How do you even begin to describe such a huge and beautiful presence in just a few paragraphs?

Earl Sayers was born November 13, 1973. From the day he was born, he was anything but typical. Earl grew up enjoying everything outdoors — hunting, fishing, and caring for animals. As he grew older he found interest in mentoring. He volunteered for the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the North Coast. Earl was always taking someone under his sizable wing. He had so much room both physically and emotionally for anyone who needed a friend.

Earl graduated from Eureka High School and found interest in Early Childhood Development, which he studied at the College of the Redwoods. He went on to work as an assistant kindergarten teacher and worked with kids with special needs. Later he taught at Zoe Barnum. After careful consideration, Earl decided to go into the security business. He worked for Pinkerton and would commonly be found guarding local bars and pubs.

Earl wanted to protect the world, especially those that were vulnerable. He had the capacity for love and understanding that was boundless. He didn’t care where you were from, what your past was like, or what anybody had to say about you. Earl accepted people for who they are as long as you check the BS at the door.

He defined family a little differently than most. He loved and respected his parents Russ and Lonetta Sayers in a rarely seen way. Throughout his life, he commonly found a family in friendship. Amongst his family, Earl is survived by Aunts Terrie Sayers and Patty Buttler, Uncles Michael Sayers, Joe Butler, sister Cherri Schick, niece Krista Whitten, nephews Steven Ridley and Dusten Whitten, Great nephews and nieces Alycia Ridley, Darian Ridley, Faith Thomas, Gracelynn Beard. Starr Hopper, Stanley Hopper, Sammy Hopper, and Shannon Hopper. Cousins Tamara Moriel, Chris Butler, Jill Butler, Kadi Butler, Derek Brewer, Lublin Brewer, and Gena Brewer, brother-n-law Raymond Schick, uncle Lee McLearn, second cousins Gloria Valles and Carol Jepsen.

Amongst his family of friends, Earl is survived by Carl David Scoles, Brandy Caldwell, Sarah Gibbens, BillRoy McKinny, Robert Anderson, Mandy Naves, Brandi Bettencourt, Shari Wright, Erin Powers-Taylor, and so very very many more I cannot possibly list you all. Earl was preceded in passing by his parents Russ and Lonnie Sayers, his aunt Noreen Matt,  his dog Zeek and his Kitty Ace-a-roo.

Earl was greatly loved. He will be sorely missed and fondly remembered.

May he dance along the light of day.

Services will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at Jimmy Smith Fields Landing boat launching facility at 2 p.m. This is a celebration of life there will be potluck. Please bring something to share. Nonalcoholic drinks will be provided.

###

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

It is with a heavy heart, we announce the passing of Susan Ann Rocha Walker. She passed away at her home on June 9, 2022. She was born to Delbert Sr. and Mary Rocha on January 26, 1956. Susan was the second born of three children, Janet Rocha her older sister and Delbert Jr. Rocha, her younger brother.

She is survived by her husband of 22 years, Don J. Walker, her mother, Mary Rocha, her sister, Janet Rocha, her children, Chris Lyons and Tonya Lyons Cornelius, stepchildren, Holly, Angela, Samantha and grandchildren Gavin, Owen, Britney, Jenna, Amanda, Arthur and Hailey.

Susan loved spending time in her flower gardens that wrapped around her home. She enjoyed entertaining friends and family by having gatherings for most holidays. She also loved traveling to Oahu to spend time with her daughter and being in the tropical climate, it was one of her favorite places to be.

Susan, Sue, Sussie or Mama Sue however you knew her, she will be greatly missed by all that had the chance to know her. The Family would like to thank Pia and Shoni Rheinschmidt for all the help and love with everything and to all the family and friends that have reached out to offer condolences in this very difficult time.

A memorial and or celebration of life has not yet been planned at this time.

