Anyone who has been around the printing industry, whether actually employed in a printshop or as a customer, will be familiar with the initialism CYMK, for cyan-yellow-magenta-black. The majority of printshops use this “subtractive” four-color system of inks (although, increasingly, six are now used) to obtain realistic full-color images. Cyan, sometimes called blue-green, is the complement of red: remove red from white light and you get cyan. Similarly, yellow is white minus blue; magenta is white minus green. That is, cyan, yellow and magenta are complementary to the primary colors red, blue and green (RGB).

We see via two basic mechanisms: reflection and refraction. A photo in a magazine, for instance, uses the CYMK subtractive system: we see green that’s reflected after the ink has “subtracted” magenta from white that falls on the magazine. However, it’s pretty obvious that no print will ever match the vividness and intensity of a projected, refraction image, what we see on a TV or computer monitor. The phosphors, or LEDs, or OLEDs, that project colors to your eye — right now, on your phone, for instance — are red, green and blue, either (rarely) as pure colors or, normally, as mixtures of these three colors: the RGB system. (Here’s a primer on how the screen on your smartphone works.)

Turns out, few people have seen “true” cyan with the vividness that comes from a monitor. That’s because the color “gamut” that’s available to monitor designers doesn’t include a deep cyan, commonly called “real cyan.” So when a video turned up on the internet awhile back claiming that you could, indeed, see true cyan, it went viral overnight, along with many copycat versions. Here’s a static version: focus on the white dot while you count slowly to thirty, then look away. You’ll see a vivid cyan, and (hopefully) you’ll be amazed that this color was there all along for the taking, as it were, and you never knew. (Compare the bright color you see with the muted cyan — the best that your monitor or phone can do - -surrounding the red circle.)

For a richer experience, here’s a video that does the counting for you:

What’s going on? Most of the six-million-odd “cones” in your retina — about two-thirds — respond most strongly to red light. So when you’re staring at that red circle, those cones are excited — until they get fatigued. (This is the “after image” effect you get after staring at a light bulb — close your eyes and you see a dark shape of the bright bulb.) So when those red cones are effectively put out of action, your other cones, sensitive to green and blue light — together the complement of red — come into play. And voilá, cyan. Deep cyan. True cyan.

The first time I tried this, I was as astonished as the websites promoting the “illusion” (if that’s what it is) promised, even though I sort of knew what to expect. Fact is, real cyan is a lovely, lovely color, beyond words, and — up to that point — beyond my imagination. I’d love to hear your reaction if you’re seeing this for the first time.

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A crowd gathered under the Samoa Bridge near Halvorsen Park on Saturday afternoon to enjoy food, local vendors and music in celebration of  the latest batch of murals to decorate our town as a part of the fifth annual Eureka Street Art Festival. 

Jenna Catsos, one of the festival organizers, said that she’s thrilled with the way this year’s murals turned out. She did not yet have an idea of how many people attended today’s party, but said it seemed to be a great turnout and was excited that so many community members – vendors, volunteers and attendees – made it out to the event. 

“I would call it an unequivocal, 100 percent success,” Catsos told the Outpost during the festival on Saturday afternoon. “There’s so many different ways to measure the success of an event like this, and one of them is getting the murals on the wall. Check! A large festival event has so many moving pieces, but…everybody got down here and heard about it somehow. So I would call that a great success.” 

The Eureka Street Art Festival – a week-long event promoting public art – started in 2018, focusing on adding new murals to Old Town. Choosing a different location every year, the event has helped bring vibrant artworks to the downtown area, Henderson Center and Fourth and Fifth Streets. This year the festival featured 11 different artists from across the country and focused on the north end of Eureka, bringing art to the Waterfront Trail, the 101 corridor and to the bottom of the Samoa Bridge. 

This year’s location was suggested by the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans), which approached the festival organizers with the idea of decorating the Samoa Bridge, Catsos said. The organizers then selected a few other nearby walls and surfaces in surrounding areas to tie into the bridge murals. 

Festival organizer Jenna Catsos leads an art walk earlier this week

“I feel like this is the beginning of an incredible relationship with Caltrans,” Catsos said, adding that the festival organizers and Caltrans will likely continue their partnership when choosing locations for future festivals. 

