It is with a profound sense of loss that we announce the passing of Mike on March 8, 2023. As a lifelong Christian Scientist, we do take comfort in knowing he has now reached his ultimate, spiritual perfection and his eternal home in Heaven, no longer bound by his material body.

Michael was born in Missoula, Montana on December 5, 1954, to William Wayne and Imogene Lee Dunkelberger. He was soon followed by two brothers, Paul and Robert. Upon his father’s graduation from Montana State University, the family moved to California where his sister, Wendy, was born. The family finally ended up in Humboldt County after his father took a position with PG&E. Michael lost his father at an early age and after his mother remarried, his youngest brother, Guy, was born.

Michael attended local schools, Elk River School, a one room schoolhouse, South Bay Elementary, Winship Junior High, Eureka High School, graduating in 1973, followed by College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University.

One thing we can say about Mike is he was always his own man, never a follower. He marched to the beat of his own drum.

Mike was a man of many interests. From an early age he was fascinated by the sciences. Biology and geology were his were his main interests, with Herpetology, the study of reptiles and amphibians, being at the top of the list. While the neighborhood kids were off climbing trees, playing sports or other childhood pursuits, not Mike, he would be found catching frogs and salamanders or digging fossils. Somehow, along the way, we were roped into joining him, wading in swamps, lifting downed trees, seeing what we could find. As an adult, he had a diverse collection of reptiles, large and small.

This love of biology was a lifelong passion for Michael and eventually his career. This led him to continue his study of reptiles and amphibians throughout his life, acquiring a vast knowledge of the subject. Even though biology and herpetology were his passion, he chose to follow in his father’s footsteps and major in geology at HSU. During his time at HSU, Mike worked at Pacific Lumber Company as a millworker, and he would continue this employment after he left HSU. During a conversation with the then-President of Pacific Lumber Company at the annual logging conference, he discussed what he found in the field during his own personal studies. This led to an interview with their biology department, the President telling them they “needed to talk to this guy.” He was hired on the spot. He continued as a wildlife biologist until his retirement in 2018. He loved his job, and we were so proud of him!

Along with herpetology, geology was a huge part of his life. He amassed a large collection of rocks and fossils. Collecting Jade from the local river-bars was a frequent pursuit. He loved the annual gem and mineral show and if you were lucky enough to attend with him, you would inevitably come home with more knowledge about geology and a fossil or two.

Other interests for Michael were airplanes and volcanos. He was an avid photographer with some photographs published in herpetology magazines and books. He was also a member of the American Fuchsia Society for over 25 years.

Michael took immense joy in imparting his knowledge to others. He took any opportunity he could to mentor others about the world and the creatures that live in it. We all learned a lot from Michael. When you needed an answer to anything, you could just ask Mike. The world lost a great mind on March 8th.

Michael’s greatest love was his family. His family meant the world to him, he loved them to “pieces,” and they loved him. Family gatherings were the absolute best. He would bring his special, homemade pies and he always mashed the potatoes! As much as he could, he stayed in touch with his extended family, far and wide.

Michael is survived by his mother, Lee Bravo, and Stepfather, Larry Bravo. Brothers Paul and his children Cliff (Alexis) and Cidnee (Brett), Robert and his children Aaron, Jason, and Serena, Guy Bravo, his wife Tina, and their children Jonathan (Karen), Daniel, David, and Justin. Wendy Heard, her husband Bart and their children, Dylan (Erica), and Sophia. Great niece and nephew Wolf Dunkelberger and Brooklyn Heard, and his beloved cousin, who was like a brother to Mike, Jon Bristow, plus a large, extended family and dear friends.

Michael was predeceased by his father, William Wayne Dunkelberger, his Grandparents, Harold and Luella Dunkelberger, Dwight, and Vesta Claire Bristow. His aunts and uncles, Beverly Lovejoy, Anita Sanders, Dwight and Gary Bristow, Harold (Ben), Chris, and Mason Dunkelberger.

A celebration of life will be on Sunday, June 4, 2023, at the River Lodge, 1800 Riverwalk Dr., Fortuna, CA, beginning at 1 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, if you wish, memorial contributions may be made to the Humboldt Area Foundation, Michael W. Dunkelberger Science Scholarship, to support students pursuing a degree in the sciences or to the charity of your choice.

