Animals
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Zoo Welcomes Bear Cubs 'Oak' and 'Tule'
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Tue, May 23, 2023 at 11:01 AM
“The cubs will not be visible to guests — but might be heard playing behind-the-scenes in the care quarters — while they become acclimated to their new home,” the announcement states. “Animal care staff will monitor the health and comfort of the cubs over the next month, a standard practice among zoos, before introducing them to visitors. Guests can expect to start seeing the cubs in late June.”
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Local Condor Exams Include Tests for Deadly Avian Flu
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Wed, May 17, 2023 at 2:17 PM
Along with the chance to make any needed repairs to the birds’ satellite transmitters and identification tags, the hands-on health assessments include taking blood samples to test for the avian flu as well as lead contamination and other potential threats to the fledgling flock.
The virus appears to have killed at least 21 of the 118 condors in the Arizona-Utah population that soars over the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park in the last few months. Of those, more than half were part of breeding pairs, according to the latest U.S. Fish and Wildlife update.
So far, there are no known cases in the California and Baja California cohorts.
“There’s no indication that our birds have been sick or will get sick, but with the jump Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) made to wild birds (this strain has actually been around 15 years or so, but previously was largely seen in domestic poultry), the California Condor Recovery Program population wide has been on the watch for it,” said Tiana Williams-Claussen, director of the Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department, which oversees the Northern California Condor Restoration Program.
Vultures tend to be resilient to the disease, she said, and there had been some optimism that the endangered birds would not be impacted but “this was proven a false hope” with the outbreak in the southwest flock.
Williams-Claussen said the Yurok Tribe-led effort to bring back the bird they know as prey-go-neesh to the tribe’s ancestral lands has been taking precautions for several months, putting “sanitation and handling protocols in place” that include having staff use disposable booties, gloves and coveralls while onsite “so as not to accidentally bring disease in.”
The NCCRP also recently put out a call on the condor cam livestream, asking viewers to keep an eye out for any birds — including ravens, turkey vultures, which are currently migrating through the area, and the array of raptors that also frequent the feeding area and small pool in an open, fenced-off section of the release site — for signs of illness, such as a loss of coordination.
Another precaution, Williams-Claussen said, is providing samples from the North Coast flock to the condor working group addressing the virus “to check for antibodies indicating past or current infection.”
“The concern related to turkey vultures is that they are known to contract and die from the disease, and can be carriers,” she said. “It is unknown at this point what the transfer vector was for the southwest condor population, but having an influx of new birds into the region through turkey vulture migration means it is a time to be extra vigilant.”
In addition, NCCRP is fundraising to build six isolation pens to hold condors in the event of a local HPAI outbreak, which are estimated to cost $42,000. The program states in a social media post that an “anonymous member of the birding community” has pledged up to $21,000 in matching funds for the effort but there is also a need to “purchase additional response supplies, including: sanitation supplies, pen retrofit materials, condor transport equipment and specialized respirators to keep our staff safe from a disease shown to be transferable and deadly to humans.”
Find more information on how to help here and here.
Wednesday, May 3, 2023
Happy Condorversary! Today Marks the Return of Prey-Go-Neesh to Local Skies
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Wed, May 3, 2023 at 1:57 PM
On this date one year ago, A3 and A2 took their first flights into the wild, marking the historic return of California condors to North Coast skies after a more than 130 year absence.
Now eight of the birds known to the Yurok Tribe as prey-go-neesh are flying free, with A5 "Neee'n" and A6 “Me-new-kwek'" recently spotted soaring high above Redwood Creek. The North California Condor Restoration Program reported in a post this week that all the birds are doing well.
(Read more about the Yurok Tribe-led program in the June of 2022 cover story, "Coming Home," here.)
Mentor bird No. 746, the first of the birds held sacred by the Yurok Tribe to arrive on Humboldt County soil in more than a century and the first to provide a local feather for the regalia worn by dancers during the World Renewal ceremony since that time, remains at the Oakland Zoo.
