On Sunday, June 18, 2023, Sheri Lynn Sundberg, loving mother, daughter, sister, friend, went to be with the Lord at age 38 from complications of Guillain Barre Syndrome. Sheri was born October 5, 1984 in Orange County and was the daughter of Marshall and Cheryl Sundberg.

Sheri grew up in McKinleyville and attended Arcata Christian School, Dows Prairie School and was in the 2003 graduating class of McKinleyville High School. As a child, Sheri loved spending time swimming on the Klamath River with her family, hunting, playing soccer, running track, and dancing.

On June 12, 2004 Sheri gave birth to her greatest love, Emma Sundberg. Sheri and Emma shared a love for shopping, watching crime shows while eating Chinese food, and eating pot stickers right out of the pot. Sheri and her sister Angie always had a very special bond. Sheri was grateful and thankful that Angie was able to help raise Emma when she wasn’t able. One of Emma’s favorite memories is when we wrapped Sheri up in a giant box for Christmas and surprised Emma with Sheri inside.

Sheri was known for her beautiful smile, sassy attitude, funny dark sense of humor, love for Hello Kitty, Supernatural and Resident Evil, love for food (especially her mom’s fried chicken she would barely even chew), and her love for scary movies. Aside from Sheri’s spicy side she was also incredibly sweet and so much fun. You could always count on spontaneous late-night phone calls where even if you hadn’t spoke in a while, it was always like no time at all had passed.

Sheri is survived by her daughter Emma Sundberg; Mother Cheryl Sundberg-Grooms; stepfather Jack Grooms, brother Ryan Sundberg (Lacy), sister Angela Sundberg, brother Ronald Sundberg (Jessica), sister Jennifer Sundberg, step-siblings Jesse, Adam, Katie, Zack, Carly and Laura Grooms, as well as numerous aunties, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who will all miss her immensely.

Sheri was preceded in death by her father, Marshall Sundberg; Grandparents, Rose Joy and Fred Sundberg and Roy and Harriet Jones; Aunt Karen and Uncle Drew Ward; and Uncle Ron Miller.

The family would like to give a special thank you to Brandon Shafer for caring for Sheri while she was so sick as well as the dedicated ICU staff at Sutter Coast Hospital.

Services for Sheri will be held at 1 p.m., Sunday, July 9, at Trinidad Town Hall. Taco bar reception will immediately follow.

###

Donald Wayne Daniels
July 28, 1961 – May 30, 2023

Donald Wayne Daniels went by “Don”. Don was born in Tulare but lived in Humboldt County practically his entire life. Don was born with a brain injury that doctors said would impact his entire life so that he could not do things independently – but Don ended up proving them wrong and doing it all. Don went to school in Eureka City Schools and graduated from Eureka High School in 1979.

Don was loved by all who knew him. He was kind, funny, compassionate and a gentleman. His sister Connie recalls special moments when he would take her for rides to the South Jetty or Blue Slide RD in Ferndale on his motorcycle. Don loved working on his bike and tinkering around the garage. At Christmas time, he ran with the United Bikers of Northern CA (UBNC) non-profit motorcycle group for their Toy Run to deliver toys to underprivileged children while riding motorcycles.

In 2017, Don attended his first Redwood Run and couldn’t wait for the next one! Other favorite hobbies of Donald’s were to care for animals, camping, and spending time outdoors. His love for the outdoors made being a Cub Scout his favorite activity in childhood. As an adult, he worked at Bayshore Mall for many years and at local restaurants in Eureka.

Don will be missed dearly. He is survived by his mother Barbara Daniels, his sister Connie Harlow, sister Lori “Daniels” Burkhart, and Brother in-law Scott Burkhart. He is also survived by his nephews, Bradley Larson, and Deven and Christopher Burkhart. He will also be missed by his long-time friend Bruce Jesse who Don always looked forward to going on rides in Ridgewood, HWY 36, and all over Humboldt throughout the years. Bruce was a loyal friend of Don’s and still attends bible with Don’s mother each Saturday.

