The Lumberjack



Students Serving The Cal Poly Humboldt Campus and Community Since 1929

Category: Science

  • Northern Spotted Owls struggle to survive

    Northern Spotted Owls struggle to survive

    We are watching as the northern spotted owl rapidly declines in population. With fires, barred owl invasions, climate change, and habitat loss, this local species, protected under the Endangered Species Act, needs help.

    Spatial Ecology Professor Ho Yi Wan, who has studied the northern spotted owl for many years, explained the importance of the owl in ecosystems.

    “When you’re protecting the habitat of a spotted owl, you’re protecting a lot of the forested habitat which a lot of other species use,” Wan said. “It’s like an umbrella approach, when you protect one species you are also in a way conserving a lot of other species.”

    HSU faculty member Jeff Dunk, a member of the environmental science and management department, explained why the owl originally joined the Endangered Species Act.

    “It was habitat loss,” Dunk said. “There were huge rates of timber harvesting that happened from post-World War II through the 1980s. And with automation of timber mills and stuff, we just got more and more effective at harvesting trees and then we started to see a response by the owls, that is they weren’t doing as well after a while.”

    But regrowing a forest takes time.

    “See you can get rid of it really rapidly but it takes a long time to grow back,” Dunk said.

    Now, the owl suffers from climate change, fires, and an invasion of the barred owl, as well as continued habitat loss.

    “It’s not like they are affecting the spotted owl by itself, no, those things interact and potentially exacerbate whatever negative influence that each impact might have,” Wan said.

    Each of those challenges are hard to battle, especially that of climate change.

    “Battling climate change requires international collaboration and all countries need to be on board to battle climate change,” Wan said.

    The invasive barred owl also provides many problems for the smaller spotted owl. According to the National Park Service, barred owls are taking over nests and food because they are the larger and more aggressive owl. They also invaded the space of the northern spotted owl when they were already suffering from habitat loss.

    The National Park Service wrote on their website that they have documented many cases of barred owls moving in to spotted owl territories. Because the species are similar, they can’t always occupy the same territory. Unfortunately, the barred owl issue is quite controversial.

    “There’s been some experiments of killing barred owls in some areas and not others and seeing what happens and we do see a response by the spotted owls,” Dunk said. “They survive better when the barred owls are removed and they do a little bit better.”

    Dunk understands why it is a difficult topic. Some disagree with this method because it means killing one owl to save another. Either way, something has to be done.

    “If we don’t do anything about barred owls the vast majority of spotted owls we have now won’t exist,” Dunk said. “And I don’t mean those individuals, I mean within their geographic range spotted owls will be functionally extinct from much of it.”

    The northern spotted owl has a recovery plan. According to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, this plan includes limiting the area where people can cut trees and take away its habitat, forest restoration, managing the barred owl, and monitoring the northern spotted owl while continuing research of it.

    “One way to be a good start is to look at biodiversity and to try to help conserve the biodiversity that we have,” Wan said. “We don’t want to lose any species.”

    As individuals, we share information on the species, use public outreach and social media, be careful about starting fires, and learn about the owl and other endangered and threatened species.

    “We are all a part of nature, like humans are citizens of the whole ecosystem,” Wan said. “So we should be good citizens within it and as we are taking advantage and taking other resources from nature, we also have the responsibility to be a good start.”

  • Schatz Lab researches local wind energy opportunities

    Schatz Lab researches local wind energy opportunities

    On a clear night someday in the future, you might look out across the ocean from Trinidad or Clam Beach and see small points of light way out in the distance. And the source for those points of light could be supplying all your electricity.

    The Schatz Energy Research Lab is an affiliate of HSU’s Environmental Resources Engineering program which seeks to study and educate the public about clean energy. They are in the process of investigating a possible offshore wind energy project.

    “We have the best wind resource in the United States,” said Maia Cheli, the communications and outreach manager for the Schatz Energy Research Lab.

    A possible wind energy project could have wide reaching ramifications for both Humboldt County and California as a whole.

    “There are so many reasons to support the development of clean, renewable energy: so that we can breathe healthy air, drink clean water, restore ecosystems, and slow climate change,” Cheli said. “But our critical energy questions don’t stop at how we generate energy – they also include who has access to electricity, how reliable that electricity is, how much it costs, and how well it supports communities. Bringing these outlooks together is the only way for us to build responsible, equitable energy systems.”

    The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management designated a region 20-30 miles off Humboldt Bay a possible site for an offshore wind farm. The farm would look like a number of floating wind turbines anchored with mooring lines. These turbines would convert wind energy to electrical energy.

    “You have the tower, you have the nacelle, and you have the blades, and so the wind blows on the blades and the blades are converting that in through the generator into electrical energy which then passes back down through the tower and connects in with some kind of a cabling system,” Cheli said.

    A possible project couldn’t just be a set of wind turbines, it would have to include upgrades to Humboldt’s current infrastructure, from our marine ports to current transmission capabilities.

    A wind farm that would produce enough energy to be cost effective would produce more energy than we could use, so it would have to be exported out of the area.

    “What we know of the system is that whether we develop medium or large-scale generation, it will require significant upgrades to the local transmission system,” said Marco Rios, the transmission system planning manager at PG&E. “And that really is because the current grid in this region was not designed to export generation outside of the area.”

    There are more variables like the possible environmental impact of the construction, regular function, and maintenance of the wind turbines.

    The data needed to predict environmental impacts of a wind farm doesn’t exist in full yet, and that’s what the Schatz Lab is working on.

    “There’s not a lot of people that far offshore sitting there and counting seabirds all the time, so we’re working on that right now with the seabird 3D study,” Cheli said.

    But those possible consequences have to be balanced with the consequences of a failure to reach emissions goals.

    Garry George, the clean energy director at the National Audubon Society, spoke about the possible impact on birds at the offshore wind energy webinar.

    “Our science team revealed in a study released last year that three degrees of warming will likely drive 389 species of North American birds to extinction because they’ll lose their wintering and breeding territories due to climate change,” George said. “So it is exciting to have a new resource, a new technology to add to our quiver of climate arrows here in California, like offshore wind, to get us to 100% clean and net zero emissions. This is critical for birds and it’s critical for people.”

    A large-scale project would also have larger social implications. Some of the possible new infrastructure may need to be built on Wiyot land.

    “In general, the Wiyot Tribe has long supported renewable energy development that is well sited, and are open minded and excited about the potential for offshore wind on the north coast,” Wiyot Natural Resource Specialist Adam Canter said at a public offshore wind energy webinar. “Especially the community-based approach and stakeholder involvement that this group of partners is taking early on during the planning process.”

    For now, the feasibility of an offshore wind farm is still being studied. Community input is still being gathered, and nothing is set in stone.

    “The Schatz Center is not committed to any trajectory. We are committed to providing good information so that good decisions can be made,” Cheli said. “I think the more that people can become informed about, you know, the impacts on the opportunities of any particular pursuit related to energy, the better decisions we can make for ourselves and for the planet as a whole.”

  • HSU takes a dive underwater

    HSU takes a dive underwater

    When the coast is right at the fingertips of Humboldt State University Students, some are finding interest in the scientific diving program. This underwater scuba program gives students opportunities to learn about what is in the water around us and take a peaceful and informative dive.

    “The HSU dive program has a phenomenal reputation around the world, so one of the benefits is simply having HSU diver or HSU scientific diver on your resume. It really means something,” said Scientific Diving Instructor Hanna Johnston.

    As one of the very few schools that has scientific diving as a minor, students are given unique opportunities. Johnston calls it the “greatest gift of all” to work with the program again after she had gone through it as an HSU student.

    “The scientific diving program at HSU is a very rare and unique program that I feel very honored for being in, being part of that because it’s like a little family you create,” said alumna Jessica Ramirez who minored in the program and was on the 2020 HSU brochure cover.

    Some of the fan favorite finds are nudibranchs, octopuses, crabs, bioluminescent plankton and bull kelp.

    “The amount of time we get to spend training our divers allows for really honing people skills and making them really highly qualified and comfortable and competent in our pretty dynamic and challenging ocean conditions which means that when they travel the world they can tend to adapt very quickly to whatever environment they are moving to,” said Diving Safety Officer Richard Alvarez.

    The students conduct research through many different programs, including Reef Check California and Marine Protected Area Monitoring Program to see what’s changing, the health of reefs, and what is out there.

    The divers go all over, from Humboldt County to Mendocino and even Catalina Island.

    When COVID-19 hit, the divers had a new challenge. Everything changed according to Johnston, and the instructors spent a whole summer redesigning the program to work with the students.

    “I always feel really really lucky and fortunate to have been able to do face to face in the fall and looking forward to the face to face in the spring because I know every instructor at HSU kind of craves that interpersonal relationship with their students and being able to do that makes all of the COVID precautions well worth it,” said Alvarez.

    Students who have just joined the program know no other, but others see huge changes.

    “It’s so great to see them smiling under their masks every day, or when we see them in person,” Johnston said.

    Ramirez, Johnston, and Alvarez each find their own joy in the program and the community it brings.

    “There’s just little moments of every dive where you find just amazing beauty and interest that it’s hard to catalogue it all but there’s moments of wonder every time,” Alvarez said.

    Ramirez said the program is unlike other classes and schoolwork. It provides a breakaway from stress for students.

