It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Douglas John Jager, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Forestry and Watershed Management, Humboldt State University.  Doug died on June 7, 2024, at his north Trinidad home with his loving family by his side.

Born in Oakland, California, on New Year’s Eve 1939, Doug boasted that he never had to go to school or to work on his birthday and that people across the nation celebrated his special day.

The middle child of Cornelius and Anne Jager, Doug grew up in east Oakland living next door to his Dutch immigrant Vermeer grandparents at a time when it was safe to ride his bicycle around the area.  One of his favorite childhood adventures was to ride horses with his friend all over the Oakland Hills.  An industrious lad, Doug had a paper route, helped an electrician, worked for a medical supply company, pumped gas in a service station, and set tile with his dad.

After graduating from Fremont High School in Oakland, Doug attended junior college and then transferred to Humboldt State College where he majored in forestry.  On campus, in the dining room of the Nelson Hall dorm, he met Nancy Foster, an elementary education major from Ukiah, California.  They were married on August 13, 1961, at the Ukiah Methodist Church and had sixty-two wonderful years together.

Doug loved teaching and the interactions with his students.  He began as a teaching assistant in forest engineering during his junior year at Humboldt State.  After earning a Bachelor of Science in Forestry, he continued to teach in both forestry and watershed management while earning his Master of Science in Forestry.  He then went on to teach forestry at the University of Nevada while completing his PhD in Wildland Hydrology.  Doug returned to Humboldt State in 1973 as a professor of Forestry and Watershed Management and retired as Emeritus faculty in 2000.  He was known as a hard teacher, earning the nickname of “clear cut.”  He was not sure if it was because of his short haircut or his forestry philosophy.

Doug and Nancy, a retired elementary school teacher, have two wonderful children.  Christopher, a retired commercial fisherman and fishing boat captain, was born in 1967 in Arcata.  Doug passed down his love of fishing and firewood cutting to Chris.  Sally was born in 1969 in Reno, Nevada, and is a retired elementary school teacher.  Sally inherited Doug’s passion for horses at an early age.  Chris and Sally both took excellent care of their dad during his senior years and final days.

Throughout the years Doug had many hobbies.  He enjoyed riding his bicycle and motorcycle, driving his sports car and tractor, sailing his catamaran at Big Lagoon with his family, canoeing the local rivers and lagoons, and boating at Lake Tahoe and Big Lagoon.  Doug also loved surf, bass, trout, and ocean fishing, horseback riding at the local beaches, Trinidad State Park, and Redwood National Park, growing and selling Redwood tree saplings to the locals and tourists of Humboldt County, and sitting around the backyard pool reading, visiting, napping, and enjoying the beautiful outdoor surroundings of his home of over fifty years.  During their later years, Doug and Nancy traveled the western states in their motorhome and enjoyed cruises to Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii with family.

In 1985 Doug started 4-H TRAIL, a Humboldt County 4-H program, to provide therapeutic horseback rides to individuals with special needs.  With the help of countless volunteers, the program took place in the backyard of his north Trinidad property, widely known as Camelot Stables.  Doug enjoyed sharing his love for horses with others.  Doug was a fearless horseman and had a lot of great trail rides on his favorite bold horse named Bert.  Participants and volunteers of 4-H TRAIL will remember Doug’s entertaining stories about the “Molagoona’s” unique nesting habits in the woodshed and about their sneaky shenanigans in the surrounding Redwood trees in the Trinidad area.  The 4-H TRAIL program is still ongoing under the direction of Doug’s daughter Sally.  Doug had received the Horseman of the Year award from the Northern California Horseman’s Association for his dedication to 4-H TRAIL and the horse community.  In 1980 Doug opened a retail horse tack and equipment store called Camelot Tack.  He was well known for catering his inventory to the English equestrian and providing excellent customer service.  Somehow, in a small storefront at the stable, Doug managed to stock everything a horse person may ever need.  Doug was a forty-year Humboldt County 4-H Project Leader.  In 2008 he received the League of Women Voter’s award for contributions to the community.  

