ECONEWS
The Newsletter
Can Indoor Pot Grows Be Environmentally Friendly?
When the cannabis growers who brought
Humboldt County wealth and fame in the ‘70s and
‘80s started moving their farms indoors, they did so
in reaction to market and political conditions.
Cops and judges harassed outdoor growers.
The great urban mass of pot smoking consumers
demanded dense indoor-grown bud. They paid
half again as much for it as they did for outdoor-
grown, far more than enough to offset growers’
electricity costs.
The local economy soon became dependent on
indoor growing, just as it depended on logging in
decades past. A real estate bubble inflated. People
didn’t protest because it generated so much income.
Humboldt was enjoying another boom based on
another unsustainable extractive industry.
Like the loggers before them, some pot growers
have ravaged local hillsides and waterways.
And greedy indoor farmers have also wrought
devastation in local rental homes, in distant coal
and oil country, and in the common atmosphere.
Now, with steadily increasing energy prices and
steadily decreasing weed prices, Humboldt looks
poised to suffer another bust. Local landlords might
be left with vacant, depreciated, moldy homes
polluted with fertilizers and fungicides. Rural
landowners might be left with properties littered
with diesel, motor oil and mothballed generators.
To ward it off such a scenario, growers
must embrace technology and techniques to
mitigate their ecological footprint and improve
their economic sustainability, and they must
take advantage of the growing atmosphere 1000 watt HID lamps provide light for the legal cannabis growing at the Humboldt
of permissiveness to integrate into the Patient Resource Center. Manager Kevin Jodrey said the dispensary has plans to
mainstream economy. convert to 600 watt lamps to save energy. Photo: Sarah O’Leary
Clean Air Act To Regulate Emissions? Not So Fast!
In recent months U.S. climate activists have been
pressing the Obama administration to bypass the
arduous process of congressional climate legislation,
and let the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
regulate greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
In December the Center for Biological Diversity
(CBD) circulated a petition for a national pollution cap
under the Clean Air Act.
More than 100 groups, including Friends of the Earth
and Eco-Justice Collaborative, endorsed the petition
which asked the EPA to cap carbon dioxide pollution at
350 parts per million, the level that leading scientists say
is necessary to avoid the worst impacts of global warming.
Although the Supreme Court ruled that the
EPA has the authority and the
obligation to regulate greenhouse
gases two years ago, the agency
didn’t act until it became clear
that emissions legislation might
be indefinitely stalled.
Alaska Senator Lisa
Murkowski wants to
stop the EPA from
regulating grreen-
house gases.
. landscape-level reserves for owls and salmon.
Inside This Issue
Fire Safety Collaboration Goes Awry......3
Orleans Logging Operation Breaks Agreements
Klamath Conservation Partners..............5 North Coast MLPA Update..................11
NEC Continues To Work Toward Dam Removal
Weaverville Community Forest...............5 Del Norte News......................................12 the agency on every front, and a less insane
Stewardship Contracting Means Healthy Forests
Special Climate Section........................6-7
Report from Copenhagen, Climate Justice, More
Rare Plant Habitat Threatened...............9 Eco-Mania...............................................15
Weed Intended To Mine Metal Now Taking Over
of the Northcoast
Environmental
By Nathaniel Page
every year. That’s the equivalent of flying round-trip
from San Francisco to Singapore four times.
Old-Growth Forest Species
Late last year the EPA announced its findings that
greenhouse gases endanger the public health and welfare
of the American people. The EPA also determined
that greenhouse gas emissions from on-road vehicles
contribute to that threat. The announcement gave the
Obama administration a fall-back position if Congress
fails to pass a climate change law.
“Unlike the current anemic Senate bills, the Clean
Air Act is the only existing tool that can ensure that
the United States develops a truly science-based
greenhouse-pollution cap,” said CBD’s executive
director, Kierán Suckling, in December.
But now a Republican Senator from Alaska, Lisa
Murkowski, is spearheading a movement to prevent the
EPA from regulating emissions. She has introduced
a “resolution of disapproval,” and if it passes, the
administration will no longer have “plan B” for
climate change.
Murkowski’s resolution would overturn the EPA’s
December finding, and activists are gearing up for a
fight. Even if it doesn’t pass, this action could cause
wavering democrats concerned about the 2010
elections to back down even further and refuse to
take a stand in support of the Clean Air Act
“A vote for the Murkowski resolution is a vote to
gut the Clean Air Act and do nothing about global
warming,” said Suckling. “With the Copenhagen
talks failing to produce a legally binding, science-
based agreement, and the planet warming faster
than predicted, we need the Clean Air Act more
than ever. The Senate should resoundingly reject
Murkowski’s resolution.” y
Eco-Kids Page....................................... 10
Contests Galore, Carnivorous Plants, Word Puzzle
Locals Work To Transcend Politics As Usual
Pacific Shores Development, Airport Project
Kin To The Earth....................................14
Redwood Region Audubon Society
A Monthly Melange of Salient Sillies
Center
Indoor’s Ecological Footprint
At Let It Grow hydroponics shop in Arcata,
salesman Josh Sacks greets a a slow trickle of
customers one quiet December afternoon.
Bottles containing plant snacks line the walls
– everything from chemical nitrate fertilizers to
organic compost teas. Sacks said that some growers,
unwilling to delve into the “nitty-gritty of organic
micronutrients,” use cheap chemical fertilizers. Novice
growers also frequently allow their gardens to be
overrun by spider mites. Then they apply the acrid
pesticides Flouromite and Avid in great quantities to
save their crop.
Such techniques produce a number of common
waste products, including exhausted growing
mediums, excess fertilizer, pesticides, fungicides and
broken equipment.
But even organic indoor growers put toxins into
the soil and air.
A small-time 3000 watt indoor grow uses twice
as much electricity by itself as does the average
Humboldt home. Beckie Menten, the City of Arcata’s
Energy Program Specialist, said the city’s residential
energy usage increased by 30 percent between 2000
and 2006.
“There’s not a whole lot that could account
for that besides [proposition] 215,” she said. She
calculates that California growers use 15 million
kilowatt-hours a year.
Arcata growers have helped foil the city’s ambitious
greenhouse-gas reduction goals. According to
Menten’s calculations, each 3000-watt grow is
responsible for about 10,000 pounds of carbon dioxide
Continued on Page 4
Protected – Once Again
A Seattle federal court has axed the last piece
of the Bush Administration’s many attempts
to boost logging in national forests where
spotted owls make their home – in this case, a
2007 rulemaking that attempted to eliminate
the “survey and manage” program. A previous
attempt in 2004 was also overturned and the
program restored.
The survey and manage program, which
applies to forests from northwestern California
to the Canadian border, requires the US Forest
Service and other federal agencies to survey
for certain species dependent on older forests
before altering their habitat, and to protect
species where they are found.
“Under the Bush Administration, the Forest
Service tried endlessly to change its rules
to make logging easier,” said Scott Greacen,
executive director of EPIC, one of the plaintiff
groups in the lawsuit. “But these rules had to
be created because the Forest Service logged
without respect for the needs of species that
depend on intact, mature and old-growth
forests.”
The U.S Forest Service adopted the survey
and manage portion of the Northwest Forest
Plan in 1994, along with the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) and the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, as a means to protect species
that might not be adequately protected by
When the Bush administration took office
in 2000, it immediately began dismantling the
protections in the plan. A legal see-saw ensued
with federal judges continually reinstating the
rules and the Bush administration finding ways
to drop them.
“Now that the federal courts have rebuffed
administration is in place,” Greacen said, “we’d
like to hope that the Forest Service will start
living up to its commitments to protect rare
species and clean water, so that its timber
production can be sustainable.”

ECONEWS
is the official monthly publication of the Northcoast
Environmental Center, a non-profit organization,
791 Eighth Street, Arcata, CA 95521; (707) 822-6918;
Fax (707) 822-6980. Third class postage paid in
Arcata. ISSN No. 0885-7237. ECONEWS is mailed free
to our members and distributed free throughout the
Northern California/Southern Oregon bioregion. The
subscription rate is $35 per year.
Editor: Sarah O’Leary sarah@yournec.org
Advertising: Sarah O’Leary, ads@yournec.org
Proofreaders: Midge Brown, Sid Dominitz
Staff Photographer: Sam Camp
Writers: Nathaniel Page, Ian Jewett, Martin Swett,
Corey Lewis, Kristyna Solawetz, Colleen O’Sullivan, Jen-
nifer Savage, Eileen Cooper, Friends of Del Norte, Kaci
Elder, Susan Nolan, John Emig, Sylvia Ann White, Allison
Poklemba, Sarah Marnick, Dan Ihara, Jay Wright, Sue
Leskiw, Jennifer Kalt, Maureen Jules, Rogue Riverkeeper
Artists: Mark Jacobson, Terry Torgerson
Cover Art: Terry Torgerson
NEC Mission
To promote understanding of the rela-
tions between people and the biosphere
and to conserve, protect and celebrate
terrestrial, aquatic and marine eco-
systems of northern California and
southern Oregon.
News From the Center
The year 2009 was one of the most
trying financially for the Northcoast
Environmental Center. Not only were
we impacted by the global financial
crisis, the NEC also realized that it
was carrying a financial burden from
years past that was preventing the
organization from focusing on North
Coast conservation issues.
The good news in all of this is that
although this past year started out
rough, it ended with the NEC free of
debt. With the successful sale of our
former headquarters at 1465 G St. in
December, the NEC has managed to
survive the financial hardship we’d
been experiencing over the past two
and a half years.
To stay afloat during these tough
economic times, the NEC Board of
Directors made some very difficult
decisions, cutting costs on all fronts.
Earlier in the year, we sold one of
two lots we owned on Ninth Street,
the NEC’s home until the 2001 fire.
This, combined with the sale of our
house on G Street, alleviated the NEC
of nearly all of our mortgage debt.
Our debt – which stood at nearly
$700,000 in May – is now close to
zero. Nobody is more pleased with
this than I, the NEC’s treasurer.
The sale of the G Street property
was not an easy transaction,
but thanks to the diligence and
experience of Greg Anderson of
Coldwell Banker Sellers Realty
in Arcata, the sale closed on
December 10.
The goal of the NEC board was to
shed our debt without causing any of
our debtors to lose their investment,
and, much to our relief, we succeeded
despite the downturn in real estate.
Those parties that lent the NEC
money to buy the G Street house
did so not because they felt it was a
sound investment, but because they
believed in the solid conservation
work we were doing. The NEC is
very appreciative of their support
and dedication. We cannot thank
them enough for their patience and
understanding.
The journey from deep in the red
last spring to being in the black at
the end of 2009 was a group effort.
A special thanks goes out to Bob
Schultz for preparing our property
for sale, to Bill Chino from the
Jacoby Storehouse for aiding us in
our relocation, to Andie Ullsmith
of Humboldt Land Title for putting
in copious hours to make the sale
work, and to the anonymous donor
who helped us realize our goals. (You
know who you are. Thank you!).
I also want to thank the volunteers
on our Board of Directors who put
in long hours to ensure that the NEC
will survive well into the future.
We look forward to a successful
2010.
-Martin Swett, Board Treasurer

NEC Board Of Directors

California Native Plant Society
Jen Kalt (Secretary) jkalt@asis.com
Redwood Region Audubon Society
C.J. Ralph theralphs@humboldt1.com
Sierra Club North Group, Redwood Chapter
Felice Pace unofelice@gmail.com
Humboldt Baykeeper
Pete Nichols pete@humboldtbaykeeper.org
Friends of Del Norte
Eileen Cooper upsprout@yahoo.com
Safe Alternatives For Our Forest Environment
Larry Glass (President) lglass@foggy.net
Environmental Protection Information Center
Scott Greacen scott@wildcalifornia.org
At-Large
Jim Clark (Vice President) dancebirds@sbcglobal.net
Martin Swett (Treasurer) mswett@pacific.net
Bob Morris (Trinity County Representive)
bob.morris@wildblu.net
Volunteer submissions are welcome! Full articles of
500 words or fewer may be submitted by the 15th
of each month, preferably by e-mail. Longer articles
should be pitched to the editor, contact
sarah@yournec.org or call 707-845-3902. Include
your phone number and e-mail with all submissions.
Ideas and views expressed in ECONEWS are not
necessarily those of the NEC.
Every issue of ECONEWS is printed on recycled paper with
soy-based inks. Please Recycle.
Bouquets
This month’s floral tributes go to:
 Greg Anderson of Coldwell
Banker Sellers Realty in Arcata for his
excellent work in selling the NEC’s
property at 1465 G Street. Greg’s
experience and creativity allowed this
transaction to close at the sales price
we needed to ensure that all note
holders were paid in full.
 The Karuk Tribe for working so
tirelessly to stop the destructive practice
of suction dredge mining, and for
drafting California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) scoping comments
to the California Department of Fish and
Game on their SEIR proposed rules.
 Dr. James Hansen, of NASA and
Columbia University, for his courage
and persistence in speaking out on the
threat that global climate change poses
to humanity and ecosystems. Dr Hansen
has done as much as any person on Earth
to raise awareness of the causes and
consequences of global warming, from
his 1988 testimony to Congress to his
2009 book, Storms of My Grandchildren.
 Pete Nichols, our outgoing board
president for expertly guiding the
NEC through the changes of the
financially troubled past year, and
donating untold hours of personal
time to NEC projects which
ultimately helped to bring this
organization back to its feet. y
2 www.yournec.org
New NEC Board President Arts! Arcata
The NEC Board of Directors welcomes Larry
At The NEC
Glass as the new president, effective immediately.
Glass will assume the reins from Pete Nichols, who
guided the NEC through many difficult decisions
during his two years as president and enabled the
organization to recover from a fiscal crisis.
“I’ve been an environmental activist since the
first Earth Day in 1970,” said Glass, who has served
on the NEC board on and off for more than 30
years, including two previous stints as president.
An avid kayaker, Glass kayaks in the
Humboldt Bay regularly, and won recognition
Larry Glass. Photo by Peter Canclini “The Turning: Green” by Neil Harvey.
last year for rescuing a woman who jumped off
the Samoa Bridge. Join us on Friday, February 12
In addition to owning and managing the retail store, The Works, which has locations for our first Arts! Arcata celebration
in Eureka and Arcata, Glass serves on the Eureka City Council and as board president of 2010! As always we will host the
of Safe Alternatives For Our Forest Environment (SAFE), an NEC member group. event at our Arcata Plaza office on the
Over the years, he has been involved in many efforts to reduce herbicide use and ground floor of Jacoby’s Storehouse.
This month we are featuring the
improve timber harvest practices, particularly on public lands. He founded South
Fork Mountain Defense, a Trinity County organization, and he represented the NEC paintings of award-winning artist and
on a Citizens Advisory Board focused on the environmental impacts of the pulp radio producer, Neil Harvey, whose
mills on the North Spit. artwork and photographs have been
Glass also participated in the Humboldt Herbicide Task Force, a group that shown in galleries in New York and
fought herbicide use in the 1980s, and played an integral role in convincing Northern California. He currently
CalTrans and the Humboldt County road department to stop using herbicides resides in Trinity County.
on roadside vegetation. The Task Force eventually grew into Californians for Harvey will display his series
Alternatives to Toxics (CATS), a statewide organization based in Eureka. of “Dream Paintings,” which were
Larry’s unique combination of business skills, conservation advocacy experience, inspired by a single dream and
and long history with the NEC will serve the organization well, as we consider how
best to conserve, protect and celebrate terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems of
nighttime visions while camping on a
solitary retreat.
northern California and southern Oregon. y “Many abstract painters have written
about pulling on inner resources and
even transpersonal sources for their
We Want Your Letters! inspiration,” writes Harvey in his Artist
Statement. “That is very much what
Feeling irritated by something you read here in ECONEWS? Or maybe one of this month’s
articles made you jump for joy. Tell us about it! Try to keep your letter to 300 words or is going on here. They are morning
fewer and include your full name and city of residence. We may edit for space and clarity. paintings each arising from sweet
E-mail letters to sarah@yournec.org, or mail to P.O. Box 4259, Arcata, CA 95518. We prompts that followed quiet meditation
welcome your thoughts and comments! and reflection.”
Harvey is also senior producer and
host of the radio series The Bioneers
Greywater Needs Treatment Revolution From the Heart of Nature
and he was senior producer for New
Dear ECONEWS, disinfectants, pesticides etc. from a home Dimensions Radio in the ‘90s.
The idea of using greywater for are flushed down the toilet, rather they
Drop by the NEC on the 12th, and
irrigation is a time tested and useful are washed down the drain, and much meet the artist, while enjoying an
strategy to conserve water, as described of cleaning that takes place in the other
assortment of savory snacks and local
in the December 2009 ECONEWS. The fixtures is to remove bodily waste. wines provided by Libation.
process can go awry, however. There is no reason that properly
When the installation is used primarily treated greywater cannot be used for
Coming next month: We’ll
gain host Arts! Arcata on Friday,
to escape the cost of installing an adequate irrigation. In fact the whole waste stream
March 12. The work of local
on-site wastewater disposal system, the can be used with proper treatment.
photographer and NEC volunteer,
result is often an unsightly and smelly But grease and oils are of no use in
Terry Schultz, will be on display. y
mess. It has no environmental advantage if crop raising and have to ultimately be
the owner does not intend to produce an dealt with. The same is true of lint from
agricultural or ornamental crop. clothes washing. CORRECTION
The article defines greywater as: The wastewater that percolates into The December/January “Kin To The
“wastewater from household sinks, the ground can reach a useable ground Earth” column incorrectly referred
showers, bathtubs and washing machines water table or a stream. It is no big trick to the Pacific giant salamder as
that has not been contaminated by to remove at least the biodegradable North America’s largest salamander.
bodily waste or toxic chemicals”. I submit components, but this cannot be In fact the Hellbender holds that
that this a mythical substance unless accomplished by simply running an open distinction. Additonally, this species
there is continuous surveillance by the pipe onto the ground. is not a reptile, as stated, but in
wastewater police. Dale Watson fact is an amphibian. ECONEWS
Very little of the cleaning agents, Crescent City CA 95531 regrets the errors.
February/March 2010 ECONEWS
 Forest Service-Citizen Fire Safety Collaboration Goes Sour
By Sarah O’Leary

