ECONEWSThe Newsletter

of the Northcoast Environmental

Center

Inside This Issue Protecting Public Lands..........................3 Proposed Siskiyou Crest National MonumentSavage Rapids Dam........................................5 After 20 years of activism the dam is coming downHealthy Humboldt....................................6 How Will Timberlands Fare in General Plan Update Exploding the Myths about Ag Land Zoning Invasive Plant Threatens Marshes...........7 Eradication Plans for Dense-Flowered CordgrassEco-Fun For Kids.......................................8 Go Play Outside, Word Search, Did Your Know?

Do-It-Yourself............................................9 The Eco-Friendly WayKin to the Earth.......................................10 Richard EngelLife Form of the Month..........................10 Carnivorous Plants of the Smith River Region Horned Butterwort, California Pitcher PlantEco-Mania................................................11 A Monthly Melange of Salient SilliesThe Good News Page..............................13 Feds Finally Taking Action For Climate Protection

Barred Owls Edging Out Their Spotted Cousinby Georgianna Wood

The northern spotted owl has been something of a poster child for those opposed to the logging of old-growth forests. Forest activists rallied around the issue of saving the spotted owl, whose only habitat is in old-growth trees, in the late ‘80s and it was listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1990.

The habitat-protection standards established by the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan (see p. 4) might have been enough to allow the bird to recover, but now it’s under threat from its own cousin, the barred owl, a larger and stronger bird that competes for habitat and prey.

Scientists, industry experts and environmentalists are puzzled over the best way to respond. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is developing an experiment to manage the barred owl population through removal by either lethal or non-lethal means.

So now we are faced with a question of ethics rather than science. If the experiment is successful, and spotted owls recover in places where barred owls are removed, then is the harm to the barred owl justified by the good done to the spotted owl?

No ContestThe barred owl out-competes the spotted owl in

nearly every way. It’s up to 15 percent larger, mates more often, has more offspring and its young emerge earlier. Barred owls also aren’t very particular about what they eat—bugs, crayfish, moles, frogs; and they’ll live just about anywhere from downtown Portland to the remote wilderness.

The spotted owl, on the other hand, prefers old-growth forests for nesting, and is primarily dependent upon rodents. Spotted owl pairs need large amounts of land for hunting and nesting and are generally intolerant of habitat disturbance.

The barred owl has been expanding its range westward from the East Coast. It was first seen in Washington in 1965, had made it to Oregon by 1972, Humboldt County in 1976 and Marin in 2004.

“It appears Native Americans prohibited the range expansion of barred owls for millennia by controlling tree cover in the Great Plains through frequent, widespread burning,” said Kent Livezey, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“European settlers facilitated the range expansion by increasing tree cover through virtual elimination of that burning, planting of trees, extirpation of bison and other actions.”

Whether or not the barred owl is native to this area, it is now part of the new dynamic, and the birds are making a significant impact on the remaining northern spotted owls.

The spotted owl population in Washington has been especially hard-hit, declining an average of 7 percent per year. Food diversity is lower farther north, so the competition is fiercer, said Eric Forsman, wildlife biologist for the Forest Service. In one of his study areas near Corvalis, Oregon, the spotted owls are down to one pair from six just a few years ago, “and barred owls are in every drainage,” he said.

New ExperimentThe Fish & Wildlife Service Oregon office has the

lead for northern spotted owl management. They have formed two groups as they plan for experimental control of the barred owl: the Barred Owl Stakeholder Group (BOSG), comprised of industry, environmental organizations and tribal governments; and the Barred Owl Working Group (BAWP), comprised of federal, state and academic scientists.

The agency will be exploring both lethal and

non-lethal control alternatives in an upcoming Environmental Impact Statement, which will be released for public comment some time next year.

“Lethal control” means simply shooting the barred owls. The protocols for exactly how that will be carried out are under discussion.

“Non-lethal control” includes methods such as:,Capture, neuter and release. This would keep the

population smaller, but not eliminate the barred owl from the spotted owl habitat, so competition would continue on some level.

A family of Northern spotted owls. These owls, unlike the bigger, stronger barred owls, are dependent on old-growth forest for their habitat and need large amounts of land for hunting and nesting Photo: Dave Roloff

It all started 30 years ago, when the Northcoast Environmental Center was awarded federal funding for its Humboldt Beach Beautification and Restoration project.

The goal was to develop a program combining beach cleanup with community education, out of which came the NEC’s “Adopt-a-Beach” campaign.

The NEC organized and ran the beach cleanup effort on the North Coast for the next several years. The project became known simply as Coastal Cleanup Day, and this was adopted as the program’s official name in 1985 when the California Coastal Commission took it over.

What started with three people and a budget of $1,850 a month, eventually turned into a globally reocgnized program. Volunteers in countries all over the world now participate in Coastal Cleanup Day.

In Humboldt County last year, 720 people turned out to clean more than 60 miles of beaches and waterways, picking up more than 6,000 pounds of trash and recycling.

This year, in honor of the 25th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, the NEC wants to sign up more than 1,000 volunteers.

It won’t be a success without YOUR help. Volunteer efforts and sponsorships keep the program growing – and our local beaches and waterways clean.

Join the fun on September 19, and help us meet our goal of 1,000 volunteers. Bring the whole family. To volunteer, call the NEC at 822-6918 and sign up for a beach or waterway near or far. Thank you for your support.

Coastal Cleanup: An NEC Program That Went Global

by Kayla Gunderson

Pulp Mill May Find New Eco-Friendly LifeThe Samoa pulp mill may eventually be regarded

as an environmental model for the entire country – if its new owner, Bob Simpson of Freshwater Pulp Company, realizes his vision.

Once reviled by environmentalists and ordinary citizens due to its spewing of noxious fumes, the mill which has been shut down since February may be revived as a combination pulp and tissue paper plant that uses environmentally certified wood chips as raw material.

“My vision has always been to be an integrative mill,” said Simpson, who was employed by Louisiana

Pacific as general manager of the mill during the 1990s. At that time Simpson was instrumental in converting the mill to being the only one in the country that produced chlorine-free pulp.

However, since the mill depended on selling the pulp

to outside buyers, Simpson saw

the need back then to integrate manufacturing into the mill’s operations, thus eliminating the company’s dependency on the pulp market and on the high energy use of shipping.

Simpson’s vision for the mill includes taking a leadership position on eliminating or reducing pollution, and showing that it can be done. He is confident that his business model is sound.

“Toilet tissue is an essential product,” he said. “Who wouldn’t prefer to know it’s made in the U.S. – with all the pollution control necessary – rather than overseas with no regulation and then shipped back here?”

He argues that the dioxin-free tissue that the mill will produce is actually more environmental than recycled paper because recycled tissue has to go through de-inking, thus creating sludge.

“It is very possible to manufacture this at the same price [as comparable products], creating the smallest carbon footprint,” he asserted. The process will use raw materials from close by and will minimize freight use.

It Starts With Raw MaterialsDuring the last decade the mill purchased the chips

it used as raw material from distant locales. However that will change with the new model. “We will only buy wood fiber if grown in the coastal redwood region

by Sarah O’Leary

Proposed logo for Freshwater Pulp’s made-in-Humboldt sustainable tissue products Continued on page 5

Continued on page 4

June 2009 ECONEWS www.yournec.org2

Bouquet

Letters to ECONEWS

Got something on your mind? Send it in! Please limit letters to 300 words or fewer and include your full name and city of residence. We may edit for space and clar-ity. E-mail letters to sarah@yournec.org by the 20th of the month, or mail to1465 G Street, Arcata. CA 95521

Arcata Community Recycling CenterAllison Poklemba allisonp@arcatarecycling.orgCalifornia Native Plant SocietyJen Kalt (Secretary) jkalt@asis.comRedwood Region Audubon SocietyC.J. Ralph theralphs@humboldt1.comSierra Club North Group, Redwood ChapterMelvin McKinney mmckinney@humboldt1.comHumboldt BaykeeperPete Nichols (President) pete@humboldtbaykeeper.orgFriends of Del NorteEileen Cooper upsprout@yahoo.comSafe Alternatives For Our Forest EnvironmentLarry Glass lglass@foggy.netEnvironmental Protection Information CenterScott Greacen scott@wildcalifornia.org At-LargeJim Clark (Vice President) dancebirds@sbcglobal.netMartin Swett (Treasurer) mswett@pacific.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 sarah@yournec.org or call 707-822-6918. Include your phone number and e-mail with all submissions.

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

is the official monthly publication of the Northcoast Environmental Center, a non-profit organization, 1465 G Street St., Arcata, CA 95521; (707) 822-6918; Fax (707) 822-0827. 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 $25 per year.

ECONEWS

Editor: Sarah O’Leary sarah@yournec.orgInterns: Jocelyn Orr, Kayla Gunderson, Matt HawkAdvertising: Sarah O’Leary and Damon Maguire, ads@yournec.orgProofreaders: Midge Brown, Sid DominitzWriters: Jocelyn Orr, Kayla Gunderson, Sarah O’Leary, Lindsey Byers, Allison Poklemba, Dr. Loon, Sue Leskiw, Jen Kalt, Carol Ralph, Ken Burton, Georgianna Wood, Annette Rasch, Kerul Dyer, Michael Kauffmann, Sarah MarnickArtists: Mark Jacobson, Terry TorgersonCover Art: Photo of barred owl, courtesy of Brian Woodbridge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife

NEC Mission To promote understanding of the rela-

tions between people and the biosphere and to conserve, protect and celebrate

terrestrial, aquatic and marine eco-systems of northern California and

southern Oregon.

Volunteer Party!

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

This month’s floral tributes go to:❁ The University of New Hampshire, first in the nation to get most of its heat & electricity from landfill gas – and used landfill gas to power loudspeakers at its commencement ceremony.❁ The courageous demonstrators who were arrested last month for protesting mountaintop removal in Appalachia (see page 14.) ❁ The scores of people who turned out for the Town Hall meeting on April 30 to speak out for sustainable land use.

News From the Center

Dear ECONEWS,An important component of my

environmentalism is my vegan lifestyle. I know that eating a plant-based diet protects not only my personal health, but also the health, both locally and globally, of Mother Earth, not to mention the well-being of the animals (both land and sea) who won’t be killed and eaten.

I therefore take issue with Lindsey Byer’s statement (ECONEWS April ’09), that we, as a community, are “financially and gastronomically dependent” on the economic future of the Humboldt Creamery. Not all of us!

It is a fact, though not widely known, that our county is home to some 80,000+ bovines, including beef and dairy cattle.

Some international experts have compared this situation to a “free range feed lot,” pointing out that it can be more environmentally destructive than the CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations) or feedlots of the Central Valley.

Humboldt Creamery cows are forced to give enough milk to be made into ice cream, in Los Angeles as we found out, and sold in all 50 states! The creamery has been exporting powdered milk to Europe and were going for further expansion (to what? Powdered milk in Africa?) when they “melted down.” And, all the while, they have been painting themselves with a “local Mom & Pop business brush” when in reality it seems more like a Globo-Corp to me!

