ECONEWSInforming The North Coast On Environmental Issues Since 1971

Arcata, California Vol. 41, No. I February/March 2011

Fish And Wildlife Will Soon Decide.

WillThe

HumboldtMarten

Extinct? Go

Forget Your Cloth Grocery Bags?

It will cost you!

Catch the Jacoby Creek

Buzz!

Meet Humboldt’s Gray

Whales!

Sierra Pacific To Cut Northern Spotted Owl Habitat Environmental Groups Challenge Cap And TradeWill Endangered Wolves Lose Protection?

Marine Life Protection Act Update Whale Poop Fosters Healthy Fish Populations EPA Approves Pollution Caps For The Klamath

Trout in the St. Lawrence seaway around Montreal are chilling. That’s because they’re taking, involuntarily, big doses of Prozac and Paxil. About 50 native brook trout were exposed to Montreal’s sewage for three months. After screening their livers, brains and muscle, researchers found several well-known antidepressants. The levels of the drugs were so tiny, they posed no risk--right now--to human consumers of fish. But the bigger question is whether fish health and ecology are being affected by efflu-ent from a city where 500 million antidepressant pills are consumed each year--a level comparable to other big cities. Here at the NEC, we’ve been warning about fish health for de-cades. If it isn’t about rapidly declin-ing numbers, it’s about the robustness of wild stocks, or the affects of dams, or oil spills, or even Prozac. But instead of getting depressed yourselves, you can support the NEC in its fight for clean water. Your entire family can sign on for a mere $50. That may be less expensive than a steady diet of Paxil.   Thank you.

Northcoast Environmental Center791 Eighth St., P.O. Box 4259 Arcata, CA 95521

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDArcata, CA

PERMIT NO. 3

Are you due to renew?? Check your date!

Fish are Foul

E-mail

Name

City

Zip

Address

Join the NEC and support our conservation work.

In our fast-paced lives, the indispensable life supports like air, water and wild nature are often overlooked. Your tax-deductible membership donation will get ECONEWS delivered into your mailbox every month – and allow us to continue to educate and inform the public about crucial environmental issues that affect this region and our entire planet.

Mail in this membership form, or join online at www.yournec.org.

Membership Levels:$20 Student/Retired $35 Regular $50 Family $65 Overseas$1,000 Lifetime

My check is enclosed Please bill my credit card: VISA MasterCard

Or sign up for a monthly pledge and enjoy the comfort of knowing that you are continually supporting our efforts to protect this region.Monthly Pledge Amount $__________ Bill my credit card Send me a pack of envelopes

Credit Card # Exp. Date

State

Phone

The Newsletter of the Northcoast

Environmental Center

By Amy Coombs

Inside � is Issue Parcel 4 Needs A Makeover.....................3 Will city zoning laws prevent restoration? Will Wolves Lose Protection?..................4 � e loss will weaken the Endangered Species Act. Kid’s Page...................................................7 Meet Humboldt’s coastal giant salamander. AB 32 Stalled For Harming � e Poor...12 A winning lawsuit shows harms of Cap and Trade.

Eco-Mania................................................13 A Monthly Melange of Salient Sillies. Catch � e Jacoby CreekBuzz?................14 See the life winter brings to the water and banks. New Criteria For � e Klamath...............16 Will the water quality standards reduce pollution? How Many Humans Will � ere Be?......19 Family planning budget cuts and the enviornment.

The Humboldt Marten’s Last Fight

ECONEWS

A juvenile male Humboldt Marten. Photo: Keith Slauson.A juvenile male Humboldt Marten. Photo: Keith Slauson.

� e Humboldt marten (Martes americana humboldtensis) was thought extinct until 1996, when a single paw print was discovered in Six Rivers National Forest, near the border between California and Oregon.

It’s now believed that 50 to 100 of the cat-sized tree dwellers inhabit the towering forests of the north coast, but without protection, the animals face certain extinction. U.S. Fish and Wildlife is now considering the marten for listing under the Endangered Species Act. � eir decision will determine whether a local logging company can harm some of the last remaining martens.

Last September environmental groups petitioned for the Humboldt marten to be granted expedited endangered species listing. Less than a month later, U.S. Fish and Wildlife responded, saying they would delay review. “Our listing and critical habitat funding for fi scal year 2011 is committed,” wrote deputy director Alexander Pitts. At the time U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had been court-ordered to clear its backlog. During the Bush Administration, listings and critical habitat designations were halted.

“� is legacy is impacting the Humboldt marten,” says Tierra Curry, of the Tucson, Ariz.-based Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), which fi led the petition. “During the Bush Administration people were hired who oppose endangered species listing, and the Obama administration didn’t clean house,” she says.

On Feb. 3 U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Jeff Waters announced by e-mail that the petition to list the Humboldt marten would be reconsidered. Review may be completed before the end of the year, but this is not a hard deadline. While the Endangered Species Act requires decisions to be made within 90 days, there is an escape hatch in the wording that adds “to the maximum extent practicable.”

Curry says CBD will take the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to court if it doesn’t rule in a timely fashion. “Unfortunately they have a long grace period,” she says. “And the marten’s situation is dire.” As for funding, Curry believes

it’s a smokescreen. “� e Fish and Wildlife Service’s budget for protecting species has increased dramatically in recent years with little additional output to show for it,” she says. 

“It’s my guess that U.S. Fish and Wildlife is under pressure to stall, as protection will pressure logging corporations  and public landmanagers to change their practices,” says Scott Greacen, of the Environmental Protection Information Center, which joined CBD in the petition.

Last year EPIC received word that Green Diamond—one of the largest logging companies still clearcutting on the north coast—might receive an incidental take permit for  Humboldt martens  under a new habitat plan that Fish and Wildlife is preparing. � e term “take” is used to describe displacement, harm or death caused by habitat destruction or direct action.

If the marten were listed as endangered, Green Diamond could not be allowed to take any of the animals, according to the federal Endangered Species Act. If the marten is listed as threatened, permits for habitat disruption can be obtained, and martens may be harmed.

“It’s not necessarily  a good sign that U.S. Fish and Wildlife is including the marten in the new plan. You can’t take an endangered species, so this may be a sign they

will opt for the lesser status of threatened,” says Greacen. “Ironically, they do apparently have the resources to look into the marten’s status, as this habitat planning process shows.” The Humboldt marten is currently scattered across less than 400 square miles of Six Rivers National Forest, northwest of Orleans. In 2009 a single marten was found in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Prairie Creek is one of the best locations for the re-establishment of another marten

population, however a corridor would likely need to be created to allow the animals to migrate.

“� e problem is that the marten population has few places to expand to. One of the best management solutions is to improve habitat connectivity to facilitate passage between old growth in Six Rivers and Prairie Creek,” says Keith Slauson, of the Forest Service. “� ere just isn’t that much fog-infl uenced, coastal old growth forest left in California, and a single marten needs about a square mile.

Martens rest high above the forest fl oor in the cavities of old growth trees, but they are equally dependent on the dense shrub cover that blankets mature forests. Along the fog belt, fi res are sometimes less frequent, and shrubs grows into a protective layer where martens can look for food, safe from predators.

Green Diamond has detected a few resident martens on their land. � e company also owns large tracts of land adjacent to marten habitat, positioning the company to

contribute to a wildlife corridor—if it became so inclined. As logging removes trees and tears apart shrub cover, it is diffi cult to restore and conserve habitat on harvested lands. Aggressive harvesting can also encourage the rapid growth of small trees, creating a darker forest fl oor that is inhospitable to dense shrubs.

Conservation eff orts might also connect the Humboldt marten to a genetically similar population in southwest Oregon. Slauson is exploring whether these two populations represent the same subspecies. “Regardless, the martens in Coastal California will still need immediate conservation action. But if they are similar, one option to consider is translocating martens from coastal Oregon,” says Slauson. It might also be possible to connect the two populations through corridors of forest blanketed with dense shrub.

Between 2002 and 2008 the Humboldt marten’s occupied range declined by over 40 percent. “I did the population estimate, and there is a high degree of certainty that there are less than 100 Humboldt martens,” says Slauson. � e population in southwest Oregon isn’t likely doing much better. Green Diamond did not return calls. � ree U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contacts were phoned, but due to fi eld research conducted during the weeks prior to publication, they could not be reached.

Humboldt Marten. Photo: Center for Biological Diversity.

February /March 2011 ECONEWS www.yournec.org2

About The CoverThe Humboldt marten is an evasive creature found only in local forests, and as there may be fewer than 50 in existance, they are rarely seen and photographed. Pictures of the Humbodlt marten are often taken at night. They are blury and taken at odd angles. This pine marten is easier to spot than its cousin, and though the two live in di� erent regions, they are similar in color and size. The pine marten on the cover steals the spot-light on behalf of its humble relative.

California Native Plant SocietyJen Kalt (Secretary) jkalt@asis.comRedwood Region Audubon SocietyKen Burton brdnrd@sbcglobal.netSierra Club North Group, Redwood ChapterDiane Fairchild Beck dfbeck@northcoast.comHumboldt BaykeeperPete Nichols (President) pete@humboldtbaykeeper.orgSafe Alternatives For Our Forest EnvironmentLarry Glass lglass@foggy.netAt-LargeMartin Swett (Treasurer) mswett@paci� c.netBob Morris (Trinity County Representive)bob.morris@wildblue.net

NEC Board Of Directors

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 amy@yournec.org or call 707-822-6918. Include your phone number and e-mail with all submissions.

The ideas and views expressed in ECONEWS are not necessarily those of the NEC.

is the o� cial bi-monthly publication of the Northcoast Environmental Center, a non-pro� t 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.

ECONEWS

Editor: Amy Coombs, amy@yournec.orgLayout and Design: Morgan CorvidayAdvertising: NEC Sta� , ads@yournec.orgProofreaders: Karen Schatz, Midge Brown Staff Photographer: Sam CampWriters: F. Thomas Cardenas, Abe Walston, Sarah Marnick, Jen Kalt, Beth Werner, Sue Leskiw, Sid Dominitz, Mitch Merry, Colleen Cli� ord, Amy Coombs, Robert “Bobcat” Brothers, Bob Wunner, Kery Topel, Kerul Dyer, Alegria De La Cruz, David Simpson Artists: Terry Torgerson Cover Art: Pine marten, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

NEC Mission To promote understanding of the relations between people and the

biosphere and to conserve, protect and celebrate terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems of northern

California and southern Oregon.

Environmental Protection Information Center Friends of Del Norte

Every issue of ECONEWS is printed on recycled paper with soy-based inks. Please Recycle.

Bureau of Land Management, designator of 11,000 acres of wilderness along the South Fork of the Eel River. Five years after legislation considered the site for protection, the seven-mile long span of coast redwoods, Douglas fi r and tan oak will now be preserved. We salute you, and so do the salmon and steelhead trout which swim in the nearby waters of the Eel.

Sarah Marnick, NEC volunteer and ECONEWS contributor. Congratulations on fi nishing school! We will miss you on Fridays, but are ecstatic that the Kids Page will remain on your agenda!

Jim Clark, NEC Board Member of seven years. � anks for your many years of diligent service, and thanks in advance for future insights and guidance.

Bouquets designator

News From the CenterHave you looked around lately? You live in an amazing place. We are so fortunate to call the north coast our home and to be surrounded by people who truly care about the safety and health of our environment. Right now, groups are working to save agricultural lands from development, protect the health of our waters, build safe routes for alternative transportation, spread awareness of energy

effi ciency techniques, and protect our forests and threatened species. You’re reading ECONEWS, so you’re likely well aware of all the energy that goes into keeping the north coast beautiful. I encourage you to consider donating a little more of your time and resources to supporting the many groups doing good work. Please, once you’ve fi nished reading this copy of ECONEWS, pass it on and help us spread awareness.

All of us here at the NEC wish you a vibrant spring and hope to see more of you. Visit us at our offi ce in the Jacoby Storehouse during the week and be sure to enjoy some refreshments on us at the next Arts! Arcata. Lastly, please enjoy reading this issue of ECONEWS and send thankful thoughts to Morgan Corviday, our new Layout Designer. We are so happy to have her on board!

NEC A� liate Groups

Letters to the Editor

Dear ECONEWS,

My name is Suzette Turner, and I’ve been reading ECONEWS since I found my fi rst issue in the Jacoby Storehouse back in September. It turned me on to the local environmental news and initiated my interest in environmentalism. I’ve been more involved in the community ever since. I voted for the fi rst time this year, and joined Greenpeace. � is was after realizing I could do something about the environment and make an impact by being involved. � is was all sparked by your amazing stories in ECONEWS. Your magazine is extremely helpful and interesting, and I usually read the entire thing from back to front. I love all of the information it provides! It’s an amazing resource for this community, and the perfect example of how conscious and involved most people are here in Humboldt County.

Arts! Arcata at the NEC

NEC is pleased to showcase the work of Marsha Mello, a local printmaker known for her detailed depictions of birds, marine animals, amphibians and insects. Her limited-edition prints are done in the age-old intaglio method, drawing images on a copper plate, which is then etched in acid to make permanent lines. Each print is hand-inked, run through a press, then signed and num-bered. Mello also works with watercolor and graphite.

Join us Friday April 8 for our fun-fi lled

Arts! Arcata celebration.

By Tara Stetz

I love that you print information about how to write to companies that aren’t serving the community and environment. I like that you give people action plans on what they can do to make a diff erence. I usually do it! In the last issue you told us to write to Ralph Iannuzzi about the billboards. � e billboards have bothered me since I moved here, and it’s fantastic that I now have the option and ability to do something about it! It would be nice to have more of these action options. � is is just a suggestion from a dedicated reader. You’re doing a great job! Keep up the amazing work and awesome stories. You have at least one dedicated reader, and I always bring my copy with me to class to get others involved and excited about what’s going on, environmentally!

Sincerely,Suzette Turner

advance for future insights and guidance.

involved most people are here in Humboldt County.

Sincerely,Suzette Turner

ECONEWS February/March 2011 www.yournec.org 3

No-Man’s Land: A Marsh Locked In Legal Stalemate And Overrun By Drug Use

By F. � omas Cardenas It is a dismal little patch. � e old mill site known as Parcel 4 is full of rusted out drying kilns and crumbling concrete. Overgrown bushes and shadowy ruins are littered with trash and human waste, a sign that partiers and squatters frequent the site. � ough many people are aware of the area and its shifty residents, few know why Parcel 4 is so forlorn. Why hasn’t this southern-most edge of the Palco Marsh been restored to wetlands like neighboring parcels? Why are the old mills still here, creating an eye sore for those who visit the nearby Bayshore Mall? Since 2008 the site has been in a legal limbo that prevents restoration and site cleanups. � e Redwood Region Audubon Society has been trying to negotiate a solution to the problem with the City of Eureka, who owns the land, but the quagmire has proved more complicated than anyone anticipated.

Restoration Or Industry? � e Palco Marsh Complex was purchased as part of a 1986 California Coastal Conservancy (CCC) grant. In October 1985, the Conservancy authorized disbursement of $610,000 to the City of Eureka to acquire the property, including Parcel 4—an abandoned mill site then owned by the Pacifi c Lumber Co. � e funds used to buy Parcel 4 andthe adjacent acreage were stipulated for restoration or enhancement. However, Parcel 4 was excluded from the subsequent wetlands improvement plan because Parcel 4 had long been slated for industrial use. Its water front access and proximity to a deep-water channel makes the site suitable for a commercial pier and dock. By purchasing the site with grant money dedicated towards conservation, the City of Eureka was held to strict terms. If development plans moved forward, the City was required to repay the Conservancy. If after 10 years no payment had been made, the City would dedicate the land to the CCC for an open space easement, protecting Parcel 4 from development. By 2008 the parcel had neither been included in restoration eff orts nor developed, and the Conservancy accepted an off er to dedicate the site to an open space easement. CCC chose the Redwood Region Audubon Society (RRAS) to hold the easement. � ough the city remains the offi cial property owner, RRAS holds the easement which protects against development. Now the parcel is zoned for one use but reserved for another, and each use cancels out the other. � e easement prevents the land from being developed despite its industrial zoning.

Yet Parcel 4’s zoning prevents restoration eff orts from moving forward. Restoration and enhancement are considered “inharmonious” uses of industrial sites. Even in natural resource zones, restoration must be conditionally approved. “[� e Eureka General Plan] will not allow restoration or enhancement for fi sh and wildlife due to [Parcel 4’s] industrial zoning,” confi rms Lisa Shikany, environmental planner for the City of Eureka. Rezoning the property would be costly. It would be a lengthy procedure requiring amendments to the Local Coastal Plan, the City’s General Plan and the zoning grid. � ese hurdles are a letdown for easement holders. “� e situation is very frustrating,” says Chet Ogan, RRAS conservation committee chair. “We really want to restore the site.”

Everyone Loses? � e marshland in Parcel 4 is rich and fertile, and could become a world class birding site if given a chance to rebound. “We would like to improve it so the public can enjoy the natural, and endangered, fl ora and fauna,” says Ogan. In its 10 acres of wetlands and fi ve acres of uplands, Parcel 4 supports two rare salt marsh plant species—the Point Reyes Bird’s Beak (Cordylanthus maritimus ssp. palustris) and Humboldt Bay owl’s clover (Castilleja ambigua ssp. humboldtiensis). Both plants are considered threatened by the California Native Plant Society. At the nearby Palco Marsh, restoration work will be completed

this summer. Interpretive signs have already been installed, the tidal slough has been dredged, and invasive vegetation has been removed. Yet while the City locks horns with the Audubon Society, Parcel 4 remains a soggy concrete jungle. In anticipation of this stalemate, the City was strongly opposed to the easement. Now retired City Manager David Tyson acknowledged the confl ict of use in a letter written to the CCC in May 2008. It states that a “mutually agreeable solution” could be reached about the issue. Yet no agreement has been reached to date, and the parcel still sits undeveloped and unimproved.

� e Mess Remains While there are no plans to clean the site, or remove the ruined concrete mill, Shikany says there are also no current eff orts underway to develop Parcel 4. � is means no one is investing energy in policing or cleaning up the site, and it remains a perfect haven for drug camps, parties and stray dogs. Eureka Police Department Lieutenant Murl Harpham, head of the City’s Problem Oriented Policing (POP) program, has had extensive experience with the area. “Basically we respond when we get complaints. We don’t have the man power or resources to do it on a regular basis,” Harpham says. In this current state, pedestrians aren’t likely to enjoy the site. Most of the squatters are benign, but safety threats do exist.

“� ere are the old pirates,” says Harpham. “� ey’re old and burned out, and just do their drugs and drink. � ey’re pretty much harmless other than the mess they leave…. but then there are the crazies that nobody talks to because they talk to themselves, and there are the predators.” � e predators pose the biggest threat. � ey are typically addicts and ex-cons who prey on the other groups. Aside from in-fi ghting, loose dogs are the biggest threat posed by campers. When pedestrians walk the site, they are often inclined to bring their pooches, and this can lead to fi ghts, says Harpham. Removing the concrete structures to make room for wetlands and birds might help solve this. � e newly restored Palco Marsh has seen a drop in transiency and is now frequented by bald eagles and other birds.

What Is Feasible? While the City maintains that restoration plans are premature, a feasibility study will soon explore opportunities for trail development on the property. � e City of Eureka received a $525,000 grant from the CCC in January, which includes $30,000 specifi cally for a feasibility study of Parcel 4. � e proposed project is designed to identify opportunities and constraints for trail development, which is part of the planned routes of both the California Coastal Trail and the Eureka Waterfront trail. Shikany says the study is a welcome step towards compromise, as trail development may not require complicated rezoning. “A trail going through an industrial property is not necessarily contrary to zoning,” she says. “It would be consistent with the easement. We would just need to look at what exactly is being proposed.” Joel Gerwein, project manager for the CCC, says he is excited to work with the City to fi nd a way to solve the stalemate and fi x the

health and safety issues associated with the site. “I think this study will help us fi gure out how to move forward and manage that piece of land for the environment and the public,” Gerwein says. � e Audubon Society is also excited about the trail proposal, says Ogan, though he hopes a larger restoration plan can be brought to fruition. Yet until the area is rezoned or a compromise is reached, Parcel 4 will be benefi cial to no one but campers and pit bulls. —F. � omas Cardenas is the ECONEWS intern and a junior in environmental science and journalism at Humboldt State University.

Native salt marshes are reclaiming the area around concrete buildings at Parcel 4. Photo: Jen Kalt. Native salt marshes are reclaiming the area around concrete buildings at Parcel 4.

Once the hub of industrial mill activity, Parcel 4 may soon be returned to wetlands—at least if zoning laws can be changed. Photo: Jen Kalt.

212 J Street Eureka, CA 95501 707-445-0784

Robert Berg, D.D.S.

