James V. (Mort) Mortensen February 20, 1930 — July 30, 2022
It is with much sadness we announce the passing of Jim Mortensen in Cottonwood,
California.
Jim was born to Jim and Alice Mortensen in Scotia and spent his
childhood in Elinor along with his sibling Helen (Shug) Mortensen/Campbell.
Jim graduated from the Elinor Grammar School and from the Fortuna Union High
School in Class of 1948. Jim was on the tennis team and told that because he lived quite a
ways from town, that he practiced hitting balls against the side of his barn.
Following school, Jim worked for The Pacific Lumber Company in the woods until his
enlistment in the United States Air Force in September of 1950. Jim was discharged in 1954
with the rank of Staff Sergeant.
After completing his hitch in the Air Force, he went to work for Garret Air Research in
the Phoenix/Mesa, Arizona area as a test engineer. Following his retirement from Garret he
returned to Humboldt County and Fortuna.
Jim was very involved in the aviation industry locally, working as an instructor pilot and commercial pilot. He flew fire patrol in a program that was financed by the local lumber
companies. Because of advanced age, Jim retired from flying with over 11,000 hours in his
log book.
Jim is survived by his son Ken, of New York City, and many nieces, nephews and other
relatives and friends. He will be especially missed by two of his oldest friends, classmates and
Air Force buddies, Stan Smith and Rich Sweet.
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The obituary above was submitted by Jim Mortensen’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Aug. 18, 2022, at about 2:09 p.m., Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to a residence on the 3300 block of Highway 36 in Hydesville for the report of a domestic disturbance.
Deputies arrived in the area and learned that the suspect, 33-year-old Clayton Lloyd Miller, had been observed in a physical altercation with an adult female victim and was preventing the victim from leaving the residence. Miller fled the residence prior to deputy arrival. Deputies searched the area for Miller but were unable to locate him that afternoon.
On August 19, at about 10 a.m., while continuing their investigation into the whereabouts of Miller, Sheriff’s deputies learned that Miller had possibly returned to the Hydesville residence. Upon deputy arrival at the residence, Miller refused to comply with deputy commands to exit. HCSO K9 Yahtzee was deployed to search for and apprehend Miller. It was then determined that Miller had barricaded himself inside the residence’s attic. Deputies deployed a department-issued non-lethal chemical agent into attic and Miller was apprehended without further incident.
Miller was booked into the Humboldt County Correctional Facility on charges of false imprisonment (PC 236), battery against a spouse/cohabitant (PC 243(e)(1)), resisting a peace officer (PC 148(a)(1)) and violation of Post Release Community Supervision (PC 1203.2(a)(4)).
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.
From left: Marnie Atkins, Wiyot Cultural Center manager; Michelle Vassel, Wiyot Tribal administrator; Geneva EB Thompson, assistant secretary for tribal affairs at the California Natural Resources Agency; and Ted Hernandez, cultural director for the Wiyot Tribe at the Mouralherwaqh celebration Friday | Photos: Stephanie McGeary
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Members of the Wiyot Tribe and other community members gathered near King Salmon on Friday afternoon to celebrate the transfer of a 46-acre piece of land to the Wiyot people.
The property – known by the Wiyot as “Mouralherwaqh,” which means “wolf’s house” – is one of the the last undeveloped pieces of land in this section of Humboldt County and is ecologically rich and diverse, containing wetlands, meadows and spruce forest and is full of native plants and wildlife.
“It’s by Humboldt Hill, which is highly developed,” Marnie Atkins, Wiyot Cultural Center manager, told the Outpost during Friday’s celebration. “So the fact that [the land] has not been sold and partitioned or sectioned off for homes to be built is huge in this particular location.”
Screenshot from Google Earth showing the 46 acre piece of land near Humboldt Hill
Atkins said that the land is also pretty environmentally stable, but that the tribe will be doing some environmental restoration, including invasive species removal, wetland restoration and runoff mitigation.
The land was purchased from a private land owner using a $1.2 million Ocean Protection Council (OPC) Proposition 1 Grant, aimed at funding projects that restore important species habitats and develop more sustainable water systems. The tribe partnered with Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt Baykeeper and Friends of the Dunes to obtain the grant funding and make this acquisition a reality.
Atkins said that the Wiyot Tribe is very excited to reacquire this land, which is the first forest land to ever be returned to the tribe. It is also the only other piece of land owned by the tribe, apart from the reservation and Tuluwat Island. Atkins added that the land will likely be used for community gatherings, cultural ceremonies and educational opportunities.
