EcoNews Jun/Jul 2012

Over 40 Years of Environmental News

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Arcata, California

Vol. 42, No. 3 June/July 2012

 Published by the Northcoast Environmental Center Since 1971

The

Future of

Energy With High Demand and High Stakes, Can we meet the Challenge Responsibly?

Return to Emerald Creek | Waterfront Drive Plans | Coal Trains to China Goldman Prize 2012 | Railroad Analysis Review | 101 Corridor Update | Conifer Country

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1385 8th Street - Suite 215, Arcata, CA 95521 PO Box 4259, Arcata, CA 95518 707- 822-6918, Fax 707-822-6980 www.yournec.org EcoNews is the official bi-monthly publication of the Northcoast Environmental Center, a non-profit organization. Third class postage paid in Arcata. ISSN No. 0885-7237. EcoNews is mailed to our members and distributed free throughout the Northern California/ Southern Oregon bioregion. The subscription rate is $35 per year.

Editor/Layout: Morgan Corviday, morgan@yournec.org Advertising: ads@yournec.org Proofreaders: Karen Schatz, Midge Brown Writers: Sid Dominitz, Morgan Corviday, Dan Ehresman, Jennifer Kalt, Sarah Marnick, Dan Sealy, Scott Greacen, Dan Equinoss, Greg King, Kathy Schrenk.

Artist: Terry Torgerson Cover Collage: Creative Commons liscenced photos from flickr.com NEC Programs Manager: Dan Ehresman, dan@yournec.org

NEC’s Mission

To promote understanding of the relations between people and the biosphere and to conserve, protect and celebrate terrestrial, aquatic and marine ecosystems of northern California and southern Oregon.

NEC Board Of Directors

Safe Alternatives for our Forest EnvironmentLarry Glass, President., larryglass71@gmail.com At-Large, Trinity County Rep. - Bob Morris, Vice-President, bob.morris@wildblue.net At-Large - Chris Jenican Beresford, Treasurer, thegang7@pacbell.net California Native Plant Society - Jennifer Kalt, Secretary, jenkalt@gmail.com Humboldt Baykeeper - Beth Werner, beth@humboldtbaykeeper.org Redwood Region Audubon Society CJ Ralph, theralphs@humboldt1.com Sierra Club North Group, - Richard Kries, rgkreis@gmail.com At-Large - Tom Preble At-Large - Scott Greacen

Member Groups

North Group/Redwood Chapter of the Sierra Club, Redwood Region Audubon Society, North Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, Humboldt Baykeeper, Safe Alternatives for Our Forest Environment.

Affiliate Groups

Environmental Protection Information Center, Friends of Del Norte.

NEC Sponsored Groups

Healthy Humboldt Coalition, Green Wheels

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

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

News From the Center As summer approaches, we take stock of all the progress that has been made over the past few months.

Along with many other creatures nesting this spring, the NEC is getting settled into our new home.

We feel very fortunate for the opportunity to spend the afternoon with all of you who came out to our Earth Day office-warming party and mixer. It was great to celebrate with our members and supporters who continue to help tend the nest with volunteer time, financial contributions, and energy. Your assistance is invaluable towards hatching new projects, nurturing those in their infancy, as well as tending to those which are more mature and in need of a little (or a lot of ) attention.

We also had a great time with many of you who participated in the various activities through Godwit Days and Bike Month!

The NEC is happy to report that the City of Eureka finally voted to deny the proposed Waterfront Drive Extension project, which would have punched a road through sensitive coastal wetlands that were purchased for conservation purposes in 1985.

The NEC and many of our partner organizations spoke out against this proposal, as we have for the past decade. With a 3/2 split vote, we wish to thank three of the council-

members for voting against the illadvised project. With the project finally squashed, we can all look forward to the possibility of a multiuse waterfront trail that will promote safe enjoyment of these unique bird and plant habitats and bay views.

We will continue to support the City’s efforts to move forward on planning for the Eureka Waterfront Trail which will eventually connect the entire waterfront from the Eureka Slough Bridge to the Elk River Wildlife Area. (See page 4.)

On another trail-related note, the ever-stubborn Caltrans withdrew their contested 101 corridor resurfacing and overpass proposal just as they were about to enter into a hearing at the California Coastal Commission (See page 14.) While it may be overly optimistic, we are hopeful that the agency has finally realized it is in their best interest, as well as that of the general public, for them to put forward a revised project that includes a Class I bike path, separated from the fast-moving cars and trucks of Highway 101, while eliminating the ill-conceived overpass at Indianola Cutoff. We will continue to keep you informed as this develops.

We are also celebrating the seemingly-endless General Plan Update moving forward—the Humboldt County Planning

Commission finally completed their review of the GPU on May 17! It is now up to all of us to make sure that the Board of Supervisors rolls up their sleeves and finalizes the longawaited General Plan Update, which will bring a number of much needed improvements in environmental protection for both urban and rural watersheds. (See page 6.)

In other news, Alanna Cottrell, our ever-faithful work-study office assistant has left us for the summer.

She has promised to return next semester, but in the meantime we’d like to offer our heartfelt gratitude for all of her great work. We also wish to thank our other work-study student, Allison Toomey, for the time she has put in over the years. We wish her well in her future pursuits. Given these summertime transitions, we have a few internship opportunities…

Do you want to lend your passion to a long-standing organization committed to wilderness conservation, sustainable communities, and ecological restoration? From our historic EcoNews archive project and database management, to graphic design and general office support— there are plenty of tasks to choose from. If you are interested in finding out more about these offerings, please visit our website: www.yournec.org

Mark Your Calendars for Coastal Cleanup 2012!

The Northcoast Environmental Center is gearing up for the 28th Annual Coastal Cleanup Day on Saturday, September 15th!

Coastal Cleanup, originally a local project of the NEC, was adopted by the Coastal Commission and became a statewide program in 1985. Now, Coastal Cleanup Day is the state’s largest volunteer event, a day when Californians come out to their local beach, creek or river to pick up litter and keep our communities clean. Last year over 70,000 volunteers collected over 1,000,000 pounds of trash and recycling from beaches and rivers throughout the state. Over the past three years, in Humboldt County alone, thousands of community members have done their part to remove over 10,000 pounds of trash from our local waterways and beaches.

This year we hope to sign up 1,000 volunteers!

You can help the NEC reach this goal and keep our beaches and waterways pollution-free. The best way to help is by signing up to clean a beach, river, slough, or any other waterway near you. You can also organize a team with your friends, family, students or club!

An exciting addition to this year’s Cleanup is expanded the opportunities for those in the boating community to take part in the Cleanup from on the water!

Another way to support this amazing effort is by making a donation and becoming a sponsor of the event. We encourage business owners and other sponsors to also participate by forming their own cleanup team!

Coastal Cleanup Day wouldn’t be such a success without YOUR help. To volunteer or to sign up as a sponsor call the NEC at 822-6918 or e-mail dan@yournec.org.

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The Road to Clean Energy....................3

Sandpiper........................................insert

Waterfront Drive Plans Withdrawn...4

CA Native Plant Society........................12

Coal Trains on the Wrong Track........4

Conifer Country.....................................12

Returning to Emerald Creek...............5

EPIC.....................................................13

Kin to the Earth.....................................7

Green Wheels......................................14

Legislative Watch..................................8

Blast from the Past............................15

Humboldt Baykeeper...........................9

EcoMania.............................................16

Friends of the Eel River......................10

Creature Feature.................................17

Sierra Club North Group News.........11

Kids’ Page............................................18

Taking a look at the future of energy in Humboldt.

An activist revists a recovering landscape.

Is increasing coal transport going backward?

An activist revists a recovering landscape.

Goldman Prize 2012 winners.

Lame ducks, guns, and an election year, oh my!

Marine Life moments from protection.

Railroad agency must face state analysis review.

News and conservation updates.

Newsletter of Redwood Region Audubon.

News and event Happenings.

New book explores conifers in the Klamath Region

Spotted owl, Humboldt marten and Green Diamond.

Bicyclists Accident Report Card, 101 Corridor.

Park is for Healing - May 1982 Melange of Salient Sillies.

Trillium ovatum, Trillium.

Discover the Freshwater Ecosystem.

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EcoNews is e x p a n d i n g to include web-only articles! In addition to the content available in the print EcoNews, look for more articles to appear on our website in the coming months.

Visit our website today to check out what else is new!

EcoNews

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EcoNews

June/July 2012

• Coho Recovery Update • Restore Hetch Hetchy • Soils and Hugelkultur • Fukushima Reactor Update and more!

We Want You!

We’re looking for a few good interns!

If you’ll be around this summer, and can commit to 5+ hours per week, we’d like to talk to you!

EcoNews

Laying out an issue of EcoNews is a bit like playing Tetris. It’s a puzzle—a trial and error game of placing content here or there to see what fits.

And while I’ve no doubt that I have it much easier with digital tools than EcoNews editors did in the good ole days (cuttting and pasting bits of paper together—literally!), it’s nonetheless an interesting challenge every time!

Likewise, rounding up writers for each issue can be a roll of the dice. EcoNews is volunteer supported—we do not have a staff of paid writers as many papers do. Our authors give thier time to share important environmental news with you!

You too can be a piece of the puzzle and contribute to EcoNews! If there’s a topic of interest you would like to see covered, please let us know.

