Brian Eric Peterson
May 6, 1983-April 19, 2026

Brian Eric Peterson was born on May 6, 1983 in Eureka to Ray and Mary Peterson. He was the younger brother of Jeffrey Peterson. He was known for his love of animals, especially his dog Clark, his search for excitement, and his achievement in any sport he tried. He was charismatic and competitive. Having been born with only one hand may have spurred his desire to excel in whatever sport he chose: baseball, soccer, basketball, swimming and even golf. At one point he had a single digit handicap and shot a two under par while in Hawaii visiting his parents. Jim Abbott, a pitcher for the CA Angels, was Brian’s inspiration for how to pitch with only one hand. Brian was a Little League All Star, played in the Babe Ruth league and was on the Humboldt All Stars. He played on the Eureka Senior High School varsity soccer team for four years. He also played on the golf team for College of the Redwoods with Coach Treglown.

Brian attended Freshwater Elementary School, Zane Junior High and Eureka Senior High School. He obtained a contractor’s license as a painter and worked for Hugh Mechals, Glenn Hamanaka and Bindel Realty.

People who knew Brian can attest to his wicked sense of humor, love of the SF Giants, his deep kindness, and his desire for excitement. At one point he was involved in a severe motorcycle accident. As with many, Brian became addicted to the pain medications the doctor prescribed. His life ultimately ended many years later due to that unfortunate addiction.

He will be deeply missed by his parents Ray and Mary Peterson (Waikoloa, Hawaii), brother Jeffrey Peterson (Eureka), Aunts and Uncles Richard and Susan Hutchison (Eureka), Randy and Julie Peterson (Fort Bragg), and Mike Peterson (deceased Fort Bragg) Cousins Pam Naylor (David), Julianne Valdez (Ricky), Brad Peterson (Angela), Kim Cileri (Frank), Luke Peterson, Lacy Sallas (Max), and Jenna Rose Peterson.

We invited you to attend a Memorial Gathering on May 9, 2026 at 1 p.m. at Old Growth Cellars 1945 Hilfiker Lane, Eureka. Feel free to wear Giants or Aloha apparel and bring any stories and pictures you are willing to share. Brian’s ashes will be scattered at his favorite places at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make donations to the Humboldt Animal Shelter at 980 Lycoming Avenue, McKinleyville, CA 95519.

It is with deep sorrow that we announce the passing of Mrs. Yusie Grinsell, 60, of Arcata. She passed away on January 27, 2026, at home, surrounded by her children.

Yusie was born on June 28, 1965, in Jakarta, Indonesia. She was the eighth child of Mutmainah and Soekandar. She spent most of her childhood in Jakarta before finishing high school in Bali. After graduating, she continued her education and earned her certification as a secretary. Her bookkeeping skills proved valuable when she went into business with her older sister, running a small clothing store called “Yusie’s Collection” on Poppies Lane. She learned to sew under the guidance of her sister. Sewing quickly became one of her greatest talents, a skill she carried throughout her life, creating everything from baby clothes to prom dresses. She also did countless alterations, but drew the line at replacing zippers.

She met her future husband while he was vacationing in Bali. After exchanging multiple letters by snail mail, she made a trip to the United States that would change the course of her life. In 1989, she married her husband David Grinsell. She learned how to speak English through full immersion and classes at the adult learning center. She had a playful habit of pretending not to understand English when it suited her.

Initially, she helped out at her husband’s store, The Liquor Still, but after her children were born, she sought out more flexible work. She put her sewing skills to use as a seamstress for various manufacturers, including White Rose, Kokatat, Pacific Rim Manufacturing, and CastleWear Baby. After her husband’s passing in 2016, Yusie returned to The Liquor Still as its owner. She took great pride in maintaining the store and keeping everything in order. She embraced her role as a proud “boss lady” until she sold the business in 2025 to retire.

Yusie had a love for spicy foods, a trait that she did not pass down to her children. She was known to chase her picky eaters with spoonfuls of food, determined to make sure they were well fed. She always made sure there was plenty of food whenever company was around and found joy in feeding others. She often made egg rolls for her son-in-law when he was in town.

Yusie is survived by her children, Chantique and Andrew Grinsell. She was preceded in death by her husband of 27 years, David Grinsell; her mother, Mutmainah; her father, Soekandar; and six of her siblings: Umi, Mien, Toto, Anna, Titti, and Didit.

