The North Coast Railroad Authority (NCRA) has submitted reports to the Surface Transportation Board in support of its proposed railbanking of the Northwestern Pacific Rail line from Willits north to Eureka. This includes branches of the line in Samoa, Korblex, Carlotta, and Blue Lake. Friends of the Eel River submitted comments to the Surface Transportation … Read more
Last month the State published their Assessment of the North Coast Railroad Authority and Viability of the Great Redwood Trail. This hundred-page legislative report was developed by a multi-agency task force including representatives from CalTrans, State Parks, the Natural Resources Agency, Department of Finance, and Department of General Services. This report contains no big surprises, … Read more
Emily Allee of the Wildlands Conservancy joins Tom Wheeler (of EPIC) and Alicia Hamann (of Friends of the Eel) to talk about the ambitious work that the nonprofit is doing right here in Humboldt and across the state. Learn about the conservancy’s two seaside properties along the Humboldt County coast (and how you might visit … Read more
Last month our staff attended a ribbon cutting in Ukiah for the first officially branded portion of the Great Redwood Trail. We are so thankful to Senator McGuire and his staff for their work establishing a future for this trail. As the Senator said at the ribbon cutting, this portion of the trail is an … Read more
Hi Friends, We are so thankful for all the generous support from our end of year fundraising campaign. Support from our community is crucial to continuing our important work protecting the Eel River and its fisheries. Our board and staff started off the new year with an exciting strategic planning session down in Willits along … Read more
Settlement between North Coast Rail Authority, Friends of the Eel River and Californians for Alternatives to Toxics ends decade-long dispute, upholds bedrock environmental law and advances rail-to-trail project. Marin County, Calif. – The North Coast Rail Authority agreed in late April to a legal settlement with non-profit organizations Friends of the Eel River and Californians … Read more
Friends of the Eel River is proud to play an influential role in advancing real solutions for Eel River watershed health and fisheries recovery, and we are grateful for your support and partnership. These are pivotal – and exciting – times for ensuring a more sustainable future for our region, and we take our obligation … Read more
We are so close we can almost smell the dust on the Great Redwood Trail, but the North Coast Railroad Authority is stuck in the past, fighting for rails over trails. For more than a decade now, FOER has been holding the NCRA’s feet to the fire for its refusal to clean up its mess … Read more
Thank you for being a champion for the Eel River watershed. The staff and board of Friends of the Eel River are truly grateful for being able to count on you as a partner in our efforts to protect and recover our beautiful watershed. As we near the end of this politically and climatically turbulent … Read more
In response to a petition from an anti-trails group called the National Association of Reversionary Property Owners (NARPO), the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) is proposing to limit the time in which railbanking agreements can be negotiated to three years, absent ‘extraordinary circumstances.’ For complex projects like the 300-mile long Great Redwood Trail, this arbitrary timeline … Read more