My sister, Roberta Staley, passed away peacefully on October 26, 2023 with Emmy and me by her side. She was 69 years old. Nine years ago she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and was given 18-24 months. She was a fighter and never gave up. Roberta was born in Arcata on October 7, 1954. She graduated from Eureka High in 1972.

Roberta worked for Louisiana Pacific for many years, where she met her good friend Carol Booth Sherbin. They had many crazy adventures together. Thank you, Carol, for traveling several times from Sacramento to spend precious time with her. Later on she decided to try being a waitress at various restaurants. The last place she worked was the Cookhouse, where she met her good friend Michelle Pando. They also had many crazy adventures together. Thank you, Michell,e for coming from Long Beach several times to be by her side. I also want to say thank you to her good friend since junior high Pam White for her many visits. You all made her feel loved and valued even when she wasn’t very nice to be around. You all know what I mean. Most of all thank you, Emmy, for being there from day one and to the very end. I couldn’t have done it all without you.

Roberta was one of a kind. Always up for an adventure and loved living life to the fullest. She could party all night and still get on her bicycle the next day and ride 60 miles in top form. She was especially proud of the fact that she was able to climb to the top of Half Dome in Yosemite. She traveled to Italy several times to visit our relatives. Before her illness she loved hiking with her hiking group.

Roberta was preceded in death by our mom, Leda Rossi,  and her father, Theodore Fraga. She is survived by her sister, Teresa Eskra (Steve); sons Chris Staley (Shannon) and Joshua Staley; nephews Jason and Kevin Call; grandchildren Andra Staley, Brooke Staley, Joshua Staley, Emma Staley and Stevie Staley; great-niece Zoey Call and great nephew Christian Call; and lifelong friends Emmy, Pam, Carol and Michelle.

I also want to thank the wonderful staff at Redwood R&R for their compassionate care. I would also like to say thank you to Scotty, her hospice nurse for his kindness and professionalism. I will miss my sister even though she was a pain in the butt sometimes. I hope you are singing and dancing with all your buddies that went before you.

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David Manville Treat passed away October 21, 2023 at his home surrounded by his family.

Dave was born November 20, 1940 to Walter and Lois Treat in Newman, Calif.

Dave graduated from Orestimba High school in 1958. After high school he toured Europe then decided to join the army, due to his love of Europe, where he was the stationed in Germany during the Cold War. He also received his AA from CR. He had numerous jobs growing up. He worked on a turkey farm, an airport and even was a Police officer. Then finally he worked for PG&E and ended up moving to Eureka. He retired after 33 yrs.

Dave and Natalie married February 6, 1966 and would go on to have two daughters. Dave was a wonderful, loving father and husband. He loved to spend his summers at Trinity Lake with his family and friends. He loved hunting, fishing and was an amazing woodworker.

But most of all Dave was the best grandfather. He loved all of his grandchildren with all his heart.

Dave is survived by his wife Natalie and two daughters, Terri (Billy) Robison and Trina (Jeremy) Morais. He is also survived by his brothers Bob (Pegi) and Phil (Rita) Treat; his grandchildren Ashley Robison (Sterling), Kendra Robison (Trevor), Kara Bruschi (Chase), Tanner Bruschi and Ryan (Samantha) Morais; great-grandchildren Raelynn Bruschi. Dave was predeceased by his parents, Walter Treat and Lois Treat.

At Dave’s request there will be no services.

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James Arthur Nelson, 67, of Eureka, passed away peacefully on September 29, 2023. Jim grew up in Eureka, a town he loved and never left. Jim worked at Eureka Ready Mix for many years, as well as his own trucking company, and he took pride in keeping his trucks and equipment clean and very well maintained.

As a kid he spent a lot of time at his parents’ property in Phillipsville, and loved taking his Chevy Blazer to pick up friends to drive around. As an adult, Jim loved to barbecue, have a cocktail and tell his friends about current events and news. He had many friends in this community and we would appreciate them to bring their memories and stories to share. James will be dearly missed and always remembered.