Doug was a registered professional forester and had worked on Redwood tree and watershed research and projects in Southern Humboldt and Northern Mendocino counties including the Mattole and Bull Creek areas.  A conservationist, he belonged to numerous groups including The Society of American Foresters, the Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club, and the Audubon Society.  He was a founding member of CHERT, a Humboldt County team of scientists reviewing and making recommendations on gravel extraction on the Mad, Van Duzen, Smith, and Eel rivers.  Doug previously served on the local Trinidad Volunteer Fire Department and was a past president of Rural Trinidad.

Doug was preceded in death by his parents Cornelius and Anne Jager, stepfather Victor Fogh, older brother Clifford Jager, daughter-in-law Colleen Jager, in-laws Alfred and Vivian Foster, brother-in-law Martin Davis, and sister-in-law Linda Foster.

Doug is greatly missed by Nancy, his devoted and loving wife of sixty-two years, son Christopher Jager (Greta Daniels), daughter Sally Friedley (Clifford), grandsons Travis Pederson (Candace), Aaron Friedley (Josephine Fodge), and Chris Friedley (Jasmine Collins), his younger brother William Jager (Sharon), sister-in-law Odette Jager (Clifford), Nancy’s siblings Susan Davis, Tom Foster, and Bonnie Snearly (Larry) as well as many adoring nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The family would like to express sincere thanks to the local medical community for many years of excellent care.  Special appreciation goes out to Sophia and her staff at Providence St. Joseph Home Health, as well as Dr. Larry Senffner, Dr. Steven Aussenberg, Dr. John Fjerstad, and Dr. Thomas Taylor and their staffs.

No services are planned.  A private family gathering will be held later.  In lieu of flowers, donations to honor Doug may be made to 4-H TRAIL, 349 Stagecoach Road, Trinidad, CA 95570, or to a charity of your choice.  Feel free to skip a rock across a stream or lake, listen to Andre Rieu orchestra music, play a game of solitaire, chop some wood and build a fire in the wood stove, eat a bowl of ice cream, or take a horseback ride in Doug’s memory.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Douglas’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.

The Arcata City Council approved a final draft of the Gateway Area Plan last night, nearly four two and a half years after the City published a first draft of the blueprint to infill 139 acres of southwest Arcata with high-density housing. 

The Council tied up loose ends related to the linear park along L Street and discussed how recent alarm over fire safety in the high-density neighborhood can and will be addressed post-plan approval. (Vice Mayor Alex Stillman and Councilmember Stacy Atkins-Salazar  recused themselves from the Gateway Area-related discussion due to conflicts of interest.)

What will happen to L Street has been one of the plan’s hotter topics throughout its development. The street was once slated to become a one-way (in addition to K Street) but the City Council ditched that idea after it stirred opposition in the community.

In its final draft, the plan directs the City to get started on a linear park and a woonerf along L Street – stretching from Samoa Blvd. to 11th Street – within two years. 

The plan defines a woonerf as “low-flow, slow-speed, local traffic only street that is designed to safely accommodate bikes, pedestrians, and play, as well as limited use for vehicles,” while a linear park is vehicle-free. Councilmember Sarah Schaefer said it’s likely the woonerf will run from 7th Street to 11th Street (where there is already an existing road), and the linear park will go from 7th Street to Samoa Blvd. Though some commenters asked for specific wording in the plan to guarantee restrictions for the woonerf and linear park, the Council opted to keep the language more open-ended.

Fears over fire safety in the to-be-densified neighborhood have become the other sticking point for some Arcatans. Arcata Fire District Board President Eric Loudenslager and Fire Chief Chris Emmons have said that the fire department currently lacks the staff and resources to address emergencies in tall buildings. An investigation released last month by the Humboldt County Civil Grand Jury found that the department is indeed financially strained.

However, a standards of coverage analysis co-funded by the City of Arcata, the Arcata Fire District and Cal Poly Humboldt will assess future needs of the department, and may identify potential funding sources. That’s expected to wrap up in October. 

Public commenters appeared to again call out potential fire risks. Their concern is this: the plan will be passed, buildings will be built, people will move in, and the fire district will fall short in an emergency.