February /March 2011 ECONEWS www.yournec.org4

San Francisco lost one of its most cherished and renowned philanthropists last Nov. 29, when Richard Goldman passed away peacefully at his home at the age of 90. Since 1951 Goldman and his wife have donated almost $700 million to non-profi ts

Kin To The Earth: Richard Goldman By Amy Coombs

worldwide through the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund. � e duo also created the Goldman Environmental Prize, which gifted $150,000 to leaders like Lynn Henning, a farmer in Michigan who exposed the pollution created by concentrated animal feeding operations, and to Tuy Sereivathana, who has helped resolve the human elephant confl ict in Cambodia. Mr. Goldman long advocated for foundations to give more than the mandated fi ve percent of their assets, believing strongly in spending down large endowments in order to better address the pressing issues of the day. He was also one of the most prominent donors in San Francisco’s Jewish community, and a supporter of environmental projects in Israel. He was one of the few donors to strongly promote the expansion of Reform Judaism and the strengthening of democracy and civil society for all Israelis, Jewish and non-Jewish. In 2002, Mr. Goldman helped to establish Jerusalem’s Goldman Promenade. � e Promenade draws thousands of visitors of all faiths annually. � e son of prominent San Francisco lawyer Richard Samuel Goldman and Alice Wertheim Goldman of Great Falls, Montana, Richard N. Goldman was born and raised in

San Francisco, where he attended the University of California at Berkeley. He spent a year at Boalt Hall School of Law before serving in the United States Army from 1942 to 1946. In 1949, he founded and was chairman of Goldman Insurance Services. He served as President of the Jewish Community Federation and on the boards of the San Francisco Ballet, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the World Aff airs Council of Northern California, among many others. He and his wife, who died in 1996, raised four children. He is survived by three of his children, his daughter-in-law Susan Goldman, widow of his son Richard W. Goldman, and by his 11 grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, and his sister Marianne Goldman. Goldman believed that every generation must address their own environmental problems, and he envisioned the torch would be passed on to his children. While the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Fund will cease operations in December 2012, the family’s philanthropic legacy will continue through other family funds.

in Idaho and Montana. � e Endangered Species Act does not allow a distinct population segment to be subdivided according to state boundaries, says the court.

In response, Senator Hatch and Representative Rehberg introduced bills that would remove gray wolves from the Endangered

Endangered Wolves may soon lose protection if three bills proposed in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are successful. � e legislation sets a new precedent by allowing politicians to choose the animals removed from the Endangered Species List.

� is February Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced a bill that would remove wolves from the Endangered Species Act and preclude their reinstatement. Congressman Denny Rehberg (R-MT) proposed a similar bill in the House of Representatives. A second, more narrow bill would limit delisting to wolves in Idaho and Montana.

Never before has Congress intervened in in the protection of a particular species. Listing and delisting of wildlife under the Endangered Species Act is the job of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Should Congress intervene now, it will create a slippery slope whereby political leaders may decide to remove protection anytime a species presents an inconvenience.

Protecting wolves is politically inconvenient because the animals are sometimes viewed as rampant livestock killers. In fact, wolves are responsible for less than one percent of livestock kills. Weather, disease and other animals kill thousands more cattle and sheep. Livestock owners are also compensated for confi rmed wolf kills.

Wolves were granted protection under the Endangered Species Act in 1974. Following nearly two decades of legal challenges, 14 wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park in 1995.

Years later, their conservation status remains murky and divisive. In 2009 the United States Fish and Wildlife Service delisted the wolf in Idaho and Montana, but in 2010, in response to litigation brought by conservation groups, a federal court found this delisting unlawful.

According to the court, wolves could not be selectively delisted on a state-by-state basis. Wolves remained protected in Wyoming, and the court found that U.S. Fish and Wildlife had violated the law by trying to delist populations

Wolves May Lose Protection

Species List and leave management completely to state governments. Further, these bills would prevent the public from ever petitioning for reinstatement. All wolves—even Mexican gray wolves, of which a mere 42 are known to exist in the wild—would be statutorily prohibited from receiving Endangered Species Act protections. � e still-unfolding story of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) is one of the most tragic tales in our nation’s natural history. � e gray

Wolves keep ungulate herds strong by preying upon unhealthy animals. Wolves also prevent herds from overgrazing wetlands. Photo: Gary Kramer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

By Mitch Merry

Wolves keep ungulate herds strong by preying upon unhealthy

Shop♥!Bargains & Treasures

the Hospice

Shop♥!Bargains & Treasures

the Hospice Shop♥!Bargains & Treasures

the Hospice

Go more green by shopping the Hospice Shop!Re-Use • Renew • Recycle

Gently used clothing, furniture, linens, artwork,

housewares, shoes jewelry & more

6th & H Streets Arcata

Open 10am-5pm Mon.-Sat. 826-2545

wolf once numbered over 200,000 and was found throughout the United States. � ey were here when Native Americans arrived over 12,000 years ago. � ey were here when Lewis and Clark explored the mountains and plains of the Northern Rockies. And, to their great detriment, they were here in the 1800’s when European settlers began to move west. Wolves were initially trapped and hunted in this country by enterprising pioneers seeking to sell their rich coats. It wasn’t until homesteaders began to expand into the American West that the full assault began.

Killers employed by the livestock industry and the U.S. government shot, clubbed and sometimes set wolves ablaze. In less than a single decade in the late 19th century, nearly 400,000 wolves were killed. In a uniquely shocking attempt to exterminate as many wolves as possible, “wolfers” contracted by the livestock industry laid lines of strychnine-poisoned meat spanning up to 150 miles long—killing untold wolves in addition to anything or anyone else unfortunate enough to ingest the poisoned bait. In the 50-year period between 1850 and 1900 it is estimated that as many as one million wolves were slaughtered. � e last wolf reported killed in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was shot in 1943, eff ectively silencing the howl of this maligned species for decades to come. � e gray wolf should not remain on the Endangered Species List forever. But delisting needs to be careful, lawful and based on science-based plans, not political expedience.

Presently, Wyoming has proposed that wolves be shot-on-sight with no hunting license required—at least in 90% of the state. Idaho has proposed to kill half of the state’s wolves in the fi rst year of hunting. � ese policies cannot move forward if wolves remain listed on the Endangered Species Act. You can help by contacting your Members of Congress. Make it clear that you don’t support legislative de-listing in any form.

— Mitch Merry is the online organizer for theEndangered Species Coalition.

San Francisco lost one of its most

Wolves May Lose Protection

ECONEWS February/March 2011 www.yournec.org 5

Lumber giant Sierra Pacifi c Industries (SPI) has circulated a timber harvest plan for almost 100 acres of clearcuts near Board Camp Mountain in Humboldt County, where endangered Northern Spotted Owls have been observed. � e harvest area, Called Green Mule, encompasses 92 acres within the headwaters of Grouse Creek and Cow Creek watersheds, both tributaries to the Trinity River. Only three acres are planned for selective cutting. � e remaining harvests are clearcuts, with both tractor and cable clearcuts located near Northern Spotted Owl activity centers. Called “activity centers” due to documented, registered Northern Spotted Owl sightings, such locations play a vital role in the species struggle against extinction. One clearcut falls within half a mile of the activity center, and another will disrupt foraging habitat that falls within 1.3 miles of a second activity center. Northern Spotted Owls were fi rst registered on site in 1989 by the California Department of Fish and Game. In 2000 owls were registered on parcel sections 25, 30 and 36. � ese locations are adjacent to proposed clearcuts. In section 25 a proposed 19-acre tractor clearcut has been proposed. Clearcuts proposed in adjacent section 35 will impact the inner half-mile radius of the owl’s activity center. Currently the California Forest Practice Rules state that 500 acres of suitable habitat must be present within a .7-mile circular area of a Northern Spotted Owl activity center. � e U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Guidelines for owl take avoidance do not allow harvesting within 1,000 feet of an activity center. � e California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) will approve the harvest so long as habitat retention is achieved.

SPI proposes to retain minimal suitable habitat, though appropriate habitat survey data may have not been collected. “� eir habitat typing has a lot of problems,” says Rob DiPerna, of the Arcata-based E n v i r o n m e n t a l P r o t e c t i o n Information Center (EPIC). “Some of the land they claim to be habitat is not really suitable for the owls. � is is a common problem with SPI.” Even if the preserved acres can be considered foraging habitat according to state rules, new science has shown that these policies set the bar too low. According to DiPerna, since the owls were fi rst listed as an endangered species, better quality habitat has been shown to be essential for reproduction, survival, and residency. Aggregating poor quality habitat doesn’t seem to work, and on lands that have been previously harvested, a second wave of disruption may prevent owls from rebounding. “I am not personally opposed to small clearcuts, but when the cumulative impact of prior cuts is taken into account, it may become clear that too much is too much,” says Chet Ogan, conservation chair at the Redwood Region Audubon Society. Ogan also says the cuts will be damaging

to other forest animals. Fishers occur in small

numbers and are a California Special ConcernMammal. “� eir numbers are small, but they are among the top carnivores in the area. Carnivores are critical to forest health,” he says. � e current controversies mark the second round of reviews. Following a series of earlier modifi cations, the timber harvest plan was recirculated in December of 2010 and is once again up for approval. CAL FIRE and SPI did not respond to a series of calls requesting interviews and information. � e THP ranks the erosion impact of the operation as moderate.

—F. � omas Cardenas is the ECONEWS intern and a junior in environmental science and journalism at Humboldt State University.

Sierra Pacifi c Proposes Cuts To Spotted Owl Habitat By Amy Coombs and F. � omas Cardenas

In Shasta County, Sierra Paci� c land is dotted with clearcuts. Remaining forest lands are not suitable for Northern Spotted Owls. Will owl habitat near Board Camp Mountain soon look this patchy? Photo: EPIC.

� e Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is a resident of old growth and late successional coniferous forests of the Pacifi c Northwest. Since being listed under the Federal Endangered Species Act, the Northern Spotted Owl has continued to decline throughout much of its traditional range. � e Northwest Forest Plan provides some relief for spotted owls in the form of a late successional reserve systems meant to protect old growth dependent species. Yet little has been done to protect owls that reside on or utilize private industrial landscapes across the species’ range. In the past, the burden of protecting spotted owls from damaging logging practices on private lands fell on the California Department of Fish and Game, in consultation with the Department of Forestry (CAL FIRE). In 1999 CAL FIRE requested that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service begin preparing technical assistance consultations for landowners wishing to avoid taking Northern Spotted Owls. Landowners were asked to provide detailed information about proposed harvest activities, including the amount of suitable owl habitat to be logged and maps of known owl locations. In return, Fish and Wildlife provided recommendations designed to prevent takes of spotted owls. Fish and Wildlife handed the technical assistance process back to CAL FIRE in 2008,

claiming that large timberland owners were manipulating the process in order to get ever-greater concessions and ever lessening protections for the owls. Fish and Wildlife noted gross defi ciencies in the current California Forest Practice Rules’ ability to prevent takes of Northern Spotted Owls on private lands. First, the defi nitions of suitable habitat represents the lowest possible parameters for what can reasonably be considered owl habitat. � ese low-value defi nitions allow landowners to account for a much greater amount of suitable habitat than is actually present on the landscape. Second, California’s rules do not protect the highest quality habitats. Rather, a total amount of habitat acres are retained, which allows landowners to log higher quality habitats and leave the most marginal areas intact. In 2008, the Draft Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan was remanded back to Fish and Wildlife by the courts [which court], citing defi ciencies in the process and failure to employ the best available science. � e 2010 Draft Revised Recovery Plan still falls far short of what is necessary to protect spotted owls on private lands. Provisions are modifi ed with such language as “to the greatest extent possible,” thus leaving the door wide open for interpretation. In California, the Forest Practice Rules do not require either CAL FIRE or private landowners to manage for the survival and recovery of Northern Spotted Owl.

Spotted Owl Protection Is Complicated

A male Northern Spotted Owl. Photo: Sheila Whitmore.

Like What You’re Reading?Help keep ECONEWS afloat by

supporting our advertisers.

Tell them you saw it in ECONEWS!

Photo © Sam Camp / campphoto.com

PRIVATE OUTDOOR HOT TUBS • TRADITIONAL SAUNA CABINS

CAPPPUCCINO • JUICE BAR • PASTRIESCorner 5th & J Arcata 822-2228 reservations

February /March 2011 ECONEWS www.yournec.org6

If it moves forward, HWMA’s ordinance will provide a list of options that cities can choose to adopt. Instead of plastic, stores may be able to opt for biodegradable bags. Fees may also be placed on paper bags, though a 2007 State Assembly Bill made it illegal to place fees on plastic bags at check-out.

Single-use plastic bags have become more diffi cult to recycle nationwide; in fact, the Arcata Community Recycling Center stopped accepting them in early 2009. This means local bags are sent to landfills. Because the bags are lightweight and durable, wind can scatter them from their intended destination. Ocean ecosystems are particularly

damaged by plastic bags, which accounted for 47 of 443 items of plastic debris found entangling marine wildlife, according to a 2008 study conducted by the Ocean Conservancy on International Coastal Clean-up Day. Animals sometimes see the bags as food and ingest them.

Plastic is a material that is not biodegradable, but rather photodegradable. � is means it does not break down and absorb into the environment. In fact, its unique molecular structure can break into smaller and smaller pieces that never truly go away.

Plastic material is meant to endure, yet most grocery bags are intended for one-time use. It is time to make a change in our behavior.—Colleen Cliff ord is the Rise Above Plastics Coordinator at Surfrider, Humboldt.

� e North Coast Co-Op has never distributed plastic grocery bags, but each year more than 366,000 paper bags are stuff ed full of groceries and sent home with customers.

To reduce their environmental imprint, on Jan. 1 the Co-op started charging customers 10 cents per paper grocery bag. Store management hopes the new policy will encourage more customers to bring their own sacks.  

“� e response has been really good; we’ve seen a reduction in [paper] bag use already,” says Melanie Bettenhausen, member linkages director at the Co-op.

� e Co-op aims to cut their paper consumption by 80 percent before Earth Day arrives in April. To provide further incentives to customers, the Co-op also off ers a fi ve-cent credit for every reusable bag customers bring in. In January the Co-op gave away reusable grocery bags with every 40-dollar purchase, but this promotion has now ended. A Co-op shopper since August, Salina Shelton, 18, says the policy is a practical way to cut down on consumption.    “I think it makes sense. A lot of people leave [their cloth bags] in the car,” Shelton says. “� at extra 10 cents is usually enough to get them to bring the bags from the car.”    Co-op Courtesy Clerk Matthew Boyd, says the policy is already making an impact. “� e number of paper bags people use has

Local grocery stores may soon have to switch from plastic bags to paper or cloth alternatives, at least if a controversial ban moves forward. Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA) may draft a county-wide ordinance that bans plastic bags. � e decision on whether to draft the ordinance, which will later be reviewed by the County Board of Supervisors, will come up for a vote on March 13—at least if there are no delays. HWMA previously postponed the decision twice in order to allow staff more time to conduct research. Fearing a suit from the plastics industry, staff members are reviewing bans implemented in other communities, as well as the costs of ordinance preparation and litigation.

Arcata Co-op Charges For Bags

Paper or Plastic? Is it better to bag your groceries in paper bags, which come from trees? � is is the question posed by a handful of lawsuits—many fi led by the plastics industry. In August 2007, just a few months after Oakland banned plastic bags, a legal challenge was fi led by � e Coalition to Support Plastic Bag Recycling. In other communities, Save the Plastic Bag Coalition has also challenged bag bans. Both groups include manufacturers in the plastic bag industry.

� e lawsuits demand that cities perform an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to compare the impacts of plastic and paper bags, including the harms of increasing paper bag use.

L.A. County performed an EIR, looking at air quality, biological resources, greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, utilities and service systems. It found that no signifi cant impacts would arise beyond the paper bag industry’s ability to manufacture within already-enacted environmental regulations.

Alameda County is now developing an EIR that all Alameda cities can use for plastic bag ordinances, and the list of cities and countries taking up this issue grows daily.

Will Humboldt County Ban Plastic Bags?

really dropped. I haven’t had to restock the bags for a while,” Boyd says. “Some people complain because they use [paper grocery bags] for trash and stuff , but most people genuinely like [the new policy].”    Customer complaints are being taken in stride. “We’ve heard some grumbling from people about having to pay the 10 cents. Some people think the Co-op is trying to make money off the bags, but that’s not true,” Bettenhausen says. “Money collected goes back into the Co-Op community.”

All monies from the bag charge go into the Cooperative Community Fund, which donates between 17 and 20 thousand dollars worth of community care grants a year.

So far the Co-op is the only grocery store in Arcata to charge for paper bags.  Safeway and Wildberries off er a recycling program for plastic bags and have no plans to implement a charge for paper.

“Wildberries will defi nitely not be charging for paper bags, but we do off er a discount for people who bring their own cloth or reusable bags,” says Phil Ricord, general manager. Since the store opened in 1994, customers who bring their own bags have received 10 cent credits for each bag. —F. � omas Cardenas is the ECONEWS intern and a junior in environmental science and journalism at Humboldt State University.

Surfrider encourages you to get involved!

Contact your Council Member to encourage a bag ban in your municipality.Contact Humboldt Waste Management Authority at (707) 268-8680 to ask the board to move forward in drafting a bag ban ordinance. Bring Your Own! BYO Bags, Water Bottles, Cutlery, To-Go Containers. Move beyond single-use. Stop buying one-time, disposal items.Write letters to companies asking for reduced packaging.Attend council meetings. Ask your representatives to support sustainability.To help with RAP, contact Colleen at dunebean@gmail.com

By F. � omas Cardenas

By Colleen Cliff ord

More information at

Blue Dolphin Alliance www.bluedolphin.org 888-694-2537

Save the Dolphin

Save Yourself

Will Humboldt County

The ‘bag monster’ shows that one shopper uses 500 bags in a year! Photo: Ian Davidson. The ‘bag monster’ shows that one shopper uses 500 bags in a year! Photo: Ian Davidson.

Plastic bags look like food sources to animals. Photo: Surfrider. Plastic bags look like food sources to animals. Photo: Surfrider.

A new Co-op sign reminds shoppers to bring their own bags. Photo: Alanna Cottrell.

BRANT ELECTRICCalif. License #406330

COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL/INDUSTRIALNEW CONSTRUCTION/REMODELS

(707)822-3256

Eat Local! Wild Foods Banquetwith Jane Bothwell

Dandelion Herbal Center • janeb@arcatanet.com

Register Online or Call 707-442-8157www.dandelionherb.com

April 3 10am - 3pm

Come discover the abundance of wild edibles that surround you. With our harvest,

we’ll prepare a delicious feast to enjoy!

$65 includes gourmet wild lunchBanquet to be held in Kneeland, CA

ECONEWS February/March 2011 www.yournec.org 7

Did you know that one of the largest terrestrial salamanders in North America lives in our backyard!? � e coastal giant salamander (Dicamptodon tenebrosus) is only found in the Pacifi c Northwest.

Like all salamanders, they require a moist habitat. � eir eggs are laid in streams, usually stuck on the bottom of a rock under the water. � e mom stays close by and protects the eggs from predators. � ey have small teeth and will bite if anything threatens the eggs.

Coastal giant salamanders can spend a couple of years in the water after they emerge from the egg. � eir bodies are adapted to life in fast moving streams, and during their early years they have short feathery gills and a paddle-like tail. Over time the gills get smaller and eventually disappear.

As they grow up, coastal giant salamanders come out of the water and live on land. Yet even after they move into the forest, adults stay close to cool, clear, mountain streams. � ey are rarely seen crawling in the open, and spend most of their time under logs, rocks and other debris. � is is why coastal giant salamanders do best in old-growth forests that have plenty of fallen leaves and wood, and lots of shade.

Coastal giants can grow up to a foot long! � ey can also make a barking or croaking type noise when startled. Some call it the barking salamander.

AMPHIBIAN

BARKING

COASTAL

GIANT

Z T N A I G X K E Q X R G

M C E M O I S T U R E I J

F L O C A L R K N X L D M

C I F I C A P O P L T H B

E W O C L F C H S X E W E

S A L A M A N D E R Y V B

N T X I X M Z T N W X N Z

W E X W A M P H I B I A N

Y R J C O A S T A L Y H W

E K M H Z D E C S K O T U

S B A R K I N G P A J E Z

N R V D X E T D Y C K E V

J P V A F Q O Q S C E T S

GILLS

LOCAL

MOISTURE

PACIFIC

SALAMANDER

TEETH

WATER

TOFU SHOP• Fresh • Locally-Made •

• Certified Organic •• Waste-Reduction Award Winner•

Look for Tofu Shop products in fine markets, delis, and restaurants.

www.TofuShop.com

The Kid’s Page: The Coast Giant SalamanderBy Sarah Marnick

This coastal giant salamander was photographed in Humboldt County. Photo: Gary Na� s, Californiaherps.com.

In their larval stage coastal giant salamanders have feathery gills and paddle-like tails. Photo: Gary Na� s, Californiaherps.com.

Salamander Word Search

Fashions and Home Decor For a Healthy Planet

Now Open in theMiller Business Park

707-840-07761580 Nursery Way, Suite A, McKinleyville

This stream in Del Norte County is home to coastal giant salamanders, which never move far from a stream. They prefer moist old-growth forests that have lots of hiding places. Photo: Gary Na� s, Californiaherps.com.

