Outdoors
Posted inNews (NCJ)
The Devil’s Playground No More
The PalCo Marsh is looking a lot different these days. Not only was the marsh cleared of the city’s largest and most entrenched homeless encampment on May 2, but crews from Figas Construction have now started demolishing the old concrete lumber kilns that have long been dubbed the Devil’s Playground. For decades, the kilns have […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
McGuire Helps Nab $1 Million for PalCo Marsh Trail
North Coast State Sen. Mike McGuire announced this morning that he’s helped secure $1 million in state funding for the Eureka Waterfront Trail, which will transform the PalCo Marsh from its current blighted state into a waterfront nature trail. The funding will help fund the construction of 3.75 miles of new trail, which will consist […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: Bugs at the Refuge
After dropping off 20 years worth of household hazardous wastes, I rewarded myself on the way home (camera in hand of course) with a stroll through the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The neatly laid out and maintained gravel paths offer a great place to relax and soak up a bit of nature. There were […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Human Remains Found on Eel River
A person canoeing the Eel River on Sunday found human remains close to Stafford. Due to their extreme state of decomposition, the coroner’s office has not been able to learn the sex or any other identifying features of the body. Chief Deputy Coroner Ernie Stewart said it appeared the body had been there “quite some […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: Ants
One of nature’s most successful designs has to be the ant. Judging by their numbers and the number of species occupying different niches they are one of evolution’s biggest success stories. It is estimated that they account for about 10 percent of the biomass in some environments and 10 percent of the carbon dioxide in […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Reminder: Humboldt Bay’s Entrance is Unpredictable and Dangerous Due to Shoaling
The dangerous shoaling off the entrance to Humboldt Bay, which the Journal reported on in April, remains of great concern to the sheriff’s office, which sent out a press release today reminding boaters of the shallow waters and hazardous new breaks the sediment has caused. Army Corps of Engineers dredging is scheduled to start in […]
Posted inArts + Scene
Fresh Air in Freshwater
Missing the sun already? On Sunday, the grand opening of the Freshwater Farms Reserve nature trail, hosted by the Northcoast Regional Land Trust, drew crowds looking to bask in the sunshine along the newly minted paths. Along the 3/4-mile jaunt, with its interpretive signs and kayak and canoe launch, local artists posted up for plein […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
HumBug: Gardeners’ Woes
Standing up to work the kinks out of my back brought on by bowing in submission to the dandelions, oxalis, and the nameless red-stemmed running weed among my strawberry plants, a tiny flash of orange caught my eye. When it landed in a nearby pear tree, I saw how its red and black elytra covered […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
TL;DR: Five Tips for Wanna-be Bigfoot Hunters
Maybe time, like Sasquatch himself, proved elusive this week. Or maybe you already read the cover story “Crackpot,” about why local physicist Richard Stepp thinks we shouldn’t dismiss the possible existence of Bigfoot outright, and now you’re ready to start your search. Either way, before you pack up your gear and head for the woods, […]
Posted inNews (NCJ)
Droppin’ (Recreational) Pots for Dungeness
Dust off your kayak and stock up on butter. While commercial fishing for both rock and Dungeness crab is still on hold in our county due to unsafe levels of toxic domoic acid, which can prove harmful and even deadly to humans, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced recreational Dungeness crab fishing […]