Known as "Paaytoqin," the bird that helped teach those now riding the thermals high in the air how to be a condor was moved in December due to concerns about avian flu. An outbreak has killed 20 California condors in the Southwest flock along the Utah and Arizona border as of April 28, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
No cases have been detected in condors living in California or other populations of the largest bird in North America, which still teeters on the brink of extinction after decades of recovery work. The Northern California Condor Restoration Program is the latest release site to join the fold.
So let's take a walk down memory lane and remember the day that prey-go-neesh returned to Yurok County skies and watch the moment caught on video.
Sunday, March 19, 2023
Duffy Tapped as Interim Fair GM
Posted By Linda Stansberry and Thadeus Greenson on Sun, Mar 19, 2023 at 3:07 PM
Duffy officially started the job March 15, succeeding Rich Silacci, who held the role for a little more than a year before stepping down Jan. 31. Duffy’s job description was approved unanimously by the board. She’ll be working four days a week for the association, at an annual salary of $80,000.
“We are very pleased that Ms. Duffy has agreed to step into the association and provide organizational leadership and recruitment assistance as we search for a permanent general manager,” Board President Andy Titus said in a press release. “Our board is confident that she will be an excellent leader for the organization.”
Duffy will be responsible for promoting and preparing for the annual fair, which includes the junior livestock auction, horse racing, fair and exhibits, as well as year-round management of the association’s business and events.
"This has been a really amazing organization, as I’ve told you in the past,” Duffy told The Enterprise. “I’m so pleased to have this opportunity to get things back on the rails."
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
No California Salmon: Fishery to be Shut Down This Year
Posted By Alastair Bland/CalMatters on Wed, Mar 15, 2023 at 9:31 AM
“Drop ‘em down!” Davis calls out the window. “Thirty to 40 feet!”
When the bite is steady, the Salty Lady may have 20 customers on board, each spending $200 for the chance to catch salmon. On the best days, fishing rods bend double the moment the lines go down, and a frenzy of action ensues, often amid a hundred or more other boats. Hooked Chinook thrash at the surface, and the deck becomes strewn with flopping fish.
Last year, California’s commercial and recreational fishing fleet, from the Central Coast to the Oregon border, landed about 300,000 salmon.
But this year, Davis and other salmon anglers won’t be fishing for salmon at all.
In response to crashing Chinook populations, a council of West Coast fishery managers plans to cancel this year’s salmon season in California, which will put hundreds of commercial fishermen and women out of work in Northern California and turn the summer into a bummer for thousands of recreational anglers.
Last year, the industry’s economic value was an estimated $460 million for fish sales and related businesses, including restaurants, tackle shops, private fishing guides, campgrounds and other services. Salmon season usually runs from May through October.
The closure, Davis said, “is going to be devastating to my business.” He said he will “try to scrape together a season” by targeting other species, like rockfish, lingcod, halibut and striped bass, but generating interest in catching these fish will be a challenge.
“Our customers want salmon,” he said, adding that last year, his customers caught roughly 2,000 Chinook.
Davis, 53, who has fished all his life, said the thrill of salmon fishing never grows old. “There’s nothing else like a wide-open salmon bite,” he said.
Only in two previous years — 2008 and 2009 — has California’s salmon season been shut down completely. That closure came as the numbers of spawning fish returning to the Sacramento River, the state’s main salmon producer, crashed to record lows.
Now California’s Chinook runs have collapsed again.
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Eel River Crosses Flood Threshold, Record Rain Recorded
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Tue, Mar 14, 2023 at 1:06 PM
Meanwhile, a flood warning remains in effect for the Eel River, which hit flood stage early this morning at Fernbridge and is expected to peak at 23.1 feet before dawn tomorow. As of 11:15 a.m., the river was at 20.18 feet, just over the 20-foot flood threshold.
