04/10/2015
Humboldt Country State of Mind
The communities of rural Humboldt Co reflect a relatively homogenous population in respect their socio-economic profile. They demonstrate an economic, social, and cultural continuity that spans seven generations. They evidence a viable, cohesive community infrastructure as reflected by the establishment and maintenance of community services, fire districts, schools, community centers, community granges, and family support services. These indicators of functioning community infrastructure and viability rest on the original foundations established by the first white settlers 150 years ago. They are still vibrant, dynamic community functions that continue to grow and evolve fueled by new generations of residents and guided by the descendants of those original founders.
A strong case can be made that the rural communities of Humboldt Co are by every measure the most stable, healthy, safe and self-supporting communities in Humboldt Co. These rural communities and economies also represent the primary established non-tribal land use of a large percentage of Humboldt Co acreage.
Rural Humboldt county economies have also been the source of the resilient liquidity of Humboldt cash flow since the first cow grazed the Eel River valley around 1850 or so. It could be considered an inconvenient truth by the local banking, real estate and economic development community, but the history of Humboldt Co clearly demonstrates the Humboldt communities from McKinleyville to Garberville were established and existed only to support the already established renewable resource based economies that operated on independent, family owned rural land holdings. The growth and economic viability of these Humboldt Co population centers have always been, and continue to be dependent on the continued health of the renewable resource based economies of rural Humboldt that are owned and operated by independent rural Humboldt families.
These families, living on and working the same land for seven generations, are the keystones on which the foundation of the Humboldt economy, culture, and quality of life is built. For over 150 years their ability to manage the sustainable production of their lands to maintain a viable economic base has been the prime factor that has made Humboldt Co unique in its ability to weather the boom-bust economics that have defined the majority of west coast communities. The refusal of these landholders to allow government agencies and corporate entities to usurp their right to autonomous management of the rural lands on which they live has allowed the development of a grassroots economic engine that reinforces economic sustainability and reinvestment in community. The willingness of these families to underwrite the sale of land to young families and share their knowledge and trust has ensured the continued health and vitality of the land based independent autonomy that drives the Humboldt economy. For 150 years it has been the products of Humboldt land that has defined the Humboldt economy. For 150 years it has been the husbandry of the independent Humboldt landowner that has insured the continued productivity of those lands.
Humboldt history is also replete with examples of carpetbagger financiers, snake oil salesmen and farmers turned real estate developers that thought they knew better than all us hill folk, dirt farmers, and cowboys. The economic train wrecks-literally and figuratively- litter the landscape to this day. From the days of Bucksport and Union town, speculators and self styled developers too lazy to work the land have pulled repeated economic shell games and slight of hand scams to reroute the products of Humboldt working lands into the hands of the middle man.
If every ‘economic visionary’ that uttered the words ‘west coast deep water port’ ‘shipping hub’ or ‘all we need is to do is build, or rebuild, or rebuild again, or reroute-take your pick-a railroad’ paid a $100 bu****it fee we could probably buy out the latest crop of land grabbing, money grubbing, speculating, developing ‘economic experts’ and have enough left over to pay for the tar and feathers. We’ve still got plenty of rails from the last time they tried to build a damn railroad.
So the next time an Arkley clone starts quoting numbers to prove that the economic center of Humboldt co rests in the 101 corridor and implies the rural Humboldt is just wasted land populated by misfits, outlaws and trashed out growers, remind them that every dollar spent locally may recycle through local cash registers and be counted 7-8 times. The numbers he quotes are taken where the dollar stops, not where it starts. In Humboldt most of the dollars that walk down main street grow out of the hills not the pavement.
Now the attitudes expressed are mine and may be considered pejorative if you’re one of them folk that see land as something to sell not work, but the facts are true and can be verified by anyone that wants to look past the guys that keep shouting about what’s right rather than doing what’s right. You know the guys, they all HUM the same tune and run a greasy spoon that serves us watered down Fennel and Bone Sup, and when you choke on all the smoke they blow they charge extra for the CPR and call it value added. They remind me of those clowns in circus parades that keep running to the front to trying to look like they’re the leaders and then keep getting confused ‘cuz they don’t know where they’re going.