My opinion, shared by many, is that the future viability of the creamery will depend on their ability to scale down their operations to be able to serve the desires (not the same as needs) for animal food for a much more local/regional population than previously. The agricultural sustainability of Humboldt County cannot be served by raising cows here to feed people on other continents!

Dear NEC,I appreciate your decision about the

proposed Klamath river agreement. Your position is right on! It’s not just the dams, but also the basin…

Thanks for your work.Bob LibershalEureka, California

Dear ECONEWS:This is a note to say I love your

rejection of the Klamath deal! Thanks for staying strong for the natural world.

And this is also a note to say that I love your new ECONEWS format! Time for good changes, and that surely is one.

Robert SutherlandThe man who walks in the woodsVia e-mail

Not So Happy Cows

We’re On The Right Track

A front-page headline in a recent Times-Standard, Eureka’s daily paper, reads “Upper Klamath Water Rights Issue Settled.” It sounds like great news!

We’re confident that the phrase “contingent upon the approval of a broad-scale restoration agreement and tentative deal to tear out four hydropower dams owned by Pacificorp” won’t dampen the enthusiasm of those who are weary of this conflict and hopeful to embrace some progress here.

Not to diminish the hard work that went into accomplishing an agreement between the Klamath Basin irrigators and the Klamath tribes, but the “contingency” referred to in that article is a whopper.

As reported in last month’s ECONEWS, the NEC withdrew from the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement (KBRA) after three years of negotiating due, in part, to compelling concerns about the effects on salmon. The NEC has concluded that the agreement threatens the river’s fishery and could actually impede dam removal.

You can read that article, which spells out the background and our concerns, online at yournec.org, or stop by the NEC’s world headquarters and pick up an archived copy and say hello.

At the same time, the NEC remains at the negotiating table for the dam-removal or “hydro” agreement. We believe that this deal, problematic as it is, actually has some potential to succeed.

Last month NEC’s Klamath Coordinator, Greg King, traveled to Washington D.C. to bring the new and continuing members of Congress and new Obama administration appointees up to speed on the Klamath issues.

There he found little support for many of the mechanisms in the KBRA, such as nearly $200 million in subsidies for farmers and a water allocation to irrigators that could result in river flows much lower than those now mandated by a federal judge under the Endangered Species Act.

Here’s how you can help.

yWrite a letter to your representative, your senator,

and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Tell them you want those dams taken out AND guarantees for water flow that will sustain the salmon.

yIf you have writer’s block, you can visit the NEC to use our drop-in activism center and sign a pre-drafted letter. All the information you need is here.

yDonate to the NEC’s Klamath campaign and support our ability to stay at the table and speak for the fish.

yPut a “Save the Klamath Salmon” and/or an “Un-Dam the Klamath” bumper sticker on your car or bike.

The NEC has been working on Klamath River dam removal for more than a decade, and we are committed to seeing the river, and the salmon it supports, restored.

Questioning Klamath “Settlement”

In the current issue of Osprey, the HSU student magazine, it is asserted that “cattle are one of the lead contributors to the greenhouse effect, producing over 100 million tons of methane gas a year.” I am currently working to determine the amount of home-grown bovine methane (from flatulence and manure) produced by our local cow population.

And, don’t forget 80,000 cows are producing far more waste than our human population of 130,000 or so, whose sewage at least requires treatment. Not so the cows!

Cow waste is not environmentally friendly, nor can it be proven that grass-fed animals produce “smaller scale amounts of waste” that can “naturally fertilize the land,” as Byers asserts. Ask anyone who lives near a cattle operation in this county what they have seen and smelled! They know that much of the waste from local cows goes into our streams, rivers, soil, air and eventually, Humboldt Bay and its beaches.

Finally, Byers’ assertion that Humboldt cows are “happy” because of the certification of the Humane Farming Association is nothing more than anthropomorphic hype designed to sell more milk. After listening to testimony from locals and reading the book, World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony by Dr. Will Tuttle, I have come to understand that even so-called “organic” dairies are guilty of gruesome practices employed by all commercial dairies, like separating mothers from their babies at birth.

I say that we as environmentalists should give the cows, our ag land and Humboldt Bay a break by eating lower on the food chain. Give plant-based diets a chance!

For the love of Gaia,Martha Devine (Granny Green Jeans)Arcata, CA

By Georgianna Wood

Arts! ArcataAt The NEC

The drawings of San Francisco artist Kevin Taylor wil be featured at the NEC during Arts! Arcata on Friday, June 12. at 6 p.m. This month’s event is hosted by Green Wheels, one of the NEC’s group programs.

Taylor, who holds a B.F.A. from The Savannah College of Art and Design has been profiled in Juxtapoz magazine. His work has been exhibited in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, as well as internationally in Sweden, Japan, Germany and Italy.

His art tends to be illustrative sometimes bordering on allegorical. The images are imaginative and often haunting.

Join us for interesting art, live music and good company.  Take this opportunity to come talk shop with Green Wheels members about bikes, trails, transit and all aspects of transportation.

An assortment of local wines, provided by Libation, as well as snacks will be available for visitors.

We’ll see you there at the NEC world headquarters at 1465 G Street in Arcata, between 14th and 15th Streets.

Join us at the NEC on Friday, June 5, at 7:30 p.m. for some barbeque and beverages!

All past, current and future volunteers, their friends and significant others are invited to attend our volunteer celebration.

The NEC has added advocacy projects, a public education curriculum, native plant landscaping and plant care to its repertoire of volunteer projects. This is a great opportunity for folks to learn about ways to get involved with the local environmental movement.

We also have two important events scheduled for September: the All Species Ball fundraiser and the Coastal Clean Up Day awareness campaign, and we will need lots of extra hands in preparing for both.

At the party, you can learn more about these projects, and find out how you can help.

This gathering also will be a launch of our new Activism Station. We have compiled information about current policy and legislation changes that will impact the ecosystems and biodiversity of Humboldt County into easy to read, publicly- accessible statements. Here’s a chance to participate with grassroots democracy!

Then kick back, relax on the back patio in the newly landscaped garden, eat good food, listen to good music and mingle with good folks!

Contact Amanda at 822-6918, or e-mail amanda@yournec.org to RSVP or with any questions.

ECONEWS June 2009 www.yournec.org 3

An ambitious campaign by the Klamath Siskiyou Wildlands Center of Ashland could provide additional protection to the region that connects the Klamath River in California to the Applegate River in Oregon.

The proposed Siskiyou Crest National Monument, announced last month, will create migration corridors for plants and animals between wilderness areas and provoke restoration work across the region.

“This is a proposal people can get behind,” said Laurel Sutherlin, naturalist and organizer for KS Wild. “The land will still be accessible, and most of the areas proposed for wilderness are already protected by other laws.”

The Siskiyou Crest provides habitat for threatened and endangered species, and boasts some of the most diverse conifer forests in the world. However, climate models predict that in the not-so-distant future, the plants and animals that call this unique landscape home will need to migrate for their survival.

A recent report, “Preparing for Climate Change in the Rogue River Basin of Southwest Oregon,” prepared by three national agencies, outlines these predictions, and offers analysis and recommendations to prepare for high resiliency within remaining wildlands, to allow for species’ survival.

The long list of recommendations to preserve the resiliency of species in the Rogue River basin includes suggestions such as:

“The maintenance of existing riparian forest connectivity, especially along north-south corridors, should be a priority. This means avoiding large gaps in riparian corridors because connected systems will provide much needed resilience in drier, warmer conditions and facilitate species migration in response to changing climate conditions.”

Wild BridgeThe proposed monument would provide for many

of the recommendations outlined in the report, including creating a preserved “land bridge” connecting wilderness areas within the proposed boundaries, and restoration projects that could support the fire- dependent landscape.

“Habitat connectivity corridors can provide additional mobility to plants and animals impacted by climate change and other factors that will drive them out of their traditional territory,” said Sutherlin. “The [proposed monument] would provide additional resiliency for the survival of rare and endemic species into the future.”

Decades of coordinated education campaigns highlighting the significance and diversity of the area have already established the public’s knowledge of the Siskiyou Crest’s unique qualities. Some of the plant species such as Siskiyou mariposa lily and the Yreka phlox are not found anywhere else in the world. In addition the Brewer’s spruce, a plant that existed before the last ice age, only remains within the Klamath-Siskiyou region.

The Siskiyou Crest stands at the headwaters of some of the most important salmon-bearing streams left in the world. Additionally, other threatened species such as the spotted owl and the Pacific fisher use the Crest for habitat.

KS Wild’s motto, “protect the best, restore the rest,” reflects their desired outcome for the region.The aim is not simply to preserve land, but to restore native forest ecosystems.

Sutherlin explained that various restoration tactics are needed to correct decades of reckless logging, mining, road building and unregulated off road vehicle use. Some examples of restoration include small diameter logging in crowded forests, the use of prescribed burning and road decommissioning.

A recent collaborative agreement between the Siskiyou Project, Lomakatsi Restoration Project and the US Forest Service could provide a model for these stewardship projects. Oshana Catranides, restoration program director for the Siskiyou Project, said that the Master Stewardship Challenge Costshare Agreement reached in Siskiyou National Forest already has large scale potential in the area.

“Citizens can work with agencies to utilize stewardship authority that will allow community collaboration to influence restoration efforts,” said Catranides.

The current agreement could offer commercial thinning on 10,000 acres of crowded plantation forests overlapping with the proposed Siskiyou Crest National Monument boundaries.

“All of the money generated from merchantable products would be rededicated to non-profit restoration efforts,” said Catranides, explaining how non-profit organizations could engage in commercial logging.

If a National Monument designation is achieved, no immediate changes to access, resource extraction operations, recreation or hunting would be implemented. According to Sutherlin, land owners, native communities and other stakeholders would have ample opportunities to contribute to the development of a management plan, and scientists and economists

Proposed Monument Will Protect Species, Landsby Kerul Dyer

More than a dozen Klamath River activists seized a chance to send their message to Obama administration officials late last month.

Negotiators representing 24 stakeholder groups, including state and federal representatives, had come to the town of Klamath for a dam-removal settlement meeting.

Members of the Klamath Justice Coalition (KJC), a group of Native and non-Native river residents, youth

activists and commercial fishermen unfurled three giant banners from the Highway 101 “golden bear bridge” near the mouth of the Klamath River.

As the officials sped down the river on three jet boats for an early-morning river tour, they passed beneath the banners while the activists stood on the bridge chanting, “Open the river, close the deal. Let the Klamath river heal!”

Dania Rose Colegrove, Yurok and Hoopa Tribal member and long-time activist said, “We’ve been at this for years, we want them to know that we’re watching closely, and we’ll keep coming back and increasing pressure as long as is needed until the dams come down.”

Further upriver, students lined a river bar holding a banner that read “Dams Kill Salmon, Jobs, and

Communities.” Frankie Myers, Yurok Tribal member commented,

“There is now a need for people who support Klamath dam removal to put the pressure on the Obama and Schwarzenegger administrations. We need to see strong leadership from them that results in a dam-removal agreement we can trust.”

Dam-Removal Activists Get Attention in Klamath

Kerul Dyer is outreach coordinator for EPIC and long-time resident of the Siskiyou Crest .

