Friends of the Eel River neither supports nor opposes the Humboldt Cannabis Reform Initiative, also known as Measure A. The initiative offers several ways to improve cannabis cultivation regulations by bolstering existing regulations on cannabis operations to further reduce environmental impacts, imposing new caps on the number of grows, and limiting cultivation area. One important … Read more
Background Fisher Road has been used by the fishing community for nearly 100 years to access the Van Duzen River, a major tributary to the Eel. Last fall the southernmost property owners on the road asked Humboldt County to “vacate” the road, aka remove public access. Luckily we were able to put the brakes on … Read more
Escaping water from a bladder used to store water for fire protection has fouled nearby land and run into the Upper Main Eel River in Mendocino County. As a result, the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board reports it has fined the property owners where the bladder was kept more than $37,000. Penalty for … Read more
Read our comments on marijuana cultivation legislation in 2015.
Under a tight March 2016 timeline set by new California laws regulating medical marijuana, Humboldt County is scrambling at last to write locally appropriate rules for commercial cannabis cultivation. Among the most significant problems the new rules must address is protecting watersheds already overloaded by rapidly increasing pot-related impacts. Some commercial growers say they want … Read more
In recent years, Humboldt County’s marijuana industry grew exponentially in size and destructive impact. Dubbed the “Green Rush,” greed and disregard for the environment prevailed. In an effort to assert local control over the marijuana industry, Humboldt County recently issued a draft Medical Marijuana Land Use Ordinance. As written, however, the draft ordinance would grandfather … Read more
This afternoon, with an impassioned presentation outside the Humboldt County Courthouse, leaders of the political action group California Cannabis Voice-Humboldt (CCVH) unveiled a proposed land use ordinance aimed at regulating marijuana cultivation throughout the county’s unincorporated areas. …local environmental leaders remain skeptical about the ordinance and the process through which it has developed. One of … Read more
June 8, 2015 Matthias St. John Executive Officer North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board by email Re: Comments on Draft Order R1-2015-0023, Waiver of Waste Discharge Requirements and General Water Quality Certification for Discharges of Waste Resulting from Marijuana Cultivation and Associated Activities or Operations with Similar Environmental Effects in the North Coast Region … Read more
January 12, 2015 Dear Supervisors, On the whole, Friends of the Eel River believes the current draft of the Water Resources Element reflects the need to protect and restore our water resources. There are, however, still places in the draft where the wording could be improved to clarify the relationships between the goals the county … Read more
California Wilderness Coalition • Environmental Protection Information Center • Friends of the Eel River • Humboldt Baykeeper • Northcoast Environmental Center • Safe Alternatives for our Forest Environment • Sonoma County Water Coalition • Willits Environmental Center Congressman Jared Huffman 1630 Longworth H.O.B. Monday, August 19, 2013 RE: Support for Proposed PLANT Act (HR 2735) … Read more