From the Humboldt County Drug Task Force:

On November 14th, 2022, Humboldt County Drug Task Force Agents served a search warrant at the residence of Joshua Buchanan (age 36) located in the 7000 Block of Berta Road in Eureka. After a multi-week investigation, the HCDTF believed Buchanan was selling fentanyl and was in possession of several firearms.

Buchanan.

Upon arriving at Buchanan’s residence, Agents detained an adult female who was accompanied by a young child. After a sweep of the residence, Agents confirmed that Buchanan was not on scene.

HCDTF Agents searched Buchanan’s residence and located a large safe in the kitchen area. The safe contained multiple assault rifles, handguns, non-serialized firearms, one stolen firearm, high-capacity magazines, a suppressor, a large quantity of ammunition, and indicia for Joshua Buchanan. Buchanan is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

Also, in the kitchen area of Buchanan’s residence, Agents located approximately 5 ½ ounces of fentanyl stored in a large plastic bag.

During the search of the residence, HCDTF Agents received information that Buchanan was possibly in the Rio Dell area. The HCDTF reached out to the Rio Dell Police Department and provided a description of Buchanan and his vehicle.

Shortly after, Rio Dell PD was able to locate Buchanan in his vehicle. Rio Dell PD Officers conducted a traffic stop on Buchanan where he was placed under arrest without incident.

Buchanan was transported to the Humboldt County Jail where he was booked for the following charges:

• 11351 H&S Possession of fentanyl for sale

• 11370.1(A) Possession of a controlled substance while armed with a loaded firearm

• 29800(a)(1) PC Felon in possession of a firearm

• 30605(a) PC Possession of an assault weapon

• 30305(a) PC Felon in possession of ammunition

• 33410 PC Possession of a silencer

• 29180 PC Possession of a firearm without a serial number

Anyone with information related to this investigation or other narcotics related crimes are encouraged to call the Humboldt County Drug Task Force at 707-267-9976.

Today’s meeting, queued up to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Richard Glick’s comments on Klamath Dam delicensing.

A historic milestone this morning: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency that oversees hydropower dams across the country, agreed to delicense four outdated hydropower dams along the middle stretch of the Klamath River, allowing for their removal to proceed.

The move comes 20 years after the Klamath Fish Kill, in which as many as 70,000 Klamath River salmon washed up dead on the banks of the river, killed by a disease that flourished in poor river conditions.

In the 20 years since, there have been immense efforts — sometimes combative, sometimes cooperative — among local tribes, farmers, local governments, state governments and others to figure out how to improve the health of the river. The removal of the four dams in the lower part of the river was a big piece of that — water behind the dams heats up in the summer and becomes more amenable to algal blooms, both of which are detrimental to fish health.

There are still plenty of issues left to work out on the Klamath — the number one being the proper division of water between upstream agricultural interests and the health of the ecosystem itself, in a time of drought and climate change. But FERC’s decision today means that work on removal of those four barriers to fish health can begin quite soon.

In his prepared remarks this morning, FERC’s chairman, Richard Glick, rhetorically asked why the commission would be giving up a zero-emissions source of energy at a time when the country is desperately working toward a decarbonized future. His answer: The commission is finally, belatedly, recognizing other sorts of environmental impacts, and especially is becoming aware of who is being impacted.

“A number of years back, I don’t think the commission necessarily spent a lot of time thinking about the impact of our decision on tribes, and I think that’s a very important element that’s in today’s order, and a number of orders recently. I think we’re making progress on that front,” Glick said.

The dams’ owner — the Warren Buffett-owned company PacifiCorp  — was part of the discussions that led up to this moment, and does not object to the dams’ removal.

We’re certain plenty of local tribes and other local governmental agencies will have lots to say about this long-awaited decision. We’ll add their statements below Congressman Jared Huffman’s, which arrived shortly after the decision.

Press release from Congressman Jared Huffman:

Congressman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) applauded the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) decision today to issue a license surrender order that clears the way for removal of four Klamath River dams and the largest river restoration effort in history.