    “You are no longer having to do math problems or anything like that,” Ramirez said. “You kinda just forget about that whole part of school and deadlines, like you’re just kinda in the present moment of doing what you’re told to do underwater and it’s very peaceful.”

    Ramirez and Johnston see it as more than classwork, but as a learning community.

    “Whether I’m seeing them doing masked off buddy breathing [pre pandemic] or doing new skills for the first time and seeing that light in their eyes when they complete something, usually with no problem that they didn’t even think they’d attempt, it’s just the most magical feeling,” said Johnston.

    Alvarez says it’s a learning experience for himself and the students.

    “Working with students is just so refreshing and something that there are a lot of things in my brain that I’ve experienced for many many years and you just never know when a student is going to have that same experience but have a different way of affecting them or having a different way of describing it that just unlocks it in a new way for me too,” Alvarez said.

    Students have gone all over the world after being in the program, one even working for NASA.

    “Being adjacent to that and being a part of that journey is really part of the reward for me,” Alvarez said.

    Students have to pass a diving physical and take the prerequisite course, then the courses are available.

    “Every dive is its own unique thing which is what brings me back is that I’m never going to have the same dive even in locations where I’ve done tons of diving,” Alvarez said.

    You can find more information about the program @hsu_diving on Instagram.

  • COVID-19 defines society’s future mental health

    COVID-19 defines society’s future mental health

    Though it’s still far from over, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic could last a lifetime.

    All CSU campuses offer mental health services with a range of options available, included in the cost of student fees. Operations Coordinator and Staff Psychologist for HSU’s Counseling And Psychological Services program Dr. Elizabeth A. McCallion said their services are especially valuable now that students are facing additional stressors brought upon by the pandemic. Though in-person services are currently unavailable, CAPS is operating at full capacity, offering all of the regular services, virtually.

    “Students come to counseling at CAPS for a range of reasons and I think it’s really important to recognize that,” McCallion said. “We are not just a support for students who are in a crisis situation, though we do provide that support as well.”

    For students curious about the practice or grappling with issues of any size, CAPS provides an opportunity to uncover the answers to some of your questions. For those who decide it’s not for them, McCallion especially recommends placing emphasis on the prioritization of our emotional health.

    “Getting good sleep, nutrition and physical exercise have been shown to have really positive benefits on our mental health,” McCallion said. “So, I think looking at our health behavior and our lifestyle choices can be really key to making sure that we’re taking care of our emotional health.”

    Professor of Psychology Gregg Gold believes the effects of isolation will remain, to some capacity, with those who live through the pandemic.

    “There will probably be some permanent mental health issues for those of us who spent a year and a half alone,” Gold said. “I don’t think you could say that’s not going to have some kind of effect on people.”

    Gold said the pandemic lifestyle has generated more loneliness and frustration in his life as he battles with motivation and concentration droughts. The monotony of quarantine is largely to blame, Gold said, giving us nothing to look forward to with each day being the same as the last. The most significant factor influencing this is the deprivation of genuine, in-person human interaction.

    “It’s a basic human need to be around other people, face to face,” Gold said. “We’ve evolved to crave the company of other humans because the more friends we have, the bigger our network, the more we can ask others to do things we can’t do for ourselves, the more likely we were in the very recent past to be able to survive and even today, [we’re] much more likely to be successful.”

    Our time in isolation is not only damaging to our present well-being, according to Gold. Each day we spend contained inside the walls of our homes, interacting only with a familiar few and the algorithms of our social media accounts, we are being deprived of opportunities to explore new ideas.

    “When you’re out in the real world, you actually run into people that might think differently than you do,” Gold said. “That tends to broaden your view.”

    Though some are willing to place their own lives and those of others in immediate danger in order to go about life as usual, the majority of people are less inclined to make the sacrifice.

    “If you can’t [socialize] safely it means there’s underlying tension and fear and that takes the fun out of it,” Gold said. “It’s like trying to go out and party the night before you have a major midterm, how much fun are you really gonna have?”

    While millions of people lost their homes, their loved ones, and their lives to COVID-19, it can put those who’ve been more fortunate in a position where they don’t feel comfortable feeling sorry for the lesser losses they’ve suffered in their own lives, Gold said. The reality, however, is that the individual struggles we face now will be significant in our entire lives.

    “It’s easier for people to become depressed,” Gold said. “If you think about it, [depression] is the reaction you would expect, given the circumstances.”

    The increase in depression among American citizens is evident by the increased rates of substance abuse and suicide since the pandemic began, Gold pointed out. These reactions also come from severe anxiety surrounding financial and health insecurity. According to Gold, the two are one in the same in this country, where our physical and mental well-being are treated as commodities.

    Masters Student and Associate Professor of Sociology Travis Cunha began work on his thesis around the same time COVID-19 reached the United States and explored how different countries initially navigated the pandemic, specifically in regards to business practices. Given the high volume of jobs that have moved online and are planned to remain there, Cunha is concerned for smaller communities that rely upon only a few providers for a high volume of jobs, as he expects more outsourcing of labor than ever when the pandemic has finally passed.

    Cunha is curious to see what will come of all the vacant buildings left over from businesses that were forced to leave. He fears outside sources will capitalize on the opportunities and feed off the people who are in need of relief. This is especially a problem in low-income communities of color.

    “It was already like that even before the pandemic. These communities aren’t getting the resources other communities are,” Cunha said. “Since the pandemic, those things have just been made a lot worse.”

    According to Cunha, the most shameless offenders are the loan companies by allowing opportunities for business owners to remain open, for families to keep their homes and for students to pursue their educations. With a contract guaranteeing significant profits, loan companies have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

    “It’s not a coincidence that they’re opening places where communities have been hit the hardest,” Cunha said. “These communities need loans and grants and stuff to recover from this pandemic because they got no help during the pandemic, so I think it could be a recipe for disaster in that sense.”

    Unlike the psychological trauma that will follow us out of the pandemic, the financial burden that will plague the post-pandemic society is entirely avoidable if we were to come together in solidarity, recognize the problem and create a solution.

    “I would hope that after this is over, people wouldn’t dismiss the views of scientists as politically motivated when they tell them something they don’t want to hear,” Gold said. “But the incredible ability of people to completely deny reality even when it’s right in front of them is profound.”

  • 5 of the Best Places to Find the Beloved Banana Slug

    Finding these fellas may seem easy, but when you want to find a ton of friends, there are specific places to go. This is your ticket to finding the most majestic creatures you’ve ever seen. This is your journey to find banana slugs.

    1. Blackberry bushes are your number one place. These wonderful fruit bushes don’t just give a tasty treat to us, but to the slugs as well! These cuties love to hang out around the bushes and eat the berries, or just take a nap! Feel free to feed them blackberries if you hold them and they’ll become your best friend! There are many blackberry bushes on the trails behind the HSU campus, and the slugs are friendly to kind students.
    2. Skunk Cabbage. I went on a random adventure and came across a large field of skunk cabbage. It was INFESTED with slugs! I spotted hundreds and hundreds. It was a sight to see, and I only wish Van Gogh had painted this scene. These slugs are vibrant creatures, but love to hide under leaves. Look around! You’ll begin to spot them easily.
    3. Redwood tree nooks are one of their favorite spots. They love hiding in the forest in any nooks and crannies they can find. Often, if there are holes or burrows in trees, you’ll find them. Luckily, redwoods surround Humboldt County, so opportunities for finding one of these fellas are plentiful.
    4. Redwood National Park, just an hour from campus, is an easy place to find banana slugs, but you have to look a little harder if it’s too cold. These creatures love to dance in the rain and slime over mushrooms, but get cold just like you or me!
    5. Of course, your own backyard is one of the best places to find these munchers. They love to eat your garden vegetables, and who blames them? Your tomatoes and lettuce are delish! Remember to be kind if you are removing these creatures. They are simply living off the land!
  • A quick rundown of a few COVID-19 vaccines

    A quick rundown of a few COVID-19 vaccines

    Pfizer–BioNTech and Moderna mRNA Vaccines

    Vaccines usually function by injecting a safe version of a virus into a patient’s body. Sometimes it’s a whole virus, parts of a virus, or a different virus that can still teach our immune system about the intended target virus. The vaccine essentially gives our immune cells a dummy to fight so they are prepared for the real thing.

    mRNA vaccines are different. Cells in your body contain DNA, a code for creating the proteins we’re made of. They function as a set of instructions for building our bodies. mRNA, or messenger RNA, plays a critical role in the process of interpreting your body’s instructions for making proteins.

    So, instead of injecting a virus, some COVID-19 vaccines inject pieces of mRNA. Using the dummy analogy, the injected mRNA are instructions for our cells to create their own dummies to learn from.

    Those dummies take the form of specific proteins like the ones found on the surface of infectious agents. Our cells build the dummy proteins, recognize that the proteins should not be in our bodies, then send our immune system to fight the dummy proteins. This builds our immunity, but the process takes time.

    The two COVID-19 vaccines currently approved for emergency use here in the United States are both mRNA vaccines. The dummy that the mRNA in the vaccine helps our body make is a harmless piece of a protein found in the spikes of the virus that cause COVID-19. The spikes are what give the virus access to our cells, so they are an effective and easy target.