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Robert Vincent Syverson
November 12, 1966 – March 27, 2023

Born in Endicott, New York, Robert was the youngest of four boys. His parents, Marsh and Dian, moved the family to San Jose, when Robert was a young boy, and that’s where he spent the majority of his youth. Robert and his brothers (Mark, Paul and Joe) were blessed to make many lifelong friends on Culver Drive (Traci, Laurie, John, Dave, Wayne, Todd…). Even as the years passed, when they came together, it was just like yesterday. And, thankfully, Robert’s parents sent him to JOY (Jesus Over You) so he could meet his best friend, Derrick and also Randy. Oh, the stories they could tell…years of skiing, lake trips, barbecues, and car shows made memories with lots of laughs and selfies before that was even a thing.

In part due to his rambunctious nature, in his late teens, Robert moved to live with his uncle George in Columbus, Mississippi for a couple years. During that time, they lived on Columbus Air Force Base with George’s family. He quit school and successfully completed his GED. He worked at the base service station. As a young man on the base, he had a dream of being a helicopter pilot, it was then he learned of his glaucoma that caused difficulty over the years. Traveling back to CA to attend his grandfather’s service, Robert took the opportunity to move back to San Jose. He moved in with his parents, and as he told it, his dad told him he had 3 days to get a job and pay rent. And, so he did! Robert worked various jobs from Home Depot to construction project management.

It was at the young age of 21, Robert became the father to Brittany. He was a very caring, giving soul who loved to teach others. He greatly enjoyed and loved raising his daughter. Full of energy as he was, he took her skiing, water skiing, hiking, camping, and to worksites! Robert aligned with the penguin as a way of parenting (the males take care of the young)

A victim of a vehicle accident in his mid-twenties that left him with a serious back injury, Robert had the opportunity to re-evaluate life. He was strong enough to work through the pain from getting off pharmaceuticals with water aerobics and light stretching to eventually mountain biking and jumping the wake, wakeboarding! When Brittany went to live with her mother, Robert hit the reset button. He earned his Associate degree from Evergreen College in San Jose. In 1996 he moved to Arcata to attend Humboldt State University. He graduated with a BS in Natural Resource Planning and maintained a lifelong friendship with roommate Jerry “Bones” Snow.

After graduation, Robert held jobs as a PGE consultant and for the City of Arcata. In 2001 he started his 22-year career with Caltrans, first in planning, then as a field maintenance biologist. He worked all over the district with the Caltrans maintenance crews to protect and enhance the environment when completing maintenance projects, and for storm response. Robert worked in rivers and streams improving fish passage and overall watershed health. Many a tree he planted and saved with creative multidisciplinary solutions. Wildflower surveys made some of his favorite days at work and he took beautiful wildflower photos. A local artist at one time bought his photos to recreate as paintings. As a bicyclist and advocate, he encouraged safe riding on the highways, from contributing to the bicycle touring guides to riding to set timing for bike loops on bridges. Robert’s outgoing personality netted him many colleagues as friends. Most of all, he enjoyed sharing the beauty of protecting the natural world with anyone who would listen. As he called it teaching folks to “pet frogs.”

In 1999, as neighbors at the laundromat, Robert met his future wife, Brenda. She moved to Arizona, where two years later for their birthdays, they took their first of many trips to Sedona, Arizona. Shortly thereafter, Brenda moved back to Humboldt where she and Robert joined their cat families (Weather, Sprocket, and KBear) along with tortoise Kokopelli. Robert was a very kind, supportive, and chivalrous partner, which garnered him many compliments from strangers over the years. They took pleasure in an active lifestyle, from: mountain biking, hiking, house boating, wakeboarding, to gardening, evening walks, and plant identification. They loved to travel, stay in swanky places and eat fancy food. Some of their favorite trips included Utah (Gooseberry, LaVerkin, Zion), Arizona (Grand Canyon, Sedona!). Mt. Hood, Yosemite, New York, Southern Oregon coast, Fort Bragg and various hot springs! They resided in Fortuna for 15 years and found the most amazing, supportive neighbor friends (Brandon and Lluvia, Noah, Eli, Jim and Terry, Aaron, Mark, Debi and Mike, Penny, Mr. McKnight and others). Robert and Brenda’s union of marriage ended in 2019, however the love remained.

Robert loved life, and all living things. An energetic, talkative, friendly, outgoing personality, Robert touched the lives of many (human, plant, animal…). And, if I were to be reincarnated, I would want to be Robert’s cat! In honor of Robert: ride your bike, stop and smell the flowers, watch the sunset, talk to strangers, pet a frog, smile, laugh, hug trees and those you love, be your own fearless medical advocate, practice self-care.