A celebration of life will be held on her birthday, June 28, 2026, at 1 p.m. at the Moonstone Beach House. Family and friends are invited to join in honoring her life. Guests are encouraged to wear orange in her honor, as it was her favorite color. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Humboldt, whose exceptional care and compassion brought comfort and support to Yusie and her family in her final days. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Yusie Grinsell’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Douglas Gene Nitsch
October 31, 1929 - April 16, 2026

Douglas Gene Nitsch, born October 31st, 1929, passed peacefully in his Sunny Brae home where he resided for 70 years on April 16th, 2026, with his family by his side. Doug was born in Nebraska, in the same farmhouse where his mother had been born, located between Rockville and Boelus, to Rudolph and Eunice Nitsch. He was raised with his sister, June, and brother, Gordon. Summers were often spent at his Grandma Young’s farm, a cherished gathering place where family and friends came together nearly every Sunday for large meals, games, and homemade ice cream. The farm, with its chickens, ducks, geese, and abundant garden, provided food that was generously shared, often sending visitors home with baskets of fruits and vegetables. At times, Doug, his sister June, and cousin Georgie stayed with their grandmother for short periods. Families would also gather at the Nitsch Family farm near Boelus, where Grandpa would cut hair and Grandma made the best cookies.

Doug attended a small country school with just thirteen students spanning grades one through eight, creating a close-knit, family-like environment. He, his sister June, and cousin Georgie walked a mile to school each day. In 1934, his parents decided to leave Nebraska, and after living in several towns, the family settled in Eureka in May 1937. Later that year, his sister June passed away. Doug and his brother Gordon attended Cutten School, then a two-room school of about forty students. His childhood in Eureka was filled with sports and outdoor activities, including touch football, softball, basketball, skating, fishing, riding bicycles, and playing in Sequoia Park. His lifelong love of music began in 1940 with private cornet lessons. He played in both band and orchestra throughout high school and college, performing at football and basketball games. Doug graduated from Eureka High School in 1946, where he was active in band and orchestra, Jr. Statesmen, YMCA, and served as a delegate to Boys State. He was president of the Honor Society, played basketball, and received the Chi Sigma Epsilon scholarship to Humboldt State University. During this time, he also performed with a Glen Miller dance band at Humboldt State in 1946-47 and with the Jack Weeks Orchestra in 1948.

During his college years, he served on Student Council, was active as an Intercollegiate Knight, participated in the Honor Society, served as president of the Student TeacherAssociation, and performed in both the college band and dance band. Doug graduated from Humboldt State University in 1950 and earned his master’s degree in 1956. Doug began his teaching career at Cutten Elementary School in the same classroom he was a 4th grade student in, but after a month, enlisted in the United States Air Force, serving from 1950 to 1953. During his service, he trained as an aviation cadet and eventual Staff Sergeant, stationed in Greenville, South Carolina.

He frequently attended movies at the base theater and wrote letters nearly every day to Doris and his family. Doug and Doris had been engaged since June 1951, however, cadets were not permitted to marry.

They were married on June 8, 1952, in Rockville, Nebraska, while he was on leave between Radar Navigation School and his return to Donaldson Air Force Base in Greenville.

With the end of the Korean War in 1953, Doug sought a return to teaching and contacted family in Arcata. He resumed his career in January 1954, teaching fourth grade at Sunset School. In 1955, he moved to the newly opened Sunny Brae School to teach sixth grade, and in 1956, he was appointed teaching principal at the new Manila School, where he also taught fourth grade. That same year, in order to meet district residency requirements, he purchased the Sunny Brae home where he would live for the next 70 years and became a devoted father to his two daughters, Barbara and Sue.

Doug continued his career as a 3rd grade teaching principal at Bloomfield School for one year, then returned to Sunny Brae Elementary as a fifth-grade teacher for five years. He went on to serve 23 years as principal of Sunset School, retiring in 1986 after 32½ years of service in the Arcata School District. Doug was deeply committed to education and took great pride in the lasting impact he had on his students and community. Our family often still gets stopped by former students to reminisce and tell us what an impression Doug made on their lives - and we love it!