    This mRNA process has been the target of widespread misinformation. Though you may hear otherwise on social media, the mRNA does not alter your DNA, it only uses the process of creating proteins to construct the dummies for our bodies to fight. The mRNA is destroyed in the process.

    Vector Vaccines

    These vaccines use a harmless virus to deliver DNA to your cells. Once injected, it then works in a similar way to the mRNA vaccines. The DNA delivered by the harmless virus acts as instructions for your cells to create dummy proteins for your immune system to fight.

    The harmless virus does not replicate itself. The DNA that it injects into your cells does not replicate or become a permanent part of you. Rather, it is destroyed when the immune system fights the dummy protein.

    Though many of the mechanisms are like the mRNA vaccine, vector vaccines are easier to transport. The DNA is not as fragile as the mRNA.

    No vector vaccines are approved in the United States as of publication, but there likely will be approved vector vaccines in the near future.

    The Oxford–AstraZeneca vaccine is a vector vaccine that may see approval in the United States. Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, China’s Convidicea vaccine, and Ad26.COV2.S, also known as the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, are all vector vaccines.

    Inactivated Virus COVID-19 Vaccines

    These three vaccines are not approved in the United States as of publication but are approved in other parts of the world. They function like conventional vaccines with a safe version of the virus injected and used as a dummy by the body’s immune system.

    BBIBP-CorV was developed and approved in China. It has less storage and transportation requirements, making it easier to distribute. The developers claim it has a slightly lower effectiveness than the mRNA vaccines, but there is a lack of publicly available data and some conflicting numbers surrounding its use.

    CoronaVac was developed in China as well. Though approved in some countries, it has a much lower effectiveness than either the BBIBP-CorV vaccine or the mRNA vaccines.

    BBV152 was developed in India and is approved for monitored emergency use within the country. The effectiveness of the vaccine is not yet known.

  • Does a new presidency bring new environmental hope?

    Does a new presidency bring new environmental hope?

    A new presidency brings new beginnings, but what does that mean for the environment?

    Professor Nicola Walters has taught environmental policies for the last three semesters at HSU.

    “Right now the big focus is on the executive orders that have been signed in addition to Biden announcing our rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement,” Walters said.

    When Biden and Harris ran for the presidency against former President Donald Trump, they made clear that Biden had a plan for the environment with the Biden Plan.

    Biden’s official website expressed what the plan entails, similar to the Green New Deal.

    The Biden Plan includes zero emissions by 2050, working with the world toward change, confronting polluters who harm communities of low income or of color, and leave no workers behind.

    Not only that, but within his first few days of presidency he also revoked the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, which is a big deal for environmentalists. This was the beginning of efforts made toward climate change.

    “We’re past the tipping point for taking care of a lot of our habitats and thinking about what would actually maintain the survival for humans on this planet,” Walters said.

    Biden also plans to reverse actions President Trump made against the environment regulations, including to “place a temporary moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” according to NPR.

    But the Biden and Harris team have made very clear they won’t be ending or putting a ban on fracking, something that progressives have been pushing for.

    Biden has made the announcement that by 2050, his zero emission plan will have led the U.S to achieve a 100% clean energy economy and reach net-zero emissions, a very difficult task as is. But according to UN climate data the 1.5 degrees Celsius limit requires a faster curb in emissions with 45% cut within the decade. Biden also now has control of large polluters like the military, policy toward large corporations, and more which all have large impacts on the environment as well. Will his plan be enough?

    “If we’re thinking about environmentalism on a global level, every single step that is taken to protect an animal species or to protect a habitat is therefore connected to our global health and is necessary at this point if we have any hope at all of reversing the trends of global greenhouse emissions, of the climate change that we are now experiencing at such a catastrophic level,” Walters said.

    “One thing that is central to our area is the removal of the northern spotted owl from the endangered species list,” Walters said about President Trump’s actions of removing 3.4 million acres of land from the federal protections.

    With new plans for the environment, it’s important to hold the new team accountable.

    “I don’t think [Biden is] as environmentally conscious as more far left or more liberal leaning people would like him to be,” Aaron Larkins, second year political science major, said.

    Like Walters, Larkins believes action is critical, but just our leaders won’t be enough.

    “We only get one Earth, we only get one shot at keeping the planet healthy,” Larkins said. “The more we start killing off plants and animals, I mean it’s only so long before we’re the only things left, or we’re not even left.”

    While a new presidency brings new expectations and hope, it’s important to remember they are no cure all.

    “I believe that it’s really important that we not get too fixated on what Biden and Harris are going to do on a federal level,” Walters said. “We have to be involved with that on the state and local level so it’s not just one person attempting to change the shape of environment policy but rather we have investment and involvement all the way down to our local levels.”

    Like Walters said, we cannot just depend on a team of people to create a global change. Some believe it’s a step in the right direction, others believe it’s not enough. So what are students at Humboldt State to do? Walters believes it’s HSU’s job to educate and make the students aware.

    “A lot of times it’s important that we don’t allow us to be sort of enticed by the dream of what this administration will deliver to us but make sure we aren’t masking the realities of what’s happening on the ground,” Walters said.

  • How to Communicate With A Science Skeptic

    How to Communicate With A Science Skeptic

    The year 2020 proved to be the year of difficult and uncomfortable conversations. Topics about politics, race, and inequality in the United States have come to the forefront of daily conversations on a much wider scale than before. Some may see this as an awakening that spread across America, leading to positive political and social reform. Therefore we, as Americans, must keep these conversations going.

    In a nationally representative survey conducted in 2019 by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication and the George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication called “Climate Change in the American Mind” researchers found that 12% of Americans do not believe that climate change is real and harmful to the environment. While this seems like a fairly small percentage of people, it comes to a grand total of about 39 million people.

    Thirty-nine million people who disregard accurate data, ignore signs of environmental degradation, and refuse to believe the world’s leading climate scientists. The world can no longer afford science skepticism. How do we persuade this many people– more than the entire population of Canada– to change their worldviews?

    Environmental Communication Professor Jennifer Ortega believes that the solution may lie in a shift in the way we communicate with climate change skeptics.

    “Climate change is so big,” Ortega said. “In every community it looks very different as to how they are supposed to address it. If we talk about how there is, say, a disruption in this hydrological process, people are more inclined to be like, ‘Oh, what does that mean?’”

    The problem with the constant preaching of “we need to solve climate change” is that people do not know where to begin with that sentiment. The destruction of the Earth is often seen as an insurmountable problem which often leads to either complacency or outright denial. This is because, well, it is hardly possible to wrap our human minds around something as colossal as an entire planet in need of help.

    Creating viable, tangible solutions to smaller scale issues has the potential to both give people hope and convince skeptics that these problems are truly occurring. Ortega suggests that leaving the term climate change completely out of the conversation when trying to convince people to take action may be an effective route. People become turned off by the phrase, so keeping them engaged with local issues such as disruptions in a hydrological process or the benefits of electric cars in a city may be more constructive. Language is key.

    Environmental Studies Alumnus Miles Kinman agrees with this sentiment.

    “It is important to show people how climate change would impact their lives and the area in which they live,” Kinman said. “Sometimes the effects of climate change don’t seem real because the conversation often revolves around far off places such as the Amazon forest. Reframing the conversation in a way that makes people feel more connected to the problem of definitely a necessary step in trying to help people understand climate change is real.”

    Environmental studies student Emily Dreyer believes that climate change skepticism is one of the most pressing issues in the United States.

    “I think it’s an issue because it can disrupt the dominant narrative of environmental education,” Dreyer said. “Therefore, pressing issues aren’t supported enough and no change occurs. We are running out of time to save our planet and move towards total sustainability and any skepticism disrupts that process.”

  • Hot gossip: Banana slug Edition

    Hot gossip: Banana slug Edition

    In my eyes the world is yellow and full of slime, but guess what? I love it! Welcome to the official fangirl column for banana slugs. Who knew this even existed?

    Here’s the hottest gossip of the slug world. Prepare yourself for some hot hot tea.

    The Slug Queen Deidre has been accused of interacting with a snake, having a near death experience but survived. She was awarded a badge of survival. Congratulations. Bow down to the slug queen!

    Jen and Thomas Slugs were found eating blackberries after curfew! Scandalous! Luckily they were not seen by predators and only by the slug guards.

    Gabe and Anthony Slugs were found to have helped write an article in the Lumberjack Newspaper with humans! Dun dun duhhhhhh!

    Skylar and Justin Slugs just announced their discovery of a new food: it’s called a banana peel and they were scared of it at first when a human dropped it, but eventually tasted it. These chefs are now introducing the recipes to restaurants around Northern California! Bon Appetit!

    Dakota, Elliott, and Sophia slugs were caught skydiving off a redwood with leaves as parachutes. The slugs below watched as these adventurers made history.

    Dobby and Becca Slugs discovered a human who liked to say hello and moved them out of the way of walking humans. Oh wait! I am that human.

    Poppy, Gabrielle, Whitney, Matt, Elizabeth and Kiera Slugs were all found on the same log having a photoshoot. They are on the cover of Slug Weekly.

    Brianne, Sam, Joseph and Ian Slugs were seen out at the beach enjoying the sun but didn’t go to the salt water. What a fun day!

    That’s it folks, the hottest slug gossip for the week. Tune in next week for more banana slug tea! But not actual tea because that’s disgusting and cruel and well, very slimy.