February /March 2011 ECONEWS www.yournec.org8

LIFE FORM OF THE MONTH GRAY WHALE: (ESCHRICHTIUS ROBUSTUS)

Whale Watching

� ose interested in viewing whales should try looking seaward from Trinidad, Patrick’s Point, Table Bluff , or any other coastal promontory, preferably between the months of November and April. Humpback, blue, and sperm whales can also be seen, but grays are the most common.

By Abe Walston

� e gray whale is known by the scientifi c name Eschrichtius robustus, following the time-honored academic tradition of saddling even the most familiar creatures with obscure and unpronounceable names.

Gray whales evolved about 30 million years ago, and the species almost went belly up in the 1930’s due to a voracious predator known as � e Whaling Industry. � e International Whaling Commission banned commercial hunting of gray whales in 1947, and in 1974, when only 12,000 of the animals remained, gray whales were placed on the Endangered Species List. � anks to conservation eff orts, numbers climbed to 22,000 in 1994, and gray whales were delisted. While a fl ock of 150 Asian gray whales remains critically endangered, the Eastern Pacifi c population, which migrates from Alaska to Baja Mexico, has an estimated 22,000 to 32,000 members.

Yet even this Eastern Pacifi c population continues to face many threats. Between 1998 and 2000 about 150 emaciated gray whales were found beached along the shores of the Pacifi c Northwest. Many more whales likely starved at sea. � e food scarcity may have been related to El Nino conditions, though some researchers suggest climate change also impacts the whale’s food supply.

Instead of swimming all the way from the Artic to Baja, a few gray whales see fi t to stop in Humboldt and hang out for an extra few months every year. We recently caught up with a gray whale off the Humboldt Coast and learned from its thoughtful wisdom.

AW (Abe Walston): Gray whales measure 36-50 feet long and weigh 16-45 tons. You also undertake the longest known migration of any mammal. Why do you make such a long migration? Some might question the wisdom of traveling so far, given your large size, and the fact that you come back to the same spot anyway.

GW (Gray Whale): It’s a lot safer for us to mate and have babies in Baja Mexico. Here there are fewer killer whales, which are our primary predators. � ere is just one problem! � ere is nothing to eat in Mexico. � e real smorgasbord is up North in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. Here we fi nd amphipods and sea worms. Yum! We don’t actually eat fi sh, you know. We suck in muddy water fi lled with smaller creatures.

AW: Is that so?

GW: (Sighs) It used to be so anyhow. Now you can’t get a good meal. It used to be that you’d almost choke on the amphipods. But now you take a gulp and it’s mostly water and mud. Whales are getting what food they can at the coastal shrimp buff et, but it doesn’t pack the same punch.

AW: I’ve heard about “skinny whale syndrome.” Researchers think whales are malnourished due to food depletions caused by climate change. How bad is it?

GW: It’s worse than ever. Whales are dropping hundreds of pounds. When we can’t pack on the blubber at the feeding grounds, we run out of energy on our long migration. � is is especially hard for the ladies, who usually give birth on an empty stomach. You see we can’t fi nd much food outside of our feeding grounds. We may take a nibble if we fi nd a treat, but we often go months without eating. Blubber stores provide the energy needed to swim thousands of miles, give birth and make milk for baby whales. So if we have to leave the feeding grounds a little thinner than usual, we can’t survive the fi nal stretch of our journey.

AW: How far do you guys travel?

GW: Oh, about 12,000 miles round trip each year. We accomplish this marathon by swimming up to 100 miles a day. One of our Asian cousins from the Western Pacifi c population was recently tagged, and it swam all the way from Japan to the Pacifi c Northwest before its tracker was lost.

AW: What are some other types of challenges you face during your life cycle?

GW: Illegal whaling still sometimes occurs, though it’s less frequent. Whales have always been poorly understood and thus feared by sea-going people. It goes way back; back even before Herman Melville canonized us as pariahs o’ the sea.

AW: I take it you didn’t appreciate the publicity from Moby Dick?

GW: It did for us what the Bible did for snakes. Did you know we were once called “the devil fi sh?” How insensitive is that? Any fool knows we aren’t fi sh. Grays are baleen whales, meaning we lack teeth. We don’t even eat fi sh.

AW: Are you annoyed by boats full of whale watchers?

GW: Well, we would rather have people watching us than going out hunting. In Humboldt County there used to be a whaling station located in Trinidad, and even though gray whales don’t have as much blubber as other animals, we were hunted to the brink of extinction. Boats of whale watchers are a sign of improvement.

AW: � ank you for hanging out in Humboldt County during your annual journey. I’m sure you’ve got a lot of miles to cover.

GW: My pleasure. We always love our time in Humboldt. Your coast is beautiful, and provides excellent opportunities for people-watching.

Apple computers • Mac software & accessories • Apple authorized serviceInternet set-up • Network services

info@simplymacintosh.com • www.simplymacintosh.com

sales • service • solutions

ARCATA

Wildberries Market826-1088

EUREKA

2223 Harrison Ave.442-1336

209 E Street445-2923

At Pierson’s476-0401

MCKINLEYVILLE

Shopping Center839-3383

Freshly Roasted CoffeeEspresso • Breakfast PastriesSandwiches, Soups & Salads Wedding & Specialty CakesCookies • Truffles • BreadPizza • Desserts • Catering

Ramone’sBakery &Cafe

OPEN DAILY

Photo: Marcia Moreno-Baez, Marine Photobank.

the Bible did for snakes. Did you know we were once called “the devil fi sh?” How insensitive is that? Any fool knows we aren’t fi sh. Grays are baleen whales, meaning we lack teeth. We don’t even eat fi sh.

by boats full of whale watchers?

rather have people watching us than going out hunting. In Humboldt County there used to be a whaling station located in Trinidad, and even though gray whales don’t have as much blubber as other animals, we were hunted to the brink of extinction. Boats of whale watchers are a sign of Photo: Marcia Moreno-Baez, Marine Photobank.

This 30 foot long grey whale was discovered entangled in a drift net 11 miles o� shore of Dana Point, California. The net was cut free from its head, but the line could not be removed from its tail. Photo: Marine Photobank from (c) 1986 Bob Talbot, The LegaSea Project.

ECONEWS February/March 2011 www.yournec.org 9

The only Certified OrganicGrocer on the North Coast!The only Certified OrganicGrocer on the North Coast!

• Bakery• Espresso

• Full Deli• Free Wi-Fi

• Bakery• Espresso

• Full Deli• Free Wi-Fi

Full ServiceNatural Foods Grocery Stores

ARCATA CO-OP8th and I Streets

822-5947

EUREKA CO-OP4th and B Streets

443-6027 www.northcoastco-op.com

Full ServiceNatural Foods Grocery Stores

• BEST Green Friendly Store

2009

“We Help You Understand Nature’s Pharmacy”

• Over 400 medicinal and culinary herbs

• Organic teas

• Custom formulas

• Unique gifts

300 2nd Street, Old Town, Eureka(707) 442-3541 • www.humboldtherbals.com

Healthcare for your life.

300 2nd Street, Old Town, Eureka

~ Certified Herbalists ~Effective, Natural & Economical

Whale Poop Plays A Vital Role In Ocean Ecosystems By Jen Kalt

Researchers off the coast of Maine have found that whales play a crucial role in the ocean’s nitrogen cycle, and may result in more abundant fi sh populations in areas where whales are concentrated. Most marine life deposits feces near feeding areas, but because whale feces fl oats, whales actively pump nitrogen back to the surface from their feeding grounds deep beneath the surface.

� is discovery, published in the scientifi c journal PLoS ONE, found that nitrogen levels (NH4

+) were dramatically higher in ocean waters

where whales poop. � e increases in nitrogen may help bolster tiny photosynthetic organisms including diatoms, cyanobacteria, and green algae called phytoplankton. In the western North Atlantic low nitrogen levels are thought to limit the growth of phytoplankton, and researchers speculate that whale poop may provide the added dose of nutrients needed to stabilize microscopic communities.

Even with whale populations diminished by overhunting, whales can still play a signifi cant role in oceanic nutrient cycles. Whale pumps produce more nitrogen from their waste than all the rivers in the Gulf of Maine combined—about 23,000 metric tons each year.

� ough some coastal areas suff er from excess nitrogen and other nutrients, a problem called eutrophication, many places in the ocean of the Northern Hemisphere have a limited nitrogen supply. So far whale poop has not been linked to eutrophication, which most often occurs in bays and estuaries located downstream of agricultural communities. Agricultural runoff from chemical fertilizers can create a “dead zone” such as the ones in the Gulf of Mexico and off the central coast of Oregon. � e chemical nutrients in fertilizers can also trigger algal blooms to begin producing toxins. It turns out that whale poop contains just enough nitrogen to help phytoplankton multiply. Phytoplankton have declined in eight of ten ocean regions over the past century, and this likely limits the abundance of all marine life that feed on them, from microscopic zooplankton and invertebrates to fi sh and marine mammals.

Low iron content is also thought to be a limiting factor in phytoplankton growth, along with rising ocean temperatures and acidifi cation. Because phytoplanktons are crucial to all marine life, increasing their productivity could help bolster fi sheries and the human food supply. While the whaling industry has long argued that whales compete with humans for fi sh, it turns out that few whale species eat fi sh, and their role in increasing nutrient levels may even be crucial to restoring decimated fi sheries. Many ocean regions once supported a variety of marine mammals that were pivotal in the marine nutrient cycle. Some were hunted to extinction, such as the sea mink. Others, like many whale species, have been severely reduced. Restoring whale populations may be crucial to restoring the world’s fi sheries, along with the many coastal communities that depend on the ocean for sustenance and livelihood.

CorviDesign

Morgan Corviday801.201.8969morgan@corvidesign.net

www.corvidesign.netfreelance design for print and web

}

R C R } On the Smith River

An inspirational place for meetings, family gatherings, retreats and conferences

— escape to the wild Smith!

707 458 3586www.smithriveralliance.org

8th Street on the Plaza, Arcata 825-7596

Open 7 Days a Week

Wine Bar!Friday & Saturday, 3-9 p.m.

Winter Beer TastingWed., Dec. 15, 5-8 pm, $20/person

New Year’s Eve Wine BarZu-Zu’s Petals Jazz till 10 p.m.

They’ll Remember You All Year With Your

GIFT OF OUR WINE CLUB!

A humpback whale breaches in the South Paci� c. Photo: Karen Stone, MarinePhotobank.

Sei whales swim in the Golfo de Corcovado in Patagonia. Photo: Tom Crowley, Marine Photobank.

February /March 2011 ECONEWS www.yournec.org10

Registration & Important InformationOn-site registration hours: Friday, April 15, 3-7 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m.-noon. Visit www.godwitdays.com for descriptions of the over 100 fi eld trips, workshops, and lectures. � ere, you will fi nd the cancellation policy, registration information, and sign up instructions for free community sessions.

Registration plans range from a top-of-the-line $80 Value Package – which includes all events except bus and boat trips, pre- and post-festival trips, and the banquet – to a one-day $22 Basic registration where each event added on carries a fee. Student registration is half the Basic rate, with some events excluded. Not otherwise registered and want to attend a Sunday event? Stop by registration Saturday night to sign up for unfi lled fi eld trips at the cost of the trip only (no registration fee required).

Godwit Goodies: Buy And Bid!Stop by and look over the goodies on display in the main hall as part of the silent auction.� e auction will open at 3 p.m. Friday and end at 7 p.m. on Saturday, prior to the keynote lecture. Winners must pay for their goods before Sunday at noon. All auction contributors are recognized on signage at the Community Center. To donate, call 707-826-7050.

Come into registration to purchase 2011 Godwit Days T-shirts featuring the poster design by Rick Kruse, baseball caps , visors , and knitted beanies .

Staging this festival would not be possible without strong support from local businesses, media, government, and nonprofi t groups. Following is an alphabetical list of entities that have pledged to donate at least $250 in money, goods, or services (as of 1/31): Access Humboldt, Arcata Chamber of Commerce, Arcata Eye, Arcata � eater Lounge, Bicoastal Media (KKHB/KGOE), Bloomfi eld Studios, California State Parks (North Coast Redwood District), City of Arcata, Earth Map Photo, Eureka Natural Foods, Flowers Etc., Friends of the Arcata Marsh, Friends of the Dunes, Green Diamond Resource Co., Hum-Boats Kayak Adventures, Humboldt Baykeeper, Jacoby Storehouse, Kayak Zak’s, KIEM News Channel 3, KINS-� under-KWSW Enjoy Radio, Kokatat, LBJ Enterprises, Libation, Lost Coast Communications (KHUM/KSLG/KWPT), Miller Farms Nursery, Neuroscape Communications, North Coast Journal, Northcoast Environmental Center, Pacifi c Gas & Electric, Pierson Building Center, Provolt Design, Quality Inn (Arcata), Redwood Adventures, Redwood National & State Parks, Redwood Region Audubon Society, Rookery Books, Strictly for the Birds, and Wildberries Marketplace. Nearly 40 additional donors gave under $250.

Crescent City Festival May 6-8Godwit Days invites you to attend its sister festival, the California Redwood Bird & Nature Festival. Visit www.calredwoodsbirdfest.com for details.

Photos by Beth Deibert

Welcome to the 16th Annual Godwit Days!Where: Arcata Community CenterWhen: April 15-17Website: www.godwitdays.comLocal phone: (707) 826-7050toll-free: 1-800-908-WING (9464)

Operated by the Godwit Days nonprofi t organization, Godwit Days is a three-day spring migration bird festival that celebrates the Marbled Godwit and all the birds of the coastal redwoods, bays, marshes, and mudfl ats on California’s Redwood Coast. The Arcata Community Center at 321 Community Park Way serves as the departure point for nearly all fi eldtrips and houses our art show and Bird Fair. Choose from over 100 fi eld trips, lectures, workshops, and boat excursions. Pre- and post-festival trips can extend your experience from April 14-20. Advance registration is strongly recommended!

Something for Everyone“Early birds” can catch the dawn chorus at the Arcata Marsh, while “night owls” can literally look for owls until 10 p.m. Go on a trip to see as many bird species as possible by bus in a day, or one focusing on rare birds like snowy plover and spotted owl. Trips range north to Del Norte County, south to Ferndale, and inland to Willow Creek and Hoopa. Workshops teach about local mammals, as well as how to ID birds by their sounds. Boat trips on our rivers, lagoons, bays, and ocean are a highlight, ranging from 1-hour tours of Humboldt Bay, to half-day kayaking or rafting trips, to all-day trips on the Pacifi c. You can even bird by bicycle!

New offerings for 2011 are a decoy carving seminar, raptors fi eldtrip, Shay Park eBird survey, Fern Canyon forest ecology trip, a tour of the Humboldt Botanical Gardens, a visit to the HSU animal skins museum, West Coast specialties fi eldtrip, Hookton Slough electric motor boat tour, and two sessions led by the keynote speaker (one on owls and one on the relationship between migrating birds and coff ee production).

Just for Kids (& Other Free Events)� e Festival off ers many free activities of interest to children, including:

• Live birds of prey from the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center

• Display of all entries in the 8th Annual Student Bird Art Contest, sponsored by Friends of the Arcata Marsh and Redwood Region Audubon

• Family nature & craft activities on Saturday from 12:30-3:30 p.m. (sponsored by Friends of the Arcata Marsh)

• A Bird Fair with commercial vendors and information booths from nonprofi t groups and government agencies

16th Annual Godwit Days Celebration

Children are the focus of two fi eld trips and two workshops, which have no cost but participants must preregister:

• Kids’ Owl Pellet Dissection Workshop, Friday, 4-5 p.m.

• Kids’ Birding Field Trips, Saturday & Sunday, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

• Art Workshop for Kids, Saturday, Noon-1 p.m.

Godwit Days also off ers free fi eld trips for ALL ages to Patricks Point State Park, Arcata Marsh, Headwaters Forest Preserve, Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Lanphere Dunes, and Stone Lagoon that require preregistration but no payment. Children interested in participating in the many for-fee fi eld trips and workshops may register for most at no charge when accompanied by a paying adult.

Live Birds of PreyExperience a close encounter with owls, hawks, and other raptors. � e Humboldt Wildlife Care Center will be on hand during the Friday night opening reception (5-7 p.m.), as well as Saturday (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m.-3 p.m.).

Keynote & Opening Night LecturesSaturday’s keynote speaker, Scott Weidensaul, has written over two dozen books on natural history and is an active fi eld researcher, specializing in birds of prey and hummingbirds. His lecture will trace the unpredictable history of bird study in America, from frontier ornithologists, society matrons and luminaries like Audubon to modern geniuses like Roger Tory Peterson. His latest book is “Of a Feather: A (Brief ) History of American Birding.” All paid registrants receive a free ticket; keynote-only tickets are available in registration for $10. On Friday night, following the opening reception from 5-7 p.m., Mark Andre, Environmental Services Director for the City of Arcata, will give a free lecture on Baylands restoration eff orts.

Student Bird Art Contest DisplayRedwood Region Audubon and Friends of the Arcata Marsh have teamed to sponsor a student bird art contest at Godwit Days. Over $500 will be awarded to Humboldt Country students in grades K-12. Winners will receive awards at a ceremony at 11:30 a.m. on April 16. Copies of prize-winning artwork will be shown at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center during May.

A Word about Our Sponsors

FIELD TRIPS

www.rras.org

andpiper SSSMARCH/APRIL 2011

Redwood Region Audubon Society

The

March Program

Chet Ogan and Jude Powerwill present images and vivid descriptions of their January 2010 trip to Antarctica at the Audubon monthly program. The lecture will cover their 18-day voyage among albatrosses, penguins, flightless ducks, big bad giant petrels, toothy leopard seals, whales, and icebergs, with the jovial camaraderie of 50 other adventurers. Their ship called on the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, mainland Antarctica, and the Erebus & Terror Gulf, and they survived to tell about it.

Every Saturday: Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. These are our famous rain-or-shine, docent-led fi eld trips at the marsh; take your binocular(s) and have a great morning birding! Meet in the parking lot at the south end of I Street in Arcata at 8:30 a.m.

Sunday, February 27: Trinidad Head/Bay. Kerry Ross (707/839-4365) and Rachel Smith lead this 2- to 3-hour trip. It will start with walking the slightly strenuous mile-long trail around Trinidad Head looking for resident songbirds and migrant hummingbirds. A brief sea watch looking for seabirds from the western side of the head will take place (hope for a shearwater!). The trip will fi nish with scoping Trinidad Bay looking for sea ducks, gulls, and various other seabirds (like Marbled Murrelet) from various points. Meet at 9:00 a.m. at the base of Trinidad Head. Steady rain cancels.

Saturday, March 12: eBird Site Survey--Shay Park.See Feb. 19.Sunday, March 13: Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This is a wonderful 2- to 3-hour trip for people wanting to learn the birds of the Humboldt Bay area. It takes a leisurely pace with emphasis on enjoying the birds! Beginners are more than welcome. Meet at the Refuge Visitor Center at 9:00 a.m. Call Jude Power or David Fix (707/822-3613) for more information.

Sunday, March 20: Southern Humboldt Community Park. See February 20.

Saturday, March 26: California Thrasher Trip. Daryl Coldren (916/384-8089) and Rob Fowler will lead this species-specifi c trip to look for California Thrashers around the Shelter Cove area in Southern Humboldt. Please contact Rob (see Shay Park listing) to confi rm trip, meeting time and place, what to bring, etc. We will be leaving northern Humboldt early in the morning to get down to Shelter Cove by around 8:00 a.m. Four-wheel drive vehicles preferred. Rain cancels.

Sunday, April 10: Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. See March 13.

Sunday, April 17: Southern Humboldt Community Park. See February 20.

Saturday, April 2: eBird Site Survey--Shay Park. See Feb. 19.

Saturday, April 30: Willow Creek/Trinity River. Ken Burton (707/825-1124) will lead this all-day trip. There should be numerous migrants and singing breeders around; we'll look and listen for fl ycatchers, warblers, vireos, orioles, grosbeaks, tanagers, and more. Gray Flycatcher is a strong possibility, and the area has had Oak Titmouse. Meet on Valley West Blvd. in front of Espresso 101 at 6:30 a.m. or at the Willow Creek-China Flat Museum at 7:30 a.m.

The program will be held at the Humboldt County Office of Education at Myrtle and West Avenues in Eureka,on March 11, starting at 7:30 p.m.

Bring a mug to enjoy shade-grown coffee and come fragrance free.