Throughout his career, Doug was honored with an Honorary Life Membership in the PTA and was active in Phi Delta Kappa and the Elementary School Administration Association. He also served as President and Secretary of the Arcata Lions Club. Among Doug’s favorite memories was a six-week summer in Hawaii with Doris, Barbara, and Sue while he continued his education and attended the University of Hawaii. The stories from that time are often retold, and he always considered Hawaii his favorite place. That trip was just one of many, as Doug and Doris retired together in1986 and started traveling as soon as that same weekend they retired; they have visited all 50 states and 34 countries together.

In retirement, Doug remained committed to his community through volunteer work. He contributed his time to the Jazz Festival in Eureka, served at the Sunny Brae election precinct, and was active in various committees at Arcata United Methodist Church. He also volunteered with the Humboldt Historical Society, served as a docent in the Humboldt Room at the Humboldt County Library, and a proud member of the California Retired Teachers Association. Alongside fellow retired educators, he helped research and was co-editor of the six-volume book series, “History of Humboldt County Schools”. He enjoyed traveling, playing pinochle, listening to music, reading, square dancing, and was a devoted fan of San Francisco Giants and Humboldt Crabs baseball and Golden State Warriors and Lumberjacks basketball.

Doug is preceded in death by his parents, Rudolph and Eunice Nitsch, his siblings; June and Gordon Nitsch, and Gordon’s wife, Janet; and niece Janet Johnson. Doug is survived by his beloved wife, Doris, whom he credited for his long life; his daughters, Barbara Valdriz and Sue Bradbury; and his grandchildren and great grandchildren: William Valdriz and wife Misty, their children Cyrus and Catherine. Thomas Valdriz and wife Gina. Ronald Bradbury and wife Sydney, their children Landon and Evelyn. Sarah Gallian (Bradbury) and husband Trevor.

His brother in law Don Hansen; nephew Jerry Nitsch and wife Andrea, nephew Ron Nitsch, niece Kris Hansen-Kieffer and husband Scott, niece Pat Backer and husband Dusty, nephew Mike Hansen and wife Kris.

A private family service will be held at a later date. If inclined, donations in Doug’s memory may be made to the Humboldt Library Foundation to support the many branches of the Humboldt County Library system.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• Phase One of Elk River’s ‘Ecosystem-Wide Restoration Project’ OK’d, Aims to Address Flooding

The Elk River was once idyllic: baby salmon once grew big and healthy in the slack waters of its estuary, elk once browsed in meadows by the river and returning adult salmon once laid their eggs in cold river gravel, kept shady by old-growth redwoods. The watershed was stewarded by the Wiyot people.

And then colonization screwed things up. The lowlands were diked and drained, turned over to cattle. Elk were killed and the meadows swallowed up by conifer encroachment and homesteads, and clearcutting smothered cold water gravel with sediment from logging roads and landslides.

The river is unwell—legally recognized as impaired under the Clean Water Act. And absent intervention, it is unlikely to get better anytime soon.

That’s where CalTrout comes in. In projects from the river’s headwaters to its mouth, CalTrout is working to recover the function of the river. Katy Gurin and Bill Matsubu of CalTrout join the show to discuss their restoration work. 

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ED. NOTE FROM 2026: Between 1974 and 1976, Wallace E. Martin — a former sailor, Humboldt County treasurer-tax collector and president of the Humboldt County Historical Society — wrote a regular column called “Waterfront Yarns” in the Humboldt Historian. He eventually collected these stories and a few others in a book: Waterfront Yarns of Humboldt Bay: From the Era of Wooden Ships and Iron Men.

When Martin passed away in 1994, a couple of his colleagues in the Historical Society penned loving tributes to him, which you can find in PDF form at this link.

Here are four installments of “Waterfront Yarns,” all published in 1976.

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Steamer Day was Mail Day

EUREKA WAS A LONG WAY from civilization before the Northwestern Pacific Railroad came and for more than three-quarters of a century, “Steamer Day” was an event of great importance.

Back in the 1850s and 1860s the old Goliath, a rebuilt New York side-wheel towboat with the traditional walking-beam engine, the Ancon, Orizaba and Brother Jonathan, plodded back an forth between here and San Francisco, carrying passengers, freight and mail.

And of great importance to journalism, the ship’s pursers always brought a big roll of San Francisco newspapers, to be clipped and reprinted in The Humboldt Times. In no other way was Humboldt able to keep abreast of world affairs until the telegraph line opened some years later.

