Guest Opinion – The Owl They Will Shoot
guest opinion, by Ellen E. Taylor
NOTE: Opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the positions of the NEC or its Member organizations.
The United States Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) faced a difficult...
Student Focus: HSU Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP) and ROSE House
Jackson Carrasco
NEC Zero Waste Intern
At Humboldt State University and the surrounding community, The WRRAP program is known by all as a long time leader in zero waste practice. Beginning over 30 years ago in...
Creature Feature: Neighborhood Ferns, in the Forest and Dunes
Carol Ralph
Most people love ferns in general, but many people do not separate the various fern species from the green blur of a lusciously green forest or bank. Around Humboldt Bay this is not...
Casey’s Coastal Column | Citizen Science at the NEC
Casey Cruikshank
Since the beginning of the New Year, dedicated Coastal Programs participants have been working hard to collect valuable debris data, both on city streets and on beaches. One of our New Year’s resolutions...
Eye On Washington: Offshore Energy Development
April-May 2020
Dan Sealy, NEC Legislative Analyst
While election year activities ramp up, there is a great deal of activity related to conservation, public land management, energy and climate change. Here are just a few notes.
Offshore...
Get On Board for the Climate: Humboldt Climate Challenge
Martha Walden
Here comes climate change like a monster truck barreling down on Earth. Time to stop standing in the headlights and arguing about who is supposed to do something! To stop this catastrophe we...
EPIC: Revisions for the Northwest Forest Plan on the Horizon?
Tom Wheeler, Environmental Protection Information Center Executive Director
Ancient forests once stood across the Pacific Northwest. Stalwart giants, moss-covered hardwoods, and a dense underbrush. These forests, nurtured by the warm, wet climate, supported an amazing...
New Ranger for Mad River District
Caroline Griffith
Six Rivers National Forest announced in early March the selection of a new Ranger for the Mad River Ranger District. Kristen Lark, who has worked for the Forest Service since 1987, will be...
Eileen Cooper: Kin to the Earth
Tom Wheeler, EPIC Executive Director
If you didn’t know better, you might discount Eileen Cooper. Eileen is rather petite and, usually buried under a large knit hat and cozy sweater with a small Chihuahua in...
News From the Center
From the Center
April/May 2020
Larry Glass
It’s with a mixture of sadness and gratitude that I announce our wonderful Administrative & Development Director Bella Waters has accepted a full-time position with the Environmental Services department at...
DIY Solar Generator
Ken Miller, McKinleyville by the Sea
My neighbor’s generator sounds like a dental drill in my house. There’s no escaping the irritating sound and nauseating fumes. Her small family purchased a “quiet one,” but understandably...
Let’s Make Earth Day Meaningful
Caroline Griffith
This February was the second driest on record for Humboldt County, which is also ground-zero for sea-level rise on the West Coast with levels projected to rise one foot by 2030. As we...
Where Are They Now? Briana Villalobos
Briana Villalobos
She/her/they
A Southern California transplant, Briana graduated with a BA in sociology at Humboldt State University in 2016. As an avid advocate and self-proclaimed tree hugger, Briana became an intern at the Environmental Protection...
Using Public Banks to Finance Climate Solutions
David Cobb
Readers of the EcoNews know that we are in a climate crisis, so there is no need to convince you of that reality. The purpose of this writing is to describe how Public...
Humboldt Baykeeper & EcoRights Settle FEMA lawsuit over National Flood Insurance Program
Jennifer Kalt, Director
In January, Humboldt Baykeeper and the Ecological Rights Foundation finalized a settlement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that blocks adoption of the 2017 National Flood Insurance Maps in Humboldt, Santa...
Humboldt County Investigates Climate Bond Measure
Tom Wheeler
In March, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors voted to investigate whether a municipal bond could help fund renewable energy development and other efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A “climate bond” could...
Local Sierra Club Offering Camp Scholarships
by Sue Leskiw, North Group Sierra Club Treasurer
North Group, Redwood Chapter, Sierra Club is seeking children to attend two overnight camps in Petrolia this summer. 2020 marks the 25th year that the group has...
Trinidad Rancheria Hotel One Step Closer
Caroline Griffith
A six story, 100-room hotel proposed by the Trinidad Rancheria at their Cher-Ae Hieghts Casino has received a green-light from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). On March 6, the BIA issued a...
Humboldt County Joins “Coalition of the Willing” Seeking a New Klamath Water Deal
by Felice Pace, North Group Water Chair
Supervisor Steve Madrone is representing Humboldt County on the Coalition of the Willing (COW), an initiative of the Trump Administration which aims to forge a new Klamath River...
Shorts: A World Without People (For the Moment): The Environmental Upside of COVID-19
Caroline Griffith
In the days since Italy shut down all non-essential businesses and put citizens in quarantine, swans and dolphins have appeared in the canals in Venice. Normally teeming with tourist boats and Vaporetti, which...
Business Packaging Waste Reduction Pilot Project
Maggie Gainer, Zero Waste Humboldt
The online buying culture created by Amazon Prime is attractive to increasing numbers of consumers because of its extreme convenience. But this convenience comes at tremendous hidden environmental costs. With...
Coalition For Responsible Transportation Priorities: Join the Coalition!
Colin Fiske
The Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) is celebrating five years since our founding in 2015. In that time, we’ve accomplished a lot that we’re proud of. We bring a unique, data-driven perspective...
California Native Plant Society: Changing Plans
Carol Ralph
Changing Plans
Our April and May evening programs are canceled, hopefully to be rescheduled for the fall. We are showing you here the field trips and plant walks we hoped to do, so you...
House Passes Massive Public Lands Bill, Fulfilling Promise to Local Conservation Groups
Caroline Griffith
Following through on a promise made long ago on the campaign trail, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman recently celebrated the passage of his Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act. Huffman’s bill, introduced...
Practicing Spacious Solidarity
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
― Fred Rogers
Social...