Get Involved:Sign up as www.ks-wild.org to receive e-mail alerts on how to particpate as the campaign progresses. www.ks-wild.orgView the the report “Preparing for Climate Change in the Rogue River Basin of Southwest Oregon” at www.nccsp.org and click on resources, or follow the link with this story on the NEC web site.

could play a guiding role in defining the parameters of project implementation.

Depending on the eventual management plan adopted within monument boundaries, new local jobs, increased fire safety, and healthier forests could result from the designation. Stewardship agreements like those that Lomakatsi and Siskiyou Project have entered could offer a model for community coordination, and potential funding mechanisms.

Any National Monument proposal in the West will confront the venom of dedicated private property rights activists, who consistently disagree with designation or heightened protections. Even in the early stages of this proposal, anti-monument efforts can be seen and heard, especially on the AM dial in Oregon.

Bill Meyers, whose talk show airs on AM 1440, KMED, spent an entire show late last month bashing the monument proposal as “another land-lock deal.” Meyer interviewed property rights activist Kathy Leeman, who tore apart the plans, but expressed cynicism about their ability to stop the project.

LockjawLeman called the proposal a “land lock up cancer”, and

said, “these people choose for everyone else what should happen to the land, on two sides of the state line.”

Leman repeatedly accused campaign organizers of meeting in secret with public agencies, and concluded; “[like every other Monument proposal] no one knows anything, until the gate slams shut.”

The arguments of the private property rights activists include that the area would be locked up for public use, that it would lead to further road closures, and job losses, and finally that private landowners would be pressured to sell their land to the government, at decreased prices.

Sutherlin expressed concern for the opposition, but enthusiasm for the future.

“We look forward to working with local landowners, business owners and indigenous communities to discuss how this would impact them, and what we can do to work together. The campaign for the Siskiyou National Monument can benefit all of the stakeholders involved.” he said.

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June 2009 ECONEWS www.yournec.org4

,Capture, neuter and relocate. How far is far enough? If it’s to another state, how will that impact the indigenous population of owls there?

,Egg addling (shaking and puncturing the egg) to produce nest failure, which would have a similar outcome to the neuter & release alternative.

The experiment should provide quantifiable information about barred owl impact on spotted owls, and give the experts the facts that will allow for an informed decision about a long-term management strategy.

Dr. Lowell Diller, a wildlife biologist with Green Diamond Resource Company and adjunct faculty to Humboldt State University, says it could be possible for the spotted owl to learn behaviors that will allow it to co-evolve with the barred owl if we “stem the tide” through barred owl control long enough to give the spotted owl the chance to develop new behaviors. But this could take more than 150 years, and involve the killing of thousands upon thousands of barred owls.

The U.S. has a long history of killing one animal to protect or enhance another: the golden eagles in the Channel Islands to protect the kit fox; wolves for the caribou; ravens and crows for the snowy plover; coyotes for numerous others. Some of these efforts have met with arguable success.

For example, management of snowy plover habitat in southwest Oregon includes the lethal removal of ravens and crows. Carolyn Palermo of the BLM points out that there were only 60 birds left in Oregon when it was first listed as a threatened species.

Along with the Forest Service, Fish & Wildlife, and State Parks, they worked to create and restore habitat, manage recreation and do public outreach. After nearly 10 years they were able to get the bird’s numbers from 60 to 100, but couldn’t quite get over that hump. In 2000 they started a predator control program to reduce

Owl Timeline1976 – First barred owls spotted in Humboldt County.1990 – Northern spotted owl listed as “threatened” under the Federal Endangered Species Act.1994 – Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) finalized. Also known as “Option 9,” tthe NWFP set aside old growth forests and sensitive habitat, and reduced logging on federal lands by 80 percent overall. 2003 – Two lawsuits filed invoking the NWFP, one by Seattle Audubon requiring the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to complete a Northern spotted owl recovery plan and the other by the timber industry requiring the agency to re-evaluate the owls’ critical habitat needs.2007– Spotted Owl Recovery Plan Draft released and reviled.A high-level oversight committee in Washington D.C. ordered the team to play down the significance of habitat loss while playing up the significance of the barred owl.Scientific reviewers hammered the resulting plan mercilessly, and the Bush administration went back to the drawing board. May, 2008 – Final Spotted Owl Recovery Plan released and again reviled. This plan establishes a new critical habitat designation, reducing the acreage protected for spotted owls, established by the NWFP, by 23 percent. December, 2008 – Western Oregon Plan Revision (WOPR) finalized. This plan, a revision of the NWFP, effectively pulls the BLM forests out from the scientific framework of the NWFP. Every alternative in the WOPR would greatly increase the logging of mature and old-growth forests to levels before NWFP. April, 2009 – Obama administration asks to rewrite the plan. Judge Sullivan of the D.C. District Court gave the administration until June 1 of this year to re-write the Bush-era Spotted Owl Recovery Plan, rather than try to defend the flawed plan in court. Government recently filed for an extension until July 30 to present their new plan.

Owls continued from page 1

What’s A Whopper?The WOPR (Western Oregon Plan Revision, see right) covers six districts of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM): Medford, Roseburg, Eugene, Salem, Coos Bay and the Klamath Falls area of the Lakeview District, which represents approximately 2.6 million acres of public land in western Oregon.When the BLM released the WOPR draft plan in 2007, 30,000 members of the public commented with more than 90 percent opposed. Read what the BLM says about the WOPR: www.blm.gov/or/plans/wopr/Read what the Sierra Club says about the WOPR: http://oregon.sierraclub.org/alerts/wopr.aspTAKE ACTIONContact President Obama by visiting http://whitehouse.gov/ and urge the Obama administra-tion to repeal the WOPR and work to protect all of Oregon and California’s old-growth forests. Demand that resources be invested into restoring damage from past logging and road-building on public lands, which will both protect the Northern spotted owl and create green jobs.Visit the website listed above for the Oregon chapter of the Sierra Club for more informa-tion, sample letters and additional action items.

Top: Earliest records of barred owls by province or state (underlined years) and parts of province or state (non-underlined years) and apparent general pattern of the range expansion (arrows)Inset Right: Distribution of barred owls in their expanded range in 2008 based on more than 12,500 records (dots).

populations of ravens and crows.

“The plover’s numbers have since nearly doubled,” Palermo said. Their goal is “to get numbers to a point where a certain level of natural predation is manageable by the plover.”

The northern spotted owl, like the snowy plover, became threatened because of human activity – namely the destruction of habitat. Now that its numbers are low, and its available habitat is reduced to a pittance, the spotted owl is especially vulnerable to the impacts of other threats, such as the barred owl.

But is any management plan that requires the killing of one animal for the benefit of another sustainable? Is the barred owl becoming a scapegoat for our inability to manage development and preserve habitat?

What if the issue were considered in the context of overall ecosystem health, rather than focusing on a single species, would it

really make much difference if we had barred owls instead of spotted owls? What if we just let natural selection take its course from here?

Diller noted that the barred owl is also aggressive towards other species, such as screech owls and frogs who would be impacted by a proliferaton of the barred owl.

“You’ll still have a functional ecosystem, but it would be different,” he said.

Clockwise from left to right: barred owl, Northern spotted owl, “sparred owl” (a hybrid species that has recently made an appearance).Barred owls are larger and stronger than their spotted cousins and do not depend on old-growth forest as the only place to nest. Their presence in the Northwest and California is precipitat-ing an ethical dilemma among scien-tists and environmentalists.

Graphs courtesy of Kent Livezey

ECONEWS June 2009 www.yournec.org 5

reduce the use of Garlon and promote the growth of redwood and Douglas fir, the trees that dominated the forestlands before the intensive logging of the last century.

“We’ll use 50 percent tan oak, 40 percent redwood and 10 percent Doug fir,” Simpson said, “which is more in line with what the forest looks like today.”

John Shelly, a wood scientist at UC-Berkeley supports this approach and the project as a whole. “Tan oak makes a lot of sense to me,” he said. “It is an under-utilized species, it comes in quite quickly after timber harvest. Having markets that can make use of this fiber would be a boon to the North Coast.”

Cost Raises BarriersAlthough the price tag for the conversion - $400

million – is steep, Simpson is confident that it is a wise use of funds. “This is way cheaper than building a new mill,” he said.

Given the recession, it is challenging to borrow such an amount, he acknowledged. So the company has asked Congress for a Federal Loan Guarantee. They also plan to launch a green initial public offering in the hopes that this project will resonate with investors.

“We’re recession-proof – everyone needs toilet paper,” said Simpson. The locally produced toilet tissue will be 100% dioxin-free and will be bleached with hydrogen peroxide to retain a white color. Simpson says it will be virtually indistinguishable from competing products that are produced much less sustainably.

“Of course this project would be great for the local economy if he can pull it off,” said Jacqueline Debets, the county Economic Development Coordinator. “He’s looking for a lot of money though, and that will be a challenge in our investment climate.”

Pulp Mill (continued from page 1)

After 20 years of political wrangling and litigation, the controversial 88-year-old Savage Rapids Dam in southwest Oregon is finally coming out.

The dam is considered the number one fish-killer on the internationally renowned Rogue River, and experts estimate a 22 percent increase in salmon numbers as a result of its removal. That’s approximately 114,000 more fish produced in the Rogue River annually.

The $39.5 million dam-removal project is occurring in stages, with a temporary coffer dam to keep the work site dry now in place. While heavy April rains damaged the coffer dam, contractors made repairs and say the project remains on schedule. Diversions have been set up to allow salmon passage around the worksite.

Chunks of the Savage Rapids Dam will start coming out this month, and by October, that section of the Rogue River will finally flow free. To replace water allotted to the Grants Pass Irrigation District, a new electric and more efficient pumping station delivers up to 150 cubic inches of water per second to the district. WaterWatch, a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of natural stream flows in Oregon rivers, has worked with numerous partners for 20 years to rescue the Rogue. Using Oregon state water law and the Endangered Species Act, WaterWatch overcame tremendous opposition from those ideologically opposed to dam removal to leverage an agreement to remove the dam.

WaterWatch also facilitated public education and alliance-building campaigns to overcome misinformation and reach the hearts and minds of those who care about the Rogue River and its salmon and steelhead.

“With the Savage Rapids Dam, the solution all along was to create a win-win scenario that would protect fish and also get water to the irrigators,” said Bob Hunter of WaterWatch. “It’s taken a long time, but we’re finally getting there, and it’s a great thing for the Rogue River, salmon, and the Grants Pass Irrigation District.”

The Rogue River – also famous for its white water rafting and rugged landscape – flows 215 miles from its headwaters near Crater Lake to the Pacific Ocean, just north of Gold Beach, Oregon. One of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Act of 1968, 84 miles of the Rogue bear that designation.

More Dams Coming OutWhile fish, wildlife and

native plants cope with numerous dams and water withdrawals that have compromised the river and its tributaries for more than 100 years, the Rogue still remains one of the last strongholds for native salmon and steelhead in the Pacific Northwest.

In one of the nation’s most significant river- restoration efforts, several other dam removal projects along the Rogue River are in various stages of completion.

