Successful Event
In August, we had another very enjoyable summer event supporting the NEC. Thanks to everyone who made it to our Summer Patio Party at Jan & Gary Friedrichsen’s beautiful home! The walks through their property, music by Good Company, some of the best smoked salmon anyone has ever had, and all you could eat oysters were among the highlights of the day. It warmed our hearts to see so many of our supporters in one spot.
Public Lands Bill
Congressman Huffman’s Northern California Public Lands Bill HR 2250 looks to be headed for a markup in the House sometime at the end of September. Only minor changes are expected to be made during this process. This is another step along the long path to getting this legislation enacted. It’s always helpful to let the Congressman’s office know how much we appreciate all the effort passing a bill like this takes!
Terra-Gen
EPIC, the NEC, and representatives from 350 Humboldt submitted a joint letter to Humboldt County Planning Director John Ford with further requests to reduce the harmful impacts of the proposed Terra-Gen Wind Project, currently proposed for Monument and Bear River Ridges. We continue to monitor this project and will keep you informed.
Climate Crisis
Eureka just experienced the warmest August since records have been kept. Numerous local records were also broken in June and July. There are many places on the planet right now that have already passed the 2 degrees Celsius redline established by U.N. scientists, yet the debate about the climate crisis continues. Some folks would prefer to not upset the general population by pointing out the stark realities of extremely hot temperatures, rising oceans, and storm intensification that are a threat to our lives and well-being. Some warn us that scaring people by pointing out the truth causes them to bury their heads in the sand, or become overwhelmed by feelings of loss and grief. It’s unfortunate that some humans will retreat and give up, but our job as aware, environmental activists is to point out the truth of our situation, no matter how painful. If you’re scared, that means you’re still alive and it’s time to take action. You can make simple changes like riding your bike or walking to the store rather than driving, or tackle bigger political questions by promoting ideas like the Green New Deal. Whatever you do helps and everybody will need to do their part.
Coastal Commission
The NEC participated in the recent California Coastal Commission public meetings, held at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka. First, we’d like to point out that the Wharfinger Building is too small to handle this type of event. Many people who showed up at the beginning of the hearings left in frustration because they couldn’t even get in. The meeting was also very poorly run by Chair Dayna Bochco, causing confusion and additional frustration among members of the public who had taken valuable time off to attend. In the end, when it came time for discussion and a vote, confusion and discord left many in the audience bewildered as to what the heck had transpired. Not a way to run such an important public meeting. In the end, two important seemingly arbitrary decisions were made on issues that the NEC had expressed great concerns about. The 101 Corridor Project will be built without sea level rise analysis and the monstrosity of a hotel will wind up on the bluffs of Trinidad, potentially sucking the city’s water supply dry.
At the Center
Back at the Center, in an effort to reach out to the upcoming leaders of tomorrow, we organized an Environmental Community Mixer at HSU, bringing together all our member and affiliate member groups to meet with HSU students. The free pizza was also a big draw!
On September 21, the NEC coordinated our 40th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day, with a new emphasis on zero waste. We want to thank all the businesses and individuals who have supported 40 years of cleaning up our coasts and waterways. Be sure to read pages 3 and 4 for photos and details. We also tabled at the North Country Fair over the same weekend, and led another fantastic All Species Parade!
Special Thanks
Many thanks to all who helped and attended our Summer Patio Party, including our hosts Jan and Gary Friedrichsen; oyster extraordinaires John Woolley, and Janet and Chuck Krull; fish griller Gary Friedrichsen; music provided by Good Company; event volunteers Barbara Reisman, Ryan Call, Charlie Perez, Lawrence Wieldan, Grace Oliva, Nadia, Bob Earl, Betsy Ferguson, Blake Fulgham, Marina Storey, Haley Walker, Rick, Catherine Holloway, Sarah Schaefer, and Rebecca and Richard Jett; flower arrangements by Anita Gilbride-Read, Sharon King, Barbara Wilkinson, and Barbara Riesman; hike leaders Gary Falxa and Carol Ralph, and food donations from Brio Breadworks, Humboldt Bay Oyster Company, Cypress Grove, Ramone’s Bakery and Redwood Roots Farm. Thank You!
Bouquets
Bouquets of gratitude to groups, businesses, and individuals who deserve special thanks!
• Bouquet of appreciation to Midge Brown who helped to proof EcoNews for over 10 years! Thank you so much Midge!
• Bouquet to the Garden Gate for hosting the NEC and supplying wine for September’s Arts Arcata!
• Bouquets to SCRAP Humboldt, Same Old People, Humboldt Bandemonium, Arcata Playhouse, and everyone who came out to make this year’s All Species Parade spectacular!
• Bouquets to Linda Wise for all her waste reduction efforts through Recology and donating plastic-free toothbrushes to our Coastal Cleanup Day event.
• Bouquets to Recology and Humboldt Waste Management Authority (HWMA) for their extra efforts to help Coastal Cleanup Day succeed!
• Bouqets to all our Zero Waste Coastal Cleanup Day sponsors, site captains, and cleanup volunteers!
Special Thanks to our Amazing Summer Interns!
We would not have been able to accomplish all of our events and projects this season without you!
Grace Oliva, our Special Projects intern. Thanks
for all your hard work on the All Species Parade!
Blake Fulgham and Marina Storey, our Coastal Programs interns, for everything you poured into
Zero Waste Coastal Cleanup Day!
Jacqueline Holmes, our Zero Waste intern. Our Plastic Free July campaign and zero waste kits were a success!
Haley Walker, our EcoNews Archive Intern, for keeping the NEC’s history alive!