McKinleyville Land Trust dinner includes talk about Wiyots

The McKinleyville Land Trust announced that it will hold its 10th Annual Dinner at Azalea Hall on Saturday, April 9, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. This fundraiser features an Italian dinner, silent auction and guest speaker.
The MLT announced that this year’s dinner speaker will be Briannon Fraley, the Cultural Director and Tribal Heritage Preservation Officer for the Wiyot Tribe.
Ms. Fraley has a post Bachelor’s Degree in Native American Studies with an emphasis in Law and Government with a certificate in Museum and Gallery Practices from Humboldt State University. In 2009 she completed a competitive internship at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian where she conducted a comparative study on Northwestern California Regalia.
This year’s talk is titled, “Douwa Kil- Where Are You?” will explore Wiyot name places, percentages of Wiyot land now owned by federal, state and other landowners, as well as include discussion of the Native American perspective on the relationship to the land.
The McKinleyville Land Trust dinner is a major fundraiser for this local nonprofit. Volunteers will cook and serve your choice of chicken cacciatore made from Tomaso’s sauce, or vegetarian pasta with baked eggplant, mixed green salad, bread from the North Coast Co-op Bakery, coffee or tea, and locally made dessert.
Dinner tickets are available at the door: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and students, and $10 for kids under 12. Everyone is seated and served by 6:15 p.m. The program begins at 7 p.m.. The event ends at 8 p.m. For more information, call 839-LAND.
The McKinleyville Land Trust is a nonprofit, tax-exempt, public benefit corporation. The MLT promotes voluntary conservation for nature, timber, agriculture, recreation and open space. In addition to conservation easements that are on private lands, the MLT owns Mad River Bluffs, 74 acres of trails and bluffs at the western end of Hiller Road, Cha-Gah-Cho, a 12-acre parcel behind the Mill Creek Shopping Center, and the Dow’s Prairie Educational Wetland on Grange Road.

Let’s Take A Hike! Mad River Bluffs (video)

Weather Update and Mad River monitoring

On Thursday, rain was coming down in buckets. The National Weather Service measured 1.22 inches at the airport in Mack Town. As of 9 a.m. Friday, the Mad River was at 11. 92 feet at the gauge near North Bank Road and Highway 299. The NWS predicts that levels will peak at 13.8 feet Saturday night. Don’t worry. That’s well below flood stage, which is 22 ft. at that location.

You can view all sorts of fancy graphics by clicking here.

As for the weather, it looks like mostly rain through the weekend.

Raw weather “discussion” from the NWS below:

