This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Law enforcement raided the illegal cannabis operation in Shasta-Trinity National Forest months before, but rotting potatoes still sat on the growers’ makeshift kitchen worktop, waiting to be cooked. Ecologist Greta Wengert stared down the pockmarked hillside at a pile of pesticide sprayers left behind, long after […]
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Second North Coast Condor Dies
The North Coast has lost another condor. B8 was discovered dead last month, according to the Yurok Tribe, which is leading the Northern California Condor Restoration Program effort to return the bird they know as prey-go-neesh to the northern reaches of the endangered species’ former territory in partnership with Redwood National and State Parks. Free-flying […]
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DNA Matches Skull Found in 1993 to Missing Trinity County Woman
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office announced today that human remains found decades ago have been identified as those of a Trinity County woman reported missing in 1987. According to a press release, Hyampom School teacher Kay Josephine Medin was reported missing by her husband Nickolas Medin on Aug. 3, 1987, after he said he returned […]
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Total Eclipse of the Moon Coming This Week
Look up at the sky Thursday evening into Friday morning for a chance to glimpse the moon turn a red-coppery color —sometimes called a “Blood Moon” — during a total lunar eclipse. The celestial show occurs “when the sun, Earth, and moon align so that the moon passes into Earth’s shadow,” according to NASA. “It […]
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Students Watch History Unfold on the Klamath, Dam Removal Celebration Set for Dec. 7
On a recent field trip to the Klamath River, local school children were able to witness a momentous example of nature’s ability to rebound: salmon spawning in a creek upstream from the former Iron Gate dam after decades of absence. It’s one of many ecological milestones being reached following the largest dam removal project in […]
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“Alarming”: 1 Condor Undergoing Lead Poisoning Treatment, Others Show Elevated Levels
One of the North Coast’s 18 condors is undergoing treatment at the Sequoia Park Zoo for lead poisoning, while eight others had levels high enough to be detected during recent medical exams. In an update this week, the Northern California Condor Restoration Program — a Yurok Tribe-led effort to reestablish a self-sustaining population of the […]
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Cosmic Viewing: Rare Comet is Making an Appearance
After being treated to an encore of the Northern Lights in recent weeks, skywatchers in Humboldt County have the chance to view another celestial phenomena in the comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS. In what NASA describes as a “once-in-80,000-years sight,” the comet will be visible low in the horizon to the west after sunset, with the best likelihood […]
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Saving Salmon: Newsom Unveils Blueprint for Ending Decades-long Decline
With salmon populations throughout California declining for decades and facing the threat of extinction, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday unveiled a state strategy aimed at protecting and restoring the iconic species “amidst hotter and drier weather exacerbated by climate change.” The blueprint calls for tearing down dams and improving passages for migrating salmon, restoring flows […]
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California COVID Cases are Increasing, Again. Here’s the Latest on Boosters and More
Another COVID-19 wave is hitting California as the summer ends and kids head back to school. It’s a familiar story by now, but one that has become perhaps more confusing with time because of changing public health recommendations, new vaccine boosters and our evolving understanding of the virus. There’s no reason to panic, state epidemiologist […]
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Super Blue Moon Set to Rise
The second full moon set to rise in the sky Aug. 30 will not be just a “blue moon” — as the two-in-one calendar month lunar phenomena that occurs every two to three years is known. No, it’s going to be a “super blue moon.” According to NASA, so-called blue moons — and the accompanying […]
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What Can California Do About Abortion Pill Ruling? Not Much
California’s Democratic lawmakers have spent the past year enacting legislation to protect abortion rights in the wake of Roe v. Wade’s reversal, but an April 7 ruling by a Texas federal judge is one thing they can’t touch. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk suspended the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone more than […]
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UPDATED: Preliminary 4.6 Quake Hits Near Ferndale
A preliminary magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck 4.3 miles west-southwest of Ferndale at 4:18 p.m., according the USGS. The temblor struck at a depth of 9.6 miles, the initial report states. The quake is one of the largest to hit our actively seismic area since the 6.4 Dec. 20 quake and 5.4 New Year’s Day aftershock. […]