News

Sea Level Rise at the Arcata Marsh

“Sea Level Rise: North Unit of the Arcata Marsh,” an exhibition of photographs by Aldaron Laird, is on display through February at the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center, 569 South G St. in Arcata. Hours are Monday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Waterkeeper Alliance

The international Waterkeeper Alliance connects local Waterkeeper programs to provide a voice for waterways and their communities worldwide. To champion clean water and strong communities, Waterkeeper Alliance advocates for issues common to Waterkeeper programs.

Each Waterkeeper program is an independent organization that reflects the needs of the waterbody and community it represents. The common thread for each Waterkeeper program is a person who serves as the public advocate for that body of water.

Waterkeepers are part investigator, scientist, lawyer, and advocate who represent all the users of the watershed who rely on clean water. All Waterkeepers also have a boat ranging in size from canoes to research vessels, but sometimes a pair of hip boots is more important than a boat. Sometimes a legal brief is more important than either. Each waterbody has its own unique challenges requiring a distinct and well-defined strategy.

Contact Humboldt Waterkeeper

Humboldt Waterkeeper

Mailing Address:

600 F Street, Suite 3 #810

Arcata, CA 95521

Physical Address:

145 G Street, Suite A

Arcata, CA 95521

707.499.3678

Jennifer Kalt, Executive Director

707.499.3678

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Jasmin Segura, Bay Tours Coordinator

707.601.1142

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Sylvia van Royen, GIS and Policy Analyst

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To receive occasional email updates and action alerts, send an email to:

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Supervisors Approve Letter of Opposition to Bill That Would Redefine ‘Customary Maintenance’ on Billboards

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a letter of “strong opposition” to a new state bill that would would dramatically expand the definition of “customary maintenance” on billboards, allowing sign companies to make substantial changes to those structures without local government review or permitting.

“No other structure of this size in the state of California gets that kind of waiver,” Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson said during Tuesday’s meeting.

The letter, which the board approved with a 4-1 vote, argues that Assembly Bill 770 would undermine local authority, compromise public safety and endanger environmental and cultural resources. It was placed on the agenda’s consent calendar, meaning it was scheduled to be adopted among a batch of items without specific deliberations, but First District Supervisor Rex Bohn pulled it for discussion.

Second District Supervisor and Board Chair Michelle Bushnell said her understanding was that existing billboards already went through the necessary permitting processes, but Planning and Building Director John Ford said that’s not necessarily true.

“A lot of the billboards that exist out there were never permitted,” he said, and he vouched for Wilson’s assertion that the bill would essentially allow billboards to be completely rebuilt without local review.

Wilson also said the bill could nullify the legal precedent that was established after Viacom Outdoor, Inc. sued the City of Arcata in 2006 after city officials red-tagged billboards that had been toppled by storms, thereby preventing them from being re-erected.

New Humboldt Dockside Market will offer fresh local fish this summer

This summer, Eureka’s Madaket Plaza will host a new bi-weekly market, connecting Humboldt County fishermen directly with customers.

The Humboldt Dockside Market, developed by the North Coast Growers Association and Ashley’s Seafood, will allow area residents to access sustainable, locally caught fish in a low barrier-to-entry venue. Attendees will be able to purchase fish from Humboldt County commercial fishermen and have their fish cut and packaged by staffers; they’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions and learn about how to prepare a variety of local fish species that might otherwise appear daunting to the casual fish consumer.

“We really want to teach people how to consume it, how to cook it and to feel comfortable and confident,” Ashley’s Seafood’s Ashley Vellis told the Times-Standard.

The first Humboldt Dockside Market will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on June 7, with subsequent events every-other week throughout the summer.

“Fishermen will be able to offer fillets and whole fish to their customers,” Vellis said. “Customers will be able to purchase directly from their fishermen and ask their questions (and learn) where the fish was caught, what species it is, if (there are) recommendations for cooking. If you purchase a whole fish, you’ll be able to take it to our on-site cutting booth … you can have it cut in different ways … we can even teach you how to cook your fish whole.”

Vellis said that the Humboldt Dockside Market isn’t intended to replace direct sales by fishermen out on Woodley Island; instead, it’s a way to connect those fishermen with a different customer within walking distance of Old Town Eureka.

Vellis noted that the market has worked very closely with the local fishing community that sells their catch on Woodley Island and noted that “most if not all of them” are participating in the market. She also stressed that the market is intended to be an opportunity for fishermen, who have faced headwinds with shortened Dungeness crab seasons and closed salmon fisheries, to sell fish and recoup some of the profits that would otherwise go to a wholesaler, while also helping to educate customers about what is available this summer.

“We’ll have different kinds of rockfish, Pacific halibut, California halibut, potentially … we might see Oregon salmon … We’ll have … lingcod; we may have smelt, petrale sole,” Vellis said.

“Sanddabs, for example,” Vellis said, “You have to catch a lot of it to make a profit, and who is going to buy such a small amount (from a local fisherman)? Well, the consumer; they’re hugely popular here, especially with people who used to go and catch them with their dad during their childhood, out in the bay somewhere.”

An estimated 12 to 15 Humboldt County commercial fishermen are expected to participate throughout the season, though ongoing albacore season may mean a smaller first event on June 7.