FXUS66 KEKA 251155
AFDEKA

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
4 AM PDT FRI MAR 25 2011

.SYNOPSIS…TWO MORE SYSTEMS IN THE SERIES ARE HEADING TOWARD THE
COAST AND WILL BRING ADDITIONAL RAIN AND SNOW TO NW CALIFORNIA
THROUGH THE WEEKEND. A RIDGE WILL DEVELOP OVER THE REGION EARLY NEXT
WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION…RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS WILL PERSIST THIS
MORNING IN THE WAKE OF THE THU AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHORT WAVE.
THE RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS AND MORNING THUNDERSTORMS WILL DIMINISH
RAPIDLY THIS MORNING AS THE SHORT WAVE RIDGING AHEAD OF THE NEXT
SYSTEM MOVES OVER THE AREA LATE THIS MORNING. AS THE FLOW IS SO
PROGRESSIVE ATTM BY AFTERNOON THE MID AND HIGH CLOUDS ASSOCIATED
WITH THE RAPIDLY APPROACHING SYSTEM WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA WITH
RAIN AND SNOW BEGINNING AGAIN BEFORE SUNSET. THIS SYSTEM IS MOVING
INTO THE COAST FURTHER NORTH THAN EITHER OF THE RECENT SYSTEMS SO WE
WILL SEE A PATTERN DOMINATED BY A MORE NEGATIVELY TILTED TROUGH. SO
WINDS ALONG THE COAST AND AT HIGHER ELEVATION NEAR THE COAST ARE
EXPECTED TO BE GALE FORCE OVER THE WATERS AND QUITE BREEZY OVER
LAND. WITH A SNOW LEVEL OF 2500 TO 3000 FEET COMBINED WITH THE
EXPECTED WINDS HAVE ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND
BLOWING SNOW ABOVE 3000 FEET. MODELS DO INDICATE THIS SYSTEM WILL
MOVE THROUGH REASONABLY FAST SO HAVE BACKED OFF SOME ON THE SNOW
AMOUNT. AFTER MIDDAY DAY SAT EXPECT AN 18 TO 24 HR BREAK BEFORE THE
SECOND SYSTEM REACHES THE COAST. AS RECENT EXPERIENCE HAS INDICATED
THE TIMING OF SYSTEMS HAS BEEN SPEEDING UP AND I WOULD NOT BE
SURPRISED TO SEE THE SUNDAY SYSTEM REACH US SOONER THAN CURRENTLY
FORECAST. THIS IS A KNOWN BIAS OF THE MODELS TO PLAY CATCH UP DURING
VERY PROGRESSIVE SITUATIONS LIKE THIS ONE. SHOWERS WILL LINGER INTO
MON THEN BEGIN TO TAPER AS A RIDGE BUILDS FOR MID WEEK. GENERALLY
FAIR WEATHER IS EXPECTED TUE INTO WED BEFORE THE CLOUDS BEGIN TO
MOVE BACK IN LATE WED INTO THU. MODELS CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN DECENT
AGREEMENT INTO MID WEEK. MKN

Weather Update

Looks like lots of rain, but starting next week things may dry up.

Here’s the raw “discussion” from the National Weather Service in Eureka:

FXUS66 KEKA 241555 AAA
AFDEKA

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION…UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
855 AM PDT THU MAR 24 2011

.UPDATE…A MORNING UPDATE TO THE FORECAST HAS BEEN MADE AS A
RESULT OF SPOTTER CALLS TO THE OFFICE REPORTING LOWER SNOW LEVELS
THAN THE FORECAST HAD REFLECTED. PREVIOUS SNOW LEVELS WERE DOWN TO
AROUND 3000 FT WHILE SNOW HAS BEEN FALLING TO AROUND 1300 FT IN
AREAS. THEREFORE THE FORECAST WAS ADJUSTED DOWN TO 2000 FOOT SNOW
LEVELS FOR TODAY. SNOW LEVELS MAY BE DRIVEN DOWN LOWER IN HEAVIER
SHOWERS. BFG

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION… /ISSUED 600 AM PDT THU MAR 24 2011/

SYNOPSIS…A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES WILL CROSS NW CALIFORNIA FROM
THE END OF THE WEEK THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN
AND MOUNTAIN SNOW.

DISCUSSION…A FRONTAL BAND EXTENDING FROM N-S AHEAD OF THE NEXT
SYSTEM JUST OFF THE NORTH COAST IS BRINGING MODERATE RAIN AND GUSTY
WINDS TO THE IMMEDIATE COAST. THIS BAND WILL LIFT SLOWLY NORTHEAST
THROUGH THE DAY WITH MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN AND SNOW SPREADING OVER
THE AREA THROUGH THE MORNING. EXPECT PRECIPITATION 5TO BECOMING
GENERALLY SHOWERY AS WE MOVE INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS. WITH THE
MODERATE RAIN RETURNING EARLY THIS MORNING WINDS HAVE ALSO INCREASED
AS EXPECTED. SNOW LEVELS DID RISE YESTERDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING TO
BETWEEN 3500-4000 FT BUT HAVE FALLEN BACK TO JUST ABOVE 3000 FEET
THIS MORNING. THE SNOW LEVELS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO FALL
SLOWLY THROUGH THE DAY AS A COOLER AIR MASS ADVECTS INTO THE AREA
WITH THIS NEXT SYSTEM APPROACHING THE COAST ATTM. THOUGH THE REDWOOD
COAST HAS ESCAPED THE BRUNT OF THE RAIN THUS FAR WE ARE NOW
EXPERIENCING ONSHORE FLOW AND ARE SEEING MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINS
THIS AM. S OF THE CAPE WILL BE IN THE BULLS EYE OF THE MOISTURE
STREAM OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. OVER THE LAST 24 HRS MENDOCINO COUNTY
HAS ALREADY HAD A COUPLE OF INCHES OF RAIN IN THE PRONE AREAS. THIS
WILL CONTINUE WITH THE NEXT 2 SYSTEMS, TOTALING UP TO ANOTHER 3 TO 4
INCHES BY THE TIME ITS ALL SAID AND DONE. WITH THE BULK OF THE
MOISTURE AIMED AT MENDOCINO COUNTY, A FEW HYDRO CONCERNS CONTINUE
AND ARE COVERED IN THE HYDRO DISCUSSION BELOW.