“FERC’s decision to retire PacifiCorp’s dams is the result of years of difficult work by our dedicated North Coast tribes, conservationists, the leadership of California and Oregon, and members of Congress,” said Rep Huffman. “Poor conditions on the Klamath River have caused substantial harm to tribal communities, commercial and sport fishermen, and the economies of California and Oregon. We know other dam removal projects in the West have seen dramatic beneficial responses for fisheries and wildlife, and the Klamath River has tremendous potential to recover and rebuild as this work is done. Congratulations to all of those who have worked to right this wrong and restore balance to the river.”

The order allows the Klamath River Renewal Corporation – a non-profit group that will lead the dam removal effort – and the states of California and Oregon to take over PacifiCorp’s license for the purpose of demolishing the dams. Construction crews will begin preparing the area for dam removal in early 2023 and will remove the Copco 2 dam next year. The remaining dams will be removed all in 2024.

The dams have for decades blocked salmon from reaching hundreds of miles of productive salmon habitat. The shallow reservoirs regularly become choked with toxic algae and cause elevated temperatures downstream. Impaired flows have led to an abundance of disease that often kills most young salmon in the river. Removal of the dams is expected to vastly improve water quality, reduce the presence of fish disease, and reopen vital spawning habitat.

Rep. Huffman has been an active partner in the efforts to remove the Klamath River dams. Following signs in July 2020 that PacifiCorp may walk back its commitment to dam removal, Rep. Huffman, Chair of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife, held a public forum to examine the terrible impacts the dams have had on salmon and downstream water quality. In September of that year, he successfully offered an amendment to the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act, which was approved by the House, to safeguard Tribal communities against further harm to the Klamath River and its ecosystem caused by PacifiCorp’s delays.

###

Joint statement from numerous Klamath basin tribes, environmental organizations and fishermen:

Today the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a License Surrender Order for the Lower Klamath River Hydroelectric Project. This clears the last major hurdle necessary to implement the world’s largest river restoration project – removal of the lower four Klamath River dams. With this order in place, the Klamath River Renewal Corporation, the non-profit entity created to oversee Klamath River dam removal and related restoration activities, and the States of Oregon and California can accept transfer of the Lower Klamath Project License from energy company PacifiCorp and start the dam removal process early next year.

“The Klamath salmon are coming home,” proclaimed Yurok Chairman Joseph James. “The people have earned this victory and with it, we carry on our sacred duty to the fish that have sustained our people since the beginning of time.”

The dam removal and river restoration project was made possible through a negotiated agreement between Karuk Tribe, Yurok Tribe, California, Oregon, conservation organizations, commercial fishing organizations, and dam owner PacifiCorp, a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy. Today’s action by FERC is the last step in a six-year FERC regulatory oversight process that ensures dam removal is the most beneficial course of action to restore the Klamath River’s flagging salmon runs and improve poor water quality.

“Today’s victory was well earned by the thousands of people who fought for clean water, healthy fisheries, and environmental justice for Klamath River communities,” said Karuk Chairman Russell ‘Buster’ Attebery. “I am grateful to everyone, from the youth to the elders, Governors Newsom and Brown, and the team from PacifiCorp who made this victory possible.”

“Congratulations to all those who poured their blood, sweat and tears into making this happen. Water and fish health are at the heart of our identity as Native People and we are looking forward to seeing a healthier watershed and fishery which will result in healthier communities for all Klamath Basin tribes,” said Hoopa Valley Tribe Chairman Joe Davis. “Now we must keep the momentum going and we are looking forward to working with all of our neighbors and partners in that effort.”

Commercial salmon fishing families along the West Coast are also celebrating. “Restoring the Klamath gives our struggling salmon fishing industry a chance to survive,” said Vivian Hilliwell, a former commercial salmon harvester and now the Watershed Conservation Director for the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (PCFFA). “The possibility of revitalized Klamath fish runs gives us hope that we can continue our tradition of bringing healthy wild salmon to dinner tables across America.”