When news broke last December about a group of concern. Now Tripp wonders
mostly Karuk activists blockading a road near Orleans if the original agreement can
to protest a logging project, it brought back visions of actually be enforced at the
the timber wars of past decades. However, this direct subcontracting level.
action – carried out by a group known as the Klamath Both Harling and Tripp
Justice Coalition - was motivated by frustration at the noted that their group did
Forest Service’s failure to honor agreements developed not get to see the contract
in a three-year collaborative process. before it was awarded. “We
The logging operation was part of a long-planned were supposed to have input
fuels reduction project for the area, meaning that brush into the contract process and
and some smaller trees were to be removed or thinned review the contract before
in an effort to reduce the risks of fire to the community it was awarded to make sure
of Orleans and its surrounding homesteads. Such fire that mitigations were there,”
hazards have risen sharply, due both to extensive clear- said Tripp.
cutting between the 1950’s and the 1980’s, and the Harling agreed that the
Forest Service’s policy of fire suppression. main issue is that agreements
“The landscape is out of whack because fire has been from the EIS and ROD are
excluded for so long,” said Will Harling of the Orleans/ not being met. These include
Somes Bar Fire Safe Council. “We are losing a lot of our the size of trees being taken
fire-adapted ecosystems including oak woodlands and out, the use of inappropriate
meadow habitats that, in the absence of fire, have been equipment, logging along
encroached upon by even-aged Douglas fir stands,” ceremonial trails and damage
These crowded young fir stands can burn inflicted on hardwoods –
dangerously hot during wildfire events, Harling added. despite the fact that the EIS
Several community groups and environmental specifies that damage will Kimberly Baker looks at an especially large Douglas fir, cut during the logging operation that was part
organizations, along with the Karuk Tribe and the not exceed 25 percent of of the Orleans Fuels Reduction Project. Fire resilient trees such as this are supposed to be retained
Orleans-Somes Bar Fire Safe Council, have worked hardwoods in a given unit. whenever possible. The tree is located along the historic Prospect Mine trail in Orleans and knocked
with the Six Rivers national forest over the last three “Large hardwoods, down another large tree when it was cut. The trees are jack-knived right across the trail making it
nearly impassable. Photo courtesy of Klamath Forest Alliance.
years to hammer out a plan to reduce fire hazards and including tan oak, black oak,
protect Karuk cultural sites in the Pananmik World and madrone, are culturally
Renewal Ceremonial District. and ecologically significant species, and we worked Tribal Concerns Ignored Again
The result was the Orleans Community Fuel hard to ensure they would not be damaged during According to the Klamath Justice Coalition,
Reduction and Forest Health Project . The work would project implementation,” Harling said. “The Forest this is not the first time that Forest Supervisor
involve a combination of hand-thinning units and careful Service is not enforcing language in the contract Tyrone Kelly has shown insensitivity to Tribal
commercial thinning in stands further from homes. and EIS that’s supposed to require the contractor to cultural issues. Last year he oversaw the bulldozing
During this process an Environmental Impact directionally fell trees to save large hardwoods.” of an area disputed to be Indian Trust Land. A
Statement (EIS) was finalized with the filing of He added that hardwoods have been given to this home, a contemporary dance ground and a nearby
a Record of Decision (ROD). But the guidelines contractor for sale in past projects, creating an economic archeological site were all destroyed.
enumerated in these documents – and especially the incentive for them to take as many as they could. The activists who blockaded the logging road in
accords reached to resolve the collaborative group’s Harling said that throughout a long series of December believe that this logging project looks
objections to the project – were not reflected in the meetings, the Forest Service insisted yarder corridors like just another timber harvest that disregards the
contract the Forest Service actually awarded, or in could be kept to 10 foot widths, and thus claimed that concerns of the community.
the logging that has been done to date, say Karuk and very few large overstory trees would be removed. This “We are shocked that the Forest Service thinks it can
environmental sources. stipulation was included in the EIS. However, in the get away with lying to our community,” said Annelia
Good Decisions Gone Bad first units harvested, 20-40 foot wide corridors were Hillman, Karuk Tribal member.
created, apparently targeted the large overstory trees “We want fuels reduction, but we will not accept
“We got a lot of good decisions made during the the destruction of Karuk sacred sites or a timber sale
that fire scientists say should be retained.
process,” said Bill Tripp, Eco-Cultural Specialist for disguised as a fuels reduction plan.”
“Old growth and late seral closed canopy forests
the Karuk Tribe. “But they just didn’t get implemented In January, the Karuk Tribe filed a formal
keep undergrowth down and have higher humidities
once the project got into contracting,” complaint with the State Office of Historic
that lessen fire intensity and spread. When too many
Tripp said that many of the problems are caused
canopy trees are taken out it changes the structure of a Preservation because the Panamnik World Renewal
by the changes the contractor has said he needs in Ceremonial District is eligible for listing under the
stand and no longer meets the purpose of the project,”
order to do the job efficiently. “The collaborative group National Historic Preservation Act. The letter cited a
said Harling.
specifically requested this contractor not get the bid long list of violations of the programmatic agreement
Additionally the EIR called for the establishment of
because of the outcome of previous projects – like that will negatively affect the Ceremonial District,
multiparty monitoring of the project that would have
roads punched through cultural sites,” he said. topped with the fact that an archaelogist has not been
involved local residents, the Tribes, and the collaborative
Using “best value” rules that were supposed to on site as promised.
organizations, but this was never followed through.
ensure the job was given to a contractor with a record “Now we’re applying some pressure through
“If it had been done it would have helped set
of good performance, the Forest Service awarded the whatever means we have to because these are
priorities,” said Tripp. “At least impacts to other
original contract to Yreka-based Timber Products, significant issues,” said Tripp. y
areas would have been reduced, such as to the World
Inc., But that company then subcontracted the job
Renewal District.”
to Mark Crawford Logging, the focus of community

Help On The Way For Giant Sea Turtles – But Is It Enough?

By Sarah O’Leary

Federal and wave energy plants. NOAA would examine such “Now the government needs to take the next step
biologists projects not only for their potential effects on the and improve its proposal by incorporating more of the
have proposed turtles, but on jellyfish and other turtle food sources. species’ key habitat areas and addressing one of the
to designate But some conservation groups say that the proposed worst threats to leatherback survival – entanglement in
70,000 square protections are not comprehensive enough. The critical commercial fishing gear.” y
miles of ocean habitat designation does not include most of the
as protected Humboldt-Del Norte coast, nor southwestern Oregon, TAKE ACTION!
habitat for though it encompasses northwest Oregon and the entire
the federally Washington coast. The proposed rule is open for public comment
endangered Although the proposed protected areas also extend until March 8.
leatherback from Point Arena south to Point Vincente in Los Angeles Submit your comment online here:
turtle – the County, and extend 200 miles out to sea, environmental http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/
largest sea groups say that the turtles consistently use the areas off action/public/?action_KEY=2003
turtle in the world. of northwest California and southwest Oregon and that
Mail your comments to:
The turtles can measure up to nine feet long and these areas should be included.
weigh upwards of 1,200 pounds. Biologists estimate Additionally, conservationists believe that the proposal David Cottingham
they have a life span of 40 to 100 years. Listed as dangerously overlooks commercial fishing gear as a threat Chief, Marine Mammal/Sea Turtle Conservation
endangered in 1970, the turtles migrate thousands of to the leatherback’s survival. Turtles are often accidentally Office of Protected Resources, National Marine
miles in late summer and fall from as far away as Papua caught by fishermen using drift nets or long lines, a Fisheries Service
New Guinea, swimming across the Pacific Ocean to leading cause of death for leatherbacks. 1315 East-West Highway
forage for food on our West Coast. “This proposal marks the first step in making sure Silver Springs, MD 20910
The new regulation, proposed by the National these giant turtles have a safe and productive place to
Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration feed after their amazing swim across the entire Pacific Read the proposed rule in its entirety here:
(NOAA) would restrict projects that harm turtles Ocean,” said Andrea Treece, attorney for the Center For http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/E9-31310.htm
or their food such as liquefied natural gas terminals Biological Diversity.

ECONEWS February/March 2010 www.yournec.org 3

Environmental Toll of Indoor Grows Continued from page 1

Diesel Disasters patients need medicine with consistent qualities, and

Rural growers use diesel generators to power he cannot achieve such consistency outdoors. But he
their indoor farms. In exchange for inflated property said the center is incorporating energy-saving features
values, their neighbors endure the constant roar of in its new grow room in Aldergrove Industrial Park.
industrial-strength generators, clouds of carcinogenic They’re switching to digital ballasts, which are
smoke and the occasional Valdez scenario. 15 percent more efficient than their magnetic
In May of 2008 a grower near Miranda spilled a counterparts. They’re also cutting their lamp wattage
thousand gallons of diesel into a tributary of Salmon by about 40 percent. Jodrey believes he can grow the
Creek. Creek inhabitants – including salamanders same amount of product with the smaller lamps by
and invertebrates – and other growers were nearly getting more units of light per watt onto the plants.
poisoned. The absentee landowner was fined more Gronek and his store manager, Joanna Berg, say
than $200,000, lost the property and later died, that improved hood designs can help growers do
reportedly from the stress of the ordeal. just that. They also suggest growers mount their
Just before that spill, two groups of southern lamps on mover tracks, which reduce the number
Humboldt citizens organized in opposition to “diesel of fixtures necessary for a given grow room.
dope.” They called themselves “Put ‘Em in the Sun” Another energy efficient improvement would be
and “Citizens Addressing Pot Pollution” (CAPP). to use fluorescents instead of HIDs for most of the
Both groups aim to promote growing outdoors and vegetative growth period.
educate consumers about the ecological effects of Sacks suggests growers concerned about their
indoor buds. electricity use switch to a “sea of green” cultivation
“Outdoor growing is not without its sins,” conceded technique. With this method, growers cultivate bonsai
Miranda-area resident Tyce, an affiliate of CAPP. plants. They grow many more plants but only for half
“Water use in the summer when its dry, all that.” the length of time. The method squeezes a higher
Fearful of repercussions for speaking out, he also volume of product out of each kilowatt.
said that indoor growing was understandable “back Some growers try to get as much bud as possible
when we were getting flown hard.” But lately the out of as
CAMP helicopters have backed off, he said, leaving few plants
rural indoor growers little excuse for their conduct. as possible, Organic and chemical fertilizers fill the
Tyce listens to three generators running all night thinking that shelves of a local hydroponics shop.
long. Friends tell him of appliances blown out in their plant Organic treatments are far superior, but
even organic indoor farmers put toxins
weird grow-related power surges. numbers into the environment.
“The first time I saw one of these things, I are legally Photo: Sarah O’Leary
thought it was the stupidest thing in the world,” he relevant. But To eliminate the necessity
said, referring to diesel generators. “[It’s] the most the Humboldt for chemical pesticides, Sacks
unsustainable way of growing imaginable. Diesel County Code suggests applying neem oil to
scenes make slash-and-burn look kind of silly.” He prescribes a the foliage of the plants early and
pointed out that diesel generators lack emissions limit of 100 regularly to ward off mites before
controls and, when run continuously, require an oil square feet they can establish themselves.
change every few days. of garden Indoor growers who use
Melissa Martel of the Humboldt County canopy for generators should consider
Department of Health and Human Services said each marijuana installing containment tanks and
that she responded to six instances of diesel leaks patient. There automatic cut-off valves around
in the hills last year. Sometimes, tiny leaks build is no limit to their fuel tanks, Kemp said. They
up over time. One drop of diesel per second equals the number of “Put ‘em in the sun.” Outdoor grown weed requires far less electrity, but com- should also consider switching
400 gallons a year. Martel said she started digging plants or watts mercial grows still consume large amounts of water and fertilizers. to nontoxic biodiesel. The vast
around what looked like a small leak and eventually allowed. Sacks quantities of used motor oil
uncovered a giant inverted plume of diesel soaked suggests growing should be disposed of at proper
into many tons of soil. 100 tiny plants waste transfer centers.
Freelance writer Kym Kemp, who is affiliated on one square foot each, for one month. Ultimate Futility
with “Put ‘Em in the Sun” and who covered the Even though he’s a legal grower, Jodrey said that he’s
had problems getting rid of agricultural wastes from Government policies towards energy and marijuana
Salmon Creek incident for the Northcoast Journal,
his grow rooms, such as shake and stems, because markets and consumers’ preference for indoor bud
remembers that spill as “a hellish scene.”
local farmers are afraid to possess large quantities of –
­ although it contains less THC than outdoor and
Kemp dreams of cannabis gardens flowering under
weed. He hopes that the increasing legitimacy of the fewer cannabinoids overall – have fueled the indoor
the sun and said that only Prohibition stands in the
marijuana industry will aleviate such problems. boom. Legal weed and a carbon tax may bring the next
way. “My hope is that if they legalize marijuana the
Illegal growers are loath to draw attention to economic bust. Growers and dispensaries should plan
environment will be saved,” she said.
themselves and often dispose of their wastes in a accordingly.
Mitigation Even if the end of Prohibition makes growing in the
surreptitous manner. Some toss bags of the common
A row of fat succulents languishes in the display growing medium rock wool into the forest. They hills and in bedrooms obselete, the ecological benefits
window at Let It Grow. Above them hangs a square crush up mercury-filled HID lamps and toss them will be a silver lining. Besides cannabis, no plant in
lamp dotted with 120 weakly glowing light-emitting into public dumpsters. They pour fertilizers down the the world is grown entirely indoors. In the future,
diodes (LEDs). drain, which can cause fish-asphyxiating algae blooms high-grade marijuana will likely be grown in places
Sacks demonstrates that the lamp has more red in streams and in the ocean. well suited to its cultivation, perhaps further inland, in
LEDs than blue ones, producing a spectrum suited Eddie Tanner, an organic farmer in Arcata, greenhouses with supplemental LED lighting.
to flowering. It takes 45 watts and could replace a said he won’t take growers’ Joe at Humboldt Hydroponics
250 watt high-intensity discharge (HID) lamp – if it exhausted soil because he’s not was refreshingly laconic
worked efficiently. It costs $140, but would pay itself sure what’s in it. The presence when asked how to improve
off quickly in energy savings, he said, especially if of chemical fertilizers, the ecological sensitivity of
electricity costs go up. pesticides or fungicides in his an indoor grow. “As long as
Although they are barely in use now, Kevin Jodrey, soil could endanger his farm’s that light’s on, ” he said, “Ain’t
cultivation director at the Humboldt Patient Resource organic certification. Tanner nothing environmentally
Center, sees LEDs as “a very promising future suggests that growers dump friendly about it.” y
technology, like hydrogen cars.” old soil in a compost pile and
Let It Grow owner Thomas Gronek said he let the rain wash through it.
reckoned that LED technology will improve to the Another option is to take it to
point of Freshwater Farms in Eureka,
usability in five which accepts it free of charge.
years. “Most Rock wool is made out of
of the light spun mineral fiber. As long
from an HID as it is not full of fungicides
is wasted,” he or pesticides, Tanner
points out, suggests churning it into the
because the ground, where it will aerate
plant can’t use the soil. The same goes for
it. But LEDs liquid fertilizer. It is best
produce no disposed of by pouring it
heat or sound, into a compost pile, where
last for years, microbes can eat it. Many buyers prefer indoor-grown
and can be HID and fluorescent bud (top left), and medical dispen-
individually bulbs must be disposed of at saries grow indoor because of the
localized onto Hazardous Waste in Eureka,
consistency of quality that can be
plant foliage.” acheived with the method. But the
which is open on the first environmental toll is large, espe-
LED lights could cut the carbon footprint of Jodrey said Saturday of every month from cially if the grower is not mindful of
indoor grows – once the technology improves that he must disposal methods. Diesel genera-
enough for them to work efficiently. One 45 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Humboldt tors used in rural indoor grows go
watt lamp could replace a 250 watt high-in-
grow indoors Hydroponics also accepts through gallons of motor oil each week, which then requires disposal. Even small indoor grows
tensity discharge (HID) lamp, saving significant because his them for $5 apiece. “on the grid” use twice as much electricity as the average household.
amounts of electricity.