Donald’s sister Connie was not expecting his death so suddenly and thought they would have more time together. Her message to her brother is “We didn’t always see eye-to-eye, but you were my baby brother and I’ll miss you very much… The day you passed I was so lost, but now I know you are happy and free. I know I will see you again someday and that will be the happiest day of my life, but until then little brother – you will always be in my thoughts and in my heart.”

He Only Takes the Best

A Heart of gold stopped beating,
Two shining eyes at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove us-
He only takes the best.

God knows you had to leave us,
but you didn’t go alone.
For part of us went with you
the day he took you home.

To some you are forgotten-
to others just a part of the past,
but to us who loved and lost you
your memory will always last.

###

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) once swam along the North Coast of California, but 18th- and 19th-century fur trappers nearly caused the species to go extinct. Statewide, only one remnant population of approximately fifty individuals was left in Big Sur by the 1930s.  Today nearly 100 years later, thanks to concerted efforts, more than 3,000 sea otters call California home from that small initial remaining population. While recovery efforts have increased the overall population, sea otters are still only occupy a narrow belt, roughly from Santa Cruz to Point Conception, of their historic range. 

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has studied the feasibility of sea otter reintroduction efforts and is hosting open houses across the North Coast to discuss potential reintroduction. Guests Chanel Hason of the Elakha Alliance and Andrew Johnson of Defenders of Wildlife join the show to discuss the vital role that sea otters play in ocean ecosystems and their work to facilitate sea otter introduction. 

Want to attend a meeting? There are some that are (likely) close to you!

• Crescent City - June 24, 5:30 PM – 8:00 PM, Del Norte Recreation Department, Gymnasium 1005 H St., Crescent City, CA 95531
• Arcata - June 25, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Cal Poly Humboldt, College Creek Complex, Great Hall Community Center Building, Room 260, 1 Rossow St., Arcata, CA 95521
• Fort Bragg - June 26, 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Noyo Center for Marine Science, Discovery Center 338 N Main St., Fort Bragg, CA 95437

###

###

This excerpt was taken from the diary of Kate McFarlan, which she kept from August 23, 1874 through December 4, 1875.

Kate was the oldest of seven children, two of whom died as infants. Her parents, George and Catharine, moved to Humboldt from St. Andrews, New Brunswick and began their family. According to the 1870 census, George was a logger.

The diary documents Kate’s last two years as a young, single woman in Eureka. It is filled with dances, picnics, boating, horseback riding, and visiting with her friends and relatives. Alex Gregor looms large as her beau and eventual husband. Besides her personal entries, it is an exceptional record of Eureka’s social life during the early 1870s and also mentions many old Eureka families, such as the Carsons, Cousins, Ryans, etc.

The diary and a full transcript are available at the HCHS research center. This excerpt has been edited for readability.

###

Sept. 21, 1874

Tuesday at half past seven Sam (1) brought my horse up to me (Billy by name), then I rode down and joined Mr. and Mrs. McFarlan and Maria Carson. Then off we started for Freshwater to join the rest of our company. We got there at nine o’clock, then the rest joined us: Mr. H. Wilson (2), Mr. J. Baldwin and Mr. Thompson.

Then off we started again and rode seven miles uphill all the way [until] we reached Mrs. Nellis’s, a very beautiful place indeed. We remained there about half an hour [and] had some plums and pears so we felt very much rested. Then we mounted our horses again and rode four miles farther … [to] Mrs. Fitzgerald’s (3), where we stopped and cooked our dinner, which we all enjoyed very much.

At three o’clock we again mounted our horses and rode three miles farther, then we reached our destination. The men were busily engaged unpacking the house and making everything as comfortable for us as they possibly could. While they were engaged, Nellie and I built a large fire out of old fence rails and began to prepare supper.

After supper we all sat around the camp fire and sang songs till after ten o’clock. The moonlight was perfectly beautiful. I thought I never saw a full moon look so bright before.

At ten o’clock we retired to the barn, where we remained the rest of the night. Ellen (4) fell asleep as soon as she laid down, but Maria and I did not get to sleep until after one o’clock, the horses made so much noise.

