The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Category: Science

  • Free Radicals chemistry club has fun with science

    Free Radicals chemistry club has fun with science

    by Dezmond Remington

    On Sep. 20 in room 564 of the science A building, approximately 20 people ingested a toxic chemical known as propylthiouracil. It was not a mass suicide attempt. It was not a Jonestown re-enactment, nor were they getting high. It was a meeting of the Humboldt chemistry club.

    Propylthiouracil is a chemical used to test if an individual is especially sensitive to taste, someone known as a “supertaster.” If the paper containing the substance was especially bitter, then chances are good that person is a supertaster. The members of the Free Radicals, the chemistry club on campus, were testing if they were supertasters. 

    “I just put poison on my tongue, so I guess I’m ok with anything,” laughed member Angela Takahara. 

    If the energy of the Free Radicals could be put into one quote, that would probably be it. 

    “People. That’s the best part,” club president Jack McLaughlin said. “It’s probably the best place for chemistry majors and a lot of other majors to socialize. It’s just a great community to have and to talk to, because not a lot of other people really understand chemistry…it’s nice to have people who understand you, where you don’t have to explain every other concept.”

    McLaughlin joined the club his freshman year, and hasn’t regretted it once. He said it’s an excellent way to get connected with important resources and more experienced students, as well as guest speakers who are in the industry or are teaching currently. 

    “It really helps guide newer students and even sophomores, juniors, and such towards figuring out what to do with their chemistry degree,” McLaughlin said, “And also how to make the most out of college.”

    The Free Radicals aren’t only open to those working on chemistry degrees, however. Shay Konradsdottir, the club’s Social Director and Events Coordinator, is a molecular biology and computer science double major, with only a minor in chemistry. Her favorite part of being in the club is putting events on, such as a tie-dye event the club held last semester to showcase the science of colors. 

    “As social coordinator here, I really enjoy planning the events and making fun things,” Konradsdottir said. “Making this stuff, and sharing this interest in the sciences and interest in chemistry in a way that’s not just ‘here’s what the reactions are called.’”

    And it is that interest in chemistry that binds all of the members together. McLaughlin said the nature of chemistry being everywhere was the appeal, and how it oftentimes was the key to understanding so much of life. 

    “[Chemistry] is like the building blocks of the universe,” McLaughlin said. “…I feel like I can pursue all of my passions for environmentalism and such through chemistry.”

    Senior Sam Emerson, attending his first meeting at the Chemistry Club, holds a similar viewpoint. 

    “I like figuring out what makes the universe run the way it does,” Emerson said. “It feels like getting to know the game engine behind everything…I’ve always thought life was really fascinating and that although the universe prefers disorder, there are certain, random spins of chemicals that happen to make order out of nothing.”

    Konradsdottir, who Emerson credits with convincing him to join the Free Radicals, has a much more personal background with science and how it interacts with their lives. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was young, and was a subject in medical studies. It was a defining moment in her life, she said, and it inspired her to become a doctor and help people. Eventually, she became interested in coding, and that led her to where she is today; gunning for an MD-PhD and potentially opening her own free clinic or making more effective medical diagnostic tools. 

    “I felt really awful about when I’ve heard stories from my friends or even some family members that were prevented from doing the things they loved doing because they got an injury or they got sick,” Konradsdottir said. “I myself, being a diabetic, there are lots of things I missed out on because I’m a diabetic, so being able to catch those things and prevent them from happening–that’s interesting to me.”

    Being the club events coordinator, Konradsdottir hopes to share that fascination with the rest of campus. Last semester, she went on a field trip where she got to make a pleasant-smelling chemical, but wasn’t allowed to take any home. If the club had unlimited money, she would hold an event where anyone could show up, get a free lab coat and goggles, and concoct something similar to what she got to make–with the difference being they would get to keep it. 

    “It’s fun! We just do fun stuff here,” McLaughlin said. “It’s not like actual work…you don’t have to understand anything about chemistry, so long as you show up with a good attitude.”

  • Mycologists club: Fun-gis in the forest

    Mycologists club: Fun-gis in the forest

    by Alina Ferguson

    Mycology is a very young science, a baby in fact. Up until 1969, Fungi did not even have their own kingdom, as they do now, but were technically considered to be plants. Mushrooms are not plants, contrary to what many may believe.

    Some of the most prominent and common mushrooms in Humboldt are actually the edible ones such as the King Bolete and the Pacific Golden Chanterelle. According to Cal Poly Humboldt Mycology Club President Jack Mccann both of these mushrooms are very delicious. 

    Mccann said what brought him to the Mycology club was cooking. 

    “As a mushroom person I really love to cook,” said Mccann. “I think I like to cook first, that’s part of what got me into mushrooms, it’s just cause it opens a whole new world of food,” said Mccann.

    The club holds weekly mushroom hikes on Fridays, which are open to everybody regardless of club membership. This is a chance for the hikers to go out and experience the forest through a mycologist’s perspective.  Every alternating Friday, they host workshops and guest lecturers. These meetings are more targeted towards people who already know about fungi. 

    The Mycology club is having a two day DNA barcoding workshop on September 30th-October 1, 2022. The club members will learn about the process used to genetically test the species of a mushroom. This process can often lead to the discovery of new species. During the workshop, club members will see if there is a difference between different mushrooms on a genetic level. 

    “We’re gonna borrow a lab and, basically in a pretty sterile environment you separate the mushroom using some primers, seek out the genes you’re looking for and then amplify those genes so you could actually read them,” said Mccan.  

    Essentially, what Mccan said is that the club will be collecting mushrooms and then using their DNA to see if there are any genetic differences between species of mushrooms. 

    “The machine, known as a thermal cycler, gives you a visual representation of what it looks like, you compare it to what it’s supposed to look like, what you’re expecting.”
    All of the prep work will be done at the two day workshop. This includes the collection, the DNA sequencing and the comparison of the DNA. 

    Then, their guest speaker Damon Tighe will get back to them with the results. Tighe is a mycologist working out of Oakland and is working with the Company Bio-Rad. He is driving into Humboldt with all the equipment.

    The logging industry has a negative impact on mushroom culture. Unlike foragers, who simply take the ‘extension’ so to speak, of the fungi, what is known as the fruiting bodies, loggers do damage with their machines that dig into the ground. 

    Logging practices harm the mycelium, the other part of the fungus’ body.  Mycelium is a root-like network that grows under the soil, it is what produces the fruiting bodies we know as mushrooms. According to Tighe, mycelium is just the vegetative state of a fungus. 

    Treasurer Sam Parker said he was drawn to the foraging aspect of Mycology. 

    “I first learned to do that when I was around eight with morels, and I just love being out in the woods,” said Parker “Mushrooms are a very diverse lifeform and I feel like they just kinda tie everything together, and I just think they are just interesting to learn about,” said Parker.

  • Green Campus Team shares resources on fun sustainability

    by Oden Taylor

    For Amber Chung, sustainability is everything. As an environmental science management major and the student leader of Cal Poly Humboldt’s Green Campus Team, Chung says she has been in love with the environment since she was a kid. 

    She said watching and reading “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss opened her eyes as a child to the need for sustainability.  

    “I really saw for the first time like wow, like what we do literally does matter. It can change the whole environment like it did there,” Chung said. “Now that I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that sustainability is such a wide concept, it has to be in everything for everything else to work. If you don’t center sustainability, you’re not really going to get anywhere with anything else, because it’s not going to last long term.”

    As a branch of the Office of Sustainability, the Green Campus Team is an organization that consists of five student employees and one staff advisor. Their goal is to encourage everyone on campus to center sustainability in everything they do.

    The team provides educational materials and advice for groups on campus on how to be as sustainable as possible while still having fun. In the coming months the team will hold a “Trashion” show where students can create outfits out of trash or other items that were about to be thrown away and a “Weigh the Waste” event to educate the campus community about the effects of food waste.