Dam removal activities are expected to begin in 2023 and be completed in 2024. Personnel and equipment will be deployed in early 2023 to commence pre-removal construction, including road and bridge improvements. Copco 2 dam will be removed first, and deconstruction of the remaining three dams will occur essentially at the same time in early 2024. All four dams will be removed by the end of 2024.

Upstream of the dams, the Klamath Tribes of Oregon are anxious to see salmon return. “Our people have been without c’iyaals (salmon) for over a century. We welcome the fish home to the Upper Klamath Basin with open arms,” said Klamath Tribes Chairman Clayton Dumont.

In issuing the Final License Surrender Order, FERC Commission Chairman Richard Glick stated, “Dam removal makes sense in large part due to fish and wildlife protections. But there is a discussion in the order on the impact on Tribes and the ability to have their traditions and cultural practices improved… I think it’s a very important issue. A number of years back the commission did not think about the impact of our decisions on Tribes. That’s an important element in today’s order…”

The decision comes almost exactly 20 years after a catastrophic fish kill left over 70,000 adult salmon dead along the banks of the Klamath River before they could spawn. That disaster galvanized the collective will of Klamath River Tribes, community members, fishermen, conservationists, and others who launched a two-decades-long effort to un-dam the Klamath and Bring the Salmon Home.

“After the 2002 Fish Kill we committed ourselves to defending our river and our cultures no matter what it would take,” said Molli Myers, co-founder of the Klamath Justice Coalition and member of the Karuk Tribe. “That kind of extraordinary commitment by ordinary Indians is what led to this victory.”

Today’s Klamath River salmon returns are less than 5% of their historical abundance with some runs of salmon completely extirpated from the system. Dams deny salmon access to hundreds of miles of historical habitat, degrade water quality, and foster the spread of fish diseases. Scientific studies and dam removal efforts in other watersheds demonstrate that dam removal can reverse these trends.

“This is a historic day for the Tribes of the Klamath River and for Indigenous People all over the world. When we act together with a unified voice no power in this universe can stop us,” said Ridges to Riffles Indigenous Conservation Group Principal and Yurok Tribal member Amy Cordalis.

Representatives from additional organizations that advocated for Klamath dam removal also commented on today’s significant action by FERC.

“Restoring the Klamath River is a historic win for people, salmon, and everything that depends on a clean, healthy river. It demonstrates the power of persistence and collaboration. When people come together around a vision for their river, it really is possible to change the world.” – Brian Graber, Senior Director of River Restoration, American Rivers

“Dam removal represents a monumental achievement. As we look beyond this historic moment, Sustainable Northwest will continue partnering in the Klamath basin to build on this success to improve water quality and meet water demands that support Tribes, farmers, ranchers, and native wildlife.” – Greg Block, President, Sustainable Northwest

“I inherited the responsibility to take care of my relatives, the salmon, from my father. While I have spent most of my life as an activist at protests and rallies, my hope is for my children to spend more time fishing and less time protesting.” - Save California Salmon Education Director Charley Reed, who was seven years old when with the Klamath fish kill set the Bring the Salmon Home movement in motion.

“It feels like a lifetime ago that we started working on this momentous effort together. It became clear early on in our efforts to protect and restore the wild Spring Chinook of the Salmon River that the Klamath dams would have to come down in order to realize that dream. With partners around the basin, we have been working towards that goal for over 20 years and now, finally, we’re going to take down the Iron Gate Dam and let those fish run through!” - Petey Brucker, Salmon River Restoration Council’s co-founder who was involved in dam removal negotiations from their inception.