Salmon cooking for the celebration meal on Friday
“This doesn’t happen very often, where tribes can partner with community members and build a project that comes to fruition, where land is returned home and can be used and stewarded and cared for in a more traditional way to build a healthier environment,” Atkins told the Outpost. “Hopefully, the partnership that we created will be a model for other tribal communities and other state, federal, private and nonprofit organizations.”
More information can be found in a press release from Cal Poly Humboldt, which can be found below.
And stay tuned for tomorrow’s episode of The Econews Report, which will post here on the Outpost at 10 a.m. Representatives of the Tribe will join your usual hosts to talk about what the acquisition means to them, and about the #LandBack movement generally.
Press release from Cal Poly Humboldt:
Under Wiyot Tribe leadership and stewardship, the site will be prioritized for ecocultural restoration. The property is located near the present day location known as King Salmon at the base of Humboldt Hill and represents the first forestland to be returned to the Tribe.
The acquisition project was conceived of and led by the Wiyot Tribe with supporting partnerships from Cal Poly Humboldt, Humboldt Baykeeper, and Friends of the Dunes. It was made possible through a $1.2 million grant from the state Ocean Protection Council (OPC) through its Proposition 1 Grant Program. The OPC grant provided funding for the Tribe to acquire the parcel from a private landowner, representing the first time that the State of California has funded Tribal acquisition of ancestral lands as a part of the statewide effort to accelerate nature-based solutions to achieve climate change goals.
The property is one of the last pieces of undeveloped land and coastal freshwater wetlands on the historic fringe of Wigi (Humboldt Bay), surrounded by residential development on Humboldt Hill. Wiyot cultural and environmental history tell of this place being “wolf’s house.” The name of the village site - Mouralherwaqh - was told to JP Harrington in the early 20th century by Wiyot matriarch Birdie James, who commented that, “There used to be freshwater there but they have been dredging that slu [slough] there and no more fresh water there, ducks used to go there and drink water.” The late and venerable Wiyot citizen and Councilmember Linda Lange reflected on this knowledge and history when she supported the Tribe’s efforts to acquire the property. She described the site as an area that she used to visit often as a child.
Due to the legacy of settler-colonialism and land theft, the Wiyot Tribe currently owns less than 1% of their ancestral lands. This ground-breaking project increases the Tribe’s land holdings by 10%. The property has over 13 acres of large sedge and cattail dominated freshwater wetlands surrounded by mature Sitka spruce forest that serves as a rookery site for egrets and herons.
Mouralherwaqh represents the first piece of Wiyot ancestral forest lands to be repatriated to the Tribe, hosting one of the southernmost stands of Sitka spruce forest on the Pacific coast. Spruce root is important to the Wiyot art of basketry and is a cultural item that up until this acquisition could only be found off Tribally held lands, by either co-management agreements or trespassing. Along with many traditions, the return of Mouralherwaqh will allow for the passing on of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) associated with ancestral forests, berry and hazelnut picking, hunting, gathering, and mushroom foraging to future generations of Wiyot people.
Of the acquisition, Ted Hernandez, the Wiyot Tribal Chair said, “This is another big historical moment for the Tribe and I am proud that the Wiyots are leading the way. In order for everything to heal in this world Indigenous people need to have their spiritual lands and their ceremonial lands back. When you step on this piece of property, this land, you feel like you go back in time. You look at the property and say – my ancestors, they made their arrowheads here, they cooked their acorns here, they made their dresses here, they made their regalia here, they had dances here. It’s like you’re in your own world, in your own peace - just seeing the forest and being able to put your foot down and feel the mother earth and feeling the energy. It’s a whole different place. That is my perspective as an Indigenous person being able to step back on my homeland that was taken from my people and has now been returned.”
Interest in the Wiyot’s reclaiming of the Mouralherwaqh stemmed from earlier efforts by the Wiyot Natural Resources Department (WNRD), who, led by Adam Canter, identified this biodiverse greenspace while working on a 2015 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Geospatial Program grant, mapping culturally important ethnobotanical species and plant communities around Wiyot ancestral territory. When the parcel was found on the open real estate market in 2021, it became a priority for acquisition due to the numerous important cultural species found there in addition to being part of the culturally significant Mouralherwaqh village area. The Wiyot Tribe then developed a collaboration and proposal to make the acquisition possible through the OPC program.