But that series of events excludes some processes and doesn’t reflect how long each of those steps will take, Arcata city staff and council members pointed out. For instance, the standards of coverage analysis will be far past complete by the time builders break ground, and avenues to funding and resources may be well on their way.

When the standards of coverage analysis is done, the Council may amend the plan or code as needed, City Manager Karen Diemer said; it’s a living document. 

Meanwhile, the City is actually waiting on the Arcata Fire District board to develop language for fire code. Although there is, technically, fire code currently included in the Gateway Code, “it cannot be effective until the fire department takes action, sends that ordinance to us, asks us to adopt it, [and then] we can either adopt it as is, or amend it,” Community Development Director David Loya said. “Then it will be effective in our code.”

“I know this is an issue that has captured our imaginations,” Loya said. “The reality is that modern building code builds buildings that really don’t catch on fire like that. They’re sprinklered, you’re not going to have a Chicago-style blaze where these buildings are burning down.”

Mayor Meredith Matthews pointed out that local fire departments provide mutual aid, and that seven story buildings are already underway within city limits. 

“I think that this fear that: ‘oh my god, it’s gonna happen, and people are gonna be unsafe, and they’re gonna die in a multistory building fire’ is really really outlandish and unrealistic and probably not going to happen,” Councilmember Schaefer said.

“The fire marshall signs off occupancy of buildings, and if we were really in a dire situation where the fire department said: ‘there is no way we can help defend this building,’ then they’re not gonna certify its occupancy and let people live in it.” 

Although Councilmember Kimberley White was more concerned than her peers about the fire issue, the three ultimately passed a motion to approve the Gateway Area Plan and Environmental Impact Report, and to introduce an ordinance to adopt the Gateway Code (which will likely be approved at their Aug. 7 meeting).

After Vice Mayor Stillman and Councilmember Atkins-Salazar rejoined the group, the Council quickly and unanimously passed the General Plan 2045. The meeting ended with the Council’s approval to hire Merritt Perry as Arcata’s new city manager. He will replace Diemer next month. 

Perry told the Council that he’s always loved opportunities to work in Arcata, from his years as an environmental resources engineering student at Humboldt State University to his time as a consultant in the civil engineering field.

“It was something that always really excited me, to be able to work where I went to school, and I received my education, where I raised my kids,” Perry said. “So I’m really excited at the opportunity to get to know the Council better and to hear the Council’s ideas, and to get to know the community.”

Video submitted by Neko Taylor and Matt Filar. | Edited by Andrew Goff.

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Officers with the Arcata Police Department detained two adults and a juvenile earlier this afternoon following a tense altercation involving a possible firearm at the Arcata Plaza, according to the Mad River Union.  

As seen in the reader-submitted video above, a shirtless man and a teenage girl were confronting onlookers in the street at the corner of Eighth and H Streets, near Jacoby’s Storehouse. The teenage girl can be seen pointing a long gun, possibly a BB gun, at people on the street and screaming “Everybody down!” as the man follows, shouting, throwing punches and spewing racial slurs at another man.

Arcata Police Lt. Chris Ortega told the Mad River Union that the two, along with another adult, were detained at Samoa and F Streets after a “high-risk” traffic stop. 

“We’re currently investigating to determine if this was a real firearm, a facsimile firearm or what it actually was,” Ortega told the Mad River Union, noting that no one was harmed in the incident.

The Arcata Police Department did not respond to the Outpost’s immediate request for comment. We’ll update this post when we know more.

The Arcata Police Department has issued the following release about the incident:

On Thursday July 18, 2024, at 12:46pm, The Arcata Police Department responded to the Arcata Plaza on citizen reports of a physical altercation involving a female pointing a firearm at multiple subjects.

An officer in the immediate area located a black Toyota Tacoma leaving the Plaza which was identified by witnesses as being associated with the suspect in possession of the firearm. A high-risk traffic stop was initiated at the intersection of F Street and Samoa Boulevard. The occupants of the Tacoma, one adult male, one adult female and one juvenile female were detained. The investigation revealed the juvenile female had pointed a BB rifle at various persons on the Plaza during an altercation involving the adult male and another adult male. The BB rifle was located inside the vehicle.

