Field Notes

We’re in an economic slump, no question. What we need is a new and profitable tourist attraction right here in Humboldt. Nope, not a steam train around the bay, much as I’d love to see it. I’m thinking just a tad grander. Here’s the plan: Announcing the Transglobal Tourist Tube. It’s pretty simple, really. My […]

Don’t forget to set your alarm so you can celebrate this year’s winter solstice, one of Earth’s four annual regular-as-clockwork astronomical events — the others being the summer solstice and the spring and fall equinoxes. Solstice happens here in Humboldt — and everywhere in the Pacific time zone — on December 21 at 4:04 a.m. […]

Turns out that my weakness for rum balls is shared by the co-owner of Eureka Books. Scott and I found ourselves standing in front of what I think of as the "Temptation Display" in Ramones. "So what’s the topic of your next Journal piece?" he asked. "Haven’t a clue," I replied, "Any ideas?" "Albino redwoods." […]

Twice a day, Humboldt Bay inhales and exhales a vast amount of water through the half-mile-wide harbor entrance between north and south spits. How much water? Picture a cube straddling four city blocks, that is, two blocks long, wide and high. That’s the volume, on average, that passes through the “throat” of the bay every […]

While strolling along the beach, as the waves wash over your toes, you’ve probably noticed little acrobatic critters performing back flips in the sand. These beach hoppers, sometimes called sand fleas, are actually amphipods. Amphipods are a type of crustacean, found in both marine and terrestrial habitats, which appear in a variety of different sizes […]

Have you ever wondered why the name of our county seat appears right there on the state seal? (In fact, it’s the state motto.) And speaking of Eureka, what’s that about Archimedes running naked around the streets of Syracuse yelling the name of Humboldt’s largest city? Archimedes was the greatest mathematician of the ancient world. […]

Many scientific discoveries affecting our health have come from research done with plants from rainforests. Did you know native rainforests of the Pacific Northwest, including the redwoods, have contributed greatly? Very important historical and contemporary medicinal compounds have been isolated from native plants of California. Often these pharmaceutical breakthroughs originated with the native wisdom of […]

The schooner Laura Virginia made history on April 14, 1850, by becoming the first vessel to enter our bay. Captain Douglass Ottinger and his second officer, Hans Buhne, promptly named the bay “Humboldt” after a German naturalist. Three years later, Humboldt Bay gave its name to our county when it was detached from Trinity County. […]

One sign of a healthy pond or wetland is the presence of frogs, right? Well, that depends on the species of frog. Bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana) are native to North America east of the Rocky Mountains but have been introduced outside of this range for frog-leg farming and backyard pond-stocking purposes. Bullfrogs can now be found […]

Our corner of the world is on the verge of becoming famous in a new and unprecedented way. The State of California has adopted the most aggressive goals in the country for developing renewable energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Here in Humboldt County, plans are underway to make us a leading player in one […]

The Autumnal Equinox is a few weeks behind us, the nights are getting longer and cooler, and it is a good time to go outside and see some interesting things in the sky. If you go outside around 9 p.m. in the next few weeks and look directly overhead, you will see one of the […]

In the coastal forests of Northern California, the most abundant vertebrates are amphibians such as salamanders and frogs. "Abundance" refers to the total number of animals in a given area, but Northern California is also home to a rich diversity of amphibian species. With around 30 species of amphibians inhabiting the area, one might think […]