Following acquisition, the Tribe will be leading an effort to develop and implement an ecocultural restoration and management plan for the site that prioritizes cultural connections and water quality protection. The planning effort will incorporate extensive community engagement to involve Tribal citizens in planning for the future of this special place. The plan will be led by Wiyot Tribe and Tribal staff with an initial goal of getting Wiyot citizens on the land to begin the visioning process. Some initial priorities for future work at the property include invasive species removal, watershed and water quality restoration, sea-level rise adaptation planning, cultural history interpretation, botanical, wildlife, and avian monitoring, and cultural plant propagation and enhancement. Cal Poly Humboldt has played a supporting role in the project with plans to incorporate student and faculty engagement into the project.
Laurie Richmond, Environmental Science & Management (ESM) professor said, “what has excited me so much about this project is the unique partnership created between a Tribe, an academic institution, environmental NGOs, and a state agency – where all these different entities worked together to support the Wiyot Tribe to fulfill its vision and role as original stewards of the Wigi landscape. Cal Poly Humboldt has been honored to play a supporting role in the effort.”
This partnership was born out of the Cal Poly Humboldt Sea Level Rise Institute of which Adam Canter (Natural Resource Director for the Wiyot Tribe) and Laurie Richmond (Cal Poly Humboldt Professor) are co-chairs. The acquisition will increase the Tribe’s resiliency in the face of sea-level rise (SLR), providing the Tribe with higher elevation gathering lands not at risk of inundation and the opportunity to develop nature-based SLR resilience measures on the lower portions.
The project provides a unique opportunity for Cal Poly Humboldt researchers to be involved in a Tribally-led acquisition and restoration project. Students, faculty, and staff from the ESM Department, the Native American Studies Department, the Food Sovereignty Lab and Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute, and the Indian Natural Resources, Science, and Engineering Program among others will be involved in research and ecocultural restoration planning for the site related to topics such as food sovereignty, food propagation, legal and financial considerations, water quality, wetland and forest restoration and more.
Dr. Cutcha Risling Baldy, Department Chair of Native American Studies & Co-Director of the Food Sovereignty Lab, said, “Cal Poly Humboldt is leading the way in bridging traditional ecological knowledge and Indigenous Science with restorative practices for land management and research. These partnerships between Cal Poly Humboldt and the Wiyot are inspirational for the next generation of scientists through hands-on learning that centers tribal voices and supports community goals. We are excited for how this project can model best practices for working alongside tribal communities.”
The Ocean Protection Council (OPC), a cabinet-level state policy body nested within the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), awarded Proposition 1 funds to this project through a targeted coastal environmental justice solicitation. The solicitation provided a first-time dedicated pathway for state investment in multi-benefit projects that improve water quality, ecosystem health, and climate resilience for communities burdened by environmental injustice.
“We are grateful and humbled to have played a role in returning this land to the Wiyot Tribe”, said OPC’s Deputy Director, Jenn Eckerle. “This acquisition advances OPC’s strategic priorities to improve equity and environmental justice, but most importantly, it’s a significant milestone in reconnecting the Tribe to its ancestral lands and waters and using cultural knowledges and practices to restore and conserve nature along the coast.”
Benefits from the project are likely to accrue for generations as the Tribal Council actively engages in project development and provides input for future visioning of Mouralherwaqh as a culturally important gathering place for tribal members and as a vital ecosystem. By protecting and restoring the coastal uplands and wetlands in the area, improving water quality, and removing invasive species, this project also supports the state’s commitment to protect biodiversity and conserve 30 percent of our lands and coastal waters by 2030.
“The return of ancestral lands and conserving culturally and ecologically important places are core commitments of the California Natural Resources Agency in our Nature-Based Solutions work,” said CNRA’s Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs, Geneva E. B. Thompson. “We are thankful for the Wiyot Tribe’s leadership in the protection of Mouralherwaqh and its important resources and excited to see these lands returned to the Tribe and their stewardship.”
Humboldt Baykeeper provides water quality and botany expertise and will contribute to efforts to monitor and seek to improve water quality at the site. Jen Kalt from Humboldt Baykeeper said, “We are honored to help return this special place to the original stewards, and to help restore its coastal wetland, streams, and botanical resources.”Friends of the Dunes has and continues to support the project by providing guidance related to conservation land acquisition processes.
This project and acquisition were only made possible through support from many different entities. Humboldt Area Foundation and HSU Sponsored Programs Foundation each provided financial support to assist with a timely appraisal of the site. Additionally, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Humboldt County, City of Eureka, Pacific Birds Habitat Joint Venture, and Pacific Watershed Associates provided support and/or technical guidance for the project. Maria Rodriguez, a program manager for this grant and the Environmental Justice and Equity Lead at the Ocean Protection Council, played an instrumental role in moving the acquisition process forward and helping this project come to fruition.