    This semester the Green Campus Team will also relaunch the Green Workplace Assessment Program, including a new sub-program called the Peer To Peer Education Program. Advocates will talk to campus departments and educate them on sustainable practices so they can properly educate their peers. 

    They will also launch a student version of this program called Equal Reps, recruiting students that live on campus to educate others about living green. 

    “It would be great if students, before doing any sort of action, just considered the question and the idea of ‘how can what I’m doing be more sustainable?’” Chung said. “How can I do this in a different way?”

    Chung said this could mean many different things and will look different for everyone.  

    “It could mean completely changing what you’re doing. It could be evaluating if you have the capacity to do more sustainable actions because sometimes there just simply isn’t a possibility with other things you have going on,” Chung said.

    The Waste Reduction and Resource Awareness Program has brought back the paper towel composting project this semester. WRRAP also gives out composting buckets for on-campus residents, as well as finished compost to anyone who wants it. 

    “Students should keep an eye out for signs in the restrooms marking which bin is for paper towels and which is for other waste,” WRRAP said in an email to the Lumberjack. “This is a great help when we go to do our final sorting before placing the paper towels in the on-campus industrial composter.”

    Chung explained that when planning events the campus should account for sustainability rather than making adjustments later. Chung suggested that the administration should foster an open dialogue with the Office of Sustainability to ensure that they are making the best decisions for the school long-term.  

    “I think continuing to make sure that [the administration is] keeping sustainability at a forefront rather than an afterthought would be really important for the school,” Chung said. “Especially as we’re making so many big decisions with the new Cal Poly change.” 

    The Green Campus Team has compiled the Zero Waste Event Certification Checklist of different things to keep in mind when planning an event on campus. The checklist includes helpful sustainability tips, like serving food buffet style in reusable containers and ensuring promotional or advertising materials and decorations are reusable, recyclable or compostable. 

    The Green Campus Team is currently looking for another student employee as well as experiential interns and volunteers. To learn more follow the Green Campus Team on Instagram @greencampus_humboldt.

  • How wildfire can cause flooding

    How wildfire can cause flooding

    by August Linton

    After the consuming heat and flame of a wildfire, flooding seems an unlikely problem to have to worry about. But catastrophic floods after a section of land is burned often threaten both human settlements and ecosystems. 

    Post-wildfire flooding can be caused by several processes. According to Cal Poly Humboldt professor of forestry, fire and rangeland management Dr. Jeff Kane, the forest floor normally acts as a sponge, soaking up and slowly releasing rainfall. When a wildfire burns that layer, there’s nothing left behind to stop rainfall from rushing directly downstream.

    Wildfire also can release and vaporize waxy compounds from conifer needles, which then accumulate on the burned ground and form an even more water-resistant layer. 

    “Instead of percolating, [water] may flow overland,” Kane said. “If you don’t have the vegetation to absorb the precipitation, then it’s going to be more impactful.”

    Hydrology and watershed management professor Dr. Andrew Stubblefield says that the impacts of this flooding extend to the whole ecosystem. When the forest floor loses its ability to absorb water, the topsoil can become saturated and eventually sloughs downstream, taking with it the nutrients it stores.

    “Now you have a forest that’s less able to hold water to grow trees and provide nutrients to grow trees,” said Stubblefield. “It’s impoverished, or it’s depleted; and it can take a while to hundreds of years even to rebuild the nutrients.”

    This can impact what plants regrow while the land recovers from the fire and flood. Weedy, often-invasive plants may have an easier time reestablishing themselves in this less-nurturing environment than native species, according to Kane. 

    Soil and nutrients washed into rivers and streams also negatively affect their ecosystems. Sediment and debris carried by flooding associated with the McKinney fire caused fish kill in the Klamath River earlier this August, as clays in the soil interrupted oxygen flow and nutrients nourished a deadly algal bloom. 

    Post-wildfire flooding can also be dangerous to human settlements and to the ecosystem around it because it picks up debris and soil and carries it downstream. Debris flows caused by heavy rain after the Thomas fire in Montecito, California killed 23, injured at least 167, and damaged 408 homes, according to a 2019 research article by J.W. Kean et al. 

    It’s the charge of the National Forest Service’s BAER (Burned Area Emergency Response) teams to analyze the risks for flooding after each fire and implement measures to mitigate damage and environmental impacts. According to the McKinney Post-Fire BAER incident overview, these multidisciplinary teams of scientists decide what, if anything, needs to be done to protect natural resources or human settlements in the area. 

    Examples of possible interventions include seeding the hillside from the air, setting up log breaks along hills or in creek beds, or stabilizing at-risk areas with hydro-mulch (a material similar to paper mâché which also contains seeds,) said Stubblefield. Sometimes the best treatment is to warn people away from at-risk areas with weather alerts when a big storm is coming in.

    But with modern fires often burning millions of acres at once, what scientists can do to mitigate flooding becomes a problem of scale. 

    “The August Complex [fire] last summer was a million acres, what would it cost to try and stabilize that landscape, you know, it’s too big,” said Stubblefield. “It would be the gross domestic product of a small country.”

    Flooding is not an inevitable follow-up to wildfire. It takes both intense fire and intense rain to create the right conditions. If ground cover vegetation like grasses have time to return before the next intense rain, it stabilizes the soil and can even begin to break down the waxy hydrophobic layer.

    However, due to the effects of anthropogenic climate change and poor forest management, the perfect storm happens more often. 

    When this land was stewarded by Native Americans, regular fires were part of that management. In the post-colonial absence of that management, white settlers saw wildfires as something that needed to be suppressed immediately, rather than allowed to run their course as a physiological process of the forest. When the dense, thick, choked forests that this policy produces catch fire, they burn hotter, longer, and over a wider area. The environmental legacy of clear-cut logging and fire-prevention has left the forests in a vulnerable and volatile state.

    “We are moving into an era of active fire management,” said Stubblefield.

    This means more prescribed burns, and an attitude towards fire that acknowledges its essential role in forest health. Post-fire flooding, too, is a physiological component of the ecosystem. According to Stubblefield, if sediments weren’t carried into the river, salmon might not have gravel to spawn on at all.

  • Cal Poly Humboldt’s vertebrate museum opens to the public for the first time

    Cal Poly Humboldt’s vertebrate museum opens to the public for the first time

    by Alina Ferguson

    Cal Poly Humboldt’s campus has a vertebrate museum, dedicated to skulls, skeletons, skins, and tissue from various mammals and vertebrates, such as rats, mice, and sea mammals native to Humboldt county. This student-run museum has about 15,000 specimens, 9,000 of which are available for viewing. 

    The museum is now allowing all students a peek into their collections, which include rodents, otters, seals, and taxidermied elk. Students are also able to view the anatomical study processes such as dissection and labeling.

    Previously, the collection was only accessible to students within the wildlife major. The students would look through the collection and study the specimens, testing their ability to identify them. Now, for the first time since the museum was established in 1969, the museum is open to all students during their open hours on Monday from 11am to 4pm, and Tuesdays through Fridays 12pm to 5pm.

    Shea Daly, a senior who works in the lab and does most of the preparations, extended an open invitation to all students.

    “On the last Friday of the month, we are going to have open labs and live dissections, so come in and ask questions,” Daly said. “We are also trying to start up scientific drawing classes.” 

    Photo by Ollie Hancock | The skull and fur remains of a river otter on display
    Photo by Ollie Hancock | Sam Talley and Ezra Alberts examine musk rat remains
    Photo by Ollie Hancock | Articulated Harbor Porpoise skeleton on display in the Vertebrate Museum Lab

    Daly added that students from all majors are welcome to come in and watch the process of dissecting and skinning the animals.  

    “The students are very hands-on. They can do preps, they can do skeletonizing, which is the process of dipping the bones into an ammonia bath to make them whiter,” Daly said.

    In the past, the staff would forage and scrounge for their own specimens. According to Collections Intern Ezra Alberts, now they get most of their specimens from donations, people finding roadkill on the highway, and the marine mammal training program. 

