UPDATE: The Humboldt County Planning Commission ultimately approved the project that will see Mercer Fraser establish a cannabis extraction process near where much of Humboldt County sources its water along the Mad River. Several members of the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District Board, as well as community members, attended the public comment session to voice […]
Environment / Natural Resources
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Interior Releases Draft Plan to Open North Coast Waters to Oil Drilling
This morning the Trump administration announced sweeping plans to increase offshore oil drilling around the country, including in Northern California. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke released the draft five-year plan, which would potentially see a combined 47 site leases auctioned off in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Region, Pacific Region and off the […]
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Crab Health Advisory Lifted
If you have a boat and some pots, you can get to cracking shells without worry. The California Department of Public Health has lifted its advisory for Dungeness crab consumption. Recent tests show domoic acid levels have dropped low enough that eating sport-caught crustaceans, if prepared properly, should be safe. Make sure to boil or […]
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Still no Crab
Another round of testing shows that local Dungeness crab are still not filled out enough, prompting a second delay for the commercial season in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte counties. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today that the opener has been pushed back to Dec. 31 and may not end up starting […]
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Korbel Sawmill to Reopen Next Month
The Korbel Mill, closed in February of 2015 after a century of operation, and purchased from the Green Diamond Resource Co. by the Trinity River Timber Co. in May of 2016, will fire up again Dec. 18. “It’s been a journey, that’s for sure,” said Ken Dunn, general manager of Schmidbauer Lumber, which is the […]
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Again With the Crab
Bad news, local Dungeness crab lovers. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is delaying the commercial season in Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties for at least 15 days due to poor crab quality. The fishery is now currently set to open Dec. 16 to let the crustaceans fill out a bit. A second […]
Posted inLife + Outdoors
HumBug: Shooting in the Wild
Despite my best efforts, I didn’t see any interesting new insects this week. To be sure, there are many out there but the ones I encountered were all species I’ve mentioned before at some length. I photographed them anyway just for the practice. I am always trying to improve. Entomological photography can be challenging. Rain or […]
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Park Rangers Debunk Tourist Robbery Story
The account of five Spanish tourists claiming to have been robbed in Redwood National Park is untrue, rangers established this week. The tourists previously said they returned to their vehicles from a hike at Lady Bird Johnson Grove on the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 3, to be confronted by several armed men who came out […]
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Eureka Man Calls for Volunteer Action on Loose Needle Problem
“Stop thanking me,” says Brandon Krigbaum. The tall, bearded former wildland firefighter has been picking up and discarding loose needles in Eureka for a month and a half, and has gotten used to congratulatory messages on social media and his voicemail. At the Oct. 17 Eureka City Council meeting, Councilmember Kim Bergel lauded his volunteerism. […]
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You Otter be a Citizen Scientist
One doesn’t have to go far to see local river otters in the wild. Just take a walk out on the Trinidad pier and you’re likely to see one swimming in the harbor. But the best time is when local sport fishermen return to the floating dock below the pier to clean their catches. On […]
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The Smoke is No Joke
If you’ve been (or even looked) outside this weekend, you’ve noticed the air has been thick with visible fog-like smoke. And chances are, depending on your location, you’re feeling the effects in some measure. In a press release, the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District warned of hazardous conditions in Orleans, Weitchpec and Hoopa due […]
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Today Ties Eureka’s Hottest on Record
Well, that escalated quickly. It’s not just your imagination, Eureka is in the midst of one of its hottest days in recorded history, the National Weather Service reports. According to the NWS Twitter feed, the official recorded temperature for the city hit 87 degrees at about 11:37 a.m., tying a previous city record set Oct. […]