And that’s exactly what has happened with this circus parade the administration of our county government has turned into. Clowns pretending to be leaders while the lions and tigers that keep the show afloat live in s**t not shoveled because clowns don’t shovel s**t. They just call it fertilizer and sell it to us at $250 a yard-but don’t panic, its organic. Seems we’d be better off replacing the seats of county gov with composting toilets. Oop’s that’s right you need a special permit to compost your s**t. Of course if you plant your s**t and grow the good s**t then you can dump all your s**t in the river without a permit. By the way does anyone in this county grasp the concept of ‘conflict of interest ‘.
So while the clowns are all running around in circles trying to pretend they know the way, the lions and tigers are fading away. Why don’t the lions and tigers give a mighty roar and maybe eat a clown or two you might ask. From where I sit, hanging out with the lions and tigers, it appears they’re too busy trying to keep the clowns from selling the wagons they call home for scrap to buy fancier clown cycles to peddle their asses out of town. Besides those damn clowns are making so much noise tooting their clown horns and shouting misdirection’s through the megaphones, nobody could hear anything anyway.
But if you ever pin down on of them clowns here are some questions you might ask.
Why has the demographic profile as evidenced by the nature of rural Humboldt communities not been introduced as a factor in the open spaces and rural land portions of the GPU.
Why has the county government never recognized the population of rural Humboldt as an identifiable demographic that defines an established community structure that demonstrates an established philosophy and application of land use that can only be accomplished by the coordinated efforts over a period of years by the collective efforts of established community.
Why isn’t sustainable long range management of small farmsteads to produce agricultural products that provide for the support of the producers and define the use of the land NOT referenced as agricultural use in the assessment of land use per the GPU. May I suggest the Board of Supervisors and the Planning commission invest in a dictionary. I think they’re confusing agriculture with market economy.
Why does small plot non-revenue wood lot management not be factored as a function of THZ land use.
Why has 50+ years of de facto precedent in respect administrative policy and application of regulations generated by the county planning department not been defined as a mitigating factor and allowed ‘grandfather rights’ status when addressing issues of compliance in reviewing permit applications and assessing gray area parceling and non-permitted owner resident structures.
Why in thirty years as a businessman, community activist and farmer in the Lower Mattole Valley with ongoing interaction with various county departments I am aware of less than a 10 or so efforts by the county to formally or informally, utilizing objective third party methods, survey the communities of the Mattole to develop a realistic overview of lands and peoples that represent a healthy portion of the natural and human resources of our county. The Cooperative Extension office of Uof C Davis has provided more outreach and supportive services than the sum total of county gov.
Why has the board of supervisors refused to acknowledge the economic influence of small plot owner resident ma*****na production separate from the more recent mega—grows and artificial environment grows.
Why hasn’t the model of ma*****na cultivation as demonstrated by small plot farmstead growers been referenced as a separate and very different method of ma*****na production. The economic influence on the Humboldt economy, the environmental impacts. and nature of influence on established social and community quality of life issues are very different to what is presented as the state of the industry in Humboldt co.
Why have the few recommendations and policy decisions that have been presented by Board of Supervisors in respect to the regulation of the cultivation and distribution of medical ma*****na per AB420 define a policy that appears to be in opposition to supporting the above referenced cultivation model.
We as citizens of Humboldt County are at a crossroads. The economic, social, and cultural factors that have defined who we are, how we measure value, how we identify community are changing dramatically. Sustainability vrs. growth. Development vrs. stability of the status quo. Revenue generation vrs. resource allocation. The choices we make will define the course of our Humboldt community and the quality of life we leave for our children. A wise man once said that a valid result cannot be obtained from an inaccurate premise. Any plan, program, or policy based on a premise of what Humboldt population, economy, and land use is that does not reflect the accurate depiction of the demographics of rural Humboldt lands and communities is destined to fail. Humboldt has always been about the land not the man. Without the land we have nothing.