The festival has continued throughout COVID, with the last two years including socially-distanced mural painting. But this is the first time since 2019 that the festival has included the block party event to celebrate the completion of the murals. Catsos said that the team was a little bit rusty, but because the party is held in a different location each year, there are always new logistics to figure out. She was very excited about the event being held in such a unique location this year and hopes it will be the first of many outdoor events under the Samoa Bridge. 

Catsos wanted to give a shout out to the other organizers – Swan Asbury, Economic Development Associate Planner for the City of Eureka, and Michelle Cartledge, owner of the Humboldt Cider Company – who have helped this event grow and thrive. She also wanted to thank the community for its continued support of the Eureka Street Art Festival. 

“When people come out for events, come out for the art walks, show they’re excitement on social media – that’s why we keep going,” Catsos told the Outpost. “Invest your energy and excitement into things you like in the community, because that’s why they will continue.” 

If you’re reading this post in time, the party under the bridge will continue until 6 p.m. 

Below: The Outpost’s Andrew Goff spent some time dropping by the ESAF this week and was able to snag photos of every artist participating this year. Get to know them now. 

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Need more mural imagery? Luckily for you local FAA Part 107 certified commercial drone pilot Chad Johnson made a trip to the Samoa Bridge mural landscape this week and passed along some snazzy aerial footage he took. Soar through the colors with him below.

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PREVIOUSLY: 

• (PHOTOS) 2021 Eureka Street Art Festival Artists
• (PHOTOS) 2020 Eureka Street Art Festival Artists
• (PHOTOS) 2019 Eureka Street Art Festival Artists

UPDATE, 3:28 p.m.: New Evacuation Warnings Issued Saturday Afternoon

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From Six Rivers National Forest:

Twelve lightning caused fires were identified on August 5th and are a result of thunderstorms that moved across the forest. Due to the aggressive initial attack of Six Rivers National Forest fire fighters and cooperating agencies there are now only 8 active fires. The focus for Six Rivers management and firefighters remains suppression of the remaining wildfires and providing public safety.

Evacuations orders are in place in Humboldt County for zones HUM-E077-C, HUM-E058 and HUM-E061, south and east of Willow Creek. Trinity County Evacuation orders are in place for Salyer Heights, Salyer Loop to the bridge at 299 and Campbell Ridge Road. Evacuation zones can be found at community.zonehaven.com. An evacuation center has been established at Trinity Valley Elementary School, located at 730 Highway 96, Willow Creek.

The Six Rivers Lightning Complex is a very active emerging incident. Evacuation orders and warnings frequently change.
For more information and up to date evacuation information go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency, or Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services or Trinity County Office of Emergency Services. 

Due to the management complexity of these fires, Type 2 Incident Management Team 11, led by Incident Commander Christopher Fogle, will assume command of the Six Rivers Lightning Complex on August 7th at 6:00pm.

The following are the fires currently managed by Six Rivers National Forest:

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WATERMAN: Approx. 75 acres. Fire is located northeast of Willow Creek on Waterman Ridge Road 7N02 Forest Route 4.

CEDAR: Approx. 80 acres. Fire is located near Waterman Fire. 

BREMER: 15 acres. Fire is located northeast of Willow Creek on ridgetop above the Bigfoot Subdivision. 

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FRIDAY: Fire is located south of Willow Creek ½ mile up Friday Ridge Rd from Hwy 299.  

OAK: 200 acres. Fire is located south of Willow Creek. Near FS Road 5N31 and 6N20. 

CHARLIE: Contained. Located south of Willow Creek near the Oak Fire and along FS Road 6N20.

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CORRAL: Fire is located northeast of Willow Creek on Tish Tang Ridge.

CAMPBELL: Due to fire activity, the Bravo and Campbell fire have merged and is now being called the Campbell fire. Approx. 150 acres. Located south of Willow Creek on the west side of Campbell Ridge above Campbell Ridge above Campbell Ridge Road.

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Evacuation warnings and orders remain in effect for areas east and south of Willow Creek as fire crews work to contain the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire.

CURRENT SITUATION

The Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire is made up of 11 fires around the Willow Creek area. The fires are burning in areas of steep terrain and dry conditions. The incident response is being managed by the United States Forest Service - Six Rivers National Forest. Today resources from CAL FIRE have been deployed to assist in the firefighting efforts.

Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies continue to patrol the areas under evacuation order to notify residents of the order and conduct looting prevention.

