Category Archives: Environment

Articles, Environment, Infrastructure, Local Government

County Supervisors Adopts Drought Resilience Plan, Task Force

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Thumbnail photo: A rain-swollen Smith River from Slant Bridge. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Though he said drought isn’t a major concern in Del Norte County, Sr. Environmental Health Specialist Houawa Moua introduced the Board of Supervisors to a resiliency plan for preventing water shortages in vulnerable communities.

The Del Norte County Drought Resilience Plan applies to domestic wells and water systems that have between five and 14 service connections, he said Tuesday. The plan includes a risk assessment and short-term and long-term strategies for responding to a potential water shortage. 

The state legislation requiring communities to adopt a resiliency plan — State Senate Bill 552, which was signed into law in 2021 — also requires counties to establish a drought and water shortage preparedness task force.

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Articles, Environment, Local Government

County Supervisors Vote To Send ‘Very Soft’ Offshore Oil Drilling Opposition Letter Despite Chris Howard’s Objections

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Thumbnail photo: Oil platforms off the coast of Seal Beach, Calif. | Photo by Mike Peel via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard warned his colleagues a third time about sending a letter to the federal government outlining Del Norte County’s opposition to offshore oil drilling.

Del Norte County’s letter is in response to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Section 312 evaluation of the California Coastal Management Program. While he called it mild, Howard said he worried about any fallout the county may experience as a result. He was especially concerned about the $2.1-$2.7 billion tunnel bypass around Last Chance Grade south of Crescent City.

“I’ve expressed concerns about federal funding for our tunnel project and an administration that seems to be very vindictive as it relates to funding projects where communities take an opposition to those federal policies,” Howard said Tuesday.

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Alerts, Environment, Local Government, Tribal Affairs

Del Norte Supervisors Weigh In On Assembly Bill That Recognizes Tribal Stewardship On State Conservation Lands

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Thumbnail photo: Rosa Laucci, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation marine program manager, led a hike down the Sweetwater Creek Trail during a 2023 celebration commemorating the reclamation of place names at Tolowa Dunes State Park. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Three months after he opposed a proposal to transfer Tolowa Dunes State Park to the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation, Del Norte County District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard has his sights set on another assembly bill penned by the same author.

Authored by San Bernardino Assemblyman James Ramos, Assembly Bill 53 would allow federally recognized tribes to receive grants, awards and loans from the Wildlife Conservation Board’s California Riparian Habitat Conservation Program and Inlands Wetlands Conservation Program.

It would also allow federally-recognized tribes the ability to enter into contracts or agreements with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to manage “certain lands.” 

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Articles, Environment

Federal Assessment of California’s Coastal Policies Prompt Starkey, Borges To Call For Offshore Oil Drilling Opposition Letter

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Thumbnail photo: Oil platforms off the coast of Seal Beach, Calif. | Photo by Mike Peel via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License

Del Norte County Supervisors on Tuesday decided to put their opposition to offshore oil drilling in writing. But whether they’ll send their letter to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officials assessing the California Coastal Management Program remains to be seen.

District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey pushed for the opposition letter, reminding her colleagues that lease sales may be under consideration in three years. 

Though he went along with his colleagues in approving the letter, District 3 representative Chris Howard said he still thinks Del Norte County shouldn’t get involved in a political butting of heads between Gavin Newsom and the Trump administration.

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Articles, Environment, Transportation

Cleanup Continues A Week After Overturned Tanker Dumped Asphalt Binder On 199

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Caltrans District 1

State and federal agencies continue to oversee a cleanup effort involving liquid asphalt emulsion that spilled from a tanker that overturned on U.S. 199 about a week ago.

While it’s still unclear how much material entered the river, the cleanup has recovered about 3,778 pounds of asphalt emulsion, said Eric Laughlin, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Office of Spill Prevention and Response. Responders have not observed the asphalt emulsion one mile downstream from the incident, Laughlin told Redwood Voice Community News via email Thursday.

The 2016 Kenworth semi was hauling about 6,000 gallons of liquid asphalt emulsion on June 11 when the driver collided with the embankment and overturned at milepost marker 27.4 on U.S. 199 south of the Idlewild Caltrans Maintenance Station.

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Alerts, Articles, Environment, Transportation

Semi Hits Embankment Spills Asphalt Binder Into River; Driver Sustains Major Injuries

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Emergency crews responded to an overturned tanker that spilled some of its asphalt binder load into the Smith River early Thursday morning | Photos courtesy of Caltrans District 1

Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol and other emergency personnel are responding to a tanker that overturned near Idlewild on U.S. 199 and spilled some of its contents into the Smith River early Thursday morning.

