49 Years of Environmental News Arcata, California Vol. 50, No. 7 October 2020 ECEC NNPublished by the Northcoast EWS EWS Environmental Center Since 1971 Humboldt Marten Protected! Reduce Single Use Pledge | Coastal Cleanup Month Recap | Creature Feature: Freshwater Algae Recycling Concerns | Trinidad Treesitter Update | End of Billboard Blight in sight News From the Center Larry Glass, Executive Director bring “natural” re back to the forest. known California Environmental Carrie Tully, Admin. Director A natural re burns with varying Quality Act (CEQA) and NEPA degrees of intensity, creating a mosaic expert law rm. Sometime during the last two on the landscape which removes the Now the BIA has issued a decades climate scientists warned that ground fuels and brush, and in some nal FONSI based on a weak a tipping point would be reached when cases entire groups of trees. is is the and inadequate environmental carbon emissions passed 400ppm. It’s type of re that has been suppressed assessment. Our contention now been above that level for more since colonization, and it has created has always been that only a full than two years, and we’re entering into the extremely unnatural and volatile Environmental Impact Statement the point of no return. We’re seeing conditions in our forests. In fact, (EIS) would satisfactorily reveal large numbers of hurricanes in the many of our forests were actually oak the many environmental impacts Atlantic, extended record-breaking woodlands and prairie before re wrought by this development. e heat waves on the west coast, and suppression created the great con er document improperly segments now extreme wild re conditions with invasion. Fires must be a consideration issues on a piecemeal basis to unseasonable high winds and low in every aspect of forest management. completely avoid considering the many humidities. All of these disastrous e Northcoast Environmental e ects of these foreseeable aspects Coastal Programs Coordinator, Casey outcomes are what you would predict Center has joined with Humboldt of their entire development project. Cruikshank has hosted another as the climate destabilizes. Alliance for Responsible Planning When the BIA approved this FONSI incredible Coastal Cleanup “Day” Here in Northwest California, we (HARP) in ling an appeal with the it failed to discuss or adequately this year! ough there were many now nd ourselves on the front lines Bureau of Indian A airs (BIA), the lead discuss required issues. is decision alterations to the original style of the of an episode of “extreme” wild re. agency for National Environmental is not supported by the Administrative event, and despite delays due to poor We say “extreme” to di erentiate these Policy Act (NEPA) in regards to the Record, nor does it satisfy the “rule of air quality, the community adjusted events from common wild res which proposed ve-story hotel amongst reason”. e required procedures were to these changes in stride. We had a can, in many cases, have bene cial other developments on the Trinidad not adhered to in making necessary fun, rewarding month of community- results. Extreme wild res are outside Rancheria. e NEC provided documents available for the public focused cleanups and citizen science the normal re regimes that the forests thorough comments in the scoping to review. e NEC wants a full and data collection! We want to once and grasslands need as part of their process and joined with HARP in complete environmental review of all again thank all of our participants and ecological function. ese res can submitting extensive and exhaustive activities connected to this project so sponsors who made this year’s Coastal be so intense that rather than being input after the BIA issued its draft that the public can adequately weigh Cleanup Day successful. We will potentially bene cial, they incinerate Finding of No Signi cant Impact the impacts and reach an informed provide details about the winners of everything in their path. is is not (FONSI). ose extensive comments decision. each prize in next month’s EcoNews! what we mean when we say we want to were submitted by Green re, a well- Back “at the o ce”, the NEC Continued EcoNews Coordinator: Caroline Gri th NEC Board Of Directors NEC Member Groups EcoNews Graphic Layout: Chelsea Pulliam To contact NEC Board Members, Humboldt Baykeeper EC N EWS Proofreaders: Terra Freedman, Kris Diamond please write to [email protected] www.humboldtbaykeeper.org Authors: Larry Glass, Carrie Tully, Caroline President: Larry Glass, Safe Alternatives Sierra Club, North Group, 415 I Street, Arcata, CA 95521 Redwood Chapter Gri th, Dan Sealy, Tom Wheeler, Jen Kalt, Colin for our Forest Environment PO Box 4259, Arcata, CA 95518 www.redwood.sierraclub.org/north/ Fiske, Carol Ralph, Casey Cruikshank, Ali Ong Vice-President: Margaret Gainer, At-Large 707- 822-6918 California Native Plant Society Lee, Martha Walden, Felice Pace, Jamie Carlino, www.yournec.org Secretary: Jennifer Kalt, Humboldt North Coast Chapter Richard Engel, Stephen Kullmann, Steve