If you fancy yourself a good writer, even better! Or, if you have thoughts or comments on a previous article or topic you’d like to share, write a letter to the editor! If you cannot donate your time, consider sending an earmarked donation for EcoNews production.

Getting environmental news out to you— our valued members and readers—is not really a game, of course. We take it seriously, because the environment isn’t something to play around with.

We’ve all been dealt a hand at this table.

Are you game? Let’s roll! ~the Editor

This issue’s web articles, available only online:

Opportunities include: EcoNews production and archiving, volunteer coordination, outreach, office assistance, and more!

707-822-6918 nec@yournec.org www.yournec.org

9th Street Cleanup in Final Stage!

The NEC is pleased to announce that the cleanup of our 9th Street property has entered the final monitoring stage of the process.

The 9th Street building, purchased in 1982, was the NEC’s home of operations and a hub of activity—housing the Center’s offices, gift shop, EcoNews production and an extensive community resource library—until it burned to the ground in a devastating fire in 2001.

The building had previously been occupied by a dry cleaning business. During excavations following the fire, the soil was discovered to have been contaminated by Perchloroethylene (PCE or PERC)—a toxic chemical linked to cancer and neurological damage—commonly used in the dry cleaning industry, which had leaked into the ground during operations there. Even though the contaminant levels were relatively low, the NEC chose to pursue a thorough cleanup of the property to eliminate any risk of the chemical reaching Arcata’s groundwater.

In March of this year, after a series of sampling assessments to accurately determine the levels and range of contamination, the contaminated soil was finally removed and hauled away to a certified toxic waste facility, and clean soil added to the property.

In mid-April, potassium permanganate, an oxidant remediation agent, was injected into the soil to neutralize any remaining chemicals.

Permanent sampling wells were also installed to monitor the remediation process. For the next 18-24 months, quarterly samples will be taken and lab tested, after which, if all goes well, the NEC will be given a Clean Closure letter from the Northcoast Regional Water Quality Control Board indicating no further action required.

The NEC would like to again thank Greenway Partners for their excellent work on this project, and extend thanks to all the other local subcontractors who have assisted with the cleanup as well.

This process was made possible by a $200,000 Brownfield Grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. The grant requires that we raise an additional $40,000 in matching funds. To date, we have raised a substantial amount towards our goal, but more is needed to ensure we can complete this project successfully! We would greatly appreciate earmarked donations to help us complete this process. THANK YOU!

Article submissions welcome!

Full articles of 300-600 words may be submitted, preferably by email.

Please pitch your idea to the editor prior to submitting a draft.

Include your phone number and email with all submissions, to editor@yournec.org

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On the Road To a Clean Energy Future?

Dan Ehresman

that remain for years—as we’ve seen with serious disasters around the world, and last year in the Gulf of Mexico with the Deepwater Horizon explosion.

Sensitive areas, both on land and offshore, continue to be opened up for oil drilling and new construction of major pipelines such as the proposed Keystone XL, which would carry the most toxic and polluting oil source on the planet—tar sands—from Canada to the Gulf for export.

Fossil fuel development also brings severe social and healthrelated consequences around the world, such as seemingly endless war in the Middle East as well as polluted villages, corporate-funded death squads, and displaced residents in Central America.

Along with the direct local impacts related to our reliance on fossil fuels, the global threat of climate change must also be considered. In Humboldt County, with a relatively small

Here on the North Coast, there is a timehonored tradition of standing up to corporate greed and fighting back against those who threaten the ecological balance of this region. It should come as no surprise, then, that oil giant Shell’s proposal to develop a 25 turbine, 50 MW windpower facility on Bear River Ridge has been met with much skepticism.

Perched above the town of Ferndale and the Eel River valley, Bear River Ridge is a pastoral landscape that is home to many sensitive species.

It is also one of the few locations on the North Coast rated highly for wind farm development.

For many residents, it is difficult to conceive of the possible melding of this heritage landscape with the massive and modern totems that are proposed to be constructed to meet our 21st century demands for energy.

Of course we are not the first to be confronted with such realities. Throughout the nation, wind and solar projects are being constructed at a scale that dwarfs anything existing or proposed in Humboldt County. Numerous states have seen their agricultural lands become occupied with thousands of towering turbines. At present, Iowa and Texas are in the running for first place for wind development in the nation—deriving around 20% of their energy from the wind.

In California, thousands of acres of public lands are being covered with vast solar arrays.

These projects are part of a necessary move towards reducing dependence on foreign oil and, ideally, to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Along with a push towards renewables, the U.S. is also rushing to increase development of domestic fossil fuel sources in the pursuit of energy independence from foreign Wind energy turbines in a valley near Spanish Fork, Utah. Photo: Morgan Corviday. oil. Natural gas development is on the rise as well as population compared to more highly populated increased calls for oil production, coal mining, and areas, we too contribute to global warming— even nuclear energy. emissions from electricity production and The upsurge in hydraulic fracturing, a.k.a. transportation spew over 1.5 million metric tons fracking, for natural gas in bedrock has poisoned of greenhouse gases each year. Over half of these groundwater supplies in several states, including emissions are the result of petroleum usage to meet Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York—yet the Humboldt County’s transportation needs. industry is still not held accountable. Throughout Beyond fossil fuels, some in the US are seeking the eastern U.S., mountaintops are being razed to expand nuclear power. In the shadow of the for coal, resulting in the filling of river valleys, the Fukushima catastrophe (which is still unfolding pollution of waterways with toxic mine tailings, and the true cost of which will not be known for and the degradation of Appalachian culture. Oil years to come) and continued risks of meltdown, development poses extreme risks to both terrestrial groundwater contamination, radiation leaks, and and marine environments, with consequences no long-term solution for nuclear waste, two new

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www.yournec.org

reactors—the first new U.S. nuclear plants in 30 years—were recently approved in Georgia.

There is no doubt that we need to embark on the path towards a renewable energy future. However, we must ensure that we are doing so responsibly and are not undermining the ecological values we are seeking to protect. As far as the proposed Bear River Ridge wind farm is concerned, one thing is quite clear: there is an incredible need for more information and more conversation in order to come up with a vision for an energy future that the majority of residents can support.

All options will need to be considered— from energy conservation measures in the home, to better land use planning that reduces our dependence on Power plant smokestacks. Photo: the automobile, to cylon359, Flickr Creative Commons. appropriate design and siting of wind turbines, solar arrays, and runof-the-river micro-hydro. Ultimately, however, we will have to ask how much more we’d be willing to pay for power, and what ecological impacts are worth the cost.

The NEC is researching various aspects of the Shell wind project—expect coverage of this topic in future issues of EcoNews.

Dan Ehresman is the NEC’s Programs Manager.

When I find myself behind the wheel, I often find myself singing silently along with Johnny Cash, “…I’m burning diesel, burning dinosaur bones.”

It strikes me as profound that for each gallon of gasoline used, approximately 98 tons of ancient plants and animals are burned (according to a 2003 study from the University of Utah). Considering that millions of years and countless lifeforms went into production of this black gold, and given that our global petroleum consumption per day is equivalent to all of the plant matter that grows worldwide in a year, it is a wonder that we humans,— who consistently claim reverence for life—don’t make more informed decisions regarding the use of the planet’s dwindling resources and invest more concerted effort toward developing a true and enduring conservation ethic.

June/July 2012

EcoNews

Waterfront Drive Plans Withdrawn

reallocate the funding for the trail, noting that a bike trail from C Street to Truesdale was one of the original projects proposed for this pot of money back in 1997.

The proposed trail would complete a major segment of the City’s Waterfront Trail, which the City Council made a top priority in their 2011 Strategic Visioning. Recently, the City has made significant headway on completing the Waterfront Trail. In January, the City received Coastal Commission approval for the Hiksari Trail segment along Humboldt Bay from Truesdale to the Herrick Avenue Park and Ride. And on May 10, the Coastal Commission approved the final permit for the cleanup of the PCB-contaminated former G&R Metals site on the Eureka waterfront, which has been a barrier for connecting the Waterfront

Larry Glass

On April 17, after more than a decade of vigilance, the environmental community finally convinced the City of Eureka to withdraw its plans for the Waterfront Drive Extension project. The City Council voted 3 to 2 to stop throwing good money after bad. To date, the City claims it has spent $385,000 of state public transportation funds on studies for the Environmental Impact Report for the doomed project, though many observers believe that figure to be much higher since it does not include City staff time over the last decade.

The proposed Waterfront Drive Extension from Del Norte Street to Truesdale—with a second phase slated to plow through the City’s Elk River Wildlife Sanctuary all the way to Herrick Avenue, creating a way to bypass South Broadway—was doomed from the beginning. The California Coastal Commission warned the city that building a road through wetlands and other environmentally sensitive habitat areas is clearly at odds with the California Coastal Act and could never be approved under state law.