The project team is grateful for all the support. Project leader Adam Canter said, “We hope that this project can serve as a model for how tribes, academia, and non-governmental organizations can work together with state agencies to facilitate the return of Indigenous lands to their original stewards, benefiting the environment and climate, while also providing access to nature and environmental justice to the communities that have been historically excluded by settler-colonialism and the structures of privilege that they perpetuated. The enduring cultural landscape and return of Mouralherwaqh to the Wiyot people is one gleaming step toward the healing of the past that will shine over Wigi and the North Coast for generations to come.”
Two weeks after the Humboldt County Planning Commission certified the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for Nordic Aquafarms’ planned land-based fish factory on the Samoa Peninsula, the decision is being appealed to the Board of Supervisors.
On Thursday, leaders of three local nonprofits — the Redwood Region Audubon Society Chapter, the Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association and 350 Humboldt — submitted a letter to the supervisors and to John Ford, the county’s director of planning and building, initiating the appeal.
The letter alleges that the environmental report, which was prepared for the county by local engineering firm GHD, violates the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) by understating several of the project’s impacts, including its greenhouse gas emissions, its energy use and the threats it poses to commercial fisheries and coastal and bay ecosystems.
“We collectively believe that the FEIR has fatal flaws that make it inadequate for final certification,” the letter says.
In all, the letter identifies 14 “issues” with the FEIR. Among these, the signatories argue that the report should have accounted for greenhouse gas emissions produced in the manufacture of fish feed, which they say will amount to between 80,000 and 190,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
They also challenge the report’s claim that the project’s energy consumption will produce zero carbon emissions because Nordic has committed to buying 100 percent renewable energy. “[T]he way such purchases are calculated (annually rather than 24/7) means that approximately half the electricity actually used on an hourly basis will be generated by natural gas,” the letter states.
Over the course of nine pages, the letter goes on to identify other alleged shortcomings in the environmental document, saying it should have considered a smaller project or multi-phased modular build out as less-impactful alternatives. It also says the authors of the report should have done more research and formal consultation regarding impacts to threatened species via the intake of up to 10 million gallons of saltwater per day.
However, permitting for the project’s saltwater intake component is being pursued separately by the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District, which owns the Redwood Marine Terminal II property, a former pulp mill site where the project is slated to be built.
The letter-writers argue that this “piecemeal” permitting is not allowed under CEQA.
As for the concerns from the fishermen’s association, the letter says the environmental report arbitrarily concludes that there’s no risk to local wild salmon populations.
“The risk of pathogens escaping the facility and affecting wild salmonids remains high,” the letter says. More specifically, it says the environmental report doesn’t adequately address the risk of viral accumulations in the farmed fish’s blood or abdominal fluids, arguing that the project’s filtration and ultraviolet treatment may not prevent the release of this “fish-killing wastewater” into the ocean.
You can read the full letter via the link below. We’ve reached out to Nordic for comment and will update this post if and when we hear back.
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UPDATE, 11:10 a.m.: Nordic Aquafarms Public Relations Manager Jacki Cassida emailed the following statement:
At Nordic Aquafarms, we have always considered and continue to consider our work with local organizations and the community to be open and transparent.
Thursday’s combined filed appeal from the Redwood Region Audubon Society (RRAS), Humboldt Fishermen’s Marketing Association and 350 Humboldt provides an avenue to continue a dialogue, as well as work with the County and Harbor District through the appeal process.
We believe the certified Environmental Impact Report to be a comprehensive and robust document. Nordic sees remediation and reuse of a defunct Superfund site to be of great value to the community and stand by our commitment to creating economic benefits for Humboldt County.
On the whole, Nordic will become a great asset in the County, with continued environmental sensitivity and community partnership, while displacing imported Atlantic Salmon in the market.
Unified Command: Six Rivers National Forest, CAL FIRE, California Highway Patrol, Trinity County Sheriff, and Humboldt County Sheriff.
CURRENT CONDITIONS
The Lightning Complex Fire is currently 25,399 acres with 67% containment. 1979 personnel are assigned to the incident. USFS, CAIIMT 11 and CAL FIRE continue to work closely together in unified command with a full suppression strategy to protect homes and other structures, communities, crucial infrastructure and important wildlife habitat.
Fire activity was minimal overnight with the cooler temperatures and increased humidity. Two spot fires developed on the northeast side of the Ammon Fire but were quickly contained by fire personnel in the area. Crews continued successful strategic firing operations and improved control lines using dozers and handlines to remove fuels. Control lines are holding well.