James was predeceased by Harold and Amelia Nelson, his parents. He is survived by his brothers Ken and Donald Nelson, and his children Nicholas and Chelsea. We will be holding a celebration of life be held in his honor as opposed to traditional funeral services. We request all of Jim’s loved ones to join us in celebrating his life at The Wharfinger building on the 19th of November from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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Press release from the office of Rep. Jared Huffman:

Today, U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) announced that $8,672,986 has been awarded to the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation District to support the development of an offshore wind terminal. This planning project will fund studies, site design, and permitting activities for a heavy-lift offshore wind terminal at the Redwood Marine Terminal. The grant will also fund the creation of a bay-wide master plan for offshore wind development and project management and grant administration expenses.

“The Biden-Harris administration and Democrats have made serious commitments to ramp up renewable energy with the transformative investments we made in the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Offshore wind is an important part of that equation,” said Rep. Huffman. “My district in Northern California has some of the best areas available to help meet the administration’s offshore wind energy goals, and I’m glad I could help secure this grant to support the development of one of the first offshore wind projects on the West Coast.”

“The district is grateful for all the support we have received from our state and federal partners,” said Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation Commission President Greg Dale. “As this project moves forward, the district is committed to working with the community, fishermen, and tribes to minimize the impacts and maximize the local benefits.”

Funding for this project comes from the FY2023 Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) and was disbursed by the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration. In Fiscal Year 2023, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) appropriated $450 million to the PIDP. An additional $212,203,512 was made available to the program under the FY2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, resulting in a total of $662,203,512 in FY 2023 PIDP grant funding.

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Press release from Crowley Wind Services:

(EUREKA, Calif.; Nov. 3, 2023) ­– Following the announcement of a nearly $8.7 million federal grant to support the Humboldt Heavy Lift Marine Terminal for offshore wind, Crowley lauded the collaboration to secure the funding. This grant provides funds to progress the project to “shovel ready” status including design and permitting preparation costs.

“With the help of the Port Infrastructure Development Program grant secured by the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, Crowley looks forward to advancing our collaboration in the development of the Humboldt Heavy Lift Marine Terminal in close collaboration with the Harbor District, County, Tribal Nations, and other key organizations and stakeholders. We also thank U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman for his support of the project,” said Bob Karl, senior vice president and general manager, Crowley Wind Services.

“We are thrilled to have supported the Harbor District in the grant process. This marks another milestone in our path toward giving the county, state, and the nation a new source of energy that respects the environment and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. We take the great responsibility of delivering sustainable and positive economic impact for this community to heart.”

Protesters are currently gathered at Cal Poly Humboldt to object to the administration’s decision to evict a small number of students who have been living in their vehicles at a campus parking lot.

The demonstration started in the campus’s main parking lot on Harpst Street, where about 100 gathered in the rain to make signs. From there, protesters marched up to the quad for a series of speeches.

The administration announced its decision to evict the students last Wednesday, and it sparked a week of quick organizing later documented by the Lumberjack. A student’s club was formed, several faculty announced their opposition to the evictions, and meetings between the affected students and administrators were arranged.

In its email, the administration said that it had received complaints from members of the campus community about the “increasing” number of live-in vehicles stationed in campus parking lots, and said that the resulting “unsanitary and unsafe” conditions required the administration to start enforcing its rules on parking and camping.

But the students themselves denied that conditions were either unsanitary or unsafe, and they charged that housing prices, rising fees and the country’s general economic malaise essentially forced car living upon them.

“Cal Poly Humboldt administration is under the illusion that students are living in their vehicles out of choice,” wrote student Brad Butterfield in a response sent out to the campus community the day after the administration memo went out. “In actual fact, we are living in our vehicles and are legally homeless because we cannot afford to pay rent, feed ourselves, and pay growing tuition fees. We have sacrificed housing so that we can be here, earn our degrees and rise out of poverty. There is no financial back-up for students like us.”