    Silvia Pavan, the faculty advisor and grant funding organizer to the museum, explained that they typically only need to work with the skull of the animal, as it provides the most information. The rest of the bones are disposed of in a biohazard bin if there is no room for them in the lab or the museum. 

    Opening a freezer full of numbered vials of tissue samples, Pavan explained the process of tagging each animal and the importance of it. Once an animal has been skinned and deboned, each corresponding part must be labeled and numbered. This tracking lets them trace where the tissue samples came from, the food samples of the animal, and the genealogy of the species.

    The museum has a second room, the bug room, where they process the bones that have any remaining flesh or tissue still attached. The bones are placed into a container, where dermestid beetles eat away at everything but bone. Depending on the animal, the carcass may be there for a few days or a few weeks. 

    A large portion of the work the museum does is tissue sampling, genetics, and CT scanning. This work helps the scientists determine what it ate, where it came from, and ultimately, what killed it.

  • Field Camp tests geology students’ knowledge and endurance

    Field Camp tests geology students’ knowledge and endurance

    by August Linton

    Field Camp for Cal Poly Humboldt’s geology majors is a month-long academic camping trip, and a foundational experience in the field that geologists remember with love. 

    Local field trips to places in Humboldt like Agate Beach and Big Lagoon are testing grounds for students used to dusty labs on campus. The university has a large library of rock samples, but students enjoy collecting their own. 

    “Agate Beach was a good one,” said Riley Clark, a CPH graduate and Field Camp returnee. “I’ve had structural geology trips there to look at faults and things like that, and sedimentary geology trips there to look at marine sediments.”

    Geology department classes teach both book knowledge and field techniques. One class called petrology, about the origin and microscopic structure of rocks, uses a technique called thin sectioning. With careful sanding, epoxy, and heat, students can make microns-thick samples of rock for microscope analysis. Field trips give students the opportunity to use these techniques at actual sites rather than in a lab.

    From May 29 to June 29, students from the program visited teaching sites in California’s Eastern Sierras for their capstone Field Camp, which is a more intense iteration of the geology field trip. Other geology programs also visit those same sites.

    “The first field site we went to we were alone, then at the next site there was Sac State, Montana State, a class from Wyoming, Northridge was there,” said graduated geology student Nay de la Torre. 

    Field Camp is analogous to a capstone project for geology students, a field-wide tradition that most programs participate in. It teaches students how to apply their knowledge, but also 

    Photo courtesy of Riley Clark | Roch Creek, an area that students were tasked with mapping near Bishop, California
    Photo courtesy of Riley Clark | Roch Creek, an area that students were tasked with mapping near Bishop, California

    The Poleta Formation is a common teaching location located in the Eastern Sierras, where different layers of sediment are exposed and can tell geologists about the geologic history of that place. 

    “It was deposited during the Cambrian…when California was covered in a shallow sea,” said de la Torre. “You could walk from LA to Las Vegas with water up to your knees.”

    This shallow sea still had tidal action, which geologists can tell based on those layers.

    “The tide would come in and come out, so during this time sandstone would be deposited, then when the tide went out the water would evaporate and deposit carbonate rocks like limestone,” de la Torre said.

    At a second location in the Inyo-White Mountains, students spent time studying igneous intrusions into the crust, called plutons. There are also several wide-reaching fault systems that span the area, which students were tasked with mapping. 

    “At one of our sites we saw a series of faults and then at another one we saw a series there,” said Clark. “It was neat to correlate those…we know that the same compression on the continent caused it.”

    De la Torre says this trip stretched the students to their limits mentally and physically.

    “Everything that you’ve learned, you use it at Field Camp, with every class since freshman year,” said de la Torre. “You don’t really have time to do much else other than go to the field, eat dinner, and go to sleep, cause you’re so tired every single day.”

    Weeks of complete isolation from everything other than a small group of colleagues, six to nine miles of hiking every day in baking sun, and living in tents for a month taxed the students, but also galvanized them. Their daily tasks, like surveying areas for map-making, mirror what they will be asked to do in their careers as geologists.

    “Field Camp feels like something that I’m going to remember for the rest of my life, because all the older geoscience people that I talk to still remember their Field Camp,” de la Torre said.

  • Beautiful bearded irises

    Beautiful bearded irises

    by Nina Hufman

    These deep purple petals belong to the bearded iris. In Greek, “iris” means rainbow. The flowers were named after the messenger goddess who traveled using rainbows. Indeed, irises come in a variety of color variants including yellow, orange, peach, pink, black, white, blue, and purple. The deep purple variant pictured here is called Raven’s Girl. The scientific name of the bearded iris is Iris germanica.

    Irises have two types of petals. Three petals curve downwards from the center of the flower and are called falls. Three petals stand upright from the flower’s center and are called standards. The two types of petals can be different colors or the same color on an individual flower. Irises have wide, flat, blade-shaped leaves and tall, bare stems.

    Irises can be identified based on whether they grow from bulbs or rhizomes. PlantInstructions.com says that rhizomes are horizontal stems that grow underground, branching out from the parent plant, just below the surface of the soil. Rhizomes can be dug up and used to propagate new plants. A bulb is also a modified stem, but it does not grow directly from the parent plant. Most irises grow from rhizomes.

    According to GardenFundamentals.com, Irises that grow from rhizomes can be further categorized based on whether they are bearded, crested, or beardless. A beard is a fuzzy patch of hairlike extensions on each fall near the center of the petal, and a crest is a raised section of tissue located in the same place as the beard. If a flower has neither a beard nor a crest, then it is considered beardless.

    Most of the larger iris species, including the bearded iris, are native to the Mediterranean, North Africa, and Asia. According to the U.S. Forest Service, there are 28 species of iris that are native to the United States. It is illegal to pick or disturb irises on national forest land.

    Irises bloom multiple times a year. Their beautiful flowers can be seen on our campus throughout the summer.

  • Humboldt’s frogs are thriving

    Humboldt’s frogs are thriving

    by Sophia Escudero

    Humboldt County, with its streams and rivers, undeveloped wild spaces, and above-average amount of rain, is an ideal habitat for amphibians.

    The Pacific tree frog, also known as the Pacific chorus frog, is the most common local frog. Its habitat spans from Northern California to Alaska, and it makes its home in ponds, rivers, forests, grasslands, and even urban settings. The distinctive “ribbit, ribbit” song of the Pacific tree frog can be heard clearly in spring as the male of the species attempts to attract a mate. However, they can be harder to spot than to hear.

    “They seem to blend with their background,” said adjunct professor Brian Hudgens of the Cal Poly Humboldt wildlife department. “It’s not as fast as a chameleon, but they do. If you put a green one against a brown background for a couple days and then come back, it will turn brown.”

    Less audible is the California red-legged frog, which gives its call underwater and can be found in slow-moving water and ponds. The California red-legged frog has a celebrity history, having been named the California state amphibian and starring in a Mark Twain short story, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.” This frog is a threatened species due to habitat loss, despite efforts being made by the state of California and the federal government.

    Photo courtesy of Brian Hudgens. A foothill yellow-legged frog pokes its head out of Honeydew Creek.

    Another protected frog is the foothill yellow-legged frog, which is a species of concern. The yellow-legged frog lives in streams and, although they vary in coloration, can be identified by their rough skin and habit of jumping into moving water. Their historic range extends from Oregon to Baja California.

    “The foothill yellow-legged frogs are breeding now, and you might be able to see egg masses attached to rocks and cobble near the shallow edges of our local rivers,” Hudgens said. “I actually would appreciate hearing if any of your readers see an egg mass and want to pass along the location and any photos.”

    While both the California red-legged frog and the foothill yellow-legged frog are listed as threatened or endangered species in the state of California, the Humboldt populations are thriving.

    “Most of the places where it lives, or where its historic range covers, are the foothills on the edge of the Central Valley,” Hudgens said of the yellow-legged frog. “And those are areas that are under a lot of developmental pressure, a lot of agricultural pressure, and the rivers and streams around here don’t have the same kind of pressure.”