EVACUATION INFORMATION

An EVACUATION ORDER remains in effect for zones: HUM-E077-C, HUM-E058, HUM-E061

ZONE DESCRIPTIONS:

HUM-E077-C:

• NORTH OF Forest Route 5n32

• SOUTH OF Friday Ridge Road, South Fork Road

• EAST OF Forest Route 5n37

• WEST OF South Fork Road, Carpenter Road

HUM-E061:

• NORTH OF Forest Route 7n15

• SOUTH OF Seeley Mc Intosh Road

• EAST OF Seeley Mc Intosh Road, Campbell Ridge Road

• WEST OF Forest Route 7n15

HUM-E058:

• NORTH OF Forest Route 7n15

• SOUTH OF Horse Linto Creek Road

• EAST OF Peach Tree Lane

• WEST OF Coon Creek Rd, Forest Route 7n15

An EVACUATION WARNING remains in effect for zones: HUM-E063, HUM-E064, HUM-E077-B.

ZONE DESCRIPTIONS

HUM-E063:

• NORTH OF Forest Route 6n39, Friday Ridge Road

• SOUTH OF Forest Rt 6n33

• EAST OF Friday Ridge Road

• WEST OF Friday Ridge Road, Riteway Lane

HUM-E064:

• NORTH OF Trinity Highway, Wood Lane, Friday Ridge Road

• SOUTH OF Campbell Ridge Road, Triple R Lane, Butterfly Creek Road, Kimberly Drive, Trinity Highway

• EAST OF Trinity Highway

• WEST OF Wood Lane, Campbell Ridge Road

HUM-E077-B:

• NORTH OF Friday Ridge Road, Forest Route 5n01

• SOUTH OF Friday Ridge Road

• EAST OF 5n10, 5n09, 5n27

• WEST OF South Fork Road, Forest Route 5n42

WILDFIRE ADVISORIES remain in effect for the following zones in the Willow Creek area: HUM-E031, HUM-E032, HUM-E054, HUM-E055, HUM-E056, HUM-E057, HUM-E059, HUM-E060, HUM-E062

Maps of evacuation zones and routes are available at community.zonehaven.com.

CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS

State Route 299 remains open to through traffic. Residents are encouraged to visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ to check for state highway closures.

The following roads into evacuation zones have been closed. Residents may still use these roads to travel out of evacuation order zones:

• Horse Linto Creek Road at Saddle Lane

• Seeley McIntosh Road at Country Club Road

• Friday Ridge Road at Sandy Bar

RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY

A Red Cross Overnight Evacuation Shelter has been established at Trinity Valley Elementary School, located at 730 Highway 96, Willow Creek, for evacuees displaced by the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire.

The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services is not currently accepting donations. To volunteer or donate to assist our community, please contact:

Pay it Forward Humboldt
Phone: 707-499-2364

Email: payitforwardhumboldt@gmail.com

RESTRICTED AREA ACCESS PASS

The registration period for an Ag or CannAg Restricted Area Access Pass has closed. Pass holders will be contacted by the Office of Emergency Services when it is deemed safe enough to enter evacuation zones to conduct operations as authorized by the program.

SIGN UP FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS

Humboldt County residents are encouraged to sign up for Humboldt Alert to receive local emergency notifications, including information regarding evacuations and emergency sheltering in the event of a wildfire or other emergency incident. Residents can sign up by going to: humboldtgov.org/alerts.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information regarding the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire, current impact and evacuation areas, please go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency or visit @HumCoOES on Facebook and Twitter.

On this weeks EcoNews Report, Scott and Alicia from Friends of the Eel River join Gang Green to talk about dam removal and FERC relicensing. Also, the coal train is officially dead! Let’s take a moment to celebrate that big victory.

AUDIO:

“The EcoNews Report,” Aug. 6, 2022.

This is the first installment in a two-part series that will highlight views for Humboldt’s best path forward in the cannabis industry. Regardless of your take on cannabis as a profession, our area is heavily reliant on farming revenues and we have a collective interest in preserving this important driver of economic prosperity in our region.

While I continue to believe that cultivating at scale offers the most viable long-term play, this series will focus on alternatives that are more palatable given our area’s anti-corporate, anti-development bias.

