Environment / Natural Resources
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
Judge Rules Voters Should Decide Cannabis Initiative
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Tue, Dec 19, 2023 at 11:57 AM
In a five-page ruling filed last week, Humboldt County Superior Court Judge Timothy Canning rejected arguments put forward by the Humboldt County Growers Alliance (HCGA) and seven cannabis farmers that proponents of Measure A misled voters while gathering signatures to qualify the initiative for the ballot and failed to provide them with enough supporting information.
“To be clear, the court makes no findings on the merits of Measure A, as that is for the voters to decide,” Canning wrote in his ruling. “But the court does find there is in an insufficient showing of objectively and deliberately untrue facts or statements in Measure A such that the court should prevent Humboldt County voters from deciding whether or not to adopt it.”
Tuesday, November 7, 2023
First of Four Klamath Dams Has Been Removed
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Tue, Nov 7, 2023 at 3:20 PM
The nonprofit Klamath River Renewal Corporation recently announced that work to remove the first of four hydroelectric dams clogging the lower Klamath River is complete, bringing the largest dam removal project in the nation’s history one step closer to fruition.
“Seeing the Klamath River flow through this canyon after being diverted for nearly a century is inspiring,” said Laura Hazlett, KRRC’s chief operating officer, in a press release. “It makes me excited for everything else that is to come with the removal of the other three dams.”
Pushed forward by decades of advocacy efforts of Klamath River Basin tribes, including the Karuk and Yurok tribes, the Klamath dam removal project is slated to be completed by November of 2024, re-opening hundreds of miles of historic spawning habitat to salmonid species that have been pushed to the brink.
Approved by federal regulators last year, the scope of the $500 million dam removal plan is hard to comprehend, as it will see a combined 500 feet of dams removed, with 100,000 cubic yards of concrete, 1.3 million cubic yards of excavated soil and 2,000 tons of demolished steel pulled from the river’s path. Removal will be followed by a years-long restoration effort utilizing more than 17 billion native seeds and 300,000 trees and shrub plugs and starts to replant 2,000 acres of land currently covered by three reservoirs created by the dams.
Removal of the first dam — Copco 2 — represents a significant milestone in the effort local tribes have pushed for since 2002, when water conditions on the river caused by the dams led to a massive fish kill that left as many as 60,000 adult salmon dead in the river by some counts.
The smallest of the dams slated for removal at 25 feet, Copco 2 sits between the much larger Copco 1 and Iron Gate dams, diverting the river’s flow through a powerhouse. It was removed first as a matter of operational efficiency, KRRC CEO Mark Bransom previously told the Journal, as removal crews had to bring all kinds of heavy machinery into the area to bore a tunnel through Copco 1 to facilitate the drawdown of its reservoir beginning in January, so it made sense just to remove Copco 2 in the course of that work. (Read a detailed account of the removal plans here.)
With Copco 2 gone and Copco 1 prepared for draw down, work will now shift to preparing the JC Boyle dam for drawdown of its reservoir. The plan is for drawdown of all three reservoirs to begin in January, timed to coincide with the river’s natural high flow months to help facilitate the flushing of sediment. The drawdown is expected to take three to five months, depending on weather and the amount of water entering the river from spring runoff. As drawdown begins in January, so will a massive planting effort aimed at covering the 2,000 acres of land that has long sat under water with native grasses, trees and shrubs.
Once drawdown is complete, deconstruction of the other three dams will commence, tentatively scheduled to run from May to November, after which the lower Klamath River will flow freely for the first time in a century. Restoration and replanting work, meanwhile, will continue at least through 2030.
See a slideshow of images documenting Copco 2's removal below.
Thursday, October 26, 2023
EPD Conducting Death Investigation After Finding Human Remains in Fire
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Thu, Oct 26, 2023 at 3:29 PM
According toa press release, Humboldt Bay Fire responded to a report of smoke in the area and notified EPD when the remains were found.
Assistant Police Chief Brian Stephens told The Journal it’s unclear whether the fire had been a warming or cooking fire, or was set in an attempt to hide the deceased’s body. Additionally, Stephens said it’s unclear how long the person had been dead prior to their body being discovered.
“We’re unable to determine that at this point, given the damage due to the fire,” he said, adding that while the fire was “fairly contained,” there was some damage to the surrounding area. “It is unknown why the fire was there and how it played into everything.”
EPD asks anyone with information about the incident to contact detective Donald Bailey at (707) 441-4215.
See the full EPD press release here.