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Previously: Ground Has Been Broken on Klamath River Restoration, the World’s Largest-Ever Dam-Removal Project

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Press release from the Klamath River Renewal Corporation:

(Hornbrook, Ca) – This week, crews put the final touches on the removal of the Copco No. 2 Dam and its diversion infrastructure. Removal of the dam structure was completed in September, and crews spent the last month removing the remaining diversion infrastructure, grading the river channel, and performing erosion control. This work prepares the river canyon for consistent river flows, likely commencing within 30 days, which the canyon hasn’t seen in 98 years.  Currently, flows in the canyon are fluctuating due to work being done to prepare Copco No. 1 for drawdown. 
 
“Copco No 2 is the first dam to be removed due to its small stature, location, and lack of reservoir,” noted Mark Bransom, CEO of the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC), the entity tasked with the safe and efficient removal of the four lower Klamath hydroelectric dams. “However, while Copco No. 2 was significantly smaller than the other dams slated for removal, it still had a significant impact on the river.” 
 
Copco No. 2 was located right below Copco No. 1 in a steep river canyon, commonly known as Ward’s Canyon, named after Kitty Ward, a Shasta Woman who lived in the valley now submerged by the reservoir created by Copco No 1. Completed in 1925, Copco No. 2 was a diversion dam that funneled the river’s flows out of the canyon and into a tunnel system that sent the water to the Copco No. 2 powerhouse located downstream, essentially dewatering the 1.7-mile-long canyon. Without the river’s presence in the canyon, trees grew in the riverbed which, when exposed to consistent river flows, would have died off creating a hazard for future recreationists. These trees were removed in September in collaboration with area tribes. 
 
“Seeing the Klamath River flow through this canyon after being diverted for nearly a century is inspiring,” said Laura Hazlett, COO of KRRC. “It makes me excited for everything else that is to come with the removal of the other three dams.” 
 
The remaining three dams, Copco No. 1, Iron Gate, and JC Boyle are slated for removal next year. In January KRRC will implement drawdown, the slow draining of the reservoirs, which is expected to take 3-5 months, depending on the amount of water entering the system as a result of spring runoff. Once drawdown is complete, restoration and deconstruction activities will begin in earnest. All three dams are expected to be completely removed by November 2024, while restoration activities will continue for years to come to ensure restoration success. 

Each language has a worldview a way of interpreting reality, Loren Me’-lash-ne Bommelyn says. For more than a century, society considered his uncivilized.

Bommelyn grew up in a “mixed language dynamic.” His mother, aunts and uncles were part of a generation who largely responded to their Tolowa-speaking elders in English. Those elders had survived religious proselytization and boarding school. Their parents and grandparents lived through massacres and forced relocation to reservations.

Some protected their children by deliberately not teaching them Tolowa, Bommelyn said, while others decided “I am the way I am and I talk the way I talk.”

“I remember seeing a movie — I don’t remember the name of it now. It was a Western and the characters were just out on the prairie shooting Indians,” Bommelyn told the Wild Rivers Outpost on Wednesday. “He gets shot and the dust flies. I go, ‘Yay!’ Dad goes, ‘What are you doing? Did you know that guy? That’s your uncle.’ I said, ‘What?’ He said, ‘What are you?’ I go, I’m an Indian.’ He said, ‘Who was he?’ And I go, ‘He was an Indian.’ A light came on in my head. I realized I’m a member of the bad guy population and it completely re-wrote my script.”

Bommelyn, who has spearheaded the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s efforts to save its language from extinction, is one of 10 language keepers featured in the documentary ‘A’-t’i Xwee-ghayt-nish: Still, We Live On. The film was created in partnership with the tribe and Cal Poly Humboldt.

Film professor Dave Jannetta is the director. The producers are Cal Poly Film Lecturer Nicola Waugh and Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Language and Culture Division Manager Marva Sii~xuutesna Jones.

