Food
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
Saving Salmon: Newsom Unveils Blueprint for Ending Decades-long Decline
Posted By Rachel Becker/CalMatters on Wed, Jan 31, 2024 at 11:39 AM
The blueprint calls for tearing down dams and improving passages for migrating salmon, restoring flows in key waterways, modernizing hatcheries to raise fish and taking other steps to help Chinook, coho, steelhead and other migrating fish.
“We’re doubling down to make sure this species not only adapts in the face of extreme weather but remains a fixture of California’s natural beauty and ecosystems for generations to come,” Newsom said in a statement.
Fewer than 80,000 Central Valley fall-run chinook salmon — a mainstay of the state’s salmon fishery — returned to spawn in 2022, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It’s a decline of nearly 40 percent from the previous year, and the lowest since 2009. Last year, all salmon fishing was canceled in California and much of Oregon due to low numbers projected to return from the Pacific.
The threats to California's salmon are many — dams that block migration, diversions that drain rivers, ocean conditions and climate change. And the effects of the decline are wide-ranging: loss of fishery jobs, impacts on tribes’ food security and cultures, no local supplies for restaurants and consumers, and more.
Many of the projects and solutions outlined in Newsom’s report are already underway, or under the direction of the federal government, tribes and conservation groups. Included are the historic demolition of four aging hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, and reintroduction of endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook eggs to the McCloud River upstream of Lake Shasta.
Regulatory efforts include establishing minimum flows on the fiercely contested Scott and Shasta Rivers, and the long-delayed and controversial management plan for the Bay-Delta, the heart of the state’s water supply.
Some environmental groups called the plan a ploy to burnish Newsom's image after taking other steps that jeopardized salmon: his waiver of water quality requirements in the Delta that protect salmon, his support of a controversial pact with major water suppliers, and his backing of the Delta tunnel project, which the state’s environmental assessment warned could put salmon at risk.
Wednesday, December 20, 2023
Local Commercial Dungeness Crab Season to Open in January
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Wed, Dec 20, 2023 at 4:19 PM
The opening zone stretches from the Oregon state line down to the Sonoma-Mendocino county line. Meanwhile, local restrictions on the use of recreational crab traps have been lifted since Dec. 16, according to a CDFW.
CDFW originally delayed the commercial opening in Humboldt, Del Norte and Mendocino counties, which has been slated for Dec. 1, due to poor meat quality before extending it again earlier this month citing “high numbers of humpback whales and a recent confirmed entanglement of a leatherback sea turtle in commercial Dungeness crab fishing gear lost in a previous season.”
A “64-hour pre-soak” for the commercial fleet begins on Jan. 2 at 8:01 a.m., today's news release states.
Find the release below:
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Food for People Starting a New Chapter
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Sat, Jun 24, 2023 at 2:33 PM
On Sunday, the public is invited to tour the new warehouse facility located at 307 W 14th St. from 1 to 5 p.m.
For 22 years, Holcomb has guided Food for People, aiding in the development of new programs to reach those in need in a vast and diverse community, ranging from the Backpacks for Kids weekend hunger relief program and mobile pantry services for rural areas to free produce markets and an expanded network of food pantries.
“I would like to thank the staff and volunteers and the hundreds of partners both locally and statewide who have shared their resources, compassion and grace over the years in support of our friends and neighbors,” Holcomb said in a news release. “I have found such incredible inspiration from meeting so many people who have shared their stories of how Food for People helped them at a critical time, and how happy they are to be in a position to ‘pay it forward’ as volunteers and donors. This is the spirit that will keep Food for People strong and resilient into the future.”
As the pandemic brought a new wave of community members relying on the nonprofit for a helping hand, rising inflation is doing the same, according to the nonprofit, which serves 12,000 individuals a month through a network of 17 food pantries and other services, including the child and senior nutrition programs.
The official food bank of Humboldt County has also been there when natural disasters have struck the region, including the devastating magnitude 6.4 earthquake on Dec. 20 and New Year’s Day 5.4 that hit the small town of Rio Dell particularly hard.