“The Klamath River has been Exhibit A for how dams, drought, imbalanced water management and climate change can strangle a river. Now, the Klamath is poised to become a prime example of how an entire river system, and the people and wildlife that depend on it, can be renewed. The major investments TU and others have made in improving water quality, fish passage and habitat in the upper Klamath Basin will soon pay their full dividends, as salmon and steelhead finally come back to their ancestral spawning grounds. We salute the Tribal, state, and federal leaders who have helped make this happen, and PacifiCorp and the KRRC for their commitment to bringing the Klamath back to life.” – Chrysten Rivard, Director, Trout Unlimited’s Oregon Program

“The removal of these dams begins the Klamath’s recovery from a century of dam-related impacts. We look forward to the many ways that people will experience the renewed Klamath, including the 41 miles of new whitewater river that will emerge when the dams come down.” – Thomas O’Keefe, Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director, American Whitewater

“It’s been incredible for CalTrout to join forces with over 40 organizations and Native American Tribes in support of taking the Klamath dams out. Tribal leadership has been a central component of this effort. The Yurok, Karuk and Klamath River Tribes have led the effort to restore part of their cultural heritage and subsistence fishing for salmon and lamprey. With the Klamath River being the second largest river in California, it represents a huge opportunity to achieve native wild salmon and steelhead abundance in a way that we haven’t seen for many decades.” – Curtis Knight, Executive Director of California Trout

###

Press release from the Klamath River Renewal Corporation:

Today, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) unanimously approved the surrender of the Lower Klamath Project License and the decommissioning of the four hydroelectric dams in the Lower Klamath Project. The License Surrender Order is the final decision by FERC on the Klamath River Renewal project. The License Surrender Order is the action that allows the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) to decommission and remove the four hydroelectric dams and implement related restoration activities.

“KRRC is very pleased by the Commission’s decision today,” said Mark Bransom, Chief Executive Officer of KRRC, “This important milestone reflects decades of collective work by the many dedicated Signatories of the Amended Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement to restore the Klamath River and we are prepared to begin the largest dam removal and river restoration effort in U.S. history.”

The decommissioning process will start once the KRRC and the States of Oregon and California review terms and conditions of the surrender, and accept the June 2021 License Transfer Order, which will transfer ownership of the dams from PacifiCorp to KRRC and the States. The parties expect to accept the Transfer Order within 30 days of today’s License Surrender Order.

“Today’s action by FERC paves the way for revitalization and restoration of the Klamath Basin. Dam removal is the first step in healing of the Klamath River and all Klamath Tribal communities,” said Amy Cordalis, KRRC Board member appointed by the Yurok Tribe.

Wendy Ferris-George, KRRC Board member appointed by the Karuk Tribe said, “Dam removal is imminent. We deeply appreciate the many Tribal people who have dedicated their lives to bring balance to the Klamath River and their communities.”

Following the acceptance of License Transfer, KRRC plans to begin dam removal activities in 2023 and be completed in 2024, with the return of the river to a free-flowing condition through the project reach. Personnel and equipment will be deployed in early 2023 to commence pre-removal construction, including infrastructure improvements and modifications to the dams. Reservoir drawdown and dam removal is expected to begin in January 2024, with restoration activities commencing immediately following dam removal. Restoration of the project footprint will continue for several years.

Dam removal is the first crucial step to restore the health of the Klamath River and the communities that depend upon it. The revitalization of the Basin will help local communities thrive, by creating a more robust regional economy and providing lasting environment benefits. KRRC is pleased to be part of a cooperative effort to re-establish the natural vitality of the Klamath River and help strengthen the entire Basin for the future.

“This is an incredibly important moment and I want to acknowledge and thank our many partners, and particularly our tribal partners, for their enormous efforts and strong collaboration to get us to the point of restoring the Klamath River so that it can support communities in the Basin for generations to come,” said Brian Johnson, President of the KRRC Board.

The License Surrender Order can be viewed here.

Additional information about the Klamath dam removal project can be viewed here.

Lisa LaVerne Shinn was born on May 17, 1990. She passed away peacefully with family by her side on November 9, 2022. Lisa lived most of her life in Honeydew while also spending time in other parts of Humboldt County.