    To help out local frogs, the most important thing you can do is speak out against the development of their natural habitats. Humboldt is a haven for native frog species, and protecting their habitats protects them. When you are in a frog breeding ground, such as a river or pond, it’s important to keep an eye out for eggs and tadpoles underfoot. Washing shoes and swim equipment before and after going to the river can help stop the spread of disease to different populations.

    You can create a habitat for frogs in your own backyard. Providing any size pond or standing water can encourage frogs to lay eggs, especially if you live near an existing frog habitat. Hudgens recommends allowing the pond to dry out fully once a year in order to discourage invasive bullfrogs, which prey on native species and compete with them for resources. Bullfrogs take two years to fully mature, while native frogs reach adulthood in a matter of months.

    “If you’ve got a stream running through your backyard, maintaining a nice cobble area will really help out the yellow-legged frogs,” Hudgens said. “If you’re in an area with bullfrogs, trying to keep them out is probably the biggest thing we can do for all of our amphibians.”

  • Magnificent Magnolias

    Magnificent Magnolias

    by Nina Hufman

    Chinese magnolia trees all over campus have been shedding their flowers, covering walkways in a blanket of magenta and white petals. Their cup-shaped petals range in color from pink to lavender-purple, with white interiors.

    Like other species of magnolia, the Chinese magnolia (Magnolia soulangeana) has large, fragrant blooms that grow singularly at the ends of each branch. Because it generally blooms in early spring, the flowers are vulnerable to late freezes.

    According to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, the tree blooms from late March to mid-April before the foliage comes in. It can then bloom sporadically throughout the rest of the growing season. The leaves turn from green to yellow in the fall before the tree sheds them for the winter.

    Magnolias are considered small trees. According to the North Carolina Extension Gardener, the trees can grow to be 33 feet tall but usually are between 20 and 25 feet tall. They have a sporadic, multi-trunk, shrubby growth pattern. Their bark is dark or light gray in color and has a smooth texture.

    The Chinese magnolia has a simple leaf type, with alternating veins. The leaves are oblong shaped and have a margin that extends up the entire length of the leaf. Hairlike structures, or indumentum, are present on the leaves. These hairs help the plant to absorb water and deter predators.

    This tree is a hybrid cross between two other magnolia species, M. denudata and M. liliflora. According to Lake Forest College, the hybrid was created by Etienne Soulange-Bodin, an officer in Napoleon’s army who later became a horticulturist. The tree was created in France in 1814.

    Though the trees may bloom the rest of the spring and summer, they are currently giving their most beautiful display. Go out and see the magnificent Chinese magnolia today.

  • Fragile trillium flowers on the forest floor

    Fragile trillium flowers on the forest floor

    by Abraham Navarro

    Wandering through the underbrush in the Arcata Community Forest as the daylight slips away, some of the last plants you can make out against the blur of darkening foliage are the pale white faces of Pacific trillium (Trillium Ovatum) looking back at you.

    A hallmark of spring in the redwoods, these small white flowers dot the alien ferns in the community forest along trails and sometimes even right in the middle of them.

    Trilliums are easy to identify. Their name comes from the latin word tres meaning three, referring to the symmetrical three sets of leaves, petals and sepals that can be found on all 43 species of trillium, 38 of which can be found in North America.

    According to the U.S. Forest Service, several species of trillium contain chemical compounds called sapogenins that have been used medicinally through the ages as astringents, coagulants, expectorants, and uterine stimulants. This is evidenced in common names given to some trilliums such as birthwort or birthroot.

    The Pacific trillium is widespread across the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rocky Mountains. Although it might be tempting to pick the pretty white blooms along the path, experts advise against damaging the delicate flowers.

    Dr. Erik S. Jules, professor of botany and ecology at Cal Poly Humboldt who specializes in plant ecology, said that the Pacific trillium is not endangered, and that it’s doing quite well in the Arcata Community Forest. It is, however, sensitive to disturbances.

    “Like the trampling associated with the frisbee golf course in the forest,” Jules said. “So they tend to be less abundant right in those immediate areas.”

    Trillium are ephemeral bloomers, which means they flower for a short period of time and go dormant until the next year. Trilliums live for up to 70 years, and damaging them can compromise their ability to bloom again.

    “Picking them generally doesn’t kill them, but will definitely reduce their ability to grow and flower the following year, so people should never pick the plant or flower,” Jules said.

  • Featured researcher studies pupfish in geologic history

    Featured researcher studies pupfish in geologic history

    by Mekiah Glynn

    The geology colloquium on Monday, March 28began with the introduction of Dr. Jeffery Knott. Knott is an emeritus professor at California State Fullerton and an experienced researcher in paleogeography and paleoclimatology. Paleography is the study of historical geography and paleoclimatology is the study of ancient climates. Combining these studies and biology, Knott shared the research he’s done. He explained how pupfish are so widely spread around the globe using paleogeographic understanding of past lakes and rivers where the pupfish were.

    Pupfish are about 2 inches in length and are often a blueish color. This group of species is found in a variety of locations throughout the world. The Death Valley pupfish (Cyprinodon salinus,) which lives exclusively in a small body of water known as Salt Creek, is the focus of Knott’s research.

    “[Salt Creek] is mostly a series of pools and sometimes very little ponds to the side, and it’s not very fast-moving as well,” Knott said. “It’s a relatively slow and low gradient stream but this is where one species of pupfish happens to live at the bottom of Death Valley”.

    The pupfish at Salt Creek are disconnected from other bodies of water. This makes it impossible for them to be related to pupfish in other parts of the world unless there was a connection to other bodies at some point in the past. This is why comparing the pupfish species proves that sea levels were higher and lakes in the past were big enough to connect these water sources.

    To figure out where and when these lakes existed, Knott had to use regional stratigraphy, which studies the layers of rock to determine time frames. Using geological evidence, Knott found that Death Valley had a deepwater lake from around 3.2 to 3.6 million years ago. Along with the timeline of the lakes, the rocks can be used to tell when the area was dried up or whether the lakes were warm.

    From there, Knott then compared the timeline set by different sediments to discover when and how the lakes may have overflowed into each other, and where there isn’t overflow there is usually a realistic explanation. Through the study of historical writings, we know that Native Americans moved pupfish into the Devil’s Hole in Death Valley because they used it for a bathing hole.

    There have been similar studies done to try and explain the evolutionary relationship between the Deep Springs black toad and the toads at Darwin Canyon. These toads are entirely aquatic, so the distance between these species also has to be explained by the history of lakes in the area.

    The next species that Knott and other researchers will focus on are the spring snails. These are a unique case: they move a lot slower than the pupfish and the toads so the distribution of the species is hypothesized to take a lot longer. Finishing the seminar, Knott acknowledged the team that helped him.

    “We’ve done a pretty good job of establishing a stratigraphy here in Death Valley in the western Great Basin,” Knott said. “Through the efforts of many, many people, we can correlate this with global climate records, and then we can start to look at the timing of these… lakes.”

  • Trespassing cannabis grows threaten natural spaces

    Trespassing cannabis grows threaten natural spaces

    By Krisanne Keiser

    The environmental impacts of legal and illegal growing operations are not well understood by many of the residents of Humboldt County, however, it is important that we are aware of how extractive industries impact the environment and all its relatives.

    “The rush mentality is what founded Humboldt County…people act like that was a long time ago and we have definitely moved on, [that] we’re this very green friendly place, we’re liberals, we’re leftists,” said Department Chair of Native American Studies, Cutcha Risling Baldy (Yurok/Hupa/Karuk). “This is how people think of Humboldt County, but what founded us is this Gold Rush and we have been rushing ever since…so after the Gold Rush ‘well, gold didn’t make us enough money, lets rush any kind of minerals that we can get’ and then after that ‘well that didn’t make us enough, let’s rush timber’…and I think we’ve been rushing since 1849.”

