol treatment for women with children. The program also teaches the woman how to become better parents. According to the Humboldt County Health and Human Services Department, the program has a 62 percent success rate. After interviewing the resident who filed the complaint and reviewing materials, the Grand Jury found no irregularities in the way the county obtained the H Street property. The Grand Jury also interviewed HMP staff and visited the facility on several occasions. Although the Grand Jury admonished the county for failing to conduct a thorough inspection of the property, the Grand Jury commended the HMP and the county for a "successful, cost-effective program" that provides "an important service to the community." The Grand Jury found a number of issues pertaining to Child Welfare services in Hoopa. Among the findings were: case workers took up to five days to respond to emergencies; mandated reporters (doctors, nurses, teachers and their aides, and day care personnel) were not informed of the progress of a child's case; and inadequate communication exists between county CWS workers and the Hoopa Tribal Council Division of Human Services case workers. Humboldt County officials, however, disagreed with the Grand Jury's findings. For example, case workers determine if a response to a child's welfare requires immediate attention or a response within 10 days. An immediate response is required when there is an imminent danger to a child or when immediate attention is requested by law enforcement. County officials also disagreed that case workers don't communicate with mandated reporters. Case workers can provide doctors, nurses, teachers and day care personnel with either a state-approved feedback letter or verbal feedback at the time a report is submitted. The Grand Jury recommended that the Humboldt County Sheriff's evidence room be moved to a larger site to allow for proper ventilation, that the Sheriff increase staff size from two to three full-time employees; that the evidence room have a computer database program to catalog all evidence; and that a flushing station be built to remove toxic materials from the evidence room. County officials said they are working toward remedying some of the Grand Jury's findings. Last year, for example, the Sheriff increased the number of evidence room employees to three and one part-time employee. A flushing station has also been added in the evidence lab, along with an eye-wash station, emergency shower and large utility sink. But the sheriff has yet to implement a computer database program to catalog evidence. The Grand Jury found that when Juvenile Hall's population exceeds 26 inmates, many are required to double up sleeping arrangements which often means some inmates sleep on floors. Probation Department officials disagreed with the Grand Jury's findings. Although inmates do have to double up in single rooms and day rooms, they do not sleep on the floor, they said. Plastic cots are used to keep the juveniles from sleeping on the ground. Because of overcrowded conditions in juvenile hall, new offenders are released to their parents. "At times minors are released from custody prior to detention hearings, however not all minors arrested are appropriate for detention," according to Probation Department officials. The county had applied for a $2 million grant to build an additional 20-bed area next to juvenile hall, but the application was unsuccessful and it appears there is no future funding available for such projects, according to Probation Department officials.
Tobacco scourge A Humboldt County Public Health Department report states that one of every five adult deaths in Humboldt County is directly attributed to tobacco use. In 1998 there were 245 tobacco-related deaths in Humboldt County compared to 128 deaths from homicides, suicides, motor vehicle accidents, alcohol, illegal drugs and AIDS combined. While tobacco-related deaths (per 100,000 population) are on the decline statewide, it's the opposite in Humboldt County. In the mid-1990s the death rates in Humboldt County were dropping, reaching a low of almost 140 by 1995. But by 1996 the numbers began to increase. By 1998 more than 150 persons died from tobacco, almost 30 more than the state average. About 21 percent of all Humboldt County adults smoke. At least 58 percent of all 11th-graders in the county have tried tobacco, but only 8 percent said they use tobacco products daily. Even with laws prohibiting tobacco sales to minors, about 90 percent of 11th-graders surveyed said it was easy to get cigarettes. The Public Health Department is asking schools to provide prevention education to elementary and high school students. Public Health officials added that Humboldt State University President Rollin Richmond is proposing to make the university a smoke-free campus. 