###

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

It’s been a grueling couple of years for Humboldt’s arts-focused organizations, which have had to try and find ways to survive COVID times despite, in some cases, a near total loss in audiences and patrons. Pandemics are not so joyous, it turns out. Still, many cultural institutions were able to stay afloat and intact thanks to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and various grants while they simultaneously attempted to adapt and provide some semblance of sparkle to the dreary new world around them. But even now, with people feeling more comfortable gathering together, local creative types are still trying to figure out how best to pursue their shared mission of creating a vibrant, colorful Humboldt. 

With that laudable goal in mind, last week a group of local stakeholders invited Assemblymember Jim Wood to tour a handful of Humboldt’s creative spaces and faces to get a better sense of the state of the community’s cultural assets with the hopes that it might inspire ways the State could assist them in the future.

The Outpost tagged along and snapped a few photos of the artsy caravan.

The journey began in Eureka. Standing in the back of North Coast Repertory Theatre’s intimate performance space, Calder Johnson, NCRT’s managing artistic director, characterized his pandemic experience as a time of constant adaptation as he and his team attempted to come to terms with the loss of so many shows.

Calder Johnson, NCRT

“We really just flatlined,” Johnson said. “We were pretty much shuttered for the past two years with just a few exceptions.” 

To keep the theater in play while there were no plays, Johnson offered his space as a film studio to other local creators. But even if he was able to find ways to stay busy, he estimated that NCRT has incurred a 40 percent price increase in operating expenses. The path forward for theaters like his appears rocky.

“Government support really is needed because the struggle is statewide. I’m in touch with a lot of different theaters. The San Diego Repertory Theatre just indefinitely shuttered last month and laid off 23 people. They just said, we can’t do it anymore. So it’s going to be a long fight for us.”

Others have used the pandemic as a time of incubation. In December of 2020 the Wiyot Tribe finalized the deal that would allow them to develop a cultural center in the heart of Old Town — in the Second Street space that used to be home to Restoration Hardware. After a year and a half pulling the pieces together, Marnie Atkins, the center’s manager, says the tribe is “on the cusp” of opening its labor of love to the public, but acknowledged the setbacks to the visiting assemblymember. 

Wood greets Wiyot Chairman Ted Hernandez

“I don’t know if you know, but the middle of a pandemic is the absolute best time to do construction,” Atkins joked to Wood before sharing a bit of the vision behind the tribe’s project.

“So this is the Da Gou Rou Louwi’ Cultural Center,” Atkins said. “That name in our language means ‘The ongoing return of all.’ And when we were brainstorming ideas for this space we asked, what does this mean to us? And it’s about reclaiming and revitalizing our traditional ways of life, our ceremonial practices, our language, the health and well-being of our tribal community. These are our ancestral lands. So hopefully this will be a place for folks to come and learn about our culture.”

When it’s up and running, the center will provide information about Wiyot life, as well as display numerous Wiyot cultural items. One prominent fixture will be a pole sculpture by Wiyot artist Rick Bartow, subject of the film The Bartow Project, which had a premiere at the center earlier this year. 

Wood’s jam-packed tour ended in Arcata’s Creamery District, a source of seemingly ever-expanding community vibrancy. Similar to NCRT’s struggle, the Arcata Playhouse was forced to endure the loss of live performances and scrambled to figure out how to continue to provide joy to its community. 

“We went from $160,000 of earned income to $9,000,” said Playhouse executive director Jacqueline Dandeneau. “It was a massive loss.”

But, as the thinking goes, constraints breed innovation. During the pandemic, Playhouse Arts hustled and launched online community radio station Humboldt Hot Air and acquired its “Wonder Wagon,” a towable trailer which was hauled around the county to help facilitate arts projects for kids at local schools. Dandeneau sought to highlight the interconnectedness of Humboldt’s arts community by showing off the red-and-blue, 80’-by-40’ big top circus tent the Playhouse was able to acquire through grant funding. The tent is made available to other area organizations that might be inspired to find a need to utilize its cover. 

“The cooperation that happened during the pandemic between [local arts] organizations is really exciting,” Dandeneau said, before urging the assemblymember to consider ways the State might be able to increase funding for arts programs. 