Lisa encountered many struggles in her life beginning at a young age. Her mother passed away due to cancer when Lisa was 9. At age 11 Lisa was diagnosed with cancer, which resulted in the loss of one leg at 13. During these difficult times Lisa could still light up a room with the charm in her voice. Her sass, humor and sometimes even the tone of her voice reminded those around her of her mom. Otherwise, Lisa was soft spoken with a voice so gentle and kind.

As the years went by, the hurdles Lisa came across surpassed anything one could fight.

Her family will always remember the times her laughter filled their hearts and innocence filled her eyes.

“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give, but cannot. All of that unspent love gathers in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in the hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.”

-Jamie Anderson

Lisa is survived by her twin brother Leland Shinn, sister Hannah Stoller (Justin), father Jim Shinn (Jennifer), grandparents Greg and Betsy Mullins, uncles Masood Behbood and Steve Higgins, aunt Lindsey Mullins (Alex), niece Raina Stoller, cousins Melony Higgins (James), Amber Wallan, Corey Higgins (Janelle), Trinity English, Jayden English, Erecia Shinn (Chase), and Maddalann Smith (Raymond).

She is proceeded in death by her mother Susan Randall, grandparents Nelson and LaVerne Randall, grandfather Don Shinn, aunts Cindy Behbood and Shannon Higgins, uncles Rex Shinn and Luke Mullins.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your local hospice or animal shelter. A memorial will be held at a later date.

###

The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Lisa Shinn’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Danny was born August 4, 1973 in Eureka and sadly passed away on November 7, 2022 at the age of 49.

Danny met everyone with a smile and made friends easily and were countless in number. He had friends from south of Humboldt County up through the Oregon border. In Danny, you had a true and loyal friend who will be missed by so many. You could count on him to be there to offer a helping hand, listen to you attentively in your time of need, and he would sacrifice his own needs to aid a friend. Danny had the best smile. He could always make you laugh if you were feeling down. He most enjoyed the days spent traveling to visit family and friends. Danny loved everyone, especially his mother and children. Danny was kind, sensitive, kind-hearted and loving and all who knew him will feel a substantial loss.

Danny attended Zoe Barnum High School and was a proud member of the Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria. Danny has a large extended family consisting of many aunties, uncles and cousins. Danny was extremely close to his siblings Elizabeth (Pumpkin) French, who preceded him in death, and brother Jeremy Houston, Sr.

Danny is going to be greatly missed by his family and friends. Don’t mourn for Danny, instead be joyous for him as he is where he yearned to be – with his Creator and son Dominic.

Danny is survived by his mother Aileen Meyer, brothers Jeremy, David and JJason Houston, Kevin Matilton, Joe Lopez and sisters Dusty, Shelly, and Natasha Lopez. Aunties Brenda and Eloise Bowie as well as several cousins. Danny’s surviving children are daughters Shania Brissette and Shayla Lopez and sons Cheyenne and D.J. Lopez, including his son Dominic Lopez who tragically preceded him in death. Danny is also survived by his nieces and nephews Rachel, Jeremy, Jr. and MaeMae Houston and his grandchildren Booboo and Ash, Cecilia, Catalaya and Keanu.

Danny is preceded in death by his father Edward Lopez, Jr. and sister Elizabeth “Pumpkin” French and grandmother Margaret Moon Bowie and grandfather Edward Lopez, Sr. and his children’s mother Jeanne Marie Stanshaw, and stepfathers Robert Tracy Johnson and Richard Meyer.

Pallbearers are Jeremy Houston, Cheyenne Lopez, Jimmy Bowie, Edward Gus Bowie, Billy Robinson, Sr., Sage Foley and Vincent Bianca.

Honorary Pallbearers are Denny Sherman, Brian Wells, Billy Robinson, Jr., John McGinnis, Dakota McGinnis, Roy Robinson, Nicholas Murray, Nathan French, Ann Fiester and Jolanda Ingram-Obie.