I ce B i rd s and I ceberg s

Great Birds and Projects at Humboldt Bay Bird ObservatoryBy Josée Rousseau, HBBO Program Director

Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory (HBBO) ran its year-round constant-effort banding stations for the 29th consecutive year at 2 locations on the Mad River Slough, 6 miles west of Arcata. Thanks to our many volunteers, the support of C.J. Ralph, and the work of Project Leader Kim Hollinger, we captured over 2,500 birds. We were treated to some unexpected visitors such as Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Northern Waterthrush, and Cerulean Warbler! Education is an important part of our program, and again this year we gave group demonstrations for Humboldt State University classes, Audubon and Godwit Days groups, trained several biologists, and certifi ed many banders under the North American Banding Council standards. We also had the opportunity to participate and assist in a few new research projects including studies of Barn Swallow isotopes and a project looking at molt and migration of one of our long distance migrants, the Swainson’s Thrush. Our participation in the Klamath Bird Monitoring Network’s Small Owl monitoring and research project got off to a great start with the banding of 10 new Northern Saw-whet Owls migrating through Humboldt County. HBBO, in partnership with the US Forest Service Redwood Sciences Laboratory, was involved in 2 other major projects. For the PG&E WaveConnect Project, we compiled and analyzed 20 years of offshore bird data from boat surveys conducted from the Oregon border south to Shelter Cove. As part of the Landbird Monitoring Network of the Americas, we also succeeded in formatting and compiling more than 700,000 bird banding records from 1978 to 2009 from more than 75 banding stations in Oregon

continued on next page

photos © Chet Ogan

Imminent Changein Distribution of

The Sandpiper

To reduce paper use and printing and mailing costs, and to be able to return to a monthly publication schedule, we are planning in the next few months to cease printing The Sandpiper in Econews and greatly reduce the number of print copies. Members for whom we have an e-mail address will receive a link to the online version of each issue when it's published. If we don't currently have your e-mail address, please send it to norton@humboldt1.com or join the RRAS Yahoo! group. There will be the option to receive printed copies by mail at cost; that cost is being determined and will be announced in the next issue, with signup instructions. Thank you for your understanding and assistance through this transition.

Thinking of Joining the National Audubon Society?

If so, please use the coupon below. By sending in your membership on this form, rather than replying to solicita-tions from National Audubon, $20 is sent directly to RRAS. This is how NAS rewards local chapters for recruitingnational members. (Otherwise, the RRAS dues share per new member is only a couple of dollars.) Thank you.

Chapter Membership ApplicationYes, I’d like to join.Please enroll me as a member of the National Audubon Society and of my local chapter. Please send AUDUBON magazine and my membership card to the address below.My check for $20 is enclosed. (Introductory offer)NAME_______________________________ADDRESS___________________________ CITY ______________________________STATE____________ZIP______________email ______________________________Local Chapter Code: C1ZC240ZPlease make checks to the National Audubon Society.

Send this application and your check to: National Audubon Society P.O. Box 422250 Palm Coast, FL 32142-2250

--------------LOCAL CHAPTER------------- REDWOOD REGION AUDUBON SOCIETY

P.O. BOX 1054EUREKA, CA 95502

CHAPTER LEADERSOFFICERS

President— Jim Clark …...........................… 445-8311Vice President - Chet Ogan ...........................442-9353Immediate Past-President— Kerry Ross.......496-0764Secretary—Adam Brown................................826-0319Treasurer—Susan Calla..................................465-6191

DIRECTORS AT LARGEJan Andersen...................................................616-3888Rob Fowler ………………..............……….. 839-3493Lew & Judie Norton.......................................445-1791C.J. Ralph .......................................................822-2015

OTHER CHAPTER LEADERSConservation—Chet Ogan ...........................442-9353Education - .........................Vacant ..............................eBird Liaison — Rob Fowler …………..….. 839-3493Field Trips—Rob Fowler ………......…..….. 839-3493Historian—John Hewston ..........................822-5288Membership—Lew & Judie Norton..............445-1791NEC Representative—.........Ken Burton.......825-1124Field Notes—Sean McAllister ......................268-0592Programs—C.J. Ralph...................................822-2015Project Manager – Ken Burton......................825-1124 Publicity—Sue Leskiw....................................442-5444Sandpiper—David Schumaker...............530-227-5192 —Gary Bloomfield........................822-0210Volunteer Coordinator—Kate Rowe.. (715) 554-0498Webmaster—Sean McAllister ......................268-0592Lake Earl Branch—Sue Calla.......................465-6191RRAS Web Page......................................www.rras.orgArcata Bird Alert .....................822-LOON (822-5666)

The Sandpiper is published six times each year by Redwood Region Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 1054, Eureka, CA 95502.

Redwood Region Audubon Society welcomes the following new members and subscribers:

Arcata – Betsy Foben & Andy Rogens, David Mouton, Donald Clancy, Eileen Bolz, Irith Shalmony, Jessica E. Lilley, John McNeely, John Stokes III, Mary Freedlund, Meghan Still, Mr. & Mrs. Robert Stuart, Murphy Family, Shannon Frischknecht, Violet HalesBayside – Nancy CookBlue Lake – Sandy & Flora HarperBurnt Ranch – Naomi HuntCrescent City – Edward Craven, Farah Carter, Gudrun & William Gilbert, Patricia Dahlhoff, Ronald Calabretta, Scott Scherer, T. Merritt, Wendy CroccoEureka – Ann M. Seemann, Beatrice Avcollie, Celeste Waddell, Dorothy Axsmith, Dr. & Mrs. J Russell Little, Elaine Grosso, Jane Good, John Thomas, Laura Rosenthal, Lauren Vucci, Lee Montgomery, Loralee Dulme-Malone, Marsa Jordan, Melanie Pizzini, Michael & Kari Love, Misty Love, Patric Lewis, Ryan Baumbusck, Sophie Vyborny, The EvansFortuna – Bob & Sena Gillenwater, Jeralee WoychakGarberville – Linda LyonsKlamath – Doris TimmKneeland – Kay Olsen, Sandy AndersenLoleta – Hope Wynecoop, Jim & Linda CarrMcKinleyville – Carol Harrison, Jenny Kinsey, Linda Jamal Wren, Robert McAllister, Ron Coffman, Viola ChriswellOrleans – Becky GoodmanTrinidad – Carolyn Christenson, Ellen Schaumann, Kimberlea Thorpe, Marvin & Kirsten Trump, Oceana MadroneWhitethorn – Catherine Kidwell, Joe J. LopesWillow Creek – Ann EliasWe look forward to seeing you on field trips and at our monthly programs.

Godwit Days Celebrates 16 YearsExtraordinary birding awaits at the 16th Annual Godwit Days Spring Migration Bird Festival, held April 15-17 at the Arcata Community Center. See the Godwit Days Page in this issue of ECONEWS for more information, or go to:www.godwitdays.com.

Reminder: March 25 Student Bird Art Contest Deadline

The deadline is fast approaching to enter the 8th Annual Student Bird Art Contest, cosponsored by RRAS and Friends of Arcata Marsh (FOAM). Some $550 in prizes will be awarded to Humboldt County K-12 students who submit artwork of 40 suggested species or another common local bird. Prize(s) will be given for the best rendition of a bird in its natural habitat. Artwork may be color or black and white. Any media may be used (e.g., crayons, pastels, paint, pencil, collage). Maximum size is 8.5 x 11 inches. Artwork must be light enough to be push-pinned to a wall for display. One entry per person. Flyers with complete rules are available at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center and Strictly for the Birds in Eureka or by sending a stamped self-addressed envelope to Louise Bacon-Ogden, 2337 B Street, Eureka 95501. Artwork may be dropped off at Strictly for the Birds, 123 F Street, Eureka, or the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, 569 South G Street, Arcata, or mailed to Sue Leskiw, 5440 Cummings Road, Eureka 95503. Entries must be received by Friday, March 25, to be considered. Select a species from this list (or another common local bird) when creating your artwork entry: American Avocet, American Goldfinch, American Robin, American Wigeon, Anna’s Hummingbird, Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Bufflehead, California Quail, Cedar Waxwing, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Cinnamon Teal, Cliff Swallow, Common Loon, Common Yellowthroat, Forster’s Tern, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Marbled Godwit, Marbled Murrelet, Marsh Wren, Northern Flicker, Northern Harrier, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, Pileated Woodpecker, Purple Finch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-shouldered Hawk, Snowy Plover, Spotted Owl, Spotted Towhee, Steller’s Jay, Tufted Puffin, Varied Thrush, Western Grebe, Western Meadowlark, White-tailed Kite, or Wood Duck.

New Members

Have Hammer, Will Travel?

Get an advance look at Student Bird Art Contest entries and interact with a fun crew by helping to hang the hundreds of entries in the Arcata Community Center. Bring a lightweight hammer and something to hold pushpins (such as a fanny pack) on Friday, April 15. starting at 10 a.m. Please contact Sue at sueleskiw@suddenlink.com or 442-5444 if you could help for an hour or 2. Many hands make light work for this volunteer task.

Student Nature Writing Contest Deadline 3/21

For the sixth year, RRAS is sponsoring a student nature writing contest. Up to 3 cash prizes will be awarded for the best essay(s) or poem(s) by a Humboldt or Del Norte County student in grades 4-12 on the topic, “What nature means to me.” The first-place winner will be published in the June/July 2011 children’s issue of The Sandpiper, with any others appearing on the RRAS website. Entries should be up to 300 words in length; one entry per person. Topics suitable for exploration include, but are not limited to, bird feeding, duck hunting, animal rescue, and observations of the natural world. Include student’s name, home address, phone number and/or e-mail, teacher name, grade, and school. Deadline for receipt: Monday, March 21. Send submissions as text within the body of an e-mail to tomleskiw@suddenlink.net or mail a printout to Tom Leskiw, 5440 Cummings Rd, Eureka 95503. Award(s) will be presented in mid-April at the Godwit Days Festival in Arcata.

RRAS Supports County Science Fair

For the 9th year, RRAS is underwriting an award for the best project related to birds or their habitat at the Humboldt County Science Fair. A prize of $50 will be given at the event, to be held at Humboldt State University the week of March 14.

International Migratory Bird Day

International Migratory Bird Day will be celebrated in Orleans on April 29 and 30. The local event, “Tony Hacking Memorial Bigfoot Birding Day,” will kick off Friday evening with a free slideshow featuring photos and recordings of local birds and possibly a potluck dinner. Saturday at 7:30 a.m., Tom Leskiw, Bob Claypole, and possibly others will lead a bird walk to 2 locations in Orleans. Both events will be held at the Panamnik Building, 38150 Hwy 96, Orleans. Local entries in the Student Bird Art Contest cosponsored by RRAS will be posted. For more information, contact Hope Woodward at hdwoodward@fs.fed.us.

Conservation Committee, 19 January 2011

Chet Ogan

Attendees: Chet Ogan, chair; Ken Burton, Jim Clark, Mel McKinney, Grant Roden, and Gil Saliba.

Chet reported on an upcoming Humboldt Bay region Spartina control environmental impact report that California Coastal Conservancy is preparing. In addition to a No Project alternative, alternatives may include manual and mechanical alternatives as well as chemical control methods using 2 chemicals approved for wetland application, Imazapyr and glyphosate. At the RRAS board of directors meeting, Sandra Jerabek was selected to receive the Conservation Award for her tireless efforts to protect areas around Smith River Bottoms and Lake Earl. US Fish and Wildlife Service outlined at our January general program the reasons why Barred Owl removal will be necessary to protect Northern Spotted Owls. They will be soliciting public input. Our chapter is in support of the principle, but we are awaiting the document itself. Grant Roden, Director of Redwood Adventures, is asking for input on the wildlife plan for a redwood lodge development for tourists.

and California, a great achievement for the conservation of birds through science. All of this would not have been possible without the help of our many volunteers: Caroline Allander, Armando Aispuro, Stephen Barlow, Curt Barnes, Adam Beeler, Emma Blackburn, Ken Burton, Kevin Creely, Minh Dao, Sarah Dewees, Jasmine Giroux, Megan Healy, Tara Hohoff, Kate Howard, Vitek Jirinec, Amy Leigh Trost, Daniel Lee, Adrienne Levoy, Maia Lipschutz, Jeff Moker, Lauren-Morgan Outhisack, Alisa Muniz, Chris Murray, Stepanie Nefas, Marisa Parish, Tim Pendexter, Brian Robinson, Christina Rockwell, Kate Rowe, Lucy Rowe, Chris Smith, McKenzie Trainor, Leslie Tucci, Aaron Spidal, Shannon Wadham, and Jared Wolfe. We are grateful to Lane DeVries of Sun Valley Floral for providing housing for some of our volunteers at wonderful quarters in Samoa! A great big thank you to all of you . . . we love you! We are pleased to announce that HBBO is now affiliated with the Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO). Our partnership is good news for the conservation of birds and habitat in the Klamath-Siskiyou bioregion. To become a member of HBBO/KBO, please contact me, Josée Rousseau, at jsr@klamathbird.org or go to www.klamathbird.org/contribute.html. To volunteer for HBBO, please contact Kim Hollinger at krh@klamathbird.org or me.

Bird Observatory; continued from previous page

© Sue Leskiw

Recently I was reminded of a nickname that once attached itself to me, Doctor Death. It’s not what you think, though. I’ve never “Kevorked” anyone… Last night I found myself sleepless in the wee hours, so I returned to reading Mariposa Highway, Robert Michael Pyle’s tale of his butterfly Big Year. “Butterfly roadkill is a sad aspect of this work, but it seems inevitable. I braked for butterflies a thousand times. But the trucks slaughter them wholesale, and even the most devoted optics-only watchers smack objects of their affection on the way to the habitat. Recovering them as museum-bound, well-labeled specimens is a way of honoring their lives, and maybe redeeming their downfall.” During the period 1981-99, I commuted from Trinidad—actually, Westhaven—to the Forest Service office in Willow Creek on a near-daily basis. Getting an early start over that length of time ensured encounters with a wide variety of phenomena: fires, mudslides, blizzards… and wildlife that included coyote, bobcat, elk, mountain lion, Bald Eagle, and Osprey. Unfortunately, not all the wildlife I saw was alive. For some reason, the mid-1990s were a veritable zenith for road-killed birds. One morning while driving the carpool on Hwy 299 about 2 miles east of Redwood Creek, I spied the carcass of a large bird on the road shoulder. With no warning, I pulled over and skidded to a stop. It should be noted that, while not exactly enthusiastic about their non-elective association with Dr. Death, members of said carpool granted my quirky behavior as much leeway as humanly possible. The bird was a Ruffed Grouse, the first road kill of this species I’d ever encountered. I hefted the bulky grouse into my trunk and continued to work. “Hey, Doc,” asked carpool member Carolyn Cook, “What are you going to do with this patient?” “I’m sure Humboldt State University (HSU) will want it for its study skin collection,” I responded. “In our area, Ruffed Grouse are restricted to stream corridors, or, to a lesser degree, dense alder regrowth that colonizes old clear-cuts. Because most roads are mid or upper slope, they rarely penetrate streamside habitat. No roads, so little chance for being struck by vehicles.” Arriving in Willow Creek, I found a plastic bag and placed my specimen in the freezer section of the lunch room refrigerator. Over the years, biologists from both the Lower Trinity Ranger District and Redwood Sciences Laboratory

had occasionally deposited wildlife carcasses, er… specimens, in said freezer—much to the chagrin of other fridge users. In this case, I couldn’t foresee any objections. After all, it was a game species. Furthermore, might not one man’s grouse be another’s Lean Cuisine Chicken Parmesan? At break time, I called Tamar Danufsky, curator of HSU’s wildlife collection. “Sure, we’d be happy to receive the grouse,” she responded. Another day, another commute. While ascending the west flank of Berry Summit in February 1992, I came across a recently killed Long-eared Owl. This was an exciting discovery, as we still have much to learn about both the wintering and nesting status of this species on the North Coast. Epilog: Ruffed Grouse. Usually Chuck Glasgow was a member of my carpool to Willow Creek. However, the summer that I retrieved the Ruffed Grouse carcass, he had a time-consuming road-decommissioning project south of Grouse Mountain that required a daily O-dark 30 departure from the coast. As a result, he didn’t have the pleasure of our company that field season. A year or so after I salvaged the grouse, several of us were discussing the rigors of the commute: “You never know what you’re gonna encounter,” Chuck opined. Turning to me, he said, “Oh, you should find this interesting. One morning, just as I’m pulling the grade toward Berry Summit, this big old chunky bird flies from out of nowhere and commits hari-kari on my windshield. It was good-sized, definitely not your average sparrow-type.” The light of comprehension flickered on. “Hmm, a large bird, you say? Maybe kinda like a chicken?” I asked. “Yeah, that’s it. Like a big chicken. But how did you know?” I burst out laughing. “Because I picked it up, dude. The Ruffed Grouse’s passing wasn’t in vain. It’s now at HSU, specimen #8401.” Carcasses can yield some startling data. In 1997, I came across a freshly killed Spotted Owl. The events of the day provided the most-convincing evidence to date that Barred Owls prey on Spotted Owls. See www.tomleskiw.com; essays, Encounter at Skunk Cabbage Creek and Google SORA, then search on Tom Leskiw.

Tom LeskiwFebruary 1, 2011

As many eBird users probably already know, there’s been a push from the eBird coordinators to persuade eBird users to not use the “casual/incidental” observation type when entering checklists unless birding was not your primary purpose or for entering historical data with no effort data attached to it. Using the “traveling count” or “area count” observation types is by far much more useful data to scientists that are using, or will use, eBird data to monitor and map bird populations since the eBirder must keep track of time spent for that specifi c checklist, the distance traveled, and/or the size of the area covered. Keeping track of time is easy to do with a watch or a cell phone, of course, but what about keeping track of distance traveled or the size of the area covered for a specifi c eBird checklist? It is pretty easy to keep track of distance covered while birding from a car with a travel odometer or on foot with a GPS unit using the route-tracking function. But what if you don’t have those options and don’t feel confi dent that you can accurately estimate your distance traveled or the size of the area you covered? This second eBird tip will talk about 2 online programs with regard to traveling and area count protocols: Runningmap.com and Google planimeter. Using these programs can help you easily calculate distance traveled and the size of area covered, taking the guesswork away when entering eBird data for these observation types. Runningmap.com is a website for runners, cyclists, hikers, and now, eBirders who would like to plan, save, and share their routes. This website is an easy means for fi guring out the distance you traveled while birding at your favorite location. Runningmap.com is easy to navigate and takes little time to fi gure out how to begin calculating your distance when you go

birding somewhere like the Arcata Marsh and you want to accurately calculate your distance from walking around the Butcher Slough log pond and then to Brackish (“McKay”) Pond and back. If you register with the website (which is free), you can save all your routes and even publicly share them so that others can easily use them. Google planimeter (www.acme.com/planimeter) is a useful website if you use the “area count” observation type when eBirding. The website uses Google maps, and as on the normal Google maps website, you can select different views like the generic-looking map, satellite images, the popular hybrid map version, and a couple of other sometimes-useful map-viewing options. This website is basic since—unlike googlemaps—you can’t type in a city and state and have it zoom right to it, which saves valuable search time. If it’s your fi rst time visiting the site, it will zoom into a general location based on your Internet address. For fi rst-time users in coastal Humboldt County, it will probably take you to a general map of the Humboldt Bay area. This site is relatively easy to use and will greatly help eBirders easily calculate the size of the area surveyed. So now that you know about these useful websites, go out and do some eBird traveling and area counts! The Sandpiper eBird tip is a new column that hopes to inspire increased eBird use in Northwestern California. If you have suggestions for an eBird tip or any other eBird-related questions, contact RRAS eBird liazon Rob Fowler at migratoriusfwlr@gmail.com. Rob reviews eBird records for Humboldt, Trinity, and Siskiyou Counties and openly admits to his eBird addiction.