Having taken in a lot over the previous two hours, Wood, for his part, said he was impressed by the day’s presentation. “I have to say, I am stunned at the talent in this community,” he said. “You see bits and pieces of it when you travel around, but having these people take you around and explaining the various interactions in the arts community has been really valuable.”  

Wood ended by telling his tour guides that he was open to suggestions on how his office could support local arts projects in the future. “The arts brings such enrichment to people’s lives. Just think how bland our world would be without the arts. So to see the richness of it here in this county is really cool. I’m really appreciative for the opportunity.”

After wishing everyone well, Wood was hurried off to his next appointment. Having completed her day’s big task, Leslie Castellano — who’d meticulously scheduled the day’s stops down to the minute — told the Outpost she was pleased with the effort and explained a bit about why she worked to make the day happen.

“I think the more that leaders at all levels of government understand the relationship between arts and culture and community well-being the better off we all are. There’s real power in cultivating spaces where people can express their sense of the world and if we, as a local community and as a state, continue to center that in our work, that will have meaningful and transformative impacts for us.”

Assemblymember Wood requested some photos in front of Peggy, the Playhouse pony. “It usually has bubbles coming out of its butt,” Dandeneau informed him.

“I’m sorry?” Wood asked, wondering if he’d heard that right. The group assured him he had.

UPDATE: State Senator Mike McGuire’s office sent along the following statement from McGuire on Tuesday evening:

Humboldt Bay has some of the most pure bay waters in the nation and we must do everything in our power to protect it.

Once we were made aware of this deeply concerning incident, we immediately talked with our partners at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. We know the Coast Guard did the initial inspection of the barge and permitted them to travel to their next destination after the vessel was deemed sea-worthy. The Coast Guard also performed overflights of the area after the collision and did not observe any sheening. A Coast Guard investigation is on-going.

State Fish and Wildlife Officials did encourage the responsible party to submit an after-incident report which was completed and turned in the day after.

All of this said, we’ll be meeting with State Fish and Wildlife Representatives and their Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response in the coming days to talk about protocols and how all levels of government can work closer together. We’re grateful to the Fish and Wildlife Team for their work and look forward to diving deeper into this troubling incident, which could have been disastrous for the sensitive coastal environment and the aquaculture industry that farms the Bay waters.

###

Original post:

###

In an accident that threatened the fragile ecosystem of Humboldt Bay, a fuel barge loaded with 1.68 million gallons of diesel collided with the South Jetty last month, damaging but not puncturing the vessel’s outer steel hull. 

The United States Coast Guard has opened an investigation into the June 20 incident, and Petty Officer Andrew Kistner confirmed that it did not result in a fuel spill. 

“That’s very good,” he said, “but the barge did sustain damage and is being repaired.” The Coast Guard’s investigation will look into “causal factors” including information on the vessel, its crew, the weather and other conditions, he said. 

According to an incident report from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Response and Restoration, the tank barge Monterey Bay, owned and operated by the Oregon-based Sause Bros., was being towed out of the bar channel by the tugboat Apache when the aft hull of the barge “contacted the entrance channel jetty.”

Kistner said this “grounding” happened at the far tip of the South Jetty, with the port-side hull of the Monterey Bay connecting with the concrete dolosse beneath the waterline, causing a “lesion” in the outermost of two steel hulls. The Coast Guard quickly had a 47-foot lifeboat at the scene, and the crew was able to confirm that the fuel tank had not been punctured, Kistner said.

Leroy Zerlang, chair of the Humboldt Harbor Safety Committee, said that was a huge relief. 

“There was no spill, no loss of product — that was the important thing,” he told the Outpost in a phone interview earlier today. Zerlang used blunt language to convey the stakes of such an accident: “If something happened, this bay would have been fucked.”

Jennifer Kalt, executive director of environmental nonprofit Humboldt Baykeeper, agreed. 

“Fortunately, the barges have double hulls, but this is another reason to get off of fossil fuels as soon as we can — along with the planet being on fire,” Kalt said. “It’s a huge risk to Humboldt Bay.”

