Outdoors
Friday, October 30, 2020
Increased Risk of Sneaker Waves Sunday night to Monday
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 2:54 PM
According to NWS, periods of smaller waves will be accompanied by sudden larger waves that have the potential to sweep beachgoers into the water.
NWS advises residents to not be caught off guard by otherwise good weather and to avoid steep beaches, rocks, and jetties.
"Remember to never turn your back on the ocean," the warning reads.
A long period northwesterly swell will bring a threat for sneaker waves Sunday night into Monday. Periods of smaller waves will be accompanied by sudden larger waves that have the potential to sweep beach goers into the water. Remember to never turn your back on the ocean. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/MDaDOvVMCm
— NWS Eureka (@NWSEureka) October 30, 2020
Suspect Arrested for Illegal Burn That Caused Church Fire
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Fri, Oct 30, 2020 at 1:54 PM
The vegetation fire was contained at 1 1/2 acres with two structures and one commercial vehicle destroyed.
"The CAL FIRE Humboldt - Del Norte Unit would like to remind the public the burn suspension is still in effect. While cooler temperatures have become more prevalent, heavier vegetative fuels remain critically dry and will continue to carry fire. Burn permits are required year-round by the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District, and, depending on the time of year and pile size, may also be required by CAL FIRE," the release states.
Read the full press release below.
Friday, October 23, 2020
Update: Redwood Fire at 102 Acres, 50 Percent Containment
Posted By Kym Kemp and Iridian Casarez on Fri, Oct 23, 2020 at 5:01 PM
UPDATE: According to a release from Cal Fire, the Redwood fire is now at 102 acres and is at 50 percent containment.
The fire is located in the Redwood House Road area of Carlotta. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. CalFire is advising residents to stay away from the area because of increased smoke and traffic. Suppression crews will be working in the area for the next couple of days.
Read the full CalFire release at the bottom of the post.
PREVIOUS: A vegetation fire, known as the Redwoods Incident, is burning about a 1/2 mile north of Highway 36 on Redwood House Road between Stevens Creek and Grizzly Creek.
The fire was reported at 12:45 p.m. as an acre fire but by 1 p.m., the fire is now said to be 10 acres spreading quickly with a potential for 50 acres. A full wildland response is rolling out.
UPDATE 1:12 p.m.: The fire is burning downhill at a moderate to a rapid rate of spread and is now about 15 acres estimates the Incident Commander. “It’s starting to transition from the grass to the timber,” the Commander tells dispatch. He requests more resources.
UPDATE 1:19 p.m.: “Approximately 35 acres,” the Incident Commander says to dispatch as he reiterates the fire is moving into the timber.
UPDATE 2:43 p.m.: According to the Incident Commander speaking over the scanner, there is 0 percent containment but the fire is holding within retardant lines at 60-70 acres.
CalFire press release:
The Redwood Incident began on October 23. 2020 at 12:41 PM. The fire is located in the Redwood House Road Area of Carlotta. The fire is currently 102 acres and 50% contained. The cause is under investigation and there is no current structure threat. Suppression crews will be working in the area for the next couple of days. Residents are advised to stay away from the area and there will be increased vehicle traffic and smoke in the area.
Fire Weather Watch This Weekend; Possible PG&E PSPS
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Fri, Oct 23, 2020 at 2:09 PM
Regions are expected to have east to northeast winds of 20 -30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph, with very low daytime humidity and "poor to very poor overnight recoveries."
NWS is advising people to take fire safety precautions, avoid pulling off onto grassy areas, discard cigarette butts appropriately, avoid the use of sparks or flames and avoid dragging chains as sparks can ignite a fire.
Meanwhile, a new fire is now burning north of State Route 36 on Redwood House Road between Stevens Creek and Grizzly Creek, which was estimated to be around 60 to 70 acres, just before 3 p.m. (Read more here.)
At the same time, PG&E is monitoring these weather conditions for a possible Public Safety Power Shutoff from Sunday, Oct. 25 with restoration on Wednesday, Oct. 28, that will affect customers in Alderpoint, Ettersburg, Kneeland, Redcrest, Blocksburg, Fort Seward, Miranda, Redway, Bridgeville, Garberville, Myers Flat, Weott, Carlotta, Harris, Petrolia, Whitethorn, Dinsmore, Honeydew and Phillipsville.
According to a Humboldt County OES release, "PG&E has not released information regarding activating the Humboldt Bay Power Plant in island mode or Community Resource Center information."
The county is advising residents in these areas to begin preparing for the impacts of a possible three-day power outage, including ensuring having adequate batteries, flashlights, non-perishable food and water. Residents are also encouraged to install carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup in central locations on every level of your home.