The Adventures of Doctor Death

By Rob Fowler

Birding in Colombia–A Retrospective

by Jude Claire Power

I recently returned from a 12-day birding tour of southwestern Colombia promoted to RRAS members by Ken Burton and organized and led by Chris Calonje. A native Colombian with an American mother, Chris lives in Klamath Falls and owns Colombia Birdwatch (http://www.colombiabirdwatch.com). He is also involved with Mapalina (http://www.mapalina.com), an organization dedicated to training Colombian youths to become birding guides, thus providing them an employable skill while supporting and enhancing a growing ecotourism industry. Colombia is emerging from isolating decades of drug cartel intimidation and is now largely under control, thanks to the current and previous presidents. It is a country awakening to a renewed national identity and pride and an awareness that ecotourism could help move it back into the global mainstream of travel destinations. As many birders know, Colombia has recorded more bird species than any other nation on the planet. Its perfect location, straddling Central and South America and the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico, has resulted in a neotropical avifauna of almost unfathomable variety. In addition, a number of our North American breeders spend the winter months in Colombia’s extraordinarily rich birding milieu. Chris took us first to his family farm and planted us on the spreading veranda overlooking a garden backed up to dense, unmanaged tropical vegetation, and Colombia began her seduction. Cecropias and other large trees enticed a procession of jewel-like tanagers, hummingbirds, and other compatriots such as brush-finch, spinetail, euphonia, and wood-wren. What had been a tightly wound spring in my mind began to uncoil almost imperceptibly. I didn’t take in much of anything until I found myself wandering off, down the steps and around the back of the house to get a better view of a bamboo thicket concealing a Slaty Spinetail beckoning in its throaty, rhythmic voice. I stood still, listening to its “I am here!” refrain, beginning to notice the minute explosions of mist droplets on my cheeks and eyelids and the play of shape and color in the green wall of the woods. My shoulders inched downward. Furled 2-meter leaves like elongated spear tips thrust upward alongside drooping Cecropia leaves 2 feet across, spreading open like beseeching hands. Nearby, a tall tangled tree with broad, rounded leaves was reminiscent of glossy magnolias. Next to it, an even taller one, festooned with clusters of long seed-swollen pods, promised another generation of this generous plant that harbors birds and the fruits they require to live. We were definitely not in Humboldt anymore. Our first day of organized birding was spent walking a dirt track twisting upward toward Cali’s hilltop communication towers in El Bosque de San Antonio. Here we shared the lush forest and its beautiful birds with a group of Mapalina guide trainees. They were obviously pleased with our appreciation of “their” birds and our curiosity about the abundant, exotic plant forms spilling down the hillside. We practiced our Spanish, and they practiced their English. Perhaps the most beautiful bird seen that day was the ruby- and emerald-feathered Collared Trogon, though tanagers continually dazzled us. Among them, we spotted an elegant Blue-necked Tanager with its deep cobalt head offset by black body feathers and a buff wing. Two subsequent days were spent in steamy lowland jungle along the old highway to the coast, clinging to the San Juan River canyon sides where waterfalls, landslides, and collapsing roadbeds are routine. One enormous waterfall cascaded directly onto the highway. We began to orient to unfamiliar landscapes and bird genera as the San Juan rushed below us toward the sea. Riots of Mealy Parrots squawked and gorged themselves among downslope treetops at eye level as we wound along the river canyon. A Fasciated Tiger-Heron fished from a midstream boulder, fine barring rippling down its breast. A perched Laughing Falcon watched our procession of umbrellas ricochet from one singing bird to another along the road margins. Young boys eyed us, approaching in hopes of a peek through our binoculars. We also explored the valley between the Cordillera Occidental and Cordillera Central, including an enormous flooded agricultural area where we walked levees separating ponds, wet meadows, and open woodland as we identified Striated and Cocoi Herons, Limpkin, Blue-headed Parrot, Yellow-backed Oriole, Dwarf Cuckoo, and the formidable Ringed Kingfisher, similar to our Belted but much larger. (The official “wetland” on our itinerary was inaccessible because the access road was flooded. Although we were scheduled to be there during a dry season, the rains had not yet abated, and we birded in rain every day of the tour. It was the wettest rainy season there in over 30 years!) Most of our time in Colombia was spent in the cool, high-elevation rainforest of the Andes. We climbed the cordilleras’ flanks to probe rainforest edges for their secrets: new and unfamiliar birds with wild names such as sunangel, sylph, xenops, hemispingus, and flowerpiercer. We really did get to watch flowerpiercers pierce flowers! Over time, our leisurely explorations turned to memories, collected visions of glowing trogons in dappled light, flashing hummingbirds, frustrating tapaculos singing under cover, serene motmots, ever more sparkling tanagers ranging through the canopy, remote lodges, and delicious Colombian meals. I especially liked the Brown-banded Antpittas that had learned to go to a feeding station supplied with worms by our host in the mountains outside Manizales. My favorite I named Fast Food because he’d sneak to the edge of the small clearing in his upright, long-legged posture; slowly look around at his observers, who were staying very still and holding their breaths; then dash over, grab a worm, and run back under cover really fast. He was so cute! And the rain and leaf-drip didn’t phase him. The finale of our tour was a visit to the 13,600-foot Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados in search of an oddly appointed hummingbird, the Bearded Helmetcrest, and several other high-altitude specialties, most of which we found–along with a gigantic bumblebee–with the expert guidance of Daniel Restrepo, our guide the last 4 days. Acclimation to the extreme elevation involved several stops and short walks as we climbed into the clouds and patronage of the obligatory purveyors of coca tea, a legitimate reason to partake of a notorious local product. Many of the North American migrants we saw in Colombia are also seen annually, or almost annually, in Humboldt County: Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Spotted Sandpiper, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Red-eyed Vireo, Yellow Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, and Black-and-white Warbler. It is almost disorienting to be in such an exotic locale and happen upon a familiar species from home. Have I seen this individual before? It served to remind us that “home” to a bird can include more than 1 country, more than 1 hemisphere, more than 1 precious patch of food- and shelter-providing habitat. These birds are shared by everyone and know no political borders. We recorded about 250 species in total. Our tour had the usual elements of neotropical birding adventures: zany hummingbird displays at feeders, shy singers who ultimately remained unseen, intimate encounters with individual birds, dripping canopies and pounding rain, stretches of road weaving through sinuous sunlit valleys, friendly people, and the unexpected charm of city sculpture gardens and fountains. It also had the surprise of Colombia, a beautiful country that is reentering the mainstream from behind a cloud of fear and disenfranchisement. Today Colombia beckons to those with an appreciation of neotropical birds, verdant landscapes, and welcoming people. Incidentally, Ken is trying to arrange a 2- to 3-week tour for this fall or winter. If you're interested, tell him what dates would work best for you (shrikethree@gmail.com or 707/825-1124). I highly recommend the experience and will do it again if I can! Chris will have a booth at Godwit Days, and I urge you to stop by and chat with him or one of the tour participants.

Ranger District and Redwood Sciences Laboratory

birding somewhere like the Arcata Marsh and

By Rob Fowler

Tip #2Online programs for calculating distance and area

Field Notes By Sean McAllister and Daryl ColdrenSUMMARY OF NORTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA BIRD REPORTS

Many thanks to the Observers:Jeff Allen, Alan Barron, Bob Battingen, Dave Bell, Gary Bloomfield, Matt Brady, Lucas Brug, Ralph Bucher, Ken Burton, Scott Carey, Joe Ceriani, Daryl Coldren, Eileen Cooper, Anthony Desch, Elias Elias, David Fix, Rob Fowler, Gary Friedrichsen, Joe Gartland, Melody Hamilton, Ed Harper, Karen Havlena, Bernard Hawkins, Owen Head, Rob Hewitt, Kate Howard, Jeff Jacobsen, David Jensen, Oscar Johnson, Tony Kurz, Jim Laughlin, Will Lawton, Gary Lester, Lauren Lester, Ron LeValley, Sky Lloyd, Jim Lomax, John Luther, Gary Maschmeyer, Sean McAllister, Cindy Moyer, Lew and Judie Norton, Chet Ogan, Frances Oliver, John Oliver, Larry Pitts, Jude Power, Brian Robinson, Kay Rocco, Rich Ridenaur, Mike Rogers, Kerry Ross, Jesse Sargent, Barry Sauppe, Ryan Shaw, Keith Slauson, Rachel Smith, David Spangenberg, John Sterling, Dorothy Tobkin, Leslie Tucci, Chuck Vaughn, Holly Vetter, Matt Wachs, Jerry White, Sylvia White, Robin Wilcott, Carol Wilson, George Ziminski

16 November 2010 – 1 February 2011Field Notes is a compilation of bird sighting reports for Del Norte, Humboldt, northern Mendocino, Trinity, and western Siskiyou counties. Sources include the RRAS bird alert (707/822-LOON), the online northwestern California birding and information exchange (nwcalbird@yahoogroups.com), the Mendocino County birders’ listserv (mendobirds@yahoogroups.com), eBird (http://ebird.org/content/klamath-siskiyou), and reports submitted directly to the compiler. Future reports may be submitted to any of the sources mentioned above or to Daryl Coldren: 916/384-8089; QuiAvisPetit@aol.com; 7333 Humboldt Hill Rd, Eureka, CA 95503.MOb = many observers, NWR = National Wildlife Refuge, SP = State Park

Snow Goose: reports of 1-8, Humboldt Bay NWR, 17 Nov-1 Feb (TK, LP, SMc, DC, LT, MB, JP, DF, MOb) • Ross’s Goose: reports of 1-12 individuals, Humboldt Bay NWR, 8 Dec-15 Jan (MOb)• Brant: 4,300, Humboldt Bay, 30 Dec (MW) • Tundra Swan: 2, Bald Hills Rd, n of Fort Bragg (unusual loc.), 21 Dec (DT) • Eurasian Wigeon: 1, Hiller Park, 17 Nov (RF); 3, King Salmon, 28 Nov (MW); 2, Alexandre Dairy, 6-16 Dec (AB, LB, JLu); 1, Humboldt Bay NWR, 9-20 Jan (JP, DF,TK, KR, RSm) • “Eurasian” Green-winged Teal: 1, Arcata Marsh, 17-31 Jan (BB, RH, JO, JSa) • Redhead: 100-300, King Salmon, 28 Nov-30 Dec (MW) • Tufted Duck: 1, Stone Lagoon, 24 Nov (JA) • Harlequin Duck: 1-2, Humboldt Bay, 30 Nov-22 Jan (MOb) • Black Scoter: 1, Eureka Channel, 30 Dec (RF) • Long-tailed Duck: 1, Smith River Mouth, 14 Dec (TK) ; 1-3, King Salmon, 10-29 Jan (TK, MW, DC, JOl, MOb); 1, Eureka Slough, 18 Dec-11 Jan (RH, KH, KB, HV); 1, MacKerricher SP, 18 Dec (DT) • Common Goldeneye: 30, King Salmon, 28 Nov (MW) • Barrow’s Goldeneye: 1-2, Smith River, 19 Dec-8 Jan (AB, LB, JS, JLo, FO, DC, MB, OJ, LT, MOb) • Hooded Merganser: 1-3, Bear River Ridge, 3 Dec-17 Jan (SMc, DC, FO, et al.) • Red-necked Grebe: 30, King Salmon, 31 Jan (MW) • Cattle Egret: 1, Arcata Bottoms, 7 Nov-1 Feb (RF, MOb) • Cattle Egret: 1, Ferndale Bottoms, 15 Jan (TK, JSa, FO, et al.) • Green Heron: 1, Willow Creek, 26 Dec (KB, GB) • Ferruginous Hawk: 8 reports of 1-3 birds, Smith River Bottoms, Bear River Ridge, Arcata Bottoms, Kneeland, Ferndale Bottoms, 1 Dec-28 Jan (MOb) • Rough-legged Hawk: 6 reports of single birds, Bear River Ridge, Arcata Bottoms, Bald Hills Rd, 3 Dec-29 Jan (SMc, KR, RSm, TK, DS, DC) • Golden Eagle: 1, Kneeland, 28 Jan (DC, TK, DS) • Crested Caracara: 1, Smith River Bottoms, Nov-1 Feb (AB, MOb) • GYRFALCON: 1, Crescent City Harbor, 6 Dec (LB); 1 (possible), Crab Park, 8 Dec (MB, DC, LT, TK, SMc) • Prairie Falcon: 1, Kneeland, 28 Jan (DC, TK, DS)

• SANDHILL CRANE: 1, Ferndale Bottoms, 15-31 Jan (JSa, TK, DC, RH, MOb) • American Golden-Plover: 1, Cannibal Island Rd, Ferndale Bottoms, 8-12 Dec (DC, MB, TK, LT) • Pacific Golden-Plover: 14-21, Ferndale Bottoms, 8 Dec-9 Jan (DC, LT, MB, TK, JP, DF, MOb)• MOUNTAIN PLOVER: 1, Clam Beach, 23 Jan-1 Feb (RR, MOb) • Rock Sandpiper: many reports of 1-6 individuals, Humboldt Bay North Jetty, 9 Dec-1 Feb (MOb); 1, Laguna Pt–MacKerricher SP, 21 Nov-23 Dec (DT) • Black Oystercatcher: 1, South Jetty, 18 Jan (MW) • LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL: 1 first cycle, Alexandre Dairy, 3 Dec (LB); 1 (likely same bird), Ft Dick, 30 Jan (LB) • Glaucous Gull: 1, Crescent City Harbor, 1 Dec (DB); 1, lower Smith River, 6 Dec (LB); 1-2, Ferndale Bottoms, 15 Jan (TK, DC, RF, RH, CO, MOb); 1 ad, North Jetty, 16 Jan (JLa) • Caspian Tern: 1, Crab Park, 13 Dec (TK, DC); 1, Eureka Slough, 30 Dec (RF) • Rhinoceros Auklet: 1, Big Lagoon, 17 Nov (JA) • White-winged Dove: 1, Crescent City, 10 Dec (JG) • Burrowing Owl: 1, Centerville Beach, 2 Dec (GL) • Long-eared Owl: 2-4, Salt River, 2-3 Jan (GB,

DC, RH) • Short-eared Owl: 1, Arcata Marsh, 21 Jan (DF) • Yellow-bellied Sapsucker: 1, McKinleyville, 18 Dec-22 Jan (GL, MOb); 1, Fort Bragg, 4 Feb (JW) • Red-naped Sapsucker: 1, Smith River, 13-18 Jan (AB, SL, MOb)• Yellow-shafted Flicker: 1, McKinleyville, 7 Jan (CW) • NUTTALL’S WOODPECKER: 1, Little Valley, 2 Jan (Fort Bragg CBC) • Say’s Phoebe: 1, Cock Robin Island, 8 Dec (SMc, DC, LT, MB, TK); 1, Fortuna, 2 Jan (RH); 1, Ferndale Bottoms, 8 Dec-19 Jan (SMc, DC, OH, LT, MB, TK); 1, Arcata Bottoms, 23 Jan (JP, DF) • DUSKY-CAPPED FLYCATCHER:

1, HSU Marine Lab, Trinidad, 1-3 Dec (WL, DC, LT, DS, TK) • Tropical Kingbird: 1, Crescent City, 21 Nov (SL, AB) • BROWN SHRIKE: 1, S Clam Beach, 21 Nov-1 Feb (GL, LL, DC, MOb) • Northern Shrike: 1, Bald Hills Rd, 17 Nov (DC, LT)• Solitary Vireo: 1, Shay Park, 4 Dec-4 Jan (RF, RH, KS) • Violet-green Swallow: 7, Humboldt Bay NWR, 27 Jan (DS) • Barn Swallow: 1-5, Arcata Marsh, 26 Dec-23 Jan (EE, BB, JO) • Oak Titmouse: 1, Crescent City, 17 Nov-30 Jan (SL, AB, MOb); 1, Willow Creek, 26 Dec (KB, GB); 1, Salyer, 26 Dec (KB, GB); 1, Little Valley, 2 Jan (Fort Bragg CBC) • White-breasted Nuthatch: 1, Mts E of Smith River, 19 Dec (GL); 6, Bald Hills Rd, 29 Jan (DC, TK, DS)• House Wren: 1, Shay Park, 11 Dec-29 Jan (RF, MOb)• Western Bluebird: 14, Blue Lake, 14 Jan (RH); 1, McKinleyville, 26 Jan (GL); 4, Kneeland, 28 Jan (DC, TK, DS)• Townsend’s Solitaire: 1, Eureka, 17 Dec-18 Dec (BS) • Swainson’s Thrush: 1 (a late date), Humboldt Bay Bird Observatory, 5 Dec (LT) • Northern Mockingbird: 1, Foster Rd, Arcata Bottoms, 18 Nov (TK, DS); 1, Salyer, 26 Dec (KB, GB); 1, McKinleyville, 18 Dec-1 Jan (GF, KS, DC, RH, LT) • Tennesse Warbler: 1, Eureka, 4 Jan (BS) • Nashville Warbler: 2, Clendenden’s Cider Works, Fortuna, 3 Jan (DC, RH, LT); 1, Ten-Mile River, 19-23 Jan (KHv); 1,

Arcata Marsh, 24 Jan (RW, EH)• Black-throated Gray Warbler: 1, S Fork Mt Rd/299, 26 Dec (RH, CO); 1, Blue Lake, 11 Jan (RH) • Palm Warbler: 2, Humboldt Bay NWR, 8 Dec (TK, SMc, DC, LT, MB); 1, Shay Park, 11 Dec (RF); 1 (each), McKinleyville, 11-12 Dec, 8 Jan (KS, RF); 5, Alexandre Dairy, 16 Dec (AB, JLu); 1, Smith River Bottoms, 1 Jan (EE); 1, Crescent City, 8 Jan (DC, MB, OJ, LT, et al.); 1, Arcata Marsh, 3-29 Jan (GZ, BR, JO, MOb); 1-3, Fernbridge, 2-15 Jan (SC, DC, LT, MW); 1, Humboldt Bay NWR, 15-28 Jan (DC, KR, RS, JSa); 1, Orick Levee, 6 Dec (DC, MB, LT) • Black-and-white Warbler: 1, Humboldt Bay NWR, 15-24 Jan-1 Feb (RSh, DC, RH, TK, KB) • Northern Waterthrush: 1, Arcata Marsh, 3 Dec-23 Jan (RF, DC, RH, LT, GZ, MOb) • Wilson’s Warbler: 1, Crescent City, 19 Dec (OH) • Western Tanager: 1, Crescent City, 21 Nov (SL, AB) • Clay-colored Sparrow: 1, McKinleyville, 11-27 Dec (KS) • Vesper Sparrow: 1, Arcata Airport, McKinleyville, 19 Nov (KR, RSm) • Lark Sparrow: 1, Centerville Beach, 2 Jan (GL) • “Red” Fox Sparrow: 1, Crescent City, 18-21 Nov (AB) • Swamp Sparrow: many reports of 1-3 individuals, Humboldt Bay NWR, S. Clam Beach, Arcata Marsh, Jacoby Creek, Fay Slough, Eureka Slough, 11 Nov-1 Feb (MOb) • White-throated Sparrow: 1, Humboldt Bay NWR, 17 Nov (TK); 1-3, Fernbridge, 2-15 Jan (SC, DC, LT, MW) • Harris’s Sparrow: 1, Crescent City, 29 Nov (SL, GM)• Lapland Longspur: 13, Arcata Airport, McKinleyville, 19 Nov (KR, RSm); 4, Cannibal Island Rd, Ferndale Bottoms, 8 Dec (SMc, DC, LT, MB, TK); 14, Arcata Bottoms, 1 Jan (TK) • Snow Bunting: 1, Bald Hills Rd, 16 Nov (DC, LT) • Rose-breasted Grosbeak: 1, Bayside, 15-16 Dec (BH); 1, Eureka, 29 Dec-1 Feb (KaR, DC, RH) • Tricolored Blackbird: 2, Ft Dick, 10 Dec-7 Jan (AB, JSt, JLo, FO); 1-4, Arcata Bottoms, 18-23 Jan (RF, KB, et al.) • Yellow-headed Blackbird: 1-2, Arcata Bottoms, 16 Jan-1 Feb (TK, DS, JOL); 1, Fort Bragg, 28 Jan (KHv) • Orchard Oriole: 1, Crescent City, 17-30 Nov (AB, SL); 1-2, McKinleyville, 11-27 Dec (KS); 2, Smith River, 6-18 Jan (AB, SL, LB, MB, DC, OJ, LT, MOb) • Hooded Oriole: 1, Crescent City, 29-31 Dec (SL, AB); 1-2, Smith River, 19 Dec-8 Jan (AB, SL, LB, MB, DC, OJ, LT, MOb); 1, Clendenden’s Cider Works, Fortuna, 2-8 Jan (AD, DC, RH, LT, RF) • Bullock’s Oriole: 3, Crescent City, 24 Nov-1 Feb (SL, AB); 1, Smith River, 23 Dec (AB, EC); 2-3, Fort Bragg, 26 Dec-4 Feb (DJ, KHv, CV, JW, RLeV); 1, McKinleyville, 27 Dec-1 Jan (KS, KB, DC, RF, RH, LT); 1, McKinleyville, 27 Dec-1 Jan (KS, KB, DC, RF, RH, LT) • Evening Grosbeak: 7-17, Arcata, 15-17 Jan (SW); 27, Shay Park, 29 Jan (RF, KB, et al.).

Mountain Plover, © Tony KurzClam Beach, Humboldt County

Brown Shrike, © Mary FreemanClam Beach, Humboldt County

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, © Daryl ColdrenMcKinleyville, Humboldt County

Dusky-capped Flycatcher, © Leslie TucciTrinidad, Humboldt County

Sandhill Crane, © Daryl ColdrenFerndale Bottoms, Humboldt County

ECONEWS February/March 2011 www.yournec.org 11

runs in California’s Central Valley, which are recognized as separate ESUs. “

Although petitioners have articulated the importance of distinguishing between fi sh species, the issue is now in the hands of the federal agency. � ree alternatives are identifi ed in the petition: 1) list spring run Chinook as their own evolutionary signifi cant unit (ESU); 2) list spring run Chinook as a distinct population segment (DPS) within the previously recognized Upper Klamath-Trinity River Chinook ESU, or 3) list the entirety of the Upper Klamath-Trinity River Chinook ESU.

If the third alternative is selected and the entirety of the Upper Klamath Chinook are managed as an Endangered or � reatened species under the ESA, big changes may be on the way for Klamath communities.

One signifi cant concern is that if the species is listed as a single ESU it could impact Tribal harvesting, both commercial and subsistance, at the mouth of the river on the Yurok Reservation. Other concerns voiced across the basin include the fear of dramatic changes in hatchery fi sh production.

While issues with a recovery plan are predicted, there is hope for real resolution, according to the groups and their allies. NMFS can, and has, issued exemptions to regulation to Tribes, when regulating an ESA-listed Chinook in Washington state.

