Roads are a significant barrier to wildlife movement, whether you are a small salamander or a wandering wolf. Environmental activists like guest Steve Blackledge of Environment America have been advocating for the construction of wildlife crossings — physical structures, from big bridges to small culverts — to help mitigate the impact of roads.

But in this advocacy strange bedfellows have emerged, like motorcycle clubs, whose members want to avoid hitting animals when out riding and insurance companies who want to reduce claims. Now there is a bipartisan effort at both the federal and state government to identify hot spots where roadkill is common, and to create new structures to help both wildlife and drivers more safely get to their destinations.

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ED. NOTE from 2026: The story below was first published in 1973, and offers an account of the people who brought the invasive yellow bush lupine — Lupinus arboreus — to Humboldt County, and spread it up and down the dunes and beaches of the county thereafter.

The story below reads as generally laudatory, making it its own historical artifact. Today the consensus — not universally accepted! — is that the lupine is undesirable, being a nasty invasive species that wreaks havoc on native ecosystems. If you’re of that opinion, Friends of the Dunes organizes an annual volunteer event that attempts to keep its continued spread in check. See here for details and volunteer opportunities.

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The barren sand dunes on the north spit of Humboldt Bay posed quite a problem in 1908, when the late George D. Cobb was appointed keeper to open and operate the new fog signal station. The area was wind-swept in both winter and summer and caused the dunes to shift aimlessly.

To alleviate the situation, and to prevent damage, the Lighthouse Department sent in small trees to act as a windbreak around the area.

Mrs. Cobb (Theodora), in a 1956 communication, reported that when she and her husband were at the Presidio in San Francisco in 1908 they gathered yellow lupine seeds on the premises there and brought them to their new station. Cobb’s previous assignment was Fort Point in the San Francisco area. Mrs. Cobb, 93, resides in a Masonic Rest Home in the Bay Area.

The couple planted the lupine around the station on July 1, 1908. Up to this time only species of blue and blue-and-white lupine were native locally. The plants grew and spread around the buildings and nearby dunes holding the sand as expected.

During World War I (1917) the Northwestern Pacific Railroad logs made a nightly visit to the North Jetty with rock loaded during the day at Trinidad. The railroad and track ran from the jetty to Samoa and Trinidad.

The NWP Railroad and the Hammond Lumber Company used the same tracks in Samoa but each had its own railroad from Samoa north up the peninsula. Much vegetation (blackberries, willows and trees) kept the tracks relatively free from sand in this area.

From Samoa, south, there was no vegetation to speak of and sand either covered the tracks periodically or blew the sand under the tracks. These difficulties kept track repairmen quite busy.

It was at this time the government decided lupine along the tracks could be the best answer and hired a peninsula woman, Mrs. Alexander McLean, to head a small group of women to gather and sow the seed. She was assisted by Mrs. James Robertson, Mrs. Eula Wilkerson and Miss Ida Keisner. Mrs. Inga Torgerson (now Mrs. Logan of Arcata) was a schoolgirl and worked only on school holidays.

Mrs. McLean and Mrs. Robertson collected the dry seeds in pods and filled several gunny sacks. Mrs. McLean threshed the seeds and staked out planting areas adjacent to the tracks. Each woman received four dollars a day for her work.

The ladies who planted the seeds rode the empty rock train north each morning with their sacks of seeds and corn planters and soon had the entire right-of-way from Samoa to the jetty sown with lupine. On Thanksgiving Day that year Miss Torgersen took her corn planter and seeds and worked all day in the pouring rain. For this one day she received a double day’s pay of eight dollars.

Today the lupine can be seen spread far beyond the tracks and covering much of the peninsula.

In 1938 the Hammond Lumber Company was logging in the Crannell woods and hauled their logs from Crannell to Clam Beach south to Samoa, an area then known for shifting sand dunes — really no place for a railroad. The company called for volunteers in August to gather seeds for which they would pay one dollar per pound.

Several Samoa boys started picking the seeds only to find it took too long a time to gather a pound of them. They found the sand annoying as it constantly this seeped into their shoes. After a day or two most of them quit.

