Six Rivers and Klamath national forests are among nine in California that will remain closed indefinitely due to “unprecedented and historic fire conditions,” the U.S. Forest Service announced this morning. The closures will be reevaluated daily as conditions change, according to a press release. “Right now, there are three large wildfires burning on the Six […]
climate change
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Slater Fire at Near Happy Camp Remains Zero Percent Contained
After working yesterday to protect structures and utilities from encroaching blazes, fire crews have pivoted toward a larger containment strategy in an effort to tame the Slater Fire that’s straddling the California-Oregon border along Highway 199 northeast of Crescent City. “Along the Slater Fire’s northwest side in Del Norte County, the focus remained on point […]
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Red Salmon Complex: Progress Made Protecting Hoopa with Blaze Expected to Grow Today
The Red Salmon Complex Fire grew by about 10 percent yesterday but fire crews report “significant progress” in efforts to protect communities — including Hoopa, Willow Creek and Denny — from its spread. The fire now spans 84,880 acres in the Klamath, Six Rivers, and Shasta-Trinity national forests within Humboldt, Trinity and Siskiyou counties and […]
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Hopkins Fire Holding East of Main Eel River with Chance of Rain Forecast
UPDATE: The U.S. Forest Service just announced that the fires known as the Elkhorn, Hopkins, Willow, Vinegar and August Complex have all burned together and will be known going forward as the August Complex. For clarity, the large fire complex will be split into three zones: North, South and West. The complex’s West zone is […]
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End of the Spell
Societies all over the world are caught in a terrible dilemma. Taking refuge in our houses and socially distancing are the only ways we know to protect ourselves and each other from Covid-19. Factories are shuttered, schools and stores are closed. So far, we’re lucky here in Humboldt where the death toll is zero. In […]
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Newsom, PG&E Strike Deal to End Company’s Bankruptcy
In the middle of a pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed off on Pacific Gas and Electric Corp.’s $57.65 billion bankruptcy reorganization plan Friday, after winning shareholder concessions and governance changes that he declared would be “the end of business as usual” for the state’s largest utility. The company agreed to a number of changes, notably […]
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County Vets Ideas to Fund Green Energy Projects
The county of Humboldt is weighing whether to place a bond or carbon tax measure on the November ballot to fund projects aimed at reducing the county’s greenhouse gas emissions in the face of a global climate crisis. Like other communities throughout the world, Humboldt County is wrestling with how to transition to clean, renewable […]
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The Fighting First
Two-term incumbent Rex Bohn and radio personality Cliff Berkowitz, who cofounded Lost Coast Communications, are vying to represent the First District in this year’s March 3 primary election. Encompassing a sprawling area that stretches from the far reaches of Shelter Cove to the more urban neighborhoods of Cutten, the First District hasn’t seen a contested […]
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An Eclectic Mix
The race to become Humboldt County’s next Second District supervisor has four challengers taking on two-term incumbent Estelle Fennell, collectively offering a diverse set of opinions on where the county is and where it’s going. The March 3 primary will see Fennell, the former executive director of the Humboldt County Coalition of Property Rights and […]
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County Climate Action Plan Plods Forward
In the aftermath of the Board of Supervisors voting down the Terra-Gen wind project amid dire global climate forecasts, many have been asking what Humboldt County can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change. Well, local governments are working on it and residents have lots of ideas. The state is requiring every […]
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Terra-Gen Electrified the Conversation. What Now?
Terra-Gen’s Humboldt Wind Project was flawed but it would have offered this: a large and sudden pulse of low-carbon energy, enough to fill approximately 56 percent of Humboldt’s total electricity needs. With its demise, our odds at reaching our global climate goals become more distant while our challenge to achieve 100 percent clean, renewable energy […]
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King Tide Tour Gives Glimpse of Sea Level Rise
Dozens of people gathered in the rain at the Arcata Marsh on Saturday, Jan. 11, to view the highest tide of the year and listen to a discussion on how it can be seen as a preview of sea level rise and the effects it will have on both the city of Arcata and the […]