    Assistant professor of Native American Studies Kaitlin Reed (Yurok/Hupa/Oneida) is the author of “From Gold Rush to Green Rush.” In the book, she illustrates the correlation between the destructiveness of the Gold Rush period and the marijuana industry in Humboldt County (Green Rush).

    Reed’s presentation “Cannabis & Environmental Justice in Humboldt County,” explains that environmental injustice comes into play when settler-colonial infrastructures further dispossess and exploit Indigenous lands for capital gain.

    The marijuana industry perpetuates settler-colonial harm by damaging sensitive ecosystems and cultural areas that Indigenous peoples rely on for survival and health. Just like the Gold Rush, marijuana cultivation poses many threats to Native peoples who rely on the land and rivers for their livelihoods.

    According to Reed, trespass cultivation, in which growers illegally occupy public or tribal land to cultivate their grow sites, is the most harmful type of growing operation.

    “These types of grows are most frequently associated with the most severe environmental impacts,” Reed said.

    Trespass growers hike into the mountains and hills to clear-cut a crop site, which has a devastating impact on the sensitive biodiversity of that natural place. These growing sites are chosen for cover and secrecy, so it’s more likely that a grow sites will disturb highly sensitive bio-diverse ecosystems.

    In addition to clear-cutting, growers use and bring certain supplies that are horrible for the environment. These include soil that contains noxious chemicals, herbicides, and insecticides that are released into the earth as well as garbage, plastics, batteries, homemade invasive structures, vehicles, petroleum products, etc.

    Additionally, chemicals and other contaminants left by growers poison wildlife species like the West Coast Fisher. Reed explained that rodenticide is an over-the-counter rat poison which causes animals to bleed out internally after consumption.

    Research wildlife ecologist Mourad Gabriel led a study in 2015 that examined rodenticide poisoning in the West Coast Fisher population. It was concluded that between 2012 and 2015 the federally threatened species faced an increased number of deaths due to exposure to rodenticide poisoning from illegal pot farms.

    Reed explained that rodenticide is usually a slow death, and causes animals to be easy prey for predators. This creates a vicious cycle where the poison gets passed from animal to animal. It’s easier for predators to catch an animal that is slow and weak, and so the contamination process continues through the predator who consumed the poisoned prey.

    Indigenous communities are also heavily impacted by trespass grows. During our interview, Reed relayed a story that she heard from the Yurok tribe in which they located several abandoned trespass cultivation sites on their land.

    One site had a shocking one hundred five-gallon buckets,overflowing with human feces. Growers will often defecate in rivers, streams, and tributaries. Because marijuana cultivation requires a significant amount of water, the water levels become extremely low, magnifying the effect of those contaminates. Tribal members who consumed the contaminated water were struck with E.coli, including a Yurok Tribal Chairman.

    “We ingest the water from our rivers. We’re salmon people, we depend on the fish in those rivers,” said Reed. “In a western framework, there’s a distinction between human beings and nature … settler colonial resource extraction perpetuates violence not only against the landscape but it also perpetuates violence against Indigenous bodies because we depend on that landscape.”

    Yurok tribal members are afraid to go out on the land to gather food and other cultural resources in fear of accidentally walking into a grow site, according to Reed. Typically, grow operations are dangerous and harbor some threatening people who will do what they must to protect their crops, including acting violently.

    “From a trespass cultivator’s perspective, your goal is to remain undetected. You don’t want anyone to find out what you’re doing or where you are,” Reed said. “It makes little difference if there’s an FBI agent approaching your grow or if it’s an eighty-year-old woman looking for hazelnut sticks.”

    She expounded that Indigenous peoples have many reasons to access their ancestral territory: to gather, practice ceremonies, pray and manage landscapes. However, doing so has led to tribal members being subjected to violence from trespass growers.

    “There have been stories of tribal members being held at gunpoint because they’ve accidentally stumbled upon a grow,” she continued, “I’ve had people tell me they are scared to go down certain roads in broad daylight because of trespass cultivation.”

    Today, around 60% of the marijuana grown in California is grown on public or tribal lands, and the responsibility of cleaning up environmental degradation left by growers falls to Indigenous communities.

  • Red Rhododendrons rustle in Spring breeze

    Red Rhododendrons rustle in Spring breeze

    by Nina Hufman

    One of the most noticeable flowers on the beautiful CPH campus is the Rhododendron. The scientific name of this particular species is Rhododendron delavayi. According to the American Rhododendron society, the plants are native to India, Burma, China, Thailand, and other regions of Eastern Asia. This species of tree is identifiable by its bright red blossoms and elliptical-shaped leaves.

    Dense indumentum, or hairlike structures, cover the underside of the plant’s leaves. These help the plant to absorb water and discourage predation by insects.

    Photo by Nina Hufman. Bright red Rhododendron blossoms on the tree between the theatre and art buildings on Feb. 15, 2022.

    Rhododendrons are members of the Ericaceae, an expansive family which also encompasses cranberries, blueberries, and huckleberries.

    Despite the inclusion of these common edible fruits, many other members of this family are known to contain toxic compounds. According to the study ‘Phytochemicals and Biological Activities of Poisonous Genera of Ericaceae in China,’ “the toxic ingredients in the poisonous genera are mainly tetracyclic diterpenes, which exhibit toxic effects on the digestive, cardiovascular and nervous systems.”

    The study also states that these poisonous plants’ traditional use in Chinese medicine makes them a good candidate for further scientific study.

    According to the National Capital Poison Center, honey produced by bees from rhododendron nectar can concentrate the various toxic chemicals. The effects of poisoning by this method include disorientation, mouth irritation, nausea, and vomiting, leading to it’s colloquial name, “Mad Honey.”

    Rhododendron trees can be seen in multiple places on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus including the area between the theater and art buildings, where the above photos were taken. They are considered early bloomers, usually producing flowers from late February to May. Go out while they’re still blooming and enjoy the beautiful, bright red rhododendron.

  • Food forests flourish at Cal Poly Humboldt

    by Ollie Hancock

    CCAT courses are back this spring. One of the classes on the roster this semester is Organic Gardening. In this one-unit course, students will learn the basics of gardening. Students grow their plots in the campus community garden using sustainable techniques.

    Since the pandemic disrupted CCAT operations, the course has not been offered. Now, the course has returned, and students have a lot of work ahead of them. Ben Cross is a political science major who’s more than excited to be back in the Buckhouse.

    “I’ve got lots of passion for this, and it’s an amazing area to learn it,” Cross said. “If there is a place I’d want to take this class, it’s at Humboldt. I want to have my garden and tend to it with confidence.”

    Julia Simmons is the student instructor of ENST 123.

    “We’re teaching the basics of what goes into gardening,” Simmons said. “I want to focus on how plants affect each other. Some plants have nitrogen-fixing properties and support other plants in the soil. I want to teach students to cultivate ecology and grow food forests.”

    Food forests are a farming technique that mimics the natural patterns found in ecosystems. Growing plants interact with each other in a network of reciprocal relationships. The result is healthy biodiversity, nutrient-rich soils, and a sustainable food source.

    Agroecologic farming methods have the potential to localize food systems and make them more efficient. A 2018 study titled “Permaculture—Scientific Evidence of Principles for the Agroecological Design of Farming Systems” by the EU Institute for Environmental Science establishes environmental damages caused by industrial agriculture. Monoculture causes biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and alteration of biogeochemical cycles and greenhouse gas emissions. The study cited food forests to remedy the damage done by monoculture.

    Monoculture is the standard agricultural practice in the United States. Crops are planted in rows, where they can be most efficiently harvested by machine. Though it is convenient for machinery, this practice does not benefit plants or local ecologies. Without ecological support and context, isolated crops require fertilizers and pesticides to grow.

    Plants can fend off pests and fertilize each other in food forests. One example Simmons describes is the three sisters. This pairing of beans, squash and corn, comes from traditional ecologic knowledge.

