Duffy Tapped as Interim Fair GM

By Linda Stansberry on March 19, 2023 at 3:07PM

While officially slated to start March 15, she said she got to work a bit earlier, prompted by the severe winter storms battering the North Coast, and was in touch with county Public Works Director Tom Mattson and Ferndale City Manager Jay Parrish about using the fairgrounds as an evacuation site, if necessary. The association board has begun discussing and researching the hiring process for a permanent general manager but has yet to post the position, and the executive committee had discussed board members fulfilling the function of the general manager in the interim, though some felt that was too heavy a responsibility for them to take on.

No California Salmon: Fishery to be Shut Down This Year

By Alastair Bland/CalMatters on March 15, 2023 at 9:31AM

Just 62,000 adult fall-run Chinook returned last year to the Sacramento River to spawn, the third lowest return on record and only half of the fishery’s minimum target. Runs on the Klamath River, in far-northern California, also have plunged, hitting 22,000 spawning adult fall-run Chinook last year, the fourth lowest return in 40 years.

Eel River Crosses Flood Threshold, Record Rain Recorded

By Kimberly Wear on March 14, 2023 at 1:06PM

Eel River Expected to Pass Flood Stage, Livestock Owners Advised to Protect Animals in Low-Lying Areas

By Kimberly Wear on March 13, 2023 at 12:23PM

Sheriff Honsal Declares Local Emergency Due to Winter Storms

By Kimberly Wear on March 8, 2023 at 11:37AM

Local Commercial Crab Season Opener is Set

By Kimberly Wear on December 22, 2022 at 6:18PM

Get the butter ready, the crab is coming. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife announced today that the Dungeness commercial season opener for Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte counties is now set for Dec. 31 at 12:01 a.m., with a 64-hour gear setting period that will begin at 8:01 a.m. on Dec. 28.

Saving Salmon: Chinook Return to California’s Far North — With a Lot of Human Help

By Alastair Bland/CalMatters on December 19, 2022 at 9:03AM

“We probably won’t be able to maintain winter-run Chinook on the valley floor forever,” said Matt Johnson, a senior environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.  Matt Johnson of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife measures four winter-run Chinook salmon as part of a trial to estimate the species’ production and survival.

Mentor Condor 746 Being Moved Due to Bird Flu Concerns

By Kimberly Wear on December 13, 2022 at 1:48PM

But the spread of avian flu — which has high mortality rates — has shortened his stay, according to a recent announcement from the Northern California Condor Restoration Program, which described No. 746 as “a shining social and behavioral example and tutor for the young condors in our new population.” “Recently, cases of dead birds testing positive for H5N1 within our local region have sharply increased,” the NCCRP note states.

Commercial Crab Season Delayed

By Kimberly Wear on December 8, 2022 at 2:59PM

By the Numbers: California’s Mild 2022 Wildfire Season

By Julie Cart, CalMatters on December 1, 2022 at 10:21AM

As California emerges from its “peak” wildfire season, the state has managed to avoid its recent plague of catastrophic wildfires. So far in 2022, the fewest acres have burned since 2019.