“As I quickly learned, when I started eight years ago, even among other food banks, Food for People is unique, and I would say, exceptional. Many food banks function solely on a bulk level — collecting, inventorying, and storing food to be distributed to partner agencies,” Robbins said. “The direct distribution of food is typically done by others, but Food for People does it all. We do the typical food banking, providing food to our network of hard-working food pantries and partners, and we also provide direct service with our staff offering one-on-one connections with people, listening to their stories and offering a warm smile with dignity and respect.”
For more information on how to help Food for People, visit its website here.
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Mangoes and Agave in the Central Valley? California Farmers Try New Crops to Cope with Climate Change
Posted By Alastair Bland/CalMatters on Wed, May 10, 2023 at 11:19 AM
As California warms, Gragg — a nurseryman, micro-scale farmer and tropical fruit enthusiast — looks forward to the day that he can grow and sell mangoes in Northern California.
“I’ve been banking on this since I was 10 years old and first heard about global warming,” said Gragg, 54, who has planted several mango trees, among other subtropical trees, in his orchard about 25 miles west of Sacramento.
Gragg’s little orchard might be the continent’s northernmost grove of mangoes, which normally are grown in places like Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Northern California’s climate, he said, is becoming increasingly suitable for heat-loving, frost-sensitive mango trees, as well as avocados, cherimoyas and tropical palms, a specialty of his plant nursery Golden Gate Palms.
“Climate change isn’t all bad,” Gragg said. “People almost never talk about the positives of global warming, but there will be winners and losers everywhere.”
Mangoes may never become a mainstream crop in the northern half of California, but change is undoubtedly coming. Hustling to adapt, farmers around the state are experimenting with new, more sustainable crops and varieties bred to better tolerate drought, heat, humidity and other elements of the increasingly unruly climate.
In the Central Valley, farmers are investing in avocados, which are traditionally planted farther south, and agave, a drought-resistant succulent grown in Mexico to make tequila.
In Santa Cruz, one grower is trying a tropical exotic, lucuma, that is native to South American regions with mild winters. Others are growing tropical dragonfruit from the Central Coast down to San Diego.
Some Sonoma and Napa Valley wineries have planted new vineyards in cooler coastal hills and valleys to escape the extreme heat of inland areas. And several Bay Area farmers have planted yangmei, a delicacy in China that can resist blights that ravage peaches and other popular California crops during rainy springs.
“People almost never talk about the positives of global warming, but there will be winners and losers everywhere.”
Gary Gragg, Sacramento Valley farmer
Near the town of Linden, farmer Mike Machado, who served in the state Assembly and Senate from 1994 to 2008, is one of many growers in the arid San Joaquin Valley who have replaced some stone fruit and nut trees with olives, historically a minor California crop mostly produced in Mediterranean nations.
“We’re adjusting for survival,” Machado said.
Friday, May 5, 2023
Campground Restaurant Fire Causes $100k in Damage
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Fri, May 5, 2023 at 11:45 AM
When firefighters arrived at the three-story building located just off the Arcata Plaza, they found smoke and flames emitting from the roof ventilation fan, and fire in the kitchen area of the restaurant.
Arcata Fire credited restaurant staff with doing “an excellent job of evacuating patrons from the restaurant before firefighters arrived on scene.” Responding units began “evacuating the remainder of the structure and looking for extension of the fire throughout the building."
No injuries were reported by Arcata Fire.
“The fire was reported to be accidental due to the hood ventilation system having a buildup of grease that had ignited,” the release states. “The extinguishing system held the fire in check and slowed the spread.”
Humboldt Bay Fire, Blue Lake Volunteer. Fire, Fieldbrook Volunteer. Fire, Westhaven Volunteer. Fire, Samoa Volunteer. Fire and Kneeland Volunteer. Fire provided mutual aid during the incident.
Find the Arcata Fire release below:
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
California Bills to Expand State Tax Credits Could send $1 Billion to Low-income Families
Posted By Alejandra Reyes-Velarde/CalMatters on Wed, Apr 19, 2023 at 12:49 PM
This year things are different. Bonilla cleans homes a few days a week but only makes about $10,000 a year. Most of her pandemic aid has phased out, so she struggles to keep up with expenses.
Add to that, her youngest child turned 6 in November, making Bonilla ineligible for California’s Young Child Tax Credit. Her tax refund will be $1,083 less this year, squeezing her already tight budget.