IN TERMS OF CONVECTION WITH THE INCOMING SYSTEMS…WE ARE SEEING
SOME ISOLATED LIGHTNING BEING DETECTED OFF SHORE ATTM. THE FORECAST
DOES INDICATE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY INTO THIS EVENING OVER
ALL WATERS AND COASTAL PLAINS. THIS IS A RESULT OF THE REGION BEING
ON THE LEFT FLANK OF THE JET, WITH UPPER LEVEL WINDS FORECASTED TO
BE IN THE 150KT RANGE. WITH COLD AIR ADVECTING INTO THE COAST AND
THE GENERAL NEGATIVE TILT LEADING TO ASSOCIATED ENHANCED UPPER
DIFFLUENCE HAVE EXPANDED MENTION OF CONVECTION TO ALL COASTAL AREAS.
NCEP/SPC HAS THE AREA WITHIN THEIR THUNDER LINE.

ANOTHER FRONT WILL CROSS THE AREA SAT MORNING WITH A QUICK DOSE OF
RAIN AND MOUNTAIN SNOW AND MODELS ARE NOW INDICATING ANOTHER SYSTEM
FOR SUNDAY. THEN BY EARLY NEXT WEEK A RIDGE IS EXPECTED TO BUILD
OVER THE AREA. MODELS HAVE COME INTO SOME AGREEMENT THROUGH MON, AND
MON AT THIS POINT LOOKS TO BE THE BEGINNING OF THE DRYING. FURTHER
ON THE MODELS ARE NOW INDICATING A GENERAL RIDGING OVER THE WEST
COAST THROUGH THE WEEK. MKN

Front page 3.23.11

Here’s this week’s front page:

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Sneak Peek at 3.23.11 issue

This photo is titled “Wingman.”

This is your weekly Sneak Peek at the coming issue. If you want to read these articles, purchase a copy today or subscribe. You can now subscribe online with a credit card via Pay Pal.

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Here’s just some of what’s in this week’s paper:

• McKinleyville moves toward local control. That’s right – McKinleyville may take control of its own land use planning. It may also throw a monkey wrench into the county’s General Plan update.

• Measure B passes. This is a big deal. It means that McKinleyville has money to continue operating its Parks & Recreation Department for the next 20 years. It also means that the town can buy land for new parks, build a teen center, etc.

• Seems like everyone agrees that one of the biggest threats to Snowy Plovers are ravens and crows. So how does a plastic fence at Clam Beach protect plovers? And how come nothing is being done to control the plover’s main predators. This gets discussed in this week’s paper.

• Nonagenarians honored at McK Sr. Center.

• Federal and state agencies want more input when it comes to the issuing of permits by the county.

• It’s baaccckkkkkk! Code Enforcement.

• Special meeting Wednesday to discuss parks in McKinleyville.

• Al and Sarie Toste receive the McK Chamber’s annual Azalea Award. (A very deserving couple indeed – Jack)

• Gardening Inspiration with John Frederick. Also, there’s a big sale at Miller Farms and there are guest speakers.

• Hank Sims, formerly the “Town Dandy” in the North Coast Journal, opines about railroads and trails in his new column “Lost Coast Outpost.”

• Stop the presses! Local gadfly David Elsebusch loves the VA’s form of socialized medicine. Seriously. He’s used the system and raves about it. He makes a good case for it.

