L.A. Times: Scientists Concerned over Potential COVID-19 Exposure from Beach Walks and Swimming

by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on April 6, 2020 at 12:35PM

The Los Angeles Times is reporting potential COVID-19 infection risk at California beaches, not just from other people out for walks and surfing, but from the ocean and its spray. The piece quotes Kim Prather, an atmospheric chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, who "worries SARS-CoV-2 could enter the ocean from sewage spills and outfalls, and then reenter the atmosphere." Prather's concern about beach exposure to the virus, about which scientists are still learning, is not just about swimming in potentially polluted ocean waters, but the particulates and "microscopic pathogens" that could wash into the ocean from rains and be delivered by spray from waves carried on the wind.

Redwood National and State Parks Close Parking Lots, Recommend Virtual Tours

by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on March 29, 2020 at 4:22PM

If you've been scanning the list of Redwood State and National Parks to see which ones still have open parking lots, you can stop now. They're all closed, effective immediately.

Newsom Announces 'Soft Closure' of Parks, Beaches

by Laurel Rosenhall, CALmatters on March 24, 2020 at 10:15AM

Newsom attributed the increase to new data from such sources as Johns Hopkins University, Facebook, the infectious-disease analytics firm Bluedot and the mapping company Esri. “We sat down — based on the new modeling that came in this weekend — and we said we needed to update those numbers,” Newsom said. 

North Coast Night Lights: Raptors at Chapman’s Gem and Mineral

by David Wilson on March 13, 2020 at 11:52AM

PS: I reached out about the origin of the velociraptor sculptures, but as of the time of this writing I have not heard back. I do know they aren’t the work of the local metal sculptor the initials of whom are D.M., as I asked him.

NCJ Preview with Access Humboldt

by Jennifer Fumiko Cahill on March 9, 2020 at 9:00PM

This week: We're talking about the Elk River Watershed, Humboldt County elections and how we camp out in the NCJ office to cover them, as well as how a pair of local campers became outdoor cooking YouTubers. Hit subscribe for weekly updates via YouTube.

Up in the Sky: A 'Super' Moon with Something to Crow About

by Kimberly Wear on March 9, 2020 at 7:27PM

North Coast Night Lights: Lone Oak and Country Road

by David Wilson on March 6, 2020 at 1:17PM

The photograph of the oak tree I’m sharing here covers a lot of sky in its wide field of view. The stars near the bottom of the image are in the south, arcing across the sky as they travel around the southern axis below the horizon.

Got Geese? (or Otters?)

by Thadeus Greenson on March 2, 2020 at 3:12PM

North Coast Night Lights: Comet Hyakutake

by David Wilson on February 24, 2020 at 2:07PM

Now, as Comet Hyakutake approached our planet again, Earth’s billions of inhabitants trained on it the latest technological instruments and lenses that the science of the late 20th century had to offer. Yet, advanced as we thought ourselves to be, this spectacular comet had come out of nowhere.

Caution Urged After Mountain Lion Spotted at CR

by Kimberly Wear on February 24, 2020 at 10:59AM

College of the Redwoods is cautioning students and staff to “take care” near the Creative Arts Building and Botanical Gardens after a “large mountain lion” was spotted around 9:10 a.m. today, according to a Facebook post. In an alert sent out, those on campus were asked to be “observant and cautious while in the area” and to report any further sightings to the CR Police Department at (707) 476-4111.