“Sometimes I say I’m going to save money and I start saving,” she said, “but the prices go up and I can’t do it anymore.”
Advocates say California’s tax credits are more crucial now, as low-income families like Bonilla’s struggle to financially recover from the pandemic as other government relief programs end.
For instance, the federal government in 2020 expanded its tax credits to send advanced monthly payments to low-income families with children and, for the first time, included very low-income earners. It helped cut child poverty, but the federal credit expansion ended in December 2021.
Democratic Assemblymembers Mike Gipson of Gardena and Miguel Santiago of Los Angeles recently authored two bills that would expand California’s Earned Income Tax Credit and its Young Child Tax Credit.
Combined the bills would cost about $1.1 billion annually, in a year the state is predicting a $22.5 billion to $25 billion deficit.
Monday, December 26, 2022
OES: Earthquake Resources, Help Available for Residents, Businesses. Rio Dell Remains Under Boil Advisory.
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Mon, Dec 26, 2022 at 11:35 AM
Find the OES release below:
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Local Commercial Crab Season Opener is Set
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Thu, Dec 22, 2022 at 6:18 PM
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today that the Dungeness commercial season opener for Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties is now set for Dec. 31 at 12:01 a.m., with a 64-hour gear setting period that will begin at 8:01 a.m. on Dec. 28.
The local commercial season had been delayed due to poor meat quality.
Find the CDFW release here.
Food for People Food Distribution Events Happening Today
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Thu, Dec 22, 2022 at 9:21 AM
It will take place at Gene Lucas Center parking lot located at 3000 Newburg Road.
Scheduled mobile pop-up distributions will also take place in Blue Lake from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Community Resource Center located at 111 Greenwood Ave. and in Weitchpec from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Yurok Tribal Office.
The nonprofit's Eureka Choice Pantry will also have extended hours today, from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 1720 10th St.
For more information on other distributions this week, including in Arcata, McKinleyville, and Garberville, visit www.foodforpeople.org/page/distributions.
On Wednesday, Food for People partnered with the Rio Dell Family Resource Center to distribute water, food boxes, and ready-to-eat meal kits to 225 households in Rio Dell, which bore the brunt of Tuesday's magnitude-6.4 earthquake.
"Nearly everyone served were without water or power and many had experienced extensive food loss as well as structural and material damages at their homes," a news release states. "
For more information about Food for People's many programs or to support the food bank visit www.foodforpeople.org or call (707) 445-3166.
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Quake Update: State of Emergency Declared, Two Dead, A Dozen Injured, Shelter Opened in Fortuna, State Funds for Fernbridge and Boil Water Advisories
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Tue, Dec 20, 2022 at 5:33 PM
According to a news release, the declaration allows "the county to seek state and federal reimbursement for damage repairs and other associated impacts. The amount of funding depends on the agencies that assist, including the state of California and federal government."
An overnight shelter has been established by the American Red Cross-Gold Country Region in Fortuna at the Rohner Park Firemen’s Pavilion for those displaced by this morning’s magnitude-6.4 earthquake.
The shelter, located at 9 Park Street, will provide accommodations, meals, water and earthquake information. For more details, contact (707) 506-5083. Meanwhile, a boil water advisory remains in effect for hard-hit Rio Dell and Fortuna due to damaged water infrastructure.
Residents in Rio Dell and the Forest Hills Subdivision, including Forest Hills Drive, Newell Drive, Valley View Drive, Boyden Lane, Scenic Drive, and Cypress Loop Road, in Fortuna are warned not to drink water without boiling it first. Water should be boiled for one minute and then allowed to cool.
According to the Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services, potable water is available at the following locations: Rio Dell Fire Hall, 50 West Center St. in Rio Dell and Rohner Park Pavilion, 9 Park St. in Fortuna. “Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking and food preparation until further notice,” the OES update states.”Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water.”
The powerful 2:34 a.m. quake hit about 7.5 miles west of Ferndale, caused widespread power outages throughout Humboldt County, with approximately 71,000 PG&E customers affected, according to the company. As if 5 p.m., about 20,000 residents have had their power stored, including parts of Eureka, while other residents reporting they have received text notices that power may not be back up where they live until tomorrow.
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