EcoNews Report

Clam Beach landed on Heal the Bay's list of California's most polluted beaches yet again this year, getting an 'F' for water quality on the 2021 Beach Report Card. Today our guest is Dr. Jeremy Corrigan, who has worked for years to answer the burning question: why does Clam Beach have such high levels of fecal indicator bacteria? Dr. J is the Lab Manager at the Humboldt County Dept. of Public Health, and recently published a paper based on genetic analysis of the most likely sources. His findings point to birds as the main influence at Clam Beach, while cattle appear to be the biggest source of bacteria pollution in the Strawberry Creek watershed. Tune in to find out what this means for surfers and other beachgoers. 

For those inclined to do a deep dive:

• Microbial Source Tracking Approach to Investigate Fecal Waste at the Strawberry Creek Watershed and Clam Beach, California, USA by Jeremy A. Corrigan et al. 2021  
• Heal the Bay's 2020-21 Beach Report Card
• Regional Water Board's 2016-18 research on Pathogens in Coastal Streams
• Humboldt Baykeeper's Water Quality Program features research involving volunteers, student interns, and local water quality experts

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Only a small genetic difference separates winter-run and summer-run steelhead, but that little bit of nucleic acid makes a big difference. Last month, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to list the North Coast’s summer steelhead under the California Endangered Species Act.

This week, Gang Green dives into the difference between these two runs to learn why preserving summer steelhead may be important in a warming world, why the fish are teetering on extinction, and some strange hope for a rebirth of summer steelhead after Scott Dam is removed on the Eel River.

Extra-special bonus: if you are also a fish freak who loves tacos, we have just your event. This weekend, fish biologist Samantha Kannry is hosting a taco feast at her farm, with all the proceeds going to benefit steelhead research. Get stuffed on tacos and help forward science? You bet Gang Green will be there! To find out more, head to tribresearch.org/events.

• “FOER proclaims victory for Northern California summer steelhead.” Friends of the Eel River. June 17, 2021.

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Congressman Jared Huffman joins Gang Green to talk about this legislative session. Top of his mind, as always, is his public lands bill—the “Northwest California Wilderness, Recreation, and Working Forests Act”—which packs together new Wilderness designations with fuel breaks, trespass cannabis clean up, new trails and visitor centers and more. Sen. Padilla has taken up the bill in the Senate and is proving to be an effective advocate. 

Also on the docket is dam removal on both the Eel and Klamath Rivers, protections for forage fish in the Magnuson Stevens, and the long problem of Trump’s judiciary for the environment. Listen in!

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Mercury is a potent neurotoxin, particularly harmful to young children and developing fetuses. Mercury is commonly present in fish, but in wildly different concentrations based on the life history of the species. What local fish species are safe to eat and at what amounts?

Humboldt Baykeeper is there to help. With the help of fisheries biologist—and EcoNews guest—Ross Taylor, Humboldt Baykeeper tested 70 fish across nine species to examine mercury concentrations in fish. Their results? Long-lived species that eat high on the food web have the highest concentrations and should be avoided by those most sensitive to mercury. Other seafood, like salmon, oysters and clams, are good for eating often because of their extremely low levels. 

Want to know if your fish is safe? Download Baykeeper's 1-page summary HERE.

You can also download the full report, Mercury Testing of Sport/Food Fishes from Nearshore Ocean Waters of Humboldt County, California.

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Drought-related tension threatens to boil over in the Klamath. Ammon Bundy’s posse of right-wing terrorists are threatening to open irrigation gates of Upper Klamath Lake, by force if necessary, to illegally divert water held in reserve to protect endangered fish. Meanwhile in the mainstem of the Klamath River, juvenile salmon are experiencing a mass die-off caused by a disease-causing parasite (Ceratonova shasta) that thrives in the hot, warm waters resulting from the Klamath dams. “Flushing flows,” big pulses of water from Upper Klamath Lake used to prevent this mass die-off, have been called off because of drought. It is a mess.

Meanwhile on the coast, Gang Green reacts to the good news that Nordic AquaFarms and Humboldt County have agreed to do a full environmental impact report for their proposed on-shore fish factory. What does this mean? Listen to find out!