To read more or download the actual Petition, please visit wildcalifornia.org.

and commercial fi shing interests signed agreements with governmental agencies and the owners of the Klamath dams to address the crisis. During this process, deep fractures erupted between key environmental, Tribal and fi shing interests. Nonetheless, three years of meetings resulted in the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) and Klamath Hydroelectric Agreement. � ese controvesial agreements require legislative action to provide funding and implementation, which could take years to achieve.

� e speed of new policies stemming from a listing of the fi sh under the ESA depends on the lead agency, and potentially, the courts. Depending on key NMFS decisions, the listing results for the Klamath Chinook could vary widely.

One outstanding issue for the agency includes the potential assignment of a new Evolutionary Signifi cant Unit (ESU) for wild spring-run Klamath Chinook. In 1998, NMFS included all Trinity and Klamath Chinook–both fall and spring-run–as one ESU.

It may be common knowledge that fall and spring-run fi sh diff er in appearance, size and fl avor on the Klamath and Trinity Rivers, but the agency has

not yet distinguished them. � e petitioners have requested that NMFS review the status of the spring-run Chinook, and assign them a separate ESU.

“We present new information demonstrating that spring and fall run Chinook qualify as separate ESUs based on signifi cant and persistent genetic and reproductive isolation, “ reads the Petition to List Upper Klamath Chinook. “� e spring and fall runs in the Basin are separated by run timing and genetic diff erences that are comparable to diff erences between spring and fall

As Klamath salmon populations continue their struggle to survive, EPIC, the Center for Biological Diversity, Oregon Wild, and the Larch Company fi led a petition in late January with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) charging that the Klamath River Chinook salmon should be recognized–and protected–under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Once the strongest runs on the Klamath, the wild spring-run Klamath Chinook now return at only a tiny percentage of their historic numbers, causing alarm that the fi sh could go extinct if immediate actions are not taken to support recovery. Even in their remaining stronghold, biologists count between 300 and 3,000 wild spawning spring Chinook each year.

Prior to the construction of dams and other habitat modifi cations, populations of spring run Chinook in the Basin numbered over 100,000 fi sh. � e petition seeks protection fi rst and foremost for spring-run Chinook, but also underscores that all of the Upper Klamath Chinook have been impacted and warrant further protection.

“� e Klamath River Basin and the salmon it supports are a global treasure,” said Scott Greacen, EPIC’s executive director. “So far, federal agencies have managed spring-run Chinook in the Klamath by ignoring them. Plans for the restoration of the Klamath need to put spring Chinook recovery front and center.”

� e spring-run Chinook are marvels of evolution, living most of their lives in the Pacifi c Ocean only to return up the river in the spring with enough fat reserves to survive without eating until early fall when it’s time for them to spawn. � ey have long been prized as one of the best-tasting salmon species and the most economically important Klamath fi sh.

� e Klamath River Basin provides the lifeblood for a complex and diverse region stretching from the mountains of Southwest Oregon to the coast of Northwest California. Tremendous diversity of life depends on the health of the Klamath River and its tributaries, including Tribal river communities, fi sh and wildlife, farmers and recreational economies.

� e Klamath Basin was once the third-largest producer of salmon and steelhead on the West Coast. At least 300 miles of spawning habitat were made inaccessible by the construction of four dams and other hydro-projects. � ese massive projects extended the reach of expanding U.S. hegemony that colonized the region. Unlike other areas however, these eff orts were unsuccessful in destroying the cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge still found in Klamath River communities.

Federally recognized Tribal governments and surviving Native American families now pursue justice, land acquisition and Tribal management of their ancestral territories for future generations. � ese initiatives come on the heels of hard won struggles to regain residency and Tribal rights after forced relocation and subordination to federal and state laws interrupted Tribal sovereignty.

In the fall of 2002, Klamath River Chinook suff ered one of the worst fi sh kills in Northwest history when as many as 70,000 adult salmon died before spawning. Excessive water withdrawals, primarily from the federally run Klamath Irrigation Project, resulted in low fl ows and warm water temperatures that allowed disease to develop and spread quickly. Continued low fl ows and warm temperatures are key drivers of an ongoing disease crisis in the river that has sharply reduced survival of juvenile wild fi sh on their way to the ocean. Tribal and federal agencies document these tragedies, but do little to enforce policies for change.

Since the 2002 fi sh kill, a group of environmental and restoration groups, irrigators, Tribal governments

145 G Street Suite A Arcata, CA 95521 www. wildcalifornia.org (707) 822-7711

EPIC Files Petition for Upper Klamath Chinook Protections

ep cep cep cThe Environmental Protection Information Center

ep cep cep cBy Kerul Dyer

EPIC Pisces PartyA benefi t for Richard GiengerA benefi t for Richard GiengerA benefi t for Richard GiengerA benefi t for Richard GiengerA benefi t for Richard Gienger

Live Music by

Francine Allen

Ken and Maria Jorgenson

Del McCain and Falling Rocks

An

Friday, March 11Beginnings Octagon, 6 p.m.

In 2002, some 70,000 adult chinook died along the Klamath River.

February /March 2011 ECONEWS www.yournec.org12

that release CO2 and other greenhouse gasses. If CO2 emissions were more tightly regulated at neighborhood facilities, local air quality would improve. Yet according to the Air Resource Board’s plan, the very communities burdened by huge concentrations of pollution will likely see no benefi ts. � is very problem is developing in Rodeo—a small, low-income, community of color in Contra Costa County, near a ConocoPhillips Refi nery. Conoco recently expanded its refi nery, resulting in an additional 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. Under the Cap and Trade program, this project would likely use “reductions” from other sources to avoid costly CO2 controls, and increase its toxic, particulate matter, and ozone-forming pollution as well. Other laws, like the Clean Air Act, allow this increase in pollution as long as the facility buys pollution reduction

Environmental groups worked tirelessly to support the development and passage of AB 32—California’s 2006 climate change bill. Yet they do not support the California Air Resource Board’s climate action plan, which lays the groundwork for AB 32’s implementation.

� e California Air Resources Board unfairly burdened low-income communities and communities of color as it laid out its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. � is is why the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment joined Communities for a Better Environment to fi le suit in 2009. In January, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith tentatively ruled in our favor, fi nding that the Air Resources Board violated key California Environmental Quality Act requirements.

AB 32 includes strong language to protect low-income communities and communities of color. Yet the California Air Resources Board adopted a plan which fails to regulate the agricultural and industrial sectors, which are located in low-income communities and communities of color. � e Air Resources Board also selected the industry-preferred approach of Cap and Trade, which disproportionately impacts those same communities.  

Instead of driving major polluters to reduce emissions, Cap and Trade allows power plants, petroleum refi neries and biofuel facilities to buy “reductions” from other polluters. In exchange for continued pollution, refi neries purchase carbon credits from distant companies that install solar panels, conserve critical habitat or cut emissions. Instead of reducing local pollution, major polluters buy improvements implemented far away.

As most major polluters are concentrated in low-income communities of color, Cap and Trade prevents local reductions in toxins, smog-forming chemicals, and particulate matter pollution. � ese air pollutants are byproducts of the same combustion processes

Will California Sacrifi ce Environmental Justice for Cap and Trade?

By Alegría De La Cruzfrom someone else. Requiring polluters to reduce their emissions at the source would be more health protective than Cap and Trade. � e Air Resources Board’s plan to reduce greenhouse gasses also failed to protect poor agricultural communities.  Many impacts from agricultural pollution are concentrated in California’s Central Valley—a majority Latino population that ranks last in the nation for income, the quality and availability of education, and health. � e Central Valley also has the most daily violations of federal and state ozone standards and the highest levels of particulate pollution in the United States. Here, methane emissions from livestock account for 53 percent of the state’s methane inventory. Methane is 20-times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2, and cow manure ponds also release particulate-forming pollutants into the air. Had the Air Resources Board regulatedthe agricultural industry in its implementation plan, dairies would have been forced to cut emissions. � ey may have been required to install methane digesters, which remove methane and particulate pollutants from the air and generate renewable energy. Low-income, rural communities of color could enjoy the benefi ts of cleaner air, and the state would achieve maximum reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

We fi led suit to ensure that AB 32’s implementation is consistent with its letter and spirit. Our recent victory, although tentative, could bar the Air Resources Board from moving forward with current implementation plans.

California’s climate law can create economic opportunities and protect public health, but all Californians deserve the benefi ts of greenhouse gas reductions, and the poor should not be sacrifi ced in favor of a system designed for polluters. People are not subsidies.

—Alegría De La Cruz is the Legal Director at the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.

While Mattole chinook and coho salmon worked their way upriver last December, my partner, Jane Lapiner and I found ourselves surrounded by the tropical beaches of Cancun, Mexico.

� e salmon were working out of a very diff erent sets of instincts. Jane and I were certainly not in Cancun to spawn! But at deeper levels, there was a clear, strong relationship between the two journeys. It had to do with both our and the salmon’s survival.

Cancun was the scene of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 16/CMP 6). Here representatives of 193 countries came together to negotiate cooperative agreements to save the planet from the worst dangers of climate change.

A year earlier the conference had produced a disappointing conclusion. It closed with the Copenhagen Accords—a weak document that incited angry protests and an enormous police presence.

Before Cancun, expectations were put on a short leash so as to avoid uproar. � e meeting was originally scheduled for Mexico City, but after the huge, tumultuous demonstrations in Copenhagen, the venue was changed. While luxurious for the delegates, Cancun also has one road in and out, facilitating better defense against climate activists. Our trail to Cancun began in the remote and far less luxurious Mattole in the mid-70’s when it was becoming clear to everyone that our great salmon runs were disappearing. In the 35 years since then a remarkable citizen-run eff ort has developed, dedicated not only to the recovery of native Mattole salmon, but to the renewal of the health and productivity of the entire watershed.

Despite the fact that great work has been accomplished, our salmon runs are still hanging on by too thin a thread. � e coho, especially, continue to barely skirt extinction. A few hundred chinook return annually where once

David Simpson stands on the beach in Cancun with his new friends. Photo: David Simpson.

there were tens of thousands. Why are the salmon not recovering more

easily? Many of the instream factors aff ecting salmon are improving as a consequence of natural regeneration and our eff orts at erosion control and habitat restoration.

Right after the new millennium, a previously unobserved phenomena caught us by surprise. Pools and channels in the mainstem near the headwaters were drying up in late summer and early fall, often leaving juvenile salmon stranded. Some were unable to hide from predators and were eaten. Others died from lack of food and oxygen, disappearing with the water.

� is is due to a combination of factors related to climate change and development. Human water use is increasing as more people move to the country. A more pernicious factor is a slow, low-grade, corrosive drought cycle abetted by a decline in coastal fog.

� ere is now an emerging school of knowledge about the currents off north coast shores. It appears that current changes may be impacting ocean food supplies for salmon. As climate change continues, ocean warming may also become a regional problem. Salmon needcold waters to survive.

What hope does the UN process hold for our salmon? In the end, the COP 16 adopted the Cancun Agreements—a disappointing set of allowances similar to the Copenhagen Accords. If the emissions reductions in this agreement are to be our fi nal standard, world average temperatures will increase between 3 and 6 degrees Celsius. Given what a rise of .8 degrees has already wrought, disaster will be inevitable.

So what are we to do? How might we survive and take salmon with us through the perilous narrows we enter? Here as elsewhere, ecosystem restoration must become not just a nice option but an imperative. � e rebuilding of stability and resiliency are crucial parts of the adaptation we must make. We must work to regain some semblance of the ecological bounty that was to be our children’s birthright, and then share it equitably throughout the world.

How do we join into a force for survival so large and so diverse that government and large commercial interests will have no choice but to follow? Let the salmon be our guide.

Salmon and CancunBy David Simpson

David Simpson stands on the beach in Cancun with his new friends.

An international peasant organization of small farmers demonstrates in Cancun. Photo: Hallie Boas, Global Justice Ecology Project.

Environmental groups protested AB 32 in Sacramento, 2008. Photo: Center on Race, Poverty and the EnvironmentEnvironmental groups protested AB 32 in Sacramento, 2008.

ECONEWS February/March 2011 www.yournec.org 13

that release CO2 and other greenhouse gasses. If CO2 emissions were more tightly regulated at neighborhood facilities, local air quality would improve. Yet according to the Air Resource Board’s plan, the very communities burdened by huge concentrations of pollution will likely see no benefi ts. � is very problem is developing in Rodeo—a small, low-income, community of color in Contra Costa County, near a ConocoPhillips Refi nery. Conoco recently expanded its refi nery, resulting in an additional 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year. Under the Cap and Trade program, this project would likely use “reductions” from other sources to avoid costly CO2 controls, and increase its toxic, particulate matter, and ozone-forming pollution as well. Other laws, like the Clean Air Act, allow this increase in pollution as long as the facility buys pollution reduction

Environmental groups worked tirelessly to support the development and passage of AB 32—California’s 2006 climate change bill. Yet they do not support the California Air Resource Board’s climate action plan, which lays the groundwork for AB 32’s implementation.

� e California Air Resources Board unfairly burdened low-income communities and communities of color as it laid out its plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. � is is why the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment joined Communities for a Better Environment to fi le suit in 2009. In January, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Ernest Goldsmith tentatively ruled in our favor, fi nding that the Air Resources Board violated key California Environmental Quality Act requirements.

AB 32 includes strong language to protect low-income communities and communities of color. Yet the California Air Resources Board adopted a plan which fails to regulate the agricultural and industrial sectors, which are located in low-income communities and communities of color. � e Air Resources Board also selected the industry-preferred approach of Cap and Trade, which disproportionately impacts those same communities.  

Instead of driving major polluters to reduce emissions, Cap and Trade allows power plants, petroleum refi neries and biofuel facilities to buy “reductions” from other polluters. In exchange for continued pollution, refi neries purchase carbon credits from distant companies that install solar panels, conserve critical habitat or cut emissions. Instead of reducing local pollution, major polluters buy improvements implemented far away.

As most major polluters are concentrated in low-income communities of color, Cap and Trade prevents local reductions in toxins, smog-forming chemicals, and particulate matter pollution. � ese air pollutants are byproducts of the same combustion processes

Will California Sacrifi ce Environmental Justice for Cap and Trade?

By Alegría De La Cruzfrom someone else. Requiring polluters to reduce their emissions at the source would be more health protective than Cap and Trade. � e Air Resources Board’s plan to reduce greenhouse gasses also failed to protect poor agricultural communities.  Many impacts from agricultural pollution are concentrated in California’s Central Valley—a majority Latino population that ranks last in the nation for income, the quality and availability of education, and health. � e Central Valley also has the most daily violations of federal and state ozone standards and the highest levels of particulate pollution in the United States. Here, methane emissions from livestock account for 53 percent of the state’s methane inventory. Methane is 20-times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2, and cow manure ponds also release particulate-forming pollutants into the air. Had the Air Resources Board regulatedthe agricultural industry in its implementation plan, dairies would have been forced to cut emissions. � ey may have been required to install methane digesters, which remove methane and particulate pollutants from the air and generate renewable energy. Low-income, rural communities of color could enjoy the benefi ts of cleaner air, and the state would achieve maximum reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

We fi led suit to ensure that AB 32’s implementation is consistent with its letter and spirit. Our recent victory, although tentative, could bar the Air Resources Board from moving forward with current implementation plans.

California’s climate law can create economic opportunities and protect public health, but all Californians deserve the benefi ts of greenhouse gas reductions, and the poor should not be sacrifi ced in favor of a system designed for polluters. People are not subsidies.

—Alegría De La Cruz is the Legal Director at the Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment.

While Mattole chinook and coho salmon worked their way upriver last December, my partner, Jane Lapiner and I found ourselves surrounded by the tropical beaches of Cancun, Mexico.

� e salmon were working out of a very diff erent sets of instincts. Jane and I were certainly not in Cancun to spawn! But at deeper levels, there was a clear, strong relationship between the two journeys. It had to do with both our and the salmon’s survival.

Cancun was the scene of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 16/CMP 6). Here representatives of 193 countries came together to negotiate cooperative agreements to save the planet from the worst dangers of climate change.

A year earlier the conference had produced a disappointing conclusion. It closed with the Copenhagen Accords—a weak document that incited angry protests and an enormous police presence.

Before Cancun, expectations were put on a short leash so as to avoid uproar. � e meeting was originally scheduled for Mexico City, but after the huge, tumultuous demonstrations in Copenhagen, the venue was changed. While luxurious for the delegates, Cancun also has one road in and out, facilitating better defense against climate activists. Our trail to Cancun began in the remote and far less luxurious Mattole in the mid-70’s when it was becoming clear to everyone that our great salmon runs were disappearing. In the 35 years since then a remarkable citizen-run eff ort has developed, dedicated not only to the recovery of native Mattole salmon, but to the renewal of the health and productivity of the entire watershed.

Despite the fact that great work has been accomplished, our salmon runs are still hanging on by too thin a thread. � e coho, especially, continue to barely skirt extinction. A few hundred chinook return annually where once

David Simpson stands on the beach in Cancun with his new friends. Photo: David Simpson.

there were tens of thousands. Why are the salmon not recovering more

easily? Many of the instream factors aff ecting salmon are improving as a consequence of natural regeneration and our eff orts at erosion control and habitat restoration.

Right after the new millennium, a previously unobserved phenomena caught us by surprise. Pools and channels in the mainstem near the headwaters were drying up in late summer and early fall, often leaving juvenile salmon stranded. Some were unable to hide from predators and were eaten. Others died from lack of food and oxygen, disappearing with the water.

� is is due to a combination of factors related to climate change and development. Human water use is increasing as more people move to the country. A more pernicious factor is a slow, low-grade, corrosive drought cycle abetted by a decline in coastal fog.

� ere is now an emerging school of knowledge about the currents off north coast shores. It appears that current changes may be impacting ocean food supplies for salmon. As climate change continues, ocean warming may also become a regional problem. Salmon needcold waters to survive.

What hope does the UN process hold for our salmon? In the end, the COP 16 adopted the Cancun Agreements—a disappointing set of allowances similar to the Copenhagen Accords. If the emissions reductions in this agreement are to be our fi nal standard, world average temperatures will increase between 3 and 6 degrees Celsius. Given what a rise of .8 degrees has already wrought, disaster will be inevitable.

So what are we to do? How might we survive and take salmon with us through the perilous narrows we enter? Here as elsewhere, ecosystem restoration must become not just a nice option but an imperative. � e rebuilding of stability and resiliency are crucial parts of the adaptation we must make. We must work to regain some semblance of the ecological bounty that was to be our children’s birthright, and then share it equitably throughout the world.

How do we join into a force for survival so large and so diverse that government and large commercial interests will have no choice but to follow? Let the salmon be our guide.

Salmon and CancunBy David Simpson

An international peasant organization of small farmers demonstrates in Cancun. Photo: Hallie Boas, Global Justice Ecology Project.

Environmental groups protested AB 32 in Sacramento, 2008. Photo: Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment

ASHES, NOT COKE: Five teenagers in Silver Springs, Florida, have been arrested after they allegedly snorted creamated ashes in the mistaken belief that it was cocaine.

VITRIOLIC VULTURE: Saudi Arabian security services have captured a vulture suspected of being a spy sent over from Israel.  � e bird was carrying a GPS transmitter and a tag from Tel Aviv University, and strayed into Saudi territory. After saying the vulture was linked to a "Zionist plot," the bird was placed under arrest.  Just recently, a shark that attacked tourists off the Egyptian coastal resort of Sharm el Sheikh was said to be acting on behalf of the Israeli secret service.

VIDEO GAMES NOT FATTENING: A three-year study of 482 schoolchildren 12 years old in East Lansing, Michigan, showed that neither gamers nor internet users nor cellphone fanatics predicted a child's weight or body mass index.  Instead it was race, socioeconomic status and age that were the strongest indicators. In fact, internet users had higher scores in reading and gamers had better spatial skills--though lower grades and self-esteem.

POLLUTION BLACK MARKET: A half-million permits to pollute the planet were stolen recently from a Czech carbon bank. It follows a similar robbery in Romania and an attempted one in Austria, and they all threaten to ruin the European carbon trading plan.  Major companies can emit only as much carbon dioxide as their European Union Allowances say. If they want to emit more, they must buy spare carbon permits from others.

HISPANIC PARADOX: � at's what scientists call the fact that Hispanics outlive non-Hispanic white and African Americans despite higher rates of poverty, obesity and diabetes and low rates of health insurance and access to a college education.  As of 2006, the life expectancy of Hispanics was 80.6 years, 2.5 years more than for non-Hispanic whites and almost 8 years longer than for blacks.

Spending on prescription drugs more than doubled over the decade, even accounting for infl ation, with Americans shelling out $234 billion, as opposed to $104 billion 10 years before.  If you're older than 60, it was probably a cholesterol-lowering drug. If you are 20 to 59, it was more likely to be an anti-depressant.

  KILLER PAPER: � at's what scientists are calling a new packaging that helps preserve food by fi ghting the bacteria that causes spoilage.  � e paper contains a coating made of silver nanoparticles, which are powerful anti-bacterial agents. Each nanoparticle is 1/50,000th the width of a human hair.