    “They grow really well together, and they use each other to grow well,” Simmons said. “The beans provide nitrogen for the other plants to grow. Ground cover [from the squash leaves] keeps weeds from growing.” The tallest sister, corn, acts as a trellis for the beans to climb up. Growing together, they protect each other and help one another flourish.

    “We’re going to be working in the community garden. We’ll design food forests with their own ecologic networks,” Simmons said. “I want anybody to be able to garden, and everyone should garden.”

  • Students dive into oceanic research

    Students dive into oceanic research

    by Nina Hufman

    At Cal Poly Humboldt’s marine lab, graduate students run between the workspaces and laboratories, students stir beakers of brine shrimp instead of cups of coffee, and Percy the giant pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini) tugs on the fingers of the lab tech feeding him.

    Photo by Morgan Hancock | Percy the giant Pacific octopus (Enteroctopus dofleini)

    Percy’s isn’t the only interesting face one can see at the lab. Other notable critters include Gaia the red octopus (Octopus rubescens), Eleanor the Wolf Eel (​​Anarrhichthys ocellatus), and Butters the Albino Dungeness Crab (Cancer magister). Sea stars, baby jellyfish, sea urchins, clingfish, nudibranch, sea cucumbers, and anemones are among the lab’s other aquatic residents. There are also rockfish older than most of the people working at the lab.

    “There’s so much potential at this place for doing even more than we are now,” said Lab Director Rick Zechman.

    Although it’s currently closed to the public due to COVID-19, the students and staff of the Telonicher Marine Lab are offering guided virtual tours and virtual educational programs. Cal Poly Humboldt students also have the option to visit and explore the lab in person.

    If they want more experience than a visit will offer, students can sign up for courses in oceanography, fisheries biology, and marine biology, which all include instruction at the marine lab.

    Marine naturalist Jordyn Neal is in charge of tours.

    “Most of my job is public outreach,” Neal said. “I try to inform the public on the fish here, and conservation.”

    Neal gives guided tours of the lab and is in charge of the summer school program. She says that one of her main goals is to bridge the gap of scientific literacy.

    Neal is a fifth year marine biology major who is currently doing shark research outside of her degree. She takes CT scans of shark species living at different depths in the water column and looks at the morphology of their ears. Neal’s focus is on how the depth of the water in which a species lives impacts the structure of its ears.

    Photo by Morgan Hancock | Eleanor the Wolf Eel (​​Anarrhichthys ocellatus)

    The marine lab also hosts a number of grad students doing research projects, including Rose Harman. Harman is currently working on her master’s thesis and grant applications to fund her research. This summer, Harman will be studying habitat usage and predation of leopard sharks in Humboldt Bay.

    “Our new plan is to do field work combined with lab experiments,” Harman said. “One of my goals is to publish my research.”

    Graduate students Marzia Fattori and Kalani Ortiz are doing their research on growing bull kelp in Humboldt Bay. Ortiz’s project is focused on kelp as an agricultural product. She is currently growing the seaweed on string, and will be outplanting it to kelp farms in the bay until it reaches a harvestable size.

    Fattori’s project is focused on conservation. She is growing bull kelp on gravel and on ceramic tiles to see which substrate is more effective. In the second stage of her research, Fattori will grow the bull kelp in warmer water to examine the impact that rising ocean temperatures will have on kelp populations.

    The marine lab has two classrooms, a running seawater system, and access to the Coral Sea, a 90ft research vessel. Lab director Zechman says the lab is situated on an important part of the Pacific coastline, where students can expect a learning experience that is unique to Cal Poly Humboldt.

    “Our intention is to be a different kind of polytechnic,” Zechman said. “How many CSUs have a marine lab and a research vessel?”

  • The moving pieces under Humboldt

    by Carlos Pedraza

    Cal Poly Humboldt sits on top of a very seismically active part of the world known as a the Cascadia subduction zone. This area is composed of three tectonic plates under the ocean off of the Pacific coast.

    The Juan de Fuca, Explorer, and Gorda plates are subducting beneath the continental North American Plate, where the Cal Poly Humboldt campus is located.

    As the oceanic plates push against the continental plate, the friction created leads to deformation and faulting.

    “We live on that boundary where this is taking place, which leads to frequent earthquake activity,” said Cal Poly Humboldt geology professor Amanda Admire.

    In addition to the deformation from the Cascadia subduction zone, the Humboldt region is also influenced by the movement along the San Andreas Fault to the south. Humboldt stands on top of an intersection of three different plates pushing against each other.

    The plates themselves move very slowly, only a few centimeters every year. However, they still generate friction as they move against each other. This is the energy released during an earthquake and tsunami.

    Graphic by Carlos Pedraza and August Linton

    In the Pacific Northwest, both earthquakes and tsunamis are important to prepare for. The Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group, an organization made up of local government officials, tribes, and relief groups, gives information and warnings in their “Living on Shaking Ground”magazine.

    The magazine states that “more than two-thirds of our large historic earthquakes have been located offshore within the Gorda plate.”

    A tsunami is created when an earthquake along a fault ruptures the seafloor, moving the entire water column and releasing that built-up energy, which moves out in all directions.

    The primary local tsunami hazard, the Cascadia subduction zone, is very close to Humboldt’s coastline compared to other regions in the Pacific Northwest.

    According to Admire, a tsunami produced along the fault between the Gorda and North American plates would only take approximately ten minutes to reach the Humboldt shoreline. In Oregon and Washington the fault is further from shore, allowing for more warning time should there be a tsunami.

    This much seismic activity can be exciting to study for geologists and scientists, but for people living in Humboldt it may be nerve racking. Admire said there is no need for panic, but that residents should prepare.

    The last mega earthquake along the Cascadia subduction zone was in 1700. However, there are still smaller instances of seismic activity as the plates move and push against each other.

    So when an earthquake happens: drop, cover and hold on. If you’re near the coastline, head for higher ground in case of a tsunami.

    To find more preparedness tools and tsunami evacuation maps for the region, check out the Redwood Coast Tsunami Work Group.

  • Gone Foraging

    by Morgan Hancock

    Edible and medicinal plants grow in every corner of campus. Students can learn to forage for them in Campus Center for Appropriate Technology’s new Foraging class. Josefina Barrantes and Sandra Zepeda are the student instructors of ENST 123. The course expands on their research of ethnobotany on the Cal Poly Humboldt campus.

    Ethnobotany is the study of plants and how people use them. Zepeda and Barrantes spent the last year mapping and researching edible plants on campus. Their map shares a location, name, and photos of plants with ethnobotanical purposes. Students will use the map along with information taught in the class to forage on campus sustainably. The map includes native plants that grow in the area and non-native plants used in landscaping.

    “It’s comparable to urban foraging because we’re not actually nature, we’re on a university campus,” Zepeda said. “A lot of the edible plants on campus are not native, they’re just for decorative purposes.”

    The course will highlight how plants like mountain pepper (Tasmannia lanceolata) can serve as a seasoning alternative and also have medicinal uses.

    “This plant was significant to aboriginal people, they used it to make medicines and tinctures,” Zepeda said, between nibbles of a leaf. Indigenous groups used the mountain pepper to treat stomach aches, colic skin disorders, and toothaches.

    As its name suggests, the mountain pepper is spicy, but it is not quite a pepper. Instead, it is a shrub that uses a tricky chemical reaction to taste spicy, rather than capsaicin like many spicy plants. The pepper taste comes from the compound polygodial, a C15 sesquiterpene.

    According to a study published by The Australian Institute of Food Science and Technology titled “Native Australian fruits — a novel source of antioxidants for food,” the mountain pepper had more than three times the antioxidant levels of blueberries.

    The instructors shared some of their favorite foragable plants on campus. The Dog Rose (Rosa canina) provides bright red hips packed with vitamins and has many common health benefits.

    Some campus plants have simple uses, like in-between-class snacks. Bolivian fuchsia (Fuchsia boliviana) offers bright flowers and juicy berries. The strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) also has round edible fruits.