Memorial Services will be held Sunday, November 20 at Saunders Funeral Home at 1835 E Street in Eureka at 10 a.m. Gravesite services will be held on Monday, November 21 at Sunrise Cemetery in Fortuna on Newburg Road at noon. A potluck memorial reception will be held at his mother’s home on Singley Hill Road in Loleta or at the Tish-Non Community Center in Loleta immediately following the services at Sanders Funeral Home in Eureka on Sunday. Notice will be given at the memorial services on Sunday where the potluck memorial reception will be held.

###

The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Danny Lopez’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Peggy Ann Godfrey
March 21, 1950 - Nov. 6, 2022

Peggy passed away peacefully with her husband, Don, by her side at Mad River Hospital.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Mardel Holder, and her father, Ves Holder. She is survived by her daughters, Angela Holthaus (Charlie), Holly Bianco (Steven) and Rebecca York; her sister, Sue Blankinship (Wayne); and her brothers Gary Holder (Joeinne), Jerome Holder and John Holder (Danielle). She also leaves behind her grandson, Cody Cortelyou, and granddaughter, Lacey Simas.

Peggy had a great passion for all animals, especially her horses and her dogs, Dock and Wyatt.

For many years, Peggy took all of the school pictures in Humboldt County through Lifetouch Studios.

Peggy will be greatly missed by her friends and family.

At her request, there will be no services.

Donations may be made at any animal shelter or Hospice of Humboldt.

###

The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Peggy Godfrey’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.

Dr. Mneesha Gellman. | Photo by Joop Rubens

Dr. Mneesha Gellman is an associate professor of political science at Emerson College in Boston, and for most of her scholarly career she’s been interested in minority and indigenous rights. However, before embarking on a scholarly path that would take her to such far-flung locales as Turkey, Mexico, El Salvador and Sierra Leone, Gellman grew up right here in Humboldt County, attending Freshwater Elementary, Zane Junior High and Eureka High School, graduating in 1998.

In a recent phone interview, Gellman said her academic pursuits eventually dovetailed with her upbringing.

“When I had a pause after I’d published my first book and was really taking stock of what I wanted the next phase of work to look like, I realized that so many of the issues that I’ve been focusing on elsewhere are absolutely front and center in the place that I still consider to be my home,” she said. 

The issues she’d been focusing on included language rights and their relationship to cultural survival. She’d studied student access to “mother tongue” or heritage languages in Turkey and Latin America.

Looking to direct her academic gaze closer to home, Gellman reached out to the Yurok Tribe’s education department in 2016. She learned that the tribe wanted to gain a better understanding of the impacts of Yurok language classes, which have been offered at Hoopa Valley High School since 1996 and at Eureka High School since 2012.

The programs have been heralded as integral to the revival of a nearly extinct language, one of many Native American dialects that were actively and often violently suppressed at compulsory federal boarding schools. 

In recent years, through data collection, interviews and analysis, Gellman has learned that the impacts of the Yurok language program go even deeper than language revival, helping indigenous students to reconnect with their heritage and improving their academic success while expanding the worldview of all students, reminding them that Native American cultures shouldn’t be relegated to history books.

After securing permission from the Yurok Tribal Council and local school administrators, Gellman began making site visits at Eureka High and Hoopa Valley High “to better understand how schools are supporting students of indigenous heritage and also how they can do a better job of facilitating their success.” 

Her studies have led to several published academic papers and contributions to published books, and she recently took some time to share some of what she’s learned.

Sometimes you can glean information about a school’s dominant culture without even stepping inside a classroom. In a recently published paper, titled “Unsettling settler colonialism in words and land: A case study of far Northern California,” Gellman opens with a description of the Eureka High School mascot: a “grizzled logger” with an ax slung over his shoulder. She also quotes the city’s slogan — “I have found it!”

Screenshot from YouTube

Such emblems and mottos are intricately linked with the history of our region, “where logging, land claims and White militias went hand-in-hand in the second half of the 19th century,” she writes.