• Geoff Spenceley writes about modern-day McCarthyism, and the bad old days when he experienced McCarthyism.

• As usual, we have a crossword puzzle.

• Take a hike with the Sierra Club

• “Meet the Authors” even in Trinidad on Saturday.

• Supervisor Sundberg to hold town hall meeting for folks in the Westhaven/Trinidad area.

• There’s a really cute dog named Max who needs to be adopted.

• The Sheriff’s Log features your typical troublemakers, idiots, etc.

There’s much more in this week’s paper, so check it out.

Also, you can now buy McKinleyville Totem Pole postcards by clicking here. These are really cool!

Raising a sunken vessel in Crescent City

Raising a sunken vessel. Click here: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1172532

Crescent City Tsunami Update

From the U.S. Coast Guard:

CRESCENT CITY TSUNAMI OPERATIONS CENTER NEWS RELEASE

Location: Crescent City Inner Basin Harbor, Crescent City, California

Cause: Tsunami following 9.0 earthquake in Japan (March 11)

Operational Update:

Responders have removed approximately 800 cubic yards of debris from the inner boat basin.
Monday’s salvage operations include continued work on sunken vessels, removal of damaged docks and the repositioning of vessels in the inner boat basin.
The Unified Command is working with the Crescent City Harbor Master and vessel owners to reposition and remove boats as needed. Operations are focused on the cleanup of the inner boat basin. Vessel owners who need to use the public boat lift are asked to leave their vessels in the water if they are in a safe place.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Global Diving and Salvage have completed their survey of the harbor using sonar technology. The information collected from the survey will allow the Unified Command to take appropriate actions to clean-up the harbor and make it safe for mariners to transit.
The Unified Command is preparing the harbor for the arrival of a heavy-lift crane barge to remove heavy debris. Pilings and dock fragments will be removed. Also, vessels will be refloated, repositioned and rigged for removal.
There are 85 responders working to remove environmental and navigational hazards from the Crescent City Harbor.
One of many goals is to move vessels to E Dock, so the owners can access them more easily.
Approximately 1,500-feet of hard and absorbent boom has been deployed to contain sources of sheen in the inner harbor and to mitigate harmful effects on the environment.
Underwater assessments continue to confirm the location of sunken vessels. Two contracted dive teams are assisting in the response efforts.
The Unified Command remains focused on using local resources whenever possible.
MEDIA ALERT:

To gain access to the operations area, please check in at the Media trailer. Please come equipped with hardhat, reflective vest, steel-toed shoes and eye protection. Media tours of operations will be available from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Damage:

47 vessels afloat but with some level of damage
15 sunken vessels
1 vessel removed
1 vessel grounded at mouth of Elk River
Large debris including rocks, logs, and vessel debris is scattered about inner harbor and shore
Navigable waters status unknown; boaters should use extreme caution transiting the area
Significant damage to moorings and docks
Closures or restrictions:

Harbor access is restricted for public safety, but boat owners have some access to their vessels and property. Personal flotation devices (PFDs) are required on all docks.
Harbor is closed to the public at night, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. until further notice.
To prevent crabs and other seafood from being contaminated and unmarketable, commercial fishermen are advised of the following protocol:
o Do not run circulation pumps on approach to or within entire Crescent City Harbor area
o Do not pull crab pots or other traps up through water if a visible sheen is present.
Safety zone in place for Crescent Harbor; no vessel movement without consent of USCG.
Between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., C, D, E, and F docks are open to owners of vessels within the boomed off area. Vessel owners should contact Coast Guard Auxiliary members at the Harbor Office to schedule a visit. For emergencies only, owners wishing to access their vessels outside of that time frame may contact the Coast Guard. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Harbor operations:

Crescent City Harbor asks affected boat owners to contact the harbor at 707-464-6174 ext. 22 to provide the following information:

Boat name
Official number/vin
Fuel capacity
Actual fuel onboard
All contact information
Wildlife: No observed wildlife impacts at this time. Assessment will continue

Crews deployed: US Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Game (DFG), Harbor District Personnel and oil spill response organizations.

