Rivers, Roads and Rails
Also on the transpo front: The North Coast Railroad Authority and various hangers-on showed up at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday morning to do some Humboldt County show-and-tell in advance of the authority’s regular meeting in Eureka the next day. And it must be said that the presentation, delivered by NCRA board chair Allan Hemphill, was a remarkable one, in that it delivered a vision of railroad rebirth that seemed at least vaguely plausible.
As it now stands, the railroad authority has the line broken up into segments, with a somewhat clear work program defined for the north and south ends. First, it hopes to get trains running from the southern terminus to the Sonoma County town of Windsor by this fall. Next — as reported elsewhere in this issue — it’s going to go after Obama stimulus funds to extend the line up to Willits. After that it’s going to look for $30 million to reopen another section from Avenue of the Giants to Humboldt Bay, giving it two small railroads instead of one large one. The Eel River Canyon — the remote 75-mile stretch of pain that connects the two — is off the table completely for the time being, Hemphill said.
As far as the so-called “Humboldt Bay Short Line” goes, though, there are still a huge number of blanks left to fill in, the first of which is that $30 million. The project is a long ways from shovel-ready, and no one knows where the funds will be coming from. The second blank is whether the little Humboldt County shortline can ever make it as anything like a going concern. The assumption, bolstered by the NCRA’s own consultants over the years, has always been “no.” The current plan is to open it up for passenger excursion service and to haul freight between the Eel River Valley and Humboldt Bay, where it would be shipped in or out by barge. Whether such freight will materialize in quantity when trucks can move it much more quickly and probably more cheaply remains to be seen; the quantity of tourists willing to bore their children with an ol’ fashioned choo-choo ride around the bay, likewise, is a bit of a question mark.
But it’s at least a step up from bald fantasy. Of course, there are plenty of individuals and organizations who will ignore Hemphill’s flat assertion that the Eel River Canyon is off the table, and will continue to act as if the unbroken line of their dreams is still on the horizon. First among them, of course, is the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Conservation and Recreation District, whose plans for a new shipping terminal on the bay are dependent upon the full rail line becoming operational. Will the district’s tune change accordingly?
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on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent the town dandy
Jan. 13, 2011
The Golden Boy
Dec. 23, 2010
Wish Lists
Dec. 16, 2010
The Train Geeks Return
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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SIX Comments
Comment / By Jeff Muskrat / March 12, 2009, 10:12 a.m.
Wow Hank! You compare the Friends of Richardson Grove to MAXXAM? And you question why the NEC is providing non-profit services for protecting Ancient Trees? Is that not part of NEC’s mission?
It sounds like you may have not enjoyed the radio spot, but you also sound as if you support the Richardson Grove project. Well then, do you support misappropriating the Headwaters Fund to support the road widening project?(A State project). Do you feel that the Headwaters Fund should be used to damage Ancient Trees?
What happened to the NCJ? It used to be much more community orientated. So did you, if I remember correctly. How much is Arkley paying you for this?
Th NCJ is full of fluff lately. It’s actual quite a boring read, even if you make it to the mid-section. After that, it’s only good for fire starter, less you enjoy public notices. Lack of sustenance leaves your readers hungry…
I guess after all locally owned media outlets are Arkleyed(THE NCJ IS PRINTED ON ARKLEY’S PRESS), all we have left is blogging. And maybe the McKinleyville Press, if it’s not sold out to the highest fibber.
Comment / By brian / March 13, 2009, 11:32 a.m.
Hank; Hope you give Jeff Muskrat some ice cream for proving your point.
Comment / By Chris / March 13, 2009, 8:23 p.m.
The article regarding the NEC was right on.
Brian you are also right on. The divisive, threatening, condescending, and know-it-all attitude at www.saverichardsongrove.org is pretty lame and likely very ineffective.
If the NEC had a collective brain they would ditch their association with it ASAP.
Comment / By Jeff Muskrat / March 15, 2009, 10:12 a.m.
So which one of you is really Hank? Chris? Brian? Both?
The only divisive, threatening, condescending “know-it-alls” are typically anonymous posters on the Richardson Blog supporting the project.
So, “Brian” and “Chris”(if that’s your real name(s):)…Why do supporters of this project choose to hide their identities as anonymous bloggers on the blog site? If the project is not based on greed and deception, why the animosity from project supporters?
I challenge any of you to visit http://saverichardsongrove.org/, and I’ll buy anyone an ice cream that can find a divisive, threatening, or condescending comment on that site.
Comment / By Barbara Kennedy / March 15, 2009, 5:21 p.m.
I am an opponent of the Richardson Grove project. I am happy to say that I contributed to pay for the radio spots and thank the NEC for their support and I am also an NEC member. I am not a fan of blogs because if people are afraid to print their full names then why should their opinions be given any weight? I doubt whether many of the project proponents such as Hank Sims have actually read the DEIR to see how inadequate it is. Hank Sims and thoe who feed him misinformation are more representative of the MAXXAM mentality than the Save Richardson Grove advocates. And who funds the “Sunshine for Humboldt” radio spots? Why isn’t Hank Sims investigating them??
Comment / By Jeff Muskrat / April 14, 2009, 5:15 p.m.
Great to see you change your tone, Hank.
Here…have some Humboldt Pie :)
http://saverichardsongrove.blogspot.com/2009/04/town-dandy-eats-humboldt-pie.html