The paper goes on to examine two ways in which such cultural messaging is being deconstructed — how settler colonialism is being “unsettled,” in other words. One way is through the Yurok language programs in local high schools; the other is through the 2019 return of Duluwat Island to the Wiyot Tribe.

In interviews with students, Gellman found that the Yurok language courses offer benefits to all types of students, even those who were aware of the classes but didn’t take any of them.

For example, her paper quotes a white EHS alum whose Spanish class was across the hall from the Yurok class: “I told my mom, ‘It seems like kids don’t take Yurok class seriously,’ and she said, ‘Yes, but at least it exists.’ I never had to think about it, what it means to lose a language or culture, because I’m White and speak English, but that struck me.”

One of the white students who did take Yurok classes told Gellman that they learned a lot more than just vocabulary and syntax. “Well, learning the language kind of helps me understand their experiences and certain things that they may do or say a little bit better, since that … can inherently lead to me learning more about the culture,” the student said.

Gellman is currently working on a project that analyzes U.S. history textbooks in California and other parts of the country, and she said it’s disturbing to see the extent to which Native American people and cultures are referred to exclusively in the past tense. 

“One book I documented had 15 pages talking about Native houses and food and ritual and regalia — all in the past tense,” she said. The Yurok courses serve as reminders that this is a contemporary language and culture. 

“For white students who are actually enrolled in the classes, many of them said things to me in interviews like, ‘Before I took this class I thought that Native Americans were extinct,’” Gellman said. “So it was a tremendous space of intercultural learning or intercultural consciousness raising that I think will serve young people very well as they navigate increasingly diverse worlds.”

Reached by phone, Eureka High Interim Principal Rob Standish said administrators are extremely proud of the Yurok program, which includes up to three levels of Yurok studies.

“It’s more than language,” he said. “[Students] also learn about culture, tradition and different perspectives. It helps students broaden their perspective and be more worldly.”

The program’s longtime instructor at EHS, James Gensaw, recently took a job in Del Norte County, but Standish said the tribe qualified a new teacher, Roberta Chavez, who is in the midst of her first year teaching the courses at Eureka High. 

“This new set of kids, they’re so appreciative of Ms. Chavez coming in,” he said. “They welcomed her with open arms.”

Gellman said that for indigenous-identified students, the Yurok classes have been found to boost self esteem and improve academic achievement.

“It validates a sense of Native or indigenous identity as something that is worthwhile and legitimate,” she said. “And it also boosts school success by bringing people to the school in the first place, getting people to walk through the schoolhouse door because they know they can go to the Yurok language class, and while they’re there they might as well attend geometry since they’ve already, you know, gotten out of bed.”

Even students from different minority backgrounds benefit, she found.

“Hmong-American students, Polynesian-American students, Latinx students who are taking the Yurok classes, they reported things like, ‘Being in this class made me more interested in researching my own family heritage,’” Gellman said. “So the inclusion of one minority language class in the curriculum validated the existence of minority identities for students from a range of other backgrounds.” 

It allowed these minority students “to be one whole self without having to assimilate into the dominant framework of whiteness that still characterizes Eureka City Schools and most of the public school systems in the United States today.”

Eureka City Schools has been forced to reckon with its treatment of minority students on several occasions over the past decade. In 2013, for example, the district was sued by the ACLU of Northern California over allegations that its educational environment was characterized by pervasive racial harassment and hostility toward Black and Native American students. 

A 2020 report from the ACLU found that achievement gaps persist and issued Eureka City Schools a failing grade. Native American students in the district met or exceeded English standards at only half the rate of other district students over the 2016–2017 and 2017–2018 school years, according to the report.

Just last year, the Eureka City Schools Governance Board and Eureka High administrators found themselves in hot water over their handling of a mural-painting initiative led by four Eureka High clubs representing BIPOC students — the Black Student Union, Native American Club, Asian and Pacific Islander Club and Latinx Club. 