Lau, Baykeeper www.northcoastcnps.org Trillium D. Pitts, Saul Levin, Rhiannon Lewis- Treasurer: Chris Jenican Beresford, Redwood Region Audubon EcoNews is the official monthly Stephenson, Jose na Barrantes, Jason Lopiccolo, At-Large Society publication of the Northcoast Nerissa Moran, Lupine Forest Defender Joan Tippets, Calfornia Native Plant Society www.rras.org Environmental Center (NEC), a Cover: Oregon Pine Marten. Flikr Creative CJ Ralph, Redwood Region Audubon Society Friends of the Eel River Commons, Walmart. www.eelriver.org non-profit organization. Third class Richard Kreis, Sierra Club, North Group Safe Alternatives for our Forest postage paid in Arcata. ISSN No. Alicia Hamann, Friends of the Eel River 0885-7237. EcoNews is mailed to Environment (SAFE) NEC Staff www.safealt.org our members and distributed free Tom Wheeler, Environmental Protection Information Center Environmental Protection throughout the Northern California Executive Director: Dan Sealy, At-Large Information Center (EPIC) and Southern Oregon bioregion. Larry Glass, [email protected] www.wildcalifornia.org Aisha Cissna, At-Large The subscription rate is $50 per year. Administrative & Development Director: Carrie Tully, [email protected] EcoNews Coordinator/Journalist: NEC Affiliate Members The ideas and views expressed Caroline Gri th, [email protected] Friends of Del Norte Humboldt Baykeeper www.fodn.org in EcoNews are not necessarily Coastal Programs Coordinator: those of the NEC. Casey Cruischank , [email protected] Fiscally sponsored by the NEC Zero Waste Humboldt www.zerowastehumboldt.org Admin. Assistant & Outreach Coordinator: Director: Chelsea Pulliam, [email protected] Jennifer Kalt, [email protected] Californians for Alternatives to Toxics www.alt2tox.org Bookkeeping Assistant: Bay Tours Coordinator: Jasmin Segura, [email protected] Coalition for Responsible Transportation Anita Gilbride-Read, volunteer Priorities www.transportationpriorities.org News from the Center Continued from prior page Letters to EcoNews We want to hear from you! Write us a In This Issue letter 300 words or less that’s relevant to While Coastal Cleanup Day is one of the tactics EcoNews and we’ll consider publishing it! Letters may be edited and shortened for 3 Letters to EcoNews the NEC utilizes to bring awareness to reducing space. The NEC reserves the right to reject single-use plastics, we are constantly striving any submitted material for any reason. Don’t 3 Welcome to the Team: Jaime Carlino to nd more ways to encourage changing this forget to include your contact information when submitting! 3 Mindful Monday Recap behavior. Our very own Administrative Assistant Email [email protected] and Outreach Coordinator, Chelsea Pulliam, has 4 Dear EcoNews: Microgrids been working to develop a “Reduce Single-Use” 4 EcoNews Report Report pledge to be adopted by local restaurants. Often the default for restaurants is to provide single-use 5 Coastal Cleanup Day Recap utensils, napkins, condiments, etc. without asking. NEC Project Help 7 History Lesson: Nat. Forest Expansion is pledge campaign would shift the default to only 8 Blast From the Past providing these accessories upon customer request. Can you help with These projects? Since COVID-19 shelter-in-place rules have been in 1. Outdoor EcoNews Rack 8 EcoNews Community Creations e ect, most to-go orders are being eaten at people’s 2. Cigarette Salmon Display Case 9 Environmental Protection Information Center homes where they already have utensils, napkins, Email [email protected] and condiments. Hence, providing all of those 10 Humboldt Marten Protected accessories is redundant and wasteful. Learn more 11 Humboldt Baykeeper at www.yournec.org/pledge. Want to join the “Reuse Revolution” and take 12 California Native Plant Society your sustainability practices a step further? Check 12 Coalition for Reponsible Transportation Priorities out Zero Waste Humboldt’s webinar trainings at Community submissions 13 Uncertain About Recycling? zerowastehumboldt.org/workshops/ We want to feature your work! Do In addition to business as usual, the sta has 14 NEXUS been representing the NEC at meetings on local you have some nature art you’d environmental topics. We feel that it is essential like to share? How about photos 15 Letter to Trump and Newsom to be informed on all the items, issues, projects, of your catio, compost bin, 17 Treesit Update proposals, and changes that are happening so that garden, solar array, etc.? Email 18 we can keep our members and followers up to date. Eye on Washington your photos to caroline@yournec. 19 Despite COVID-19 slowing many parts of our lives org and you might see them in Humboldt County Boards & Commissions down, there are still many actions to take, and much 20 Get on Board for the Climate to be engaged in. With sta participating in topics the next issue of the EcoNews! such as forest management, oceans and Humboldt 21 Shorts Bay, energy, rivers, and transportation, there will be 21 Joel Mielke Comic plenty of information to share.