4 www.yournec.org February/March 2010 ECONEWS

 Klamath Conservation Partners Organize
The Northcoast Environmental Center formally
announced its withdrawal from the Klamath
Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA) in
December. We remain particularly troubled by the
continued linkage of Klamath dam removal to the
Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA), which
the NEC withdrew from in April 2009.
On January 8, the Klamath Settlement Agreement
parties announced the finalization of the KBRA,
presented as a combined package along with the
KHSA. We believe this approach is flawed and think
the prudent course is a separation between the
issues of dam removal and basin-wide restoration.
This is why the NEC has joined with eleven other
conservation organizations in forming the Klamath
Conservation Partners to seek clean and clear dam
removal legislation.
In the December 2009 ECONEWS, we outlined four
key issues: (1) separation of dam removal from the
restoration agreement; (2) a timeline for dam removal
significantly shorter than 2020; (3) a federal funding
contribution towards dam removal; and (4) interim
measures strong enough to ensure water quality
standards are met. Though the KHSA does advance a
framework for removal of four dams on the mainstem
Klamath, it still does not contain provisions to address
these concerns.
Since we announced our formal withdrawal from
the Klamath Settlement Agreements, we have been
criticized in the press and by other parties as being
“anti” settlement. There has been speculation that the
NEC and other conservation groups skeptical of the
KBRA framework are seeking to derail or “blow-up”
the settlement deals at any cost.
That is not our intention: rather, we seek to
increase the likelihood that a final Congressional deal
will actually result in dam removal in the relatively
near future, and that such a deal will protect and
restore both the lower basin’s river and the upper
basin’s refuges.
We have consistently acknowledged the respect
we have for the Klamath Settlement Group partners
and the progress they’ve made toward setting a new
framework for management in the Klamath Basin.
The NEC recognizes a long-term commitment of
shared interests with its lower basin partners and
seeks a solution that, in the end, will not be divisive or
Fed-Local Partnership Aids Trinity Timberlands
Federal agencies are taking a novel approach called
Stewardship Contracting to manage the Trinity County
timberlands around Weaverville as a community forest.
The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) retain public ownership but cooperatively work
with the Trinity County Resource Conservation District
(TCRCD) to manage forest-based objectives defined
by the community: protecting view sheds, maintaining
and improving forest health through timber harvesting,
recreation and education, fuels reduction, firewood
collection, salmon habitat improvement and invasive
weeds eradication.
Funds generated from sales of forest products pay
for management, and excess funds are deposited in an
account that pays for subsequent projects that meet the
objectives of the stewardship agreement.
For Weaverville and surrounding communities,
this unique model offers an opportunity for multi-use,
community-driven forest management that creates and
retains living-wage jobs in an otherwise economically
challenged rural community. The goal is to provide
timber for the town mill, educational and historical
venues for local and tourist populations and high visual
quality for the town residents.
The Stewardship Contracting (SC) tool specifically
encourages and supports the implementation of public
lands management goals that meet local rural and
community needs. It further allows certain revenues
that are generated from land use activities on SC-
designated lands to be retained in a special account. The
money is not sent back to the US Treasury, but is spent
on other forest health projects.
In the Weaverville Community Forest, for example,
a tree-thinning project for fuels reduction and stand
rejuvenation on 200 acres resulted in logs being sold
to the mill, chips hauled to Anderson and more than
$150,000 generated for the stewardship account. This
money has been used to prepare the next 200 acres for
treatment, as well as to augment other funds for trail
construction, blackberry eradication using goats, road
rehabilitation and water-quality monitoring. Perhaps the
most popular benefit so far is a firewood sale each fall.
ECONEWS February/March 2010
By Jay Wright, NEC KLamath Campaign Coordinator
prejudicial towards
the interests of any
of the Tribes in the
Basin.
At this writing,
the Klamath
Conservation
Partners coalition
includes: Oregon
Wild, Center for
Biological Diversity,
WaterWatch of
Oregon, Salem
Audubon Society,
Siskiyou Land
Conservancy,
Humboldt Watershed Iron Gate Dam, the spillway and holding pens or adult spawners. Iron Gate is one of four dams on the Klamath River
Council, Friends of proposed for removal. The NEC is working in coaliton toward a dam-removal deal that will result in dismantling the
dams in the relatively near future, and that will protect and restore both the lower basin’s river and the upper basin’s
Del Norte, Umpqua refuges. Photo: Thomas Dunklin
Watersheds, Lane
County Audubon,
Cascadia Wildlands, and Redwood Region Audubon
Society. Together, we are seeking a clean and clear
legislative alternative to Klamath dam removal that is
unburdened by the costly and controversial KBRA.
Then and Now
The NEC originally engaged in settlement talks as
an alternative to dam removal and as a solution to the
long-standing, complex, and intractable conflicts that
existed in the Klamath Basin. We believed then as we
do now, that settlement presented the best opportunity guaranteed water diversions to the Klamath Project
for basin-wide ecosystem restoration. However, we
found that our concerns were not being addressed
within the settlement talks.
We now believe we can be more effective working
with other groups on the outside to seek an alternative
legislative path. We see this as a change of tactics, not
a departure from the shared central goal of Klamath
restoration and recovery. It’s likely there will be
considerable legislative compromise in getting to a
final Klamath dam removal package. The Settlement
Agreement parties have consistently stated that there
are no viable alternatives to the KBRA/KHSA deal. We
respectfully disagree, and will continue working with
our Klamath Conservation Partners to sharpen and
refine alternative legislative text.
By Colleen O’Sullivan
The Resource Conservation District has calculated
that for each dollar the community forest produces, six
more dollars are generated through other grant and in-
kind contributions, plus hundreds of volunteer hours.
Recently the BLM successfully burned piles created by
fuels reduction projects, with plans to conduct multi-
year burns for forest health improvement.
View of Weaverville from BLM portion of Weaverville Community
Forest. Photo: John Veevaert.
The Forest Expands
The success of the BLM’s stewardship contract with
the TCRCD to manage 1000 acres as a community
forest encouraged the Weaverville Community Forest
(WCF) steering committee to ask the Forest Service to
embrace a landscape-level forest for the Weaverville
basin. In 2005 talks began to include basin lands in a
stewardship contract under Forest Service authorities.
Two years of intense meetings culminated in the
signing of a stewardship contract in December of 2008.
This act brought to fruition the vision and desires of the
community in managing federal lands with local partners.
When WCF community meetings were held to scope
peoples’ interest in where and how much to expand,
most liked the idea of having a watershed-defined
forest. They pushed the boundaries out to Rush and
Bear Creeks, to Musser Hill and Oregon Mountain, up
www.yournec.org
A special area of concern to the NEC is whether the
anticipated KBRA flow regime gets us beyond merely
preventing jeopardy to salmonid and other important
cultural aquatic species. We want assurances that the
margin for salmon recovery is robust and adequately
precautionary given the unknowns of climate change
and the strong potential for prolonged drought over the
next 50 years.
The recently completed Klamath flow models
need careful review to determine whether, given the
in the upper basin, the lower basin flows provided for
in the KBRA will be sufficient to prevent late summer
or early fall fish kills. We agree with our Hoopa
Valley Tribal partners that an open and transparent,
scientifically validated and peer-reviewed flow study
analysis must be conducted.
The NEC has endeavored over the past year to
return to our grassroots origin. Remember that it
is “Your NEC”. The Board of Directors invites your
continued input and commentary on the direction we
are taking in the Klamath Campaign.
Please submit your comments to: The Northcoast
Environmental Center, P.O. Box 4259, Arcata, CA
95521, or e-mail: jay@yournec.org. y
to SPI lands in between the forest and the Wilderness,
and they included the many acres that comprise the
Weaverville Basin trail system.
The proposed stewardship area needed to be
approved by the Forest Service before taking the next
steps. When the GIS mapping was completed, and
general agreement was reached on the forest area, it
totaled more than 12,000 acres.
It also included what is known as The Browns
Project, a ten-year forest health effort that entailed
over 1,000 acres of fuels treatment, watershed work
and timber harvesting. Most of the non-controversial
work had been or would soon be completed; the timber
harvest part presented thornier issues.
Meetings were held over a two-year period with
numerous field trips to the timber sites. Concerns were
voiced from both sides of the timber debate, with much
of the discussions centered on various sivilcultural
practices that could be applied to The Browns. The
primary issues of contention centered on the diameter
of trees proposed for harvesting, the percent canopy
closure of the trees after harvesting, the size of the
landings, the method for marking the trees, and the
number and length of roads needed for the timber work.
The ultimate decisions contributed to the crafting
of the Record of Decision (ROD) that accompanies the
Environmental Impact Statement.
The Browns is important because the revenue
from the timber will help to fund the Weaverville
Community Forest’s other important activities,
like wildlife habitat improvement, water quality
enhancements, and continued fuels reduction projects.
Timber receipts will now be generated so that they
fund projects that continue to improve the health of
the Weaverville Community Forest – our common
community goal. y
Colleen O’Sullivan is the current chair of the Board of
Directors for the Trinity County Resource Conservation
District, former county natural resources planner and a
HSU grad. She is also the chief note-taker for the Weaverville
Community Forest steering committee meetings.
5
Special Climate Section
Our Majestic Redwood Curtain: Headed North?
I’m standing in the Arcata Community Forest, with a world, with older and larger trees absorbing even more
group of HSU students, most of whom have never seen carbon than younger ones; this makes the preservation
a redwood before. Even the most cynical and citified of
new students—the nature-phobic pavement dwellers— world.
find themselves “ooohing” and “aaahing” as shafts of
feathery light angle down from the high canopy and
through the towering pillars that surround us.
I’m tempted to break out into some
Gregorian chant, or to play heavenly bars
of classical music, as the mood of the group
seems to have suddenly turned ecstatic,
and religious. As sword and bracken
fern wave in the wind and the lush moss
covering fallen logs glows in vibrantly
green carpets, I can feel, and I’m sure the
students feel it too, a constant wave of
vibrating energy, of life, surrounding and
infusing us, from root to crown.
At the start of each semester here at
Humboldt State University, I find myself
welcoming a group of students to our
special place in the world. “Welcome to
the North Coast,” I always begin, “You are
now safely ensconced behind the Redwood
Curtain!” As North Coasters we often joke
about the “Redwood Curtain” locking us
in and others out, but we all benefit from
the protection our geography and local
ecology provide.
The redwoods that surround us—the
2,000 year old giants in Redwood State
Park and along the Mattole, as well as
their younger siblings in the community
forest and our local parks—do much more
than provide us with a natural buffer, and
beautiful places to hike, play disc golf, and
camp. They also give us drinking water and
clean streams for salmon, by stabilizing
soils, and purifying rainfall.
Although we might think ourselves far
removed from the First Nations people
who lived here sustainably before us,
we, like the Wiyot, still depend on the
redwood for food, water, and shelter.
Most importantly, redwoods play a vital
role in stabilizing the planet’s climate.
Redwoods are so efficient at taking in
sunlight, for example, that a grove can
absorb over 90 percent of the light hitting
its canopy. In fact, redwood forests have
the highest carbon density per acre in the Photo: Sam Camp © campphoto.com
South American
Glaciers Disappear
Although all glaciers expand and retreat over time,
warming temperatures related to climate change have
caused the relatively small glaciers of Bolivia to melt
and virtually disappear at an alarmingly rapid rate.
The disappearance of the looming glaciers – part of
a centuries-old majestic landscape – has resulted in
water shortages in the neighboring cities of La Paz and
El Alto, each populated with about a million people.
The poorer of the two cities, La Paz, may become the
first large urban casualty of climate change if the water
shortage problems cannot be solved.
A 2008 World Bank report stated that many glaciers
in the Andes will be eliminated within 20 years due
to climate change. The disappearance of the glaciers
threatens the existence of nearly 100 million people,
and an untold number of plant and animal species.
These measurements of a Bolivian Glacier spanning 1940, 1962, 1993
and 2005 illlustrate the rate of melting.
6 www.yournec.org
By Corey Lee Lewis
of old growth redwood forests the most vital in the
I discuss these issues with the students as we weave
our way through the maze of well-used forest trails.
From the raucous calls of ravens overhead to the
An Ocean of Climate Change By Ian Jewett
Changes in the ocean could jeopardize many of the
activities North Coast residents enjoy – such as whale-
watching, surfing and bird photography.
Scientists report that as weather patterns shift due to
climate change, seas are warming and becoming more
acidic – causing reefs to die, whales and seabirds to change
migratory patterns and toxic algal blooms to grow.
In Washington, an algal bloom killed tens of
thousands of seabirds and led to respiratory problems
for local kayakers. In Hawaii, researchers found that
the oceans are getting louder. Shellfish populations are
declining worldwide for reasons beyond
overharvesting.
Research suggests that these seemingly
separate issues are related, and that increased
carbon dioxide could be even worse for the
oceans than originally suspected.
When carbon dioxide is absorbed and
dissolved in the ocean, carbonic acid
is formed. Increased oceanic acidity
means that the ocean is becoming less
alkaline. Marine organisms that rely on
calcium carbonate, which is alkaline in
nature, to make shells and skeletons are
now in trouble.
The loss of shellfish could mean the
collapse of ecosystems, human fisheries,
and increased pollution due to the filter-
feeding capacities of these organisms.
Increased acidity also creates an
environment more transparent to low-
frequency sound. Ship and propeller
noise, as well as some sonar, fall into
this low frequency range and this noise
is travelling farther. Scientists fear that
louder oceans may disrupt marine
opalescent flowering of trillium underfoot, the beauty
of this place emphasizes our academic discussions.
As the tallest tree in the world, with some Titans
standing almost 400 feet high, one of the most unique
features of the redwood is its ability to pull water
directly out of the air.
Tree height is limited, for most species, by their
ability to siphon water up, against gravity,
from roots in the ground. Redwoods,
however, have evolved ways to “drink”
water directly from the thick, seasonal
fogs that are specific to our North Coast
region. A redwood’s needles, in fact, grow
in a propeller shape that creates mini
vortexes of swirling air out of which each
needle can more efficiently absorb water.
This ingenious adaptation to our
climate, however, has also made the
redwood uniquely vulnerable. Without
seasonal fog to supply moisture, redwoods
cannot grow. Hence, they are unique, or
endemic, to our region.
As the planet warms, however, and
climates shift, most models show our fog
layer marching to the north. How fast
can redwoods run, I wonder, as I thread
my way around their massive bowls and
strain my neck to peer up at the towering
canopy hanging above me. Will the seeds
of these giants be able to follow the fog
north, and fight against the thick forests
of Douglas fir, to establish themselves in a
new homeland? Or, will these aging giants
be the last of their kind to root in, and soar
above, the earth?
Either way, the North Coasters of our
distant future may no longer have our
beloved Redwood Curtain to protect
them. Unless we succeed at reducing the
rate of climate change, they will no longer
have the great monarch of trees, Sequoia
sempervirens, the immortal one, to grace
and protect their hills and shores. y
Corey Lewis is a professor of
Environmental Writing and Literature at
Humboldt State University, specializing
in outdoor environmental education,
and supervisor of the Humboldt Outdoor
Wilderness Leaders and the Arcata
Educational Farm.
mammals as they use low frequencies to find food and
communicate with one another.
Acidity may also play a role in algal blooms that
are covering larger areas and lasting longer than ever
before. Many of these blooms are responsible for
massive, localized die-offs of shore birds, and they
threaten human health
Evidence is mounting that the health of the world’s
oceans will depend on the degree to which climate
change can be slowed. y
Arcata Photo Studio
February/March 2010 ECONEWS