We got up at four o’clock and prepared breakfast, then the men went out hunting. After we got our work done up, we took a walk up on a hill and gathered some acorns. Then we came back to the camp again and cooked dinner. At eleven o’clock the men came in from hunting and we had dinner, which consisted of stewed grouse, bread and butter, hard gingerbread, cheese, and tea. We all enjoyed it very much.

After dinner Mr. Thompson came to us and said that Skeff (5) had sent for his horse and he had to go and take it home. We understood how it was­­ ­— the men made up that story just to get rid of him because we did not want his company any longer. We took our blankets and made an awning to keep the [sun] off us, so we sat there the rest of the afternoon. We composed a piece of poetry as follows:

My friends and I camped all alone,
Out on the Bald Hills far from home,
Some killed grouse, some killed quail,
And we cooked them in old [Norcer?] pail.

If I had Davy and he was mine,
I’d dress him up and make him shine,
Send him on his homeward way,
Hoping to meet him another day.
Ha Ha Ha &c

As we were sleeping in the barn,
Secure we thought we were from harm,
Up jumped Davy Bub Bub Bub,
Up jumped Sam and gave him a rub.

So we were sitting on the hay,
Sam was full of fun and play,
He’d took something, I don’t know what to call it.
I don’t know but I think it was the Colic.

In the eve Mr. Wilson cooked a rabbit and a squirrel. We all had a taste of it but did not admire the taste very much—­it tasted rather wild.

At eleven o’clock we all retired to the barn and slept all night till five in the morning, then we got up. Mr. Wilson had breakfast all ready for us, which consisted of fried bacon, hot biscuit, tea, gingerbread, and canned meat.

After breakfast the men went out hunting again. They came in about ten o’clock with three or four grouse, half a dozen quail, and a large gray and white squirrel.

At half past two they packed the horses and we started for home. Got as far as Mr. Fitzgerald’s and had supper there and slept in their barn all night. Slept very good indeed as I was very tired.

We got up and got breakfast at six o’clock. It consisted of bread and butter and tea. It was not very much, for our state of provisions were nearly exhausted. At ten o’clock we left Mr. Fitzgerald’s for Mr. Nellis’s.

Arrived there at twelve, then we got off our horses and had dinner. I tell you, it tasted splendid – the first square meal we had had since we left home. I thought Ellen never would get through eating. But I hadn’t better say anything, for I did not eat a very small dinner myself.

At half past two we mounted our horses again and started for home. We rode eight miles, then we reached Jim Wilson’s house. Ellen and I went over to Mary’s, did not get off our horses, then we came back as far as Sandy Wilson’s (6) and had supper. Then we went back to Jim’s to join the rest. At seven we again started for home and got there at nine o’clock, all agreeing that our trip to the Bald Hills had been a very happy one.

###

ENDNOTES:

1. Probably Sam McFarlan. His wife, Ellen, also went on the trip.

2. Probably Hugh Wilson, who was a Freshwater pioneer. He was a native of Charlotte County, New Brunswick and would have been about 34 at this time. (Obituary, Arcata Union, Thursday, 1 Feb 1923)

3. Perhaps Margaret Fitzgerald, who lived with her family at Kneelands Prairie. 1880 Census.

4. Ellen McFarlan, wife of Samuel W. McFarlan

5. Skeffington Carson. We don’t know what he did, but Kate apparently forgave him, because after her first husband died, she married him almost twenty years later.

6. Alexander Wilson’s obituary mentions his brother, James Wilson of Dows Prairie and his sister, Mrs. William Carson. They could be the Sandy and Jim Wilson named here. Humboldt Times, 4 August 1894

###

The story above was originally printed in the Summer 2020 issue of The Humboldt Historian, a journal of the Humboldt County Historical Society, and is reprinted here with permission. The Humboldt County Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to archiving, preserving and sharing Humboldt County’s rich history. You can become a member and receive a year’s worth of new issues of The Humboldt Historian at this link.

Press release from the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human Services:

State officials announced today the award of $12,361,918 million in a unique partnership between Humboldt County Behavioral Health, Mad River Community Hospital, Cal Poly Humboldt and the City of Arcata.

The funding will be used to build a Behavioral Health Crisis Triage Center. 