Recalling the 5,000-gallon oil spill that temporarily closed Humboldt Bay in 1997, Kalt added that it’s important for the community to have a good understanding of the plans in place for cleaning up a spill, should one occur. 

The Humboldt Harbor Safety Commission briefly addressed the accident at its July 21 meeting, but in the month since the grounding occurred, none of the agencies involved have publicized it or released information to the media.

Manila resident and Senior Manager of the Surfrider Foundation’s Plastic Pollution initiative Jennifer Savage (disclosure: a friend of mine) investigated online after learning about the incident from fellow surfers. She found NOAA’s brief report and published it on her blog.

Reached by phone, Humboldt Bay Harbor District Executive Director Larry Oetker said the crew of the Monterey Bay immediately notified the Coast Guard after the grounding. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ barge was nearby, as were a few other vessels, and crews aboard looked for fuel leaking into the water, thankfully seeing none, he said.

The tugboat and barge then “went a bit offshore into calm water” for an inspection out at sea, Oetker said. After it was determined that there were no leaks, the Apache continued north, towing the Monterey Bay to Coos Bay where a full inspection was conducted. Kistner said the barge remains in dock at Coos Bay. A message sent to Sause Bros. was not immediately returned.

Oil spill response equipment is maintained and held at the Harbor District’s boatyard in Fields Landing, and Oetker said that all fuel barge companies coming in and out of Humboldt Bay are required to have contracts with the oil spill response team. Chevron, which owns the fuel terminal behind the Bayshore Mall, helped fund response preparation efforts via a grant to the Harbor District that was passed along to Cal Poly Humboldt. 

The university and the Harbor District have monitoring equipment at the Chevron dock and several other locations around the bay to check for spills, Oetker said. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife also has a spill response unit, and the locally based Marine Spill Response Corporation has personnel at the ready. (Reached by phone, an employee there said the organization was contacted about this incident but not activated.)

“That’s the purpose of the Harbor Safety Committee, to make sure everybody’s well prepared and equipped to handle it,” Oetker said.

Federal regulations for navigation of Humboldt Bay require all vessels transporting liquefied hazardous gasses into or out of the harbor to be aided by two assist tugs, which must escort the vessel through its transit and “be stationed so as to provide immediate assistance” if the vessel or its tow loses power or control.

Humboldt Bay sees about 32-to-34 fuel barges come through each year, according to Zerlang. They typically come in loaded with about three million gallons of fuel for delivery to the Chevron terminal.

“Ninety-five percent of the barges come in, discharge the product and leave empty” he said. When they’re empty, they don’t require an escort barge on the way out, but Zerlang said the Monterey Bay left with a “retainer” of about 40,000 barrels still onboard for delivery further north.

The crews of the Monterey Bay and Apache abided by the federal regulations requiring that escort, Zerlang said, though he couldn’t say for sure whether all safety protocols were followed. He described the Sause Bros. as “a very prominent, respected West Coast tugboat company” and said their barges are “state of the art, all double-hulled, fully approved and highly maintained.”

Kistner could not provide an estimate for when the investigation might be completed. He did gather some information about conditions on the evening of June 20, saying the National Weather Service reported winds of about 15 knots, swells of four to six feet and a current of 1.5-2 knots. Further details won’t be available until the investigation is completed.

Zerlang and Zerlang Marine Services staff won’t let the Miss Katie go down without a fight. Video from this morning by Andrew Goff.

While Woodley Island harbor staff were out doing their regular “dock walk” this morning — a daily check-up to make sure everything is as it should be, according to Harbor District CEO Larry Oetker — their practiced eyes noticed something up on F Dock. Or something down, rather.

The Miss Katie, a commercial fishing vessel, was sinking. 

An oil sheen could be seen on the water, so the staff rushed to retrieve and place portable booms to contain and soak up the pollutant. Then they got on the horn and started calling people: the boat’s owner, the Coast Guard, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and more. A response was underway.

Zerlang and Zerlang Marine Services responded to the location and started pumping out the hold until the Miss Katie floated freely once more. 