The City of Gold Hill opted to avoid litigation by removing the Gold Hill Diversion Dam and replacing it with a water intake system. The Elk Creek dam was notched to allow the river to flow unimpeded. (Elk Creek is an important coho salmon and winter steelhead spawning tributary.) Jackson County is also studying the sediments behind the Gold Ray dam, a first step in a process that’s hoped to result in that dam’s removal.

“When the Gold Ray dam is gone, 157 miles of the Rogue River will finally flow unimpeded by human folly,” said Nico Bander, a southern Oregon river outfitter.

Salmon Leap for Joy: Dam Removals On Rogue RiverBy Annette McGee Rasch

Things are looking up for the California tiger salamander. Last month the Obama administration reversed a Bush-era decision and proposed to restrict development on 74,000 acres in Sonoma County that is habitat for the endangered salamander.

Now, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is seeking public comment on a proposal to add the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense) to California’s endangered species list.  

DFG is interested in public comment about the California tiger salamander’s taxonomic status, ecology, biology, life history, management recommendations, distribution, abundance, threats and habitat that may be essential for the species or other factors related to the status of the species.

Responses received by July 1 will be included in the DFG’s status evaluation report to the Fish and Game Commission.

The report will address current threats to this species and the effectiveness of present regulatory actions in place, and will include a recommendation as to whether the California tiger salamander should be listed as an endangered or threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act.  

All comments, data or other information must be submitted in writing by July 1, 2009:

Wildlife Branch - Nongame Wildlife ProgramCalifornia Department of Fish and GameAttn: Betsy Bolster1812 9th St.Sacramento, CA 95811

Or e-mail: tsalamanderdata@dfg.ca.gov.

Annette McGee Rasch is a longtime environmental activist and freelance writer who lives in and reports on issues affecting southwest Oregon. She is also a dog trainer and wildlife rehabilitator.

The Savage Rapids Dam in southwest Oregon is finally being removed, after 20 years of lawsuits, protests, and political wrangling. Photo: Bill Croos

“People don’t come here to see the dams; they come for the wild rivers concentrated in this part of the country.”

Looking decades ahead, environmental advocates warn that the struggle for survival faced by wild salmon hardly ends with dam removals. “Impacts from hatchery-raised salmon seriously threaten wild populations, and global warming is wreaking havoc on many species that require cool waters,” said Mori Samel-Garlof, an Ashland, Oregon based activist.

“Still, it is important to celebrate our victories,” she added. “The Rogue River is more wild and free than it was.”

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However that investment would pay off in increased prosperity for this community, Simpson said. “When Freshwater starts up as a tissue mill, it will employ 425 direct employees and we will create 2,550 indirect jobs.”

In contrast, when the pulp mill closed last October it employeed 215 workers and the indirect jobs were estimated at about 1,200. Indirect jobs are those working on behalf of the pulp mill but not directly employed by the mill, Simpson explained. Examples are welders and truckers that process the mill materials.

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has come out in support of the plan and agreed to draft a letter of support for Freshwater Pulp’s efforts.

By capturing waste, using environmentally certified raw products, and saving untold amount of fossil fuels, the new pulp mill will be well on its way to becoming the environmental model that the new owner envisions.

Some environmental advocates have expressed cautious support of the project. “We realize the importance of the pulp mill to our community both from a jobs perspective and from a sustainable forestry perspective,” said Pete Nichols, executive director of Humboldt Baykeeper.

“Given the fact that Freshwater Pulp is planning to use FSC [Forest Stewardship Council] certified chips from the redwood region, the current vision could benefit the existing timber industry as well as restoration efforts around the North Coast,” said Nichols. “At this point it appears that maintaining our air and water quality are paramount to Freshwater Pulp’s vision and this is good news from Humboldt Baykeeper’s perspective”

“We intend to have the smallest environmental footprint of any pulp mill on the planet,” Simpson said.

June 2009 ECONEWS www.yournec.org6

If Alternative A of the Humboldt County General Plan Update is enacted, will farmers be required to own or lease 600 acres to operate a farm? Will rural county residents be forced off their land so it can be put into agricultural production? Will it become impossible to live the “back to the land” lifestyle that is such an integral part of the Humboldt County experience?

These concerns and other unjustified fears like them came to light during a recent town hall meeting about the Land Use element of the General Plan Update. Residents from all over the county packed the Board of Supervisor’s chambers to speak out about their concerns.

One resident of southern Humboldt spoke at length about her 250-acre alpaca farm, stating that she wouldn’t be able to effectively watch over her flock if a 600-acre minimum was imposed for agricultural land. This is a common misunderstanding, but in actuality farmers would not be required to have 600 acres to operate a farm.

Lands that are already broken up into smaller parcels and zoned for agriculture will not be affected. But land that is currently not divided would be preserved in the largest allowable minimum to ensure its continued agricultural use. Rather than meaning the end of small farms, homesteads and specialty production, this will guarantee the continued agricultural viability of Humboldt County.

Another resident spoke out about a concern of many southern Humboldt residents. She worried that if Alternative A is adopted, she would be forced off the land that she and her husband have lived on since the ‘70s so it could be put into agricultural production.

Commissioner Kirk Girard assured her that any changes to the General Plan will not be retroactive. It is a plan for the future, and no one will be forced to move off their land.

Upon further questioning it came out that the woman’s property is zoned rural residential. Commissioner Tom Hofweber said that in that case he didn’t see anything in the plan that would affect her situation.

Check The Map Concerned residents who are unsure of their

designation can consult the maps on the plan update website to see how their land is zoned since future development of the land will be subject to whatever terms are adopted in the completed plan.

For example, if your land is zoned rural residential and you have an unpermitted house on the land, and you want to legitimize your house after the plan is enacted, you will be subject to the new regulations.

Farmers Kevin Cunningham and Jacques Neukom addressed the imperative to conserve agricultural land. Cunningham, a grain farmer in the Arcata Bottom, spoke of his conundrum of not being able to lease enough land to be able to meet demand for his product.

Neukom, a farmer in Willow Creek, has to patch his farmland together by leasing land from five different families. These problems are all too common, and would only intensify if prime farmland continues to be converted into residential and smaller parcel sizes.

The preservation of ag lands will not impact current land use by Humboldt County residents, who can only benefit by keeping prime agricultural soils in production.

Comments on the land use element of the General Plan Update are still being welcomed on the plan website. Please make your voice heard at planupdate.org.

Another town hall meeting is tentatively scheduled for June 21. Details can be found on the General Plan web site listed above.

The Forest Resources section of the Humboldt County General Plan Update (GPU) will shape the future of local timberlands, underscoring the importance of a town hall meeting slated for June 11 at College of the Redwoods.

This is the largest timber-producing county in the state, and though the industry is currently in decline, the jobs that depend on timberlands have historically formed the cornerstone of our economy.

Due to the current state of the housing and lumber markets, as well as the rate of harvest in recent decades, the “highest and best use” of these forests for timber production and ecosystem values is now threatened by rural residential development.

Current zoning laws and tax structures were intended to prevent these lands from being valued for residential use. This is because such use drives prices too high for economically viable long-term timber production.

The question now is how to enable small landowners to continue to live on the land while preventing the fragmentation of large timberland holdings that has become the pattern across the country? Under the current rules, for example, Maxxam’s plan to sell off 160 acre “kingdoms” is still legal, and would remain so under the County’s Preferred Alternative B.

Timberlands provide fish and wildlife habitat, help protect water and air quality, and are an important feature of the rural quality of life here on the North Coast. Despite objections to some forest practices, conversion to non-timber uses, such as residential and agricultural uses, threatens to further degrade water quality and salmonid populations. Fragmentation of large timberland holdings threatens the County’s long-term economic base.

To address the issue of protecting timberlands, the following policies are under consideration for the June 11 Planning Commission town hall meeting:

Industrial vs. Non-Industrial TPZ: Currently, the minimum parcel size for lands zoned TPZ (Timber Production Zone) is 40 acres, though under state law the minimum is 160 acres. Alternative A would include two tiers of land use classifications for timber. Non-Industrial Timberlands would allow one house per 40 to 160 acres. Industrial Timberlands would allow one house per 600 acres and a minimum parcel size of 160 acres.

For lands that are industrially managed for timber production (typically more than 5,000 acres), an option for clustering development on a small portion of a parcel would be allowed if 90 percent of the timberland is protected from further development. Separating industrial from non-industrial timber zoning would allow small landowners to live on the land they manage, while protecting large landholdings from fragmentation. This policy is opposed by large timberland landowners, as well as developer and realtor lobbying groups.

Rollout of TPZ for Smaller Parcels: All alternatives propose that “substandard” (generally meaning less than 160 acre) parcels would be taken out of Timber Production Zone if the primary use of the land is for a residence. Currently a 4/5ths vote of the Board of Supervisors is required to roll out of TPZ into another zoning category. The GPU proposes to make this easier for the smaller parcels that are not likely to remain in timber production.

Forestland-Residential Interface: The County would identify areas that would require buffer zones between residential and timber production zones, where residents would be required to acknowledge the “Right to Harvest” timber. This would limit conflicts by minimizing residents’ ability to block timber management activities that they consider a nuisance, including controlled burning. Maps of proposed

Forestland-Residential Interfaces are currently being developed.

Community Forest Acquisition and Management Program: If adopted, this Alternative A policy would enable the County to establish a Community Forest Acquisition and Management Program. Though the draft GPU does not propose specific sites for community forests, the Keep Eureka Beautiful Committee suggested years ago that the McKay Tract would be an ideal community forest for Eureka residents.

Community forests can provide recreational opportunities, protection for fish and wildlife habitat, and income from sustainable timber harvest, and they can establish a buffer zone between residential areas and industrial timber production zones. This policy would also set the stage for a Transfer of Development Rights Program and a Carbon Sequestration Program to be established by the county.

Restoration Zoning: Not included in the plan alternatives, Richard Gienger’s proposal for a new zoning category would value restoration activities that restore and promote forest ecosystem values and long-term forest management.

It would provide incentives (such as continued TPZ-style tax status) for landowners in watersheds dominated by non-industrial timberlands, and would

How Will Timberlands Fare in GPU?by Jen Kalt

Thursday, June 11, 2009 at 6:00pm: The Humboldt County Planning Commission will hold a Town Hall Meeting on the Forest Resources section of the Land Use Element at the College of the Redwoods’ Forum Theater. The Key Issues and Comparison of Plan Alternatives for the Forest Resources section of the Land Use Element can be downloaded from the General Plan web site, www.planupdate.org For more information, or to get involved, visit www.healthyhumboldt.org or call 682-5292. To submit a comment on Forest Resources, email mspencer@co.humboldt.ca.us.Healthy Humboldt is a coalition of public interest groups working for a County General Plan that provides healthy transportation and housing choices while protecting resource lands and watersheds by focusing future growth in existing communities.

Exploding Myths About Ag Land Zoning

Maples and leather fern in the riparian area of Ryan Creek on the McKay Tract. The tract has been suggested for designation as Community Forest if the Community Management and Acquisition Program is adopted under the GPU’s Option A. Submitted Photo.