In those early days, advance information of the arrival of a passenger steamer off the entrance was given by the firing of a cannon mounted on top of an old sawdust pile on First Street between D and E street. In later years after the Vance House was built, a lookout in the cupola would sight the steamer and would raise the flag so that people in all parts of the city would know that within a half and hour or so a landing would be made.

Runners for the various hotels, including the Vance, Grand, Revere and Western, were always on hand when the steamers arrived, hoping to secure the patronage of those who had no private residences. Traveling men arrived on every steamer and they stayed several days in order to make visitations on the merchants and other towns of the county.

One by one the side-wheelers — the Ancon, Brother Jonathan, Goliath, Orizaba and the rest disappeared, to be replaced by wooden or iron propeller-driven steamers such as the Pomona, Corona, Humboldt, State of California, Roanoke, Geo. W. Elder, City of Topeka, F. A. Kilburn and others.

The officers of the passenger steamers came to be known as real Eurekans because nearly all of them made weekly visits over a period of many years and while here took part in the social affairs of the community and were welcomed into the homes.

At the heyday of the coastal passenger trade — 1910 to 1914 — there were four steamers a week to San Francisco and one to Portland via Coos Bay. Then came stiff competition by railroad, buses and, finally, by air. The 1934 Pacific Coast maritime strike was almost a fatal blow, although valiant efforts were made to resume service when the strike was over.

But the handwriting was on the wall. The day of the coastwise passenger ship was over. Shortly before World War II, all passenger and freight service, other than lumber and oil, passed into history.

Was the ‘Hoodoo’ Broken?

ONE OF THE BETTER KNOWN lumber schooners operating out of Humboldt Bay for many years was the John A, owned by The Pacific Lumber Company and named for its President, John A. Sinclair.

One time the company chartered her out for a cargo of lumber to be loaded at Grays Harbor, Washington. She was scheduled to leave San Francisco for the northern port on Friday, which also happened to be the 13th.

The crew objected to sailing on this day and notified the captain that he must wait until the next day to put to sea or they would leave the ship.

A new mate, a Frenchman, had just been signed on. When he heard the sailor’s objection he told them that in Europe a way had been found to break this kind of a hoodoo. He guaranteed all would be well if they followed his suggestion.

The crew went along with this so the Frenchman ordered the butcher to supply them with a small pig. He cut the pig into quarters, lashed one quarter to each mast and impaled the pig’s head on the bowsprit. The John A sailed through the Golden Gate on Friday the and headed north. 

Sailors in the waterfront saloons watched this voyage with interest. Would the John A actually make it to Grays Harbor or would she be found a total wreck on the Northern California or Oregon coast?

You can imagine how surprised they were then, when word was received at the San Francisco Marine Exchange, that the John A had arrived at Grays Harbor after a voyage of but four days. She had broken all records to date for a fast passage between the two ports!

Did the Frenchman break the hoodoo? No one along the Embarcadero seemed willing to be quoted.

Cat’s Departure Brings Bad Luck

SAILORS HAVE A STRANGE superstition regarding cats. All ships carry them, of course, but it is considered a bad omen if the cat comes up on the bridge of the ship or if it deserts the vessel just before sailing time.

A friend of mine, who was Chief Engineer on the steam schooner Washington for many years, once told me of a strange incident that occurred in 1926, when his ship was loading at a San Francisco pier next to the steamer Everett.

The ship’s cat left the Everett just before sailing time and came aboard the Washington. Twenty-four hours later there came an S.O.S. A ship was on fire off Cape Mendocino! It was the Everett.

Another incident concerns the steam schooner Tiverton. Shortly before the Tiverton sailed from San Francisco, the cook’s cat walked down the gangplank and refused to be caught. That was Saturday night. Early Monday morning, in a thick fog, the Tiverton hit South Jetty at the entrance to Humboldt Bay and became a total loss.

Of course we all know the cats didn’t have a thing to do with the loss of the Everett or the Tiverton, but have you ever tried to tell a sailor that?

Here is another story about a cat, but this one happened to be purposely taken off the ship. It was during the days of Prohibition when it was an everyday occurrence for liquor to be smuggled ashore from both coastwise and offshore vessels.