Read the Humboldt County OES release below.
PG&E is monitoring a weather event late this weekend into early next week and is anticipating a Public Safety Power Shut Off for portions of Humboldt County beginning Sunday, October 25 with restoration anticipated Wednesday, October 28.
Residents in the following areas may lose power during this timeframe:
Alderpoint, Ettersburg, Kneeland, Redcrest, Blocksburg, Fort Seward, Miranda, Redway, Bridgeville, Garberville, Myers Flat, Weott, Carlotta, Harris, Petrolia, Whitethorn, Dinsmore, Honeydew and Phillipsville.
All notifications and alerts regarding PSPS impacts will come directly from PG&E. Please sign up for those alerts at pgealerts.alerts.pge.com.PG&E has not released information regarding activating the Humboldt Bay Power Plant in island mode or Community Resource Center information. Once that information is available, we will share via our social media platforms.
Residents in these areas should begin preparing for the impacts of a three-day power outage, including ensuring you have adequate batteries, flashlights, non-perishable food and water. Residents are also encouraged to install carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup in central locations on every level of your home.
Learn more about preparing for power outages at ready.gov/power-outages
For more information regarding this upcoming PSPS, visit pge.com/pspsupdates
Fire weather watch for much of Northwest California starting at 11a.m. Sunday through 11 a.m. Tuesday. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/UZiyh8tDhP
— NWS Eureka (@NWSEureka) October 22, 2020
@PGE4Me is monitoring a weather event late this weekend into early next week and is anticipating a #psps for portions of Humboldt County beginning Sunday, October 25 with restoration anticipated Wednesday, October 28. READ MORE: https://t.co/dweIYElmL8 pic.twitter.com/5pZb6cHuND
— Humboldt Co OES (@HumCoOES) October 23, 2020
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
NWS Issues Freeze Watch
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Tue, Oct 20, 2020 at 2:20 PM
According to the warning, frost and freezing temperatures are expected in valleys of interior Humboldt and Trinity counties by early Thursday. The freeze watch has been issued for Thursday, Oct. 22, from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Hoopa will see patchy frost before 8 a.m.
The NWS advises bringing inside any pets and sensitive plants on Wednesday night.
Overnight temperatures may drop to near freezing in valleys across interior Humboldt and Trinity counties Wednesday night, be prepared to bring pets and sensitive plants inside #CAwx pic.twitter.com/64vBZZEiIJ
— NWS Eureka (@NWSEureka) October 20, 2020
Saturday, October 17, 2020
Otter Watch Out (Spoiler Alert: Cute Video)
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Sat, Oct 17, 2020 at 6:55 PM
And, he's asking others to do the same.
Spearheaded by Black, the River Otter Citizen Science Project started in 1999 looks to describe the distribution and populations of otters in the coasts, wetlands and watersheds of Humboldt, Del Norte and adjacent counties. Anytime residents or visitors spot an otter at any of these locations, they can document the data by reporting it on the River Otter Citizen Science website.
Out of the hundred times Black estimates he's visited the marsh in recent months, he says he's spotted otters about 80 times, maybe due to luck or because he’s learned a lot about how to find otters and the places where they tend to gather.
Since he began visiting the Arcata Marsh at the beginning of the pandemic, Black has seen two otters with a pup (he says if there was a way to grab the DNA of the second otter, we would be able to see that the otter is the daughter of the mother otter and helping her with her newborn pup, as recent studies have shown). Black says he has seen the mother otter teach her pup where to hunt for food at different areas of the marsh.
Black has also seen a group of seven otters come through the marsh from Humboldt Bay, and a group of four hunt for food.
“It’s been really fun seeing the otters making use of the marsh,” Black says.
Friday, October 16, 2020
Arkley's 'Dog Ranch' Peninsula Property Sold to Conservation Coalition
Posted By Thadeus Greenson on Fri, Oct 16, 2020 at 1:26 PM
Back in 2005, after swooping in at the 11th hour to outbid Friends of the Dunes and the Humboldt Bay Harbor District for a 200-acre property on the Samoa Peninsula known as the Dog Ranch, foiling preservation plans, Eureka businessman and billionaire Rob Arkley made no effort to conceal his glee, according to a report in the Journal.
“They got in second place!” he said, adding that one of the first thing he intended to do was fence the property off from public access. “And it’ll never, ever, ever, ever be sold to them. I’m not going to give it to the government agencies. I believe there’s far too much government land.”