In 2005, Peter Douglas, the late Executive Director of the Coastal Commission, wrote a letter to the City describing how the planned project failed to meet Coastal Act requirements, asking that the City cease spending limited public resources pursuing it. The Sierra Club’s North Group Redwood Chapter, Redwood Region Audubon Society, EPIC, and NEC were all active on this issue from the first announcement of it more than 10 years ago. There were numerous Shorebirds at the Eureka Marsh. Photo: Jennifer Kalt. public meetings over the years at which Trail segment between the Adorni Center and First the environmental community expressed strong Street on the north end of Old Town. objections to punching a road through some of the Once completed, the Eureka Waterfront Trail last remaining coastal wetlands in Eureka—wetlands will become part of the California Coastal Trail that had been purchased in 1985 for conservation system, which will one day extend from the Oregon purposes with state Coastal Conservancy funding. border to Mexico, providing non-motorized public At the City Council’s May 15 meeting, City staff access to California’s coastline. recommended that a Class 1 bike path (a dedicated Though no final action could be taken at the path to be used exclusively for bike and pedestrian meeting due to a problem with public noticing, the traffic) be built as a viable alternative for safe bike Council is expected to revisit the issue at its June 5 travel and for providing safe public access to the meeting. Check our website for updates! waterfront, including the area adjacent to the Bayshore Mall, known as Parcel 4. Beth Werner of www.yournec.org Humboldt Baykeeper and Larry Glass of the NEC strongly supported the staff recommendations to Larry Glass is President of the NEC Board of Directors. ...working with clients to improve the social, economic and environmental performance of their organizations and projects.

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

REGENERATIVE DEVELOPMENT

PLANNING AND RESEARCH

June/July 2012

Jennifer Kalt Even as coal-fired power plants are being phased out in Oregon and Washington, there are an unprecedented number of current proposals to export coal to Asia through Pacific Northwest ports.

In April, Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber requested that the federal government do an extensive environmental review of proposals to export nearly 150 million tons of coal per year from Montana’s and Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, more than doubling coal exports from the U.S. The governor, many residents, and public interest organizations throughout Oregon, have raised significant concerns about increased diesel and coal dust pollution from the trains themselves, as well as increased pollution of air and water across the Pacific Northwest due to mercury and other pollutants drifting back from Asian countries burning coal.

Coal dust, which contains arsenic, lead, and mercury, is known to contribute to asthma, emphysema, and decreased mental capacity in children. It also poisons our lakes and rivers, rendering fish and shellfish unsafe to eat due to mercury contamination.

China’s and India’s poorly regulated coal power plants emit enormous amounts of pollution that travel with air currents across the Pacific to harm human health, pollute air and water in the U.S., in addition to exacerbating climate change.

Studies have found that 84% of mercury deposited in the Columbia River Basin is due to atmospheric deposition from global sources, with 18% of mercury at one Oregon site traced to Asia. Along with impacts to air and water quality, imperiled fish species, and human health, increased coal burning in Asia could impact the U.S. economy, resulting in stricter emissions standards for American businesses.

There are also concerns that the coal supply will lock Asia into a coal-dependent future that will increase greenhouse gas emissions, further impacting coastal communities, fisheries, and shellfish in the Pacific Northwest through sea level rise and ocean acidification. Inland regions could face increasing drought, wildfire, and forest pests and diseases. Opponents question how massive export of U.S. coal to Asia will further our goals of lowering carbon emissions and decreasing dependence on fossil fuels.

Major infrastructure investments at six ports in Oregon and Washington would require more than 60 coal trains a day. The U.S. EPA has said that the first such proposal at the Port of Morrow itself “has the potential to significantly impact human health and the environment.” If one such port has the potential to be so damaging, it’s not a stretch to imagine how damaging six coal-export sites could be.

For more information on how you can help stop the coal trains, visit http://www.powerpastcoal.org/

www.greenwaypartners.net 707.822.0597

EcoNews

Coal Trains on the Wrong Track

www.yournec.org

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An Activist’s Return to Emerald Creek Dan Sealy the National Park Service had resurrected an early Part of the trail we were hiking had formerly successional forest. Follow-up management could been a logging road. ECC members had used this Last summer, I became very anxious at the assure Redwood Creek would be managed for fish same road to trespass across Arcata Redwood Co. thought of returning to a very special place I hadn’t and a thriving redwood ecosystem. lands to quickly access park lands and document seen in decades. In the 1970’s I witnessed the the destruction to the forest—watching devastation of clear-cut logging inching logging encroach into the Emerald toward Redwood Creek in Redwood Creek watershed firsthand. Dislodged National Park. I watched the crystal gravel and logging debris began to clear waters of Emerald Creek above choke streams as destabilized slopes Tall Trees Grove turn grey-brown— slid down into the Redwood Creek choked with silt and mud. Now, forty killing fish and amphibians. years later, friends were inviting me to It was probably this very road go back to Emerald Creek. Could I? where, forty years ago, I was caught When I arrived in Humboldt County trespassing (and recognized by name in 1970, the American nightmare of as an activist), but escaped into the Vietnam was coming to an end and park. It was on that hike I saw some the first Earth Day was transforming of the worst destruction at a beautiful conservation politics. I joined a grassroots waterfall on Emerald Creek. organization, the Emerald Creek ECC members frequently camped Committee (ECC), which met at the near this spiritual waterfall when Northcoast Environmental Center. We documenting logging affects to were inspired by local activists, artists, fisheries and forests upstream. Now, teachers, and Native Americans, and four decades later, it was liberating to wanted Congress to protect the Tall Trees know that this valley and thousands of Grove and the larger redwood ecosystem. acres were saved, and that it was worth As I pondered my return trip I the fight. I felt the peace of generations commiserated with my friend and fellow “Creek Freak” Christie Fairchild. John Amodio surveys Dolason Prairie, July 11, 2011. Photo: Dan Sealy.

Continued on next page “Will you come backpacking with us?”

“No.” she said, “I can’t go back. It was too sad.”

It was a tough time. Many of us had been threatened or physically harmed for our convictions.

I was proud of the work we had done and love Out of the woods. Stumbles a lost human. Another. backpacking the Northcoast, but Christie was right: They call a meeting. They have a plan. Back, they say. it had also been very sad.

Other friends and former ECC members, To the woods. Stabilize stream banks. Plant trees.

Sungnome Madrone (who now owns a watershed Sing water songs. Make tree music. They hear a voice. management company), and John Amodio Listen, it says. (former NEC Director, now living in Sacramento) encouraged me to go with them and see it for myself.

The water and tree people, naiad and dryad, are The morning fog lifted as John and I headed forever calling the watershed to order. Convening down Dolason Prairie. I looked across the valley a hearing. Calling for salmon. The meeting can’t and was stunned by the transformation I saw. begin without salmon.

Where there had been barren square timber cuts Sing for rain, someone says. They sing and it rains I now saw green hillsides full of trees. Wow! I had and sure enough the salmon arrive. First one, then feared the unstable slopes would be forever sliding downhill but hard work by conservationists and a pair, then more, till there is a quorum. Now things can get started.

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A bear gets up and wants to know if there are any changes to the agenda. A mountain lion moves to approve. It’s unanimous. There is only one item: the fate of the earth. Everybody gets a voice.

Someone wants to throw out the humans, but they get to stay.

Humans can sing. Humans can dream.

Let the meeting go on.

Helping Buyers and Sellers make “Green” Decisions about Humboldt County Real Estate.

CALL TO LEARN MORE TODAY! Karen Orsolics, Broker/Owner 707-834-1818 655 F Street, Arcata, CA www.arcataproperty.com

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June/July 2012

EcoNews

Green Diamond Applies for Forest Stewardship Council Certification Green Diamond Resource Company— formerly Simpson Timber Company—has applied for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for its California holdings, which encompass more than 400,000 acres in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties.

A public meeting will be held to allow interested parties to provide comments and discuss with the auditors. The public meeting will be held Monday, June 11, 7 – 8:30 p.m. at the Bayside Grange Hall, 2297 Jacoby Creek Rd. in Bayside.

FSC certified wood products are sourced from forests managed to the highest environmental, social, and economic standards.

To qualify for certification, timber companies must protect old growth, limit clearcutting, and restrict conversion of natural forests to plantations or non-forest uses. These

standards would be a significant improvement for forestlands managed by Green Diamond, and would benefit both the local environment and the economy.

The Company’s California forest management operations will be evaluated against the FSC’s U.S. Forest Management Standard, Vol. 1.0, which is available at http://fscus.org/standards_criteria/ forest_management.php.

The evaluation process includes several steps, beginning with public notification and solicitation of comments on the certification applicant, followed by field assessment of representative field sites and operations, stakeholder consultation, evaluation and peer review by 2 independent natural resource professionals. Finally, a public summary of the certification report is released, if certification is awarded.

If you would like to comment on Green Diamond’s application for Forest Stewardship Council certification, send comments to Dr. Sheila Steinberg, Social Scientist and Auditor, Scientific Certification Systems, Inc. 2000 Powell Street, Suite 600, Emeryville, CA 94608 or send an email to fscinput@gmail.com.

Continued from previous page of elders—including conservationists—who risked so much. It took my breath away.

The new trail had been carefully designed to weave in and out of open stands, recovering forest and large trees. An ECC member had laid out the trail route for the Park Service and the trail laid lightly on the land—repairing road damage in places, and avoiding known sacred sites.

We met Sungnome at the bridge over the creek—a bridge that didn’t exist forty years ago— and saw a sign emblazened by the name given it by a bunch of young activists: Emerald Creek. Amazing!

The Redwood National and State Parks work to protect more than nine state or federally rare species. The parks provide over 200 miles of public hiking trails where you can hike with your family without fear of conflict with hunting. The park manages wilderness while working actively with

communities to increase appropriate economic activities. It is a delicate balancing act that recognizes that if you don’t put conservation above enjoyment, there will be less for future generations to enjoy.