Report from Copenhagen
A Perspective By Dan Ihara
December’s Climate Summit in Copenhagen, known
internationally as COP 15, resulted in the non-binding
agreement known as The Copenhagen Accord.
Many have criticized the Accord, however, a good
case can be made that the outcome was actually
favorable. In fact it may have been the best of the
possible outcomes, given the political situation.
The Accord is basically an agreement between the U.S.
and about 20 countries – including China, Brazil, South
Africa and India – that recognizes the threat of climate
change and the need to address it. It acknowledges the
importance of preventing global temperatures from
rising 2° Celsius. It agrees that deep cuts in emissions
are required but states that poverty eradication is an
overriding priority in developing countries.
Funding for ”reducing emissions from deforestation
and degradation” was also included in the accord, as
was an agreement that developed countries would
provide “adequate, predictable and sustainable
financial resources, technology and capacity-building”
to help developing countries implement measures to
adapt to rising temperatures.
A major criticism is that the Accord was “not
binding.” But this is not the fault of the Obama
Administration, but due to the fact that the Senate had
not even begun to debate climate change legislation.
Andrea Tuttle, former chief of California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection summed up the political
problem in her blog for Pacific Forest Trusts:
“President Obama also avoided a political trap….
While some hoped for a surprise announcement of
a higher greenhouse gas emissions reduction target,
Obama stuck to the lowest number proposed by
Congress … 17 percent GHG emissions reductions by
2020, rising to 80 percent by 2050.
Developing nations and the EU were critical of the
seemingly modest goal, especially in light of the 30
percent contingent pledge by the European Union. But
a unilateral pledge from the Administration for a higher
commitment would have instantly backfired back
home, complicating any negotiations with Congress.”
China has also been faulted. As a still developing
country, it made a major concession in de-linking
its CO2 emissions from its growth rate of GDP.
That it wouldn’t commit to “binding” constraints is
understandable given the uncertainties of the world’s
largest country undertaking such a challenging task.
The Conference had already passed its closing
time of Friday evening December 17, and extended
into Saturday. Rather ending the Summit with
no agreement or – as was proposed Friday night
by the European Union – a rival agreement, the
Copenhagen Accord was submitted.
For all of these reasons, I believe the Copenhagen Accord
should be viewed with an open mind, and arguably may
have been the best of the possible outcomes. y
The Time Has Come For Climate Justice
Despite the (mostly American) climate deniers, world
leaders are seriously concerned about climate change
– as evidenced by the appearance of so many heads of
state at the recent Copenhagen Climate Summit.
However, it has become obvious that the most
influential of these leaders are not willing to take the
political risks necessary to bring emissions down to the
targets recommended by climate science experts. And
their negotiations are mostly focused on the effects of
climate change and emissions reductions in their own
countries – despite the forceful protests that took place
outside the Bella Center in Copenhagen.
A growing global Climate Justice Movement, led by
indigenous peoples, and leaders and citizens in poorer
countries and small island states is gaining power and
momentum as the climate debate heats up. They point
out that climate change disproportionately affects
the world’s poorest peoples, who ironically are least
responsible for its existence.
In the nascent days of the movement a few years ago,
the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative
issued this statement to define Climate Justice:
Climate justice is a vision to dissolve and alleviate
the unequal burdens created by climate change. As
a form of environmental justice, climate justice is
the fair treatment of all people and freedom from
discrimination with the creation of policies and
projects that address climate change.
Climate justice activists, along with the leaders of
countries most affected or likely to be affected, insist
ECONEWS February/March 2010
Special Climate Section
Why Climate Matters
By Dan Ihara
Global warming skeptics have been disturbingly recent Copenhagen Climate Summit was for countries
effective at confusing the American public about to agree on strategies to prevent such a rise in global
climate change. But climate is different than the temperature.
weather. Weather describes day-to-day, even moment- To stabilize atmospheric concentrations of GHGs,
to-moment temperature and precipitation changes. primarily CO2, existing annual emissions need to be
Climate is the change of the weather system as a whole. reduced more than 80 percent. The longer it takes to
Why don’t planes fall from the sky? Because of the do this and the greater the peak of emissions before
Bernoulli Effect, which refers to the lower pressure they begin to decline, the higher the average global
above the wing of the airplane compared to the temperature will be.
greater pressure Imagine
below the wing. your favorite
Few question place damaged
the validity of or destroyed
the Bernoulli by these
Effect, but the temperature
Greenhouse increases
Effect is also and you will
an established have just one
scientific reason to be
phenomenon. concerned
In the about climate
Greenhouse change.
Effect, certain Think of
gasses called the millions
greenhouse gases of people
(GHGs) trap who will be
specific spectra forced to move
of light as they from their
bounce back homelands
from the earth and you have
Trends in air temperature in the northern hemisphere over the past 1,000 years.
before it reaches The solid horizontal line is the average temperature between 1961 and 1990 that is used as the
another. If you
outer space, as zero point baseline.The solid wavy line is the number of degrees above or below this baseline of consider all
can be shown in each year’s average annual temperature. The irregular grey band reflects the level of uncertainty the benefits
spectographs. in the temperatures estimated from tree rings, ice cores, corals or thermometers. Graph from of industrial
the International Panel on Climate Change.
These GHGs life and realize
warm the that changing
atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is the most prevalent them soon is better than losing them altogether, that is
greenhouse gas accounting for 60 percent of the yet another reason climate change matters.
anthropogenic (human caused) greenhouse effect. What are we in the United States going to do
Our climate has changed since the dawn of the about it? This spring climate change legislation
Industrial Age. The Intergovernmental Panel on will again be debated in Congress. Additionally, the
Climate Change (IPCC) has issued four reports; Obama administration is now considering allowing
the last published in 2007 in which 2,500 scientists EPA regulations to be used to lower emissions (see
concurred with the data and the conclusion: The average related article on page 1). Let your lawmakers know
temperature has increased 0.6 degrees Celsius (about 1 how you feel. y
degree Fahrenheit) since the Industrial Age began.
Average global temperature should not be confused
with weather or with human ranges of comfort. And Economist Dan Ihara has attended three Climate
greenhouse gasses aren’t all bad. It has been estimated Meetings of the Conference of the Parties – in the
that if greenhouse gases weren’t present, the average Hague, Montreal and most recently in Copenhagen. He
air temperature at the surface of the Earth would not will give an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI)
be a relatively balmy 15°C, but a bone-chilling -18°C. presentation on the outcomes of Copenhagen on Feb.
A two-degree rise in global average temperature 23, and will present on Sustainable Humboldt on
has been recognized as dangerous. Although people March 10. Both sessions are Noon-1 pm in the HBAC
can move to escape higher temperatures, plants such 203 in Eureka across from the Marina and are free to
as trees cannot. They die and sometimes burn, as in OLLI Members.  Read Dan’s blog at:
forest wildfires. Therefore, a major objective of the http://NewWindsOfChange.com.
By Sarah O’Leary
that developed countries owe a “climate debt” – money
that could be used to mitigate damaging effects as well
as to work to sustainably develop these poorer nations
so they do not join their developed counterparts in
spewing out carbon dioxide-rich emissions.
The idea of such a climate debt was met with
skepticism by representatives of developed countries,
especially the U.S, in Copenhagen. But the final draft of
the Accord does “agree” that developed countries shall
provide financial resources to support adaptation to
climate change in developing countries.
The island states of Tuvalu and Maldives are already
shrinking due to rising waters, and the International
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports make it
clear that a two-degree rise in temperature would be
disastrous for the small island states. In addition to the Climate Justice activists march through the city of Copenhagen during
the recent International Climate Summit.
crisis these island-dwellers will face, countless plant
and animal species will be lost. in Copenhagen, their movement continues to grow and
Additionally, shrinking water supplies in already gain strength. True and lasting change may ultimately
arid countries coupled with rising temperatures and come from the bottom up. y
devastating storms will create billions of climate refugees
– forced to leave their homelands in search of sustenance.
Although the various groups within the climate
Get Involved!
justice movement have different goals and use different
tactics, many of them unified at the Copenhagen
Learn more about the Climate Justice move-
Summit to demand recognition of the plight the world’s ment by visiting these web sites:
most marginalized peoples face if temperatures are www.climate-justice-action.org
allowed to continue to rise. www.actforclimateustice.org
Although Climate Justice activists were ultimately www.timeforclimatejustice.org
unsuccessful in their demands for a binding agreement www.climatelaw.org
www.yournec.org 7
 Winter Farming: A North Coast Boon Project Explores State’s
By Kristyna Solawetz
After a holiday visit to my family in the Midwest,
which was buried under a foot and a half of snow, I
plant growth slows significantly. This means farmers
and gardeners must plan ahead and start winter crops
Environmental Legacy
By Allison Poklemba
returned with renewed delight to Humboldt County’s in the height of summer in order to achieve plant
As a self-proclaimed
mild winter. I escaped Iowa just before a week of brutal maturity before the first frost.
environmentalist it is easy
sub-zero temperatures, and the verdant North Coast The first week of December brought a series of frosts
for me to conjure up images
seems like a paradise. Things grow here! They actually that chilled plants but didn’t cause lasting harm to mature
of environmental change in
thive in winter. cold weather crops. On the contrary, cold snaps can set
California. But it’s not often that
The same temperate North Coast climate that the sugars in root vegetables like carrots and parsnips
I think about that change in the
presents challenges to ripening tomatoes in late say many farmers. In his book, The Winter Harvest
context of deep time, or geologic
summer offers abundant opportunity for farms Handbook Elliot Coleman recounts a story of a customer
time. While human history is but
and gardens throughout the winter. Though some who “tolerates summer looking forward to eight months
a hair on the geologic time clock,
farmers opt for a break, of intensely flavorful winter
our species has been remarkably
most Humboldt farms production.”
successful at rapidly transforming
continue producing The environmental benefits
our environment.
throughout the winter. A of eating locally produced foods
An exciting new project explores environmental
succession of hardy, cool are enormous. Take for instance
change in California over the past two billion years
weather crops provide three main items in a simple
as well as the fundamental nature of our relationship
variety and comfort to winter stew or roast: carrots,
to that change – both presently and into the future.
North Coast dwellers. potatoes and onions This meal in
The California Environmental Legacy Project is
Fresh-picked kale, Iowa would likely draw carrots
a multi-institutional, multi-platform endeavor
carrots, beets, baby bok from California’s central valley,
bringing together a wide range of scientists,
choi, brussel sprouts, potatoes from Idaho and onions
educators and media professionals to promote public
cabbage and potatoes are from Oregon. One winter roast’s
understanding about environmental change in
all readily available to humble accompaniment would
California and our place in this changing world.
the public through local travel 3,960 miles just to get to a
HSU’s Redwood Science Project is a founding
grocers. grocery store in Des Moines.
sponsor of the Legacy Project, which recently
Some community Compare that to a trip to the
received a $3 million grant from the National
supported agriculture Co-op where all three items
Science Foundation to produce several key pieces
farms (CSAs), which are grown within 100 miles,
of this project. The centerpiece is a four-episode
provide their members with or better yet to a walk out to
PBS documentary for national broadcast in 2012.
weekly shares of produce your own garden. Moreover,
A second component is the Changing Places
throughout the growing most Humboldt farmers are
Initiative, which will bring the Legacy Project
season, offer an extended disinclined to drench their crops
exploration to five regions in the state, including
winter share. in petroleum-based fertilizers
our North Coast’s Redwood Forests. Short films,
Janet Czarnecki of and pesticides.
podcasts, and other media are in production for
Redwood Roots Farm Year-round, intensive
distribution in parks, museums, and science centers
has gradually expanded farming can positively impact
Janet Czarnecki of Redwoots Roots Farm has expanded her winter crops throughout the state.
her winter crops since to meet the needs of her CSA members. Photo: Kristyna Solawetz farm ecology as well. Mild
Additionally, the online Education Portal will
1998. To minimize temperatures and winter rains
engage users with opportunities for streaming
work requirements, she reduce the need for irrigation
media and accessing materials and resources.
makes her cool season produce available to members and diminish insect populations. Additionally, growing
Lastly, the K-12 school programs will provide
of Redwood Roots CSA as a winter U-Pick. Eddie crops throughout the winter benefits the soil.
teachers with professional options to enhance
Tanner’s Deep Seeded Community Farm extended his Many farmers use winter cover crops, affectionately
learning experiences for their students.
regular season by six weeks, selling separate winter called “green manure.” These cover crops manage water
The Legacy Project will help make
shares chock full of carrots, potatoes, leeks, squash, infiltration from heavy rains and reduce erosion of
understanding California’s changing environment
lettuce, turnips, and chard. topsoil. Some cover crops can be turned into the soil in
accessible, digestible, and maybe most importantly,
“With a loyal (CSA) member base, the risks the spring to add nutrients as they decompose. Diligent
meaningful for a wide range of audiences, including
are minimal,” says Czarnecki of winter farming in farmers keep careful records of what grows where to
television viewers, students, park visitors, and
Humboldt. “I choose hardy varieties. They are meant to ensure frequent rotation.
online users.
survive in cold weather conditions.” Due to our mild North Coast winters, and the
Learn more about the Legacy Project at
Backyard gardeners can also cultivate cool-season enthusiasm of our local farmers, we can all enjoy delicious
www.humboldt.edu/~rsp/celp/ y
crops such as winter greens and root vegetables and fill and ecologically sustainable produce all year round. y
the family soup pot and plates all winter long. Allison Poklemba is the CREEC (California Regional
The real challenge of growing cold season crops is Environmental Education Community) Network’s
Kristyna Solawetz is the AmeriCorps VISTA member for regional coordinator. www.creec.org/region1.
timing. When temperatures become consistently cool
the Community Alliance with Family Farmers.
and we receive less than ten hours of sunlight a day,

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8 www.yournec.org February/March 2010 ECONEWS

 Rare Habitat Threatened By Imported Weeds By Maureen Jules and Jennifer Kalt

Local botanists urge northwestern Californians to Despite inadequate information about potential
be on the lookout for two newly-introduced European invasiveness, the Oregon State Extension Service
species, commonly known as yellowtuft (Alyssum promoted yellowtuft as a new farm crop. In 2002
corsicum and Alyssum murale), which were planted in Viridian Resources planted dozens of acres of
southwest Oregon with the intent of mining nickel from yellowtuft throughout Josephine County’s Illinois
native serpentine soils. Valley, including a 50-acre field at the county
The botanically unique serpentine areas in airport immediately adjacent to the floristically
southwestern Oregon and northern California are the diverse Rough and Ready Botanical Area.
largest in North America. This area is now at risk of In 2006, two long-time Illinois Valley residents
invasion by these two plants; they recently escaped independently discovered yellowtuft growing on
cultivation and have spread onto public lands, where National Forest land near a popular swimming
they threaten native plant species. hole. This
Serpentine soils have natural concentrations of discovery led to
metals such as copper, chromium, and nickel at levels increased vigilance
toxic to most plant species. Interestingly, that very and careful
toxicity has resulted in high concentrations of certain documentation
rare plant species. of the plants’
More than 12 percent of California’s plant species expansion into
are only found on these heavy metal-laden soils, even wildlands. By
though only 1.5 percent of the state’s soils are serpentine. 2008, it became Alyssum corsicum, seen here in the foreground, has grayish
white oval shaped leaves about 0.5-1.5 cm long and covered by
“Nearly all of Oregon’s serpentine soils occur clear that dense silvery hairs. Alyssum murale, seen in the background, has
within Josephine, Jackson and Curry Counties, which yellowtuft was gray-green leaves 0.5-1.0 cm long that are wider near the tip than
make up only six percent of Oregon’s land area, said invading rare at the base. Photo by Maureen Jules.
Kelly Amsberry, Conservation Botanist for Oregon plant habitat Widespread Impact
Department of Agriculture, in an e-mail. “However, 28 well beyond the While mining serpentine soils with heavy
percent of the rare plant collections in the Oregon State cultivated fields. equipment would impact plant communities and
University Herbarium (the repository of the state’s floral In August water quality, nickel mining with yellowtuft presents
diversity since the 1880’s) were collected in these three of 2009, after environmental problems of its own.
counties. These collections represent not only the high reviewing a ”Because both species of yellowtuft are restricted
concentration of rare species that inhabit southwest formal Pest Risk Yellowtuft grows to about one meter tall. Because
most of the leaves drop when the plants bloom dur- to nickel-containing soils in their natural ranges
Oregon’s serpentine, but also the public’s long-standing Assessment and ing early summer, the two species look nearly identi- in southern Europe, these two species represent a
interest in these unique plants.”  hearing public and cal in flower. Both are fast growing perennials which unique threat to our flora,” said Amsberry.
Yellowtuft was originally examined by the USDA private testimony, become reproductive within a year or two. Photo by Ken French, Noxious Weed Specialist for Oregon
for use in removing metals from polluted soils. These the Oregon State Ken French, Oregon Department of Agriculture. Department of Agriculture agreed, adding, “Plants
species showed promise because of their unique Weed Board voted on serpentine soils have historically been less susceptible
ability to extract metal and accumulate it into their unanimously to list both Alyssum species as Noxious to invasion because of the high metal soils with low
tissues. A Texas-based company, Viridian Resources, Weeds.  Viridian Resources agreed to eliminate the fertility. Now, along comes a plant that is specifically
then proceeded to use yellowtuft in an attempt to fields that had been planted in Oregon – but invasion adapted to serpentine. Unless yellowtuft is stopped, the
commercially mine naturally occurring nickel from into wildlands had already begun. future of these serpentine plant communities are at a
serpentine soils near Cave Junction, Oregon. higher risk of invasion which could alter plant community
composition, structure and function.”
Early Detection Is Key “If yellowtuft invades, it has the potential to crowd
out and displace rare plants,” said Amsberry. “Rare
When an invasion is at the beginning phases like this one, early detection makes a big difference.
plants receiving legal protection on Oregon’s publically-
Yellowtuft is most likely to be spotted near California along the Wimer Road (Forest Road 4402), managed serpentine areas include McDonald’s rockcress,
along Highway 199. In Oregon, detecting spread along the forks of the Illinois River downstream Cook’s desert parsley, Howell’s mariposa lily, and Howell’s
of the Rough and Ready mill will be critical. microseris. Twelve additional rare serpentine plants
If you learn of any plantings or you discover yellowtuft spreading into nature, please contact the could also be impacted.”
One of the most difficult aspects of managing invasive
Humboldt-Del Norte Weed Management Area Coordinator at: 
species is their ability to reproduce by seed. Once
http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/go/HumboldtWMA, or the Invasive Plants Coordinator of the North Coast seeds enter the landscape, controlling them becomes an
Chapter, California Native Plant Society at: http://northcoastcnps.org/. unpredictable and expensive affair. It is unknown how
For more information on the plant diversity and natural history of serpentine habitats in the Klamath- long yellowtuft seeds remain viable in the soil, but it is
Siskiyou Mountains, visit http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/communities/serpentines/index.shtml. likely that the more seeds that are produced, the longer
and more expensive it will be to eradicate. y

Dear EarthTalk: “If you have forest cover, when heavy rain takes place stepped up cases of dysentery, malaria and drug-
What are it doesn’t erode the land,” UNEP’s Asif Zaidi reports. resistant tuberculosis among Haiti’s poverty-stricken
the primary “It doesn’t result in flash floods.” He adds that, population. Trash-filled beaches, smelly waterways,
environmental due to its lack of forest cover, Haiti suffers much swarms of dead fish and tons of floating debris stand
concerns in the more during hurricanes than does the neighboring testament to Haiti’s water pollution problems—now
aftermath of the Dominican Republic. exacerbated by the earthquake.
big earthquake Compounding these ecological insults is Haiti’s fast “We need to…create mechanisms that reinforce better
in Haiti? growing population, now 9.7 million and growing by 2.5 use of natural resources,” says UNEP’s Zaidi. Prior to the
– Frank Dover, percent per year. This has pushed millions of Haitians quake, UNEP had committed to a two-year project to
Portland, OR into marginal areas like floodplains and on land that bolster and restore Haiti’s forests, coral reefs and other
could otherwise be used profitably. “Most fertile land natural systems compromised by the island’s economic
As would be the case after any natural disaster, areas are often used for slums, while hillsides and steep problems. Providing access to propane to encourage a
water-borne illness could run rampant and chemicals landscapes are used for agriculture,” reports USAID’s shift from charcoal-burning stoves is an immediate goal.
and oil could leak out of damaged storage facilities Beth Cypser. The resulting sanitation problems have Longer term, UNEP hopes the program will help kick-
as a result of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that start reforestation efforts and investments in renewable
ripped apart Haiti on January 12. Surprisingly, energy infrastructure there.
no large industrial spills have been found during Perhaps the silver lining of the earthquake in Haiti
initial post-quake rescue efforts, but of course is the fact that millions of people around the world
the focus has been on saving human lives and now know about the plight of the country’s people and
restoring civil order. environment, and donations have started to pour in.
According to the United Nations Anyone interested in helping relief efforts in Haiti can
Environment Programme (UNEP), the biggest send a text message triggering a small donation to the
issue is the building waste; some 40 to 50 American Red Cross (text “HAITI” to 90999 and $10
percent of the buildings fell in Port-au-Prince will be donated and added to your next phone bill).
and nearby towns. “Thousands of buildings Those concerned about clean water specifically
suddenly become debris and this overwhelms should donate to World Water Relief, a non-profit
the capacity of waste management,” says focusing on the installation of water filtration systems
UNEP’s Muralee Thummarukudy, who is in Haiti and other distressed areas of the world. y
directing efforts to collect the waste for use in CONTACTS: USAID, www.usaid.gov; UNEP,
reconstruction projects. www.unep.org; American Red Cross, www.redcross.
Even before the quake Haiti had major org; World Water Relief, www.worldwaterrelief.org.
environmental problems. Intensive logging
beginning in the 1950s reduced Haiti’s forest
cover from 60 percent to less than two percent Even before the earthquake Haiti had major environmental and economic prob- SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS
lems. Intensive logging beginning in the 1950s has reduced Hait’s forest cover
today. This lack of trees causes huge soil erosion from 60 percent to less than two percent today. Huge soil erosion problems, TO: EarthTalk®, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881;
problems, threatening both food and clean water threaten both food and clean water sources. The earthquake has only exacerbated earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at:
sources for throngs of hungry and thirsty people. problems in this country of 9.7 million people. Photo: Remi Kaupp, Wikipedia www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php.