The driver, 40-year-old Eureka resident James Lee Boone, was placed under arrest and booked at the Humboldt County Correctional Facility for misdemeanor Assault & Battery.

The juvenile female was booked at the Humboldt County Juvenile Hall for a misdemeanor violation of Brandishing an Imitation Firearm. The adult female was released from the scene.

Anyone who witnessed the altercation is encouraged to contact the Arcata Police Department at 707-822-2428.

(UPDATE: We have removed the name and photo of the missing juvenile because he has been found.) 

Eureka Police Department release:

The Eureka Police Department and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office are seeking the community’s assistance in locating 14-year-old [name removed after he was found] who went missing around midnight last night near Winship School in Cutten.

[removed] is described as a 14-year-old, white male, 5’10/140 lbs, with light brown hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, black socks, and black shoes.

If you have any information, please contact the Eureka Police Department at 707-441-4060 or the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at 707-445-7251.

The Hill Fire burning south of Willow Creek is now listed at 4,600 acres as of Thursday morning, with 0% containment. Growth has slowed compared to previous days, but crews continue a full suppression effort which is detailed in the Six Rivers National Forest release below:

Yesterday, fire activity moderated compared to previous days. Fire managers are using a full suppression strategy with crews going direct where possible while also utilizing indirect tactics in areas that pose a potential risk to firefighter safety. A few spot fires were identified to the north along Friday Ridge and resources on scene began constructing direct and indirect containment lines. Crews constructed dozer lines to the west and north of the fire. Aircraft continued to perform retardant drops along the perimeter of the fire.

The latest Hill Fire perimeter map. Click to enlarge

Today, the primary focus will be to the north of the fire where crews will scout for possible opportunities to construct direct dozer line south of Route 1. Firefighters will also conduct firing operations along Route 1 to strengthen the potential containment line along Friday Ridge. Aircraft will continue to perform retardant drops to slow the spread of the fire. Federal and state air resources on scene include helicopters, air tankers, and air attack. Fire behavior is expected to be moderate today with continued dry conditions. The North Coast Interagency Type 3 Incident Management Team and CAL FIRE Incident Management Team 2 are now fully integrated and working in unified command.

Fire camp will be at the Veterans Park in Willow Creek, CA., beginning today, July 18, 2024.

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Press release from Senate President Pro tem Mike McGuire:

RIO DELL – Today, Senate President pro Tempore Mike McGuire (D-North Coast), state and local leaders, and the Rio Dell community celebrated the groundbreaking of a total rebuild of the city’s water system, which was extensively damaged in the 2022 earthquake.
The $12.9 million investment from the State of California was approved in the days following the 6.4-magnitude earthquake. Once completed, Rio Dell’s aging water system will be fully replaced, at no cost to local ratepayers. 

“After that December 22nd quake shook the Eel River Valley, Rio Dell’s water system was near total collapse,” said Pro Tem McGuire. “We committed to Rio Dell neighbors that the State would deliver, and today, a promise made is a promise kept. Nothing is more essential than clean and reliable drinking water. This rebuild will be a massive shot in the arm for the City for decades to come and will save residents millions, since the State is covering all costs associated with the project.” 

Once completed, the new water system will include 2.85 miles of new piping, 279 updated service lines to homes, 30 new fire hydrants, and five new highway under crossings.  
 
“This project is about making sure Rio Dell is a safe and thriving community for generations to come. And at zero cost for local residents who are already struggling to get back on their feet, this is a huge win for our community,” said Rio Dell Mayor Debra Garnes. “We’re so grateful for Senator McGuire’s and the State Office of Emergency Services partnership, for their commitment and follow through to get this job done for Rio Dell.”

Construction is expected to start this summer with the demolition of an out of service, dilapidated redwood tank, that will be replaced by a modern and structurally-sound concrete tank with twice the storage capacity that will serve the community for decades to come.

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Note: names in this story have been omitted or changed to protect the identities of moderators and members, and no posts or comments are reproduced here (broad generalities only!) so as to uphold the expectation of privacy that comes with personal experiences shared in a closed group. 