The General Plan provides long-term direction for the growth and development of the unincorporated areas of the county, and state law requires that it be reviewed and revised about every 20 years.

The current General Plan Update will shape the future of Humboldt County for years to come. Three different options are currently under consideration:

Alternative A is identified as the “environmentally superior” option, and its consideration is required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). This option emphasizes resource land protections by

meeting housing needs through infill development in existing communities.

Alternative B is the county’s current preferred alternative and, among other things, is designed to allow some residential development through focused development in currently served areas and some urbanization expansion.

Alternative C would allow residential expansion in resource lands and would recognize existing large lot entitlements.

For more detailed information, visit http://co.humboldt.ca.us/gpu/overview.aspx

What’s A General Plan Update?

by Lindsay Byers

Jennifer Kalt is a member of the Healthy Humboldt Coalition Steering Committee and Conservation Chair for the California Native Plant Society.

Lindsey Byers is the AmeriCorp VISTA member for the Humboldt County chapter of the Community Alliance With Family Farmers (CAFF)

ECONEWS June 2009 www.yournec.org 7

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The Humboldt Bay area has North America’s largest population of dense-flowered cordgrass (Spartina densiflora), and the invasive plant’s potential to infest estuaries all the way to Alaska has spurred local efforts aimed at eradication.

Introduced into Humboldt Bay during the late 1800s, the dense-flowered grass now dominates more than 70 percent of our region’s salt marshes. It is crowding out such rare native species as Humboldt Bay owl’s clover and Point Reyes bird’s-beak, and it even affects the nutrient cycling and hydrology of tidal marshes.

“[Spartina] is a terrible problem,” said Patty Clary, of Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATS). “It’s very detrimental.”

State and federal grant monies are being used to develop, test, and evaluate potential control methods.

A recent Portland State University study using drift cards to simulate Spartina dispersal from Humboldt Bay found that it has the potential to infest estuaries from central California to Alaska. Thus, Humboldt is seen as “ground zero” for control of the plant along the entire coast. Furthermore, it is encroaching into the higher-elevation marshes that harbor rare plants.

Top PriorityThe West Coast Governors’ Agreement on Ocean

Health has set a goal of eradicating all non-native Spartina by 2018. The team’s top priority is eradication of the grass in Humboldt County.

Last year the Coastal Conservancy, the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation & Conservation District began laying the groundwork for a local eradication plan. The plan recognizes that public understanding of the need for Spartina eradication must be cultivated.

Unfortunately, state bond funding for the project has been frozen along with funding for many other state programs. The district recently applied for a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminstration (NOAA) grant under the federal stimulus program to hire a consultant. Funds from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service are still available for use on the refuge.

The four basic control approaches are manual, mechanical, chemical and biological. Until recently, chemical control was presumed to be the only effective method, but the refuge recently developed a technique of repeated mowing with a metal-bladed brush-cutter, which resulted in eradication in as few as two applications.

Post-treatment monitoring has demonstrated that native plants can gain a foothold unaided in only two years.

Seeds A Separate ThreatSince Spartina seeds are carried in the water, each

incoming tide has the potential to reintroduce it to areas from which it has been eradicated. Because seeds continue to disperse onto the site, eradication of seedlings is needed on an annual basis as long as there is a source.

“We don’t really know anything about the seed bank,” said Dr. Erik Jules of HSU’s Department of Biological Sciences, who is collaborating with refuge staff on a study of the seed-bank dynamics. Andrea Pickart, who is spearheading the refuge’s control project, said, “My hunch is, given that we’re talking about a grass and salt water, the seed bank is probably not very long-lived.”

Funding is currently being used to refine the refuge’s experimental control technique, including using a lighter approach that removes the seed heads to stop seed production in areas where eradication is not yet feasible. Other funded projects, still in the preliminary stages, are studies of the impacts of Spartina on invertebrates and the impacts of mechanical removal on slough morphology.

Annie Eicher, an independent contractor who also is studying the potential impacts of mechanical Spartina

control on the two rare native plants mentioned above, said, “We need to consider what the impacts of our activities might be as part of the control and look at ways that we can avoid or minimize those impacts,”

The timing of Spartina control likely would play a significant role in the magnitude of its impact on native plants, said Eicher, but “they can’t necessarily plan all the control measures so that they’re at the best time for the rare plants. We’re going to assume that treatment might happen at any time, so we’re going to look at what we think is one of the more sensitive times – early summer.”

Eicher pointed out that there could be impacts even if control is done when the rare plants are dormant, so her study will examine possible indirect impacts such as soil compaction, which could hinder germination and growth.

Herbicide OptionsOther approaches have not been ruled out. The

Coastal Conservancy’s Joel Gerwein wants to keep all options open. “We have not excluded herbicide use as a potential control technique in the future,” he said. Spot applications of glyphosate and imazapyr have been used in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Washington state with mixed results.

“We are going to look at monitoring data [from those areas] from this coming season to determine whether the technique might have some promise,” said Gerwein. “If we were to use herbicides, it would only be after a thorough environmental analysis.”

Gerwein emphasized that input from organizations such as the NEC regarding herbicide use will be important to the Conservancy. “We want the [plan] to be one that the Humboldt Bay community supports.”

“The refuge is committed to mechanical and manual removal,” Pickart emphasized.

“What we’re proposing through the NOAA grant doesn’t use any herbicides,” said Adam Wagschal, Conservation Director for the Harbor District.

CATS’ Clary said that it is essential to conclude that eradication is feasible and commit fully to that goal

before even considering whether to use herbicides. “That’s really hard because there’s a lot of emotional

content in making that decision, but it’s going to completely influence how the plant is taken care of,” she said. “If you’re planning on using herbicides, you are getting on a treadmill because that’s going to have to happen over and over and over. You need to put something in as a control measure that you can live with over the long term.”

Wagschal said that the issue needs to be looked at in terms of regional planning. “Eradication is our goal and whether it’s feasible or not is yet to be seen,” he said. “I think either way at this point the best thing to do is go at it as if we’re going to eradicate it, and we’re going to put a huge dent in the population, and then from there we’ll have a good baseline to start controlling what’s left.”

Biological control is not being considered seriously, though researchers have had some success controlling English cordgrass in the laboratory using planthoppers native to California.

As money becomes available, the coalition will continue in its efforts at eradication. Waschgal hopes that stimulus funding will enable the District to remove much of the invasive plant. “It’s a no-brainer to me,” he said. “You do it and you do your best.”

Curbing Cordgrass: Humboldt Is Ground Zeroby Ken Burton

Dense-flowered cordgrass now dominates more than 70 percent of Humboldt County’s salt marshes. Due to its potential to infest estuaries from Alaska to Southern California, aggressive eradication efforts are underway. Photo: Jen Kalt

More InformationTo voice your opinions or concerns or ask questions about Spartina control in Humboldt, contact Joel Gerwein at the Coastal Conservancy: 510-286-4170 or jgerwein@coastalconservancy.ca.gov.

Ken Burton is a local teacher, ornithologist, musician and President of the Redwood Region Audubon Society. For the past two years he has spearheaded the Mt. Trashmore revegetation project at the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary.

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The intertidal zone – the narrow band of habitat where ocean meets land – is a fascinating place to explore. This zone is home to a highly specialized array of life forms adapted to survive both crashing surf and dryness when the ocean retreats twice daily leaving them exposed.

Tide-pooling with children is like going on a treasure hunt of textures, colors and shapes. Search for vibrant life forms such as violet sunflower stars, giant green anemones, orange sea cucumbers, and delectably green sea lettuce.

The North Coast’s rocky shores support a rich variety of seaweeds. From coralline to coarse, furry to fern-like, smooth to slimy… or even mucilaginous, seaweed

textures run the gamut. Can you find seaweed that’s thin and stretches like a balloon? One that looks like an olive-green brain? A long seaweed you could throw around your shoulders like a feather boa? Or another that

coats your fingers with slippery slime? Have fun exploring tidepools with your hands as well as your eyes.

The rocky coves surrounding the town of Trinidad are ideal for tide-pooling. Baker Beach, a

Did you know…Frogs have different layers of pigment in their skin.

Our local tree frogs appear green because we see the bottom layer of grey through a yellow pigment layer. Our eyes see the grey as being blue, and blue and yellow make green. This particular frog appears blue because it is missing the yellow layer of pigment. We are just seeing the grey layer which appears blue.You can check this frog out, along with

other cool things, at HSU’s Natural History Museum in Arcata.

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Go Play Outside: Tide Pool Treasure Huntby Allison Poklemba

Top: Sun and Star - An ochre star and sunflower star share a tide pool along the Lost Coast. Right: Seal Lettuce - Nearly all seaweeds growing on the Northcoast are edible. Sea Lettuce is easy to identity and pleasantly palatable. Tear off a small piece and try a nibble from the upper rocks of a tide pool such as this at Baker Beach.

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Photo © Sam Camp / campphoto.com

few miles to the south reveals a wide swath of intertidal zone at low tide.

Another spectacular tide pooling spot can be found further south along the Lost Coast. Park at the mouth of the Mattole River and walk the beach south, where after about a quarter of a mile the windswept coast is dotted with incredible intertidal rocky uplifts. In the deeper pools of these rocks, you may see octopus or catch a raccoon feasting on mussels along its perimeter.

Is your family interested in a guided tidepool adventure? The HSU Marine Laboratory is hosting a Tide- Pooling Extravaganza where a marine naturalist will help your family identify local intertidal flora and fauna. Fieldtrips will be held the mornings of July 23, 24 and 25. The cost is $5 per participant. Please register early as space is limited. Contact marine naturalist Susan Sebring at 707-826-3689 or e-mail marnat@humboldt.edu.

The HSU Marine Lab is open weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for self-led and guided tours (please call to schedule). The lab features detailed interpretive signs near each of the seven aquaria, two touch tanks and various other displays.

Photos: Allison Poklemba

Word Search and frog information provided by Sarah Marnick, environmental advocate, mother, and NEC employee.

ECONEWS June 2009 www.yournec.org 9

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Summer means more daylight hours for gardening, lounging – and for do-it-yourself projects.

If you’d like to learn some new project skills to reduce your carbon footprint, such as how to make your own solar food dehydrater, the online community of DIY (do-it-yourself ) offers a plethora of inspiration and instruction.

Check out the following web sites for ideas:www.appropedia.org – This wiki-style site was

founded right here in Humboldt County by Lonny Grafman, an environmental resource engineering professor at HSU. The wiki technology allows anyone to add appropriate technology projects. This site offers step-by-step instructions to projects, many of which can be found in our community so you can see them before trying them out for yourself.

ReadyMade.com – The online version of the ultra-hip DIY magazine. Their motto is “Instructions for Everyday Life” but you’ll get more than that. Their projects revolve more around reuse, interior and exterior decorating rather than decreasing your home’s footprint.

www.Instructables.com – User-created projects. Check out the “Green” and “Ride” sections for neat ideas for your home and bike.