  • Improving One’s Health Within The Trees

    Improving One’s Health Within The Trees

    Rosa Granados is a member of Women’s Cross Country at Humboldt State University and found when problems arise, doing something with her time was helpful.

    “I started running when there was something crucial going on in my life, running helped me find my home,” Granados said.

    According to pilot studies published in the “Journal of Adolescence,” outdoor activities can improve one’s overall health.

    Granados was raised in foster care, a difficult experience for her, but was able to find a family with the members of her running team and a passion for running which positively impacted her health. Running was a place for her to disengage from stressful situations and focus on the peaceful environment of nature.

    “It’s very important for everyone to practice self-care and expand one’s own definition of wellness,” Granados said.

    Granados enjoys hiking through the forests of Humboldt and the calmness of nature. It was a great place to disconnect from society as there was often a lack of cell reception. This caused her to feel present in the moment.

    Enjoying nature helped Granados cope with depressing situations and accept life experiences that she couldn’t control.

    According to an article published in the journal “Perspectives in Public Health”, “Using a combination of arts- and nature-based activities, present distinct synergistic benefits that have the potential to make a significant impact on the psychosocial wellbeing of adult mental health service users.”

    Granados’ job at Harm Reduction at HSU was about helping others with their mental health and trauma.

    In order to maintain Granados’ job with care, it was important for her to take care of her own mental health and wellbeing.

    Sheila Camerarena had a similar life experience to Granados.

    “Being a social worker can be very draining and I always have to remember that I need to take care of my needs first before I can help others,” Camerona said.

    Camerona also had a hard time at home. She found herself having to grow up very fast, taking a massive toll on her.

    “Knowing these difficulties I had at home is what led me to nature, it was like an escape,” Camerona said.

    Growing up, she found peace with bike riding throughout her neighborhood and grew up to become a lover of hiking.

    Nature helped Camerena get in touch with her spirituality and culture, it gave her a sense of connection with the world around her that she always wanted to find.

    Several studies have suggested that having a deep connection to spirituality can lead to a more positive well-being. According to the article “Enhancing Spirituality and Positive Well-Being Through Nature,” a study by Stringer and McAvoy wrote exposure to nature can lead an individual to connect to something greater, increasing their cognitive abilities and creative abilities.

    Similar to Camerarena and Granados, Annika Slattery was also searching for a home. Fresh from Hawaii and stepping foot in Arcata for the first time in her life, Slattery wasn’t sure if this was the place for her.

    Slattery was planning on getting her degree and moving back to Hawaii, however, things changed when she fell in love with the environment at Humboldt State University.

    “I started learning about my awesome major and it was everything I wanted,” Slattery said.

    Slattery is a recreational studies major and fell in love with forest bathing, being outdoors, and enjoying nature with her fellow classmates.

    She focused on recreational tourism and backpacking trips with classmates, from rafting trips to beautiful hikes in the forest.

    Being outside, enjoying nature, and being disconnected from the world for ten to fifteen minutes, Slattery not only found her home but developed a family bond within her major.

    “With this pandemic, I felt very contained and that my life had shifted into this box, I never realized how being outdoors could greatly improve your mental state,” Slattery said.

  • How a Local Clean Energy Microgrid Could Transform California

    How a Local Clean Energy Microgrid Could Transform California

    A new project in Humboldt County is paving the way for clean energy operations throughout the rest of California. After two years of planning, construction of the Redwood Coast Airport Renewable Energy Microgrid is set to begin in April of this year.

    A microgrid is decentralized from the larger energy grid. It is able to become its own “island.” It ensures that power can be restored to a specific area during emergency situations even when the larger energy grid is down, such as during a public safety power outage. A notable component of the RCAM is that it is entirely run by renewable energy, operating off of solar power, making it even more appealing to the area.

    The prime contractor and lead technology integrator for this project is Humboldt State University’s very own Schatz Energy Research Center. The RCAM will be the first-ever multi-customer microgrid in Northern California.

    Environmental Science Professor Jack Murphy said that in his opinion, the clean energy microgrid is a great idea for two reasons.

    “The first is just that it contributes to the decarbonization of our electrical generation, and that’s good,” Murphy said. “Less carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere is good and humanity needs big clean energy projects ASAP. The second reason it’s a great idea is that the airport could be critically important during regional disasters such as tsunami or earthquake, and having a microgrid operable when the grid is down would be hugely important.”

    Another important goal of the RCAM project is to create a template for the construction of other clean energy microgrids across the state. By partnering with PG&E and the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, the microgrid will be an example for the rest of California of the policies, tariff structures, and operating procedures that are involved with a project like this.

    “The RCAM project has led to the development of PG&E’s recently proposed Community Microgrid Enablement Program,” David Carter, principal engineer for the Schatz Energy Research Center said. “CMEP creates a process and a path for other eligible communities to deploy front-of-the-meter, multi-customer microgrids that will provide resilience to critical facilities.”

    With the details of the successful project documented, other communities can use it as a technical guide for the construction of new microgrids. Reducing the use of fossil fuels in a state that has the second highest amount of annual carbon dioxide emissions in the entire country is an exciting step forward toward combating climate change. The RCAM project demonstrates that it is possible for a community microgrid to be powered by 100% renewable, solar energy.

    When asked about the work of the Schatz Energy Research Center, HSU alumnus Kyle Powell said that he is continuously inspired by the various sustainability efforts that come out of the university’s programs.

    “Humboldt State as a whole does a great job of promoting sustainability and clean energy throughout all of its programs,” Powell said. “It’s one of the main factors that brought me to the university, and it continues to influence my life on a daily basis.”

  • A Guide to Exploring Humboldt’s Tide Pools

    A Guide to Exploring Humboldt’s Tide Pools

    As the tides of Humboldt County creep up and down our beaches, the ocean takes turns covering and uncovering a small area of coast. This region is called the intertidal zone. It spends some of its time underwater, but it’s exposed to us land-dwellers for exploration when the tides recede far enough. Pools trapped in between rocks stay put as the rest of the ocean leaves them behind. These pools offer a small look at what we’re usually missing beneath the waves.

    There’s some fascinating sea life to find if you know where to look. Classics of ocean exploration like anemones, barnacles, mussels, and sea stars cover the rocks. Sea slugs, scientifically termed ‘Nudibranches,’ are the graceful and colorful pop stars of the tide pools. They slowly dance through fronds of kelp. It can be difficult to suppress the urge to punt the odd football-like gumboot chiton across the tide pools. There are fish so well matched to the bottom of the pools that it often takes movement to spot one.

    • Three Six Armed Stars cling to a rock at Palmer’s Point.
    • A Kelp Crab blends in to a tide pool at Palmer’s Point.
    • An orange sponge hold on to a rock in a tide pool at Palmer’s Point.
    • An Octopus, likely a Red Octopus, peeking out from between rocks at Palmer’s Point.
    • A Nanaimo Horned Dorid creeps across a rock in a tide pool at Palmer’s Point.
    • A Thick-Horned Nudibranch climbs a rock in a tide pool at Palmer’s Point.
    • A While-Lined Dirona slowly makes its way though a tide pool at Palmer’s Point.
    • A Decorator Crab resting on a Giant Green Sea Anemone in a tide pool at Palmer’s Point.

    The best part is that none of the wide variety of animals you’re likely to come across in the tide pools are capable of hurting you. A crab might give you a bit of a pinch if you pick it up. Sharp barnacles on rocks could scrape you up if you fall. The purple urchins that dot the lower intertidal are often blunt-spined and harmless to a shoed explorer. Watch your step, but more for their sake than for yours. Marine mammals like seals and otters sometimes hang out on rocks near tide pools. Approaching marine mammals or interacting with them is illegal, but more for their protection than yours. So long as you don’t eat any of the brightly colored nudibranchs, you’re safe from everything except poor decision making.

    Keeping three points of contact when climbing over slippery rocks will lessen the chance of dramatic falls into cold pools of water. Avoid rock climbing in favor of staying as low as possible to the ground. This prevents falls from being worse than they could be. Stepping on kelp is a one-way-ticket to slipping face-first onto a rock covered in sharp barnacles. Waterproof boots, warm clothing, and a camera that won’t be ruined if you drop it in a tide pool are all good equipment.

    So, with all that in mind, when and where can you go? Luffenholtz Beach and Palmer’s Point are two of the best locations near HSU. Both require climbing up and down stairs set into a cliff. Conditions should be just right for the ideal trip. Small waves, an early low tide, and a low chance of rain are your best bet.

    • Palmer’s Point at low tide.
    • Palmer’s Point at high tide.

    There are usually two low tides and two high tides in one day. You should go early enough for the tide pools to still be cold. The first low tide of the day is the best for seeing cool critters. The closer to dawn, the better. Low tides of 0.3 feet or lower are good bets. Any morning tides into the negatives are worth planning for. Plan your trip to center around the low tide. If you arrive 30 minutes before the low tide and leave 30 minutes after, you’ll get to appreciate all the lowest parts of the tide. You can download a local annual prediction tide table from the NOAA tides and currents website.