  FOUL USE OF FISH: Two ice fi shermen on Michigan's Black Lake were attacked by a 29-year-old woman wielding a fi sh.  � e woman fi rst asked them to turn around while she urinated on the ice, then when they did, she slapped each of them in the head with the fi sh. She said she did it because the men placed their shanty too close to her shanty. � e men, both in their early 20s, did not wish to press charges.

THIRD-HAND SMOKE: � at's the term for the invisible remains of cigarette smoke that lingers on carpets, clothing and other surfaces—and may be more of a health hazard than previously believed.  So says Yael Dubowski and colleagues who noted that nicotine in third-hand smoke can react with ozone in indoor air and on surfaces to form other pollutants. Exposure to them can aff ect babies crawling on the carpets to people eating tainted food.

PREGNANT HITLER: As a punishment for his sins, Adolph Hitler has been portrayed as a semi-naked pregnant woman, as the Virgin Mary, as a Jewish death camp survivor and as someone cradling the baby Jesus.  � e artist, Ronald Manullang of Indonesia, said: "� is is a terrifying, powerful man who has to breastfeed, sing lullabies and caress a baby who he really hates. � is is a fi tting punishment for his past sins."

 "IMPULSIVE" GENE: A mutant gene linked to impulsive behavior has been discovered in Finnish men convicted of violence.  � e gene which inhibits production of seratonin, involved in providing restraint and foresight into the consequences of actions, was three times as common in violent criminals as in the general population. It played a pivotal role in all prisoners carrying the mutation, and their crimes were unpremeditated, without potential for fi nancial gain and disproportionate to minor irritations.

Eco-ManiaA monthly melange of salient sillies..

 LEGS OF THE LAW: Rather than install expensive traffi c lights all over Czechoslovakia, budget-minded police placed life-sized cutouts of mini-skirted policewomen at busy intersections.  But the scheme backfi red when accidents doubled because men took their eyes off the road. One man, who complained to the Interior Ministry, said: "I mean mini-skirts? In this weather?"

Global Village GalleryTextiles * BeadsClothing * Jewelry

973 H Street * Arcata * 826-2323Open 7 Days a Week

PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE SKYROCKETS:

February /March 2011 ECONEWS www.yournec.org14

Just as the wet season was about to start, I explored Jacoby Creek with Humboldt State University Professor Emeritus John DeMartini. In anticipation of the Jacoby Creek Land Trust’s naturalist walk program, we were searching the stream for “animals without backbones.” Our tool was a soup strainer; our dress was bare feet and shorts. With numb feet I watched maple leaves spin through the air to the water. When willows, alders and maples drop their leaves, light penetrates deeper into the stream forest, and ancient liverworts, mosses, and lichens go through their reproductive stages. Many of these plants are also united in a spirit of poikilohydry—a life tied to the comings and goings of water. As these organisms don’t hold much water inside their cells, they desiccate during the dry season and remain dormant. It’s not until the rain comes that photosynthesis begins. Insects also benefi t from the winter life cycle. After the leaves fl oat in clusters down the stream, they eventually come to rest at mini debris dams. Here caddis fl y larva eat the last of the leaf chlorophyll and carotene pigments. I pull my soup strainer up and examine its contents. “Nothing left of the leaves,” I mutter to John. � e caddis fl ies had licked their plates clean. “Right,” said John, “but look at the Ammocoetes!”

Ammocoete is the term used to describe lamprey larvae. From John I learned that the western brook lamprey—Lampetra richardsoni—consumes fi ne detritus. Lampreys are vertebrates

The Western Brook Lamprey Thrives in WinterBy Bob Wunner

Jacoby Creek Land Trust is approaching its 20th anniversary. It was founded by a group of people who were concerned about restoring and protecting the landscape features of the watershed. Timber harvesters and homesteaders had devastated stream conditions and fi shery populations. In the 1970’s, Bob Wunner and a group of friends began restoration activities along Jacoby Creek, wherever they were granted access. It was a frustrating process. After improvements were made on stream banks, sometimes the owner sold the property, and the new landowner would bring a diff erent vision for the land. Wunner and his colleagues founded the Jacoby Creek Land Trust to help solve this problem. � e fi rst conservation easement was granted to co-founder Bill � ompson’s property in the early 1990s. � e Land Trust now holds easements on roughly 20 properties in the Jacoby Creek and Elk River watersheds. Landowners maintain ownership of their properties, but agree to preserve the land. If the property is sold or passed on to an heir, the easement ensures conservation goals are met and restoration work remains intact. � e City of Arcata has been, and continues to be, a close partner with the Jacoby Creek Land Trust. � e city owns about 2 square miles in the upper-mid watershed, which is now called the Jacoby Creek Forest. � e city is actively acquiring more lands in the watershed and conducts a sustainable Forest Stewardship Council-certifi ed harvest program on its lands. Other partners include the California Wildlife Conservation Board and the California Department of Fish and Game, which have helped secure grant funding to help land owners put easements on their properties, and to help the Land Trust buy parcels from willing sellers. Instream and riparian conditions have improved signifi cantly since the 1970’s, but there are still areas of unprotected stream corridor. Public outreach continues, and Jacoby Land Trust has an active outreach program under its current executive director, Susan Ornelas. A series of naturalist walks to study the watershed will begin this spring, continuing throughout the year.

and are incorrectly called eels. Unlike eels, lampreys don’t have jaws. Most lampreys are anadromous, like salmon, leaving freshwater when young and returning to reproduce as adults. Adult lampreys are typically parasitic on fi shes. � e diminutive western brook lamprey, however, is only 4.4 to 7.7 inches long, and is neither anadromous nor parasitic. It is confi ned to freshwater because it cannot regulate water balance in saline water. Seven gills reside on each side of its head. � e western brook lamprey is considered one of the most abundant life forms in the lower reaches of streams in the northwestern United States. Easily overlooked and diffi cult to collect, the larva stage can last up to seven years. During this time lamprey eat detritus, microscopic algae desmids, diatoms, and other algae. John and I found the larva in sand and silt deposits on lower Jacoby Creek and in the Morrison Gulch tributary. Spawning occurs in riffl es, on rock, sand, or gravel stream bottoms in shallow depressions fi ve centimeters deep and 10-12 centimeters in diameter. I still marvel that this life form, the jawless fi shes with cartilaginous skeletons, lacking scales, bone and fi ns, were the fi rst vertebrates. For over 100 million years they were the ONLY vertebrates. � e oldest lampreys date back to 540 million years—the middle of the Cambrian period, when life exploded into an array of prolifi c diversity. In early February I emailed descriptions of our observations to Professor Moyle, Professor Emeritus in Fisheries and Wildlife at the University of California at Davis. � e next day he sent his most recent studies of lampreys, noting that whatever we found was new information. Little is known about the western brook lamprey.

Sun FrostEnergy Efficient

Refrigerators & Freezers

Customized To Fit Your Needs

4 Available in DC or AC

4 Select From Over 10 Models

4 Choose from 1000’s of Colors, Finishes & Woods

“Higher efficiency standards for refrigerators have saved the equivalent of all the energy

generated in the US by wind and solar.”Dr. Chu, US Secretary of Energy

Please Contact Us For More InfoP.O. Box 1101, Arcata, CA 95518

tel: (707)822-9095 • fax: (707)822-6213 info@sunfrost.com • www.sunfrost.com

Ammocoetes are the larval stage of western brook lamprey. Photo: John Demartini.Ammocoetes are the larval stage of western brook lamprey.

Bob Wunner examines a “leaf pack” for caddis � y larva. Inset: Caddis � y larva and case. Photos: John Demartini.

New EcoBroker

Helping buyers and sellers make “Green” decisions about Humboldt County real estate.

Call to learn more today!Karen OrsolicsBroker/Owner707 834-1818 655 F Street Arcata, CA www.arcataproperty.com

watsonandcoenergy.com

Martin Watson CEM, HERS

839-1763

Jeremy Watson EIT, HERS

498-7617

watsonenergy@gmail.com

FALL SPECIAL:HOME ENERGY

AUDITS ONLY $75

FIND OUT WHERE YOUR HOME IS WASTING HEAT

AND ELECTRICITY & SAVE MONEY ON YOUR

NEXT HEATING BILL!

...working with clients to improve the social, economic and environmental performance of their organizations and projects.  

REGENERATIVE DEVELOPMENT PLANNING AND RESEARCHCHANGE MANAGEMENT

  www.greenwaypartners.net                                                                707.822.0597

ECONEWS February/March 2011 www.yournec.org 15

� e north coast is known for its abundant winter rains, foggy days, and majestic rivers. Water has shaped the landscape and supports our high quality of life. However, current and past land management practices have failed to protect this precious resource, with dire consequences for our rivers and coastal waters.

Once-legendary salmon populations have declined precipitously, with some on the brink of extinction. Poor logging and road maintenance practices have left north coast streams choked with sediment, suff ocating salmon eggs. Many of our rivers are threatened by low summer fl ows resulting in toxic algae blooms and temperatures too high for salmon to survive. In urban and residential areas, runoff carries motor oil, lawn fertilizers and other contaminants into creeks, ultimately polluting Humboldt Bay and the ocean.

� is state of aff airs is the result of past and present land use practices with little regard for water. Humboldt County’s General Plan Update contemplates how we can improve development practices to protect our water resources both in urban and rural areas. Two policies being considered are crucial to the future health and viability of our waterways: watershed-based planning and Low Impact Development techniques, which are designed to mimic the natural fl ow of water through the landscape.

Protecting Water Quality and Quantity through Watershed-Based Planning

Watershed-based planning uses a basin-wide perspective, acknowledging the interconnectedness of upstream and downstream residents and the environment. It strives to include members of all communities to participate in decision-making as it acknowledges the ecological, social, and economic impacts of our land management practices.

Everyone lives in a watershed, whether we live in town, on a hill, or in a remote river-valley. A watershed encompasses everything from the ridge tops to where the river meets the sea. Watersheds capture, store, fi lter, and convey water supplies that are essential for our towns, forests, fi sheries, and agriculture to thrive.

Most watersheds in Humboldt County include urban and rural residents. In each watershed, all of our land use practices, including

Healthy Humboldt Eyes Water Use Planning logging, farming and residential development, aff ect water quality. Watershed-based planning promotes a localized approach to understanding and addressing these impacts to maintain a clean, stable water supply for local residents, municipalities, agriculture, and habitat for salmon and other wildlife.

Reducing Runoff through Low Impact Development (LID)

Low Impact Development (LID) is an approach to land development that incorporates a suite of features designed to reduce stormwater runoff by treating it close to the source, keeping pollutants out of creeks and coastal waters.

Conventional development practices result in high concentrations of asphalt, concrete and other impermeable surfaces. Rainwater cannot infi ltrate, and ends up running along

hard surfaces like roadways, rooftops, or paved parking lots and picks up pollutants which then enter storm drains. � ese storm drains quickly channel the runoff to creeks, leading to

increased fl ooding, stream erosion, and water quality degradation.

Low Impact Development works to mimic natural drainage systems as much as possible through the use of site-specifi c design features that reduce impervious surfaces, generate less surface runoff , and reduce erosion and pollution of rivers, streams, and coastal waters.

Low Impact Development allows water to fi lter into the ground rather than run along the surface. Vegetation slows down stormwater, while soils absorb it and soil bacteria break down contaminants. Low Impact Development techniques such as rain gardens, grassy swales, vegetated rooftops, and permeable pavement reduce pollution and erosion while replenishing groundwater supplies.

In many jurisdictions, these development practices are required in new

residential and commercial developments. � e City of Eureka adopted its Construction Low Impact Development Manual in 2009, and projects there are beginning to incorporate bioswales, permeable pavement, and other methods of reducing stormwater runoff . Yet in the unincorporated areas of Humboldt County, Low Impact Development is made diffi cult by existing ordinances and policies. By updating the County’s General Plan to include Low Impact Development, more builders can incorporate these features, allowing more stormwater to remain on-site, preventing pollution and protecting streams and coastal waters for future generations.—Kerry Topel is a contributor to the Healthy Humboldt Coalition. She recently completed her master’s degree at Humboldt State University’s Environment & Community program, with a focus on sustainable rural community development and water privatization.

To fi nd out more, visit www.healthyhumboldt.org.

SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS on the

Water Resources Elementvia email to:

mspencer@co.humboldt.ca.usOR

by U.S. mail to:Humboldt County Community

Development Services, Attn: Martha Spencer,

3015 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501

Pollutant Cause Low Impact Development SolutionsPetroleum products, heavy metals Impermeable pavement Permeable pavement, paving stones, reduction in paved

surfaces, bioswales in parking lots and adjacent to streets.  Nitrogen, phosphorus, pesticides

Fertilizers and pesticides used for lawns and other landscaping 

Rain gardens or bioswales to intercept runoff before it gets to storm drains. Infi ltration into the soil allows breakdown by soil microbes; interception by plants that take up water and pollutants keeps them out of storm water.

Fecal coliformPet excrement, leaks from municipal sewer lines or septic systems   

Rain gardens or bioswales, regular testing and maintenance of sewer and stormwater systems. Shallower sloped, longer, sandy soiled, and densely grassed swales have the highest pollution removal rates. 

Copper Roofs, vehiclesUse of gutter runoff in landscaping, e.g. rain gardens, rain barrels and cisterns, green roofs, and roof gardens; street sweeping.

 *Water conservation is always the fi rst solution that should be employed. Planting native and drought-tolerant plants and using mulch are examples of water conservation measures for landscaping that will help protect water quality by reducing runoff .   

Common pollutants in urban runoff, their causes, and potential LID solutions*

By Kerry Topel

increased fl ooding, stream erosion, and water quality degradation.

mimic natural drainage systems as much as possible through the use of site-specifi c design features that reduce impervious surfaces, generate less surface runoff , and reduce erosion and pollution of rivers, streams, and coastal waters.

water to fi lter into the ground rather than run along the surface. Vegetation slows down stormwater, while soils absorb it and soil bacteria break down contaminants. Low Impact Development techniques such as rain gardens, grassy swales, vegetated rooftops, and permeable pavement reduce pollution and erosion while replenishing groundwater supplies. A water-harvesting swale in San Ramon captures runo� , minimizes gully

erosion and promotes groundwater recharge. Photo: Dan Ehresman.

This bioswale in a Fred Meyer parking lot in Portland, Oregon � lters runo� . Photo: Jennifer Kalt.

Permeable sidewalk increases in� ltration by reducing impervious surface area. Photo: Dan Burden. Reprinted with permission from www.pedbikeimages.org.

Athing Wellness CenterChiropractic, Massage and Acupuncture

James Athing, Doctor of ChiropracticSoft Tissue Specialist

Work, Auto & Sports Injuries735 12th Street, Arcata (707)822-7419 www.athingchiropractic.com

NEW WORLD WATER

Missaiya’s

New World Water

778 18th Street, Arcata 707-822-7066

“Community not Corporations”

February /March 2011 ECONEWS www.yournec.org16

� e latest move in the grueling chess match in the Klamath Basin played out this December, when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approved new water quality standards for the Klamath River and its tributaries. � e decision establishes pollution limits and mandates reductions in temperature, dissolved oxygen, organic nutrients, sediment and toxic algae.

� e water quality improvement plan calls for massive pollution reductions for the California portion of the river, including a 57 percent reduction in phosphorus, 32 percent in nitrogen, and 16 percent in carbonaceous biochemical oxygen demand (CBOD). � e plan also calls for annual reductions in the river’s reservoirs of more than 120,000 pounds of nitrogen and 22,000 pounds of phosphorus.

� ese limits are modeled on baseline natural conditions in the Klamath Basin. � ey were fi rst approved by the California State Water Resources Control Board last September and are expressed as Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL). TMDL implementation involves iden tifying sources of the various pollutants, and reducing inputs through land use modifi cation and restoration.

� e Klamath River, a federally protected “Wild and Scenic River,” fl ows 255 miles southwest from Oregon through northern California, and empties into the Pacifi c Ocean. � e Klamath River drains an extensive watershed covering over 12,600 square miles, and has been called the “Everglades of the West.”

� e Klamath River and its tributaries support the highest diversity of anadromous fi shes of any river in California, including salmon, cutthroat trout, steelhead and sturgeon. Upstream in Oregon, the river hosts the state’s most robust population of redband and bull trout. In 2002, a massive die-off of more than 70,000 salmon brought national attention to this area.

California groups pollution in the Klamath River into four categories: those received at the state border; the Klamath Hydro-electric Project, including Iron Gate Hatchery; the many Klamath tributaries; and the many non-point sources that occur throughout the watershed. How will the TMDL’s address each of these problem areas? As far as the upper basin is concerned, the EPA is working with Oregon to certify TMDLs in the coming months. � is creates water quality standards on both sides of the state line—a border that has hindered basin-wide cooperation while providing little barrier to pollutants. Since upstream pollution is largely agricultural in origin, the number and fl exibility of these waivers could determine whether the TMDL’s for the

upper basin are realistic. � e agricultural waiver process will not be completed until December 2012, and environmental groups are watching this process closely. Pacifi Corp, the owners of the Klamath Hydroelectric Project, argued that the TMDL’s are “unachievable,” and challenged the scientifi c methods used in creating them. � e Klamath dam removal agreements, which Pacifi Corp agreed to, also provide for TMDL implementation. � e EPA defers to these agreements and provides legal basis for the limits should agreements fall apart.

While the EPA’s affirmation is clearly good news, many larger questions remain. Can democracy restore this ecosystem? What is the diff erence between a government ruling and a healthy environment? Will any action be soon enough?

In this case the fate of the Klamath may depend on how soon TMDL’s are properly enforced. Whether polluters are given cease and desist orders or nominal fi nes will also determine the river’s fate. And none of this addresses water allocation, which may be the root of many of the pollution problems in the Klamath Basin. Until a common vision for a healthy Klamath is put into motion, the ecosystem will continue to suff er while policy makers, industries and interest groups expend valuable time playing chess against each other.

What Will New Pollution Standards Mean For The Klamath?

Coal is one of the single greatest causes of climate change. Coal power plants account for 20 percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions and provide 50 percent of the electricity in the U.S. According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, 10 percent of U.S. coal supplies come from mountaintop removal.

No new coal plants began operation in the last two years. In 2010, a record 38 proposals for new plants were dropped by utilities companies, who also announced 12,000 megawatts in coal plant retirements.

Most Mountain Top Removal permits are on hold by the Environmental Protection Agency, which vetoed the Spruce Mine in West Virginia on Jan.13. � is would have been the largest mountain top removal project of its kind in the country.

Photo: Courtesy of Honeybee.

India’s Honeybee Network Introduces Grassroots Technology Sharing

Last fall the Honeybee Network published a paper on water wars and population pressure. Earlier in the year papers on inclusive governance and conscious innovation were distributed on the web. � is diversity in focus is the vision of Anil Gupta, who founded the Honeybee Network in 1988. His revolutionary idea was that people didn’t need to wait for information to trickle down to them from the top level of universities and corporations.

People in rural India, like poor people everywhere, are naturally inventive, and this creativity can be a powerful force, as shown by the image in the logo of a peasant woman moving

the world. But rural folks usually do not have the ways and means to share their inventions or their traditional knowledge.

� is is where the Honeybee network helps. Based in Ahmedabad, India, the online portal gathers low tech, low impact ideas from people in the countryside. Innovators can join the network to post and share ideas. Information is then distributed through travelling workshops, a newsletter published in Hindi, Gujarati, and Telugu, and an online database with 90,000 ideas and innovations.

� is open-source structure mimics the behavior of the honey bee,

which gives the organization its name. Examples of the projects tackled by

members include wind-powered irrigation systems, bicycle-powered grain grinders and washing machines, a motorbike powered plow, and silencer and pollution control devices for generators.

Organic farming techniques are also shared, including the hands-on pest control method shown in the above picture. People move through a fi eld of corn or millet, catch one of the Sunga bugs, crush it together with the leaves of the Dhumas plant or the Kejii plant, and cast the dead bugs and leaves to the wind. Upon smelling this, the other bugs leave the fi eld. As the saying goes, “Employ people, not poison.”For more information contact the Honeybee Network at http://www.sristi.org/hbnew/contactus.php

By Robert “Bobcat” Brothers, Ph.D.

Good News For The Earth: What the media does not tell usBad news sells. Good news threatens the status quo. This page � lls in the good news gap.

A Good Year In the Fight Against Coal

By Abe Walston

The State of Je� erson is a scenic byway on the Klamath River. Photo: U.S. Department of Transportation, Larry Mosier.

The Klamath River meets the ocean. Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

the world. But rural folks usually do not have the ways and means to share their inventions or their traditional knowledge.

network helps. Based in Ahmedabad, India, the online portal gathers low tech, low impact ideas from people in the countryside. Innovators can join the network to post and share ideas. Information is then distributed through travelling workshops, a newsletter published in Hindi, Gujarati, and Telugu, and an online database with 90,000 ideas and innovations.

mimics the behavior of the honey bee, Photo: Courtesy of Bobcat.

ECONEWS February/March 2011 www.yournec.org 17

NORTH GROUP NEWSA List of Events & Conservation Updates From the North Group Redwood Chapter Sierra Club

Beginners and experts, non-members and members are all welcome at our programs and on our outings. Events are free and made possible by volunteer eff orts.