Here’s a sampling of projects that will make your pad more eco-groovy:

Thermal Curtains – Increase your windows’ ability to insulate you from the elements. Whether it’s too hot or too cold outside, hanging thermal curtains helps you cut your losses. Simple sewing skills are required. To see a variety of models in action or to purchase Warm Windows material give HSU’s Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) a call to see when they are open. (707) 826-3551.

For complete instructions check out: http://www.appropedia.org/How_to_make_awesome_thermal_curtains

Cold Closet – Ditch your fridge and make use of natural cooling. Simple carpentry skills and a north- facing wall are required for best results. The concept is simple. A screened opening to the exterior air, a box or cupboard is mounted over the opening. Stones or

metal line the interior of the box to maintain the cool thermal mass. And most importantly, a vent at the top allows hot air to escape. The escaping hot air creates a convection cycle and pulls cool air in to take its place. To get started see:

http://www.appropedia.org/CCAT_Cold_BoxSolar Food Dehydrator – Make your own dried

fruit and jerky this summer without the use of electricity. All that’s required is a window with southern exposure, cardboard boxes and construction paper. Simple yummy fun for the whole family!

http://www.appropedia.org/Chris%27s_ENGR305_Solar_Food_Dehydrator

Worm Bin – A great food waste solution for apartment dwellers. Requires stackable boxes made from either wood or plastic and red worms which can be purchased from your local garden store. Note: standard earthworms won’t do the trick, red wigglers keep better and consume more food. The California Integrated Waste Management Board recommends a 12-20 gallon compost container per household. Becoming a worm parent requires weekly attention and enthusiasm for playing with your food.

Plastic Worm Box: http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm

Wooden Worm Box: http://www.appropedia.org/CCAT%27s_Vermicomposting_Bin

Natural Paints – Need to repaint a room this summer? Or maybe you need paint for your crafts projects? Mix up your own non-toxic paint with flour, water and fillers such as clay and mica. A variety of pigments can be purchased from ceramic and pottery suppliers. Natural glazes can be applied as a top layer to add sheen and protection. Natural paints are not recommended for high-moisture areas such as kitchens or bathrooms. For complete instructions: http://www.appropedia.org/CCAT_natural_paint_project

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Do-It-Yourself Can Be Eco-Friendlyby Jocelyn Orr

The California Indian Basketweavers Association (CIBA) will hold its 19th annual statewide Basketweavers Gathering in Hoopa on Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Tish Tang Campground on Highway 96, 17 miles north of Willow Creek.

Hosted by the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the theme of this year’s Gathering is ya xo qut te mi£ a’ de’ na’ ni£ heh, which translates from the Hupa language to say, “We with roots will get back to ourselves.”

Saturday’s events are open to the public, and feature basketweaving and acorn cooking demonstrations, traditional singing, panel discussions, and a raffle of dozens of baskets, beadwork, and other works of art donated by CIBA members. Basketweavers from all over the state, including many from Northwestern California, will display and sell baskets.

Also featured is the annual CIBA Showcase, a non-juried exhibition featuring baskets woven from traditional materials within the past year. The Showcase reveals the vibrant, living character of current California Indian weaving designed to inspire new basketmakers and honor the weavers, their traditions and their art form.

CIBA is a statewide, intertribal non-profit organization with over 1,300 members. Formed in 1992 to preserve, promote, and perpetuate California Indian basketweaving traditions.

Admission is free and parking is available on the premises. All events will be held in the campground, so attire appropriate for camping and hiking is advised.

For more information, visit www.ciba.org.

Hoopa HostsBasketweavers

Making natural, non-toxic paint is just one of the do-it-yourself projects you can do by following easy web-based instructions. Left: A sampling of the natural paintcolors that can be achieved.Bottom: A volunteer at HSU’s Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) applies natural paint to a wall at the CCAT house. Natural paints are applied just the same as the regular store-bought variety.

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Local energy research engineer Richard Engel will soon be traveling to El Salvador to develop the curriculum for a university degree program in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Engel, who cut his teeth on environmental work at the NEC in the ‘80s as a college work-study student and volunteer, is senior research engineer at Schatz Energy Research Center on the HSU campus. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholar grant to lecture, develop curriculum, and work on renewable energy projects at Universidad Don Bosco during the 2009-2010 school year.

Engel graduated from HSU in 1988 with a degree in Environmental Resources Engineering, and due to the shortage of jobs he soon left the area in search of work in his field. It was a winding path that brought him back to Humboldt, including a stint with the Peace Corps in Honduras, where he met his wife.

“I first found a job with the San Francisco Energy Conservation Office,” he said. “I didn’t think it was very exciting because I really wanted to work in solar energy, but the job kind of changed my philosophy.”

Engel realized that conserving energy was just as important as discovering new sources of energy. “We really need to get a handle on how much energy we use,” he said. “Using energy sustainably is every bit as important as making more energy, whether green or not.”

While in El Salvador, Engel looks forward to sharing this philosophy both in the curriculum he will develop and in the other projects he engages in. He expects to prepare and teach a semester-long course, edit the university’s engineering magazine and initiate a renewable energy demonstration project.

Although he will not leave for El Salvador until the end of this year, Engle is already spending his nights and weekends researching similar renewable energy degree programs in this country, as well as in Spain and in Latin America. “The better prepared I am going in, the more I will be able to make of my time there,” he said.

Engel has been involved in numerous energy projects at Schatz Energy Lab since he joined them almost a decade ago, and he also teaches short courses at HSU on topics such as energy conservation and auditing. He thinks his time in El Salvador will enhance the quality of his work here at home.

“I’ll pick up skills there that will be transferrable back here in terms of work I do,” Engel said. For example, he may be able to collaborate with a graduate student working on renewable energy programs in Mexico, and implement a program there.

“It [the curriculum developed for Universidad Don Bosco] could be something we end up replicating here or in other places,” Engel said.

Currently his work at Schatz involves writing a curriculum in which students get hands-on experience

with hydrogen fuel cell technology by building two hydrogen fuel cell testing stations.

Another Schatz project that Engel is involved in is the gasification of biomass – turning woody biomass into clean fuel through their demonstration gasifier.

“It is much more efficient than just burning it,” he said. “It has lots of potential in a place like El Salvador,” he added, noting that the country is very dependent on sugar production which leaves a woody waste product that has few uses.

“I really value my Humboldt County connections and I’m looking forward to all the ideas and skills I will acquire in El Salvador, which I can bring home,” Engel said.

The Smith River’s crystal blue waters drain abruptly from the Siskiyou Mountains toward the Pacific Ocean—along the way gouging out sparkling canyons through ancient serpentine rock. High levels of precipitation coupled with serpentine geology have fostered unique plant communities in this region.

Because the unique soils are rich in heavy metals, ostensibly sparse red-rock forests endure in stark contrast to the lush redwood forests of the North Coast Range only a few miles away. But upon closer inspection, this red-rock nurtures plant communities that are species rich and teeming with diversity

Serpentine outcrops are fortified with heavy metals, which restrict a plant’s ability to grow. Certain plants, however, have adapted to this medium and flourish with reduced competition from other plants. Over millions of years this geographic isolation has been responsible for the speciation of a remarkable number of rare plants.

Two plants — horned butterwort and California pitcher plant — have successfully undertaken survival on this harsh rocky purchase. By absorbing digested nutrients from insects they lure and capture, these plants have found a dietary supplement and the ability to overcome the lack of nutrients available. Two of these carnivorous plants can be found along the Stoney Creek Trail in the Smith River National Recreation Area.

Horned Butterwort (Pinguicula macroceras ssp. nortensis): This species has spotty distribution across western North America. In northwest California, it is restricted to serpentine soils where it often grows on steep rocks

or fissures in rocks that often receive little or no direct sunlight. Another habitat requirement is the presence of water—whether from seeps or close proximity to splashing water—horned butterwort’s root must remain wet.

The sticky light green leaves entice thirsty insects in for a visit with their wet appearance. The glands on the upper surface of the leaves initially trap the insect on contact and immediately the glands release more sticky secretions, trapping the insect further, with more struggles, more stickiness, and the critter’s fate is sealed—ensnared in mucilage. Once the insect is firmly entangled the leaves slowly curl over the carcass and release digestive enzymes to break down the palatable parts. Finally, the leaf absorbs those nutrients through cuticular holes in the plant and incorporates them into the photosynthetic process.

Horned butterwort is classified by the California Native Plant Society as a List 2 species—it is rare, threatened, or endangered in California but common elsewhere. In the state it has only been recorded in Del Norte, Siskiyou, and Shasta Counties for a total of 34 observations on Calflora.

Sticky leaves trap, roll over, and slowly digest the nourishing insects—supplementing the nutrient poor soils on which these plants grow.

California pitcher plant (Darlingtonia californica)This insectivorous species is one of ten in the relict family Sarraceniaceae, and the only member of its genus that still survives on Earth. Northwest California is a refuge; here it survives as a hold-out of the ancient Tertiary forests that dominated the northern hemisphere millions of years ago. This plant entices

insects inside the stem where they endure a slow death—by incarceration.

Instead of its leaves or stems producing an enzyme to deal with digestion, the pitcher plant harbors bacteria and protozoa inside its “pitcher.” In a symbiotic relationship, the digestion is done by these microbes and nutrients are shared. This species is restricted to fens, which are spring-fed wetlands. It is often

incorrectly stated that pitcher plants live in bogs—a rare habitat in California which consists of standing water and an accumulations of acidic peat.

You can visit these plants and many more at Stoney Creek Trail-Smith River National Recreation Area. From the town of Gasquet, Calif.—along Highway 199 in Del Norte County—travel north on Gasquet Flat Road, take a quick right and in about half a mile a left on Gasquet Middle Fork Road which you travel to the end. There is limited parking and the hike is short (~1.5 miles round-trip).

Please visit www.blog.conifercountry.com for more field notes from plant explorations.

by Sarah O’Leary

Richard Engel: Educating About Energy

Submitted Photo

Carnivorous Plants of the Smith River RegionStory and Photos by Michael Kauffmann

The striking flower of P. macrocerus.

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Sticky leaves trap, roll over, and slowly digest the nourishing insects —supplementing the nutrient poor soils on which these plants grow.

The pollinator of Darlingtonia is currently unknown.

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WORLD’S BEST JOB: That’s what Britain’s Ben Southall, 34, won when he was chosen from a field of 35,000 applicants to be the caretaker for six months of an Australian tropical island on the Great Barrier Reef.

Aside from the $125,000 salary and three-bedroom house with swimming pool he’ll get for living alone as caretaker, his job description requires him to explore other islands along the reef, swim, snorkel “and generally enjoy the tropical Queensland climate and lifestyle.”

THOUGHT CONTROL: Scientists in Spain say they have developed a wheelchair that can be controlled by the mind, allowing disabled people to get around merely by thinking where they want to go,

The wheelchair uses a laser scanner to create a three-dimensional picture of the area around it, which then is displayed on a screen.

The user, wearing a skullcap with electrodes to detect brain activity, concentrates on the part of the display where he or she wants to go and the chair responds.

Scientists at the University of Zaragoza said volunteers took just 45 minutes to learn how to use the chair.

WHO NEEDS TEACHERS? The world’s first female robot teacher has debuted at a Japanese primary school, calling out the name of each pupil and assigning them tasks from a textbook.