The Backdrop

As predicted, this year has proven challenging for cannabis industry operators. After a brief window of modest prices, offers for bulk deps are now around $400 to $600 a pound, with some buyers claiming to have solid flow in the threes. Packaged products continue to provide better value, but more and more stories of delayed payment or failure to pay at the dispensary level are swirling around. Cultivation licenses are lapsing or laying fallow, ancillary business revenues are down, and margins are thin across the supply chain.

Complicating things further is that many farms in the Emerald Triangle planted late this year, not wanting to risk a bad first run in the unpredictable spring weather. Folks are now coming to market with the year’s first harvest and are selling into a highly competitive landscape with ample supply and falling prices.

While California continues to boast of modest unemployment and reasonable job growth, inflation is clipping along above nine percent and the U.S. economy shrank by 1.6% in the first quarter. Most economists believe GDP will be negative in the second quarter, officially indicating a recession is upon us. Recessions are known for reduced consumption and falling prices for consumer goods, neither of which bode well for cannabis or Humboldt more broadly.

I’ve been talking to folks throughout the state and back east, and all believe sun-grown flower from California will be a hit in a national and global context. The problem is not many of us will be able to hang on long enough to see that come to fruition. Corporate players, like in food and beverage, will pile onto the organic bandwagon and mop up most of that market too, but the opportunity to engage hundreds of millions of global consumers would be a welcome development for small family farms nonetheless.

Aside from allowing cultivation at scale and radically boosting farm yields and quality through cultivar selection, shaping plants, coring and bottoming aggressively, foliar nutrient and mineral delivery, artful stress, and a proper drying and curing program, I believe two options offer Humboldt a leg up economically. A robust microbusiness climate and a robust cannabis tourism program could help Humboldt stay relevant in the space and buy us time while national and global markets open up.

Let’s dive into the concept of the microbusiness opportunity. I’ll follow up next time with a look at cannabis tourism, which is gaining enormous traction out there.

Microbusiness License

Here in California, one can obtain a microbusiness license that allows small operators to achieve vertical integration – the crown jewel of the cannabis industry that corporate and multi-state operators implement to diversify revenue and improve margins. In a vertically integrated structure, one can cultivate, manufacture, distribute, and retail. Cultivation is limited to less than 10,000 square feet, which conveniently is the size of many commercial operations here in Humboldt.

Why does this make sense?

Because in a world of declining margins and profitability, the ability to create multiple revenue streams can be a life saver.

I spoke to a larger operator in NorCal recently who claimed each segment of the vertical was providing a 3-5% margin. For a small farm growing 1,000 pounds, a 3% margin on cannabis sales is unacceptably low and will lead to closure. 12 to 20% margins on larger gross revenue that includes cultivation, distribution, manufacturing, and retail can help family farms stay in the game.

Additionally, microbusinesses could help other local farmers sell flower and create value-added products like High Terpene Full Spectrum Extracts, which have high demand in the marketplace. Collaboration could flourish and we could further exploit niche markets for some product lines.

As MOCA Humboldt recently showed with a strong performance at the State Fair, microbusinesses can shine in the areas of quality, innovation, and brand recognition. MOCA brought home several awards from the recent competition and is receiving a fair amount of press – a well-deserved and welcome development for any high-performing small operator. I read about their success from a third party on LinkedIn, one of the very best cannabis networking platforms in existence. That type of exposure not only creates brand awareness but can open doors and create profitable business relationships as well.

Unfortunately, the regulations make it challenging to become a cannabis microbusiness. State fees are somewhat stiff at $15,000 up to $1.5 million in revenue and $42,000 a year from $1.5 to several million in sales. Finding a location can also be challenging as zoning restrictions severely limit available sites.

I would like to see Humboldt reduce barriers to entry and allow more microbusinesses to flourish. Lessening onerous zoning and other restrictions and allowing for on-farm operations would streamline the process, allow for greater participation in this niche, and allow for more collaboration among the local cannabis community. Friends could help friends manufacture products and get to market. Jobs would be created and Humboldt could maintain and solidify its position as a world-renowned legacy cannabis community.

Overall market dynamics remain challenging in Cali and microbusiness operators would need to focus on quality, consistency, efficiency, marketing, and creating lasting supply chain and consumer relationships to succeed. Additionally, operators would need to make infrastructure investments to enable operation in diverse business segments. Nonetheless, folks would have more of a fighting chance with diversification, and Humboldt’s near-term economic prospects would be meaningfully improved.