    But an early low tide with good weather does not necessarily guarantee a safe outing. Wave size and frequency are important too. The smaller the better, and waves above more than a few feet are enough of a reason to call the trip off. Exposed sites like Luffenholtz require greater caution with wave height. Ideal conditions being somewhere under three feet. Palmer’s point is a bit more sheltered, but waves over five feet are still dangerous. While you’re picking up the tide charts, NOAA also has marine weather forecasts so you can check conditions before you go.

    Now that you’re prepared for the tide pools, make sure the tide pools are ready for you. Each pool is like a little community of critters. Don’t be a Godzilla to the intertidal Tokyo. Never turn over rocks and try to keep your boots from treading too much into the ocean’s domain. Critters in the tide pools have evolved the best disguises to fool predators for eons. You never know what you’re stepping on.

    Instead of stepping in a tide pool, just sit down by one and stare at it. Keep an eye on the ocean and be mindful that the tides will move in eventually. What looks like an empty pool will soon reveal itself to be two nudibranchs, three juvenile rockfish, a kelp crab, and a gumboot chiton you’ll have to resist the urge to pick up and hail mary into the ocean.

    All photos taken at Palmer’s Point and courtesy of Julie and Mike Kelly.

  • The dangers behind marine debris

    The dangers behind marine debris

    Along the coast, you can free your feet in the sand and enjoy the beautiful sounds of the ocean. But enter the water and you, like many marine creatures, may find yourself entangled in fishing gear or waste plastic.

    As many may remember, a whale near Crescent City was found tangled in fishing equipment on shore. Two of HSU’s very own Marine Mammal Program went down to help. Despite efforts, the whale was unable to make it.

    This experience is like many others globally.

    According to NOAA Fisheries’ website, “Entangled animals may drown or starve because they are restricted by fishing gear, or they may suffer physical trauma and infections from the gear cutting into their flesh.”

    The reason this is such a killer? Fishing gear counts for the largest percentage of plastic in the oceans.

    Sea Shepherd Global wrote on their website, “Approximately 46% of the 79 thousand tons of ocean plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is made up of fishing nets, some as large as football fields, according to the study published in March 2018 in Scientific Reports, which shocked the researchers themselves who expected the percentage to be closer to 20%.”

    Ghost nets are nets that have stranded from their boats and continue catching marine life, tangling them and often creating mass bundles of nets.

    On Humboldt State’s Marine Debris webpage, a study they mention called “A Comparison of Plastic and Plankton in the North Pacific Central Gyre” by C.J Moorea, S.L Moorea, M.K Leecaster, and S.B Weisberg, explains that “in the North Pacific Gyre the mass of plastic out-weighted the mass of plankton (small marine organisms) by six times, despite the fact that the number of individual organisms was five times higher than the number of plastic pieces.”

    But it gets worse.

    “The same study found that 98% of plastics found were polypropylene/monofilament line (fishing lines), thin films and unidentified plastic fragments,” The HSU Marine Biology website says.

    “Lost/broken fishing gear such as netting and fishing string can entangle and kill large marine life such as sea turtles, dolphins, sharks, etc.,” Anna Caro, a third-year marine biology major at HSU, said in an email. “Most get trapped and struggle to escape, which usually makes the entanglement worse killing the marine life.”

    This means that while there is a demand for seafood, there is a risk of fishing gear becoming lost and potentially causing harm.

    “Scientists have still struggled to figure out the extent of the microplastics problem. Microplastics are being eaten by marine life and poisoning them, but not only is it terrible for the fish it is terrible for anything eating the fish including humans,” Caro said.

    Caro was able to learn more regarding marine debris through education at HSU in biology seminars and classes.

    Humboldt State also works closely with NOAA Fisheries to keep the oceans healthy and research them. Students can work with the Office of Response and Restoration’s Marine Debris Program to reduce waste and learn how to keep the oceans clean.

    Pacific Northwest Regional Coordinator Andrew Mason from NOAA expressed the issues of marine debris, especially fishing gear. Not only is this a marine loss, but an economic loss as well.

    350 species found entangled in marine debris, including all 7 species of sea turtle, 27.4% of seabird, and 39.8% of marine mammals, according to Mason.

    “It’s reaIly only these moments where we have our large sea life that are tangled up and it really brings awareness to the issue… it’s heartbreaking,” Mason said.

    Mason says that the problem itself stems from humans and extends beyond just lost fishing gear.

    “The scope of the issue is global, and for people to understand not just what they do on a boat, but it’s all of the waste we generate,” he said.

    But the issue can be worked on, and hopefully fixed. People can participate in cleaning events, as well as picking up debris if it is safe for them to do so.

    If debris is too large, like a ghost net, you can call the Department of Fish and Wildlife and inform them of the debris so it can be professionally handled. As well, if you find an entangled animal, call for help instead of handling it alone, as you or the animal may get hurt.

    But just picking up trash isn’t enough.

    “Stop use of single-use plastics and find ways to reuse our waste, recycling should not be the first choice since many plastics do not get recycled,” Caro said. It starts with striving for a zero-waste lifestyle and being aware of your waste and trying to find uses for it before trashing it.”

    NOAA also funds grants to clean up the marine debris.

    “Removal is treating a symptom, prevention is treating the root cause,” Mason said.

    For Mason, education is the key, providing people the sources to understand how to properly use fishing equipment as well as giving the general public information about how to discard their waste correctly.

    “The number one best way to address this problem and to help is to prevent these items from ending up in our marine environment,” Mason said.

    Education can teach people who may not live directly in contact with the ocean how they are affecting the ocean.

    “The ocean is key to our way of life and messing with the ecosystem can have unexpected impacts we are not yet fully aware of,” said Caro.

    “Everything is connected,” Mason said. “Everything we do has an impact.”

  • Update on HSU’s Climate Action Plan

    Update on HSU’s Climate Action Plan

    As Humboldt State students prepare to graduate, they take a pledge before they walk across the stage and receive their diplomas.

    “I pledge to explore and take into account the social and environmental consequences of any job I consider and will try to improve these aspects of any organizations for which I work.”

    The university makes it clear they want all students to take sustainability into account throughout their careers, but does the school itself practice what it preaches?

    The answer to this question by many standards is yes.

    In 2017, a Climate Action Plan (CAP) was put forth by HSU in order to integrate climate change and sustainability into the curriculum, conduct more research on climate change and resiliency, and reduce the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions of the school.

    The plan also includes strategies to curb emissions from energy and utilities, transportation, and waste. This is just a small fragment of what the 26 page plan aims to achieve.

    The most ambitious aspect of the CAP was to reduce the university’s emissions to complete carbon neutrality by 2030, and begin on a carbon negative path thereafter. This course of action comes with progress reports that include an update on the implementation of the CAP’s 55 strategies used to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

    The last report was released in November of 2019, and it states that out of the strategies, 45% were completed, 18% are in implementation, 22% are in development, and 15% are not yet started. While the school is making significant progress, the ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality was pushed back to 2045.

    The university budget cuts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have not had a significant impact on the progress of the CAP.

    “Many of those initial strategies that were completed [in the CAP] were zero to moderate cost (e.g., policy or procedural changes or non-construction related),” Morgan King, climate action analyst for HSU, said. “But some projects requiring a large initial capital outlay (e.g., solar, electric vehicle charging) did not move beyond an initial exploratory phase in part because of funding, but that was an issue before the pandemic.”

    Some of the goals in the 2019 progress report include a reduction in facility and fleet greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the end of 2020, a further reduction in emissions to 80% below 1990 levels by 2040, and an achievement of carbon neutrality by 2045.

    King is drafting an update to the CAP which the university is calling the CAP 2.0. “We currently have leadership actively engaging with sustainability into all facets of the university,” King said. “So I am optimistic that we will be able to push forward some of the more capital intensive strategies in the CAP 2.0. For example, the campus is already pursuing a microgrid with solar and battery storage, which is a critical element to building resilience and drawing down emissions.”

    The university practices sustainability throughout its curriculum as well. Environmental Studies Associate Professor and Department Chair Dr. Sarah Ray emphasizes the importance of environmental awareness in a social justice based interdisciplinary curriculum.

    “The work of Katie [Koscielak] and Morgan [King] in sustainability is cross-cutting; they go beyond the facilities box and are doing what has to happen on all campuses of merging academics and facilities much more intensely,” Ray said. “The biggest thing we can do to achieve this even better is to continue to center the conversation around social and racial justice– how might those lenses shape what we do environmentally? What and whose traditions are we hoping to sustain, and how do we know what approaches are best for the environment?”

    Environmental studies student August Andrews says that he sees various ways in which environmental awareness is presented by the university outside of the classroom.

    “I definitely see HSU doing so outside of the courses they offer,” Andrews said. “HSU is not only known for its environmental curriculums but, simultaneously, it seems to be rapidly striving to be as ‘green’ of a university as possible, which is inspiring.”

  • HSU students work towards improving the future

    Students with science and nature-based majors are motivated to make change

    • Sabiha Bentanzos
      Freshman Forestry Major
    • Tori Bernal
      Freshman Forestry Major
    • Lake McLeod
      Freshman Political Science Major
    Photos provided by sources

    First-year students at Humboldt State University made it a goal to continue learning in an online environment. Each of the following students are pursuing a science-based major with determination to impact the future.

    Sabiha Bentanzos is majoring in forestry with an emphasis on wildland fire management.

