Sequoia Park Zoo release: 

The Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation (SPZF) is excited to welcome David Reed as the new Executive Director of the Foundation. Reed brings 26 years of fundraising and non-profit management experience to the Zoo Foundation. SPZF President Michale Dearden states, “David Reed’s knowledge, expertise and community connections will be put to good use, bringing people who love the Sequoia Park Zoo together with projects that support the animals, conservation and future improvements to the Zoo. David joins a dedicated staff at the Foundation, a strong team working every day to further the missions of both the Sequoia Park Zoo & Foundation.”

Reed says, “my time with Redwood Parks Conservancy and KHSU, securing funds for capital campaigns and projects like the Grove of Titans in Jedediah Smith State Park and supporting the return of California Condors to the redwoods, ties directly into the future here at Sequoia Park Zoo.” He continues, “the Foundation has been a partner in every large project here since 2004, and in that time, SPZF has raised more than $13-million to make projects like the Redwood Sky Walk, Watershed Heroes, and Bear/Coyote habitat possible. I’m honored to lead the Foundation as we help realize the vision of the Zoo master plan.”

David Reed grew up in Eureka and remembers Sequoia Park Zoo being a big part of his childhood. Today, he says he sees a new Sequoia Park Zoo in his own kids’ eyes, remarking, “my wife and I started taking our girls here in strollers. Now they come to learn about animals, conservation, our impact on the Earth and just to have fun. I want that for everyone.”

ABOUT THE SEQUOIA PARK ZOO FOUNDATION

The Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation is a 501(c)(3) established in 2004 and is the philanthropic, nonprofit partner that supports the Sequoia Park Zoo. The Foundation has raised more than $13 million since its inception. The Foundation has been successful in securing funding for many capital projects at the Zoo, including the construction of new animal habitats, ongoing maintenance, exhibit renovations and building facilities to support animals, education, guest services and conservation efforts. The Sequoia Park Zoo Foundation promotes and stimulates interest in the Sequoia Park Zoo, and supports the Zoo’s development and programs through fundraising, promotions and other initiatives designed to enhance the Zoo experience. For more information, visit sequoiaparkzoo.net.

ABOUT THE SEQUOIA PARK ZOO

Established in 1907 and accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, Sequoia Park Zoo is an intimate, 6-acre facility situated in the heart of Northern California’s Coastal Redwood region. The Zoo welcomes approximately one hundred thousand visitors each year, features over 50 species of animals, and is home to the Redwood Sky Walk. The Redwood Sky Walk is an immersive experience that takes guests across a series of suspended bridges and platforms up to 100 feet above the redwood forest floor. and gives a rare view of an old- and second-growth Coast Redwood grove. The Sequoia Park Zoo inspires conservation of the natural world by instilling wonder, respect, and passion for wildlife. The Sequoia Park Zoo is owned and operated by the City of Eureka, California. Learn more at sequoiaparkzoo.net.

Local youth will again lead a climate march and rally at the Arcata Plaza today, joining Fridays for Future — a global climate strike inspired by the actions of young Swedish activist Greta Thunburg. 

Jamie Blatter, volunteer organizer for 350 Humboldt, a local movement dedicated to supporting climate action for the North Coast, told the Outpost that the event will feature speakers from Cal Poly Humboldt and the Northcoast Preparatory Academy. 

One of the main focuses of this rally will be “speaking about justice and why it needs to be at the center of climate conversations,” Blatter said in a phone interview Friday. “The climate crisis has disproportionate impacts on Indigenous people and people of color.” 

As a form of climate justice, Fridays for Future demands climate reparations for the communities most impacted by climate change. From the Fridays for Future website :

This should not be in the form of loans, but a follow through on the demands from Indigenous, black, anti-patriarchal and diverse marginalized communities to get their lands back, giving resources to the most affected communities by the climate crisis for adaptation, loss and damages – a redistribution (and in most cases, collectivization) of wealth, technology, information, care work, and political power both from the north to the south, and from top to bottom.

In addition to social justice, Blatter said that the local rally will also focus on how climate change impacts our mental health. As the climate crisis becomes more dire, many people are regularly experiencing anxiety about the effects of climate change. This is becoming a more widely recognized issue, sometimes referred to as eco-anxiety, climate-anxiety or climate-grief. 