ECONEWS February/March 2010 www.yournec.org 9

 Kids Can Win Big in National and Local Contests
Endangered Species Bird Art Contest
Art Contest Students from kindergarten through high school
are invited to enter the 7th Annual Student Bird Art
The deadline Contest by the deadline of March 26. Drawings must
is March 26 be of one of 40 selected bird species, and special
for a national prize(s) will be awarded for the best rendition of a
Endangered bird in its natural habitat.
Species Day More than $500 in prizes will be awarded, and
Art Contest winners will be announced at the 15th Godwit
for students Days Spring Migration Bird Festival on Saturday,
grades K-12. April 17. Entries will be displayed at the Arcata
The winner Community Center during the Festival and copies of
will be winning artwork will be shown at the Arcata Marsh
recognized Interpretive Center during May.
at a reception in Washington, D.C. in May. Winners Artwork may be in color or black and white. Any
will be chosen in four grade-level categories, and from media may be used (crayons, pastels, paint, pencil,
these one national winner will be selected. collage). Maximum size is 8.5 x 11 inches. Artwork
The contest celebrates the fifth annual national must be light enough to be push-pinned to a wall for Winning Entry, 2008 Student Bird Art Contest
Endangered Species Day, May 21, 2010. Artwork display.
should highlight one or more endangered species Flyers with complete rules and a list of eligible birds are available at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center
found in the United States. and Strictly for the Birds in Old Town Eureka or by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope to Louise Bacon-
For more information, or to sign up, go to: Ogden, 2337 B Street, Eureka 95501.
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6014/signUp. Artwork may be dropped off at Strictly for the Birds, 123 F Street, Eureka, or the Arcata Marsh Interpretive
jsp?key=1716 y Center, South G Street, Arcata, or mailed to Sue Leskiw, 5440 Cummings Road, Eureka 95503. Entries must be
received by Friday, March 26.
The contest is co-sponsored by Friends of the Arcata Marsh and Redwood Region Audubon Society. y

Learn About Plants That Eat Bugs By Sarah Marnick Nature Writing
Find these words on the puzzle below Did you know .......
Contest
that some plants eat animals? The deadline is March 22
ADAPTATION METHOD They are called carnivorous plants. These types of for the Fifth Annual Student
BACTERIA NATIVE plants usually eat insects but some of the bigger ones Writing Contest, sponsored
have been known to consume frogs, lizards and small by Redwood Region Audubon
CARNIVOROUS NUTRIENT mammals. These plants live in soils that do not have a Society.
CONSUME PITCHER PLANT lot of nutrients and so they have adapted to get their Cash prizes will be awarded
ENZYMES SNAP TRAP nutrients from animals. for the best essays or poems
ESCAPE There are a number of different ways they capture their by a student in grades 4-12 on
TRIGGER HAIRS the topic, “What nature means
prey. I’ll talk about two and let’s see if you can find out the
INSECT VENUS FLYTRAP three other basic types. to me.”
Our most famous native carnivorous plant, the The winning essay will be
O F K B Y I O E M U S N O C California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica), uses a published in the May 2010
“pitfall trap” method. It has leaves that are in the shape children’s issue of the RRAS
A W R T U I B A C T E R I A of tubes. Some parts of these tubes are clear, like little newsletter, The Sandpiper.
windows. Confused insects fly into these tubes and can’t Entries should be 200-300
E P S E M Y Z N E O M N I R find their way out. The tubes are filled with digestive words in length; one entry per
enzymes or bacteria that break down the insect so the person. Suitable topics include,
P A R T Y L F S U N E V T N plant can absorb the nutrients, kind of like how your but are not limited to, bird
A N I T Y I P N S T Z T H I stomach gets nutrients from the food you eat. feeding, duck hunting, animal
The Venus flytrap rescue, and observations of the
C Y A D A P T A T I O N C V uses a different method natural world.
for capturing its prey, Include student’s name, home
S M H T T P I P Z T E E S O called a “snap trap” address, phone number, teacher
method. Little hair-like name, grade, and school. Send
E O R C I E J T Y G B I J R structures, called trigger submissions by March 22 as text
hairs are on the inside of within the body of an e-mail to
U Y E A N V M R M I E R H O the trap. When an insect tomleskiw@suddenlink.net or
or spider goes onto the mail a printout to: Tom Leskiw,
R F G R S H E A E U A T F U trap, the hairs feel it and 5440 Cummings Rd, Eureka
cause the trap to shut 95503.
T Y G N E F T P T N Y U A S with the prey inside. Award(s) will be presented
C P I T C H E R P L A N T O The trap then seals shut during the Godwit Days Spring
making a stomach so it Migration Bird Festival in mid-
A B R A T Q S D B I E K I M can absorb the nutrients April. y
California Pitcher Plant
from the insect. y (Darlingtonia Californica)
M E T H O D O F R G E A R Z Photo: Michael Kauffmann

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10 www.yournec.org February/March 2010 ECONEWS

 Marine Life Protection On The North Coast:
Balancing Conservation, Economics And Culture
Since its initial 1999 passage, the Marine Life
Protection Act (MLPA) hasn’t had much rest –
especially these past few months. The Marine Life
Protection Act requires improving California’s existing
hodge-podge of tiny underwater parks with a science-
based system of marine protected areas (MPAs)
designed to protect ocean habitat and biodiversity.
The law is being implemented on a regional basis
and new protections have already been developed or
adopted between Point Arena and Mexico. The North
Coast Planning effort is just getting underway.
A North Coast Science Advisory Team, which
includes local experts Dawn Goley, Eric Bjorkstedt,
Dave Hankin, Ron LeValley and Craig Strong, has been
meeting with a Blue Ribbon Task Force to discuss
regional needs.
The Blue Ribbon Task Force includes three new
members to represent our local issues: Humboldt
County Supervisor Jimmy Smith, former North Coast
Assemblymember Virginia Strom-Martin, and Roberta
Cordero a lawyer/mediator and co-founder of the
Chumash Maritime Association.
External marine protected area plans were due on
February 1. Members of the Regional Stakeholder
Group (RSG) – the local folks charged with designing
marine protected areas– were chosen from a field of 80
nominees to include sport and commercial fishermen,
Tribes, seaweed harvesters, and conservationists from
all three counties. For a list of members, see dfg.ca.gov/
mlpa. The Regional Stakeholder Group will meet
Monday, February 8 and Tuesday, February 9.
A New Way Of Doing Things
On the North Coast, efforts to find the balance
between the economic benefits of resource extraction
and the need for environmental protection dominate our
recent history. The MLPA raises economic, social and
cultural and environmental issues similar to those during
the timber wars. But this time, many local stakeholders
hope to evade polarization and transcend politics as
usual by working together to develop solutions.
In response to requests for increased local input,
a new step was added to the marine protected area
planning process, providing an opportunity for the
North Coast community to develop their own marine
protected area proposals in advance.
Many North Coast residents and interest groups
took advantage of the opportunity to develop marine
protected area designs.
These local folks participated in a Tri-County
Working Group, a collective of environmentalists,
fishermen, kayakers, divers, seaweed harvesters and
other ocean enthusiasts. They worked closely together
over the winter months to develop an MPA proposal
that will hopefully provide a solid starting point for the
Stakeholder Group.
Each county (Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino)
requested and received grant funding from the
Resource Legacy Fund Foundation to facilitate idea
sharing among stakeholders both prior to and during
the official process. In Humboldt, the Humboldt Bay
Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District is the
organizing agency. Marine Ecologist Pete Nelson
Coalition Fights Oregon LNG Project
Submitted By Rogue Riverkeeper
Environmentalists, landowners and fishermen are
gearing up for a fight following the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission’s (FERC’s) approval of a liquefied
natural gas (LNG) terminal in southwestern Oregon.
The coalition, which includes Rogue Riverkeeper and
Klamath-Siskiyou Wildlands Center, has filed a petition
for rehearing, and Oregon governor Ted Kulongoski
and the National marine Fisheries have also appealed
the decision.
The project includes a terminal to import foreign-
sourced LNG to Coos Bay and a 234-mile pipeline,
which would cross the Coos, Umpqua, Rogue and
Klamath watersheds before connecting to an existing
pipeline at
the California
border.
“FERC
has failed
to do its job
and conduct
the kind of
environmental
analysis that
is required
ECONEWS February/March 2010
By Jennifer Savage
evaluated proposed
MPAs and HSU
professor Betsy
Watson facilitated
the meetings.
The Harbor
District also
recently received a
Headwaters Fund
grant to be used
toward assessing
potential economic
impact associated
with the creation of
marine protected
areas. In addition
to the MLPA
staff contract
with economic
consulting
firm Ecotrust
to develop and
analyze extensive
data related False Klamath Cove in Del Norte County, just north of the town of Klamath, hosts one of the areas’ most extensive
seabird colonies, and being considered for designation as a Marine Protected Area. Photo: ECONEWS archives.
to commercial
and recreational
fishing, the Harbor These areas all offer valuable habitat for sea life,
District will contract with Impact Assessment, Inc. to including birds and mammals, plus other features that
understand possible “beyond the dock” implications of make them worthy of special protection. False Klamath
proposed marine protected areas. Cove, for example, hosts some of the region’s most
extensive seabird colonies, as well as tidepools that offer
Tribal Issues
important protection for young rockfish. y
The customary uses, including subsistence, cultural,
and ceremonial activities of indigenous people were not
recognized or included in the Marine Life Protection Act.
On the North Coast, the need to rectify this flaw Jennifer Savage resides in Manila and is Ocean Conservancy’s
has become particularly clear: citizens of our many North Coast Program Coordinator. She can be reached at
indigenous Tribes have worked to educate MLPA jsavage@oceanconservancy.org or 707-477-8283.
Initiative staff, as well as Blue Ribbon Task Force
members and the Science Advisory Team about the
need to acknowledge these Tribal customary uses and
ensure they are not infringed upon in any way.
Get Involved
Support for the Tribes has been universal among the Stakeholders expect to receive input from
North Coast community working on MLPA issues. A speedy, the public, and public comment is invited
acceptable resolution is hoped for – a lack of resolution will at all upcoming meetings.
threaten the North Coast MLPA process. See dfg.ca.gov/mlpa for dates and locations.
 Special places Written comments are also accepted
Sometimes the seemingly endless acronyms and jargon throughout the entire planning effort.
obscures what’s really at stake with the Marine Life
Sign up for the mailing list at:
Protection Act: our ocean, the great Pacific. Inspiration
for a thousand iconic California images, crucial to our dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/mailinglist_n.asp.
earth’s survival and yet only a small percentage of our sea
is protected. Provide Feedback To MLPA Initiative Staff
The task of the North Coast Regional Stakeholder Email:  MLPAComments@resources.ca.gov.
Group will be to find the right balance between improving
Call: (916) 654-1885.
marine protected areas to preserve ocean habitats and
wildlife, and avoiding favored fishing spots to prevent Mail: Marine Life Protection Act Initiative
c/o California Natural Resources Agency
harm to the fishing and seaweed harvest industries.
Some locations being discussed as possible marine 1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311 
protected areas are Pyramid Point, False Klamath Cove, Sacramento, CA 95814
Reading Rock, Patrick’s Point, Punta Gorda, Usal and For more information, visit CalOceans.org
Point Cabrillo.
Save the Dolphin
More information at
Blue Dolphin Alliance
www.bluedolphin.org
under multiple federal statutes,” said Oregon Attorney Save Yourself 888-694-2537
General John Kroger. “The United States should be
striving for energy independence instead of relying on
fossil fuels imported from countries like Russia and A KLAMATH MOUNTAIN CABIN
Iran. This takes us in the wrong direction.” Peaceful and Private
Opponents to the LNG project cite a plethora of Nearby great swimming, hiking & biking
problems including the destruction of habitat for coho For more info contact Max or Nena Creasy
salmon, spotted owls and other species, the clear- 530-469-3413 Somes Bar, CA
cutting of hundreds of acres of old-growth forests on www.vrbo.com Property # 7696
public lands and the safety of those living along the
pipeline, including Coos Bay residents.
In addition, project developers would use eminent Athing Wellness Center
domain to seize private property for the pipeline. This Chiropractic, Massage and Acupuncture
project could handcuff the West Coast energy grid to James Athing, Doctor of Chiropractic
fossil fuels coming from politically unstable countries Soft Tissue Specialist
Work, Auto & Sports Injuries
while displacing investment that could support cleaner,
735 12th Street, Arcata (707)822-7419 www.athingchiropractic.com
renewable alternatives.
“I am appalled that FERC would grant approval for
a project of this nature with its enormous threats to
Oregon’s waters, forests and communities without due BRANT ELECTRIC Calif. License #406330
diligence in fully analyzing its necessity or impacts,”
said Rogue Riverkeeper Lesley Adams. COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL/INDUSTRIAL
NEW CONSTRUCTION/REMODELS
For more information, visit: www.kswild.org/
rogueriverkeeper. y (707)822-3256
www.yournec.org 11
 The Del Norte Development That Refuses To Die
Submitted By The Friends of Del Norte
A visiting judge’s anticipated decision could seal the Then, in August 2008,
fate of a largely phantom and decades-old real estate Del Norte’s Local Agency
development that threatens Del Norte County’s Lake Formation Commission
Earl, the largest coastal lagoon in the West. (LAFCO) dissolved the
On one side is a lot owner, living illegally on the site district after a two-year
and “standing in” for the development’s now-dissolved examination of the issue
water district. On the other is the state and the county, that included a generous
along with lot owner Maxine Curtis and the NEC as nine-month appeal
interveners represented by the Stanford University period extended to some
Environmental Law Clinic and local counsel. unhappy lot owners.
At issue is the Pacific Shores subdivision – 1535 The water district
half-acre lots in the dunes and wetlands of the Lake responded by immediately
Earl coastal lagoon – which was laid out in 1963 filing suit. When a
and to this day lacks any development permits or Del Norte Superior
completed studies. Court Judge denied its
The land includes several Environmentally Sensitive request for a temporary
Habitat Areas as designated by the California Coastal restraining order, the
Commission, is home to the federally threatened district asked for a visiting
Oregon silverspot butterfly and is one of the proposed judge to review its request
developments that inspired passage of the Coastal Act. to overturn LAFCO’s Aerial view of Pacific Shores subdivision, built in the dunes and wetlands of Lake Earl without development
permits. Photo courtesy of Friends of Del Norte
dissolution.
A Perennial Loser Suit By Substitute Fish and Game is the majority property owner in the
Yet the subdivision has refused to die, and until Months later the District realized that it couldn’t subdivision, the State Coastal Conservancy and Wildlife
recently was represented by an elected California sue – because it didn’t exist anymore. So lot owner Conservation Board will not offer a lifeline to hurting lot
water district. For nearly 20 years, the district collected Janice Wilson was substituted as the plaintiff. Wilson is owners unless the Board of Supervisors give their okay.
taxes from lot owners and wasted these millions on among those living illegally, without any permits, in the Some owners simply default on their property taxes
unfinished studies and unsuccessful lawsuits against subdivision; she was served with a cease and desist order and lose their lots to the county. The subdivision already
anybody who could conceivably be blamed for their by the California Coastal Commission a few years ago, to had an unusually high rate of default, and it is likely
disastrous choice of real estate. The district did not win no effect.   that the Board of Supervisors’ policy is causing these
a single lawsuit. The remaining unfortunate lot owners have nowhere unfortunate trends to accelerate.
Subdivision officials had urged lot owners not to sell to turn now to unload their properties. People cannot In the past other desperate lot owners have sold their
“for less than $100,000 – just hold on!” But in recent even legally camp on their lots without a permit from properties to real estate auction companies for around
years, the State of California began purchasing lots from the Coastal Commission, although some do. $1,000. These companies have then resold the lots for
willing sellers and in record time wound up with more The Del Norte Board of Supervisors shut down the $8,000 or more
than half the properties. Based on an appraisal, the state state’s acquisition program nearly two years ago, citing Yes, even after 46 years of an infamously failed
paid an average of $4,000 each for most of the 760 lots it their policy of “no net loss” of private property in the subdivision, new unsuspecting buyers are still being
now holds in public trust. county. Even though the California Department of snookered by the Pacific Shores dream. y