Robert is survived by mother Dian Syverson; brothers Mark Syverson (Mary Jean) and Joe Syverson (Anafe); uncles George Refeedie and Marlo Syverson; cousins Ali Colton Syverson, Shannon Primasing (David); daughter Brittany Loofbourrow; niece Danielle; nephews Joey, Tommy, Matthew; and many other cousins and second cousins.

Robert was proceeded in death by father Marschelle Syverson and brother Paul Syverson.

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One of the kite performances synced to music at the Redwood Coast Kite Festival | Photos, video: Stephanie McGeary 

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It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s a giant whale flying above Eureka!

You may have noticed kites in the shape of whales, squid, fish and and all sorts of other creatures and shapes flying near the Eureka’s waterfront this weekend. That’s because the second annual Redwood Coast Kite Festival has taken over Halvorsen Park for two days of kite-centered fun!

This is the second year of the kite festival in Eureka, put on by Humboldt Kiters, a DreamMaker project of the Ink People. Mark Ahrens, local kite enthusiast and event coordinator for the festival, told the Outpost on Saturday that the turnout for the festival was very good and that it is starting to become well-known among avid kiters across the country. 

“We’ve become a destination point,” Ahrens said during a quick interview on Saturday afternoon. “It’s pretty awesome because the kiting community has said ‘this is the real deal.’”

My stock response, when someone asks me if I write fiction or non-fiction, is something like, “Well I hope it’s non-fiction.” Fiction eludes me, and I marvel at and respect those who tackle it — we have several talented and successful fiction writers right here in Humboldt County.

My problem with fiction is this: I’ll have what I (a legend in my own mind) think of as a brilliant start. Sometimes it’s just a sentence, other times a paragraph or two, or a few lines of dialog. Then, perhaps 100 words in, I’ll run out of steam.

L. Ron Hubbard, the champ. Photo: Public domain, via Wikimedia.

100 words! Here’s what real writers output, daily.

• Anne (Interview with a Vampire) Rice: 3,000 words
  
• Michael (Jurassic Park) Crichton: 10,000 words
• Ernest Hemingway: 500 words (but what words!)
• Stephen King: 2,000 words
• L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, published 1084 works (250 fiction) in his lifetime, making him the world’s most prolific writer according to Guinness.

Making my efforts look a bit silly. But I have a column to write, so here are some recent efforts for you to waste the next five minutes on. Or not. As I say, I don’t do fiction.

God’s Barber

Over the millennia, Julce’s drinking problem got worse and worse. Every hundred thousand years or so, he’d try to quit, but sobriety never took, and he was the only one God trusted with his beard, so he kept his job despite his addiction. It all came to a head the day Junior (as the angels insisted on calling Him) arrived, ascending in a cloud of glory, seraphim and cherubim ushering Him up through the clouds. And oh my, was he a mess! He’d never washed up after His messy demise — hands and feet were particularly disgusting — and His hair was still matted with blood from the thorns. It fell to Julce to clean him up…

…who was having a particularly bad day, having stumbled on a jar of fermented manna the previous evening.

Jasmine

“Excuse me, but aren’t you the the guy in that movie?”

I gave her an enigmatic smile.

“My God! You are! I loved it, especially the scenes with, um, Jennifer?”

“She was a lot of fun to work with,” I said, trying to sound discreet.

“Would you mind terribly if I got a selfie with you?”

Up close, she smelled of jasmine.

“Look, I know it’s crazy, but…”

“It’s OK, I’m traveling incognito. Even my agent doesn’t know I’m here. Dinner?”

She gave a little whinny.

I love being the guy who looks like the guy in that movie.

Nine of Hearts

When I was an aspiring magician, I barely missed a single show of Harry’s. Afterwards, I’d tell him how I thought he did it, figuring out almost all of his illusions. I begged for more.

“Buy a deck of cards, pick one and put it in your pocket.”

We met the following night: “Nine of hearts.”

“How…?” I spluttered.

He put his finger on the side of his nose. “Shtum.”

Yesterday I visited him, a frail old man in his hospital bed.

“Harry, I’ve been going crazy for 40 years. How did you do it?”

He smiled. “I guessed.”