Tree flap by KEITH EASTHOUSE The city of Eureka is going ahead with its plan to cut down as many as two dozen stately cypress trees at the intersection of Harris and K streets despite opposition from the public and from a volunteer group dedicated to beautifying the city. The trees are being cut down as part of a project to replace the giant, powder blue water tank that has served as a local landmark since the 1950s. The half-million gallon capacity tank does not conform to current seismic safety codes. Michele McKeegan, president of Keep Eureka Beautiful, said Tuesday she was "very distressed" at the plan to remove the trees. She said it flies in the face of a resolution passed by the City Council earlier this year that envisions Eureka as a city of tree-lined streets and instructs city staff to undertake projects to make that vision a reality. "This seems real inconsistent," McKeegan said. A story in last week's Journal about the project (see "Get ready for the twin tanks") provoked a spate of irate telephone calls to City Hall. McKeegan said her group also received calls. McKeegan said she thought the cutting had been postponed until next week's City Council meeting. But project engineer Jeff Tedder said Tuesday the cutting is going ahead. At least one tree was felled over the weekend. "The city has some good reasons for wanting to cut these trees down but they are not compelling reasons. They don't counterbalance the value of 50-year-old trees," McKeegan said. McKeegan said studies have shown that trees raise property values and decrease traffic speeds by narrowing drivers' field of vision. "Communities that are clean and attractive have more economic benefits and experience less crime," she said. Public works director Brent Siemer said last week that, largely because of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, it was decided the trees had to be removed for security purposes; even though they are located inside the fenced site, overhanging branches can be used to access the area. Tedder cited additional reasons for the cutting -- the roots of some of the trees are in the way of a planned underground pipeline; and in the event a windstorm blows down large branches or entire trees, damage could be done to the new elevated tank as well as to an on-the-ground pumping and holding tank system that is also part of the project. He also said that some of the trees would interfere with the erection of the new tank in a corner of the square-block, city-owned property. For a few months next year, both the old and the new tank will stand side by side until the original one is dismantled. An elevated tank has to be in operation at all times; otherwise, thousands of Eureka households will lose water pressure.
Eco-hostel in works A hostel may be coming to Arcata, and not just any kind of hostel: an environmental technology hostel. The Center for Environmental Economic Development, a local nonprofit, has received a $50,000 Ford Foundation grant to complete preliminary plans for what would be the first hostel of its kind and a possible model for hostels in the future. Participating parties in the project -- estimated to ultimately cost about $1 million -- include Hostelling International, which would operate the facility; the city of Arcata, which would provide the location (possibly the 11-acre Little Lake parcel just north of the marsh between H and I streets); and Humboldt State University, which would provide four student interns to run the hostel's environmental systems and give lectures to hostelers. According to Jim Litzky, a member of CEED's board of directors and a driving force behind the project, the hostel could be up and running in as little as two years. The 40-bed facility would cost $15 a night to stay in. It is projected that the facility would draw 8,000 to 10,000 overnight stays annually. The point of the project is to educate young travelers about environmental technologies in the hope that they will make use of that knowledge once they embark on careers. Why use hostels? Because they attract an enormous number of young, well-educated people traveling for a year or so to "find" themselves before embarking on careers. "The potential for hostels to provide environmental education is incredible," Litzky said. He said the hostel would also be one more step in shifting Arcata and the Humboldt Bay region as a whole away from a natural-resource-based economy toward an economy based on eco-tourism. While the hostel's precise eco-friendly features are unclear at this point, environmental technology buildings typically include extra-thick "rammed earth" walls to keep heat out in the summer and warmth in during the winter; automated windows that open and shut depending on the amount of sunlight they receive; and the latest solar energy collectors. Litzky said every other environmental technology building in the world is a research facility -- there's one at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park -- that closes down at night and is only open to the public a day or two a month. This would be the first one "where people can come and live in it," he said. Standard hostels offer cheap overnight stays in a social environment where group kitchens and common areas encourage interaction among people from all walks of life.
Safety corridor crash
In a sign that perhaps the "safety corridor" on Hwy. 101 between Eureka and Arcata isn't so safe, a three-car wreck occurred Friday evening that flipped a car and sent one juvenile to the hospital. The smash-up occurred when a 67-year-old San Diego woman attempted to cross Hwy. 101 northbound at the Indianola cutoff at around 6 p.m. Friday. She pulled out directly in front of a 53-year-old Arcata man driving a Nissan Altima. He couldn't avoid her. They collided and he ended up overturned on the right hand side of the road. Meanwhile, the woman, driving a 2001 Mercury Marquis, continued, careening across the road into a Ford Ranger driven by a 40-year-old Eureka man who was at the stop sign at the end of Indianola. A passenger in his vehicle was treated for minor injuries. Everyone involved was wearing seat belts or it would likely have been a lot worse. In the words of reporting officer Sgt. Adam Jager of the California Highway Patrol, "we were very fortunate."