Plans Aren’t Terminal For Del Norte Airport By Eileen Cooper

Dave Mouton
Owner-Builder  Permaculturalist

Friends of Del Norte (FDN), along with the Coastal Commission, has succeeded in compelling the Airport “Avant Gardening...” #601215 business license
Authority to redesign their plans for an airport terminal to reduce its effect on environmentally sensitive areas. Consultations  Labor Pool Referrals
The area is home to a threatened forest type known as shore (beach) pine that includes Sitka Spruce. It grows
in a narrow band along the coast, usually where development is concentrated, and is associated with wetland and October is landscape planting season.
dune systems. We specialize in water conserving installation of native
The originally proposed terminal would have removed and fragmented Environmentally Sensitive Habitat
and beneficial plants.
Areas (ESHAs) of forest and wetlands, and degraded the highly scenic Point St. George Coastal Conservancy and Contact Dave now for a free consultation
County Park taz@asis.com 707-822-8366
Friends of Del Norte appealed to the California Coastal Commission, as did several coastal commissioners.
FDN also hired a planning consultant who showed how the impacts were avoidable, then redesigned a road
system and modified the terminal placement.
The good news is that the Coastal Commission has agreed that the original plan would affect sensitive habitat
areas, and the consultant’s redesign is being incorporated into a new airport proposal. The Development is Approved!
People come to this county because of its unparalleled natural beauty and diversity, and will want to return to Each lot is next to a 17-acre private forest preserve and
within walking and biking distance to HSU and the Plaza
a community that recognizes this and seeks to protect it and value it. Therefore it is appropriate that Del Norte Just 5 lots available in this green and connected neighborhood

airport terminal plans recognize the economic values of environmentally sensitive planning. y
Roger or Peggy Pryor (707)822-0222 www.trilliumcreek.org

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 Books To Inform, Educate & Inspire - At The NEC!
The NEC is continually adding to its library, which is brimming with environmentally-oriented books from all disciplines. Scientific guides, meditative treatises, stunning
collections of photography, and how-to guides on sustainable living are just a few of the genres our members find when they come in to browse our library. Our office and
library is open to the public Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Fridays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Libaray books are available for loan for short periods of time.
Here is a sampling of our recent additions. All reviews are written by members and volunteers. For more member/volunteer-written book reviews, visit
our web site at www.yournec.org. y
Wildebeest in a
Rainstorm: Profiles of Our
Most Intriguing Adventurers,
Conservationists, Shagbags
and Wanderers, by Jon
Bowermaster, 252 pages,
Menasha Ridge Press, 2009
Reviewed by Kaci Elder
Bowermaster has a gift of
setting the scene. When we
meet Reneé Askins in the
lobby of a Montana lodge in
1994, the author introduces
her reddened eyes, emptied
Styrofoam cups and doodled notepad before he tells us
that she is preparing a speech on reintroducing wolves
into Yellowstone National Park.
When Askins later passionately explains why the
predators belong in the park, we aren’t reading her
argument as disembodied text on the page; we hear a
woman with reddened eyes and the flu, and we see her
propped up in a chair by the fire.
Bowermaster is in the scene too, as he takes us
through the 22 profiles of that comprise this collection,
yet he manages to avoid inserting himself as another
character. It’s rather like he’s chatting on the telephone—
with us—and in the room with him is, maybe, Robert
F. Kennedy, Jr., or indigenous activist Winona LaDuke.
And Bowermaster wants to tell us all about it.
Using play-by-play details (on former Gap CEO
Doug Tompkins: “between phone calls he pads around
the house on Buin Street in a buttoned Scandinavian
sweater”) and context (on Nobel Laureate Wangari
Maathai: “as she’s traveled abroad to accept award after
award for environmental and political heroism, she has
come to be harassed, arrested, beaten, and threatened
with rape”), the author brings us into the fold of the
person behind the image.
Sometimes, it only takes a single sentence.
Encapsulating wildlife photographer Peter Beard,
Bowermaster writes that “Over the decades he has been
diversely labeled a naturalist, fashion photographer,
prophet of doom, stoic, diarist, garbage collector, felon,
bum, racist, anthropologist, social chameleon, raconteur,
celebrity, schizophrenic, court jester, despiser of mankind,
and eighties existentialist. All and more are true.”
Yet this isn’t a particularly timely book. Though
released in 2009, the 22 profiles of “Conservationists,
Artistes and Sportsmen” are magazine reprints from the
last two decades, specifically the ‘90s.
A brief “Where are They Now?” concludes each
reprint, ostensibly to satisfy our curiosity. However, the
curt summaries of the subject’s life in the eight or 10
years since the original was published contradicts the
languid tone of the original piece.
For example, after the engrossing account of Peter
Beard in Kenya, which at the time of the original writing
had been his adopted homeland for 40-plus years, the
postscript off-handedly says that, these days, Beard
“rarely visits Africa.” But why? What happened? It’s
as though, where once Bowermaster shared the play-
by-play over the telephone, suddenly he’s got to go
and with a brief goodbye, hangs up. Still, we enjoy the
details he does provide. y
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ECONEWS February/March 2010
The Sibley Guide to Trees, by
David Allen Sibley. 427 pages,
Knopf,  2009, $39.95   Silence in a Noisy World,
Reviewed by Susan Nolan
Sibley’s birding guides
have become the standard, so
publication of a Sibley tree book
is an event.
Halfway between an
encyclopedia and a field guide,
this ambitious volume “covers
the identification of 668 native
and commonly cultivated trees
found in the temperate areas of North America north of
Mexico,” according to its introduction.
Common and scientific names, a range map, and
habitat description are given for every species. Major
species may receive a whole page, with paintings of
leaves, bark (at as many as three stages of growth), fruit,
flowers (including catkins), fall color, twigs, and the
typical shape of the tree.
Variable forms may have several depictions. The
thoroughness of illustration is a real strength. This book
improves on most others by its consistent attention
to buds and twigs, which are important points of
identification, especially for deciduous trees in winter.
Sparse text concisely yet vividly sketches out
important points, eschewing filler. Helpful charts
sort through the conifer family, as well as similar but
unrelated deciduous leaf shapes.
The book has some minor flaws. The mingling of
horticultural and native species serves no clear purpose.
With everything north of Mexico plus dozens of
ornamental species, its sheer bulk limits its usefulness
as a field guide. Organization is somewhat confusing
within large genera, oaks and pines for example. A
subtle East Coast bias is apparent, and small errors
could have been caught with more review.
Still, it is an excellent book. If Sibley produces a
version just for the West, as he did with his very popular
bird guide, we’ll have a wonderful new tool. y
Independence Days – A
Guide to Sustainable Food
Storage & Preservation, by
Sharon Astyk. 368 pages, paper,
Friesens, Canada, 2009, $`19.95
Reviewed by Michele Noble
Sharon Astyk provides a
treasure trove of information
on how to live an independent
life. She covers the particulars of
food preservation, ranging from
how to increase the size of your
pantry to preparing canned meals your children will
enjoy. Independence Days provides details on holistic and
sustainable methods for food storage, eating locally grown
foods and cooking.
Astyk explains the different ways to store all the
foods in your garden, including instructions on canning,
dehydration, fermentation, root cellars and season
extensions. This guide packed with assorted recipes that
use pantry foods; my favorite example is Creamy Greens
Casserole.
Astyk suggests an array of simple ideas to decrease
independence on grocery stores and eat locally year
round. One tip is to plant one thing in the garden each day
in the spring and then can one food item each day in fall.
This book will greatly assist those who are beginning
to journey into the realms of food storage and need the
motivation to get started. It includes an uncompromising
The amount of oil wasted on food transportation will
make you think twice about buying bananas from far away
countries.
Independence Days reminds you why you want to
gain independence from the food industry. The first step
to improved self-sufficiency and an independent life
begins with planting a garden. Happy canning. y
Solutions
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www.yournec.org
One Square Inch of Silence:
One Man’s Search for Natural
Gordon Hempton and John
Grossmann, 368 pages, Free
Press, New York, $16.00
Reviewed by John Emig
In One Square Inch of
Silence Gordon Hempton
documents his travels from
Washington’s Olympic
Peninsula to Washington DC,
in his woodstove-equipped
‘64 VW van. The purpose of his journey is to convince
the National Park Service to protect one square inch
in Olympic National Park’s Hoh River Valley from
human noise. This tiny sanctuary would affect many
square miles just as a point source of noise does. Along
the way, he searches for the naturally quiet places that
remain in the U.S. and concludes there are, in fact, none
east of the Mississippi.
The US Department of Justice says noise decreases
property values, increases hostility and discourages
community building. The Southern Medical Journal
reports that noise is “associated with both an increase in
aggressive behavior and a decrease in behavior helpful
to others.” Recent studies point to “a clear correlation
between (long term) exposure to high levels of road
traffic noise and cardio-vascular disease.” The 1999 U.S.
Census reports that Americans cite noise as the number
one neighborhood problem.
However, humans to one degree or another accept or
even encourage noise. What happens to wildlife with
no say in the matter?
As an international acoustic ecologist, Emmy Award-
winning sound recorder, surfer and botanist holding
advanced degrees, Hempton writes authoritatively of
spirituality, camping, wildlife and terrain while offering
extensive descriptions of sound along the way.
From resonance inside driftwood Sitka Spruce (used
for guitars and violins), to an entire valley echoing
with thunder, his book is a brilliant exploration of the
music of nature. He then documents how human noise
changes the way wildlife behaves and thrives, such
as preventing hearing predators, making feeding and
mating more difficult, and even unnaturally shaping the
evolution of bird song.
Noise more insidiously affects the health of humans
and wildlife than even water or air pollution. This book
offers a heightened consciousness of the issue, sets an
example for addressing it constructively through raising
awareness and legislation, and provides practical advice
for dealing with it personally.
With quotes and stories from John Muir’s life
throughout, the author advocates protecting natural
quiet to enable its healing and spiritual power for
humans while preserving a place for wildlife to flourish.
The book includes a CD of soundscapes and photos
from his trip. The first 100 pages are available free via
Google Books. y
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Kin to the Earth
Redwood Region Audubon Society: More Than Just Birding
By Sarah O’Leary

The words “Audubon Society” may bring to mind
images of nerdy birdwatchers glued to their telescopes
and notebooks, intent on a chance to spot a new species.
But our local chapter, Redwood Region Audubon Society
(RRAS), is just as involved in environmental activism as
in organizing bird-watching tours.
“We go toward the activist side as a chapter in
general,” said Jim Clark, longtime member and
incoming President-elect.
Several years ago RRAS participated in a lawsuit
involving non-mitigated construction of a subdivision on
a wetland in McKinleyville. The organization ultimately
won a settlement of around $75,000, which became seed
money for a sanctuary fund. Later that money, combined
with donations, bought 160 acres of mudflats adjacent to
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge.
Clark explained that local Audubon Society chapters
are all autonomous. “They can have a different opinion
about certain environmental situations than state or
national [Audubon Societies],” he said, adding that
RRAS doesn’t have to go through a hierarchy when it
wants to take a position on a local environmental issue.
New Public Trust
RRAS has is in the beginning phases of a long-
term project involving their acquisition of a public
trust over Parcel 4 (just west of the Bayshore Mall),
which the City of Eureka dedicated back to the Coastal
Conservancy last year.
“The Coastal Conservancy offered the public trust
for the open space to RRAS,” said Clark. “Essentially we
have control over space above the parcel.”
Clark said that the organization’s goals include
enhancing the area for wildlife habitat and for public
viewing of wildlife.
“Those are the specific mandates on the space that
we signed with the Coastal Conservancy,” he said,
adding that this use will be compatible with the coastal
trail being planned for that area.
Clark acknowledged that the cleanup and upgrading
of the parcel is going to take a great deal of hard work
in addition to grant funding, and he said that RRAS
will be working with the City to achieve its goals.
“I think people will fall in love with [this property]
once it’s accessible and safe,” he said.
In addition to being a spot to view wildlife, the parcel
is an historic mill site and the plans include interpretive
historical signage about past uses throughout the
centuries and possibly even
an interpretive center in the
Mall.
“Parcel 4 is a big
responsibility for us,”
said Chapter President,
Ken Burton, “but I think
we’re up to the challenge.
We have an incredible
opportunity here and if we
do it right it could even help
revitalize commerce in the
area while creating a great
place for education and
recreation right in the city.”
Collaborative Projects
RRAS was recently
awarded three grants from
Audubon California for
snowy plover conservation. Photo: Wendell Wood
It is partnering with Friends
Christmas Bird Count
of the Dunes (FOD) on
all three and is negotiating with FOD towards future RRAS just wrapped up its annual Christmas Bird
collaboration on the new Coastal Nature Center. Counts, in which members and other volunteers
“We see a lot of value in partnerships,” said Burton. counted birds throughout the region, including Willow
“There’s no point in competing for limited resources Creek, Crescent City and Ferndale.
or reinventing the wheel. Our niche in the local “The CBC is the longest-running biological survey
environmental community is advocating for birds and in the world,” said Burton, “and serves as a valuable
using our leverage as part of a much larger organization monitoring tool for bird conservation.”
to support good work that other folks are doing.” The results of continent-wide Audubon Christmas
RRAS coordinates many other projects and Bird Counts are published in North American Birds
activities, including a weekly interpretive walk through magazine and are available online at audubon.org.
the Arcata Marsh. Monthly tours are also offered at the Anyone is welcome to join in this bird counting
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge year-round, effort, which takes place every year from mid-
and at Palco Marsh from fall to spring. December through early January. “It’s a good way to
RRAS also leads birding and natural history field learn about birding,” said Clark.
trips to locations all over northwestern California, and “But our chapter is not purely about birding,” he said.
an evening program is presented the second Friday of “There is so much to do and members don’t need to be
each month, September through May. The programs expert birders.” Members can help out with the annual
feature slide shows, movies and talks by experienced student bird art contest (see page 10), with publicity,
naturalists and biologists. and with the Chapter’s booth and café at Arcata’s
Every year the chapter holds a banquet and auction annual Godwit Days event.
to celebrate its accomplishments and raise money for Community members who would like to get involved
its work, this year’ on February 20 featuring Brian with RRAS can find more information on its website,
Sullivan of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology as www.rras.org, and/or in The Sandpiper, the monthly
guest speaker. Tickets are available until February 14. newsletter inserted in each edition of ECONEWS. y

Life Form Of The Month

Silver-Haired Bat: The Shaggy Night Wanderer
by Ian Jewett

If you find yourself wandering the coastal forests
between dusk and dawn be sure to keep your eyes
peeled for the “shaggy night wanderer.” No, this is
not a reference to Bigfoot, but instead comes from a
loose interpretation of the Latin name, Lasionycteris
noctivagans. But most people know this creature as
the silver-haired bat.
This bat is aptly named. The fur is nearly black
and appears frosted as if glazed with ice or dew.
Finding these bats in roost is the surest way of
making a positive identification between this species
and the many other species native to California. It
is nearly impossible to identify bat species in flight
for obvious reasons – they are quick and most active
after the sun sets.
The silver-haired bat spans a huge range from
Alaska to Mexico and is well known for its transient
tendencies. Monitored individuals have been recorded
making journeys over open ocean to Puerto Rico and,
even more astoundingly, Bermuda (more than 1,000
miles from the contiguous United States).
Mating occurs in autumn when both sexes
congregate for migration. One to two young are
born in late June to early July and are able to forage
independently between 20 and 40 days after birth.
On a nightly basis, individuals maintain large
hunting territories upwards of the size of a football
field. Though common, this species is rarely seen due
to an erratic population distribution, secretive roosting
habits, and a predominately solitary lifestyle.
This species migrates to warmer climates during
the winter and also hibernates or remains relatively
inactive during the winter months. The silver-haired
bat seeks high, old-growth snags for roosting, but is
a generalist often using open sheds, abandoned tree
cavities and piles of human debris as a resting place.
Due to its forested landscape and wet, mild winter
climate, the North Coast is a frequent target for short-
term residency or pit stops during its annual migration.
The silver-haired bat is not threatened or
endangered, but few extensive studies have been
recorded on this relatively shy mammal. Deforestation
and increasing feral cat populations are the biggest
threats to a stable population. If you happen to find
some roosting bats this year in an open shed or
redwood cavity, check to see if you have come across
the shaggy night wanderer as it may be a once-in-a-
lifetime sighting. y