With a system of 18 motors that allows facial expressions of surprise, anger, happiness, sadness, fear and disgust, the $40,000 robot is able to talk, move her head and respond to questions. She has a vocabulary of 700 words, is programmed to respond to words and questions and is operated by human ‘controller’ teachers.

SNOWBALLING PROOF:  Scientists have confirmed that birds do dance to music – after they watched a cockatoo on YouTube.

Researchers at the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego began their research after watching the bird named Snowball, and they discovered that parrots – as well as elephants – feel the beat of music and have an in-built sense of rhythm for dancing. They also found no evidence that cats, dogs or chimps shared this trait.

KING COAL:  Statisticians say that coal mined in China now provides more energy globally than all the oil produced in the Middle East.

TIED UP: Greenland has the world’s most connected population, with 92 percent of its people having Internet access.

Recent estimates suggest that more than one billion people rely on computers to access the Internet, and another billion use cell phones to visit cyberspace. More than 200 billion e-mails per day were sent last year.

CHOCOLATE RACER:  British scientists have unveiled a speedy biofuel vehicle powered by waste from chocolate factories and with a body made partly from vegetables,

Vehicle developers at the University of Warwick hope the racer, built to Formula 3 specifications, will go 145 miles per hour.  Its steering wheel is made of fibers derived from carrots, its body is fashioned from plant fiber and its seat is made of flax fiber and soybean oil foam. It runs on biofuel derived from vegetable oil and chocolate waste.

Meanwhile in Japan, Kyoto University has introduced a single-seat electric vehicle whose body is made of braided bamboo – 900 thin rods, each more than six feet long and covered with a natural resin lacquer.

OINK: The only pig in Afghanistan has been moved out of its pen at the Kabul Zoo and into a locked room – out of fear of swine flu.

GEO-GOOF: Embarrassed officials in Webster, Massachusetts, admit they’ve been spelling Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg wrong.

They say the 20th letter in the country’s longest place name should be “u” and not “o,” and the the 38th letter should be “n” and not “h.”

Now they’re trying to find the town’s original sign painter to make the correction. By the way, locals refer to the body of water as Webster Lake, for obvious reasons.

NIMAL ODDITIES: There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S. than real ones.

An ant can lift 50 times its own weight – and for some reason always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

A flea can jump 350 times its body length, which is like a human leaping the length of a football field.

A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out, and it is impossible for a pig to look up into the sky.

Rats can’t vomit, which is why rat poison works.

SWISS CHEESE-CAKE: Voters in the Swiss Alps have banned naked hiking after encountering many walkers wearing nothing but boots and socks.

Residents of the canton of Appenzell Inner Rhodes imposed a fine of $175 for those guilty of “thoroughly disturbing and irritating shameless behavior.” Other cantons are expected to follow suit.

DIZZY FISH: A German scientist says he has proved that fish can become seasick.

Dr. Reinhold Hilbig, a Stuttgart zoologist, studied the effects of weightlessness in water to see how humans are affected in space. He sent 49 fish in a mini-aquarium up in a plane that went into a steep dive, simulating the loss of gravity encountered in space, and eight fish began turning in circles, lost their sense of balance and behaved like humans who get seasick.

He theorizes that the loss of eye contact with water movement and vibrations plays a big part in their disorientation.

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

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

!It’s time to be outside, exploring and marveling at our California flora! Join us on a trip, or plan your own. Plant some natives in your garden. In the evening curl up with a plant book such as Doug Tallamy’s Bringing Nature Home and plan for the fall planting season.Please look for details and watch for new additions on our web site www.northcoastcnps.org. Sign up for e-mail announcements at NorthCoast_CNPS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Join a native plant gardening group at NorthCoast_CNPS_Gardening-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.Beginners and experts, non-members and members are all welcome on our FREE outings.

FIELD TRIPS AND PLANT WALKSJune 5, 6, 7, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Illinois Valley-Deer Creek Center-Rough & Ready Botanical Area day trips and overnights. The Deer Creek Center of the Sisikiyou Field Institute in Selma, Oregon, will be our headquarters for exploring this special corner of Oregon. (See Winter 2008 Darlingtonia.) It provides camping ($6/person),

dormitory ($12/person), two private rooms ($50/couple) and communal kitchen facilities. For more information on the facility, see www.thesfi.org>Stay at DCC. On Saturday starting at 9 a.m. we will walk across Deer Creek to explore an enormous Darlingtonia fen, and later drive up Eight Dollar Mountain for more botanizing fun. Sunday we will head south and spend some hours at Rough and Ready Botanical Area. We will be at Deer Creek Center Friday and Saturday nights, you are welcome to stay elsewhere and join us at any point. The center is about a three-hour drive from Arcata. Please make your own reservations: 541-597-8530x307, Mon-Thurs 9-4, or candy@thesfi.org, and tell them you are with CNPS. Tell Carol 822-2015 you are coming.June 13, Saturday. 10 a.m. - 12 noon. Elk River Trail in Headwaters Forest. Learn many of our common redwood forest and streamside plants, both native and non-native, with BLM botanist Jennifer Wheeler. She will also tell what BLM has done to rehabilitate this easily accessed, historic corner of a famous forest. The trail is paved and gentle, good for any weather. From Hwy. 101 exit onto Elk River Rd.

After 1.5 miles take right fork; after 4.5 more miles at the bridge fork right; go one mile more to the trailhead parking lot. 822-2015. June 14, Sunday. 1-3 p.m. Blooms and Bugs at Mad River Beach. Join Pete Haggard to see blooming beach buckwheat, seaside daisy, sand verbena and others, and to watch for pollinators in action. Easy walking, partly on sand, partly on swale. Meet at the beach parking lot at the very end of Mad River Rd. 839-0307.

A GARDEN INVITATIONJune 21, Sunday, 1-3 p.m. Summer Solstice in a Native Plant Garden. See what is blooming on the longest day of the year. Everything from annuals (clarkia), herbaceous perennials (lilies), shrubs (ninebark), trees (oaks), herbs (angelica & yerba buena) and lichen can be found. Pete and Judy Haggard offer to share their long-established, ever-changing habitat and wildlife garden. Learn how Pete has built habitats and how critters small and large have appreciated it. For reservations and directions call 839-0307. Limit 12 guests. Suggested $5 donation to the chapter.

North Group Picnic – Date Correction!The May issue of North Group News announced that our bi-annual picnic would be Sunday, August 8. While Sunday was correct, the date is actually August 9. Join us at Patrick’s Point State Park in Trinidad starting at noon. Bring a dish to share and a place setting. This is our annual member get-together in the years we don’t have a banquet. So come to the Bishop Pine Group Area and meet other Sierra Club members. A hike and/or tour of the Sumeg Village are being planned. For more information, contact Sue at 707-442-5444.

Join Our List ServeIf you are one of the many members who did not provide an e-mail address to National Sierra Club, you are invited to join the North Group list serve. We promise not to overwhelm you with messages like so many groups do! The list serve is used to get you late-breaking news and action items of interest that we were unable to include in our monthly column here in ECONEWS. (This has averaged just one message per month). The recipients’ names do not appear, and all messages emanate from the list serve manager. The current list serve will be reorganized according to Humboldt County Supervisorial District (plus a group for all members outside of Humboldt), to better target messages. To join, send an e-mail to sueleskiw@suddenlink.net.Mid-Week Hike Proved PopularThe hike originally planned for Wednesday, May 6, was postponed one day to take advantage of a lovely, brisk day of broken sunshine on the Bald Hills. Leader Melinda reported that there were seven participants, with birding and botanic interests strongly represented. Prairies were strewn with smaller flowers, and mounds of lupine seemed poised to explode in showy bloom in a matter of

days. A few minutes along the way, a group of uncommon Lewis’ Woodpeckers were pointed out in a nearby grove of oaks, and various other bird species were appreciated throughout the day. Part of the party extended the outing with a side trip to the Schoolhouse Peak Lookout, which offered breathtaking, 360-degree views of snowy ridges. [NOTE: Melinda will be leading another Wednesday Walk on June 3; see description below.]

Outings & MeetingsSun, May 31 – Dry Creek, Humboldt Redwoods State Park. This 4.5-mile, easy hike travels through mixed forest with views of South Fork Eel and loop through Stephens redwood grove. Bring lunch and water. Carpools meet 8:30 a.m. at Arcata Safeway parking lot or 9:10 at Fortuna Safeway parking lot. Hike starts at 10 a.m. Must

register in advance by calling leader Jim, 707-599-7575. Rain cancels. Wed, June 3 – Cathedral Trees, Rhododendron, Cal Barrel, Foothill Trail Loop. This medium difficulty, 5-mile hike ascends from prairie and creekside into old redwood forest featuring “goose pens” and cathedral groves amid rich understory, including native rhodies.

Mostly shaded. Bring liquids, lunch/snack, camera, wear layers and good footwear. Carpools from south meet at Arcata Safeway parking lot (7 and F Sts) at 9:30 a.m. Everyone meets at Prairie Creek Visitor Center at 10:15 a.m. For further info, contact leader Melinda at 707-668-4275 or email mgroomster@gmail.com. Tue, June 9 — Executive Committee Meeting followed by open discussion. Join us for a discussion of local conservation issues between 8 and 9 p.m., following the Executive Committee business meeting starting at 6:45 p.m. Meet at Adorni Center Conference Room on Eureka Waterfront. Info: Gregg, 707-826-3740.Sat, June 13 – Decker Creek, Humboldt Redwoods State Park. This 8-mile, medium difficulty hike begins on Rockefeller Loop Trail, then heads south on River Trail to ruins of Forest Lodge, then backtracks and

finishes the Loop, crossing Decker and Bull Creeks. View nice stands of redwood, vine maple, and variety of other trees and plant life. Bring cameras, food, and water. Wear appropriate footwear and layered clothing. Carpools meet 9 a.m. at Arcata Safeway parking lot. If coming from south, meet at trailhead at 10:15 a.m. Must register in advance by calling leader Susan at 707-840-9084.

Members of North Group Redwood Chapter prepare food for the annual picnic in 2008

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Eco-nomics with Dr. Loon

The General Plan hearing on land use was standing room only, but I got there early, found a seat under a light, and was three chapters into my book when the proceedings finally began. Payback, by the Canadian author Margaret Atwood, was telling about mills and millers—how the old tales associated them with the Devil, and how the miller’s daughter often paid for her father’s legendary greed. To right the balance, having to spin straw into gold.

The testimony came from two sets of people: Downstream and Upstream. The upstream people were surprisingly few: a representative of the building trades, a realty group, their paid organizer. Like the miller, they all had an interest in diverting nature’s currency—land and air and water—and turning it into money. His mill is not just a dam and a wheel, it’s a way of doing business: Dark satanic mills, said the poet William Blake at the outset of the Industrial Revolution. Property rights, they were calling it.

A lot of small farmers were represented at the meeting. They also divert resources to their livelihood, but money is a means, like seed money, to get to the real green stuff they produce. They’re downstream people, usually in debt to upstream people.

