Keep Us On The Fast Track to Dam Removal

Dear Friends, For the last several years, I’ve been optimistically sharing that if everything fell perfectly into place, the Eel River Dams could be out of the river by 2030. We’ve just learned that my optimistic timeline may turn out to be realistic. People like you who keep our bills paid deserve huge credit. Please … Read more

Friends of the Eel River Sues to Protect Public Trust Flows In The Lower Eel River

Salmon and steelhead among species affected when groundwater pumping causes drawdown of connected surface flows. Friends of the Eel River (FOER) has filed suit in Humboldt County Superior Court to secure protection for the public trust values at risk when groundwater pumping depletes surface flows in the Lower Eel River. First, FOER is asking the … Read more

Conservation Groups Joint Statement on PG&E Herbicide Spraying

On September 29, 2022, PG&E alerted Humboldt County that it was going to spray herbicides along its easements across the region. PG&E failed to alert landowners or tenants of this new threat; instead, local news broke the story just two days before spraying was set to commence. Today, it appears that PG&E has postponed spraying … Read more

Friends of the Eel River Notifies Humboldt County of Intent to Sue

Image of lower Eel River looking upstream. Blue sky contrasts the brown and green algae on the banks of the Eel River. The broad, shallow riffles on the left side of the photo as the river flows through a narrow pinchpoint (a point bar) and deepens near the center of the photo. Trees and mountains line the background.

Friends of the Eel River Notifies Humboldt County of Intent to Sue Conservation group demands Humboldt County protect fisheries and other public trust values in the lower Eel River Friends of the Eel River, a Eureka-based citizens’ group dedicated to protecting and restoring Eel River fisheries, has sent a formal letter to Humboldt County demanding … Read more

Year-End Wrap Up (We Ain’t Gonna Miss You, 2021)

  Join Gang Green for a review of the highlights and lowlights of 2021. Friends of the Eel River organized a motley crew of enviros, organized labor, religious leaders, and others in a coalition to fight against the threat of a coal export facility and train line. Humboldt Baykeeper continued to keep the community safe by tracking … Read more

FOER Comments on Humboldt County’s Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan

Friday, December 24, 2021 Hank Seeman Humboldt County via email Re: Comments on Draft Groundwater Sustainability Plan Dear Hank and Groundwater Team: Thank you for the informative presentation on the draft GSP last Friday. The following brief notes and comments may help to improve the final plan. At this writing, several technical memos remain outstanding. … Read more

Friends of the Eel River Applauds SB 307

In September, Senator McGuire introduced SB 307 to address the threat of outside interests seeking to haul coal through the Eel River Canyon by utilizing the NCRA rail right-of-way. This bill clearly asserts that state money shall not be used to “initiate, improve, or operate” rail service on the unviable North Coast rail line north … Read more

KMUD Monday Morning Magazine 10.18.2021

Alicia chats with KMUD about the battle to fight the potential coal train during the Monday Morning Magazine. Learn about local and regional efforts to protect public health and safety, and the complex issues surrounding efforts to use the old defunct line for anything other than rail. Related Links: Action Alert: Say NO to Coal! EcoNews … Read more

Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approves Cannabis Mitigation and Remediation Program

Cannabis growing in Humboldt County

For immediate release Tuesday, August 17, 2021 For more information: Alicia Hamann, Executive Director, alicia(at)eelriver.org Grant Funds Now Available through Humboldt County Cannabis Mitigation Program Friends of the Eel River (FOER) are pleased the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has approved the Cannabis Mitigation and Remediation Grant Program. This program to fund sediment reduction projects … Read more

Low Flows in the Eel River Require Action to Protect Public Trust Values

Flows in the mainstem Eel River are at historically low levels. In fact flows are lower now than they were in 2014 when the river disconnected in the fall and left migrating Chinook suffering from elevated levels of disease. This is why we asked the Humboldt County Supervisors this week to take immediate action and … Read more