Three False Starts

“Time to wake up,” she thought, “This dream’s been going on for far too long.” But…

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“It’s going to be another long night,” said the waiter at the all-night coffee shop. He glanced over at the foursome in the corner of the restaurant. I looked at the black-leather clad gaggle of teens, not seeing anything out of the ordinary, until I realized…

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Something about the envelope made me anxious. No return address, just my name and address scrawled in purple ink. How did they know my first name? Everyone here knows me by my middle name, yet here it was, “Philip Barry Evans,” large as life. I tore open the envelope…

She was born in Arcata. Now she’s the mayor! 

Today on Humboldt Tea Time, host John Kennedy O’Connor is honored to be joined by Sarah Schaefer, an Arcata native who became a high school teacher and then mayor of the whole goddamn town.

What led her into public service? What’s it like to be involved in Arcata government, at a time of great transformation in the city, and in the county generally? How is the city getting along with Cal Poly Humboldt, and with its neighboring communities? Will she seek reelection next year, and will that decision be affected by whether or not she can afford to buy a house in her home town?

Today’s official tea time snack is Sweet Potato and Goat Cheese Bites, which you will make with Cypress Grove, of course. Tuck in, press play.

California has set a bold conservation goal to protect 30% of its lands and coastal waters by 2030. This “30x30” goal aligns with a global 30×30 movement to protect nature all around the world to avoid an extinction crisis.

The Power in Nature Coalition brings together environmental organizations, activists, and tribal nations to collectively push Sacramento to meet its 30x30 target. Advocates are urging the state to fund and protect key strategic lands and waters that will protect biodiversity, allow for better public access to the outdoors, and help to naturally sequester carbon. Josefina Barrantes of the Power in Nature Coalition joins Dan Sealy of the NEC and Matt Simmons of EPIC to chart a path forward for conservation. 

Subcultures are inherently a part of how we relate to one another. Broadly defined, a subculture is made up of a group of people that have beliefs or interests veering away from the larger culture they are already a part of. Often, a subculture is seen as a rebellion to the mainstream culture

Take Humboldt’s goth scene.

The goth subculture emerged from the New York punk rock scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Rumor has it that goth culture landed in Humboldt County somewhere in the 1990s, but it is tough to say precisely when. Regardless of when goth made it to Humboldt, there is a pattern that keeps it alive and it goes like this — there is no goth scene, goths start to find each other, some of them start holding local goth events, then something stops the goth scene. Repeat.

The interesting part of all this is that goth people are always here. The thing that changes is whether or not spaces are opened up to goth events. With each iteration, the goth scene is reborn with the same soul but a different personality.

Some of the earlier public gatherings of the goth community began with Marjhani BellaMorte. BellaMorte, 48, moved to Humboldt County in 2008 to help some friends with the opening of a tattoo studio in Arcata but it was in 2009 when she began to meet more goths like herself. They would meet at the Greenwood Cemetery in Arcata to hang out, listen to music and drink wine, all while being goth.

In 2011, BellaMorte decided to take it a step further. She wanted more gothiness. At first Bella Morte approached a few places to see if it was even possible to hold an event, but was met with resistance. So instead, this small group of goths started what was called Weirdo Wednesdays, where they would take over the Alibi in Arcata.

“They really didn’t want to support anything goth so we just showed up in our gothy goodness with 40 bucks and took over the jukebox,” BellaMorte said.

Marjhani BellaMorte dancing at Club Deliverence. Photo courtesy BellaMorte.

Weirdo Wednesdays consistently saw about 10-16 people every week, and it lasted for approximately five months. There were attempts to do something similar at The Shanty in Eureka, but the turnout was not enough. Soon after, The Jambalaya in Arcata let the goths hold a monthly goth night. They called it Club Deliverence.

BellaMorte would decorate the interior walls and tables to transform The Jam into a goth club. This all lasted roughly four to five months before some changes at The Jam forcibly stopped Club Deliverence.

After that, the club found a new home at the Nocturnum Nightclub in Eureka. Within only two months in this new home, the Nocturnum Nightclub permanently closed its doors and Club Deliverence died with it.

BellaMorte kept goth alive as long as she could while her career as a professional belly dancer was taking off. She created a gothic dark fusion style of belly dancing and began teaching it internationally. That, coupled with her son graduating high school in 2014, led to her decision to move back to SoCal.

The goth scene didn’t end with BellaMorte. It pivoted into the hands of a young man named Ian, and he held a goth event over at Siren’s Song Tavern in Eureka. Twenty-one years old at the time, Ian held the ranks for a few years while he went to school. By the time he was done with school — roughly 2016 or 2017 — he decided to move away and to another local goth scene. This reporter attempted to get in contact with Ian but was unable to reach him for comment.