Imagine the miller controlling water or the price of wheat till the farmer goes out of business. Think

of the Upper Klamath farms—potato mills—whose diversions affect fishermen and tribes dependent on salmon. Recall how Maxxam was allowed to log hillsides till they came down into our creeks and back yards. Or consider the money stream, how government rushes to save the investment mills, and lets a little trickle run down to us.

Upstream rules, as it has for generations.“In any consideration of debt,” says Atwood, “the

concept of balance is pivotal: debtor and creditor are two sides of a single entity, one cannot exist without the other, and exchanges between them—in a healthy economy or society or ecosystem—tend toward equilibrium.”

The Planning Commission is being asked to restore the balance between credit and debit. Between upstream and downstream. It’s a tall order, like spinning straw into gold.

Then I thought of salmon, the creature that traditionally represents this balance. How salmon has always gone and returned, but now has presented us with a bill—Pay Or We Don’t Come Back—and it’s way past due.

Our General Plan has to recognize the urgency of this debt. Instead of timid mitigations and trade-offs, fearful of offending upstream money, every land use policy should actively call for repayment.

The vision and courage this requires will have to come from downstream, and from organizations like Healthy Humboldt and town hall meetings like this one. It must come from planning commissioners and supervisors besieged by neighborhood associations and watershed councils, community foresters and small fishers and farmers, even the back-to-the-landers who’ve made a devil’s pact with Citizens for Property Rights.

All that’s trickled down to these people is harassment and debt. They know by experience what the damages are—the tab—and they have some idea what needs to be done. We owe it to the land and rivers—we owe it to salmon—and to one another and our children, to act with this sense of our indenture. We begin every choice, not at zero, but deeply in debt.

The last chapter of Margaret Atwood’s book re-tells the story of Scrooge, the miserly money-lender who ignores the real cost of his greed. Guided by the Spirit of Earth Day, past, present, and future, he learns to calculate the real expense of the way we’ve lived. And maybe—just maybe—how to redeem what we owe.

In every land use decision, think water, air, soil. Think salmon. Think payback.

Payback

Get Involved/Learn MoreAlgalita Marine Research Foundation & Junk Ride: www.JunkRaft.comTake the Rise Above Plastics Pledge at: www.riseaboveplastics.blogspot.comVolunteer at the NEC-sponsored Coastal Clean-up event in September. See page 1 for more information.

Junk Ride To End Plastic Pollutionby Jocelyn Orr

Have you heard of the Plastic Gyre in the North Pacific Ocean? Although it is described in the mainstream media as a floating plastic island twice the size of Texas, the reality is even worse.

The pieces of plastic are small fragments scattered across a patch of ocean the size of the United States. And that’s just one of five gyres – spiral forms – in the world.

To spread the word about the gyres and the toxic reality of plastic, one couple is traveling by bike down the Pacific Coast. Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen got hooked on advocating against plastic when they noticed albatross carcasses on Midway Island, west of the Hawaiian Islands, choked with plastics. The birds had starved to death mistaking plastic in the ocean for food.

The pair stopped at Trinidad School and HSU last month to share their story. Their HSU appearance was hosted by Surfrider Humboldt and HSU Surf Club. Students and community members came to hear Cummins and Eriksen’s first hand accounts of the Garbage Patch.

The first phase of their journey was doing research with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation. They

traveled to the North Pacific, along with other scientists, to collect data and samples. They found startling evidence: 35 percent of the fish they collected had plastic in their stomachs. Many

of these were two-and-half inch long lantern fish that had mistaken tiny bits of plastic for plankton.

Then, Eriksen and colleague Joel Paschal sailed 2,600 miles from Los Angeles to Hawaii on “Junk Raft,” a sailboat made out of trash and buoyed up by 15,000 plastic bottles. The Algalita Marine Research Foundation team supported them along the way.

Now Cummins and Eriksen are celebrating their pre-honeymoon (they got engaged in the plastic gyre) biking from Vancouver, B.C. to Tijuana, Mexico. Along the way they are speaking to schools, city councils and community groups encouraging them to take local action to fight plastic pollution. At each stop they are giving out samples of the plasticized ocean surface that they collected.

Cummins and Eriksen doing beach clean-ups to prevent the plastic that’s already been created from reaching the ocean. No matter where you live, picking up plastic along the roadside or trailside can make a difference to some creature’s life.

“Plastics build up, and most of the plastics in the ocean now came from us on land,” Cummins said.

The problem, however, really starts at the source. “We need to stop making more!” Eriksen said. “Let’s ban it! Or institute a fee-system.”

Single-use products like bags, soda bottles and food containers should not be made from plastic. “We take this material that is designed to last forever and make

things we use once and throw away,” Eriksen lamented.The two will continue to research, educate and

expose the truth about plastics. “This is something worth fighting for,” Eriksen said.

Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal sailed 2,600 miles from Los Angeles to Hawaii on a sailboat made out of trash to educate people on the hazards of plastic waste.

The sight of albatross carcasses choked with plastics motivated two activists to advocate against plastics.

Dr. Loon was born during the Great Depression and looks forward to the one that’s coming.

June 2009 ECONEWS www.yournec.org14

Since 1886, Arcata’s weekly newspapers have captured the town’s colorful history ą the wonders and woes, celebrations, calamities, milestones and always-interesting people, places and things that make Arcata the most intriguing city in Humboldt County. Now, in an unprecedented collaboration, Arcadia Publishing presents On This Day In Arcata, featuring stories from the archives of the Arcata Union and Arcata Eye newspapers. Using images from several local collections, On This Day In Arcata offers insights into Arcata’s history sometimes familar, often surprising but always as fascinating as the town itself. In On This Day In Arcata, you’ll read all about the installation of the statue of William McKinley and the Arcata Women’s Christian Temperance Union fountain, the opening of the Hotel Arcata, Minor Theatre and Humboldt State University’s Founder’s Hall and Behavioral and Social Sciences Building, the creation of the iconic Humboldt Honey and the fires that have changed Arcata through the years, plus the scandalous deliberations of Arcata’s Spinsters’ Matrimonial Club, and more! Compiled by Arcata Eye editor Kevin Hoover, author of The Police Log: True Crime and More in Arcata, California, and The Police Log II: The Nimrod Imbroglios, On This Day In Arcata connects Arcata’s past and present, bringing history to life as never before. Available at stores locally.

New book, On This Day In Arcata,honors and makes Arcata newspaper history

The Good News Page(Well, Mostly)

In a victory for environmental groups which have long criticized the burning of coal, federal officials announced last month that Washington’s aging Capitol Power Plant will make the switch from coal to natural gas.

In February, days before a scheduled demonstraton against coal combustion at the plant, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called for the changeover to natural gas.

The nearly century-old plant, located quite near House office buildings, has been a contentious issue for years in Congress. Environmentalists and D.C. residents have continually called for the plant to stop burning coal, while lawmakers from coal-producing states have fought efforts to change the plant over to natural gas.

President Obama announced tough new nationwide rules for automobile emissions and mileage requirements last month, similar to the standards that the state of California has been trying to enact for years.

The rules begin to take effect in 2012, when fuel efficiency must rise more than 5 percent each year. By 2016 cars and light trucks in the U.S. will have to average about 35.5 miles per gallon, and be almost 40 percent cleaner and more fuel-efficient than they are today.

The new standards are expected to save 1.8 billion barrels of oil over the life of the program and prevent 900 million metric tons of greenhouse-gas emissions. Experts say it will be like taking 177 million of today’s cars off the road or shutting down 194 coal-fired power plants.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has low-interest disaster loans for small businesses that have suffered financial losses due to the closure of the 2009 commercial salmon fishing season on the California coast.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available immediately to help meet financial needs caused by the closure of the 2009 salmon fishing season.

The declaration covers the California counties of Alameda, Del Norte, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity and the neighboring Oregon counties of Curry and Josephine.

SBA is offering working capital loans of up to $2 million at an interest rate of 4 percent, with terms up to 30 years. The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact.

Some eligible business owners include: small businesses engaged in salmon fishing in the waters affected by the closure (employees or crew members are not small businesses and are not eligible), and small businesses dependent on the catching or sale of salmon, including suppliers of fishing gear and fuel, docks, boatyards, processors, wholesalers, shippers, and retailers.

Business owners may apply online using SBA’s secure web site at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. In addition, loan information and application forms are available from SBA’s Customer Service Center by

calling SBA toll-free at (800) 659-2955.The deadline to apply for these loans is February 22, 2010.

Disaster Loans For Salmon Businesses

The Environmental Protection Agency last month announced the availability of an estimated $10 million in grants, bolstered by funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, to help communities in California clean up sites known as “brownfields,” which may be contaminated by hazardous chemicals or pollutants.

The grants will help to assess, clean up and redevelop abandoned brownfields. These are sites where expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.

“Cleaning and reusing contaminated properties provides the catalyst to improving the lives of residents living in or near brownfields communities,” said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. “A revitalized brownfields site reduces threats to human health and the environment, creates green jobs, promotes community involvement, and attracts investment in local neighborhoods.”

The grants will help revitalize former industrial and commercial sites, turning them from problem properties to productive community use.   

  More information on brownfields activities under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is at: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/eparecovery/index.htm.

Feds SubsidizeToxic Cleanups

New Vehicle Rules Will Save Carbon

Capitol Plant Renounces Coal

Seventeen demonstrators were arrested in late May for civil disobedience – crossing a line onto coal company property – in their campaign against environmentally destructive mountaintop removal in Appalachia.

 They were charged with trespass and conspiracy for walking onto the 12,000-acre-plus Kayford Mountain mine in West Virginia and locking themselves to a giant dump truck.

  Two women in hazmat suits and respirators also were arrested for boating onto a giant toxic coal slurry lake and launching a 60-foot floating banner that read “No more toxic sludge!” They were charged with trespass and littering, even though the littering was on a giant waste dump that sits atop a honeycomb of abandoned deep mines.

  Despite renewed vows to protect Appalachian waterways from the ravages of mountaintop coal mining, the Environmental Protection Agency recently authorized a number of pending mountaintop permits that will bury dozens of streams in the nation's oldest mountain range.

  The move cheered mining supporters but left environmentalists wondering if the Obama administration truly intends to prioritize water-quality concerns above those of the powerful coal industry.

  On the campaign trail, then-Senator Obama vowed to promote better ways to extract the coal on which the nation relies for most of its electricity.

  “We're tearing up the Appalachian Mountains because of our dependence on fossil fuels," he said on a stop in Lexington, Kentucky. "We have to find more environmentally sound ways of mining coal than simply blowing the tops off mountains.”

  Roughly 45 percent of West Virginia's coal is extracted using mountaintop mining techniques, according to the National Mining Association.

Companies blast away the tops of mountains to get at thin coal seams nestled inside, while unwanted rock and soil is pushed into adjacent valleys and tiny streams which are the headwaters of larger bodies of water below.

  Help with the protests is being sought throughout Appalachia – in West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee. Send an e-mail to volunteer@mountainjustice.org to find out more.

  Protesters also are seeking monetary contributions. Donate at http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/

 Saviors of the Mountaintops

ECONEWS June 2009 www.yournec.org 15

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