The ship had just docked at a San Francisco pier. The Captain came ashore carrying a large satchel. He was stopped by the Customs Officer who requested the satchel be opened for inspection. The Captain protested, saying that it contained nothing more than the ship’s cat.

The officer wouldn’t take his word for it and insisted that the satchel be opened. Again the Captain objected, arguing that if he opened the satchel he might lose the cat. The officer grabbed the satchel, opened it, and sure enough, out jumped the cat and away it went, back to the ship.

The Captain started in pursuit, rushing up the gangway back on to the vessel. A few minutes later he reappeared, all smiles. “I caught it,” he said to the Customs Officer, who smiled and said, “Sorry I caused you all the trouble. It won’t be necessary to open the bag again.”

The Captain made his way along the pier and out to the Embarcadero where he was met by a friend. They drove away with the satchel, which they opened later. Do you suppose that the cat jumped out? Of course not.

A Well-Remembered Shipwreck

THE STORY OF THE SEA is marked with many chapters of anxiety and sorrow, for through the years the losses have been heavy.

For Humboldt County, the sea was the highway to the outer world and ship disasters were not uncommon. Headstones in cemeteries, weather-beaten, stained, mutely testify to man’s battle with the sea.

The schooner Fidelity, a product of the Cookson Shipyard on Humboldt Bay and manned by a crew of seven who lived in Eureka, arrived off Humboldt Bar early in the morning of November 16, 1889.

Under the command of Captain L. H. Christopherson, the Fidelity had made a quick trip up from San Diego where she had delivered a cargo of redwood lumber. The crew was looking forward to getting home again. They were happy when the tug Printer came out to put a line aboard to tow them in to the bay.

After getting over most of the large breakers on the bar successfully, the schooner was caught by a tremendous wave and upset in an instant. Her masts snapped off and in a few minutes she was bottom-side up. One moment a proud little ship coming in to her home port — the next minute a floating coffin for her crew.

The crew of the tug reported that not a living soul was seen after the breaker struck the vessel. Captain Christopherson and crew had found a watery grave.

Shortly afterward, suits were filed against the tug Printer and her owners by Mrs. Christopherson, widow of the Captain, and Mrs. Hans Pederson, widow of the ship’s steward. They charged that the loss of the schooner was caused by the negligence and carelessness of the tug and its owners, the Humboldt Lumber Manufacturers Association.

Five years after the loss of the vessel, judgment was entered for the Plaintiffs. Mrs. Christopherson was awarded $7,000, Mrs. Pederson, $5,000.

The loss of the schooner Fidelity that day in November of 1889 was still fresh in the memory of one Eurekan, the late J. R. Pederson, retired Eureka banker, when I interviewed him-in May 1960. His father was Hans Pederson, steward of the ill-fated vessel.

“I was just a child,” he recalled, “but I remember that the day was windy and the bay rough. My mother knew the vessel was to be brought in that day and she sent me down to the Carson mill dock to see if it had arrived. Then came news of the tragedy…”

And so ends the saga of the schooner Fidelity, built of Humboldt timber, manned by a Humboldt crew and wrecked on Humboldt Bar.

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PREVIOUSLY

• StartUp Humboldt Launches Investment Competition with $200,000 Prize
• StartUp Humboldt Founders Give Presentation to the Board of Supervisors
• Here Are Your STARTUP HUMBOLDT Finalists! Watch Them Battle It Out for $200,000, Shark Tank-Style, at the Eureka Theater Next Week, If You Like

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Last night, in front of a sizable crowd at the Eureka Theater, a group of existing and aspiring local entrepreneurs participated in the “Final Pitch” round of the StartUp Humboldt Competition, presenting their business plans to a panel of judges, “Shark Tank”-style, in hopes of earning access to more than $200,000 in milestone-based funding.

Ten finalists had been selected from more than 100 applicants, and at the end of the night, the biggest prize was awarded to Jersey Scoops, the artisanal ice cream brand created by Thomas and Cody Nicholson Stratton, the two “fabulously gay” Ferndale farmers better known as the Foggy Bottoms Boys.

Their winning business pitch, which boils down to making, marketing and distributing a new line of ice cream pints in six new lactose-free flavors, earned the company $125,000 in milestone-based funding. (Thomas explains that concept below.)