At 22 feet, “the western half of the Eel Delta may be completely flooded, especially if at or above this level for an extended period of time,” including areas northwest of Loleta, Cannibal Island Road, the impact statement reads, while at 24 feet minor flood of State Route 211 into Ferndale can be expected while much of the Eel Delta may become flooded.
The NWS reminds drivers to turn around if they encounter a flooded road.
Additional information is available at weather.gov/eka.
Monday, March 13, 2023
Eel River Expected to Pass Flood Stage, Livestock Owners Advised to Protect Animals in Low-Lying Areas
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Mon, Mar 13, 2023 at 12:23 PM
The California Nevada River Forecast Center is predicting the Eel River at Fernbridge will hit the 20-foot flood stage at approximately 6 a.m. Tuesday and continue rising until around midnight, hitting a peak of 23.1 feet.
Impact areas including Fernbridge, Scotia, Bridgeville, Fort Seward and Miranda.
At 22 feet, “the western half of the Eel Delta may be completely flooded, especially if at or above this level for an extended period of time,” including areas northwest of Loleta, Cannibal Island Road, the impact statement reads, while at 24 feet minor flood of State Route 211 into Ferndale can be expected while much of the Eel Delta may become flooded.
The crest, according to NWS, will be comparable to the event that took place Feb. 10, 2017. As of 8:15 a.m., the Eel River was at 15.5 feet.
A flood watch is currently on for portions of Humboldt County due to ongoing rain.
“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and flood-prone locations,” the flood watch states. “Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks. Flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas. Low-water crossings may be flooded.”
The Eel River is expected to fall below flood stage early Wednesday.
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Sheriff Honsal Declares Local Emergency Due to Winter Storms
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Wed, Mar 8, 2023 at 11:37 AM
“Consecutive major winter storms have resulted in a large accumulation of snow, impassible roadways, downed trees, disrupted utility services, damaged and flooded roadways, mudslides, damaged structures and dead livestock; these impacts exhausting and exceeding available county resources,” a news release on the declaration states.
Another storm system is forecast to hit Thursday and Friday, bringing "stronger winds, heavy rains, and higher snow levels to the region through the weekend," according to the Eureka office of the National Weather Service.
Heavy snow and downed trees or powerlines blocked all of the routes into and out of the county at one point, in some cases several times, in the last few weeks.
Those conditions have strained county resources, with the sheriff's office urging residents to take a pause on trips inland to see the snow after having to make several rescues, which impinged on deputies' abilities to respond to storm-related emergencies, conduct welfare checks and bring needed supplies to those snowed into their homes.
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.
Monday, December 19, 2022
Saving Salmon: Chinook Return to California’s Far North — With a Lot of Human Help
Posted By Alastair Bland/CalMatters on Mon, Dec 19, 2022 at 9:03 AM
The young Chinook salmon — some now finger-sized smolts in mid-migration toward the Pacific Ocean — are part of a state and federal experiment that could help make the McCloud a salmon river once again.
Winter-run Chinook were federally listed as endangered in 1994, but recent years have been especially hard for the fish. Facing severe drought and warm river conditions, most winter-run salmon born naturally in the Sacramento River have perished over the past three years.
So restoring Chinook to the McCloud has become an urgent priority for state and federal officials. In the first year of a drought-response project, about 40,000 salmon eggs were brought back to the McCloud, a picturesque river in the wilderness of the Cascade mountains.
Iconic in Northern California, Chinook salmon are critical pieces of the region’s environment. They are consumed by sea lions, orcas and bears, and they still support a commercial fishing industry. Chinook remain vital to the culture and traditional foods of Native Americans, including the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, whose historical salmon fishing grounds included the McCloud River.
Conservation experts say the McCloud’s cold, clean water holds great promise as a potential Chinook refuge — and perhaps even a future stronghold for the species. Restoring salmon there is considered critical to the species’ survival, since they now spawn only in low-lying parts of the Central Valley near Redding and Red Bluff, where it’s often too hot and dry for most newborn fish to survive.
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A lot of partnership to make this happen. THANK YOU.
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