The documentary will be screened at 2 p.m. Nov. 11 at Cal Poly Humboldt’s Native American Forum in Arcata. The screening will include a reception featuring traditional Tolowa foods and a panel discussion with Bommelyn and other voices from the film.

Still, We Live On will also be screened at 4:30 p.m. Nov. 18 at Xaa-wan’-k’wvt Hall Community Center, 101 Indian Court Road in Smith River. That event will also include a reception and discussion featuring the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation’s language keepers.

According to Loren Bommelyn, former Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation culture department director Pyuwa Bommelyn wrote a grant to document how their language evolved from being a “spoken tradition” to being a “written tradition.”

Loren Bommelyn said his people just began developing Tolowa as a written language in 1968 using a list of about 30 people who were born between 1868 and 1930.

“We worked with those people a lot capturing ethnographic information, village locations, villages that people descended from and just as much vocabulary that I could collect from them,” Bommelyn said. “We were pretty fortunate in that they remained in-situ — (despite) how rough it was and how the genocide occurred and the dysphoria that occurred as well, these folks were a handful who ended up continuing to live in Del Norte County.”

During the 1850s, the Tolowa people endured massacres by white settlers. In his book, An American Genocide: The United States and the California Indian Catastrophe, Benjamin Madley writes that the 1853 massacre near Yontocket Slough south of Smith River “may rank among the most lethal of all massacres in U.S. history.”

Despite the official tally from white sources estimating that roughly 150 people were massacred, Tolowa sources state that as many as 600 people may have lost their lives at Yontocket, Madley writes.

According to Bommelyn, the people he and others interviewed were “L1 speakers” — Tolowa was their first language.

“The community at that time was somewhat close. People knew each other and a lot of us were interrelated,” he said, adding that in the 1960s a lot of tribes had lost their language because their last-known speaker had died. “We were kind of fortunate. The four tribes in our area who have documented their language starting in the same period, they still had in-situ L1 speakers in their communities.”

Bommelyn said as a kid, his mother would take him to visit one of those elders, Amelia Brown, who lived to be 110 years old.

“I was so inquisitive and I wanted to know these things,” Bommelyn said. “I would come up with scenarios and questions and she would answer them for me.”

Another elder, Sam Lopez Sr., carried the law and protocols for the Tolowa Dee-ni’s ceremonies. Lopez passed that baton to Bommelyn when he died.

According to Bommelyn, Lopez, who had become a Christian, was alive when Congress enacted the American Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978. As moderator of those ceremonies, Lopez spoke on the Tolowa Dee-ni’s behalf.

“I remember being in Klamath, at the Klamath Salmon Festival when it was young, and he said, ‘Well, sisters and brothers we’re here today to do some ceremony dancing.’ And he said, ‘I have read that Bible from end to end and what I come to know today is the God they talk about in the Bible is the same God of my ancestors.’ And he goes, ‘Let’s Dance!’,” Bommelyn told the Outpost. “We never got to capture all of this stuff in the story, but this is how the language was working in all of that.”

Filmmakers began working on Still, We Live On over the summer of 2022, Waugh said. In addition to screening the film locally, she and Jannetta plan to enter the documentary into film festivals, including those focusing on indigenous causes, across North America.

There’s also plans to show the documentary on PBS following the festival run, Waugh told the Outpost.

“Our entire goal was to make a film for the community,” she said. “But it has broad enough appeal to exist outside of that. If we get a good reception in Del Norte and Humboldt it’ll make the tribe extremely happy.”

Bommelyn said documenting the ongoing revitalization of his language is important because a lot of Tolowa people “can find no economic reason to speak Tolowa,” so they question the importance of learning it.

Then there are others who are ignorant of the language itself. Learning Tolowa is viewing the Tolowa world through its own lens, he said.

Up until now, Bommelyn said, Tolowa religion and spirituality had been seen through an English framework. He said he sometimes gets jealous of those who speak their original language.

“We had to speak a colonizer’s language and wonder about our world,” Bommelyn said. “That’s the ultimate gift to the new generation — to know who you are in a deeper way, a clearer way.”