REQUIRED READING:

• ”Faced With Massive Juvenile Salmon Infection and Year After Year of Drought, Karuk Tribe Declares a Climate Change State of Emergency,” Lost Coast Outpost, June 1.
• ”Ammon Bundy coming soon.’ Federal water cutoffs igniting rebellion in Northern California,” Sacramento Bee, May 28.

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Caltrans is making progress on Last Chance Grade, removing multiple alternatives from further consideration. By cutting down the number of alternatives to study, Caltrans has cut the project planning budget and has lopped considerable time off the timeline. (Enviros are also happy because the highest risk alternatives were among those on the cutting room floor.)

On this week's episode, Jaime Matteoli, Last Chance Grade project lead for Caltrans, joins Gang Green to talk about how Caltrans was able to reduce the alternatives in the project and why the public should feel confident about the decision. 

Required Reading:

• Permanent Fix for Last Chance Grade Narrowed Down to Two Options
• GUEST OPINION: As Someone Who Has Two Active Lawsuits Against Caltrans, Let Me Say That Caltrans is Doing a Great Job With Last Chance Grade

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In October 2020, California Governor, Gavin Newsom, issued an executive order pledging to conserve 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. In January, President Joe Biden announced a similar effort, calling for conservation of 30 percent of the United States land and water by 2030. But what do these executive actions mean and will they move the needle on our climate and biodiversity crises.

Gang Green examines the potential of the “30x30” movement and the potential for disappointment. After all, more than 30 percent of California’s lands and coastal waters are already held by the public, so “conserve” must mean something additionally, right?

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The Shasta River should be chock full of salmon. (It was, after all, the largest salmon producing tributary to the Klamath prior to Euro-American colonization.) The sweet waters of the Shasta have the perfect combination of elements to help grow big, fat fish: low velocity and a prime gravel bed, key nutrients, and cold, clean water.

But the river is a shadow of its former self. Agricultural development has lapped up and polluted its waters and salmon struggle to survive. Yet, hope remains. If the river is restored and fish are given enough cold, clean water again they will come back. 

Friends of the Shasta River, the scrappy defenders of this river, join Gang Green to talk about the incomparable Shasta River and ongoing threats to the river, including a free pass to a California billionaire to continue to despoil the river.

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Is a massive land-based fish factory the best next chapter for a former pulp mill nestled between Humboldt Bay and the Pacific Ocean? Tune in to hear local environmental leaders discuss Humboldt County’s assessment of the impacts Nordic AquaFarms proposed fish factory might have on the bay, ocean, wildlife and climate – and ways to avoid or mitigate them. Surfrider Foundation’s California Policy Manager Jennifer Savage and Colin Fiske of Coalition for Transportation Priorities join co-hosts Tom Wheeler of EPIC, Larry Glass of NEC, and Jen Kalt of Humboldt Baykeeper for a discussion of what is proposed and top issues of concern as we gear up to submit comments on May 24.

REQUIRED READING:

• Nordic Aquafarms Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration: As Lead Agency, Humboldt County released this environmental review document for public review and comment. Comments are due May 24, and a public hearing is on the County Planning Commission agenda for Thursday, June 3 at 6pm. 
• Background studies and reports are posted on Humboldt County’s Major Projects webpage.
• The Regional Water Board released its draft ocean discharge permit for the project. Comments are due June 4.
• The California Coastal Commission will also have a role in permitting the ocean discharge and the bay intake in the near future.

You can submit comments on Humboldt County's environmental assessment of this proposed project until May 24 via email to: [email protected].

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The Wildlands Conservancy is close to acquiring the 26,600 acre Lone Pine Ranch, a property with more than property more than 20 miles of river frontage, hundreds of acres of wetlands, and over 86 million board feet of trees in the standing forest, which can be protected to sequester vast amounts of carbon dioxide. This acquisition will build on an earlier purchase of 3,000 acres in 2019 and is sandwiched between two other ecological reserves, the Spyrock Reserve upriver and the Emerald Water Reserve Downriver. With the completion of the Great Redwood Trail, you will be able to bike or hike to Lone Pine in the future, where Wildlands Conservancy hopes to have an established campground.

Here’s the catch: while Wildlands Conservancy has raised over $20 million to purchase Lone Pine, they are still $9 million short and their purchase option will expire. Find out more about Lone Pine and how you can help safeguard the Grand Canyon of the Eel River by listening to this week’s show.

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