Two boys decided to stick it out with the help of Andy “Mac” McCormick, brother-in-law of one of the boys. They were Derald Jones of Salyer and Paul Jadro of Fortuna. They gathered the pods and brought them home to Mac who utilized a blanket and the wind from an electric sweeper to separate the seeds from the chaff.

Equipped with coffee cans of seeds the boys made several trips to the warehouse office of Henry Palmrose (uncle of President Robert Palmrose) before the company cried, “Enough.” These seeds were planted by Hammond crews along the tracks and are most showy in May at Clam Beach State Park.

Much discussion has taken place as to the origin of yellow lupine (Lupine arboreus). Sunset’s Western Garden Book lists it as native to California coastal areas.

To substantiate this Dr. Doris Niles, a doctor of botanical science and instructor with the University of California Extension Division at Davis, reported an illustrated manual of California shrubs lists one thousand species of lupine native to the United States. Of these fifty are native to California. Out of the fifty, five are shrubs and include our yellow lupine. The manual lists the shrub as native to the California coast from Santa Barbara northward. Dr. Niles resides in Loleta.

It is surmised that the lupine reached no farther north than the Golden Gate until man intervened. Beside our stands in Humboldt, a Manchester, Mendocino County dairyman secured seeds in San Francisco and planted them around his dairy on the coast many years ago.

The manual further revealed that lupine is native to all continents with the exception of Australia. Our yellow lupine shrub was cultivated at Kensington, England in 1803 from seeds gathered earlier on the California coast.

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Press release from the Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association:

On Saturday, February 7th, the Humboldt County Prescribed Burn Association will be assisting a local landowner with a prescribed burn in the Fickle Hill area. We will be broadcast burning around 1 acre of mixed redwood forest to improve forest health, promote biodiversity, and generate quality habitat. Smoke may be visible from Eureka and Arcata.

All plans and dates are subject to change or cancellation depending on weather conditions, resource availability, air quality, regional wildfire activity, and other factors.

All of our burns are carefully conducted by a diverse mix of community members, prescribed fire practitioners, and fire professionals in accordance with CAL FIRE and North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District regulations. 

Beloved father and grandfather Lee Roy Armstrong, age 93, passed away​ ​peacefully in Eureka on January 20, 2026.​ ​

Lee was born on July 31, 1932 and became the cherished son of Cora and Mervin​ Armstrong of Eureka. He attended school in Humboldt County, and graduated​ ​ from Eureka Senior High. As a teenager, Lee met his future wife and the love of​ ​ his life, Lucille, while she was washing her car in the alley between their homes.​

As a young man Lee was drafted into the Army during the Korean War, where he​ ​ served as a colonel’s driver for two years. After returning from the war he​ ​continued to spend time with Lucille and on June 10, 1956, they married at the​ ​First Christian Church of Eureka. They had two precious children, a daughter,​ ​Bonnie and soon after a son, Steven. Their 61 years of marriage were truly special,​ ​ filled with good-natured teasing, laughter and a lot of love.​

​Lee dedicated 50 years of his life to auto body repair and painting, becoming a​ ​ manager and running local shops. He made many friends in his career and was ​ ​truly loved by those who worked with him and under him.​ ​

Lee was a man of extraordinary character who was always willing to help a friend​ ​in need. His kind heart and generosity kept him very active after retirement. He ​ ​frequently spent his time tackling various projects for those around him. His ​ ​passion for craftsmanship extended to the classroom in the 1980s, when he taught ​ ​night classes at College of the Redwoods to pass on his professional skill set in the ​ ​auto body trade. Outside of work and service, he had a well-known and lifelong ​ ​appreciation for his shiny Cadillac.​

​Lee’s greatest joys in life were music and fishing. He regularly attended the​ ​Humboldt Jazz Festival, Summer Concert Series and enjoyed dancing at the Moose​ ​Lodge. He spent countless hours on the water of the Eel River, the local lagoons ​ ​and ocean fishing for salmon. Lee was a skilled fisherman and usually luckier than​ ​those around him! When Lee brought home a thirty pound salmon, his wife Lucille ​ ​would use her filleting skills to prepare dinner and give fish to friends and family.​​

Lee spent much of his time fishing with his son and grandsons, who will always treasure that time with him.