Blatter feels that, especially since feeling the isolation that came with the pandemic, it is more important than ever to discuss our feelings and fears related to climate change. 

“We need to build community, to let people know that they’re not alone in having these feelings,” Blatter said. 

Though talking about our feelings is important, Blatter added, it is also important to pressure our elected officials to take concrete action to combat climate change. The main purpose of the rally is to show our policy makers that we want action and that they need to keep climate at the center of all discussions when planning any type of development. 

Blatter encouraged everyone to attend today’s rally on the Arcata Plaza, starting at 5 p.m. 

“The time is now,” Blatter said. “Climate isn’t just one issue. It effects everything we care about.”  

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Press release from the Yurok Tribe:

Today, Yurok Chairman Joseph L. James, Vice Chairman Frankie Myers and Yurok Chief Operating Officer Taralyn Ipina joined California Governor Gavin Newsom and Assemblymember James C Ramos for the signing of the historic Feather Alert bill (AB1314).

“I would like to thank California Governor Gavin Newsom and Assembly Member James C. Ramos for creating a mechanism to quickly get the word out when indigenous people go missing or are at risk,” said Joseph L. James, the Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “We supported the Feather Alert bill because it will help reduce the disproportionate rate of MMIP cases in California. The next generation of indigenous Californians should not have to live in world where they have to worry about family members going missing or worse. With the emergency notification in place, we will take action to address the remaining root causes of this complex crisis.”

The legislation authorizes the California Department of Highway Patrol to issue a Feather Alert at the request of law enforcement when an indigenous person is reported missing under “unexplained or suspicious circumstances.” The CHP can also assist the investigating agency by distributing “a be-on-the-lookout alert, an electronic flyer, or changeable message signs,” according to the bill.

There is an especially urgent need for the emergency notification system in California, which has the fifth highest number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) cases in the US.

Acknowledged in the legislation, most California tribes have little to no access to conventional media, not to mention extremely limited resources to spread the word about missing persons cases. Within California, a large majority of cases occur in Northern California. 

In December of 2021, the Yurok Tribal Council declared an MMIP emergency. The declaration accelerated the expansion of the Tribe’s MMIP Program, which was created to confront the many facets of the crisis. The Yurok Tribal Court-administered program hired a team of academic researchers and other subject matter experts to study the issue and produce three in-depth reports focused on the various aspects of the MMIP crisis.

This year, the program published its third and final report. The detailed document contains a customizable roadmap that tribes can use to respond to new and existing MMIP cases. The Tribal Court also established the Office of the Tribal Prosecutor to aid in investigations and prosecutions. A policy analyst was onboarded to resolve the longstanding systemic barriers that prevent tribes from fully addressing the crisis.

The Tribe is also working with a diverse group of California tribal leaders as well state and federal legislators to bring an end to the MMIP epidemic.

On July 12, 2022, Yurok Chairman James convened a tribal briefing to lay the groundwork for a unified response to the MMIP crisis in the state. More than two dozen tribal leaders, representing tribes in all parts of California, joined the strategic discussion, which included a call to action. 

On Tuesday, October 4, the Yurok Tribe will host the first-ever statewide policy summit on MMIP. The 1st Annual Northern California Tribal Summit on MMIP will bring together tribal leaders, law enforcement officials and MMIP survivors as well as state and federal lawmakers, academic researchers and victim advocates to identify solutions to stop the crisis.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Ruiz Carriedo | HCSO

On Sept. 22, 2022, at about 1:41 p.m., an adult female contacted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center to report a domestic violence incident that had occurred at a residence on the 2300 block of Plunkett Road in Bayside.

The victim told deputies that she had been assaulted and held against her will by 41-year-old Emiliano Ruiz Carriedo, with whom she was in a dating relationship. The victim was able to escape the residence and contact law enforcement. She was transported to a local hospital with moderate injuries.

Meanwhile, deputies received information that Carriedo was possibly barricaded inside the Plunkett Road residence. HCSO SWAT and the Humboldt County Crisis Negotiation Team were dispatched to respond. As the teams were being mobilized, Carriedo surrendered to deputies on scene without incident.

Carriedo was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of kidnapping (PC 207(a)), false imprisonment (PC 236), inflicting corporal injury on a spouse (PC 273.5(a)) and violation of probation (PC 1203.2(a)(2)).