Evening ProgramsMeet at the Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road, near 7th and Union in Arcata. All programs are held on the second Wednesday of the month. Refreshments are available at 7 p.m. � e program starts at 7:30 p.m.

HSU Chemical Ecologist William Wood will discuss his research on fl oral odors and the compounds in plants that are toxic, distasteful, and inhibit the growth of other plants. How have people adapted the many chemicals used by plants for their own benefi t? Many of the compounds produced by plants to ward off pests have become human medicines. Floral odors are the basis of many perfumes. Our present lifestyle could not exist without the chemicals we use from plants.

� e rocky, barren, and yet picturesque landscape of the Lassics is home to several exceedingly rare plants, including the Lassics lupine. Without question this lupine is the rarest species in Northwestern California, and it may be the most threatened. David Imper, Lisa Hoover and Sydney Carothers will summarize nine years of research.

Wednesday, April 13: Favorite Native Plants for North Coast GardensWalter Earle and Margaret Graham have been growing native plants at Mostly Natives Nursery, Tomales California. � ey specialize in plants that thrive in north coast gardens. Walter will share with us some of what they have learned about his favorite species for our coast—what sites they like, tricks about planting and caring for them, how to propagate them, and the wildlife they attract.

CNPS HAPPENINGSNews and Events from the North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society

Wednesday, May 11: Insect-Plant Relationships Bob Case will share interesting “Insect-Plant Relationships” and tips on photography. Examples will include Sierran insects and plants from the Yuba Pass area.

Field Trips and Plant Walks Outings are open to everyone, not just members. All levels of expertise, from beginners to experienced botanizers, are welcome. Address questions about physical ability requirements to the leader.

� is hike will span dense, lush, coastal scrub, remnant coastal prairie and spruce forest. We will walk to Trinidad Head and on through Trinidad State Beach (Is the slinkpod blooming yet?). We will wander on to Elk Head and cover several miles of easy paths. Bring lunch and water and be ready to be outside all day. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pacifi c Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata), or at 9 a.m. at the beach parking lot by Trinidad Head. We will return late afternoon. For information and to say you are coming call Carol Ralph 822-2015.

Sunday, March 20: Equinox in the Redwoods—Brown Creek-South Fork Trail Loop Dayhike It’s time to look for trillium, the fi rst stream violet and hazelnut female fl owers! � is roughly 4-mile hike in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park is a

great place to look for early spring among the damp, winter green. Bring lunch and water; dress for a day in the shady redwoods (Yes, consider gloves). Meet at 9:00 a.m. at Pacifi c Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata) or arrange another place. For information and to say you are coming call Carol Ralph 822-2015.

Sunday, April 10: Benbow to Garberville along the Eel River, DayhikeWhere the South Fork Eel River swings away from Highway 101 between Benbow and Garberville is a trail through mixed evergreen forest and oak woodlands. � is is a true exploration and our fi rst trip there. We will leave some vehicles at Southern Humboldt Community Park and drive to Benbow to walk from that end. We will walk about 4 miles. Bring lunch and water. Dress for being outside all day, whatever the weather.

Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pacifi c Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata), or at 9 a.m. at the Kohl’s end of Bayshore Mall parking lot, or at 10:15 a.m. in the Community Park. Return late afternoon. For information and to say you are coming call Carol Ralph 822-2015.

Saturday, May 21: Save the date. Destination TBA.

Don’t miss outings with Godwit Days (April 15-17), CNPS Spring Wildfl ower Show (April 30-May 1), and California Redwoods Bird and Nature Festival (May 6-8 in Crescent City). Please watch for later additions on our Web site (www.northcoastcnps.org) or sign up for e-mail announcements: Northcoast_CNPS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Everyone is welcome. No botanical knowledge required. We are out there to share and enjoy.

at 9 a.m., or gather at the beach below Table Bluff at 9:30 a.m. 9 miles, easy. Rain cancels.

Outings co-chair Al Muelhoefer reports that during 2010, the number of outings increased to 31. � e number of participants was 138—a little lower than in 2009. Over the last six years North Group averaged six people per outing. North Group would like to thank its leaders for sharing their time and knowledge. However, there is always a need for more leaders. If you would like to help people explore our beautiful North Coast, contact Al at almuelhoefer@gmail.com.

Election ResultsDiane Beck, Mel McKinney, and Lucille Vinyard were elected to 2-year terms on the North Group Executive Committee.

Sunday, Feb. 27: Berry Glen TrailNew 6-mile, medium diffi culty trail connect-ing Lady Bird Johnson Grove to the Elk Mead-ow Day use area off Davison Road, where this free public hike begins and ends. Pre-registration required; contact leader Melinda

Saturday, March 5: Eel River Hike At Table Bluff Begin below Table Bluff . Follow the beach south 4.5 miles between the ocean and sloughs, estuaries, and marshlands of the Eel. Return varies along dunes and McNulty Slough. Meet at Herrick Park & Ride at 9 a.m., or gather at the beach below Table Bluff at 9:30 a.m. Nine miles, medium diffi culty. Rain cancels. Leader: Xandra (707) 441-0702.

Tuesday, March 8: Executive Committee Meeting Discuss local conservation issues from 8-9 p.m., or come for the business meeting starting at 7 p.m. Meet at the Adorni Center in Eureka. Info: Gregg (707) 826-3740.

Saturday, March 19: Headwaters Forest, EurekaHike along level ground for three miles, passing through second-growth redwood forest. � e last two miles are a steep climb and loop through old growth. Return along the same route. Meet at Herrick Park & Ride at 9 a.m., or at the trailhead at the end of Elk River Road at 9:30 a.m. 11 miles, medium diffi culty. No dogs. Leader: Xandra (707) 441-0702.

Saturday, March 26: Table Bluff And South SpitBegin below Table Bluff and follow the road 4.5 miles north to South Spit between the ocean and bay. Meet at Herrick Park & Ride

Retreat DiscussionNorth Group held its annual retreat on January 22. Many ambitious goals for the upcoming year

1) endorse viable, electable local candidates; 2) encourage more local cities to sign on to the Club’s Cool Cities Campaign; 3) meet regularly with elected offi cials; 4) monitor/infl uence Humboldt County’s greenhouse gas reduction eff orts; 5) work on Richardson Grove project; 6) advocate for sound science and Club position on Klamath River and dam removal; 7) work with Healthy Humboldt Coalition on General Plan Update; 8) support Chapter eff orts to implement AB2121 (in-stream fl ow legislation); 9) advocate for restoration of Eel River, including adequate fl ows and healthy salmon stocks; 10) monitor implementation of Clam Beach vehicle restriction ordinance; 11) monitor/infl uence Marina Center project; 12) sponsor two member meetings with food and speaker; 13) work toward more focus on environmental/watershed protection during wildfi re suppression and post-fi re activities; 14) monitor impact of Yurok Tribal Park proposal on Redwood National & State Parks; 15) hold a picnic with other environmental groups; 16) work to develop a resilient habitat and national forest regional plan for NW California; 17) work on Lower Trinity RD, Six Rivers NF trails planning; 18) monitor Humboldt Bay management and development proposals; 19) monitor MLPA issues and support Northcoast unifi ed proposal; and 20) monitor and develop positions on local/regional environmental issues to present at public meetings.

Attendees enjoy a North Group hike at Lyon’s Ranch in 2010. Photo: Sierra Club, North Group.

Leader: Xandra (707) 441-0702.were discussed:

Other Local Activities

Saturday, February 26: Trinidad Head to Elk Head Day Hike

Wednesday, February 9: Chemicals—� e Language of Plants

A Great Year for Outings!

Wednesday, March 9: Lassics Lupine—Taking the Pulse of a Rare Plant

(707) 668-4275 or mgroomster@gmail.com.

great place to look for early spring among the damp, winter green. Bring lunch and water; dress for a day in the shady redwoods (Yes, damp, winter green. Bring lunch and water; dress for a day in the shady redwoods (Yes, damp, winter green. Bring lunch and water;

consider gloves). Meet at 9:00 a.m. at Pacifi c dress for a day in the shady redwoods (Yes, consider gloves). Meet at 9:00 a.m. at Pacifi c dress for a day in the shady redwoods (Yes,

Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata) or consider gloves). Meet at 9:00 a.m. at Pacifi c Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata) or consider gloves). Meet at 9:00 a.m. at Pacifi c

arrange another place. For information and to say you are coming call Carol Ralph 822-2015.

Sunday, April 10: Benbow to Garberville along the Eel River, DayhikeWhere the South Fork Eel River swings away from Highway 101 between Benbow and Garberville is a trail through mixed evergreen forest and oak woodlands. � is is a true exploration and our fi rst trip there. We will leave some vehicles at Southern Humboldt Community Park and drive to Benbow to walk from that end. We will walk about 4 miles. Bring lunch and water. Dress for being outside all day, whatever the weather. CNPS members enjoy a walk in Trinidad. Photo: CNPS.

February /March 2011 ECONEWS www.yournec.org18

Next Steps in the Marine Life Protection Act By Beth Werner

King Tides: A look into the future of Sea Level RiseBy Beth Werner and Jen KaltOn Jan. 19 and 20, the California

coastline was inundated by some of the year’s highest tides. � e water reached 8.25 and 8.85 feet above mean sea level around Humboldt Bay. Known as “King Tides,” these high tides provided a glimpse of what we can expect in sea level rise in the future. Due to climate change, sea level is projected to rise at least 16 inches along the California coast by 2050, with a 50-inch rise predicted by 2100. � e primary impacts from sea level rise are increases in fl ooding and erosion. Sea level rise will expand the area that is vulnerable to fl ooding during major storms, and in the rare but catastrophic event of a major tsunami. 

“Nearly 500,000 people and $100 billion of property along the California coast are vulnerable to rising sea levels. � is is a tangible threat to our environment and economy,” says Sara Aminzadeh, Programs Manager for California Coastkeeper Alliance. “One common sense solution is to restore and protect wetlands, which function like natural sponges, buff ering against rising sea levels, higher tides, and increased storm and wave activity.”

� e Pacifi c Institute recently estimated that critical infrastructure, essential coastal wetlands and other habitats, and many billions

of dollars in property along the coast face steadily increasing fl ood risks if no adaptation actions are taken. 

� reats to Humboldt County from a 4.6 foot rise in sea level include:

• 7,800 people will be living in the 100-year fl oodplain, with disproportionate impacts on low-income households.

� e Marine Life Protection Act on the north coast recently took a step forward in Sacramento with the presentation of Marine Protected Area (MPA) Proposals to the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC). � e MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force recommended the Unifi ed MPA Proposal designed by the Regional Stakeholders—a group of community nominees who represent tribes, fi shing interests and conservationists.

Special Closure Recommendations were also presented to the FGC and will be reviewed for approval. � ese cover seasonal closures around off shore rocks to keep boats away from sensitive marine habitat.

� e California FGC meeting opened with California’s Secretary for Natural Resources, John Laird, speaking in support of the Unifi ed MPA Proposal, and stating that he thought this is a “unique moment in time” to address Tribal uses within the State.

Senator Noreen Evans also spoke in support of the Unified MPA Proposal, telling the FGC that the Unified MPA Proposal is a “testament to the strength and spirit of the north coast.”

Assemblyman Wes Chesbro also showed support for the Unifi ed MPA Proposal. On behalf of the Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture, of which he is president, Chesboro expressed

unanimous support for adopting the Unifi ed MPA Proposal.

� e Unifi ed MPA Proposal includes tribal traditional and non-commercial uses, which is a point of concern for the FGC. � e Blue Ribbon Task Force recommends that the FGC identify “tribal uses” as a separate category of use in the regulations applicable to each MPA, once legal authority is clarifi ed and settled by the State of California and the California Tribes and tribal communities, � e following descriptive language is proposed:

Members of California Indian tribes and tribal communities shall be allowed to fi sh, gather and harvest marine resources for traditional, non-commercial subsistence, ceremonial, religious or stewardship purposes.

� e FGC is tasked with reviewing the MPA Proposals and the Special Closure Recommendations, as well as the Science Evaluations, Department of Fish and Game Feasibility Analysis and the California State Parks recommendations. � e FGC will present their fi ndings in April, at which point the fi nal MPA Proposal for the Northcoast will be identifi ed.

Please contact Beth at at 268-8897 or beth@humboldtbaykeeper.org.

• $1.4 billion in property replacement value will be located within the 100-year fl oodplain.• 240 miles of roads, including 58 miles of highway will be damaged. � e U.S. 101 corridor between Arcata and Eureka is especially at risk.• � ree contaminated sites may fl ood (in addition to the 10 that are currently within the 100-year fl oodplain).• Other infrastructure at risk includes the City of Eureka wastewater treatment plant, the Humboldt Bay power plant, and gasoline storage tanks in Eureka.

� reats to Coastal Wetlands:As sea level rises and the 100-year

fl oodplain expands, coastal ecosystems will undergo changes of an unprecedented scale.  Approximately 350,000 acres of California’s dwindling coastal wetlands face fl ooding from sea level rise. 

� ere is some good news: with long-term planning, Humboldt County has a high potential for wetlands to migrate inland rather than being completely lost to coastal inundation. Wetlands contribute to the health of Humboldt Bay but also serve to absorb storm surges, thereby minimizing fl ood damage on higher ground. Protecting inland areas to allow wetland migration is critical.

Along with this dairy pasture near Liscom Slough, many of Humboldt County’s dairy pastures could be � ooded with brackish water as sea levels rise. Photo: Aldaron Laird.Along with this dairy pasture near Liscom Slough, many of Humboldt County’s dairy

ARCATA COMMUNITY CENTER,

DOOR: 6:00PM DINNER, 7:30

MUSICDINNER BY BRETT SHULER, SILENT AUCTION,

VIP SEATING, FULL BAR!

TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE WORKS AND

HUMBOLDT BAYKEEPER OR

CALL 268-8897 FOR MORE INFO!

EARTHDAY BASH!!

APRIL 22, 2011

$40 dinner/show

$25 music only

FEATURING

THE DEVIL MAKES THREE WITH

ABSYNTH QUINTET, AND KENNY RAY AND THE

MIGHTY ROVERS!

Margaret Draper Attorney at Law 707-826-9072

“Helping families make decisions” Estate planning, wills, trusts and power of attorney for life transitions

PO Box 176, Bayside, CA 95524 maggi@humboldt1.comBella Vista Plaza at the corner of Central Ave & Bella Vista Rd.

1225 Central Avenue, Suite #4, McKinleyvilleDavid Tyndall

Tax Preparer826 -1996

Email: david@BellaVistaTaxCenter.com

ECONEWS February/March 2011 www.yournec.org 19

Club. Once a U.S. child is born, he will need food, shelter, and eventually an iPod.

Climate change, water shortages, smog pollution and urban sprawl have all been linked to population growth. � ese problems are paramount in the west and midwest, where cities grow exponentially, encroaching on fragile desert, prairie and forest ecosystems.

In these communities, the typical family uses 176 gallons of water a day. In contrast, many African families use fi ve gallons a day, and in Australia, where living standards are high, many homes use only 35 gallons.

From farm to tabletop, food is also trucked farther in the U.S. Each year, a single long hall truck can release fi ve tons of the particulate-forming air pollutant nitrogen oxide. In total, trucks account for 400 trillion tons of annual carbon dioxide emissions.

To bring produce home from the market, the average American often use 550 plastic bags a year. � ese don’t biodegrade and usually can’t be recycled.

John Bongaarts, of the New York, NY-based Population Council, says good family planning can put a cap on the population growth cycle. Instead of growing to 9 or 9.5

In a time when we are witnessing catastrophic storms, tragic violence and nations in upheaval, � riving Beyond Sustainability: Pathways to a Resilient Society by Andres R. Edwards off ers a refreshing and optimistic perspective.

Edwards presents us with a view of our world, our Earth Island, where we bear witness to fi ve interrelated global trends: ecosystem decline, energy transition, population growth, economic disparity, and climate change. Edwards points out that with the convergence of these challenges “we face an unprecedented crisis – and a unique opportunity for a brighter future.”

� e journey to redefi ne our relationship with the natural world begins as all journeys do – with our ancestors. Traditional cultures the world over have demonstrated their ability to adapt and survive by way of understanding the interrelationships within an ecosystem, while recognizing humans as part of that system. � is traditional ecological knowledge, postulates Edwards, can complement technological advances. But as we lose indigenous cultures, we also lose crucial knowledge for living in balance with the natural world.

Edwards cites projects from around the globe that simultaneously benefi t impoverished populations, individual species, and entire ecosystems. When speaking to the critical issue of safeguarding ecosystems, Edwards makes the case that we must evolve beyond the focus on preservation to a strategy that balances ecological protection with the economic and

Thriving Beyond Sustainability, A Book Review

social needs of people. Only with the support and commitment at the local level can long-term success be recognized.

Edwards also addresses our current economic crisis in relation to the ecological crises we face. He illuminates the fact that there is not enough energy or raw materials to support the world’s economic growth at its current rate, and if the world’s population carried a standard of living we are aff orded in the U.S., we’d need three to fi ve Earths to support it. Edwards argues that “recalibrating our economic system so that it more accurately refl ects the true costs of resource extraction” is key to safeguarding our limited resources for future generations.

Another solution is designing our human habitat with a more holistic approach. Smart Growth, New Urbanism, and regenerative design are a few strategies highlighted. Edwards points to places like Greensburg, Kansas and Växjö, Sweden, whose residents are redefi ning the interface between people, buildings, and nature by encouraging development based on natural cycles and cultural traditions. Edwards brings the book to a close by challenging us to shift from a mindset of sustaining – or getting by – to thriving, enriching the world, and celebrating abundance. He states, “When we are attuned to the rhythms of nature, the possibilities are infi nite. � is shift from ‘less bad’ solutions to solutions that energize us and improve our quality of life through our connections with all life forms is the essence of thriveability.”

By Dan Ehresman, Healthy Humboldt

….if the world’s population carried a standard of living we are aff orded

in the U.S., we’d need three to fi ve Earths to support it.

By 2011 more than seven billion human beings will dwell on Earth. � is number will climb to nine billion by 2050, according to United Nations (UN) reports.

Even though the U.S. will produce fewer children than developing nations, our growth will have disproportionately detrimental environmental impacts. As the average American child grows up, she will use as many resources as 35 people in India.

� is is why the recent cuts to family planning programs pose an environmental as well as a social impact.

Despite evidence that family planning slows population growth, on Feb. 18 the newly conservative House of Representatives approved an amendment to the appropriations act, barring Planned Parenthood from receving federal funding (H. Amdt. 95 to H.R. 1).

Planned Parenthood operates more than 800 family planning clinics nationwide, and provides contraception and birth control on a sliding-scale basis. It receives about $360 million through Medicaid, federal grants and other sources.

� e House Appropriations Act (H.R. 1) was approved just hours after the controversial amendment was added. Along with axing funding for Planned Parenthood, the bill also de-funds Title X—the only federal program dedicated exclusively to reproductive healthcare.

Last year Title X provided $317 million for a wide variety of reproductive health and family planning services. Much of this money went to low-income individuals.

� e environmental impacts of recent cuts have received little media attention, yet they should not be overlooked. If America’s population begins to grow faster than planned, there may be global repurcussions.

� e U.S. contains fi ve percent of the world’s population, but consumes 22 percent of fossil fuel resources. We create 24 percent of carbon dioxide emissions, and use 33 percent of papers and plastics, according to the Sierra

Aerial view of urban sprawl in Bloomington, Ill. Photo: Tlindenbaum/tim account, Flicker Creative Commons.

How Does Family Planning Impact Population Growth?By Amy Coombs

billion, as analysts predict, the Earth’s population might peak at a lower number—at least if women and families are educated. “If we make much larger investments in family planning right now, the number of people could be closer to eight billion,” says Bongaarts. “Such an investment would have a very benefi cial impact on human welfare and any environmental issue we care about.”

Before it was axed, Title X prevented an estimated 973,000 unintended pregnancies each year, according to the Washington D.C.-based Guttmacher Institute, which works to advance reproductive health issues.

On Feb. 20—just hours after the vote to cut funding for Title X and Planned Parenthood,

Bongaarts presented his research on population growth at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Washington DC. His analysis not only links family planning to lower population numbers, it demonstrates that without intervention, the global population may skyrocket faster than previously predicted.

� e UN assumes that fertility rates will eventually stabilize and fi nally decrease after numbers hit 9.5 billion. Based on low levels of childbearing in Southern and Eastern Europe, many analysts assume that women in other geographic locations will eventually have fewer than two children, on average.

Yet if fertility rates remain higher in certain regions, due to a lack of family planning options, the number of human beings co-inhabiting planet Earth may soar to ten billion by 2100, says Bongaarts.

As for the future of family planning in the U.S., recent cuts are now headed to the Senate for a vote. If the cuts clear this hurdle, they may yet face a potential Presidential veto. In the meantime, Americans will continue reproducing. In 2009 more than four million children were born in the United States.

How Does Family Planning Impact Population Growth?

appropriations act, barring Planned Aerial view of urban sprawl in Bloomington, Ill. Photo: Bongaarts presented his research on