    The ENST 123 course is the result of several attempts to bring sustainable foraging on campus. Barrantes and Zepeda are enabling students to rethink food sustainability.

    “We started this project so that we could add more edible landscape,” Barrantes said. “To show this is what we have and we could do more, and also supports the desire for more sustainable food projects, like the food sovereignty lab or starting an off-campus farm.”

  • Not all masks are made equal

    Not all masks are made equal

    According to Cal Poly Humboldt regulations, face masks are required everywhere on the campus, and at all school functions. Amid the predicted peak of the Omicron surge, mandated masking is a key part of the university’s strategy to prevent widespread transmission of COVID-19.

    Humboldt County Health Officer Ian Hoffman has confirmed that the Public Health Department has been in contact with Cal Poly Humboldt with regards to the university’s COVID-19 regulations.

    “We, as Public Health, have continued to offer, you know, clear guidance on how to make public spaces safe, which includes things like masking, distancing, testing, vaccinations – they are doing all of those things at HSU [Cal Poly Humboldt], and we have been in communication with them,” Hoffman said. “So, I think the ultimate decision is up to them.”

    Graphic by August Linton

    Not all masks offer the same amount of protection, to the wearer or to those around them.

    According to the CDC, NIOSH-approved N95 masks are the best, followed by KN95s and surgical masks. Cloth masks rank the lowest, although it is noted that layered, finer fabrics are more effective than loosely woven or single-layered varieties.

    Whatever type, it is important that masks be well-fitted, with no gaps around the nose or edges. A surgical mask underneath a cloth mask may resolve fit problems.

    County Health Officer Hoffman suggested double-masking for all types except N95s. He also cautioned against masks with one-way vents.

    “Those vents … protect the person wearing it, but they’re not protecting anyone around them,” Hoffman said.

    Despite their efficacy, Cal Poly Humboldt does not currently require that students wear N95s.

    “The reason N95 Masks cannot be mandated on campus is that there are some situations where N95 masks can exacerbate medical conditions for the wearer,” the university stated in a Campus Ready email update. “The campus community is encouraged to wear N95 masks if they are able.”

    Free N95s and surgical masks are available at College Creek Mailroom, JGC mailroom, UPD, Welcome Center, the Library, and the SAC.

  • The HSU student’s guide to COVID-19 in spring 2022

    The HSU student’s guide to COVID-19 in spring 2022

    There is currently a surge in COVID-19 infections worldwide and in Humboldt County due to the rise of the Omicron variant. In an article titled “Potential Rapid Increase of Omicron Variant Infections in the United States,” the CDC has cautioned that this iteration of the virus is more transmissible than previous forms.

    “Increases in infections are most likely due to a combination of two factors: increased transmissibility and the ability of the variant to evade immunity conferred by past infection or vaccination,” the article states.

    Most spring semester classes at HSU are planned to take place in person, even as county infection rates soar beyond any previous peaks. According to county data, Humboldt County saw a peak of 256 new COVID-19 cases on Jan 3. This dwarfed the Delta variant peak of 101 new cases on Aug 9, 2021.

    However, hospitalizations remain well below the rates recorded during the Delta peak of August 2021, according to the NYT’s data sets.

    It is inevitable that some students will be exposed to and catch COVID-19. The responsibility of each is to limit their personal risk while also protecting others from infection.

    Following the HSU masking guidelines and getting your vaccine booster as required by the University will make you less likely to contract the virus. Vaccine boosters also greatly reduce the chance of a severe or even symptomatic infection.

    A study released by the UK Health and Security Agency found that, “Among those who had received 2 doses of Pfizer or Moderna, effectiveness [against symptomatic disease] dropped from around 65 to 70% down to around 10% by 20 weeks after the second dose.”

    Boosted individuals enjoy a re-up of their protection: “65 to 75% [at 2-4 weeks,] dropping to … 40 to 50% from 10+ weeks after the booster,” according to the study’s findings.

    “Deadline for full vaccination, including a booster shot, is Jan. 23,” according to the CSU Chancellor’s vaccine mandate. Exemptions are available, on the condition that recipients commit to a weekly test.

    After a positive COVID-19 test, you are required to contact Student Health & Wellbeing Services at (707) 826-3146 and report your infection. You may also be advised to get a PCR test if you tested positive with a home test.

    Testing positive for COVID-19 means you should also keep a close eye on your personal health. Mad River Hospital’s guidelines for at-home assessment of COVID-19 symptoms state that a persistent fever of 103-104°F, bloody material produced when coughing, and/or difficulty breathing are signs that you should go to the ER.

    In the absence of more severe symptoms, the hospital’s website advises that infected persons “keep warm and rest as much as possible … take plenty of fluids … and for fever, take Tylenol in normal doses.”

    Once you’ve taken care of your health, you should also take steps to limit the exposure of people around you to the virus.

    According to Humboldt County isolation and quarantine guidelines, those who test positive for COVID-19 must isolate for at least 5 days.

    “Isolation can end if a test collected on or after day 5 is negative and the individual is not experiencing symptoms or symptoms are resolving,” states the county website. The guidelines also advised to “wear a well-fitting mask around others for a total of 10 days.”

    Graphic by Morgan Hancock
  • Diving Deeper Into Scientific Waters

    Diving Deeper Into Scientific Waters

    Okay class, now do a pike dive! Splash! That’s the sound inside the KRA Pool on a typical Rescue Diving class. Between forward rolls, freediving, gearing up, and learning rescue skills, this HSU course has its hands full. Of water that is.

    Jamie Clough, a transfer marine biology major and scientific diving minor is taking the course this spring semester.

    “All the skills you need in the class are going to be taught, so don’t be scared. It’s great, it’s fun, they take amazing care of you,” Clough said.

    Clough wants to work in aquariums and believes the program is helping prepare her to do so.

    “Going through the program here and getting that minor is gonna be helpful for me to get a job at aquariums so i can do anything from aquarium maintenance, cleaning the sand, checking on animals, anything,” Clough said.

    The class teaches a range of skills including swimming, freediving, scuba, how to deal with panic, CPR, first aid, dealing with stress and more.

    Class instructor Hanna Johnston loves teaching and working with the students.

    “My favorite part is watching students go from really uncomfortable to looking like dive professionals,” Johnston said.

    Johnston believes a big part of learning how to dive is confidence.

    “If a diver feels confident in their skill level they’re going to be much stronger in the water,” Johnston said.

    Junior recreation administration major Gracie Oliva is taking the class a second time to receive her advanced rescue diver certification.

    “It makes you a really seasoned professional because not only are we exposed to emergencies that frequent the dive industry but it helps me with my emergency preparedness if I choose to go in the outdoor recreation area as a whole so the skills and experiences that I gain in this class won’t just help me further myself in the dive industry but also will have tremendous benefits for me just in the outdoor recreation field itself,” Oliva said.

    Especially during the pandemic, it has been a challenge for classes to meet in person.

    “During this pandemic era, my favorite part of this class has to be interacting with all these amazing people that you see right here,” Oliva said. “I am so fortunate that I am able to take face to face classes when I know that there’s a very limited number of them.”

    Junior environmental studies major and scientific diving minor Roxanna “Roxy” Reynolds wanted to join the program after inspiration came from her dad telling diving stories.

    “I actually came to Humboldt for the diving program, that was the selling point for me,” Reynolds said.

    While most students may not come originally for the program, Johnston stressed that it is available for everyone, even those who can’t swim quite yet.

    “You just have to show up, be on time, be prepared and have a good attitude and we’ll help you from there,” Johnston said.

  • An adventure up a redwood

    An adventure up a redwood

    Sluggy the banana slug had a desire for adventure like no other. They wanted to see the world from above, rather than below like they always had. The idea: climb to the top of a redwood tree. What Sluggy didn’t know were the friends they’d make along the way.

    At the bottom of the tree sat a fox, a sweet orange and white bellied creature with a sly smile.

    “Hello Fox, I’m going up this tree. Any advice?” Sluggy asked.