No resource management agency is perfect, but thanks to environmental laws such as the National Environmental Policy Act of 1968, all Americans are able to voice their concerns regarding parks plans for restoration or activities—rights we did not have when the lands were privately owned!

The positive results of community efforts were in the green forests and clear water I saw on my return trip to Emerald Creek. Even when I’m home thousands of miles away, I have a sense that we were able to right a wrong and with careful management, future generations will see the beauty we have been able to see.

Dan Sealy recently retired from a long career in the National Park Service and lives in Washington, D.C.

General Plan Update Gets Final Review Dan Ehresman On May 17, the Humboldt County Planning Commission took their final vote on the General Plan Update and its associated Draft Environmental Impact Report. The Commission voted unanimously to move their recommendations forward to the Board of Supervisors. This milestone was marked by a robust round of applause from a very diverse array of stakeholders including representatives from Healthy Humboldt, HELP, Humboldt Association of Realtors, Northcoast Environmental Center, as well as SoHum and NoHum residents.

The public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Report, having been extended for another 30 days, will end on June 15.

Beginning on June 12, our County Supervisors will begin their deliberations on this ever-important Update. It is currently expected that they will be meeting two days a week for six weeks.

Even though there is a vocal majority of residents who support updating our General Plan to safeguard Humboldt’s forests and farms, rivers and salmon, there are still certain special interest groups trying to stop the Update altogether. In the coming months, your support will be even more crucial to make sure our County Supervisors adopt a General Plan that will benefit the communities of Humboldt County – human and wild, rural and urban. Stay up-to-date with Facebook updates from Healthy Humboldt or visit our website at:

www.healthyhumboldt.org.

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Kin to the Earth: GOLDMAN PRIZE 2012 An American woman who plans to voices of Lake Turkana’s divided and marginalized stop Shell Oil from leasing the Arctic’s communities and took their voices to local waters, a Russian woman fighting a road members of parliament and various ministries. bisecting Moscow’s protected forest and an Argentine mother whose infant son’s death SOFIA GATICA, Argentina galvanized opposition to indiscriminate A mother whose infant died as a result of pesticide spraying are three winners of the pesticide poisoning, Sofía Gatica is organizing 2012 Goldman Prize. local women to stop indiscriminate spraying of They are joined by three other regional toxic agrochemicals in neighboring soy fields. winners of the world’s largest prize for grassroots Their advocacy has had resounding effects, environmentalists: a Catholic priest leading a and they are now pushing for a nationwide movement against a large-scale nickel mine on a ban on glyphosate.

Philippine island, a Kenyan woman who risked her life to halt a dam and a Chinese man who has EDWIN GARIGUEZ, Philippines created an online database of factories violating A Catholic priest, Father Edwin Gariguez environmental practices. is leading a grassroots movement against a Each of the six represent an inhabited large-scale nickel mine to protect Mindoro from left) Evgenia Chirikova, Ma Jun, Ikal Angelei, Sofia Gatica, Island’s biodiversity and its indigenous continental region—North America, South and (Clockwise Caroline Cannon, and Edwin Gariguez.

Central America, Islands and Island Nations, people, co-founding a broad coalition uniting MA JUN, China Europe, Africa and Asia—and each winner thousands of indigenous peoples, farmers and Ma Jun organizes the monitoring and is awarded $150,000. local political leaders. enforcement data from the Chinese government so This year’s winners are: it is available to the public through online air and CAROLINE CANNON, USA water pollution maps—showing Chinese citizens Caroline Cannon is bringing the voice and EVGENIA CHIRIKOVA, Russia which factories are violating environmental perspective of her small Inupiat community in Challenging rampant political corruption, regulations in their country—and works with Point Hope, Alaska, to the battle to keep Arctic Evgenia Chirikova is mobilizing her fellow Russian corporations to clean up their practices. waters safe from offshore oil and gas drilling. She citizens to demand the rerouting of a highway and her environmental partners are currently that would bisect Khimki Forest, Moscow’s IKAL ANGELEI, Kenya galvanizing public opposition towards plans to “green lungs.” Chirikova won a significant victory Ikal Angelei is risking her life to fight the drill exploration wells in the Chukchi Sea. when she and her colleagues convinced major construction of the massive Gibe 3 Dam that would For more information about this year’s winners, and financial backers of the highway to withdraw block access to water for indigenous communities the hard issues they are tackling around the world, their funding, citing environmental, social and around a lake they depend on. Angelei founded the read our full article online! Visit www.yournec.org! financial concerns. group Friends of Lake Turkana, brought together the

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June/July 2012

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Good News

Legislative Watch

Gridlock and the Lame Duck

Permit Denied for Flaming Gorge Pipeline

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) recently closed the door on another attempt to permit the Flaming Gorge Pipeline.

Earthjustice states, “This project—and any similar, large-scale transbasin diversions—is the worst way to meet water challenges.”

Hawaii First State to Ban Plastic Bags

Hawaii became the first state in the nation where every city and unincorporated area is covered by a plastic bag ban. This was not accomplished by the state legislature, but instead by all four County Councils—a great example of local activists and decision makers addressing the serious issue of plastic pollution.

Klamath Gold-Mining Permits Against Law

A federal appeals court recently ruled that the U.S. Forest Service violated federal endangered-species protections by approving gold mining along Northern California’s Klamath River without first consulting wildlife agencies. California has a temporary moratorium on suction-dredge mining in place.

The new ruling applies to other mining as well.

In this election year, we can expect a lot of posturing but very little action to promote conservation of our dwindling natural resources in the coming months. The lame duck Congress will try to barricade any legislation it feels will fare better after the elections.

Environmental policies are under constant attack—especially in the House of Representatives. These attacks are not blatant or in forms the public could easily respond to, but rather are hidden in subtle “divide and conquer” strategies and de-funding budget proposals.

The “jobs vs. wilderness” mantra, for example, is ever-present (in spite of data indicating local jobs can be enhanced by wilderness protection).

Guns Trump Conservation An example is the so-called “Sportsmen’s Heritage Act” (HR 4089.)

Opponents say this bill would effectually dismantle the 1964 Wilderness Act. If passed, it would: •Destroy efforts to limit or ban lead ammunition and fishing tackle in disregard of scientific studies showing lead ammo is killing eagles, condors and other species.

•Allow off-road vehicles in roadless wilderness areas.

•Allow hunting on all federal lands including National Parks—leaving few places for families to hike and camp safely during hunting seasons.

New Milestone for California Condor

Down to as few as 23 birds in the early 1980s, the endangered California Condor has reached a new milestone of over 400 birds in existence. An April count found 226 of the enormous vultures flying free over California, Arizona and Baja, Mexico. An additional 179 live in zoos and four breeding centers.

Saudi Arabia’s New Solar Energy Program

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil producer, announced plans to launch an ambitious solar energy program capable of generating 41,000 megawatts of power over the next two decades to support one-third of electricity production by 2032. “We want to run a sustainable solar energy sector that will become a driver for domestic energy for years to come.”

Despite opposition, proponants have flooded Washington, D.C. media with expensive advertisements urging members of Congress to support hunting rights over all other recreation interests.

The pro-hunting HR 4089 passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the fate of the bill will soon be decided by the Democratically controlled Senate—but big lobbying money is pushing for passage. It is not too late to let your elected representatives know you oppose this bill!

Endangered Lies

Using faulty math and the excuse of the day—“jobs”—Rep. Hasting (R-WA), Chairman of the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee, hosted a meeting declaring war on the Endangered Species Act (ESA), promising a year of hearings. Rep. Hastings’ cadre bases their opinion on the idea that the ESA is a failure since only 1% of the listed species have recovered and been taken off the list.

Meanwhile, at a separate meeting hosted

by Rep. Markey (D-MA) in support of the ESA, the fallacy of Rep. Hasting’s opinion was pointed out—it is like a doctor telling you to take an antibiotic for a week to treat an infection, and then someone asking you a day later if you are well. The argument fails to recognize that approved recovery plans for most listed species established timelines that are still many years down the road—a lack of immediate success does not indicate failure. In addition, the science of species ecology and biology has improved since many of the recovery plans were written.

In some cases, the metrics should change to reflect new information, and potentially longer recovery times.

The Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) recently published a report, “On Time, On Target,” spotlighing scientists whose recent studies show that the ESA does, in fact, work.

CBD reports that of 10 species expected to recover by 2011, nine were down-listed to a less-protected status while many others “are on track to meet recovery goals set by federal scientists.”

Some conservationists argue that the fact that species have not recovered in shorter time frames is a result of our lack of vigorous protection; this is no time to weaken the act to benefit the “topic of the time”- the economy. If we can’t afford to keep species from becoming extinct, that says a lot about our weak economic system—and how faulty our priorities.

Dan Sealy is the NEC’s Legislative Analyst—our eyes and ears in Washington, D.C.

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Events and Updates ~ North Group, Redwood Chapter

OUTINGS & MEETINGS The regular meeting of the North Group takes place on the second Tuesday of each month at Eureka’s Adorni Center beginning 7 p.m.. The June 12 meeting will be preceded by a special presentation, pizza and refreshments beginning at 6 p.m. Science Fair Award recipient Paloma Herrara-Thomas (7th grade) will share her winning project (more on her project below).