Thursday, September 7, 2023
Humboldt Wildlife Center Puts Out 'Code Red' Call for Help
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Thu, Sep 7, 2023 at 12:37 PM
In an update this week, Monte Merrick, HWCC and Bird Ally X director, said the only wildlife hospital on North Coast is running critically low on funds to continue the work that gives injured and orphaned animals — from fawns and foxes to racoons, skunks and swallows — a second chance at life in the wild, describing the situation as "code red."
Serving an area from Mendocino to Oregon and east to Weaverville, just a few months after moving into the new Manila location in April, the center had taken more than 750 animals.
“I hate to say that we are desperate, but truly without support now, we won't be able to pay our bills, we won't be able to keep our lights on, we won't be able to buy the food our patients need, we won't be able to respond to calls for help for wild animals in distress,” Merrick stated, sharing several success stories from the summer, including that 20 of 24 nestling and new fledgling swallows that made their way to the center have been released to fly free while two others remain in under care.
Read more about the work of the center in the 2017 Journal cover story "Oh, Mercy" here and in a recent Get Out column here. Find out how to help here and here.
Tuesday, September 5, 2023
Crowley Questions Mount for Harbor District
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Tue, Sep 5, 2023 at 5:03 PM
The first official salvo came Aug. 20 in the form of an op-ed Yurok Tribal Chair Joseph James published in a local paper calling on the district to “reconsider” its exclusive right to negotiate agreement with the international maritime industry giant due to a “rotten company culture” evidenced by two federal lawsuits. The latest, meanwhile, hit Aug. 31, with news that Crowley Wind Services Vice President Jeff Andreini had left the company amid sexual harassment allegations with ties to Humboldt County, as first reported by the Lost Coast Outpost.
Harbor District Executive Director Larry Oetker released a letter in response to the Outpost’s reporting about Andreini’s departure stating that the district takes allegations of sexual harassment “very seriously and holds the safety and well-being of our community paramount.” But the letter did not mention Crowley — much less Andreini — by name or denote any next steps, leaving it unclear exactly where things go from here. What does seem clear, however, is that questions about Crowley’s handling of sexual assault and harassment allegations and what the company’s culture mean for its future in a region with the highest rates of missing and murdered indigenous people in the country are poised to continue.
Monday, August 21, 2023
CA Officials Respond to Tropical Storm Hilary, Ojai quake and Wildfires with the Possibility of More Lightning in the Forecast
Posted By Lynn La/CalMatters on Mon, Aug 21, 2023 at 1:35 PM
On Sunday afternoon, the tropical storm made landfall in the northern Baja California peninsula, with wind speeds over 60 miles per hour as it barreled northward across Southern California’s coastal cities and pushed inland, swamping parts of the desert in knee-deep flood waters. Though Hilary had been downgraded from a hurricane, officials early today continued urging residents not to underestimate the damage it could bring — including flash floods, mudslides, thunderstorms, strong winds and power outages.
The storm is the “wettest tropical cyclone in state history” according to Newsom’s office, and the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years. The National Weather Service issued what it termed “life threatening” flash flood and tornado warnings, the Navy pulled its ships out of San Diego’s harbor, Death Valley National Park shut down, and public schools in Los Angeles and San Diego announced they would close today, with plans to resume classes tomorrow.
The state deployed 7,500 personnel in Southern California — including 3,900 Highway Patrol officers and 2,000 Caltrans workers — to aid local communities, and it dispatched resources for swift water rescue teams in high-risk areas.
- Newsom: “There’s an old ancient curse that loosely is translated to, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ It’s certainly interesting times — tornadoes, lightning strikes, I’ve got CalFire worried about wildfires…. I walked out of the Office of Emergency Services in San Bernardino, check my phone and learned about an earthquake.”
A tropical storm is a rare problem for California, particularly in August. The state has been historically protected from hurricanes because of its cold Pacific Ocean ocean currents, a wind pattern that pushes out major storms from the mainland and a downward air flow. But as The Los Angeles Times explained, “an unusual set of weather patterns” and warm ocean waters (“essentially hurricane fuel”) enabled the tropical storm to take shape. The last time California experienced a tropical cyclone was 1939, when one made landfall near Long Beach and claimed nearly 100 lives on land and at sea.
Tropical Storm Hilary serves as another watery test for Newsom. Earlier this year, when devastating floods upended thousands of Californians, the governor said the state would provide relief to victims who did not qualify for federal emergency relief, namely undocumented residents. Months after his promise of “rapid response,” his office announced $95 million in assistance for those flood victims.
