Cal Fire Battalion Chief Paul Savona has confirmed that a woman suffered a shark bite while standing in about a foot of water at Trinidad Beach. “She received non-life-threatening injuries,” he said. The incident happened around 2:15 p.m. and an ambulance was called to the scene to take the woman to the hospital. Few other […]
Environment / Natural Resources
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‘Definite Plan’ for Klamath Dam Removals Filed
The “definite plan” for removing four dams from the Klamath River has been filed with the Federal Regulatory Energy Commission, providing a detailed blue print for how the largest river restoration project in U.S. history will unfold. “We have completed a major milestone through the development and filing of this plan,” said Mark Bransom, executive […]
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Humboldt Crews Battling Pawnee Fire Save Vineyard (Slideshow)
Some 2,700 firefighters from around the state, including the Humboldt County Strike Team, are battling the Pawnee Fire burning north of the Lake County community of Clearlake Oaks, which as of this morning was 25 percent contained with 13,500 acres burned, according to Calfire. To date, 22 structures have been destroyed in the fire that […]
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Freeman House, Influential Restorationist, Dies at 80
Freeman House, author of Totem Salmon and founder of the Mattole Restoration Council, died Saturday, June 23. He was 80. House was part of a cohort responsible for what is considered to be the “first community-based restoration effort in the state of California.” David Simpson, co-founder of the MRC, recalls meeting House in the 1960s, […]
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State Considers Listing Marten as Endangered
They’re small, they’re furry and they’re rarely seen. But is the Humboldt marten a candidate for the California Endangered Species Act? The California Department of Fish and Wildlife thinks so. According to a press release from the Environmental Protection Information Center, the CDFW recommended today that the species come under additional protection. The Humboldt marten, […]
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Former Harbor Commissioner Banned for Life From Recreational Hunting/Fishing in California
The California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously in closed session this afternoon to permanently ban former Humboldt Bay Harbor, Conservation and Recreation District Commissioner Aaron Newman from obtaining a recreational hunting or fishing license. The ban stems from a 2014 criminal case in which Newman faced allegations that he’d habitually poached abalone and lied […]
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Huffman Applauds Allocation of $29 Million in Fisheries Disaster Relief Funds
North Coast Congressman Jared Huffman announced today that the federal government has allocated $25.8 million in disaster assistance to those affected by the 2015-2016 closure of California’s commercial Dungeness and rock crab fisheries and another $3.9 million to the Yurok Tribe stemming from the collapse of the fall Chinook fishery in 2016. “For far too […]
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Baykeeper Director Featured in Vanity Fair
While the front cover of this season’s Vanity Fair bears the standard celebrity mug (Emilia Clarke, who plays Game of Thrones‘ dragon-riding queen Daenerys Targaryen), on pages 84 through 89 you’ll find an article about efforts to preserve California’s vibrant coast — and one familiar face. Humboldt Baykeeper Director Jennifer Kalt was interviewed along with several other […]
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Succulent Poaching Trio Pleads Guilty
Three poachers who operated an international smuggling ring that shipped succulents from Humboldt County to the Asian market have pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor charges, including conspiracy and stealing plants from public lands. According to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife press release, the trio — Liu Fengxia, 37, of China, and Tae-Hun […]
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Updated: Friends of the Eel River Sues the County Over Cannabis
Local environmental advocacy group Friends of the Eel River has filed suit against the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors over its changes in the Cannabis Cultivation Land Use Ordinance. Representatives from the group attended a boisterous May 8 public comment period to voice their concerns about the changes to the permitting process, which they say […]
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State Senate Unanimously Passes ‘Great Redwood Trail’ Bill
The Great Redwood Trail is one step closer to reality. A bill by North Coast state Sen. Mike McGuire to dissolve the North Coast Railroad Authority and transform the defunct railway from Willits to Arcata into a multi-use trail nabbed a unanimous 36-0 vote on the Senate floor last night. “There is tremendous support for […]
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Federal Commission Approves Advisory Panel for Klamath Dam Removal Effort
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved a proposal from the nonprofit organization formed to facilitate removal of the four hydroelectric dams clogging the Klamath River to form a panel of experts to help guide the process. Mark Bransom, executive director of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, praised the commission’s decision in a press release. […]