Inspired by the Be Well OC campus facility in Orange County, and driven by the need for mental health crisis triage services in Humboldt County, the Humboldt County Behavioral Health Crisis Triage Center will include a sobering center, mental health care and crisis stabilization. The facility will serve all people and all ages, regardless of insurance, with stays ranging from less than 24 hours to 90 days. 

Mad River Community Hospital donated land to the project, while the county allocated funding from the American Rescue Plan Act, and a grant was received from the County Medical Services Program. Additional funding will be needed to complete the project.   

Mad River Community Hospital Chief Executive and Chief Nursing Officer David Neal said, “We are so excited to partner with the city, the county and the community to build a place where healing and hope begin. We’re proud that this project will benefit the community for decades to come.”

“Most importantly, the facility will offer the opportunity for individuals and families in crisis to receive prompt care in an environment built for privacy, healing and dignity,” said Humboldt County Behavioral Health Director Emi Botzler-Rodgers.

Connie Stewart, Director of Initiatives for Cal Poly Humboldt, said, “I would like to thank the County of Humboldt Board and staff and Mad River Community Hospital for coming up with a comprehensive, integrated project to help families in our community that are in crisis. This is just the beginning and there will be lots of opportunities for the community to engage as we work to make this vision become a reality.” 

Arcata City Manager Karen Diemer noted that the community has been asking for a facility like this for a very long time. “The City of Arcata is so proud to be a part of the solution,” she said.  

DHHS Director Connie Beck said she was grateful to the state and to local representatives State Senator Mike McGuire and Assemblymember Jim Wood. “This is a big deal for Humboldt. We’re so grateful to our Board and our partners for the hard work that has gone into this. This project will mean so much to our community,” she said. 

The team aims to open the Behavioral Health Crisis Triage Center at the end of 2026.

###

PREVIOUSLY: YESTERDAY in SUPES: Board Approves Letter of Support for Behavioral Health Triage Center Grant Application, Condemns Recent ‘Hate Events’ in Humboldt, and So Much More!

###

Press release from Food for People:

There are big transitions happening at Food for People with the completion of the new building and the upcoming retirement of longtime Executive Director Anne Holcomb and the hiring of Carly Robbins as the new ED!
 
Anne’s role as the Executive Director began in April of 2001 after moving from Maine to Humboldt to be closer to her adult children and expanding brood of grandchildren. She quickly decided to focus on creating the kind of community she wanted her grandkids to grow up in; one that ensures everyone has the food they need to grow, learn, and work with dignity.
 
That led to a 22-year career at Food for People and has included lots of listening and learning to help guide the organization’s efforts to develop creative programs and partnerships that best meet the needs of our diverse community. These have included programs like the Backpacks for Kids weekend hunger relief program; mobile pantry services that reach the far corners of our rural county; free produce markets that help people incorporate foods that support good health; an expanded network of food pantries for a more localized response; increased CalFresh outreach to provide households broader access to additional resources for food; and the ability to respond to natural disasters as quickly as possible.
 
“I would like to thank the staff and volunteers and the hundreds of partners both locally and statewide who have shared their resources, compassion and grace over the years in support of our friends and neighbors” says Holcomb.  “I have found such incredible inspiration from meeting so many people who have shared their stories of how Food for People helped them at a critical time, and how happy they are to be in a position to ‘pay it forward’ as volunteers and donors. This is the spirit that will keep Food for People strong and resilient into the future.”
 
After a comprehensive search by the Board of Directors, Carly Robbins has been hired to serve as the next Executive Director of the Food Bank.  Carly is not a stranger to the organization (nor the community, graduating from Eureka High!), serving as the Development Director for the past eight years. She has managed the fundraising and marketing efforts, while also spearheading the Capital Campaign for the new warehouse building that has grown way beyond the initial goals. 
 
“As I quickly learned, when I started eight years ago, even among other food banks, Food for People is unique, and I would say, exceptional. Many food banks function solely on a bulk level – collecting, inventorying, and storing food to be distributed to partner agencies. The direct distribution of food is typically done by others, but Food for People does it all. We do the typical food banking, providing food to our network of hard-working food pantries and partners, and we also provide direct service with our staff offering one-on-one connections with people, listening to their stories and offering a warm smile with dignity and respect.” 
 