StartUp Humboldt, based in Arcata, is an entrepreneurship center and support system for local small businesses. Launched by venture capitalists Dan Phillips and John Ballard, the nonprofit incubator is a collaboration between Cal Poly Humboldt, College of the Redwoods, Lost Coast Ventures, Norcal SBDC, North Coast SBDC, the Institute for Entrepreneurship Education and Cal Poly Humboldt’s Sponsored Programs Foundation.

You can read more about the competition and find a list of all the winners in the press release below, but the Outpost wanted to speak directly with the Foggy Bottoms Boys — or at least one of them. Thomas Nicholson Stratton was kind enough to swing by the Lost Coast Communications offices earlier today for an interview. 

Below are some lightly edited highlights of that conversation:

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Lost Coast Outpost: I don’t even really know what milestone-based funding means.

Thomas Nicholson Stratton: It’s very typical in venture capital or equity-based funding. You have to achieve certain things before they’ll award the funding.

So that big check [presented at the end of the night] was just a symbol?

Oh, it was just show. [Laughs.] It’s not like, “You did the work; you’re done!” Now the actual work is coming, so that’s why I feel … I don’t even know what to feel yet. They’re going to tailor [the milestone goals] for us. Every group that got anything is gonna be tailored to, as far as how they’re going to receive their funding and the milestones that they need to achieve.

I saw in your social media post that Jersey Scoops will be expanding distribution to the San Francisco Bay Area, but I also want to hear more about this specific pitch and the lactose-free products. Looks like the collaborations are with local farms?

Yeah, local collaborators are key to what we do, specifically [with regard to] sourcing local and resiliency in the food system. We all know the reasons why, not only from us locally seeing it, but also the USDA in 2008 sending out a memo saying that our food system is broken, that centralization is not going to work forever and it’s slowly collapsing.

[These collaborations] are actually working together to solve the needs that we have for flavors and “inclusions,” is what you call them in ice cream or “variegates” — that’s more like the ribbons of caramels and the whatnots. Being able to source those locally and grow other businesses alongside us … it’s an important aspect for for everyone to be able to participate in that.

This lactose-free product is really specialized, not only to our local consumers, who have been asking for it and needing it, and for us also as the lactose-free dairy farmers.

Is that a niche you and Cody already have?

Thomas in the LoCO office. | Photo by Ryan Burns.

We are the lactose-free dairy farmers. Like, we can’t have lactose. … Some people can’t consume these protein chains that have mutated over time as cows were bred for specific characteristics. 

Nonetheless, when we’re going to things like these pitch competitions or doing something fun like this, as far as collaborations, we’re taking these things out of the area, to San Francisco, as an extension of our brand, because we’ve had people who are fans or who’ve come and seen the ice cream shop [in Loleta] and want the product in their homes but don’t have access to it. So this is our inaugural march down to the Bay to provide them with that product.

What was the actual process that led to winning this award?

Initially [in January], it was just onboarding with the concept of StartUp Humboldt as a physical entity in our community supporting entrepreneurs and businesses … . And those early touch points were some deep classes to understanding what it takes to run a business, so everything from bookkeeping to marketing to supply chain management to social media to financing. So all of these different courses help educate our local businesses.

[StartUp Humboldt] is housed in that Cal Poly [Humboldt] building [at 876 Seventh Street] in Arcata. It’s a cool place. There are plenty of opportunities for people to engage and work in that space as a physical site, when you just need a place to land and get some good WiFi for a while — tea, coffee, little kitchenette — or to host a meeting, or to do something larger, as far as a workshop series.

Were you and Cody both taking classes?

Yeah, so we live an interesting life. We hardly see each other. I do the business side; he does the farming side. He’s up at 3 [a.m.], and I go to bed somewhere just shortly before that. We’ll balance and get a better life soon. This [award] helps. But yeah, we’re doing all the things to be able to ensure that there’s viability in the business and scale.

And so for us, we only got to do one course together. Otherwise, I was doing one course, taking notes, sharing what I learned. And then when I was out of town, he was taking the marketing course and [he] shared the slide decks and stuff afterwards. And then we worked together on the homework. … Essentially, you had to do to produce documents and pro formas and business cases and some marketing briefs and campaigns we had to share.

It seems like you’ve already established yourselves pretty well. What was the impetus to want to expand geographically and do something a little different?