Administrators first told students that they’d need to develop official criteria and procedures before proceeding — something that had never been required for previous murals — and then Superintendent Fred Van Vleck recommended banning murals altogether, noting the difficulty of developing guidelines that wouldn’t be controversial.

Last November, the board did just that, voting 3-1 (with one trustee absent) to ban all new murals on campus. The board eventually reversed course in response to student, staff and community outcry, clearing the way for four new student murals representing cultural diversity. They were unveiled in June. 

Standish told the Outpost that the district is continuing to work on cultural awareness. A couple of years ago, he said, the school board and district office opted to bring in a third party to perform a cultural equity audit, interviewing staff, parents and students. The results will be presented to the district in the next few months.

“That’s something that we’re proud of doing and we’re doing on our own so we’re not blind to our shortcomings,” Standish said.

Gellman, meanwhile, has been conducting more research on local schools. She has another academic article, called “Speaking Up: School Climate and Language Politics in the Trump Era,” that will soon be published in a special issue of the Humboldt Journal of Social Relations. It examines identity politics during the Trump era — again through observations at Eureka High School and Hoopa Valley High School — and finds that schools, particularly Spanish and Yurok language classes, can be sites of resistance to our era’s toxic political culture around issues of diversity.

She has also written a just-published book called Indigenous Language Politics in the Schoolroom, which includes chapters about Eureka High and Hoopa Valley High. Her next book will examine BIPOC student wellbeing across Eureka High, Hoopa Valley High, Del Norte High and McKinleyville High. 

Much of the public education curriculum in the United States is rooted in whiteness, Gellman observed. “It’s really rooted in white experiences, white historical figures and a narrative that uses Manifest Destiny and the Doctrine of Discovery in describing what it means to exist in the United States today.”

In that context, classes such as those offered through the Yurok program can provide safe harbor for students who often feel attacked and discriminated against, Gellman explained. In her academic work she argues that there’s room to reform public school curricula in ways that will make it “more resonant and meaningful” for students who haven’t felt represented within that setting.

“And it will take bravery in leadership on those issues, because doing work around whiteness is scary,” Gellman said. “It’s confronting, it’s painful, and it’s also deeply necessary in order to move forward as a society.”

PREVIOUSLY:

• Rabid Fox Found Dead Under a Truck After Biting a Person and Attacking a Moving Vehicle

###

Press release from the Division of Environmental Health:

A resident in the Manila area was bitten by a fox over the weekend, almost a month after a similar incident in the same area involving a fox that later tested positive for rabies.

The fox in the most recent incident has not been caught and its rabies status cannot be confirmed. The bite victim is currently undergoing treatment for possible rabies exposure.

Since this report, Humboldt County Department of Health & Human Services Division of Environmental Heath (DEH) has received several additional reports of foxes acting aggressively in the area by the north end of the Ma-l’el Dunes.

Local health officials are urging caution to people in the area between Manila and Mad River Beach. Anyone who sees an animal acting strangely should contact DEH which is monitoring reports in that area.

Benjamin Dolf, DEH Supervising Environmental Health Specialist, said generally it is important to use caution around wild animals, and if you encounter an animal that is sick, injured or docile do not try to approach it, help it or try to nurse it back to health.

Rabies is always present in the wildlife population throughout Humboldt County, especially foxes, skunks and bats. People who come across sick or injured animals can contact the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center which has staff who are trained to respond.

Preventive measures against the spread of rabies in Humboldt County include avoiding contact with wild and stray animals, bringing pet food indoors at night and reporting animal bites to your county or municipal animal control officer.

If you are bitten, wash the bite(s) immediately with soap and water and go to the emergency department to seek medical treatment. It is critical that anyone potentially exposed to rabies be treated within 24 hours, and sooner is better.

Public Health officials stress the importance of fully vaccinating domestic animals against rabies, including dogs, cats and select livestock.

For questions about rabies or to report a rabid or suspected rabid animal, call DEH at 707-445-6215 or toll free at 1-800-963-9241.

To report a sick or injured animal, contact the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center at 707-822-8839.