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.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

As emergency management agencies across the country observe National Preparedness Month, emergency responders from near and far gathered in Blue Lake this week to talk about a threat that has long loomed over the North Coast: the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

Nearly 70 individuals representing local, state, tribal and federal agencies took part in the Cascadia TsunamiCon, a two-day preparedness training focused on the impacts Humboldt County would see resulting from a significant rupture of the 600-mile-long Cascadia fault, and the tsunami that would follow. This week’s training, which was hosted by the Blue Lake Rancheria and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services (OES), featured speakers from the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), the Redwood Coast Tsunami Workgroup, the National Tribal Emergency Management Council, FEMA and Cal Poly Humboldt.

“Education and awareness are fundamental to saving lives,” said Yvette LaDuke, program manager with Cal OES. LaDuke, who works for the state’s Earthquake, Tsunami and Volcano Program, presented at Cascadia TsunamiCon about the ways in which individuals, families, neighborhoods, businesses and government officials can work together to prepare and reduce the devastating effects of tsunamis.

Following a day of instruction, participants were able to put the knowledge to action- undergoing a half-day drill simulating a series of scenarios intended to mimic some of the catastrophic impacts of a Cascadia event.

“A big component of emergency management is getting to know our partners prior to an incident through joint trainings and exercises in order to better understand each other’s response capabilities and gaps,” Humboldt County OES Emergency Manager Ryan Derby said. “While a Cascadia event is inevitable, local measures taken to prepare and collaborate with our public safety partners ahead of time helps create a safer and more resilient community.”

This year’s Cascadia TsunamiCon comes after a four-year hiatus and is the result of extensive collaboration between OES and partner agencies, as well as the generosity of the Blue Lake Rancheria to host and fund this important training through their Resiliency Training & Innovation Center (RTIC).

“Preparedness training for any community is critically important, even for our emergency responders,” said Anita Huff, director of the Blue Lake Rancheria’s Office of Emergency Services. “Holding events like Cascadia TsunamiCon provides opportunities for education, networking, and partnership among the many responders and jurisdictions that will need to come together for an effective disaster response.”

Cascadia TsunamiCon comes ahead of the Great California Shakeout, a state-wide community earthquake drill which takes place October 20. As part of the Shakeout, community members are encouraged to “drop, cover, and hold on,” practicing the recommended safety actions to take during an earthquake. During the drill, Humboldt County OES will be conducting a test of Humboldt Alert, the county’s emergency notification system. Residents are encouraged to sign up for alerts ahead of this test at humboldtgov.org/alerts.

To learn more about earthquake and tsunami preparedness, visit: https://rctwg.humboldt.edu.

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PREVIOUSLY:

• After 15 Years, the ‘Humboldt Brewing Co.’ Name is Back in Humboldt Hands, and Locally Produced Red Nectar Ale is On Its Way

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If you’re one of the many folks in Arcata’s Westwood neighborhood who were shocked to discover that you could no longer grab a cup of joe at Mosgo’s Coffee House, the café next to Murphy’s Market on Alliance that recently closed, you’ll be happy to know that the coffee shop will soon reopen under the ownership of a familiar local company name. And it will be even better, because there will be beer. 

The space was recently taken over by Humboldt Brewing Company, as you may have noticed if you’ve passed the signs already hung above the doors. Humboldt Brewing is leasing the space that previously held Mosgo’s, along with the space next door that most recently held Eco-Groovy Deals. The plan is to turn them into a café and on-site brewery, meaning Red Nectar Ale and other famous Humboldt Brewing beers of yore will once again be brewed in Arcata, the company’s birthplace. 

“We want to get back to the Humboldt Brewing Company Roots,” David Ardell, owner of Humboldt Brewing Co. told the Outpost in an interview at the space on Thursday morning. Ardell said that once the brewery is up and running, Humboldt Brewing will be brewing Red Nectar, Nectar IPA and the Hemp Ales for which the company is famous. 

David and his sister, Julie Ardell, co-own Humboldt Brewing Co. and their brother, Andy Ardell, owns HumBrews in downtown Arcata, which, many years ago, was the brewing site for the company. After changing hands and locations a few times, Humboldt Brewing was bought by the Ardell family in 2021 and returned to the Humboldt homeland.