    “I actually want to become a wildland firefighter,” Bentanzos wrote in an email. “I want to persevere in the forest as much as I can and save lives while I’m at it.”

    While becoming a wildland firefighter doesn’t require a degree, Bentanzos wanted to attend HSU to prove female capability in a male dominated field.

    “I also want to prove to myself and others that a female can get a degree in a male-dominated field like forestry,” Bentanzos said.

    In science class, Bentanzo was assigned a poster group project. The project restored her passion for forestry and has been her favorite assignment of the semester.

    “I have a passion for fire awareness and safety and doing the project reignited my passion,” said Bentanzos.

    Tori Bernal was a wildlife major when she first attended HSU. She’s completed multiple projects both interactive and hands-on, despite being 100 percent online. Despite her love for veterinary work and rehabilitation, she switched to be a forestry major after taking a botany course and spending time in the forest here in Arcata.

    “I grew and tested cyanobacteria in water from the Klamath River from the safety of my dorm,” Bernal said over email. “I realized majoring in forestry would be a better fit for my long term interests… I actually fell in love with it.”

    In the midst of a pandemic, Bernal discovered her true interest and what she truly wanted to get her degree in.

    “I am not 100 percent sure what I am looking to get out of my degree. I am not even sure what I want to do career-wise,” said Bernal. “But I know that the forestry program will help me to explore my interests and options in the coming years.”

    After originally being a wildlife major, Lake McLeod made the switch to a political science major. Lake McLeod is majoring in political science to create change. He wants to become a civil rights attorney and go to Berkley for law school after HSU.

    “The science would kind of be the psychology of people, kind of learning how people identify with their own political views and how people act and react to certain things,” McLeod said. “Especially with everything going on right now, I decided to switch to political science because I want to kind of be more in that realm and help people with civil rights and equal rights especially.”

    Regardless of the instruction state utilized at HSU, 2020 has motivated students to hone their skills and interests in hopes of making an impact in the future.

  • Climate change puts the heat on clean up of dioxin hotspot

    Climate change puts the heat on clean up of dioxin hotspot

    Vice Mayor alerts City Council to Arcata Bay Shoreline dioxin threat

    City Council Vice Mayor Paul Patino said he intends to pull the approval of the Wastewater Treatment Facility Plan and Plant Improvement Project from the items scheduled to be rubber stamped by the city council.

    The $60 million investment is a response to the threat of sea level rise which involves enlarging levees around the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility. Patino is calling on the council to further discuss the project after he learned the mud around the bay shoreline of the wastewater facility has the highest levels of dioxin ever discovered in Humboldt Bay sediments.

    “I don’t see how you could mess with that area without it affecting that dioxin,” Patino said. “I think we need to get clear here.”

    Dioxin can cause birth defects, cancer and organ failure. It is known to undergo bioaccumulation, meaning it increases in toxicity as it moves up the food chain from plants to predators. It was widely used from the 1940s to the 1980s before the EPA started regulating its use.

    Patino raised particular concern with the staff report in the council packet where it states, “This project would involve enlarging the levee surrounding the majority of the outer perimeter of the Arcata Wastewater Treatment Facility (AWTF) by increasing the levee’s height and volume.”

    The Arcata City Council is faced with the choice to approve the final application for the project, or first investigate the dangers of the dioxin believed to be largely the result of pentachlorophenol used during historic lumber mill operations up Jolly Giant Creek several blocks south of the town square.

    The city is only now beginning to grapple with the impact the very high levels of dioxin have on plans to increase the height and volume of dikes around the marsh wastewater treatment facility and prepare for rising sea level already beginning as a result of climate change, and sea-level rise could complicate cleaning the dioxin.

    “Disturbingly, the site near the Arcata Marsh was found to have the highest levels of dioxin ever documented in Humboldt Bay sediments to date (38 parts per trillion),” wrote Jennifer Kalt, director of Humboldt Baykeeper in the report New Dioxin Data: Good News, Bad News.

    Kalt said she learned of the high dioxin levels from the report 2015 Feasibility Study: Beneficial Reuse of Dredged Materials for Tidal Marsh Restoration and Sea Level Rise Adaptation in Humboldt Bay, California.

    The dioxin hotspot extends from the end of Butcher’s Slough, where Jolly Giant Creek hits the bay several blocks south of the plaza, to over 2,000 feet on either side along the bay shoreline: around the wastewater treatment facility on one side, and around the main Arcata Marsh parking lot and boat launch on the other side.

    While Kalt acknowledged that many mills have existed along Jolly Giant Creek, she said, “We do know that Little Lake Industries was one source [of the contamination] because the city got a Brownfield grant…and found it around where the mill used to be.”

    The council signed off on a grant application in October for $300,000 to clean up the Little Lake Industries property 17 years after pentachlorophenol was first discovered in levels exceeding federal benchmarks. The Environmental Protection Agency identified high levels of pentachlorophenol onsite in their 2003 report South I Street Mill Reuse Project, Arcata, California, Targeted Brownfields Site Assessment Phase II Investigation, Final Report.

    Aldaron Laird is an environmental planner that specializes in sea level rise vulnerability assessments for Humboldt Bay.

    “With rising water elevations [the dikes] could be overtopped maybe as early as 2050…on a monthly basis…We really only have 20 to 40 years to relocate all of that utility and transportation infrastructure to higher ground before it is inundated,” Laird said.

  • Indigenous Food Sovereignty

    Indigenous Food Sovereignty

    Local food management practices of the Tolowa Dee-ni, Yurok and other indigenous peoples.

    *Editor’s note: A source in this story, Cynthia Ford, is the aunt of the Lumberjack writer of this story, Walker B. True*

    When colonizers landed on the North American continent, they were greeted with a land of plenty where deer roamed huge open pastures and wild fruits and vegetables grew in plenty. Colonizers viewed this landscape as a wild, untamed, underutilized and untouched landscape of economic opportunity.

    In fact, ecosystems across North America were meticulously managed by Indigenous peoples across the continent. Their traditional resource management practices have come to be known as a stewardship model.

    As defined by the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, the Lakota Ecology Stewardship model states that “All beings, both living and nonliving, were related in that all shared and depended on Mother Earth for survival. The Lakota believe that humans were the newest nation on Earth, and as such were instructed to learn from the older nations: the rocks, animals, and plants. Thus, natural laws and relationships were carefully observed and emulated.”

    Locally, the Tolowa Dee-ni nation as well as the Yurok tribe made use of practices like prescribed burning to treat pests and to create better habitats for deer and elk to graze on.

    This form of management was used throughout the continent and began to die out as the land upon which they were practiced was colonized. These colonized lands were stripped of their resources and left in the hands of private landowners or The US government who had little to no understanding or care over the complexity of the ecological systems at play.

    The stewardship model and the food practices of Indigenous people have been limited by land acquisition programs and environmental devastation since the colonizers first set foot in America. Through the fight for their food sovereignty, Indigenous people are also fighting for tribal sovereignty.

    Cynthia Boshell is a program specialist working with the Rights of Mother Earth initiative through the Northern California Tribal Court Coalition. Since 2015, she is continuing to do work advocating for tribal food sovereignty.

    “When we are talking about food sovereignty what we are really doing is saying we are reclaiming our relationship to the foods,” Boshell said. “Not just the foods but if you are going to reclaim your relationship to the food you also have to reclaim your relationship to the land.”

    In the past the The Rights of Mother Earth initiative has helped enact ordinances and other regulations in order to protect the natural resources of the tribes a part of the NCTCC (Yurok Tribe, Hoopa Valley Tribe, Karuk Tribe, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Trinidad Rancheria and the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria).

    Recently, the NCTCC received a grant from the Native American Agricultural Fund to do an assessment of tribal food systems under the stress of COVID-19 and fires. The project will be performed by the Rights of Mother Earth initiative spending the next year surveying tribal communities and their food system in order to understand how tribal food producers can be better supported.

    Boshell sees food sovereignty as a vehicle and process of bringing Indigenous communities where they want to be in regards to their food systems. Whether that be entirely reliant on local Indigenous food systems, or only partially, each tribe should have the agency to choose that for themselves.

    “Food sovereignty is not really a native concept,” Boshell said. “It’s more of a description of how we are reacting to a colonial system.”

    Cynthia Ford is a Habitat and Wildlife Manager for the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation in Del Norte County. Ford is responsible for educating community members and advocating for tribal food sovereignty.

    “We work with agencies and partners locally, like the forest service and the parks and local landowners to help come up with strategies to protect and perpetuate our resources.” Ford said.

    Alongside her vocational responsibilities to the tribe, she is also the wife of a Tolowa tribe member and the mother of three Tolowa children. She supports traditional, locally harvested foods like acorns in the fall, berries in the spring, a variety of seafoods like smelt, seaweed and salmon, as well as deer and elk.

    “The Tolowa people were rich, very food rich,” Ford said. “There was a large variety and great diversity of foods year round to eat from.”

    For Ford, food sovereignty means having the ability to access her own healthy, and sustainable foods.

    “That food security is really important for the tribe because that’s the basis for making us a healthy community,” Ford said.

    Without the ability to access these local food sources that, historically speaking, have always been available to them, tribe members are left without access to any healthy foods.