How the state will handle similar cases in the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary remains a question.
Just hours after Hilary made landfall, a 5.1 magnitude earthquake rattled the Ventura County community of Ojai and its nearby region. Though no significant damage was reported, the two simultaneous events prompted internet-goers to dub Sunday a #Hurriquake.
And in a challenge more typical of California in August, on Saturday the 3,000-acre Deep Fire forced residents and resort-goers to evacuate in Trinity County, and the National Weather Service issued a warning in Eureka for elevated fire weather conditions caused by lightning strikes.
The South Fork Complex, comprising four fires and a combined 950 acres burned, with a priority on the Pilot Fire being "to prevent any runs up to the PG&E KV transmission line that supplies electricity to Eureka and surrounding communities on the coast, according to today's update.
"In some ways this is an easier fire to fight as there is no recent fire history to create snags that complicate safety issues for firefighters," the update states.
The Six Rivers Forest Complex, with seven fires, has burned 4,435 acres in areas of Hoopa and Orleans and closed portions of Redwood National and State Parks.
More on the storm: Although a Fox News-televised political debate between Newsom and his conservative political foil, Ron DeSantis, looks less likely to happen, the Florida governor did reach out on Saturday.
- DeSantis, on X (formerly known as Twitter): “In Florida, we know how challenging storms can be and have significant experience responding in their wake — we stand ready to help the people of California in any way we can.”
Newsom did not immediately respond, but Politico reported that “California officials said they appreciated the offer of support.” Governors routinely offer one another disaster assistance, of course. Yet DeSantis, running for the Republican presidential nomination, no doubt is also aware that this state is home to more than 5 million registered Republican voters (nearly a quarter of the voting populace).
(This is an abridged version of the CalMatters newsletter What Matters with additional information added by the Journal.)
Thursday, August 10, 2023
California Water Agency Under Investigation for Discriminating Against Tribes, People of Color
Posted By Rachel Becker/CalMatters on Thu, Aug 10, 2023 at 11:16 AM
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s investigation was triggered by a complaint filed by tribes and environmental justice organizations that says the the water board for over a decade “has failed to uphold its statutory duty” to review and update water quality standards in the Bay-Delta.
“It’s pretty bad when California Indians have to file a complaint with the Federal Government so that the State doesn’t violate our civil rights,” Gary Mulcahy, government liaison for the Winnemem Wintu Tribe, said in a statement.
The water board has allowed “waterways to descend into ecological crisis, with the resulting environmental burdens falling most heavily on Native tribes and other communities of color,” the complaint says.
The groups also said the state agency “has intentionally excluded local Native Tribes and Black, Asian and Latino residents from participation in the policymaking process associated with the Bay-Delta Plan,” according to an EPA letter to the state dated Tuesday.
Jackie Carpenter, a spokesperson for the water board, said the agency will cooperate fully and “believes U.S. EPA will ultimately conclude the board has acted appropriately.”
“The State Water Board deeply values its partnership with tribes to protect and preserve California’s water resources. The board’s highest water quality planning priority has been restoring native fish species in the Delta watershed that many tribes rely upon,” Carpenter said in an emailed statement.
Wednesday, August 2, 2023
Don’t Call it ‘Toilet to Tap’ — California Plans to Turn Sewage into Drinking Water
Posted By Rachel Becker/CalMatters on Wed, Aug 2, 2023 at 9:40 AM
The drought-prone state has turned to recycled water for more than 60 years to bolster its scarce supplies, but the current regulations require it to first make a pit stop in a reservoir or an aquifer before it can flow to taps.
The new rules, mandated by state law, would require extensive treatment and monitoring before wastewater can be piped to taps or mingled with raw water upstream of a drinking water treatment plant.
“Toilet-to-tap” this is not.
Between flush and faucet, a slew of steps are designed to remove chemicals and pathogens that remain in sewage after it has already undergone traditional primary, secondary and sometimes tertiary treatment.
It is bubbled with ozone, chewed by bacteria, filtered through activated carbon, pushed at high pressures through reverse osmosis membranes multiple times, cleansed with an oxidizer like hydrogen peroxide and beamed with high-intensity UV light. Valuable minerals, such as calcium, that were filtered out are restored. And then, finally, the wastewater is subjected to the regular treatment that all drinking water currently undergoes.
“Quite honestly, it’ll be the cleanest drinking water around,” said Darrin Polhemus, deputy director of the state’s Division of Drinking Water.