Lee was preceded in death by his loving wife Lucille Nadine Armstrong, parents ​ ​Cora and Mervin Armstrong and sisters Rita Armstrong and Dorothy Imus. He is ​ ​survived by his two children Steven (Kathleen) Armstrong and Bonnie (John) ​ ​Jameson; four grandchildren, Kenny Jameson (Denny Edmonson), Kevin Jameson​ ​ (Whitney Burgess Green), David Armstrong and Abby Armstrong (Ryan Cassidy); ​and great-grandchildren Josie, Landen, Corbin, Addy and Nolan.​

Lee was a wonderful person to all. He took great pride in everything he did, built a​ ​ life that was inspiring to others, and passed his knowledge and skills to his family ​ ​and friends. While he will be dearly missed, his smile and laughter will never be ​ ​forgotten.​

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

Union members at Cal Poly Humboldt are planning to strike in two weeks over a system-wide salary dispute.

Members of the Teamsters Local 2010, a union that represents some 1,100 skilled-labor employees for California State University (and about 26,000 other workers in California education), were promised three annual 5% salary raises and salary step increases in 2024 by California State University. CSU didn’t increase their salaries in July 2025, citing a clause that allows them to ignore that if California’s legislature didn’t sufficiently fund CSU. 

CSU wound up about $144 million short of full funding, but the state offered CSU a short-term, interest-free $144 million loan to help bridge the gap. CSU says accepting the loan doesn’t meet their definition of being fully funded, and offered a one-time bonus instead, equivalent to 3% of each employee’s salary.

The Teamsters dispute CSU’s claim to be underfunded.

“CSU, in an unprecedented display of greed, arrogance and hypocrisy, has used the state budget and cynical legal maneuvering to re-open our contract and renege on contractually promised raises and step increases,” reads their strike FAQ. “The University has unlawfully and immorally refused to pay our contractual raises and step increases and has committed numerous unfair labor practices in the process…The University can afford to pay the contractual raises and has never asserted otherwise. The University received full funding in the state budget thanks in large part to the lobbying efforts of Teamster members.”

They’re planning to strike Feb. 17-20 on all 22 CSU campuses. The chapter at Cal Poly Humboldt has 26 dues-paying members and represents another 10 that haven’t signed up yet.

“We are bargaining in good faith with Teamsters Local 2010 and remain committed to continuing negotiations in an effort to reach a mutually acceptable agreement,” reads a statement from the CSU shared by Cal Poly Humboldt’s Marketing and Communications department. “While we hope a strike can be avoided, we respect employees’ rights under the law.”

One local union member, Cal Poly Humboldt locksmith and union steward Phillip Bradley, addressed the Arcata City Council during a public comment period on Wednesday to warn residents and visitors about the strike, and apologize for any inconveniences it causes.

“I’d like to make clear this is not an action we want to take,” Bradley said. “Our strike is not targeted at anyone on our campus or in our community. Our strike is instead targeted at the chancellor’s office and the CSU Board of Trustees, who believe that the only response to a budget crisis is to freeze salaries, induce layoffs, and give raises to the highest paid executives in the CSU. We’re a group of people that like to fix things and help people. Inconveniencing others is not what we’re about. But this is our only option at this point.”

He told the Outpost today he expects some “pain points,” and shared some examples of problems that won’t be fixed over the course of the strike:

“We cover heating and cooling issues and the buildings,” he said. “Every time a toilet needs unclogging, that’s on us, or if a sink overflows…We have a building services engineer who spends most of his time working on all the industrial commercial equipment, keeping it running. We’ve got electricians that work with all of the alarms and securities. We probably get two or three calls from our University Police Department every day, just within the housing side of campus, to go check on this alarm or that alarm. Most of the time, it’s just the residents cooking food or taking showers that are too steamy. But we still need someone to go check and verify that everything’s OK. We’ve been understaffed for a while, and sometimes feels like all we’re doing is holding this place together.” 

A spokesperson for Cal Poly Humboldt told the Outpost that the university valued its skilled employees.

“It’s important to note that bargaining negotiations happen at a system level, not with the individual campuses,” reads a statement from Cal Poly Humboldt. “Skilled trades employees are important members of the campus community. We all share a commitment to providing a positive educational experience for our students, and Cal Poly Humboldt values the important work our employees do every day to make this possible. The University does not anticipate disruptions to student services. We will remain open, and classes will continue as scheduled during any strike activity.” 