Over the last several years the economic challenges caused by the pandemic, supply chain issues, and rising inflation have caused record numbers of people to seek Food for People’s services. The organization has grown, expanded, and weathered these unique challenges. And the food bank is now entering another stage as they work to address this continuing rise in food insecurity while also settling into a brand-new facility. Please stop by Food for People’s new location at 307 W 14th Street on Sunday, June 25th between 1 PM to 5 PM as they open their doors for public tours of the new warehouse facility.

###

Ten months after a an inflammatory Planning Commission hearing regarding permits for Travis Schneider’s dream home, the Planning Commission is set to meet again — this time, to remove permission for construction of the 8,000-square-foot home that was supposed to be built there.

To briefly recap the controversy the unfolded from that August 2022 meeting, Schneider, a local developer and owner of Eureka-based civil engineering firm Pacific Affiliates, found himself in hot water after violating multiple terms of a Coastal Development Permit for a massive house on Walker Point Road, north of Eureka. 

County planning staff issued a stop-work order in December 2021 after learning that Schneider had:

• constructed an un-permitted access road through environmentally sensitive habitat,
• used a CAT 310 excavator to clear blackberry brambles and other foliage from the property, potentially damaging tribal cultural resources, and
• misaligned the home’s footprint, causing it to be within 100 feet of a designated wetland.

Subsequent investigations revealed more problems: The home Schneider had partially built was more than two and a half times larger than the permit allowed, measuring a whopping 20,817 feet. He had also started construction without a building permit and failed to get a required septic permit for the development. 

A related controversy erupted over former Planning Commissioner Alan Bongio’s racist comments at that August hearing, comments for which he later sort of apologized, though he was still censured by the Board of Supervisors, who requested that he step down from his position as chair. Bongio resigned in December.

Schneider attempted to finesse his way through the controversy despite conflicts with local tribes, warnings from the California Coastal Commission and increased public scrutiny over the entire permitting process.

Finally, in a twist first reported by Thadeus Greenson of the North Coast Journal, Schneider agreed through his attorney to tear down his partially built home as he faced fines of $40,000 per day for the assorted permit violations he’d accumulated.

He also agreed to remove the 15,000 cubic yards of fill soil he’d hauled onto the property, an amount nearly 10 times what was allowed under his coastal development permit. And he agreed to mitigate any impacts to environmentally sensitive habitat areas and wetland habitats onsite and to construct a fence to protect the archeological site on the property.

At the upcoming July 6 meeting, the Humboldt County Planning Commission will consider modifying Schneider’s Coastal Development Permit to facilitate these actions. According to a public notice issued last week, the permit modifications would remove an entitlement to build an 8,000-square-foot home, plus an attached 1,000 square foot cellar and a four car garage.

It would also remove permission for 1,500 cubic yards of grading and grant permission to tear down and remove the 21,000 square foot structure that’s still partially built on the property.

Attempts to reach Schneider by phone and email were not returned.

###

PREVIOUSLY:

• Heated Meeting Sparks Accusations of Dishonesty and Discrimination, Opening Rift Between Tribes and Humboldt County Planning Commission
• Despite Silence From Tribes, Mega-Home Builder Optimistic Ahead of Tonight’s Continued Planning Commission Hearing to Address Permit Violation Fallout
• After Rebukes and Apologies for Bongio’s ‘Disrespectful’ Comments, Planning Commission Defers Decision on Mega-Home Permits
• County Supes to Consider Censure of Planning Commission Chair Alan Bongio for Inappropriate Conduct
• Bohn Makes the Motion, Supes Unanimously Censure Bongio for Racist Remarks, Move to Remove Him as Chair of Planning Commission
• A Tour Through the Half-Built Dream Mansion of Travis Schneider, Who Remains Hopeful Amid Mounting Permit Problems
• Alan Bongio, Embattled Humboldt County Planning Commissioner, Resigns

ELSEWHERE:

• Developer Agrees to Tear Down Controversial Home, Faces Daily $40K Fines (NCJ)