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If you suspected your man of cheating in the days of yesteryear, you’d have limited options to smoke him out: search pockets, analyze shared bank accounts, stake out some haunts, open and honest communication …

None of them are ideal. 

Today, there’s an easy solution: “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” (AWDTSG) Facebook groups. 

Designed to help women avoid men deemed “dangerous or toxic” (in the words of Paola Sanchez, who founded the first AWDTSG group in New York City in 2022) these forums, which have sprung up in over 200 city- and area-specific communities, together comprise more than 4 million participants.

If you’re a North Coast resident, odds are you know at least one woman who is part of “are we dating the same guy - humboldt, CA uncensored,” a fast-growing local chapter founded by two friends about a year and a half ago.

Spanning various industries and walks of life, the nearly 4,000 members of the private group flock to the page to dish on “red flags” (negative experiences with men) and “tea” (intel on potential dates) as they splash around in the puddle that is the Humboldt County dating pool.

The AWDTSG system is simple: upload a picture of the man in question, state your story or suspicion and await the magic of the digital masses. In one fell swoop, a woman may learn there’s another woman. Maybe several others. And in confirmed cases of cheating, the two-timer is outed not only to the women he’s kept in the dark, but also to thousands of others who now know his name, face and alleged wrongdoings.

“We wanted to create a centralized place for the gossip,” one of the two anonymous moderators of Humboldt’s page, both of whom grew up and dated locally, told the Outpost in an incognito conference call.

A published list of rules from the AWDTSG Humboldt Facebook group.

And did they ever. The comments sections of posts in the Humboldt group are usually teeming with tidbits and tales within hours, and the tea is so hot that it can leave observers wondering, as one group member the Outpost spoke with did: “Holy shit, are all the men in Humboldt County horrible?” 

While there is likely a bad news bias at work – women may be more likely to post men they already have icky feelings about, or chime in on those they’ve had negative experiences with – the reputation-ruining power of allegations made in groups of thousands raises the question: Does a man’s privacy go out the window if he’s deemed dangerous by women he’s dated? 

And if so, what are the boundaries of “unsafe” behavior?

For AWDTSG participants, the answers to those questions seem to be “yes” and “any interaction that leaves a woman feeling uncomfortable.”

Posts in the Humboldt AWDTSG group tend to fall into three general categories: cheating checks, preventative screenings and warnings.

Cheating checks entail what the group’s title suggests. Women upload pictures with a simple ask: “Is he cheating?” 

In the Humboldt group, adulterers often turn out to be men who frequent the coastal cities but aren’t in Eureka/Arcata full time: firefighters, pot growers or others with reason to move about and ample opportunities for infidelity.

“Basically, the people who travel,” a moderator said, “They’re the real sneaky ones.”

Screening posts are made in the early stages of a relationship (even before a first date) and feature red flag and tea emojis followed by question marks, which translate to a request for stories that may ward the poster off or incentivize her to keep talking to the post’s subject. 

These are frequently met with one comment in particular: “RUN” (often accompanied by evidentiary screenshots of communications or arrest records).

The vetting function of the group comes in especially handy in the modern era of app-based and online dating, in which women set off on first dates with strangers. As one group member pointed out, Humboldt has limited rendezvous options that don’t involve either alcohol or outdoor activities in secluded places – increasing risks in first date situations.

“We all grow up being told not to meet strange men from the internet,” said Sarah, another Humboldt group member. “You used to be more likely to meet someone through a friend group or a workplace, you could see how someone interacts with their peers … . Now, it’s easier for men with bad reputations to get around that and portray different versions of themselves.”

The third variety of posts are deterrents, made solely to warn others. 

These cautionary tales cover a broad swath of “walking red flag” archetypes: “man covertly dating many women at once,” “man who gets drunk and disorderly on dates,” “man who lies,” “man with drug problems,” “man who has disturbing, unrevealed arrest records,” “man with physically and/or emotionally abusive tendencies,” “sexually pushy man” … the list goes on. 