Jovanah Martinez-Hoboo, 47, also known by her DJ name Dastbunny, inherited goth night and kept it going for four years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, at which point, of course, everything stopped.

“We tried to have it online but we realized that we weren’t gathering anybody new, so I decided to stop,” Martinez-Hoboo said. “Then, in the middle of the pandemic, I saw a flier for Danica and Jamie’s Goth Night and was so excited to see new baby bats coming out!”

That is when Jamie Cocking, also known as fauxvelvet, had a plan to start a goth night at the Richard’s Goat Tavern. She saw the need for a goth night and put out a flier inviting people to show up, listen to her playlist and dance the night away. At this point, Danica Avińa, 32, caught wind of Cocking’s flier and immediately contacted her. Avińa was starting out as a DJ and she already had a setlist she wanted to perform. Cocking agreed and next thing they knew, they were partnering together for regularly scheduled goth nights at The Goat.

Each Goth Night Arcata has its own theme and everyone involved brings their aesthetic and creative talents to put together an event full of life. Avińa has the creative direction on how they will advertise. She sets up photoshoots with herself and Cocking in full goth dress and leans heavily into the theme they have chosen. They also have a light technician that sets the ambiance and tone during the event.

“We were surprised to see so many goths come out of nowhere after just the first night,” Avińa said. “Some people say we’ve already outgrown The Goat but we don’t intend on hosting anywhere else.”

Cocking has since moved away to San Diego, but still returns to Humboldt just to co-host Goth Night Arcata. Avińa and Cocking’s collaboration continues and they regularly post to their gothnightarcata Instagram account.

Another goth in the ranks is Gini Noggle, 49. Also known as Outlaw Jamie B on the stage, Noggle moved it to Humboldt in 1991. She quickly integrated into the community through the local production of the Rocky Horror picture show at the Arcata Theater Lounge and after a year or so, she began to organize it. She took part in the local haunted houses every halloween and made the effort to be a part of the fringe goths existing here. Over the years Noggle has used her networking skills to help with all manner of local events, starting troops of burlesque performers, and generally holding spaces for people to enjoy themselves.

Then in 2021, Noggle had the idea to celebrate World Goth Day at the Old Steeple in Ferndale.

“It’s the perfect place for an event like this, it’s an old gothic architecture church next door to a cemetery and it’s historical,” said Noggle.

The event took place last year and the turnout was approximately 500 people, including vendors and their plus ones. This year, Goth Day Revisited is an eight-hour event and it is suitable for all ages. There are two important elements to this event that distinguish it from most goth nights in the past: The fact that this event is all-ages friendly, and takes place all day to include anyone and everyone in the community at large.

“Parents that came with their kids and teenagers were thanking our people at the doors,” Noggle said. “I heard things like, ‘I feel like I understand my kid better’ and ‘I haven’t seen my kid this happy in months’.”

Goths are often mischaracterized as abrasive, scary, and sometimes even violent. The reality is that they are kind, inclusive and accepting. They are also protective and in some ways introverted, especially in Humboldt.

Goth communities have historically been made up of people of color, queer people, and anyone else who sees themselves as an outcast. Although being goth means different things to different people, goth is often associated with things having a dark and macabre theme.

Goth music is not limited to one genre. There is goth rock, post-punk, industrial and pretty much anything that has a dark and brooding sound. Most recently, the scene here has a mixture of darkwave, synthwave and death rock. Then there is goth fashion, often characterized by black clothing, leather, lace, and other dramatic styles.

While all of these things help tie the goth subculture together, many goths embrace individuality and uniqueness. Goths may express themselves in a variety of ways that might not fit the traditional mold that we perceive to be goth. Lots of sub-categories exist within the goth umbrella that play with the general dark theme but they can still be distinguished from one another. Some examples include dark steampunk, goth cottagecore, gothabilly, fetish goth and the list goes on.

Ellie Abate, 31, is a local goth that never misses an opportunity on the scene. Often donning the fashion elements mentioned earlier, she sums up what it takes to be a goth regardless of whether you fall into a subcategory or not.

“There isn’t a uniform, just come as you are. If you’re interested in understanding the beauty that exists in the darkness or just want to be around wonderful people, just show up.”

Being goth in Humboldt County is also about finding a sense of belonging and acceptance. While the area is generally progressive and open-minded, there are still many parts where goths may face discrimination or stigma. With that said, goths have been here and it looks like they are never leaving. Even when they do.