The following outings are offered to members and the general public during June and July: Saturday, June 9: Friendship Ridge, Prairie Creek State Park Hike. Enjoy old growth, ocean views, a waterfall and possible elk sightings on this 8-mile, moderate difficulty loop. The route starts at Fern Canyon Trailhead and proceeds along Friendship Ridge, closing with a short section on James Irvine Trail. Expect a few steep and soggy stretches. Bring food and water; wear hiking footwear and layered clothing. No dogs. Rain cancels the event. A carpools leaves from Arcata’s Safeway Parking Lot at 9 a.m. or meet at the Fern Canyon Parking Area (Hwy 101 north, exit Davison Road, follow the signs) at 10:30 a.m. Contact trip leader Melinda at 707-668-4275 or mgroomster@gmail.com Saturday, June 23: Trillium Falls Trail, Redwood National Park. Bring your kids and walk this easy, 2.8-mile loop winding through redwood groves and past the trail’s namesake waterfall. If we’re lucky we’ll see elk. Wear sturdy shoes; bring liquids and lunch. No strollers. A Carpool departs 9 a.m.

from Arcata’s Safeway parking lot or meet at the trailhead at 10 a.m. (Hwy 101 north, exit Davison Road, follow signs). Contact trip leader Allison at 707-268-8767.

Saturday, July 14: Ma-le’l Dunes, Ledik Trail to Du’k Loop Trail. Come with kids on this easy 1.5mile walk and experience one of the most pristine dune communities in the Pacific Northwest. We’ll see a coastal forest, sand dunes and the beach. Wear sturdy shoes; bring liquids and lunch. No strollers.

Meet 10 a.m. at Ma-le’l Dunes South parking area: Take Samoa Blvd (Hwy 255), turn onto Young Lane, follow signs and park near the restroom. Contact leader Allison at 707-268-8767.

SCIENCE PROJECT RECEIVES REWARD For the sixth time, the North Group sponsored an award at the annual Humboldt County Science Fair held in mid-March. The $50 prize for best project dealing with environmental issues went to “Land Use and Stream Health,” a project by Paloma Herrera-Thomas, a 7th-grade student at Jacoby Creek School.

Paloma set out to measure water-quality indicators in three watersheds; Brown Creek (located in Prairie Creek State Park), Jacoby and Janes creeks in Arcata. After interviewing environmental professionals, she gathered data on nitrogen levels, pH, dissolved metals, and bacterial growth on a light-rain day, a sunny day, and during a heavy rainstorm. Brown Creek data showed the lowest pollution level. Jacoby Creek, draining the largest area with intensive agricultural practices, showed the highest pollutant levels

and the largest increase in pollution during rain events. Janes Creek had high levels of nitrogen and high pH, likely related to livestock grazing and stormwater runoff.

Paloma will present her project on June 12 at the Adorni Center in Eureka beginning at 6 p.m.

The public is invited to attend this free North Group event; pizza and refreshments will be served. Paloma’s presentation will be followed by the regular meeting of the North Group’s Executive Committee.

ROAD THROUGH EUREKA MARSH DEAD A Eureka road extension opposed by the North Group for more than 10 years was finally killed by the Eureka City Council on April 17. The Waterfront Drive Extension (WDE) was proposed to be built through wetlands that Eureka purchased with Coastal Conservancy grants. Touted as congestion relief for Highway 101, the 9,000-foot, 2-lane road would have required filling part of the PALCO (a.k.a. Eureka) Marsh complex that the City has been managing for wildlife habitat.

California Coastal Commission staff advised Eureka years ago to stop spending time and money on the project which could not be permitted because it would cause unacceptable impacts to Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Areas (ESHAs) and wetlands.

City staff finally admitted that the proposal had a “likely fatal flaw” that would bar Coastal Commission approval. Staff is now working to reprogram WDE funds to construct a trail along the Eureka Waterfront.

Robert Berg, D.D.S.

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

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HAPPENINGS ~ News and Events from the North Coast Chapter Beginners and experts, non-members and members are all welcome at our programs and on our outings. Almost all of our events are free. All of our events are made possible by volunteer effort.

EVENING PROGRAMS Second Wednesday evening, September through May. Refreshments at 7 p.m.; program at 7:30 p.m. at the Six Rivers Masonic Lodge, 251 Bayside Road, near 7th and Union, Arcata.

Botanical FAQ’s: At 7:15 p.m. Pete Haggard or some other presenter shares a brief, hands-on demonstration and discussion of some botanical topic.

September 12, Wednesday 7:30 p.m. Dr. James P. Smith shares stories about California’s early botanists. Botanical book recirculation night starting at 7:00 p.m.

October 10, Wednesday 7:30 p.m. “Floral Jewels Among All that Rock at Lassen National Park” Ken Stumpf

November 14, Wednesday 7:30 p.m. Cheri Sanville and Bianca Hayashi will be talking about discoveries and fun with local Fawn Lilies (Erythronium).

December 12, Wednesday 7:30 p.m. Native Plant Show & Tell. An informal evening for anyone to share photos, artifacts, readings, or food relating to native plants and their habitats.

June 17, Sunday. Umbellifer Quest, Arcata to Cold Spring. How many members of the carrot family will we find along the way to Cold Spring and exploring the meadow there? This will be our focus for a trip from coastal plain to mountain fir forest on Titlow Hill Rd. off Highway 299 in Six Rivers National Forest. Besides roadside stops we will explore the meadow and informal trail (about 3 miles) at Cold Spring. We will surely see many non-umbelliferous flowers as well. Bring lunch and water; dress in layers for changeable mountain weather at 4,000 feet. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at Pacific Union School (3001 Janes Rd., Arcata) or arrange another place. Return late afternoon. Information: Carol Ralph 822-2015

July 27-30. Friday eve.Sunday. Sanger Lake Field Trip. Snuggled on the west side of the Siskiyou Mountains crest, Sanger Lake will be our base for a day hike to Young Valley (Saturday) and other exploration of fir forest, rock outcrops, and wet meadows of these beautiful mountains.

Primitive camping is at the lake, accessible by unpaved Forest Service road (Knopki Rd.) off of Highway 199. Lodging is available at Patrick Creek, roughly an hour away. For more details and to say you are coming, call Carol 822-2015.

Please watch for later additions on our Web site (www.northcoastcnps.org) or sign up for e-mail announcements Northcoast_CNPS-subscribe@ yahoogroups.com).

Conifer Country: Natural History of the Conifers of the Klamath Mountain Region When Michael Kauffmann first began to explore the Klamath Mountains 10 years ago, he immediately knew he was seeing a place that was vastly different from others in the West. The landscape was subtle compared to other mountain ranges but the plant life was complex and diverse. In fact, northwest California and southwest Oregon is the most botanically diverse region in western North America.

Kauffmann’s new book, Conifer Country, is an innovative natural history and hiking guide that uses conifers as a lens to explore the astounding plant diversity in the Klamath Mountains of northwestern California and southwestern Oregon. Conifers are one of the oldest lineages of plants remaining on the planet. Per unit area, the Klamath Mountains hold more species of conifers than any other temperate region on Earth.

Along with describing the region’s conifer species with color plates, the book takes adventurous souls to 29 hiking destinations— each with maps and downloadable route descriptions. Michael has created an

EcoNews

June/July 2012

accessible guide by writing for the amateur to expert botanists and hikers alike— the perfect companion for this summer’s adventures.

Featured hikes range from a gentle 2.8 mile hike in Ferndale’s Russ Park (5 conifers) to the 410-mile Bigfoot Trail through 6 wilderness areas and 1 national park (32 conifers).

Kauffmann spent 22 days in the summer of 2009 ground-truthing the route, documenting conifers, and photographing wildflowers.

An educator specializing in science, math, and natural history, Kauffmann is also an avid wilderness trekker. His irrepressible enthusiasm for the natural world shines as he describes geologic history and evolutionary events that formed the unique beauty and wonder of the Klamath Mountains over the millennia.

Conifer Country is available locally around Humboldt Bay at the HSU Natural History Museum, Rookery Books, Northtown Books, Eureka Books, and Booklegger. It is also available in Crescent City at State of Jefferson Books or online through Backcountrypress.com.

www.yournec.org

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Marine Life Moments from Protection

Beth Werner The Marine Life Protection Act process has been filled with acronyms, multi-level decision makers, fights, fear and compromise, but the madness is nearing an end. The Fish and Game Commission met in Eureka on June 6 to finalize our marine protected areas based on public comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report. [Editor’s note: As the meeting occurred after our print deadline, we were unable to include details in this report].

Sandy Bottom

Two of the very important species call the sandy bottom terrain home; Dungeness Crab and the California Halibut. Dungeness crab are an important iconic north coast creature and vastly important to the economy. California Halibut, flat fishes that bury themselves under the sand, are also very important to the ecosystem and fishermen.

Rocky Reef

Rocky reefs are vitally important for a diverse species of fish because they provide both shelter and food. One iconic species living in the rocky reefs off the North Coast is Lingcod. Lingcod can grow up to 5 feet in length, are solitary and unique due to their large heads, mouths and teeth.

Offshore Rocks

Mendocino coastline—South Cape Mendocino State Marine Reserve and protected offshore rocks Sugarloaf Island and Steamboat Rock.

Photo: Todd Kraemer.

The North Coast submitted a single unified proposal—based on collaboration between local fisherman, tribal governments, environmentalists and ocean enthusiasts—that Baykeeper continues to support. As the Marine Life Protection Act adoption hearing approaches we want to focus on the goal of the Act: to protect biodiversity off California’s coast.