Campbell Fire
Crews will continue to strengthen fire lines and limit the spread of the main fire. Fire crews will patrol and extinguish remaining pockets of heat inside control lines on the west side of the fire.
Ammon Fire
Firefighters will continue strategic firing operations along the southwest perimeter in the Friday Ridge area. Fire crews will work to ensure that the previous night’s spot fires on the northeast side remain fully contained. Crews will continue to improve and reinforce fire lines along the Six Road of Ammon Ridge and within the Friday Ridge System as well as along Titlow Hill Rd/Route 1 out to Highway 299.
WEATHER
Stable weather is expected over the area, with northwest winds up to about 10 mph, gusting slightly higher along the ridgetops and where channeled by terrain. Cooler overall temperatures are predicted today in the 70s and 80s.
SMOKE
A strong inversion will continue to keep smoke over most of the area. Some clearing will take place in the afternoon, particularly along the northwest areas of both fires. Please check this link for air quality resources.
ROAD CLOSURES
State Routes 299 and 96 are currently open in the Lightning Complex but may be impacted by fire behavior. Travelers are encouraged to visit the Caltrans QuickMap to check for state highway closures. The beginning of deer hunting season this weekend is expected to increase traffic in the area.
The following roads leading to evacuation zones have been closed (residents may use these roads to exit only):
Forest Route 7N15 at Six Rivers Forest Boundary
Horse Linto Creek Road at Saddle Lane
Friday Ridge Road at Forest Route 6N06 (both roads are closed at this point)
Titlow Hill Road/Forest Route 1 after Horse Mountain Botanical Area
Because fire personnel and machinery will be building control lines for the Ammon Fire, residents are asked to limit travel on Titlow Hill Road/Route 1 in zones HUM-E052 and HUM-E062 to essential traffic only.
EVACUATION CENTER
The American Red Cross Evacuation Center at Trinity Valley Elementary School is closed but on stand-by if needs change. If further evacuations are ordered or evacuation orders changed, the facility will re-open to accommodate new evacuees.
ANIMAL EVACUATION CENTER
Hoopa Rodeo Grounds 1767 Pine Creek Rd., Hoopa, CA 95546 Phone: (707) 492-2851
** The Hoopa Rodeo Grounds has several single pens and larger pens for whole herds. Call directly if you need directions or help transporting your large animals. They cannot house sheep, goats, poultry, or small animals, but they can potentially help arrange for temporary foster placement. If you can foster, please reach out regarding your availability and capacity.
Marlene
Marie Mooneyham, 86 years old, passed away on July 25, 2022. Marlene
was born at home in Josephine County on Feb. 17, 1936 to Clyde and Lexie
Fields. She and her future husband of 53 years, David Mooneyham, were
raised in Grants Pass. They were married on Oct. 23, 1953 and had three
children while living in G.P. —Rick(Robin) Mooneyham, Teresa
(Richard) Harpham and Kyna.
They
moved to Rio Dell in 1959. She enjoyed her family, friends, gardening
and eventually her grandchildren and great-grandkids. We moved to
Fortuna in 1968, when the freeway was built around Rio
Dell. Shortly after that Paula (Oden) Steed joined our family,
another sister.
Marlene spent several years working at Crown Redwood
in Fortuna. After David retired they moved to Ruth, then Dinsmore, where they spent time hunting, fishing on Ruth Lake in their Bass
Buggy. After David passed away in 2006, she moved back to Fortuna
to be closer to family.
Marlene
is survived by her sister, Shirley (Bob) Allen of Rogue River, Oregon,her
son Rick (his sons Jesse and Clyde, her daughter Teresa (her daughter
Karmen and son Hank), her daughter Paula (her sons Andy and Jamie
Oller, son Evan Steed and daughter April Steed) and numerous grandkids
and great-grandkids.
She
was preceded in death by husband David, daughter Kyna and
great-granddaughter Keesha. She will be interned at Ocean View
Cemetery with David and Kyna.
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The obituary above was submitted by Marlene Mooneyham’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.
Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office needs the public’s help to locate an at-risk missing woman. Patricia Leslie Ribeiro, age 71, was last seen today, Aug. 18, 2022, walking westbound along Highway 36 in the area of Mile Marker 32, near Upper Larabee Valley Road. Ribeiro suffers from medical conditions and may be disoriented.
Ribeiro is described as a white female, approximately 5 feet 7 inches tall, 120 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a bright blue t-shirt and blue tennis shoes.
Anyone with information regarding Ribeiro’s whereabouts should call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251, ex. 0. If you come in contact with Ribeiro, call 9-1-1.