Chief Gallagher leaving Top Arcata law enforcement officials, including Police Chief Chris Gallagher, did not dispute a report that Gallagher is leaving the city's top law enforcement post. "I'll probably have more to say after the first of the year," Gallagher said. A report in this week's Arcata Eye said Gallagher is leaving in March for both personal and professional reasons. He recently informed his colleagues and the city staff of his decision, the newspaper said. An officer declined to discuss the matter, saying "these are tremendously private situations." Gallagher became chief of police in March. His tenure has been marked by some controversy -- particularly an effort to restrict alcohol-serving live music venues in the downtown earlier this year.
McKinleyville plan approved
After 13 years of often-contentious meetings, lack of funding, turnover in county planning staff and committee membership -- not to mention an expenditure of $350,000 -- the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has finally approved the McKinleyville Community Plan. The plan addresses urban sprawl by defining areas for residential and commercial growth, open spaces and trails. A significant change made to the final document by the county planning commission identifies a lack of available land for commercial development as well as for affordable housing. The plan was the subject of an article entitled "Planning, McKinleyville Style," that appeared in the Sept. 12 edition of the Journal. McKinleyville is the fastest-growing unincorporated area in Humboldt County. It has a growth rate of 2.3 percent, almost double the growth rate countywide. The supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday to accept the final plan. Supervisor Paul Kirk, who represents the 5th District (the area from McKinleyville north to the Del Norte County border) thanked everyone who has been involved in the lengthy process. "Bureaucracy is very slow," he said.
Target concerns
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors wants more information from Eureka city officials on the possible financial impacts a new Target store planned for the north end of town might have on the county. The supervisors also want more information on potential traffic congestion that could occur once Target opens. At the board's regular Tuesday meeting, Supervisor Bonnie Neely said more information is needed on how the Target store, slated for the old Montgomery Ward site off Highway 101, might impact coastal views. The final environmental impact report (EIR) for Target was released earlier this month. The supervisors have until Dec. 17 to forward any comments on the project to city officials. The Eureka City Council is scheduled to meet on that date to discuss the report. Kirk Girard, director of community development for the county, told the supervisors that it is the city's position that Target will not adversely affect other retail stores, nor will it cause economic blight in the county. The city has argued, Girard said, that it is not required under state law to quantify the store's likely financial impacts, only its potential environmental impacts. Although the city is planning improvements to V Street to alleviate increased traffic around the store, the supervisors expressed concern that the city could delay or cancel those improvements. The supervisors directed the county's public works department to determine the impacts to traffic if the city does not move forward on V Street improvements. Target is proposing to build a 130,785-square-foot retail outlet on an 11.4-acre site. Target's store is almost 44,500 square feet larger than the former Montgomery Ward store.
Serra to the rescue
Attorney J. Tony Serra, who represented Darryl Cherney and Judi Bari in their cases against the FBI, will now defend two tree-sitters arrested last month after protesting Pacific Lumber Co. logging in the Freshwater area. Jane Marsh, 18, and Jamie LeRoy Harris, 26, were charged with trespassing and resisting arrest. A week after their initial arrest, Marsh and Harris were discovered sitting in trees near Scotia. PL climbers were attempting to bring Marsh and Harris down when the pair stripped off their clothes. Marsh was charged with indecent exposure. She is being held on $200,000 bail; Harris is being held on $55,000 bail.
Pot bust
Humboldt County Sheriff's deputies last week seized more than 1,600 marijuana plants, three pounds of dried marijuana, 90 firearms and $4,000 in cash from a Maple Hills Road home in southern Humboldt. Kenneth Bowman, 46, Donna Bowman, 47, and their son Justin, 21, were arrested on suspicion of cultivation and possession for sale of marijuana. The Bowmans are being held on $50,000 bail.
Change at the Assessor's office
Humboldt County Assessor Ray Jerland retired after 43 years of service to the county. Jerland was first hired on Sept. 1, 1959 in the County Treasurer's office. He was elected Assessor three years ago. Assessor-elect Linda Hill will be sworn into office on Dec. 27.
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