There are several distinct habitat types found in the North Coast bioregion that exemplify California’s rich coastal biodiversity, including—but not limited to—sandy bottom, rocky reef, offshore rocks, and kelp and eel grass beds. The iconic species living off the North Coast live, breed, mate and grow in these habitats and the MLPA provides a platform to protect these unique coastal niches.

Save the Dolphin Save Yourself

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The North Coast has many large offshore rocks along the coast - more than other regions in California. These large offshore rocks are breeding grounds, nurseries and shelter for many marine mammals including the Steller Sea Lion (a listed species on the Endangered Species Act) as well as migratory birds such as the Tufted Puffin.

Kelp and Eel Grass Beds

Kelp beds are less frequent off the coast of Del Norte and Humboldt than Mendocino County.

The kelp beds in Mendocino provide habitat and food for many creatures including Red Abalone. Eel Grass beds can be found in Humboldt Bay, and are nursery grounds for many fish that travel between the Bay and the ocean such as steelhead, Coho, and Chinook salmon.

To find more information about the MLPA and the final marine protected areas off the North Coast go to http://www.humboldtbaykeeper.org/marinelife-protection-act.html or call 707-268-8897.

Beth Werner is Executive Director of Humboldt Baykeeper.

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Fecal Coliform Found in Local Streams Jennifer Kalt Since our Citizen Water Monitoring Program began in 2005, we have consistently found high levels of fecal coliform in many local streams.

Fecal coliform are bacteria that originate in feces of warm-blooded animals, including livestock, wildlife, pets, and humans.

Testing this February found fecal coliform levels exceeded water quality standards at 64% of the sites tested, compared with 85% during First Flush 2009, and 42% during dry weather monitoring in September 2009. These results suggest that fecal coliform levels are correlated with rainfall, which flushes polluted runoff into local creeks. This type of water pollution can make people sick who come into contact with it and requires closure of commercial shellfish beds after rainstorms to prevent exposure through ingesting contaminated oysters and clams.

Nationwide, approximately 50% of water pollution is caused by stormwater runoff. Runoff from parking lots, roads, and roofs, faulty septic or sewage systems, agricultural and residential pesticides and fertilizers, and industrial sources all contribute to stormwater pollution. Sediment from logging, roads, construction, and landslides is also a major source of polluted runoff.

Protecting vegetation along creeks and wetlands, improving maintenance of sewer pipelines and septic systems, and keeping livestock out of streams can all help reduce fecal coliform levels and will protect Humboldt Bay’s water quality.

To get involved in the Citizen Water Quality Monitoring Program, call Humboldt Baykeeper at 268-8897 or visit our website at http://humboldtbaykeeper.org.

For more information on preventing stormwater pollution, visit http://www.humboldtstormwater.org.

Jennifer Kalt is Humboldt Baykeeper’s Policy Director.

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EcoNews

No Federal Shield for Railroad

Scott Greacen Environmental plaintiffs claimed a victory in May when a federal court rejected the North Coast Railroad Authority’s attempt to keep a California state court from reviewing the NCRA’s July 2011 Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

Friends of the Eel River (FOER) and Californians for Alternatives to Toxics (CATs) challenged the EIR in state court, arguing (among other things) that the NCRA is impermissibly “segmenting” analysis of the overall rail line reconstruction project by breaking it into a series of small pieces. Instead of analyzing the potential environmental effects of rebuilding the old Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP Co.) line through the Eel River Canyon, as the NCRA claimed it would do, they instead analyzed just the southern end of the rail line—the section from Willits south, which the NCRA calls its Russian River Division.

The NCRA (and their private contractor, the NWP Co.) claimed that the environmental impacts of railroads are entirely a federal matter, the state had no jurisdiction, and thus the NCRA can’t be required

agency secretly contracted a highly controversial lease with NWP Co. to reopen the entire line from Humboldt Bay to the national rail system in the San Francisco area, probably to haul gravel and rock.

From the first train that ever ran through the Eel Canyon, the line was plagued by landslides.

When it ran, the line was the most expensive stretch of rail to maintain in the continental U.S. There are grave concerns about efforts to rebuild the defunct rail line through the Eel River Canyon. The legacies of blocked watersheds, toxic hotspots, and debris and sediment dumped into the river by the railroad would carry into the indefinite future without adequately addressing the instabilities that caused the line to fail in the first place.

The NCRA has been unable to put forward a viable business plan that would support the tremendous expense of Eroding bank under railroad track along the Eel rebuilding a viable and resilient River Canyon. Photo: Scott Greacen. rail line through the Eel Canyon.

Chinook that climbed the fish ladder into the Van In fact, more than a decade after signing a consent Arsdale reservoir above the Cape Horn dam last fall. decree with a handful of state agencies admitting to However, the NMFS now admits there’s reason serious violations of environmental law throughout to be concerned that the Chinook and steelhead the canyon, the agency has yet to even lay out a juveniles could be harmed not only by predatory plan to begin to address the problems of cleanup pikeminnow from the Lake Pillsbury reservoir in the canyon. above Scott Dam, but also by the cold water released A meaningful CEQA review would require from the dam as part of the Potter Valley Project public agencies to take a careful look at the potential operations, stating that, “Past monitoring has impact of their proposed actions and adopt feasible indicated that cooler water temperature releases mitigation measures—which is what the NCRA & from Scott Dam can delay the migration of juvenile NWP want to avoid.

Chinook salmon from the 12 mile reach, potentially decreasing their success to migrate to the lower Scott Greacen is Executive Director of Friends of the Eel River. river, estuary and ocean.”

to comply with CEQA. The federal magistrate did not agree and sent the case straight back to state court.

The EIR was funded by California taxpayers and explicitly conditioned on compliance with the state’s cornerstone environmental impacts law, CEQA (the California Environmental Quality Act). The ruling means that the NCRA will have to defend its CEQA document before a state judge. We are reasonably confident that the NCRA’s version of the law will again be rejected.

The NCRA was set up by the California legislature to take over the failing rail line to prevent its being legally abandoned by its previous owners. The

Dam Releases Harmful to Fish?

After years of refusing to use an annual allocation of Eel River water from the Potter Valley Project dams, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) announced May 16 that the agencies had directed PG&E, the dam operator, to release the 2500 acre-feet of water in a pulse shaped to mimic the flow effects of a warm spring rainstorm during the dark of the moon.

Fisheries biologists say those conditions should help signal to juvenile chinook and steelhead in the reach of the mainstem Eel between the Potter Valley Project dams that it’s time to migrate downstream.

Those fish include the offspring of the record 2436

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Make Your Voice Heard! What Do You Think of Green Diamond’s Clearcutting?

Come to the Forest Stewardship Council public comment meeting 7pm, Monday, June 11 at The Bayside Grange Hall 2297 Jacoby Creek Rd. Bayside, CA 145 G Street, Suite A, Arcata, CA 95521

The Environmental Protection Information Center

www.wildcalifornia.org

(707) 822.7711

Spotted owl self-defense:Taking the fight to SPI Rob DiPerna

As the snow melts in the Trinity wildcountry and winter turns to spring, the Northern Spotted Owl breeding season is well underway. Owls are seeking their mates and nest sites to bring the next generation of young into the world.

However, the advent of spring also brings with it the sounds of bulldozers and chainsaws as the Billionaire Timber Baron Red Emmerson and his agent of forest destruction, Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI), fire up their machinery. This spring and summer, unless we have your support to stop them, SPI will once again conduct its lawless and rapacious clearcutting of spotted owl habitat within known territories of California’s Northern Spotted Owl. The threat is real and growing. This year Sierra Pacific could operate on as many as 20 approved Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) that propose spotted owl habitat removal within specific known spotted

owl territories. Of these harvest plans, 12 are in Trinity County, and three are in Humboldt. As a result of these damaging logging plans, Sierra Pacific could potentially remove over 4,100 acres of spotted owl habitat from within known owl territories.

EPIC intends to put an end to SPI’s systematic liquidation of spotted owl habitat through a citizen’s lawsuit.

In February, 2012, EPIC filed a 60-day Notice of Intent to file a lawsuit against SPI under Section 9 of the Federal Endangered Species Act over harm to spotted owl due to SPI’s significant habitat destruction. However, SPI failed to respond to this notice, and has definitely continued

its assault on California’s Northern Spotted Owl. EPIC intends to file suit against Sierra Pacific in Federal Court in an effort to enjoin the companies’ damaging activities, and bring this criminal actor into compliance with Federal law.

Taking Sierra Pacific to task over its harm to spotted owls will not be easy, and EPIC cannot go it alone. EPIC needs your support to help bring this billionaire timber baron and his rapacious company to justice. You can help by becoming a member, donating to our Northern Spotted Owl Self-defense fund, and asking your friends and colleagues to do the same. Now is a critical moment where your donations could make a significant difference in our battle to protect the owl from SPI’s summer plans for forest destruction.

Humboldt Marten seeks ESA protection; Green Diamond seeks FSC certification Rob DiPerna For the last two and a half years, EPIC has advocated for listing the Humboldt under the The Humboldt Martin population is estimated at less than 100! marten Federal Endangered Species Act. EPIC, along with the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), filed a listing petition to protect this rare and allusive forest carnivore in late 2010. In January 2012 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the marten “may warrant” ESA protection, but failed to make a listing determination within the 12-month required period. Subsequently, in April, EPIC and CBD filed a 60-day Notice of Intent to Sue the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for failure to act on the listing petition in a timely manner.