    “Our ancestral territory goes well into Oregon and covers a vast coastal area and into the Applegate watershed,” Ford said. “But here right now in Smith River where our modern day reservation lies, we have the Dollar General and a Fuel Mart, we don’t even have a grocery store.”

    Alongside poor access to healthy foods from local stores, traditional food practices like fishing have been impacted by commercial farming practices that threaten the Smith river’s estuaries with pollution from pesticides.

    According to the California Water Board, “the Regional Water Board’s water quality monitoring documented the presence of several pesticides used in lily bulb cultivation in some of the coastal tributaries of the Smith river during storm events.”

    Ford ends by speaking to the interconnected nature of land and how dependent people have to be one another in order to live in harmonious comfort and success.

    “’You got your 10 acres and your mule and you’re gonna harvest your land right?’” Ford said. “But it doesn’t work that way because what you do on your land affects what I do on my land”

  • The mental toll of COVID-19 isolation

    The mental toll of COVID-19 isolation

    Increased periods of isolation can lead to depression, and how to combat it

    March signaled the beginning of quarantine in the United States, with various states asking residents to refrain from unnecessary social contact with shelter-in-place orders.

    For those staying with family and friends, the burden of staying at home for the last nine months was reduced by the ability to talk to and interact with others.

    According to Paula Nedelcoff, a psychotherapist and community outreach coordinator for Humboldt State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services department, the task is significantly more taxing. Changes in living organization, such as online instruction, brings unwanted physical and mental changes.

    “Long term social isolation for most people is very difficult,” Nedelcoff said in an email interview.

    COVID-19 restricts face-to-face interaction, prohibiting the ability for people to physically and socially interact with each other. This prolonged isolation intensifies with time.

    “Humans are social animals and we count on interactions with others. When we do not have someone to bounce off ideas and feelings with we can move within and isolate even more,” Nedelcoff said. “While during this virus we have a virtual world, we humans need contact with each other, we need and thrive with touch.”

    A 2016 study published in the European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases suggested that isolation precautions may lead to anxiety. A group of doctors and professors looked at the ways social isolation affected patients who were recovering from various bacterial infections. These infections (like scabies, measles or tuberculosis) often required patients to reside in single rooms to minimize the exposure to other patients.

    A separate 2016 twin study the journal of Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology suggested that social isolation could trigger an increase in mental stress. The data found that depression was significantly correlated with both social isolation and loneliness.

    For those living alone, combined with a lack of available social interactions, the association with depression is even greater.

    A 2011 research article in the International of Geriatric Psychiatry found that social connections were factors in determining depression.

    “Living alone and living with at least one child (no spouse), and weak social networks were associated with higher depressive symptom scores in both genders,” the study stated. “Men living alone with weak social networks outside the household had higher depressive symptom scores than those with strong networks.”

    In order to combat these feeling, Nedelcoff recommended finding ways to reach out to others within your social circle, in addition to seeking professional help.

    “I encourage all folks to stay engaged with life via on line groups and virtual happenings,” Nedelcoff said. “This can be a great time to try therapy or a therapy group. Going to counseling does not mean there is something wrong with you. Think of it like having a copilot while looking more deeply into your life and the meaning of it.”

    She suggested finding ways to properly vent emotions and feelings so that individuals may not feel like they are cooped up physically and mentally.

    “Learn and become aware of what works for you,” Nedelcoff said. “What might work for me may not work for my friend. Some people meditate, some people use music to calm them or ease their soul, while others may journal or get into a book. Often times we are not sure or don’t know what works for us.”

    Most of all, Nedelcoff encouraged students to continue trying to find ways of expression in any positive way.

    “COVID-19 and sheltering in place has taught us how little control we have over so many things,” Nedelcoff said. “This can be scary but we do have control of how we respond.”

  • HSU students support science with Spanish

    HSU students support science with Spanish

    A bilingual HSU program encourages students to pursue the STEM field

    Ciencia Para Todos, known as “Science for All,” is a Humboldt State University program that hopes to bridge the gap between younger, grade-school students and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics careers through teaching English and Spanish in conjunction with local elementary schools like Fuente Nueva Charter School.

    Christian Trujillo, a senior environmental science and management major, is the founder of Ciencia Para Todos. He strives to elevate youth whose first language is Spanish.

    “We’re trying to destigmatize that idea,” Trujillo said. “Be like, ‘We are people who are bilingual, we’re in STEM, we want you to do that when you grow older, and hopefully you could become a scientist and also use your abilities and cultural lens to really help the science community.’”

    Ciencia Para Todos came from a desire to create an environment for budding Latinx STEM students. Feeling ostracized from many of the spaces on campus, Trujillo and his fellow Latinx classmates communicate in Spanish as a means of escape.

    An already-established refuge named Indian Natural Resource Science and Engineering Program for marginalized science students on campus, inspired them to create a refuge of their own.

    “We need to make our own space on campus since no one else is really going to do it for us, so we have to do it for ourselves,” Trujillo said. “And we’re like, ‘Oh, now that we’re doing this for ourselves, why don’t we do it for our communities.’”

    Different cultural centers at HSU have gotten their budgets slashed, Trujillo worked to combat the problem with student retention.

    “The stuff we do I think is very important to keeping student retention,” Trujillo said. “Because I’m one of those students that stayed here because of the centers and if it wasn’t because of centers, I would have been gone.”

    Odalis Avalos is an environmental science and management major and senior. She works as the liaison for Ciencia Para Todos and conducts outreach. Avalos is glad to have a space where she can flourish alongside Latinx STEM students, an opportunity she didn’t have growing up.

    “I’m really grateful that there is a program out there that’s able to provide this resource specifically for sciences,” Avalos said. “It’s a very lax subject within the Latinx community, so it’s not really normalized to pursue these types of careers.”

    Building off that, Avalos is glad to be able to feel a sense of community not only with the students she teaches, but also with her colleagues like Trujillo.

    “It means a lot that they’ve created the sense of community for me,” Avalos said. “So we sit together and we come together and we collaborate and we have a common mission and even with that, we also have common experiences together.”

    Diana Martinez recently graduated from HSU but continues to work for Ciencia Para Todos. Responsible for translating entire lessons between English and Spanish and managing the Instagram account for the program, Martinez has become more confident and optimistic in her future endeavors.

    “And I used to do English and Spanish, but then when I go up in Humboldt, it was just English,” Martinez said. “So I almost feel like my Spanish was just blocked, and having met this group of people, it was just like ‘Oh, I could just talk in Spanglish or I could talk in English and in Spanish fifty-fifty.’”

    Martinez is inspired by the children she’s worked with for Ciencia Para Todos and feels accomplished with what she has done for them.

    “Once you see the kids, especially the native kids that only speak Spanish, when you speak in the same language, there’s a huge happy face in their face and it’s hard to describe,” Martinez said. “But knowing that they’re able to communicate just fine and the fact that you know that you’re helping them and supporting them and empowering them, that makes me feel great as an educator, too.”

  • Students shocked at Arcata Community Forest logging

    Students shocked at Arcata Community Forest logging

    COVID-19 hampered the communication of logging plans between the city of Arcata and new members of the community

    Lumberjacks with heavy equipment felled redwood trees in the Arcata Community Forest during the last two months, shocking some Humboldt State University students who regularly use the park. The City of Arcata uses timber harvest money to fund the management of the park and purchase additional park land in the area.

    HSU senior Isaac West downhill bicycles the trails most days. He was disappointed when he came across the heavy equipment in the park near Fickle Hill Road, and a friend told him a section of the bicycle “jump trail” had been ruined.

    “We have trees burning down everywhere,” West said. “It just seems like a really bad time to be cutting them down.”

    Karlee Jackson, an HSU transfer student majoring in environmental studies, said many students she talked to hadn’t heard the tree cutting was happening, and were shocked by it.

    “I am so mad they are cutting down these trees when so many trees have already been cut down,” Jackson said. “Why wasn’t it discussed with the community?”

    Jackson acknowledged that COVID-19 may have made it more difficult to consult with the community, but said she would have liked the city to have found another way to engage the community before cutting.

    Mark Andre, Arcata City director of environmental services and former HSU watershed management graduate student, said community engagement in the forest’s management was greatly impacted this year due to COVID-19.

    “The biggest challenge to us is to explain to new people who are moving here,” Andre said. “During this COVID-19 year [community consultation] has not been as perfect as it could have been.”

    Andre prepared the current Non-Industrial Timber Management Plan which allows some logging in local community forests. It was approved in 1999 and therefore public comment is not required each time the city wishes to cut, but the city is required to submit a Notice of Timber Operations (NTO). The city did issue a press release and convened the city Forest Management Committee, made up of appointed experts, although some regular meetings were canceled this year due to COVID-19.

    The NTO includes an impact analysis on spotted owl populations, and the steepness of the grade to ensure the cuts do meet environmental regulations.

    Greg King, executive director of the Siskiyou Land Conservancy and one of the first-ever Redwood tree-sitters, said he supports the efforts of Andre and the city.

    “I’m pretty skeptical when it comes to most logging,” King said. “It almost surprises me to say I support this.”

    King said he was far more concerned about the practices of logging companies owned by the billionaire family, Fisher, and Green Diamond Resource Company. Together these companies own roughly half of all redwoods in existence and regularly get “incidental take permits” which are essentially licenses to kill endangered species found while cutting.

