EcoNews Report

This week on the EcoNews Report your host Tom Wheeler chats with Friends of the Eel River's Alicia Hamann about the fantastic news that the Great Redwood Trail is finally in the clear from threats to take the public right of way. It's now full steam ahead on trail master planning - tune in to learn about how you can be involved and check out greatredwoodtrailplan.org. And in other groundbreaking news, Alicia shares information about the lawsuit just filed to protect public trust flows impacted by unregulated groundwater extraction in the Eel River.

Links:

https://eelriver.org/2022/10/27/protecting-public-trust-flows-in-the-lower-eel-river/

https://greatredwoodtrailplan.org/

https://eelriver.org/projects/protecting-the-eel-river-canyon/

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Humboldt County has some of the highest pedestrian fatality numbers in the state. Thankfully, a large cultural change is taking over in local transportation planning. Under the banner of "Vision Zero," transportation planners are imagining how we can manage our road network to reduce road fatalities down to zero. Sounds too lofty? Other jurisdictions have already seen significant improvements in road safety under this model.

What does Vision Zero look like? Addressing issues with investments in road safety, like Caltran's new Broadway HAWK beacon to large planning efforts, like the Humboldt County Association of Governments' Safe and Sustainable Transportation Targets. 

Alexis Kelso of Caltrans and Stevie Luther of HCAOG join Gang Green to talk about how their agencies are hard at work to save lives.

Want to learn more? Check out this cool video with safety improvement ideas that are being implemented across the world.

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News of PG&E's plans to spray power poles on its easements throughout Humboldt County alarmed residents. Humboldt, Trinity, and Mendocino Counties have a long and storied history in challenging the application of pesticides.

On this week’s EcoNews, Gang Green talks to two veterans of the Pesticide Wars, Larry Glass of Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment and Patty Clary of Californians for Alternatives to Toxics, about the long history of citizen activism against spraying.

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Before 2022, you may have thought that nuclear weapons were blasé — that’s so 20th Century — but Russian nuclear sabre rattling in Ukraine may have you practicing your dunk-and-cover drills. Where should you turn for expert thought on nuclear proliferation in the modern age? The Which Way the Wind Festival, starting this week!

The third-annual Which Way the Wind Festival tackles the problems of nuclear weapons in our modern age and the risk of sea level rise through a mixture of arts and education. Learn about sea level rise through a ride on the Madaket with Aldaron Laird, Jerry Rohde and Marnie Atkins. Muse on the absurdity of war and deterrence strategies through burlesque. Engage with some of the deepest thinks on the subject in panel discussions. Jack Irvine, Chairman of the Festival, joins Gang Green to talk about this year’s lineup and the prospects of nuclear nonproliferation.

For the full lineup of events and tickets, visit the festival’s web page.

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New research published in the journal Global Change Biology raises alarming questions about the efficacy of forest carbon programs registered in California’s cap-and-trade program. Utilizing satellite imagery, particularly of forests in Northwest California, researchers have compared the carbon sequestered by forests versus what is claimed and have emerged with a concerning conclusion: forests registered in the offset program are overcounting the carbon that they are paid to protect. 

Researcher Shane Coffield joins Gang Green to discuss his findings and the implications of his research on California’s carbon emission reduction strategy.

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Michael Kauffman and Justin Garwood are in love with the Klamath Mountains, the rugged and remote mountain range in Northern California that is world-renowned for its biodiversity.

They, together with 32 other co-authors, have published the first definitive natural history guide to the region. Michael and Justin explain to Gang Green why the region is so special on this week’s episode of the EcoNews.

BOOK:

The Klamath Mountains: A Natural History, by Michael Kauffman and Justin Garwood. Backcountry Press.

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It is tough to be a fish in the Klamath River. On the heels of a large fishkill caused by a debris flow following the McKinney Fire comes another fishkill, this time caused by a pathogen, Flavobacterium columnare, more commonly known as gill rot. Hot, tepid waters in the lower Klamath form a perfect breeding ground for the disease. Elsewhere in the Klamath watershed, ranchers are illegally diverting water (at the encouragement of Rep. Doug LaMalfa), creating perilous conditions in the Shasta River, a tributary to the Klamath. 

But there is good news too. The final environmental analysis for Klamath River dam removal is complete and dam removal may begin as early as next year. 

Guests Craig Tucker, Natural Resources Policy Advocate at the Karuk Tribe, Dave Webb of Friends of Shasta River and Nick Joslin of the Mount Shasta Bioregional Ecology Center join Gang Green to break down what's happening in the Klamath. 

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The Inflation Reduction Act is the largest single action taken by the United States against the climate crisis ever. Roughly $370 million will go to a variety of eco-groovy things, from rebates for consumers for things like solar panels or heat pumps to tax incentives for large renewable power projects. 

How will this impact the North Coast? Gang Green investigates.

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In July, the Wiyot Tribe finalized the acquisition of a 46-acre coastal property in the ecologically and culturally significant Wiyot place of Mouralherwaqh or “wolf’s house,” which will be prioritized for ecocultural restoration purposes. The property is located at the present day site known as King Salmon at the base of Humboldt Hill and represents the first forestland to be returned to the Tribe. Tribal citizens Cheryl Seidner and Hilanea Wilkinson, Wiyot Tribal Natural Resources Director Adam Canter, and Cal Poly Humboldt Professor Laurie Richmond join Gang Green to talk about this historic return of tribal ancestral territory and what #LandBack means to the Wiyot Tribe.

For more info:

Reclaiming Mouralherwaqh: Wiyot Tribe Acquires Coastal Property for Cultural and Water Quality Protection

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Obi Kaufmann, naturalist and best-selling author, joins Gang Green to talk about his new book, The Coasts of California: A California Field Atlas.  Like his previous best sellers, The Coasts of California explores the Golden State’s wild places in a way only Obi can, through hundreds of watercolor paintings and maps, woven together with philosophy and lyrical naturalism.

Obi also has a new podcast — shameless cross-promotion here — called Place & Purpose, where he and co-host Greg Sarris, Chairman of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, explore deep questions of purpose and belonging.

Grab a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy this far-ranging conversation.

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