Meanwhile, Green Diamond Resource Company, whose 400,000 acres of privately held forestlands are nearly all within the historic range of the Humboldt marten, is seeking certification as “sustainable” under the Forest Stewardship Council’s process. The irony here is that Green

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Diamond’s intensive “even-aged” (industry speak for clearcutting) management regime runs completely contrary to the biological needs of the marten. At this time, Green Diamond does not have an approved conservation plan for Humboldt marten. Instead, Green Diamond’s rapacious and short-sighted management regime continues to compromise vital habitat for this rare forest carnivore, one of

the most threatened small mammals on the planet.

EPIC needs your support to bring ESA protection to the Humboldt marten, and the marten needs community members to let FSC know about their concerns about Green Diamond. Come to a FSC public comment meeting planned for 7 PM June 11 at the Bayside Grange, just outside of Arcata. See you there!

Northern Spotted Owl Self-Defense

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The best way to stay informed and help protect northwest California is to become a member of EPIC. Basic membership is $35 a year for an individual or $50 for a household.

To send a check or credit card information by mail, please fill out this form and mail it to: EPIC, P.O. Box 543 Redway, CA 95560

EcoNews

The Bicyclist’s Accident Report Card Chris Butner

What do these cards look like?

They are small enough to fit in your wallet, or pocket. The front of the card identifies the card as “the bicyclist’s accident report. As well, the front can show a sponsorship spot if a business, or non-profit wants to advertise to show that they support the bicycle community.

The front also refers to www.bikesafe.

CA.com which is a new network being formed for each state. The back of the card shows a few basic laws that must be followed to help keep users safe. Displayed are a few vehicle codes along with some basic visual aide pictures. The center of the card is basically a form to record Pocket sized Bicyle Accident Report Card information such as license plate number, to use the card. If you are in an incident it is likely witness information, driver info (name, phone, you will be flustered, and forget to do certain insurance info, etc), time of incident, and location. things. The card will remind you what information The bottom of the card offers referral assistance to gather. you may need to pursue a bike law specialist.

What do I do with the card?

The idea is simple. You carry the card around with you as you bike. Ideally you will never have

Who produced this card originally?

Josh Zisson produced the cards in Boston originally. He has completed a California version as

101 Corridor Hearing Delayed

After withdrawing from the May agenda of the California Coastal Commission, Caltrans will likely resubmit the Eureka-Arcata 101 Corridor Improvement Project to the Commission for review at a hearing in September in Eureka. At the hearing, the project will be reviewed for consistency with the California Coastal Act. Green Wheels and others have noted that the project as proposed actually diminishes coastal access to Humboldt Bay, does not meet the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians for safety and is detrimental to connectivity to adjacent communities. We see a missed opportunity to better serve the needs of local residents, protect coastal resources and enhance coastal access along the diverse coastline of Humboldt Bay. Local Coastal Commission staff from the North Coast District have voiced concerns about this project regarding the lack of adequate coastal access and safe accommodations for bicyclists and pedestrians along this vital link between Humboldt County’s two largest population centers.

North Coast District staff have reiterated that the Caltrans’ project does not analyze an adequate

EcoNews

June/July 2012

range of alternatives, including an alternative with a separated non-motorized pathway. Other comments have included a lack of full consideration of sea level rise impacts, coastal viewshed issues with the proposed overpass and potential service/ development expansion along the Corridor.

Sustainable transportation advocates still have the opportunity for their voice to be heard for safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians. Stay tuned to Green Wheels and Econews for 101 project updates and ways to participate.

well as for other states. He is an avid bicyclist himself, and he is attempting to bring riders together nationwide into a network to help make the roads safer. Josh is in the early stages of building bikesafenation.com. It consists of 3 elements of accident card distribution, each state having a bikesafe web site, and a bike law specialist referral system. Communities across the nation will have to help support the network in order for it to be effective.

Check out www.bikesafeca.com.

How can I get a hold of these cards in Humboldt County?

Check to see if any of the bike shops in Eureka or Arcata have any in stock. Also inquire at the front counter of the North Coast Environmental center in Arcata. Cards will be dis tributed to other locations as also. These cards are free currently, and supply is limited.

If you have any questions for Chris, I can be reached at barefootbutner@gmail. com, or Josh Zisson of bike safe nation at josh@bikesafenation.com.

SUPPORT green wheels Members receive 10% off bike accessories at Revolution Bikes and Adventure’s Edge in Arcata. Your membership contribution is tax deductable.

$15 $25 $50

Membership Level:

Low-Income Individual Family

$100 Business $500 Sponser Other: $ _____

Name Address Email Make checks payable to Green Wheels and mail to Green Wheels c/o NEC 791 8th Street, P.O. Box 4259 Arcata, CA 95518

Or join online at: www.green-wheels.org

Thanks!

Eureka Bike to Work Day, 2012.

www.yournec.org

14

Blast from the Past...

Historic articles selected from the EcoNews Archives.

Park is for Healing

On May 22 [1982], Redwood National Park will be dedicated as just one of seven sites in the United States to be placed on the World Heritage List.

In just a few more decades, many of the scars in the Redwood Creek basin of the park will have healed—and much of the human commotion over creation and expansion of the park will be history.

But, just as Republicans couldn’t be elected in the South for decades—and in some places, to this day—because Abraham Lincoln had been a Republican, so too will bitterness engendered by the political warfare over the park remain.

Sadly, the political manipulation of the park issue is likely to be a feature of life on the North Coast for some time to come.

Lingering Scars

The Redwood Employee Protection Program (REPP), despite its flaws, will allow some human scars to heal – just as the monies for watershed rehabilitation in the Redwood Creek basin will ultimately hide the roads and clear cuts of a previous era.

It has been well documented that the volume of timber within the park expansion area could not prevent the inevitable end of old growth timber, an

May 1982

by Tim McKay

end which has come to every region of the United States where lumbering was boom-time activity.

This is not to say that forestry won’t be an occupation in future years for the North Coast. But forestry will be different. It had already changed here before the park had even been created in 1968, let alone expanded in 1978.

The lumber boom on the North Coast had peaked in 1959; after that year the volume of timber cut declined and, more importantly, so did the number of workers needed to produce a unit of lumber.

Myth As Mask

The saddest part of the myth of Redwood National Park is that for years to come the struggle to create the park will mask both the structural problems of the timber industry (consolidation, automation and monetary policy) and the ‘cut and run’ philosophy which has been visited on all timber-producing areas.

The political hacks who serve the corporate timber interests will continue to milk the issue in an effort to establish favorable policies, such as giving away local national forests for single-use logging and to do so in the name of Redwood National Park.

Make no mistake; I am not opposed to the idea of forestry, to the use of wood products or to people working in the industry. I am opposed to people and the land being manipulated to their mutual detriment while the lasting benefits of the wealth created by the process are dissipated well beyond this region.

Millions of acres of land in Northwestern California have been committed to forestry. Let’s put people to work making these lands productive and healthy, and let’s recognize the message in the world dedication of Redwood National Park.

It is something like this: Here in the latter part of the 20th century, in a time filled with derision, poverty, war, prejudice and all of the elements of catastrophe, something of the best of creation on planet earth has been set aside for all survivors of human frailty and injustice to be renewed in and to marvel at.

All successful efforts to snatch some precious thing from the jaws of destruction send a simple message that there’s always hope.

Interested in our local environmental history? Donate some time to our

historic EcoNews Archive project! Contact us at 822-6918 or write nec@yournec.org!

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June/July 2012

EcoNews

Eco-Mania A Merry Melange of Salient Sillies...

WILD RIDE: Dr. Johannes Fritz was the first thing rare Northern Bald Iris chicks saw when they hatched. Then he used their trust to follow him in his microlight plane over the Alps between summer and winter feeding grounds.

Now after a decade of work, a female bird named GoJa—after conservationist Jane Goodall—made it back under her own steam. The birds lived in Europe for millions of years, but were almost wiped out four centuries ago.

SWEET: Rapamycin, regularly given to prevent transplant rejection and treat cancer, also has been shown to extend the life of animals—but that amazing plus also has a minus: it simultaneously causes glucose intolerance.

David Sabatini of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, found that rapamycin affects two important genes: MTORC1, which prolongs life, and MTORC2, which shortens it by causing diabetes.

His team is hoping to develop variants of rapamycin that act only on the gene for MTORC1 to preserve longevity effects and get rid of the unwanted side effects.

WEED POLLUTION: Scientists are accidentally bringing weeds to Antarctica and some could take root, reshaping the icy continent’s unique wilderness.

Steven Chown of Stellenbosch University in South Africa and colleagues vacuumed the clothes and bags of some 33,000 tourists and 7,100 scientists who visited Antarctica between 2007 and 2008. He found an average of 10 plant seeds on each visitor.

Most seeds were grasses or dandelions, which make good invaders. One bluegrass species is already spreading around four research stations.

EcoNews

June/July 2012

POPCORN, THE PERFECT SNACK FOOD: Popcorn contains more of the healthful antioxidants than fruits and vegetables, scientists told the American Chemical Society.

In another finding, the researchers learned that the hulls of popcorn—the parts that everyone hates for their tendency to get caught in the teeth—actually have the highest concentration of the antioxidants known as polyphenols. “Those hulls deserve more respect,” said Dr. Joe Vinson of the University of Scranton. “They are nutritional gold nuggets.”