The 62 pages of proposed rules, more than a decade in the making, are not triggering much, if any, debate among health or water experts. A panel of engineering and water quality scientists deemed an earlier version of the regulations protective of public health, although they raised concerns that the treatment process would be energy-intensive.
“I would have no hesitation drinking this water my whole life,” said Daniel McCurry, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Southern California.
This water is expected to be more expensive than imported water, but also provide a more renewable and reliable supply for California as climate change continues. Most treated sewage — about 400 million gallons a day in Los Angeles County alone — is released into rivers, streams and the deep ocean.
The draft rules, released on July 21st, still face a gauntlet of public comment, a hearing and peer review by another panel of experts before being finalized. The State Water Resources Control Board is required by law to vote on them by the end of December, though they can extend the deadline if necessary. They would likely go into effect next April and it will take many years to reach people’s taps.
Friday, July 28, 2023
North Coast Condor Flock Spreads Its Wings
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Fri, Jul 28, 2023 at 1:04 PM
A little more than a year has passed since the first two of the endangered birds with a nearly 10-foot wingspan, known to the Yurok Tribe as prey-go-neesh, took flight into Humboldt County skies for the first time in more than a century.
Since that day in May of 2022, six additional condors have joined the flock now flying free as part of the Northern California Condor Restoration Program, a partnership between the Yurok Tribe and Redwood National and State Parks.
“Though some of the condors have visited the reservation in the past, for short periods of time, this is the first instance of birds roosting overnight on tribal lands near the river,” a social media post by the tribe states, noting where the birds were was about 20 miles from the release site in the Bald Hills area. “Though 20 miles may not seem far for a species that can fly as many as 200 miles in a day, this is a significant distance for these young birds who are still learning their new home, and without the benefit of an older established population to show them the way. As large soaring birds, condors are reliant on high winds created by mountains, river corridors, and coastal areas to maneuver across the landscape. Yurok and surrounding territories are ideal in this respect, as our complex topography provides ample condor ‘highways.’”
According to the post, the condors — which are tracked using transmitters attached to their wings — have also traveled as far south as Kneeland and as far north as the Klamath River near Weitchpec.
“As the condors soar over new landscapes, they are constantly searching for food and good roosting opportunities, and becoming more familiar with wind and weather patterns within their range,” the post states. “When the birds reach breeding age, at about 5 or 6 years, these exploratory flights will also reveal potential nesting locations.”
Friday, July 7, 2023
PlanCo Approves Permits for Tear Down of Schneider Home
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Fri, Jul 7, 2023 at 8:20 AM
After amassing a host of permit violations during construction of the more than 20,000-square-foot home on Walker Point Road — including one that jeopardized Wiyot cultural resources and another that crucially put the project in the California Coastal Commission’s jurisdiction — the project has been under a county stop work order since December of 2021 and a notice of violation issued in April, carrying fines of $40,000 a day for up to 90 days.
Seeing no other path forward, Schneider has agreed to tear down the foundation and framing already constructed on the house, remove the up to 15,000 cubic yards of fill dirt brought into the property and restore it to its natural grade. Thursday, after a fairly brief discussion, the planning commission approved the permit modifications and special permits necessary to do that, along with conditions that require the work be done by the end of next July.
Schneider has also agreed to seek a lot-line adjustment, which will require coastal commission approval, that will leave the archeological site — a well-preserved, pre-contact Wiyot village first documented in 1918 — entirely on one of the property’s two parcels, which will then be conveyed to a third party to be held for the three local area Wiyot tribes. The remaining parcel would carry no entitlements, meaning if someone wanted to build a home on it they would need to start the permitting process over from the beginning.
The lone person to address the commission during public comment, Schneider first addressed two specific issues with the agenda item before the commission. First, he requested a bit more time to do the required work, expressing concern it would be difficult to complete by the initially proposed deadline of October. Then, he said he believes the county’s figure of 15,000 cubic yards of fill dirt is inaccurate, wanting to correct the record and saying he’d only brought in 3,000 to 5,000, which he said he’ll remove. Then Schneider did something he hadn’t yet done publicly: apologize.
“I’m sorry and I want to apologize to all those who have been affected by this project,” he said before a lengthy pause and continuing, his voice cracking with emotion, to recount how he’s always wanted to improve Humboldt County and thought his family’s “dream home” would “contribute positively to the surrounding landscape.”
“I believe the conditions agreed upon herein allow this community to heal and move forward,” he said. “While I had hoped for a different outcome, I’m confident this … will bring peace and healing to those that we’ve hurt.”
Check back for a full report on the commission meeting and the path forward.
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