Oetker told the Outpost this afternoon that the cause of the threatened descent to the depths appears to be a faulty plug that had cracked, allowing water to seep in. They’ll monitor the boat more closely for a few days to make sure that everything is now shipshape, but otherwise the Miss Katie should be fine, he said.

He added that the oil sheen was contained to the immediate area of the harbor, thanks to staff’s quick work.

Below: The incident as written up by the LoCO Spillbot, our cheapest reporter, shortly after the California Office of Emergency Services published its summary of the incident this morning.

###

A new hazardous materials incident involving petroleum has been reported to the California Office of Emergency Services.

According to a report published by the office, the incident took place at or near waterways in Eureka at around 8:45 a.m. today.

Here’s the description of the incident that was recorded by the Office of Emergency Services:

Per NRC: “The caller is reporting a sunken vessel with a light unknown oil sheen around it. The vessel sunk due to unknown reasons, but is in the process of being refloated by a salvage company.”

Remedial Actions: Boat is being refloated.

Vessel Type: Fishing
Fuel Capacity: 200 Gallons

Pier Dock #: F

Sheen Information
Sheen Color: Rainbow
Sheen Travel Direction: East
Sheen Size Length: 5 Feet
Sheen Size Width: 3 Feet

This was the 14th hazardous materials incident recorded by the Office of Emergency Services in the Eureka area this year and the 38th petroleum spill in the county overall.

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

On July 19, 2022, at about 2:53 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies conducting extra patrols in the area of the Garberville Town Square initiated a suspicious vehicle investigation on a vehicle parked in a no parking zone.

Deputies contacted a man and a woman associated with the vehicle. The man, later identified as 36-year-old Codi Ronald Owens, initially gave deputies a false name. Upon confirming his identity, Owens was found to have an outstanding PC 836 warrant for his arrest for numerous charges, including attempted homicide, out of Rio Dell.

Owens was taken into custody without incident. During a search of Owens’ vehicle, deputies located approximately 4 grams of suspected fentanyl packaged for sales, various prescription pills, a loaded, unserialized firearm, an airsoft gun, ammunition, drug paraphernalia, and items consistent with the sale of controlled substances.

Owens was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of possession of a controlled substance while armed (HS 11370.1(a)), possession of a controlled substance for sales (HS 11351), transportation/sale of a controlled substance (HS 11352(a)), convicted felon in possession of a firearm (PC 29800(a)), person prohibited in possession of ammunition (PC 30305(a)), carrying a loaded firearm in a public place (PC 25850(a)), violation of Post Release Community Supervision (PRCS) (PC 1203.2(a)(4)), carrying a concealed weapon in a vehicle (PC 25400(a)(1)), false identification to a peace officer (PC 148.9(a)) and PRCS revocation (PC 3455(a)), in addition to warrant charges of attempted murder (PC 664/187(a)), shooting at an inhabited dwelling (PC 246), assault with a firearm on a person (PC 245(A)(2)), felon in possession of a firearm (PC 29800(a)(1)), carrying a firearm capable of being concealed (PC 25400(a)(2)) and person prohibited in possession of ammunition (PC 30305(a)).

The woman was released at the scene.

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.

PREVIOUS CODI OWENS:

• Officers Chase Wanted Man—Find Loaded Gun
• Stolen Vehicle Takes Fortuna Police On High-Speed Chase to Hydesville and Back; Driver Arrested, Passengers Detained
• Eureka Man Arrested on Firearms, Drug Charges During Traffic Stop in Garberville

Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office is seeking information regarding a burglary last week in Blue Lake.

On the morning of July 20, 2022, the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a plumbing business, located on the 100 block of Monda Way, regarding a burglary that had occurred over the night.

According to the reporting party, just before 11 p.m. on July 19 unknown suspects entered the business, stealing over $50,000 worth of tools and equipment, including a white 2017 Ford T150 work van, CA License Plate 57833B2.

No suspect descriptions are available at this time. Anyone with information about this case, suspects, or the location of the stolen van and items 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, reference case number 202203753.