THE POWER OF THE INTERNET: Researchers at UC-Berkeley and the nearby International Computer Science Institute, estimated that our planet is home to 750 million laptops, a billion smart phones and 100 million servers—adding up to less than two per cent of all the energy used.

They suggest that the internet could replace more energy-intensive activities. For example, their calculations show that a video-conference uses an average of one hundredth as much energy as one in which participants take a flight so that they can meet together.

THE DANGER OF TEXTING: A Californian man was so preoccupied with sending a text on his mobile phone that he walked into a bear.

The man was caught on video walking right into the 500-pound black bear on a street in the La Crescenta section of Los Angeles. Just moments before impact, he noticed the huge bear—and managed to run away. The bear was later contained in a nearby garden. www.yournec.org

FAT FACTS: In Jamaica, where more than half the population is overweight and a “meagre” woman is considered unattractive, the ladies bulk up on black-market chicken pills—which is chicken feed mixed with appetite-boosting arsenic.

In China, there are 325 million people considered overweight. In the U.S., Boston emergency services has unveiled an ambulance for the obese equipped with a stretcher that can hold 850 pounds. And police in many places are told to make sure they frisk suspects “up in the folds.” ...AND YET: Every day, almost 40,000 children die of malnutrition.

One out of three children on this planet is malnourished. The price to give all of the world’s children antibiotics, vaccinations and other necessary treatment is equivalent to just 2% of the Third World’s expenditures on weapons.

GLOBAL WARMING COSTS TRILLIONS: The impact of climate change on oceans could cost $2 trillion by the end of the century, according to a report being compiled by the Stockholm Environment Institute for the United Nations’ Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in June.

Report co-editor Kevin Noone emphasized that the $2 trillion figure is not a worst-case scenario and doesn’t count factors that aren’t easily quantifiable, such as the value of species which will go extinct when their habitats are lost.

CLASSICAL PREFERRED: Mice with heart transplants survived twice as long if they listened to classical music rather than pop music.

In a Japanese experiment, the mice continuously listened to Verdi’s opera La Traviata, a selection of Mozart concertos, music by Enya, or single monotones. The mice exposed to opera fared best, surviving an average of 26 days. Those listening to Mozart lasted 20 days. Mice who heard Enya survived for 11 days and the monotone group only seven days.

Blood samples from the mice revealed that the classical music appeared to slow organ rejection by calming the immune system.

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Creature Feature

TRILLIUM

Trillium ovatum

Rick Park Trillium haven’t changed much in the past hundred thousand years or so, but the plants have been the focus of some debate and change as a botanical specimen. For example, the lily-like appearance of the petals was enough for the plant to have been placed in the “lily” family for ages, but due to more recent taxanomic advances trillium was moved into the “melanthiaceae” group.

If trillia had been a human ethnic group, there would probably have been wars over the reclassification, but plants are a bit more civilized than people, and the pink-and-white blooms have continued to appear, undisturbed at their new moniker, in our redwood forests and elsewhere. “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” as Romeo put it.

HSU’s Kirsten Wyman, meanwhile, attended a conference recently at UC Santa Cruz, where she continued investigations into the scent of the trillium flower. If your nose is no better than your humble reporter’s, you’ll have to take her word for it that there is one.

Once thought to be self-pollinators, bees do in fact contribute to trillium reproduction by visiting their distinctive, single, three-petaled flower.

Trillium seeds, however, are distributed primarily by ants, a process called myrmecochory. Studies such as those by HSU’s Eric Jules have discovered this to be one reason trillium have difficulty recovering in disturbed areas devoid of ant distributors.

HIGH TIDE PERMACULTURE DESIGN

Trilliums produce only a single flower, growing larger with each successive year. It is said that the age of the plant can be determined by the size of the flower.

People might also argue over the plural descriptor for the plant.

“Trilliums” is favored Trillium’s trio of trios—three petals, three brachts and three leaves. “Wakerobin” and “birthroot” by some botanists, are other folk-names for the flower. Photo: Mihael Kavanaugh. dumbfounding the Latinists, who of course would incline toward “trillia.” The plants, however, seem not to give a fiddle-de-dee about the issue, but merrily wave their heads in the breeze.

O wakerobin, birthroot, trillium, Similarly, the three green arms beneath the Of whites new-risen, or pinks grown old, three petals of the plant (they begin fowering in white, then metamorphose into pink or even purple Don’t pick one at Easter for Mum, as they age) may be known to us country folk as “leaves,” but botanists prefer “brachts.” Either way, No wakerobin, birthroot, trillium, the term is from the Latin for “arm,” like French “bras,” or our own “branch.”

Or the new blooms never shall come, The season is now over in the Community Loss of lily-like beauty untold, Forest, though an alert fancier might spot a few stragglers, but in the higher elevations, the hunt No wakerobin, birthroot, trillium, might yet be successful.

Trillium Triolet

A triolet is an old French rhyme form, 8 lines, only 2 rhymes, 1st line repeated as #4 and #7, second line repeated as #8. Amused at the word-play—trillium/ triolet—I decided to try my hand at one: PRIVATE OUTDOOR HOT TUBS • TRADITIONAL SAUNA CABINS

Water - Land - Life

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~Rick Park 2012

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June/July 2012

EcoNews

the Kids’ Page: Freshwater

ecosystems

include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, and wetlands (marshes, swamps and bogs). The term “freshwater” means that there is no salt in the water, like there is in the oceans. Did you know that only 3% of the water on Earth is freshwater? Two percent of it is frozen in ice caps and glaciers, leaving only 1% as free flowing water. Plants, animals, and humans all need water. Since only 1% of water on Earth is available for all of us to share, that makes freshwater very important to protect.

There are different types of plants and animals in each of the freshwater ecosystems. Large systems have more types of plants and animals, and there are less in smaller systems, but all systems share the same basic structure.

There are tiny plants and algae in the water that bacteria and other very small organisms feed upon.

These small creatures are then food for invertebrates (animals without a backbone like worms) and insect larvae. Insects and larger invertebrates feed on the smaller organisms. Amphibians and small fish feed on the insects and invertebrates. Larger fish, birds, and small mammals feed on the fish and amphibians. Larger mammals feed on those animals.

EcoNews

June/July 2012

FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS Every animal in the system traces back to fresh water. If one of those steps in the food web suffers, the whole system suffers.

There are many threats to the freshwater ecosystems.

Some of the major threats are: dams, pollution, diversion, and nonnative species. Dams can harm the ecosystem by limiting water flow downstream and preventing fish and other organisms from moving up and down the river.

Pollutants can be caused by runoff from polluted fields that surround the water, or from parking lots that drain into the water. Diversion occurs when part of a water source is used for something else.

People do this when they want to live where there isn’t very much water, like the desert, or farmers might want to use it to water crops. Non-native species often take over habitat for the native species, sometimes pushing them out all together.

We live around many wonderful examples of freshwater ecosystems: rivers and streams, lakes and ponds.

Go check them out!

To find a state park near you: http://www.parks.ca.gov/ParkIndex/

Word Search P L L B H G H L G R V A M X F

M M T A V K E K U G I M U R D

A X K E M C L N O R J W E B I

W I Y J S M O U E G T S P T V

BACTERIA BOG DIVERSION ECOSYSTEM FRESHWATER

by Sarah Marnick

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S Q A N R F A T D E H O G F E

E X H E F Q C M N W R B W H R

P C V T C A F D A H E I J E S

N I O W B G Y T L F A V W Q I

R T P S R X E D T K T Z U A O

P T I H Y R L P E V M E E W N

Y S G B O S A R W Y T F K L C

INVERTEBRATE LAKE MAMMAL MARSH POLLUTION POND

E T A R B E T R E V N I N A B

K B P D N O P E M A R S H O L

Y J A E B E O Z M R Y O G P G

P O L L U T I O N X J I U O Z

RIVER RUNOFF SWAMP THREAT WETLAND

(Below) Lily pads and marsh grasses at Klamath Lake.

Photo: arkoptrix , Flickr Creative Commons

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UNSURPASSED ACHIEVEMENT A Brooklyn man who holds the record for having the most records is aiming to add... to his records.

Ashrita Furman, 57, will try to beat his own underwater rope jumping record, completing more than 900 skips in an hour while wearing scuba gear and being in a tank filled with manatees at an aquarium in Brazil. If successful, he will have 138 Guinness World Records.

Recent records he holds include juggling on a pogo stick the furthest distance (4 miles, 30 feet) and running the fastest mile while balancing a milk bottle on top of his head (7 minutes and 47 seconds).

Here at the NEC, the only record we have is ‘most outlandish pitch for funds’ in this space, going back over something like 35 years. Issue after issue, we have tried to disguise a request for help—monetary or time, or both—by comparing the cost of oddball items to that of a membership in the NEC. The goal is to get you to chuckle but also to open your checkbook or volunteer your time. So, in the absence of any feedback, please pony up some cash.

Who knows, maybe the right amount will convince someone here to jump rope underwater (in fact, getting things done here is kind of like skipping rope underwater).

Thank you!

  Join us Sunday, June 17 at the Friends of the Dunes’ 17th Annual Sand Sculpture Festival!

Team NEC will be attempting feats of sand sculpture wizardry in an attempt to win the coveted Golden Shovel Award. The festival is at the Manila Dunes Recreation Area from 8am – 3pm. For more info and for pictures of past years sculptures, visit:



                 