    “Well Sluggy, I’d say be as clever as you can to make many friends in the trees so you always have food,” Fox said.

    So with that, Sluggy continued up the tree. After a day, Sluggy reached the next friend.

    It was a mother raccoon teaching its young to climb.

    “Hello Raccoon, I’m going up this tree. Any advice?” Sluggy asked.

    “Dear, please be careful! Travel with your family instead of alone sweet Sluggy!” said Raccoon.

    Sluggy suddenly felt lonely, so they decided to ask a fellow slug on the tree to join. They agreed. Another day later, Sluggy and their new tree climbing partner Slugeth reached their next friend. An owl, sitting peacefully with both eyes shut and wings on its sides.

    “Hello Owl, we are going up this tree. Any advice?” Sluggy and Slugeth asked.

    “Woo are you? Banana slugs in the tree? Quite high, don’t you think? Beware the dangers of climbing, be wise when you are traveling to new places. Don’t talk to strangers. Woo!” Owl said.

    Sluggy and Slugeth felt much more prepared after talking to Owl. They knew now that this adventure wouldn’t be as easy as they may have thought.

    Two days of traveling later and after some very windy weather, Sluggy and Slugeth came across their next friend. A bouncy little tail followed a kind and goofy squirrel.

    “Hello Squirrel, we are going up this tree. Any advice?” Sluggy and Slugeth asked.

    “Sluggy and Slugeth, just remember to have fun! This tree is full of surprises and fun branches to climb on! Eat acorns and collect the tops as little hats!” Squirrel said.

    Squirrel then made the two slugs acorn hats and fed them acorn soup. Such a goofy yet generous fellow.

    The climb up the tree continued to get harder and Sluggy became very thankful for the advice from raccoon. Slugeth was a great adventure partner.

    Suddenly they heard a very loud pecking sound and knew they were upon their next friend. It was woodpecker, the sharp beaked fluff ball!

    “Hello Woodpecker, we are going up this tree. Any advice?” Sluggy and Slugeth asked.

    “Don’t forget to make holes in the tree to mark your territory. You need to remember how to get down the tree,” Woodpecker said.

    They continued up the tree, biting tiny pieces of bark to mark where they had been so they remembered the way back down. They were very close to the top.

    Just then, a crow flew overhead and landed on the highest point of the tree.

    “Hello Sluggy and Slugeth. You climbed to the top of the tree! Do you have any advice for going down?” asked crow.

    Sluggy and Slugeth thought very long. How could they sum up everything they had learned on their adventure?

    “Oh, the adventure we’ve been on! I would advise making friends so you always have dinner with someone, going with another friend, being very careful, having fun, marking your path… and well, enjoying the journey because you may never get to do it again,” said Sluggy.

  • A slug’s purpose

    A slug’s purpose

    I woke up this morning and decided I was tired of being a banana slug with my only purpose being to eat, decompose matter, and occasionally fighting off a snake or raccoon.

    I want to be a cranberry farmer.

    Now I know you’re asking how this would even be possible as I am so small, so slimy, so squishable. But nothing is impossible, especially for a banana slug.

    I could be the taste tester. Tasting cranberries to see if they are sweet and delicious enough for juice and cranberry sauce. I can be your favorite slug that helps you prep for Thanksgiving.

    Another option is the cranberry smusher. I mean I’m practically one big foot. I can use my body to jump up and down or squeeze the cranberries.

    Or I could be the farmer that goes through the water and collects the cranberries. I’ll put on my scuba suit and swim through, finding the perfect cranberries and help the humans pick those ones.

    My slug friends believe I’m insane. They don’t understand why I would abandon the home I have to go do a task no banana slug has done before.

    But there’s one thing that drives me to do this, even if I have to sacrifice everything. It’s because I’m a dreamer. I have a burning passion in my slime. I feel as if my life revolves around one thing, and if I cannot be a cranberry farmer, then what is my purpose?

    I have dreams at night of making human friends, surrounded by cranberries and munching the berries all day long.

    My parent slugs each did typical slug jobs. Parent 1 was a blackberry bush finder, and always led slugs to the best places to eat blackberries for meals. Parent 2 was an explorer, leaving the other slugs behind to explore new areas and then make maps for the others to follow.

    My parents met when they were each exploring and searching for blackberries, and they fell in love. Soon they each laid 20 eggs and my siblings and I were born.

    Of all 40 of us, I’m the only one to have such a large passion. My siblings don’t understand, and have abandoned me.

    I know my family will be proud of me when they see me living my dream but until then, I will be alone in my journey.

    Even still, I won’t stop fighting for my dream. I never will.

    – Slugberry

  • The six deadly sins of greenwashing

    The six deadly sins of greenwashing

    The recent trend of purchasing organic products has led to a massive increase in companies labelling their products to fit this demand. It’s not just Whole Foods anymore. Most stores carry products labelled as “organic,” “eco-conscious,” or “green,” making it seem as though it is an easy task to be a responsible consumer. However, these labels are often deceitful.

    Greenwashing is a marketing tool used by companies to inaccurately portray their products as environmentally friendly, resulting in consumers feeling as though they are making the greener choice by purchasing from them. There are six “sins” of greenwashing – a phrase coined by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing after the company conducted research on green marketing. Ignoring these forms of greenwashing is detrimental for the planet.

    These six types of greenwashing do a great job of making consumers feel a false sense of security. Environmental politics professor Nicola Walters believes that greenwashing creates a mask that makes it difficult for consumers to know what is safe and what is okay to purchase.

    “Think about how many products these days are with green ‘down home’ packaging,” Walters said. “The local focus recently has been huge! People want to know where their purchases are coming from and companies know this. They are trying to appeal to this customer interest and there’s big money in it. Being educated about what is good for our bodies and the Earth shouldn’t be akin to a complex calculus question and an elongated research project.”

    The most common greenwashing techniques that consumers should be aware of are hidden trade-off greenwashing and no proof greenwashing. Hidden trade-offs suggests that an entire product is “green” when it’s misleading about what percentage of the product is sustainably made. For example, it could contain only one percent recycled material and still be labeled as “green.” No proof greenwashing is just what it sounds like and occurs all the time. With this, there will be claims with no real certification or evidence.

    Environmental studies senior Cassidy Mullennix admits that she has fallen victim to the hidden trade-off form of greenwashing. She questions whether or not the world can go green while living within a throwaway culture.

    “At Plant Power in San Diego, I used to celebrate with a milkshake because it was packaged in ‘compostable plastic’ and that meant that I didn’t have to avoid it, right?” Mullenix said. “Wrong! I took some time to research how compostable plastic worked and it turns out that the material I was using would break down the same exact way plastic does if placed in the landfill and not sent to a high-temperature compost facility.”

    Vagueness greenwashing is another common marketing tactic. Labels like “green” or “sustainable” that companies slap onto their products with a plastic sticker do not mean that they lived up to a strict standard. These labels are vague and do not clarify what standard of sustainable that they are following.

    Similar to these misleading standards, the irrelevance greenwashing occurs when a company advertises that their product is free of something that is environmentally irrelevant. A common example of this are products that say “CFC free,” even though CFCs have been banned globally by law for over a decade.

    The fibbing tactic is self-explanatory. Companies will simply outright lie about the environmental impact of their products. An example of this is Dieselgate, which is when Volkswagen lied about their automobiles’ emissions.

    Lesser of two evils greenwashing misleads consumers by stating oxymorons. Examples of this are organic cigarettes and “green” pesticides. Although it may feel better to pick these options, they are overall still a bad choice.

    Green marketing is a sinister and highly effective tactic that tells people what they want to hear. It is easy to fall victim to the greenwashing of products.

    HSU alumnus Michael Powell believes that the only solution to this is to do the inconvenient research before purchasing a product.

    “I think greenwashing lulls people into a false sense of security,” Powell said. “It makes us feel good because we want to help the environment and we think we are doing just that. We stop asking questions. The sad reality is that, oftentimes, we’re hurting the environment just the same.”