Before CSU guaranteed step increases in 2024, ensuring some long-time employees would earn a salary commensurate with their skill level, Bradley said some of their skilled laborers were making less than the new hires. He said that some workers were counting on this year’s step increase to earn what they feel they should be making. Many of their health insurance premiums skyrocketed, leaving them in the red. Bradley emphasized that it wasn’t their intention to punish the students or other staff. He said the strike was the only tool they had left. 

“We love seeing all the students, and seeing them grow and learn and go out and do great things,” Bradley said. “And we want to get back to that. That’s what we’re here for.”

Press release from the Humboldt County Drug Task Force:

On Feb.6, 2026, after a month-long investigation, deputies with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Problem Oriented Policing Team (POP) served a search warrant on a vehicle after conducting a traffic enforcement stop in the area of Northbound HWY 101 and Metropolitan Road. 

During a search of the vehicle and its occupants, deputies located 1.22 grams of heroin and drug paraphernalia. Ultimately, Katherine Manjarrez (32) of Fortuna was arrested for H&S 11350, Possession of Narcotics and H&S 11364, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.

Deputies then served a second search warrant in the 1200 block of Atterberry Lane in Fortuna. During a search of the property, deputies located 30.34 grams of fentanyl, scales, and packaging materials. Also in the residence was a one-year-old child in close proximity to the fentanyl.

Laurie Arias (60) of Fortuna, was arrested for PC 273a(a), felony child endangerment and H&S 11351, sales of narcotics.  Humboldt County Child Welfare Services was contacted and assisted with a safety plan for the child. 

Both were transported and booked at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility.

Anyone with information about this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.

UPDATE, 3:11 p.m.

Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp returned our phone message and explained that while the parcel is currently zone for one-acre minimum parcels, the city would “enthusiastically” support up-zoning to allow for denser development. 

The water board previously curtailed development in this area due to wastewater issues, but a new treatment plant was built in 2013 and restrictions were lifted in 2017. 

“We have a project going on already to upsize the sewer line in that area,” Knopp said. “The parcel is ripe for housing, it’s in a great location and it has beautiful views of the Scotia Bluffs.”

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Map of the Diocese of Santa Rosa. | CC BY-SA 3.0

The Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa recently put a handful of Northern California properties, including 8.19 undeveloped acres in Rio Dell, up for sale in an effort to raise some quick cash as it works through bankruptcy proceedings. 

The diocese, whose territory comprises Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa and Sonoma Counties, filed for bankruptcy in March 2023 amid an onslaught of more than 250 sexual abuse lawsuits. 

The bankruptcy proceedings paused court proceedings for those lawsuits, much to the frustration of survivors.

The Rio Dell property, located at 800 Rigby Avenue, sits on the east side of Hwy. 101, tucked into an elbow of the South Fork Eel River. Local real estate agent Marc Matteoli highlights the property’s development potential in an online listing, noting that it could be split into eight one-acre lots or subdivided into as many as 50 smaller lots.

However, a municipal zoning map shows the parcel zoned “Suburban Low,” a designation that mandates a minimum lot size of one acre. A call to Rio Dell City Manager Kyle Knopp seeking clarification was not immediately returned.

Matteoli’s listing says, “The City of Rio Dell has expressed willingness to work with a developer to create residential development here,” though it also notes that sewer system upgrades will probably be necessary.

Other properties placed on the market this week by the Diocese of Santa Rosa include a couple of vacant acres in Sebastopol, a Napa Valley vineyard, a small Napa home and a long-vacant former clergy residence in downtown Santa Rosa, the Press Democrat reports. 

A quick side note: The Diocese of Santa Rosa is headed up by Bishop Robert Francis Vasa, who last year injected himself into the State of California’s emergency abortion care lawsuit against Providence-St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. Attorneys for the Catholic-run Providence-St. Joseph Health Northern California had reached an agreement with the Attorney General’s Office by which treating physicians would be allowed to terminate a patient’s pregnancy whenever they determined that failing to do so would seriously jeopardize the patient’s health. Vasa found the agreement’s terms were incompatible with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services.

The Rio Dell property is listed at $749,000.