Editor:
My congratulations to Clint Victorine, owner of Eel River Organic Beef, for landing a contract with Whole Foods, no small accomplishment.
But I’m worried. According to “Humboldt: the Brand” (Feb. 11) Eel River Organic Beef is already sold in 10 of the biggest Whole Foods in Southern California (and at Eureka Natural Foods, and where else in Humboldt, Mendocino and Del Norte?) And plans are for his ranch to supply organic beef to a total of 50 Whole Foods in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona and even Hawaii in the next two years. I simply can’t imagine that our Eel River watershed has enough pasture land to raise that much cattle, ongoing, in a sustainable way. Never mind the shipping to thousands of miles away. This isn’t the kind of scale that comes to mind when we think of sustainable, organic, local agriculture.
Do we want to be pitting Humboldt branding and profits against our environment? Against our local natural history of ancient redwood treasures? It’s an oxymoron, given that the unique environment and natural features of Humboldt are what shape our spirit, character and also our “brand,” yet such madness is what seems to be happening. Not only with Victorine’s expanding operation, but at businesses such as Cypress Grove, Mad River Brewery and others that Jacqueline Debets spoke for at a Feb. 17 forum on regarding CalTrans’ plans to widen 101 at Richardson Grove. Debets said the road has to be widened or these expanding businesses will be hurt, their profits curtailed. Numerous panelists spoke to that issue, citing the real statistics from a business/transportation study instigated by Debets that belie that conclusion.
I request that our local and wonderfully successful businesses take another look at why they’re located here, meditate on how big is big enough and consider how they can grow sustainably, keeping Richardson Grove, the Eel River watershed and the rest of our beautiful county also healthy and thriving. Flora, fauna, current residents and future generations deserve no less.
Sara Sunstein, Arcata
This article appears in Genocide & Extortion.
Stupid Sara. What’s the source of your income? It’s either 1) public funds, 2) producing commodities for sale out of area, 3) a private accumulation of wealth, or 4) providing services and commodities for those whose incomes are derived from 1, 2, or 3. Take away (2) and you hurt (4), but that seems OK with a lot of those whose income is (1) or (3). Yours is an elitist position.
Let’s keep this a discussion, not an argument.
My opinion is that the simplest solution for the so called "problem" in Richardson Grove State Park. Make people slow down. The CHP could make more money. Why spend $10+Million dollars of your taxes on a two mile section of road?
Speeding up traffic on the 101 through Richardson State Park will not make anything safer. This project is unnecessary, wasteful, and damaging to the Ancient Trees. You will find more facts about the RIP(Richardson Grove Improvement Project) at the Caltrans website http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist1/d1projects/richardson_grove/ where you can download the DEIR and decipher it yourself.
Below is information from groups that are opposed to the RIP due to various issues, such as environmental impacts to wildlife and damage to Ancient Coastal Redwoods that are thousands of years old located within protected State Park:
http://saverichardsongrove.org/
http://www.wildcalifornia.org/action-issues/save-richardson-grove/
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/public_lands/forests/saving_Richardson_Grove/index.html
http://www.treesfoundation.org/publications/article-361
http://www.treesfoundation.org/affiliates/specific-22
hhttp://www.voicesofhumboldtcounty.com/?p=947
The local Times-Standard http://www.times-standard.com/ and the local Redwood Times http://www.redwoodtimes.com/home also contain a multitude of op/eds against this unnecessary project that will cost taxpayers up to $10+ Million dollars and harm local small business and community infrastructure.
This issue is not simply a political or environmental issue. It is also about the ethics of a project to RIP a hole in the Redwood Curtain. It’s about the effects of Big Boxes in a locally thriving small and sustainable business community.
It’s about cutting, filling and paving the roots of Thirty Ancient Trees that line the highway, in a State Park as well as the removal of 87 other trees two feet diameter or less without wildlife studies. Without required public participation or final comment on the EIR required by CEQUA. Constructing a 300′ retaining wall where trees used to be.
All in a State Park.
Range land is widely available in Humboldt County. Beef cattle do not need to spend their entire lives in the eel river valley unlike their dairy cousins, beef cattle can be in very remote parcels for much of their lives. I think Clint has parcels all over the county and his personal standards for his grazing and livestock meet or exceed the standards of the NOP and his organic certifier, CCOF. In addition he works with other ranchers to fulfill his herd needs after he is certain they meet his high standards.
Wholefoods is a great account to have because they pay on time, buy responsibly and offer a producer an extensive network for their products. Humboldt county cannot sustain many of the producer/processors who operate here and they would be remiss to skip an opportunity to work with a company like WFM.
The notion that HumCo. producers and processors should limit themselves to the local area is absurd and entirely unsustainable in it’s own right. Many producers have to discount their products to sell them locally and can sell products at higher margins outside of the area. There is a huge demand for lower prices on organic/boutique products that do not allow discovery of the true cost of production. For whatever reasons, processors/producers feel compelled to race to the bottom of the market in order to gain shelf space in Humboldt’s "sustainable" markets.