    “What you see is a lot of faux [or fake] sustainable logging, but that’s not what you see here,” King said.

    He hasn’t read the forest management plan, but King encouraged students and community members to keep a close eye on the city. He is impressed at the “light touch” of the operations, and how the city has been able to purchase additional land in the area for conservation with the money from the park’s timber harvest. But King does believe public notice could be improved.

    Andre said he has been working for the city since 1984 and since then the size of the forest has doubled. In the past decade about 30% less is cut annually compared to the 1980s. The city originally purchased the park and instituted the arrangement to use timber harvest money to purchase additional land for conservation after a city bond measure passed in 1979. Andre said since then the city has set standards in sustainable forestry and community based forestry even winning an award from the Forest Stewards Guild.

    Regarding the recent destruction of a section of the downhill bike trail Andre said, “If we damaged the jump trails it’s going to be rebuilt this fall anyway.”

  • Tree sitters defend forest near Strawberry Rock

    Tree sitters defend forest near Strawberry Rock

    The Redwood Forest Defenders demand Yurok tribal land be returned

    Green Diamond Resource Company, (GD), an Humboldt State University research partner and local logging company, made two clear cuts near Strawberry Rock in Trinidad this summer. Redwood Forest Defense partially blocked the logging by creating a tree sit village in the forest canopy.

    A Redwood Forest Defense tree sitter risking arrest asked to remain anonymous, but provided the alias Lupine. Lupine said the tree sits were erected April 1 immediately after Humboldt County imposed the COVID-19 isolation order.

    The company stopped about 20 acres, or 20 football fields, short of logging the whole area they originally intended. Roughly 100 acres between two timber harvest plans, Lupine said.

    Karen Pickett from the Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters and an Earth First!er since the early 1980s believes protecting the forest is crucial.

    “I guess forest defense is an essential job too,” Pickett said. “I find it really inspiring that people are up there doing this.”

    Lupine and the tree sitters have defended a five acre area this year. In previous years the sitter protected the remaining untouched 20 acres of the timber harvest plan. Green Diamond and the Trinidad Coastal Land Trust are in active discussion over the 20 acres, wanting to preserve a strip of forest for trail access to Strawberry Rock.

    Sarah Lindgren-Akana, Yurok tribe member and secretary of the Tsurai Ancestral Society, an organization advocating for the Indigenous of the area whose land was stolen, said she supports the tree sitters.

    “I really admire their dedication and I hope people are listening to their message,” Lindgren-Akana said. “While some may argue that this is just a small area, or that it is not an old growth forest, we need to keep in mind that over the past 500 years America has lost about 95 percent of its forest due to development and logging.”

    Gary Rynearson, GD chief communications officer, claims the company stopped logging the clear cuts near Strawberry Rock more than three weeks ago.

    “We think it’s dubious for them to say that [since] they have refused to file the completion paperwork [for the timber harvest plan],” Lupine said. “We are staying here since they are still legally entitled, within the timber harvest plan, to come here and cut.”

    Lindgren-Akana disapproves of the management practices of GD advocating for the land to be returned to the tribe.

    “The Strawberry Rock property is within the Tsurai village and should be returned to the tribe for proper management and care,” Lindfgren-Akana said. “The Yurok tribe can bring the land back into balance and ensure the plants and forest, animals and people all have something to enjoy for generations to come.”

    Lupine supports Lindgren-Akana and the idea of the land being returned to its rightful protectors.

    “The goal for this land is not to be held by an entity like the land trust, but to be returned to the Indigenous people it belongs to, the people it was stolen from,” Lupine said. “Whether that be the tribal council or groups like the Tsurai Ancestral Society.”

    Lindgren-Akana stated that the GD was starting to move towards a streambed that directly impacts the surrounding ecosystem.

    GD declined to comment on stream encroachment and sustainable forestry practices.

    Lupine said very little is done to ensure the company complies with sustainable forestry practices.

    “I think there is very little oversight whether it is from those types of third party certifiers or whether it is from the state and federal agencies who are tasked with overseeing these things,” Lupine said. “I often wonder if [third party] certifiers are doing more harm than good.”

  • How the Redwoods are Battling Climate Change

    How the Redwoods are Battling Climate Change

    While the rest of the planet suffers, what will become of the Redwood Forests?

    While climate change continues to cause destruction around the globe, scientists are finding hope in a local tree: The Giant Redwood, or Sequoiadendron giganteum.

    The trees are currently in the midst of a growth spurt, producing more wood in the past century than any other time in their lives, according to Save The Redwoods League, a nonprofit organization who protect and restore the California redwood forests. Researchers from Humboldt State University, UC Berkeley, Natureserve, United States Geological Survey and Colorado State University are working alongside Save The Redwoods League to understand the growing trees and how they will continue to respond to climate change.

    The Save The Redwoods League and HSU published findings concerning the impact of climate change in the recent research paper Aboveground biomass dynamics and growth efficiency of Sequoia sempervirens forests. They found that within the redwood forests, there are massive amounts of carbon sequestration. “Sequoia forests may be the most effective to [sequester carbon], because they accumulate more above ground biomass than any other vegetation, sustain higher rates of productivity than any other forest, and protect biomass produced via superlative fire- and decay-resistance.”

    Carbon sequestration is “the capture and secure storage of carbon that would otherwise be emitted to, or remain, in the atmosphere,” according to Encyclopedia of Energy, 2004. This means carbon is trapped in forests, soil, or oceans for long periods of time instead of entering the atmosphere. It can be done naturally or artificially, and is becoming a researched effort to delay global warming which is caused by increase of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide.

    This is why scientists are so interested in the natural carbon sequestration of the redwood forests. While this seems to be good news, there is still much research to be done.

    NASA scientists have started to create a global map of where carbon is being stored, and how much carbon is being released through deforestation. The redwood forest is only a tiny part of that map.

    Humboldt State University Professor Steve Sillett has worked on the research with Save the Redwoods League.

    “Redwoods can do little to fight climate change as they occupy a TINY proportion of the landscape,” Sillett said in an email. “Even though they are impressive in many respects, too little of the landscape is covered by them to make much difference at the global scale.”

    While the redwoods alone cannot create a global change, scientists are continuing to research the storage of carbon in forests and what this means for the future of the planet.

  • How the wildfires of California are impacting Arcata

    How the wildfires of California are impacting Arcata

    What life is like as climate change begins to worsen

    Waking up in Arcata, CA on Sept. 9, 2020 was similar to an apocalyptic movie. The sky was as orange as street lamps. Cars had their brights on and were dusted in ash. Air quality numbers began to rise.

    Air quality states how polluted the air is to the public, measured by the air quality index, or AQI.

    AQI levels range from good to hazardous, based on numbers from 0-500. As the number rises, the health risks worsen. Any number above 500 is considered beyond hazardous.

    As wildfires continue to rage across California, the air quality has been majorly impacted. California has seen AQI’s above 500 during this wildfire season. In Arcata, despite being 100+ miles away from the nearest wildfire, the skies that were once full of fog are now full of smoke.

    According to AirNow, a site that tracks AQI around the globe, by 12 a.m. on Sept. 11 Arcata had hit a peak AQI of 269.

    The AQI states that air quality above 201 is considered very unhealthy and above 301 is considered hazardous: “Health warnings of emergency conditions. The entire population is more likely to be affected.”

    The HSU campus closed due to the condition of the air. Students were told outdoor activities could not be moved inside due to COVID-19. “Air quality has worsened to very unhealthy levels since Thursday,” said Humboldt State University in an email to its students. “Please note those levels may fluctuate throughout the day.”

    They also warned students to stay indoors with closed windows, use a portable air purifier if possible and wear a mask that filters air rather than just cloth if they must go outside.

    Despite being advised to wear a mask for filtration, most students are wearing cloth masks. HSU freshman, Dev Lebhar, wore a gas mask when they went outside. They had two other gas masks and two respiratory masks in their dorm.

    “The combination of the respiratory disease and the smoke outside means if your lungs get damaged by the smoke and you get COVID, you’re in big trouble,” Lebhar said.

    They claimed they haven’t felt any effects from the smoke, but do struggle to breathe while wearing the gas mask due to its layered filtration.

    According to the CDC, going out in such unsafe conditions can result in similar symptoms to COVID-19, like cough and difficulty breathing. It can be especially bad for those in high risk groups. Other side effects can result in stinging eyes and throat, increased heartbeat, chest pain, irritate respiratory systems and worsen existing heart and lung diseases. Wildfire smoke can even make you more prone to catching the virus COVID-19.

    According to Berkeley Earth, a nonprofit organization on environmental science, China experiences some of the worst air quality, claiming “on bad days the health effects of air pollution are comparable to the harm done smoking three packs per day (60 cigarettes) by every man, woman, and child.” A typical day in China is equivalent to 2.4 cigarettes. “1 cigarette is equivalent to an air pollution of 22 μg/m3 for one day.”

    On September 11 Arcata’s average AQI was 243, according to AirNow. That means the average air quality if you were breathing it all day was about equal to smoking 8.7 cigarettes. These hazardous conditions exist all across California, including areas like Arcata that aren’t necessarily close to a fire.

    The best way to protect yourself is to stay inside. Any exposure to the smoke can damage your health, especially if large amounts of time are spent outside or if you have other existing health conditions.