The recently proposed national legalization bill largely fell flat…skeptics cite the lack of a meaningful road show or substantial congressional press releases as evidence the bill will go nowhere. Biden opposes recreational cannabis, thus the move toward interstate commerce everyone was banking on seems to be stalling out. Biden has also failed to make good on his campaign promise of releasing non-violent cannabis offenders – disgraceful quite frankly. All told, industry insiders think it could be years before we have a fully functioning national market…not great news for the Emerald Triangle or small family farms.

Humboldt County regulators already stepped up once, granting operators relief from the cultivation tax. California followed suit and eliminated it as well. It’s time for Humboldt to take another step forward. Let’s stop hamstringing farmers and allow microbusinesses to flourish.

Aside from very niche distribution of packaged cannabis products or high-volume, ultra-low-cost outdoor production, making a living in the dirt – our county’s bread and butter – is increasingly out of reach for most.

A streamlined microbusiness process that encourages broader adoption and differentiates Humboldt in terms of product quality and innovation can help us stay relevant. Additionally, these micro cultivation, manufacturing, and retail operations could be a huge draw for cannabis tourists. I am personally fascinated with manufacturing, packaging, and farming operations, and tens of millions of consumers agree, which we will discuss next time.

Humboldt needs to hold on to its heritage…a rich, pioneering, and profitable history of cannabis cultivation and medicinal discovery. While our way of life is threatened, an operator-friendly regulatory environment coupled with love, dedication, innovation, differentiation, and collaboration can move us forward in unity and strength. Failure to do so puts our county strongly in the crosshairs of economic and social collapse.

Much love,

Jesse

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Jesse Duncan is a lifelong Humboldt County resident, a father of six, a retired financial advisor, and a full-time commercial cannabis grower. He is also the creator of NorCal Financial and Cannabis Consulting, a no-cost platform that helps small farmers improve their cultivation, business, and financial skills. Please check out his blog at, his Instagram at jesse_duncann, and connect with him on Linkedin.

Precious mother and grandmother Flora Marie Hamanaka passed away peacefully with her family by her side on July 23, 2022, in Eureka, at 70. Flora was born on August 19, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois, to Arthur Coleman and Maria Lopez. The youngest of four, Flora, grew up in Chicago, a place notorious for its gangs, during the 1950s and 1960s when racial tensions were high. She met Glenn Tadashi Hamanaka, and they married at age 18, shortly before moving to Southern California.

Together they had Flora’s only son, Glenn R. Hamanaka. Soon after, Glenn and Flora separated, and she relocated to Eureka with her son. Being a single mother in a new community was difficult, but her number one focus was her son and ensuring he grew up in a safe environment, free from what she grew up in. She managed to raise a child, work and go to college simultaneously, ultimately achieving an Associate of Arts at College of the Redwoods and numerous Certificates from Sonoma State University. Flora found law and notary work as her calling. She was passionate about helping people, especially those who were less fortunate.

Later in life, she joined and was then later baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints. Her faith in God was powerful. Through the church, she met many long-lasting friends who cared deeply for her. Flora loved to study genealogy, hike, garden and bake. She was known for her Christmas cookies, especially the butterballs. She had incredible relationships with all three of her grandchildren. They visited her daily, something you don’t always see. Grandma Flora will be missed, and her life will never be forgotten. Flora is survived by her only child: Glenn (Adriana) Hamanaka of Eureka; grandchildren: Ayden Hamanaka, Nayeli Hamanaka, and Gian Hamanaka; brother Arthur (Butch) Coleman; nephews David Puccetti, Joe Puccetti, and Michael Torres; nieces Rhonda Torres and Stephanie Torres; great-nieces and -nephews Samantha Puccetti, Kaden Puccetti and Nylah Puccetti; and, of course, many loving family members in Puerto Rico, Texas, Illinois and Florida.

Flora is preceded in death by her parents — father, Arthur Coleman and mother, Maria Lopez — sister Nora Puccetti and brother Rene Torres.

A very special thank you to the incredible doctors and nurses at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, for helping make her last days comfortable. Flora is loved more than one could imagine and will be missed by her family and friends. A celebration of life is scheduled at 5 p.m. on August 19, 2022, at Freshwater Park, in Eureka. Updates will be posted on her Facebook page (Flora Hamanaka). All are welcome to celebrate Flora’s life. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka. Condolences can be sent to P.O. Box 6413 Eureka, 95502.

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