Ultimately, it’s for the farm sustainability on a fiscal basis. Right now, selling as a commodity services us in our need and the style of business that we’ve operated for over 100 years. …  We grow grass, so farming is native grasses and clovers and a diversity of biological inputs. That is essentially regenerative the practices that most all farmers on the North Coast have been practicing.

Commercial scale, conventional farming [with fertilizers] is not something that we’ve done here in Humboldt. It’s pretty well always been regenerative organic, as far as grazing cows and making hay or potato farming or you name it, because we have really great soil.

Then, when it comes to actually being able to take that grass and turn it into something, we have the cows, and as ruminant animals they are interwoven into the fabric of a carbon cycle. And that carbon cycle does a great job, if managed properly, and you don’t have a lot of external ups and downs, droughts, floods or otherwise.

But as an 85-cow operation with basically a 100-cow max, the economies of scale for us as a commodity, viable organic market just isn’t there. So we have to actually create added value on a small scale. It doesn’t even have to be all of our milk, and in this case, it’s such a small amount of our milk that we’re currently using, even when we’ll export to the San Francisco Bay, that really it’s just about making sure that there’s a sustainable option for the next generation to continue, if he so chooses. 

[The Foggy Bottoms Boys have a son, who features prominently in many of their social media posts.]

When did you open the store in Loleta?

We gained access to the building April 2023, and then it took us about eight months to really get it up to running and make a scoop shop. We started making ice cream basically right away, but to get all pieces in place and making those things happen, it took a long time. We were doing a lot of the work — the painting and the getting the floors prepped and that type of stuff. 

You also sell meat out of there, right?

Yeah. So essentially, what that space did for us is it centralized operations that we had [spread across] three different places. We had meat storage in one building on the farm and stand up freezers. We had our home office in one of our houses. And we had egg storage working with North Coast Growers Association. And then we would self distribute to the grocery stores.

So this allowed for our meat that we started with in the pandemic to also be aggregated in one place. That way we could sell as a storefront, brick and mortar. And then the ice cream was really what drew people in.

Tell me a bit more about the products that you’re going to be launching with this new endeavor.

So it’s specifically pints of ice cream that’s lactose free. That was this pitch, and being able to market those different flavors that don’t typically exist outside of vanilla and chocolate as lactose free, and doing that with our collaborators.

So ultimately, the opportunity is not only just to share and showcase what Jersey Scoops is but [also] six other different businesses in Humboldt County, and sharing their flavor of ice cream.

So each farm that you’re collaborating with is contributing a different flavor?

That’s right, yeah. We’ve got makers, and we want to continue to work with more farms. Amy and Jacques [of] Neukom Family Farms, with their peaches, we did that one year and people were losing their minds because they couldn’t get it last season. But they had a bad peach season, so we weren’t able to do that. 

For us right now it’s Boldt Bourbon Maple Pecan, Patches’ Triple Chocolate Brownie, Slice of Humboldt Pie Key Lime, Spring Hill Farmstead Goat Cheese — so the majority of it is goat milk, it’s lemon lavender [flavor] — Sacred Mushrooms Cacao Sea Salt and Ginger — it is in-sane, it is so delicious —and then Ocean Side Jams Loleta Traffic Jam. 

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Thanks to Thomas for coming by the office. Below is the press release from StartUp Humboldt.

STARTUP HUMBOLDT AWARDS $210,000 TO FIVE VENTURES AT INAUGURAL COMPETITION

StartUp Humboldt has awarded $210,000 in milestone-based funding to five ventures following the final round of its inaugural competition, held April 23rd at the Eureka Theater. Selected from a competitive pool of 108 applicants, the winners emerged after live pitches before a distinguished panel of independent judges and a full house of more than 575 attendees.

The winning ventures reflect the diversity, ambition, and ingenuity emerging across California’s North Coast, spanning industries from lactose-free dairy products and innovative food waste solutions to advanced technology and AI consulting. 

Two ventures were selected in the Scale Venture track, receiving $125,000 and $55,000 respectively to support growth, job creation, and regional impact:

• $125,000 winner: Jersey Scoops — lactose-free, cow-to-cone ice cream distributed by zero-emissions electric vehicles.
• $55,000 winner: GridIQ — smart grid power line technology designed for wildfire prevention.