Six Rivers Brewery, which now owns the old Humboldt Brewing equipment, took over production, brewing the famous Red Nectar and a new Smoky Hazy Hemp Ale.  Six Rivers brewer Carlos Sanchez was one of the original brewers of Red Nectar back in the day. (You can read more about Humboldt Brewing’s history here.)

Since the Ardell siblings bought the company they’ve been looking for their own brewing space, and when Mosgo’s closed they knew it was the perfect spot. The owners plan to knock down the wall separating the coffee shop from the next door space and open a  connected brewery and café. They will continue to work with Six Rivers to brew Red Nectar but will be able to expand production to include the other flagship beers and eventually start experimenting with some new brews as well. But it is a pretty small space and they’ll be using a nano brewery system, which includes four fermentation tanks along with the other tanks and equipment. 

“It’s not a big footprint overall. It’s pretty small,” Ardell said. “But it can pump out some beer.” 

A lot of permitting and construction will need to happen before the brewery is up and running, which will probably not be for at least a couple of months. In the meantime, the owners plan to open up the café in the old Mosgo’s spot. This will be a much simpler process, since the space already has the necessary coffee-making equipment. 

As for their vision for the café, the owners want to keep the laid-back vibes of Mosgo’s, which was a popular place for students and other community members to work, study and socialize. Julie said they are planning to expand the food menu, adding a broader range of hot and cold breakfast and lunch options. It still won’t be a full-on restaurant menu, though, because the space does not have a full kitchen. The café will still have the classic coffee and espresso drinks, as well as “mud water” – a coffee alternative made from a blend of chai and mushrooms. 

Of course, they will also serve plenty of beer. Once the brewery is fully up and running they will serve beer brewed on site. Until then, the owners plan to serve their own Red Nectar as well as many other local brews on tap. 

This will be the first time the space will have a license to sell alcohol, which will go into effect mid-October. If all goes to plan, the owners are hoping the café can open and serve food and coffee as early as Oct. 1. But that might be wishful thinking, they said, as there are still a lot of kinks to work out and they really want to make sure that they do this right.

Initially the hours will likely be 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays. As the business grows, the owners said, they plan to stay open later and even offer live music, open mics and other events.

But the owners wanted to be clear that they don’t want this to become a rowdy spot, and they plan to  keep the hours and the noise levels reasonable. 

“Obviously beer is the focus of the company,” Julie told the Outpost. “But we’ll leave the bars for downtown.”

Jonathan was born on January 9, 1979 in Stanford, California. He left the earth on August 18, 2022.

He was preceded in death by his father Gary Taggart. He leaves behind a wife (Ashley Taggart), daughter (Elizabeth Taggart), grandmother (Betty Owen), mother (Alice Henneberg), sisters (Sarah Kimball and Mindy Taggart), step mother (Mary Helen Brown) and many ​​aunts (Lorraine Taggart, Mara Severns, Jeannie Rice), uncles (David Severns, Greg Taggart, Ed Severns Sr, Holli Jackson, Ray Rice) nieces and nephews (Hailey Kitchen and Owen Kimball) and cousins (Laura Rice, Daniel Taggart, Sean Taggart, Ed Severns Jr., Pecwan Jake and many others) that loved him very much, as he loved and respected them as well (among many other loving family members and friends).

Jon was a dedicated IT professional for over 20 years, spending the majority of that time at the Blue Lake Rancheria. There he met many lifelong friends that he shared a variety of interests and passions with, both at work and after hours.

Jon was a proud member of the Yurok Tribe and loved spending his time out in nature or at his computer— where he taught himself how to create circuit boards and code and program them to make all kinds of amazing devices. Jon sadly completed suicide during a tumultuous time in his life, leaving a wake of pain and heartache in everyone’s lives he touched. If you are struggling, please reach out for help, 988 is a great place to start, as you will be are greatly loved and will be missed, no matter what the difficult thoughts and feelings that your head might tell you.

A private family funeral was held on August 24, 2022. Pallbearers at his funeral were – Daniel Taggart, Sean Taggart, Ed Severns, Greg Taggart, David Severns, Pecwan Jake, Karl Merten, Mike Novak and Peter Krueger. The service was officiated by Lorraine Taggart and David Severns. A celebration of life will take place at a later date TBD.

Thank you for sharing your life with us, Jonathan. He now rests peacefully with his father, Gary, in Klamath at the family cemetery on lands they both loved very much.

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The obituary above was submitted by Jonathan Taggart’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.