While it’s unclear what prompted the change of heart or wallet, there clearly was a change, as Friends of the Dunes announced yesterday that it, the Harbor District, the Wildlife Conservation Board, the California Natural Resources Agency and the California Coastal Conservancy had completed a deal with Arkley’s Security National Investments X to purchase the property “for the purposes of conservation and public access.” Arkley put the property west of the Samoa Bridge — which included an older home, outbuildings, a ranch facility, a wide swath of sensitive dune habitats and an ecologically significant piece of coastal forest — back on the market in 2014 with an asking price of $2 million. Friends of the Dunes Executive Director Mike Cipra said the final purchase price was “right around” that number.
Cipra, who said he “picked up the keys from Security National this morning,” described the property as special and repeatedly expressed gratitude to the other agencies and organizations involved in the purchase.
New Wildfire Burning Northwest of Hoopa
Posted By Kym Kemp on Fri, Oct 16, 2020 at 11:26 AM
Air Attack 120 has been circling above the fire since a little after 8 a.m. and is still circling just a few minutes before 11 a.m. Tanker 100 has made several trips to the fire.
We’ve reached out to Hoopa Wildland Fire and will update with more information when we get it.
Update 11:20 a.m.: According to Hoopa Wildland Fire Department Chief Greg Moon, the Pine Fire, as it is called, is being held to a half-acre. But he’s concerned that with today’s Red Flag Warning, there could be problems.
“We expect high winds later, ” he told us.
He said firefighters were trying to button things up before conditions worsened. He told us that in addition to the tanker and air attack mentioned earlier, there is also a helicopter working on the fire from the skies and there were three ground crews battling it on the ground. A water tender should join them soon he said.
Thursday, October 15, 2020
High Winds and Low Humidity May Increase Fire Activity
Posted By Iridian Casarez on Thu, Oct 15, 2020 at 1:51 PM
High winds with gusts of up to 40 mph and low levels of humidity are expected through Friday in most of the regions.
PG&E initiated a Public Safety Power Shutoff yesterday due to the Red Flag Warning. The PSPS will affect some Humboldt County homes including an estimated 187 Humboldt customers in the Bridgeville, Blocksburg and Alderpoint areas around 4 p.m. today lasting through 10 p.m. Friday.
Read the full fire update press releases below.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
About that Mountain Lion Video ...
Posted By Kimberly Wear on Wed, Oct 14, 2020 at 1:37 PM
For six tense and profanity-laced minutes, Kyle Burgess kept filming with his cellphone as he backed away from the cougar, sometimes cussing and other times telling her she needed to go back to her babies, which he had inadvertently stumbled upon on a trail.
“I don’t feel like dying today,” Burgess says at one point in the video posted to his Instagram account.
(Note: He’s OK but had to traverse the same area of the encounter to get back to his car, according to an interview in the Deseret News.)
But, to be clear, this was not a mountain lion on the prowl but a mother protecting her young and making it clear to an unwelcomed visitor in her territory that it was time to get (we can only imagine she would have added a certain expletive here) out, as John “Griff” Griffith, a local naturalist and guide for California State Parks attests to in a recent Facebook video post about the misconception.
“I know a little something about mountain lions,” he says, while taking many a media outlet to task for labeling her behavior as “stalking” in a riff that skirts the conspiracy theory line of why that happened. “That was not a mountain lion stalking. That was a mama mountain lion trying to get someone away from her cubs. There is a difference.”
Griffith notes that Humboldt County is mountain lion country — panning to a shot of Humboldt Redwoods State Park where he says he sees their tracks — but even though they are around us all the time, the likelihood is most people will never see one. And that is the way they like it.
Mountain lion attacks are very rare, he says, and if it’s going to happen, it will be stealthy, not be with the paw-pounding display the Utah cougar put on for Burgess.
“They are going to attack you usually from behind,” says Griffith, a popular producer of videos about the North Coast parks, who himself went viral in the past with a posting of him dancing with California Conservation Corp crew and hosted the online show Wild Jobs for Animal Planet.
That was the case of former Fortuna resident Jim Hamm, who made international headlines after he barely survived a 2007 attack that occurred during a hike with his wife Nell in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, where she fought off the mountain lion with a pen and a branch.
Jim Hamm died a year ago this week of pancreatic cancer. He was 82.
Griffith says he’s only seen a mountain lion a handful of times, but if you do encounter one, there are basic rules to follow, including make yourself seem as large as possible, make noise, keep eye contact and slowly create space away from the animal. Never run away.
In that regard, Griffith says Burgess did just about everything right.
“The only thing he did wrong was not having a partner,” he says.