The AWDTSG system breaks down when “snitches” screenshot posts and send them to the man in question, potentially adding a new element of danger for women – as this Vice piece points out. While warning posts are often made anonymously, it’s clear to see how some men would be able to identify the posting party without her name.

“For me the women who told me I was on there didn’t divulge the info of who made the post and put out my info, but the woman I went on a date with was easy for me to identify obviously,” one Reddit user wrote in an r/MensRights forum after he was allegedly the subject of complaints in an AWDTSG group. 

Metropolitan AWDTSG groups, such as those in Chicago and London, have already experienced men threatening women who posted about them or suing members for defamation and invasion of privacy. 

So far, the Humboldt moderators say they’ve received only “empty threats” from men who are made aware that they’ve been posted about – no lawsuits – but the mods also said that every time they’re made aware of a “snitching” incident, they worry someone will get hurt.

“That’s why we have all the anonymous features turned on, so that people can post without revealing all of their identity,” one said, “We try to tell them [group members] about plausible deniability.”

Deniability is difficult in an interconnected community like Humboldt, where each person lives within only one or two degrees of social connection from all others and anonymity exists only for relative hermits. But that’s also what makes Humboldt’s page so effective: It’s almost guaranteed that group members will have intelligence on each man posted. 

“I’ve learned stuff about my own family on there,” said one of the AWDTSG Humboldt moderators.

Some Humboldt members believe the service the group offers outweighs questions of men’s privacy or safety concerns for users.

“If the cost is a man’s reputation and the benefit is a woman’s safety, I think that is less destructive than a woman being in a dangerous or abusive situation,” said Sarah, adding that while it may be “gnarly to have all your dirty laundry aired by a court of exes,” the actual U.S. court system can re-traumatize women bringing claims such as sexual assault, rape and or intimate partner violence. 

AWDTSG is an “imperfect response” to the dangers that women face dating, according to Sarah.

“I wish we hadn’t gotten to this place, but this is where we’re at,” she said.

There is no question that women experience more risk in dating: nine out of every 10 rape victims in the U.S. are female and one in five women has been raped in their lifetime, compared to one in 71 men, according to data compiled by the National Domestic Violence Hotline. 45.4 percent of those female rape victims were assaulted by an intimate partners, compared to 29 percent of male victims. And one in seven American women have been injured by an intimate partner, compared to one in 25 men. 

“It is fundamentally frightening to date as a woman,” one group member told the Outpost. 

Humboldt’s AWDTSG group has also provided tangible support and resources to women in dangerous situations during its first years in existence, according to its moderators. 

“We’ve had a few domestic abuse cases come up, some missing people, and we’ve rallied around families,” one said. 

Some men oppose the pages and have called “BS” on the argument that AWDTSG groups protect women, but others believe that women are entitled to share experiences with male daters who engage in conduct unbecoming.

“There’s nothing to be fearful of if you are behaving as a respectful member of the dating community,” said Charlie, who grew up dating locally and learned of the Humboldt group from a partner. 

Positive replies in Humboldt’s group support his point on dating karma: comments such as “he’s great!” or “I had a good experience!” or “that’s my ex, he’s a good guy” are not uncommon.

“No girl has ever complained about a guy not getting handsy on a first date, or asking nice questions at dinner,” said Martha, another Humboldt group member.

Charlie also said that he’s witnessed a “lack of accountability” for men dating locally that underscores the value of a forum like AWDTSG in his eyes.

“Since high school, I don’t think there’s a single female friend of mine who’s gotten off scot free dating in Humboldt County,” he said. “I think there’s this fear that a lot of men have that falsehoods are going to be shared and it’s going to ruin someone’s life, but ultimately I feel like it’s more important for women to be safe.”

Blasting men on Facebook may be a messy, ethically ambiguous way to handle the dangers of dating. But the AWDTSG system seems to be working as intended: red flags, suspicions and yucky gut feelings are being met with confirmation, and – ultimately – new members are joining “are we dating the same guy - humboldt, CA uncensored” each week.

“Is it ethical? No, not necessarily. Am I going to keep using it? Yes,” said Sarah.