A PSA to New Cal Poly Humboldt Students

By Emma Wilson

Walking down the fire trail from the cypress campus dorms, across the bridge, and going down to jolly giant creek around the redwood log, I noticed A LOT of cigarette buds, joint filters and papers. As students, there is a duty and importance of preserving our Arcata Community Forest behind our campus. It is important to keep it clean, triple check your surroundings, and pick up after yourself – especially those nasty cigarette butts and joint roaches. 

Amelia Hillburn, a wildlife conservation and management major, emphasizes the importance of maintaining the Arcata community forest for the enjoyment of students and the community. She notes that the forest often becomes messy on weekends when maintenance workers are less active, with issues like littering and improper disposal of waste. 

Hilburn suggested that people should adopt what has been called the pack it in, pack it out principle – where people bring their own trash bags to keep the forest clean. She stressed that the forest is a shared space for everyone, not just students, and encourages responsible use to preserve its environmental and wildlife value. 

“Our campus is a community for everybody, not just students,” Hillburn said. “For everybody, like the families that walk through here. Just bring a doob tube.” 

Jonathan David Juarez, a data science major and the co-director from the Waste Reduction Resource Awareness Program (WRRAP), and Reusable Office Supply Exchange (ROSE) at Cal Poly Humboldt, discussed the importance of environmental stewardship, particularly in the community forest. 

Jaurez noted the importance of composting and proper disposal of cigarette butts. 

“For future students and new, I would recommend treating [the community forest] as if it’s one of the greatest gifts that you were ever given,”Jaurez said. “Because that is what it is, it’s a gem. It’s here for you, to be there for it.”

Jaurez expressed disappointment and frustration over the graffiti in the community forest, emphasizing the importance of respecting the environment.

He shares his cultural shock coming from LA, where parks and forests are not as clean and well-maintained.

“I stand guilty as charged when coming from LA,” Jaurez said. “We don’t have parks and forests like this; not this beautiful, not this clean. So, it’s not an excuse for people to be like, ‘Oh well, I don’t know any better.’ Then learn to be better.”

Interdisciplinary studies major Ro Meisler discussed the importance of environmental stewardship, emphasizing the need to respect and preserve the natural ecosystem. 

Meisler mentioned the prevalence of plastic waste and non-biodegradable items in the community, advocating for responsible behavior to protect the environment and its inhabitants. 

“There’s lots of living things that deserve clean water, clean air, clean land, healthy soil, free of plastic, and you know we gotta play our part to not disrupt their little lives,” Meisler said. “Leave it better than you found it. Be aware of yourself and your impact.”

Marcella Casteta, a cellular and molecular biology major, emphasizes the importance of maintaining the community forest by picking up trash to leave it better than found. She advised students to clean up even if the trash isn’t theirs, to preserve the community forest for everyone’s enjoyment. 

“If I see it, it’s nasty [to pick up], but you have to,” Casteta said. “You know, leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures. It’s a space that we can all enjoy if we take care of it, and it’ll take care of you back. So, pick up trash – even if it’s not yours.”