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14 www.yournec.org February/March 2010 ECONEWS

 Eco-Mania
A monthly melange of
salient sillies....
OLD GROWTH: A tree-ring study indicates that
Great Basin bristlecone pines have grown faster in the
past 50 years than they have in the thousands of years
before that – because of rising temperatures.
❂ burrow-dwelling crabs on beaches in South Africa
UNK FOOD JUNKIES: Bacon, cheesecake and Ho
Hos produce addictive behavior in rats similar to how
they act addicted to heroin, according to a Scripps
Research Institute study.
Pleasure centers in the brains of rats hooked on
high-fat, high-calorie diets became less responsive as
binging wore on, making the increasingly obese rats
consume more and more food.
What’s more, they continued to pig out even when
given shocks. And when the junk food was taken away
and they had access only to nutritious chow, the fat
rats refused to eat.
ABOUT SPROUTS: An English aquarium has
lowered the water level in the tank of a green sea
turtle named George because his flatulence after
eating Brussels sprouts can trigger overflow alarms –
like it did last year after he dined on sprouts for their
vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Elsewhere in England, two women have published
a recipe book in which every dish features Brussels
sprouts. They hope to boost the popularity of many
people’s least favorite vegetable with such recipes as
sprouts ice cream and a cake with raisins, coconut
and sprouts.
❂ of Defense has announced it will no longer investigate
THE COST OF CAFFEINE: It takes almost 53
gallons of water to produce the coffee, milk, sugar and
cup for just one regular takeout latte, according to the
World Wildlife Fund.
ECONEWS February/March 2010
SEX FOR SECURITY: Female fiddler crabs mate
with their neighbors in exchange for protection,
according to studies at the Australian National
University.
The discovery is the first known case of male and
female neighbors teaming up to defend territory
in any species, researchers said after studying the
and Mozambique.
ENTREPRENEURS: An Illinois family is raising
❂
deer not as pets or for breeding but so they can sell
one-ounce spray bottles of deer urine to hunters.
Kevin Cox and his family started with three fawns
HOLD THAT TIGER: Louisiana wildlife officials in a pen, and now run a three-acre operation with 14
are allowing a truck stop in the town of Grosse Tete to deer to produce the filtered product. He plans to start
keep the state’s only privately owned tiger. a Web site for online purchases.
Michael Sandlin, owner of the Tiger Truck Stop,
must abide by conditions that include staff training,
liability insurance and providing a veterinarian-
approved diet for nine-year-old Tony the tiger.
❂
ARE YOU HAPPY? If passed by Congress, the
HAPPY (Humanity and Pets Partnered Through the
Years) Act will give pet owners a tax deduction of up
to $3,500 for care expenses for any “legally owned,
domesticated live animal.”
❂
SIZE MATTERS, FOR DUCKS: Hungarian
researchers decided to compare data on the
prevalence of flu strains in various duck species with
the anatomy of their reproductive parts.
They were surprised to discover that the duck
species with the shortest penises had the highest flu
levels. They had no explanation, and added that it was
a bit counter-intuitive since copulation with a larger
phallus should further promote virus transfer.
FROM THE DEEP: Among the new animals
described in a marine-life census as living thousands
of yards underwater in deep-sea darkness are an
octopus that flaps ear-like fins to swim, a worm that
feasts on whale bones and another that dines on crude
oil leaching from the sea-floor.
❂
NO MYSTERY: After 60 years, the British Ministry
UFO sightings.
The $80,000-a-year operation dealt with 12,000
reports over the decades, admitting that about five
percent of them remain unexplained.
SUPER-VOLCANO? New Zealand researchers
peering under Mount St. Helens have found what may
PRIVATE OUTDOOR HOT TUBS • TRADITIONAL SAUNA CABINS
be an extraordinarily large zone of semi-molten rock,
which would be capable of feeding a giant eruption.
Scientists agreed that if it is indeed a vast bubble of
partially molten rock, it would be comparable in size
to the biggest magma chambers ever discovered, such
as the one below Yellowstone National Park.
Such chambers can erupt as so-called super-
volcanoes. The Yellowstone one did about 650,000
years ago.
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www.yournec.org 15
 CNPS HAPPENINGS
News and Events from the North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society
Beginners and experts, non-members and members
are all welcome at our programs and on our outings.
Almost all of our events are free and all are made
possible by volunteer effort.
EVENING PROGRAMS
These free programs feature guest speakers and are
presented every second Wednesday, September through
May, at Arcata Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road, near
7th and Union. Refreshments 7:00, program at 7:30 p.m.
Everyone is welcome. For more information, contact Audrey
Miller, (707) 786-9701, taudreybirdbath@suddenlink.net
February 10, Wednesday - “Poisonous Plants of
Northwest California.” Professor Emeritus Dr.
James P. Smith, curator of the HSU Herbarium, will
explore what we mean by “poisonous” or “toxic,” how
we contact poisonous plants, and how they work. His
examples will include the most violently poisonous
plant in North America, the garden escape that once
provided the active ingredient in a witch’s recipe to cure
dropsy, the plant that is second only to the common
cold in causing lost days of work in California, the weed
that poisons animals when they are exposed to sunlight
and that appears on lists of most popular herbal
remedies, the common roadside plant that is always
associated with the death of Socrates (but perhaps not
in the way it is traditionally presented in our textbooks),
and the familiar plant that has its devastating effects not
on the animal that consumes it, but on its offspring.
March 10, Wednesday - “Blooming Beauties and
Graceful Glaciers in the Swiss Alps.”
The Swiss Alps are rich in botanical treasures and
beautiful landscapes. Botanist Birgit Semsrott will
share her pictures of Grindelwald, Switzerland. Located
in the Bernese Oberland Region, Grindelwald is in the
heart of a massive mountain range and surrounded by
majestic, ice-clad peaks. Many of Birgit’s pictures were
taken at Schynige Platte Alpine Garden, one of only a
few botanical gardens in the world that show alpine
plants in their natural environment.
A List of Events & Conservation Updates From the North Group Redwood Chapter Sierra Club
Election Results
Ned Forsyth, Gregg Gold, Felice Pace, and Jennifer
Wood were elected to 2-year terms on the North Group
Executive Committee. Officers and committee chairs will
be selected at the January 31 retreat.
Get Signatures for State Parks
On January 8, supporters – including Sierra Club
California – officially launched a volunteer signature-
gathering campaign for the California State Parks and
Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010. This
statewide ballot measure would give California vehicles
free admission to state parks in exchange for a new $18
vehicle license fee that would be specifically dedicated
to state parks and wildlife conservation. Some 700,000
signatures are needed by mid-April to qualify the
measure for the November 2 statewide ballot. If you
would like to help get signatures, e-mail Alan Carlton
(carltonal@yahoo.com) or visit www.calparks.org.
Additional information is posted at
www.yesforstateparks.com.
Best Year for Outings Achieved
Outings Chair Al Muelhoefer reports that during 2009,
the number of outings more than doubled from the
previous year – to 25 – and the number of participants
was up to 152 (highest of the last five years). North
Group would like to thank our leaders for sharing
their time and knowledge about great places to hike in
Humboldt and Del Norte counties. However, there is
always a need for more leaders, so if you would like to
help people explore our beautiful North Coast, contact
Al at almuelhoefer@gmail.com.
The Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement (KHSA)
North Group is part of Redwood Chapter which
encompasses five Sierra Club Groups from San
ARCATA
Ramone’s Wildberries Market
826-1088
Bakery & Cafe EUREKA
2223 Harrison Ave.
Freshly Roasted Coffee 442-1336
Espresso • Breakfast Pastries 209 E Street
Sandwiches, Soups & Salads 445-2923
Wedding & Specialty Cakes At Pierson’s
476-0401
Cookies • Truffles • Bread
Pizza • Desserts • Catering MCKINLEYVILLE
Shopping Center
OPEN DAILY 839-3383
16
FIELD TRIPS & PLANT WALKS
Please check our web site (www.northcoastcnps.org) for
new additions. Everyone is welcome, no botanical
knowledge required. We are out there to share and enjoy.
February 27, Saturday - Coastal Trail Day Hike.
Mosses, red-flowering current, canyon gooseberry,
violets, and a giant purple wakerobin should be glorious
along the Coastal Trail from Requa, on the north side
of the mouth of the Klamath River, to Lagoon Creek,
where Highway 101 meets the ocean north of Klamath.
We will shuttle
a car to one
end and start
at the other so
we only need
walk the four
miles one way.
Meet at 8:30
a.m. at Pacific
Top: Trillium ovatum
(wakerobin)
Left: fetid adder’s tongue.
Photos: Sylvia Ann White
Union School, 3001
Janes Rd., Arcata,
or arrange a place
farther north. Dress
for the weather!
Bring lunch and water. Return late afternoon. Please
tell Carol Ralph you are coming. (707) 822-2015.
March 21, Sunday - Arcata Community Forest Day Hike.
The far reaches of this great city park are beyond the
casual stroll. We will explore some of the farthest
trails, hiking a long loop or shuttling cars to a different
NORTH GROUP NEWS
Francisco to the Oregon border. While Redwood
Chapter strongly supports removal of PacifiCorp’s
four destructive Klamath River dams and restoration
of fisheries in the Klamath Basin, we believe that the
KHSA does not establish the best path to ensure a
reliable and timely removal of the dams. The inextricably
linked Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA,
the “water deal”) is fundamentally flawed and contains
troubling policy implications that need to be addressed.
Because the Klamath River Basin includes parts of
several Sierra Club chapters in two states, the KHSA
is an issue of interest not only to Redwood and other
individual Chapters, but also to Sierra Club National.
In such cases, local Club entities are free only to make
recommendations to National. The Redwood Chapter
is recommending against supporting the KHSA and
for supporting clean dam-removal legislation that is
unencumbered with the KBRA. As of mid-January,
National’s process toward a decision is continuing.
North Group to Sponsor Science Fair Award
For the fourth year, North Group will be sponsoring
an award at the annual Humboldt County Science Fair
held in mid-March at Humboldt State University. A
$50 prize will be given to the best project dealing with
environmental issues.
Outings & Meetings
Tuesday, February 9 – Executive Committee Meeting.
Join us for a discussion of local conservation issues
between 8 and 9 p.m., following the business meeting
starting at 7 p.m. at Adorni Center on Eureka
Waterfront. Info: Gregg, (707) 826-3740.
Saturday, February 13 -- Headwaters Forest Reserve.
This 11-mile hike is level for the first four miles, passing
through second-growth redwood along Elk River. Last
www.yournec.org
trailhead. We can count trillium for fun, !
practice spotting false azalea, learn at least five conifers
and five ferns, and watch for fetid adder’s tongue (aka.
slinkpod), and other early signs of spring. Meet at 9 a.m.
at the trailhead at the top of Diamond Drive. Dress for the
weather in the shady redwood forest, and for walking about
4 miles on dirt roads and paths. Bring lunch and water.
Return mid- or late-afternoon.
Information: Carol Ralph, (707) 822-2015.
April 11, Sunday - Humboldt Redwoods Day Hike.
Roadside stops and walks on several short trails in
Humboldt Redwoods State Park should find milkmaids,
western trillium, and, hopefully, fawn lilies, as well as
other early bloomers under the magnificent redwoods
of southern Humboldt. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pacific
Union School, 3001 Janes Rd., Arcata, 9 a.m. at the
McDonalds end of Bayshore Mall parking lot, or
arrange another place. Dress for the weather. Bring
lunch and water. Return late afternoon. Please tell
Carol Ralph you are coming (707) 822-2015.
SPECIAL WORKSHOP
February 27, Saturday - Introduction to the Sedges
of Northwestern California: A Hands-on Workshop.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Humboldt State University, Science
Building D, Room 161. Participants should bring:
dissection equipment, including extra-fine forceps,
Jepson Manual, and lunch. $60 for CNPS Members, $95
for non-members. To register, send a check made out to
“NC CNPS” with your contact information, including
email address to: CNPS, PO Box 1067, Arcata, CA
95518-1067. For more information contact Gordon
Leppig, gleppig@dfg.ca.gov
Watch for new additions on our website:
www.northcoastcnps.org.
Sign up for e-mail announcements at :
NorthCoast_CNPS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Join a native plant gardening discussion group at:
NorthCoast_CNPS_Gardening:subscribe@yahoogroups.com. y
mile is a steep climb through old growth. Carpools meet
at Herrick Park-and-Ride at 9 a.m. or trailhead parking
at the end of Elk River Road, at 9:30. No dogs. Call
leader Xandra for more info, (707) 441-0702.
Saturday, February 27 – Table Bluff /Mouth of Eel
(Nine miles, medium difficulty, less than 500-foot
elevation change). Hike begins below Table Bluff and
follows the beach south 4.5 miles between ocean and
sloughs, estuaries, and marshlands of Eel. Abundant
wild flora, occasional birds and wildlife in varied coastal
environment. Return along dunes and McNulty Slough.
Carpools meet at Herrick Park-and-Ride at 9 a.m. or
beach below Table Bluff at 9:30. Call leader Xandra for
further info, (707) 441-0702.
Tuesday, March 9 – Executive Committee Meeting.
(See February 9 listing.)
Sunday, March 14 ­– Skunk Cabbage Trail, Redwood
National Park (Nine miles, medium difficulty, less
than 500-foot elevation change.) Trail begins in Sitka
forest, passes through luxuriant understory, including
impressive skunk cabbage, rises gradually into second-
growth redwoods, reaches a coastal overlook, then
descends to the beach. Must register in advance with
leader Melinda, (707) 668-4275 or mgroomster@gmail.com.
Saturday, March 20 – Headwaters Forest Reserve.
(See February 13 listing.)
Saturday, March 27 – Centerville Beach/Mouth of Eel
(11 miles, medium difficulty, less than 500-foot elevation
change). Hike begins at Centerville Beach County Park,
follows beach northerly between dunes and tide line. View
dunes, meadows, marshlands, farms. Abundant wild flora,
occasional wildlife. Return route along Salt River. Carpools
meet Herrick Park-and-Ride at 9 am or at beach at 9:45.
Call leader Xandra for additional info, (707) 441-0702. y
FebruaryMarch ECONEWS
 The Good News Page
Murrelet Keeps
Protected Status
The marbled
murrelet will remain
a threatened species
and continue to receive
protection under the
Endangered Species Act,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service announced
January. The agency cited
the continued declines in populations in Washington,
Oregon and California.
The announcement comes in response to a petition
filed by the American Forest Resource Council, a timber
industry lobbying group, that sought to remove the
western states’ population of murrelets from the list of
federally protected species.
“The timber industry’s effort to force delisting was
always ludicrous, basically exactly the opposite of what
conservation science has been telling us about the
murrelet’s actual status,” said Scott Greacen, executive
director of the Environmental Protection Information
Center (EPIC).
“What’s needed now is for Fish and Wildlife to
stop responding to the industry’s cynical, anti-science
agenda and start taking concrete steps that will actually
improve the murrelet’s chances of survival,” Greacen
continued.
The threatened marbled murrelet is a small seabird
that flies inland to nest on the mossy limbs of old-
growth trees. During the past century, California’s
murrelet population dropped from 60,000 to
approximately 4,000 individuals. A 2009 Fish and
Wildlife Service review of the species showed the
population from San Francisco Bay to the Canadian
border declined as much as 34 percent between 2000
and 2008.
Humboldt Redwood Company’s (formerly Pacific
Lumber) ancient redwood groves in Humboldt County
are one of three remaining nesting areas in California. y
Godwit Days Celebrates 15 Years
Extraordinary birding awaits at the 15th Annual
Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival, held April
16-18 at the Arcata Community Center. Pre- and post-
festival events extend the event from April 15 to 21.
The 2010 program consists of more than 100
field trips, workshops, lectures, boat trips, a
banquet, and events like the “Big Day,” where
participants travel by bus around Humboldt County
to spot over 110 bird species.
The program is not limited to birds, but includes
sessions focusing on reptiles & amphibians,
botany, mammals, and insects. Leaders are trained
professionals, local biologists, and experts in bird and
other wildlife identification.
Free events for the local community include an
opening reception and Friday night lecture, Bird Fair
vendor booths, art show, live birds of prey on display,
family nature activities, and selected field trips and
lectures that require preregistration.
ECONEWS February/March 2010
Ancient Sturgeon Gets Needed Recovery Plan
The threatened green sturgeon may have a chance
at survival, since the National Marine Fisheries Service
(NMFS) announced in November its intention to develop a
recovery plan.
Loss of suitable spawning habitat is a major threat to
green sturgeon, and the southern population only spawns in
the Sacramento River system below Shasta Dam, making it
especially susceptible to habitat destruction.
The green sturgeon is one of the world’s most ancient fish
species and remains unchanged in appearance since it first
emerged 200 million years ago. It is among the largest and
longest-living fish species found in freshwater, living up to 70
years, and it can grow to 7.5 feet in length and weigh as much as 350 pounds.
Like salmon, sturgeon migrate to the ocean and return to freshwater to spawn. Only three known
spawning grounds remain: the Sacramento and Klamath rivers in California and the Rogue River in Oregon.
Biologists estimate that green sturgeon populations in the Sacramento River plummeted by 95 percent
between 2001 and 2006.
In October, as a result of a lawsuit settlement NMFS moved to protect 816 million acres of critical habitat
for the southern population of green sturgeon in California, Oregon and Washington. The protected area
includes the Sacramento River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and coastal areas from Monterey Bay to Cape
Flattery, Washington.
“Recovery planning and habitat protection are the keys to bringing this rare and majestic fish back from the
brink of extinction,” said Miyoko Sakashita, oceans director at the Center for Biological Diversity.
Studies have shown that species with critical habitat and recovery plans are much more likely to recover than
species without. The recovery plan for green sturgeon will provide a blueprint for actions that will promote
recovery and identify goals for its conservation. y
The NEC Seeks A Web Intern!
Practice your web design skills and gain Pesticides Exposed
valuable experience while helping us to add
to and update our new web site. The EPA has proposed a rule requiring
pesticide manufacturers to publicly disclose all the
Internships are a great way for students and ingredients in their poisonous products, and they
professionals to gain new skills and valuable
are now accepting comments.
experience for future job searches. More than 350 “inert” pesticide ingredients
Some knowledge of and experience with are toxic, carcinogenic, flammable, or otherwise
web design software preferred. dangerous, including formaldehyde, sulfuric
acid, and benzene. But current law requires that
Interested? Send an e-mail listing your skills
only ingredients classified as “active” be listed on
and qualifications to: sarah@younec.org product labels.
Disclosing inert ingredients would better inform
consumers about pesticide formulas hazardous to
both wildlife and people.
The EPA believes public disclosure is one way to
The keynote discourage the use of hazardous inert ingredients
speaker, Jeff in pesticide formulations. The agency is inviting
Bouton, is a comment on various regulatory and voluntary
research biologist steps to achieve this broader disclosure.
and professional
nature tour guide. Mail letters to:
His lecture is
Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator
on April 17 at
Office of Pesticide Programs
7:30 p.m.; all
EPA Regulatory Public Docket (7502P)
registration plans
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
include a keynote
Washington, DC 20460-0001
ticket.
Visit www. Or submit comments online:
godwitdays.com to http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/p/dia/
review the event action/public/?action_KEY=1969 y
schedule and to register. Phone registration is available
at 707-826-7050 or 1-800-908-WING. y
Feel good in your body.
• Local Herbal Products
• Glassware, Bottles & Jars
Open 7 Days a Week
• Custom Formulas
• Books
Wine Appreciation Course
• Herbs for Pets Four Classes on Tuesdays
• Recipes & Advice Feb. 23, Mar. 2, 9 & 16, $25 per class
• Healing Crystals Prepay 3, Get the 4th Class Free! Space Limited
• Organic Culinary
Herbs & Spice Blends
Winemaker’s Pouring
Over 300 Bulk Medicinal Herbs • Certified Herbalists
Effective, Natural & Economical
with Brooks Winery,
Wilamette Valley
Wednesday February 17
300 2nd Street, Old Town, Eureka
5-8 p.m $5.00
(707) 442-3541 • www.humboldtherbals.com
“We Help You Understand Nature’s Pharmacy”
8th Street on the Plaza, Arcata 825-7596
www.yournec.org 17