The Scale Venture awards were presented by Kacie Flynn of Cal Poly Humboldt’s Sponsored Programs Foundation and Dr. Keith Flamer, President of the College of the Redwoods. GridIQ’s award includes an additional $5,000 contribution from BlueTechValley, recognizing the venture’s alignment with their focus on energy innovation.

All three ventures were awarded in the Microventure track, receiving $15,000, $10,000, and $5,000 to support early-stage growth and community-rooted business development, with the additional $5,000 made possible through a contribution from Lost Coast Ventures:

• $15,000 winner: LAF Systems — transforming food waste into living soil, filling a critical infrastructure gap and keeping resources within the region.
• $10,000 winner: GroundedAI — helping local businesses save time and money through responsible AI adoption.
• $5,000 winner: Throat Punch Ice Cream — a high-energy brand redefining the ice cream experience with bold, unconventional flavors.

“This event was a powerful reminder of what’s possible in our region, and we’re incredibly proud of every finalist who took the stage,” said Samantha Edwardes, Program Coordinator for the StartUp Humboldt Competition. “At its core, this competition is about impact. If these ventures achieve their goals, they are projected to collectively generate $4 million in revenue in their first year and more than $150 million over five years, while creating 30 living-wage jobs in year one and over 200 in the years ahead. StartUp Humboldt will continue to support them as they grow.”

Finalists were evaluated on desirability, feasibility, and viability, along with community impact and storytelling during their final presentations. They all completed an intensive education and mentorship phase leading up to the event, receiving expert instruction in financial modeling, business model iteration, pitch development, and target market analysis. Through one-on-one advising with the North Coast SBDC, Lost Coast Ventures, BlueTechValley, and the Institute for Entrepreneurship Education, founders strengthened their readiness to grow, create jobs and attract investment.

The independent judging panel represented business expertise, entrepreneurship, and regional economic development, and included Clair Whitmer, Deputy Director of CalOSBA; Matt Welton, former Senior Director of Talent Acquisition at Adidas; Jason Ramos, Tribal Chairperson of Blue Lake Rancheria; AJ Herrera, VP of Corporate Marketing at Cloudflare; Abe Stevens, Founder of Humboldt Distillery and Fortuna City Councilmember; Meredith Maier, Executive Director of Arcata Chamber of Commerce; and Jennifer Budwig, Senior Vice President and COO of Redwood Capital Bank.

The Final Pitch Event served as both a high-stakes competition and a celebration of innovation. In addition to live pitches, attendees engaged with semifinalists and select applicants through a curated vendor fair showcasing local ventures.

Founded by the NorCal SBDC, Cal Poly Humboldt, College of the Redwoods, the Institute for Entrepreneurship Education, and Lost Coast Ventures, StartUp Humboldt is designed to support high-potential entrepreneurs across the North Coast by providing access to capital, mentorship, and a pathway to growth. Coast Central Credit Union was the Titan Sponsor of this inaugural program, with additional support from ChicoSTART, DANCO, Rainbow Self Storage, and other community organizations.

Press release from the Bureau of Land Management:

The Bureau of Land Management will implement intermittent road, trail, and campsite closures in the Lacks Creek Recreation Area from late April through the end of August 2026 to ensure public safety during major forest health and maintenance operations.

These temporary closures are necessary to protect visitors while crews conduct road improvements, forest thinning, oak woodland restoration, and prairie restoration. Heavy equipment will be active throughout the project area, and the BLM urges all visitors to follow posted closure notices and use caution when traveling near work zones.

This restoration effort is being carried out in partnership with the Hoopa Valley Tribe as part of ongoing work to revitalize ancestral lands and improve long‑term ecosystem health. Crews will remove dense stands of Douglas-fir that have encroached into prairies and oak woodlands—open spaces that historically depended on frequent fire to remain resilient. The project will yield approximately 1.6 million board feet of timber across roughly 100 acres of forest health and fuels treatments. Clearing these areas will help make these areas more resilient to catastrophic wildfire and restore habitat for wildlife.

The Lacks Creek Recreation Area encompasses 8,673 acres of public land in Humboldt County, located approximately 20 miles northeast of Eureka and 15 miles inland from the Pacific Coast. While some recreation opportunities will remain available, weekday operations may limit access to certain roads, trails, and campsites.

The BLM encourages visitors to plan ahead and contact the Arcata Field Office at (707) 825-2300 for the most current closure information.