Information numbers:

Crescent City Harbor boat owners contact 707-464-6174 ext. 22
Report oil 1-800-852-7550
Report Injured Wildlife 1-877-823-6926

160 Ft. Above McKinleyville This Morning

More storms coming

Looks like we’ll get a break this evening and tomorrow. Then rain will continue.

Raw weather “discussion” from the National Weather Service in Eureka:

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EUREKA CA
410 AM PDT MON MAR 21 2011

.SYNOPSIS…THE WET AND COLD PATTERN WILL CONTINUE TODAY AS A STORM
SYSTEM MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF BREAK TONIGHT
AND DURING THE DAY TUESDAY. THE WET PATTERN RETURNS TUESDAY NIGHT AS
THE FIRST OF TWO LARGE STORM SYSTEMS APPROACHES.

&&

.DISCUSSION…THE PERSISTENT COMPLEX LOW JUST OFF THE COAST
WILL MOVE INLAND TODAY. DISTURBANCES ROTATING AROUND THE LOW WILL
CONTINUE TO GENERATE RAIN SHOWERS AND SNOW SHOWERS. AMOUNTS THOUGH
LOOK TO BE LIGHTER THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT AND ONLY LOOKING FOR 1-2
INCHES OF SNOW SO HAVE DROPPED SNOW ADVISORY. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF
BREAK IN THE PRECIPITATION LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY TUESDAY
AFTERNOON AS A WEAK SHORT WAVE RIDGE MOVES ACROSS THE REGION.

LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON ANOTHER STRONG LOW MOVES IN FROM THE
NORTHWEST. THE PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW IS EXPECTED TO
START IN MENDOCINO COUNTY LATE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN SPREAD
NORTHWARD OVERNIGHT. THIS SYSTEM WILL AGAIN BE COLD WITH THE SNOW
LEVEL NEAR 3000 FEET. THE LOW IS TAPPING INTO PWATS OF ABOUT 0.5
INCHES WHICH IS ABOUT TYPICAL FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR BUT 700MB WINDS
NEAR 40KT SO GOOD MOISTURE FLUX. ALSO SFC LOW NEAR 998 MB ROTATES
TO ABOUT 170 NM WEST OF CAPE MENDOCINO BY 06Z WED PRODUCING UPSLOPE
LOW LEVEL EAST WINDS INTO EASTERN TRINITY AND MENDOCINO COUNTIES.
CONTINUED THE WATCH BUT STARTED IN A LITTLE EARLIER AT 02Z WED WITH
START OF UPSLOPE WINDS. SNOWFALL AMOUNTS WITH THIS STORM IN THE 7 TO
12 INCH RANGE WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS 0.5 TO 1.5 INCHES. RIGHT ON ITS
HEELS AND FOLLOWING THE SAME TRACK IS YET ANOTHER LOW DROPPING OFF
THE COAST THUR. SINCE THERE IS VERY LITTLE BREAK IN BETWEEN THESE
TWO SYSTEMS…I EXTENDED THE WATCH OUT UNTIL THUR EVE. TOTAL
ACCUMULATIONS FOR BOTH SYSTEMS WILL RANGE FROM 8 TO 20 INCHES
WITH HIGHER AMOUNTS OF SNOW IN EASTERN TRINITY AND MENDO COUNTIES IN
UPSLOPE FLOW. SNOW LEVELS STILL NEAR 3000 FT. RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN
THE 1-2.5 INCH RANGE.

MODEL DIFFERENCE SHOWING UP FOR LATE IN THE WEEK AND WEEKEND AS BOTH
GFS AND GEM SHOW S/W RIDGE BUILDING IN LATE FRI WHILE EC HAS ANOTHER
LOW APPROACHING. ALL MODELS CONSISTENT WITH ANOTHER UPPER LOW MOVING
INTO THE GOA LATER INTO THE WEEKEND THOUGH TIMING IS DIFFERENT. GFS
AND GEM SIMILAR IN BRING WARM FRONTAL RAINS LATE SAT AND THEN COLD
FRONT THRU SUN. GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY…LEFT 50-60 PERCENT POPS.
DEAN