Water District Planning Effort Continues
by Jennifer Kalt
The Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District held
its Water Resource Planning “Phase II” meeting in
Eureka in mid-January. This event was designed for
the public and stakeholders to learn more about the
options available for the District to use the water to
which it has been granted rights.
The District provides drinking water to the greater
Humboldt Bay area, including Eureka, Arcata, and
McKinleyville, and much of its infrastructure was
built to provide untreated industrial water to two
pulp mills on the North Spit. Currently 60 million
gallons per day designated for industrial purposes
are no longer being used due to the closure of both
pulp mills
California water law has a “use it or lose it” policy,
threatening a possible water grab by thirsty water
users to the south if beneficial use is not implemented.
As reported in the last issue of ECONEWS, in
public meetings last October citizens spelled out
criteria by which to evaluate potential options for use
of the water. (View the December 2009 ECONEWS
online at yournec.org).
The day-long January meeting featured
background and educational presentations, with
one hour devoted to small group discussions
focused on three water use options:
Instream flow to benefit the health of the Mad River,
its estuary, and its fish and wildlife populations;
Sale of water for use within the District’s service
area for agricultural, industrial and/or residential uses;
and Out-of-District export.
The increased sale of Mad River water, whether
within or outside Humboldt County, raises a number
of environmental concerns. Participants were
interested in the beneficial use of water that allows
for the enhancement of fish and wildlife resources.
However, how such use could generate income for the
District remains in question.
“Phase III” meetings to evaluate options will be held
within the next couple of months. Stay tuned for this
opportunity for public input.
For information on the Water Resource Planning
process and schedules of upcoming meetings visit the
Water District website at www.hbmwd.com, and click on
the “Water Resources Planning” button on lower left.
To submit a comment to the District on the three
options currently under consideration, send an email
to wrpinput@hbmwd.com.
The January 19 Water Workshop airs on Access
Humboldt Cable Channel 11 on the following dates:
•Wednesday, February 3, 5:30 pm
•Friday, February 5, 6:00 pm
•Saturday, February 6, 3:00 pm
•Sunday, February 7, 9:00 am
To request a DVD of the program, call the District
office at 707-443-5018. y
Pombo Redux?
Environmentalists are
gearing up for another fight
since Richard Pombo has
announced that he is going
to run for the Republican
nomination in California’s
19th Congressional district,
which includes Yosemite
National Park. 
The former seven-term
congressman was defeated
in 2006 after a coalition of
environmental organizations
mounted a campaign that
exposed his close ties to Big Oil and other special
interests.
Pombo is alleged to have ties to disgraced
lobbyist Jack Abramoff, and since leaving Congress,
he has worked for the lobbying firm Pac/West
Communications, the same firm that previously
supported Pombo’s efforts to open the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge to drilling, rewrite the Endangered
Species Act, and clear-cut national forests.
“Pombo’s aim for a comeback is nothing but a
shameless attempt to exploit the revolving door that
remains all too common in Washington” said Bruce
Hamilton, Sierra Club deputy executive director. 
“After doing the bidding of Big Oil and other special
interests during his years in Congress, he literally went
to work for the same lobbying firm that backed some
his most egregious activities, and now he wants to be
sent back to Congress to represent a district where he
doesn’t even live.”
Pombo was named one of the “most corrupt
members of Congress” by Citizens for Responsibility
and Ethics in Washington, based on his alleged
violations of Congressional ethics rules and federal
laws, including the ties with Abramoff.
“We’re not about to stand by and watch Pombo grab
his carpetbag and return to Congress a mere four years
after we worked so hard to oust him,” Defenders of
Wildlife Action Fund President Rodger Schlickeisen
said in a statement. “If he runs, we’ll be there to remind

Public Forums Tackle Richardson Grove
A public forum to discuss the proposed Richardson
Grove highway-widening project is set for February 16
from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bayside Grange.
The forum will be hosted by the Environmental
Protection Information Center (EPIC), in coordination
with the Richardson Grove Coalition. A second
Richardson Grove forum will take place in in
southern Humboldt on February 24 at the Vets Hall in
Garberville at 7 p.m.
The project’s final Environmental Impact Report
and Environmental Assessment are both expected to
be released at the beginning of March, and Caltrans
has indicated it will not accept further public input
on the plan once these final documents are released.
The agency reported last month that planners
have made major changes to the original project
proposal to address concerns brought forward
through public comment.
EPIC staff and volunteers painted and installed
a roadside billboard in January to alert passing
northbound motorists of the planned project to take
out some trees in the Richardson Grove corridor to
allow for highway widening.
“This billboard is just one element in our
voters about his corrupt record and why he was booted
out of Congress in the first place.” y
grassroots, community-based campaign to stop
this ill-advised construction project proposed by
Caltrans,” said Kerul Dyer, EPIC’s Outreach Director.
“It lets all passing motorists know that the cathedral
grove within Richardson Grove State Park faces real
threats and encourages them to learn more about the
issue at our website, wildcalifornia.org.” Like What You’re Reading?
“There are many levels on which this proposed
project is a bad idea,” added Scott Greacen, EPIC’s
Help keep ECONEWS afloat by
Executive Director. “This project will negatively impact supporting our advertisers.
Richardson Grove’s immediate environment and
potentially damage protected species’ habitat.” y
Tell them you saw it in
ECONEWS!
Photo © Sam Camp / campphoto.com

Sun FrostEnergy Efficient

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Since 1886, Arcata’s weekly newspapers have captured the town’s colorful history ą the
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18 www.yournec.org February/March 2010 ECONEWS


Sunday
7 8
• Friends of the Dunes (FOD)Little
River State Beach Restoration, 9:30
a.m. Info: 444-1397
14
• FOD Property Tour, Meet at 220
Stamps Lane in Manila, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Info: 444-1397
St. Valentine’s Day
• RRAS Humboldt Bay National
Wildlife Refuge Hike, Meet at the
Refuge Vistor Center off Hookton Rd. at
9 a.m. Info: 822-3613
21
• RRAS PALCO Marsh Field Trip,
Meet in parking lot of West Del Norte
Street at 8:30 a.m. Info: 839-4365
28
• FOD Ma-le’l Dunes Guided
Walk, 2 p.m. Info: 444-1397
Monday Tuesday
1 2
9 10
• North Group Sierra Club
(NGSC) Executive Committee
Meeting, 6:45-8 p.m. at Adorni
Center. Info:826-3740
•Discoverying Phytoplankton,
7 p.m. BLM King Range Office.
Info: 986-5411
15 16
Washington’s Birthday
22 23
19
DAILY CALENDAR
• Redwood National and State Parks call 464-6101 for road, trail and campground info.
Centers open daily in Crescent City 465-7306. Prairie Creek, Jedediah Smith, and Kuchel.
Call for times.
• Every Saturday Friends of Arcata Marsh tours of Arcata Marsh or Wastewater
Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
Treatment Plant at 2 p.m. Info: 826-2359
• Every Saturday Redwood Audubon Society’s free field trips of the Arcata Marsh and
3 4 5 • Friends of the Dunes (FOD) 6 Wildlife Sanctuary at 8:30 a.m. at Klopp Lake Parking Lot.
Lanphere Dunes Guided Walk, • Arcata Community Recycling Center open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Pacific Union School at 10 a.m. Info: Info: 822-4542
•EPIC Brews & Views EcoNews Report,
444-1397 • Eureka Community Recycling Center open 9 a.m. daily. Info: 442-2541,
Discuss conservation issues in an 1:30 p.m. • Redwood Region Audubon For more recycling options visit www.humboldtrecycling.org
informal setting. HumBrews 4-6 p.m
KHSU FM 90.5 Soceity (RRAS) Arcata Marsh and
Wildlife Sanctuary Hike, Meet at • Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, 569 South G St. Hours: Tues.-Sun. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
parking lot end of South I St at 8:30 Mon. 1 to 5 p.m. Info: 826-2359
a.m. Info: 442-5444 • Every Tuesday “The Environmental Show,” KMUD-FM, 91.1(88.3 FM Arcata) at 7 p.m.
• County Hazardous Waste facility open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
11 12 • FOD Humboldt Coastal Nature 13
EcoNews Report, Arts! Arcata Center Restoration, Meet at 220
Speak Up and Speak Out
Stamps Lane in Manila, 9:30 a.m. Info:
•EPIC Brews & Views
1:30 p.m.
at the NEC 444-1397
Discuss conservation issues in an Artist: Neil Harvey • RRAS Del Norte County Field Trip,
KHSU FM 90.5
informal setting. HumBrews 4-6 p.m Jacoby Storehouse, 6 to 9 p.m. Meet at Espresso 101 at 7 a.m. Info:
• California Native Plant Society Info: 822-6918 822-5095 or 616-9841 President Barack Obama Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger North Coast Regional Water
(CNPS), Member’s “Show and Tell” • TOMORROW! Saturday, Feb. 13 • NGSC 11-mile Headwaters Forest The White House State Capitol Building Quality Control Board
Reserve Hike, Meet at trailhead park-
Night, Info: 677-0147 Winter Plant Hike, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Sacramento, CA, 95814 5550 Skylane Blvd., Suite A
ing lot at 9:30 a.m. Info:441-0702
www.yournec.org
Nadelos Campground. Info: 986-5411
Washington, D.C. 20500 Phone: 916-445-2841 Santa Rosa, CA 95403-1072
Comments: 202-456-1111 gov.ca.gov/interact#email 707-576-2220 or 707-523-0135
17 18 19 20 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 www.swrcb.ca.gov/northcoast/
•EPIC Brews & Views www.whitehouse.gov/CONTACT/ Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro about_us/contact_us.shtml
EcoNews Report, • FOD Manila Dunes Restoration,
Discuss conservation issues in an State Capitol
1:30 p.m. Environmental Book Reading 9:30 a.m. Info: 444-1397
informal setting. HumBrews 4-6 p.m Senator Barbara Boxer P.O. Box 942849 Sacramento, CA Secretary of Agriculture
Author Douglas Bevington reads from • FOD Manila Dunes Guided Walk, U.S. Department of Agriculture
KHSU FM 90.5 10 a.m. Info: 444-1397 Washington, D.C. 94249-0001
his new book and discusses grassroots 112 Hart Senate Office Building Tel: 916-319-2001 1400 Independence Ave. SW
• RRAS Conservation Meeting, Meet environmentalism. • RRAS Arcata Marsh and Wildlife
• Richardson Grove Public Forum, Washington, D.C. 20510 710 E Street, Suite 150 Washington, DC 20250
at Golden Harvest in Arcata at noon Northtown Books, 7 p.m. Sanctuary Hike, Meet at parking lot
6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bayside Grange. 202-224-3553 or 415-403-0100 Eureka, CA 95501 AgSec@usda.gov
Info: 442-9353 end of South I St at 8:30 a.m. Info:
Info: 822-7711 boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/ Tel: 445-7014
442-5444
index.cfm legplcms01.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/ Environmental Protection
ContactPopup.aspx?district=AD01& Agency
24 25 26 • FOD 32nd Annual Lupine
Bash, 9:30 a.m. Info: 444-1397
27 Senator Dianne Feinstein www.epa.gov/epahome/hotline.
•EPIC Brews & Views United States Senate Humboldt County Board of htm
Discuss conservation issues in an •RRAS Hiller Park Field Trip, 331 Hart Senate Office Building Supervisors
EcoNews Report, Meet in parking lot of Hiller Road Washington, D.C. 20510 825 Fifth Street, Room 111 Air Pollution Hotline
informal setting. HumBrews 4-6 p.m at 9 a.m. Info: 839-4365
1:30 p.m. Phone: 202-224-3841 or Eureka, CA 95501 1-800-952-5588
• NGSC 9-mile Table Bluff 415-393-0707 (707) 476-2384
KHSU FM 90.5
• Richardson Grove Public Forum, Hike, Meet at beach below Table feinstein.senate.gov/public/index. co.humboldt.ca.us/board/ Humboldt Bay Municipal Water
Bluff at 9:30 a.m. Info:441-0702 District
7-9 p.m. at Garberville Vets Hall. cfm?FuseAction=ContactUS.
Info: 822-7711 EmailMe California Department of 828 Seventh Street/P.O. Box 95
Forestry Eureka, CA 95502
ECONEWS February/March 2010
Upcoming Events In March Congressman Mike
Thompson
Humboldt-Del Norte Unit HQ
725-4413
Phone: 443-5018
www.hbmwd.com/contact_us
• March 6, Lanphere Dunes Guided Walk, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Meet at Samoa Boat Ramp. Info: 444-1397
231 Cannon Office Building 118 S. Fortuna Blvd, Fortuna,
• March 6, Lanphere Dunes Guided Walk, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Info: 444-1397 Washington, D.C. 20515 95540-2796 California Coastal Commission
• March 13, Humboldt Coastal Nature Center Restoration, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Meet at Humboldt Coastal Nature Center. Info: 444-1397 Phone: 202-225-3311 Mailing Address: PO Box 944246, 45 Fremont Street, Suite 2000
• March 14, Humboldt Coastal Nature Center Tour and Guided Bird Walk, 2 - 3:30 p.m. Meet at Humboldt Coastal Nature Center. Info: 444-1397 317 3rd Street, Suite 1 Sacramento, CA 94244-2460 San Francisco, CA 94105-2219
• March 20, Manila Dunes Restoration, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Meet at Manila Community Center. Info: 444-1397 Eureka, CA 95501 Physical Address: 1416 Ninth Street, 415-904-5200
• March 20, Manila Dunes Guided Walk, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Meet at Manila Community Center. Info: 444-1397 Phone: 269-9595 Sacramento, CA 94244-2460 710 E Street, Suite 200
• March 27, Ma-le’l Dunes Restoration, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Meet at Ma-le’l Dunes south parking lot. Info: 444-1397 mikethompson.house.gov/ Eureka, CA 95501
• March 27, Ma-le’l Dunes Guided Walk, 2 - 4:30 p.m. Meet at Ma-le’l Dunes south parking lot. Info: 444-1397 contact/e-mail.shtml 445-7833 or 445-7834
www.coastal.ca.gov
Northcoast Environmental Center

February/March 2010 ECONEWS

NON-PROFIT ORG. Arcata, California
U.S. POSTAGE
Vol. 40, No. I Feb/March 2010
791 Eighth St., P.O. Box 4259 Arcata, CA
ECONEWS
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Arcata, CA
PERMIT NO. 3
Informing The North Coast On Environmental Issues Since 1971
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our conservation work. Indoor Pot Grows
The recent financial bailouts In our fast-paced lives, the indispensable life
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How much money is that, mailbox every month – and allow us to continue
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