The driver, a Redding man, was hauling more than 6,000 gallons of asphalt binder in a 2016 Kenworth semi at about 3:40 a.m. when his vehicle left the lane, collided with the embankment and overturned, CHP Public Information Officer Pete Gonzalez told Redwood Voice Community News. The driver was transported to Sutter Coast Hospital with major injuries, Gonzalez said.

It’s currently unknown how much of the asphalt binder entered the Smith River, Gonzalez said.

The collision occurred about a mile south of the Idlewild Maintenance Station, Gonzalez said. The road is currently down to one-way controlled traffic, he told Redwood Voice at about 11:30 a.m. 

Articles, Environment, Parks

Del Norte Hopes To Make Neighborly Relationship With U.S. Forest Service Official

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District 3 Supervisor Chris Howard referred to a historical failure to secure resources for wildfire mitigation and recreation as a major reason a Good Neighbor Authority Agreement with the U.S. Forest Service would be good for Del Norte County.

In response to skepticism from county resident and frequent commenter Sam Strait, Howard said the county could use the agreement as a way to get funding to organizations spearheading projects focusing on fuel reduction, watershed and forest restoration as well as trail development. He mentioned the Del Norte Fire Safe Council and the Del Norte Resource Conservation District specifically.

“There are a lot of these Good Neighbor Authorities being put in place throughout the State of California and the Pacific Northwest right now,” Howard said Tuesday. “I’m incredibly encouraged by the open door we’ve seen now with the Six Rivers National Forest, in particular with the staff at the Gasquet Ranger district, in helping us shape what this document looks like.”

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Agriculture, Articles, Community News, Environment, Local Government

Special District Focused On Resource Conservation Expands Boundaries To Include All Of Del Norte County

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Thumbnail photo: The Del Norte Fire Safe Council held a workshop in March 2025 to teach people how to harden their properties against wildfire. | File photo by Ethan Caudill-DeRego

A special district previously focused on agricultural issues in the Smith River and Fort Dick areas received the green light to annex all of Del Norte County into its jurisdiction on Monday.

The Del Norte Resource Conservation District’s expanded boundaries allows for greater collaboration with organizations focusing on wildfire resiliency, stream and forest health restoration and those that support new farmers, District Manager Becky Crockett told Redwood Voice Community News.

The expanded boundaries also means the Del Norte RCD can pursue state and federal grant dollars, which in turn can lead to larger projects, she said.

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Articles, Environment, Fort Dick, Smith River, Tribal Affairs

San Bernardino Lawmaker Authors Bill to Cede Tolowa Dunes State Park To Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation

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Thumbnail photo: Rosa Laucci, Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation marine program manager, led a hike down the Sweetwater Creek Trail during a 2023 celebration commemorating the reclamation of place names at Tolowa Dunes State Park. | Photo by Jessica Cejnar Andrews

Brie Fraley identified a divide between her community and those who see the land that’s now Tolowa Dunes State Park as just a public space.

A descendant of the Grimes family, one of the last to live at the village of Yontocket, Fraley said its current status as public land is a barrier to her being able to practice her spirituality in a safe way. 

Yet the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation tribal member agreed with Del Norte County District 2 Supervisor Valerie Starkey who, along with her colleagues on Tuesday, raised concerns about proposed legislation that would turn the state park over to the TdN.

“As a tribal member I was not afforded the information as well,” Fraley said of Assembly Bill 2356, which was authored by San Bernardino Assemblyman James Ramos. “I do think there should be a public engagement process so we can focus on this as an activity of healing. … There needs to be an empathy project for understanding the tragedies that have happened to my people.”

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Agriculture, Articles, Environment, Tribal Affairs

Water Board Scientists Unveil Draft Easter Lily Bulb Order, Public Comment Period Extended

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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Buchio Takano via Wikimedia Commons. Creative Commons License.

State water quality scientists unveiled a proposed order they say will lead to a more robust means of monitoring and curtailing pesticide and copper contamination from Easter lily operations in the Smith River plain.

Currently in draft form, the Lily Bulb Order adds to a voluntary framework that growers have participated in since 2021 — which, scientists say, has led to a decrease in pollutants in the area. 

But for conservationists who spoke at a North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board public workshop on Wednesday, the proposed general waste discharge requirements weren’t strong enough. 

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