Northcoast Environmental Center's 30th Birthday

On July 7, 2001, the Northcoast Environmental Center celebrated its thirtieth anniversary at the Arcata Community Center. This is a collection of photos I shot by following Lucille Vinyard and Connie Stewart around. --Mike Diggles

Chad Roberts made additions in January 2016; his notes are in [box brackets]

Photograph Lucille Vinyard.
Lucille Vinyard.

Photograph Lisa Hoover
Lisa Hoover. [Lisa is/was a botanist for the Forest Service, and was actively involved for many years with the City of Arcata Forest Management Advisory Committee. I think she was a member of the NEC Board of Directors at one point; in any event, she often volunteered for the NEC and other conservation causes over at least two decades in the North Coast.]

Photograph Mark Wheetley
Mark Wheetley. [I'm fairly sure that at the time of the celebration, Mark was a City Councilman for the City of Arcata; it's quite possible/likely that he still is, or at least is still involved in local elective politics. Mark worked for many years as the primary North Coast representative of the State Coastal Conservancy. He transferred to the California Department of Fish & Game (now Wildlife) when the Conservancy decided that all of their staff must work in the Oakland Office.]

Photograph Nancy Reichard.
Nancy Reichard.

Photograph Chesbro Vinyard.
Wes Chesbro and Lucille Vinyard.

Photograph Rudy Becking.
Rudy Becking.

Photograph Steve Lau
Steve Lau, retired science teacher who worked for a few years at Eureka High School

Photograph Amodios.
Amodio family.

Photograph Amodio Vinyard.
John Amodio and Lucille Vinyard.

Photograph Joe Gillespie
Joe Gillespie

Photograph Greg Blomstrom
Greg Blomstrom. [Greg is a Registered Professional Forester who has worked in the North Coast for several decades. He was married to Chris Jenican (Tim McKayÕs ex-wife) for a period of time, which I think was the case at the time of the celebration. Greg lent his expertise behind the scenes to many timber-related projects for the NEC.]

Photograph

Photograph Vinyard Gillespie
Lucille Vinyard and Joe Gillespie

Photograph Diggles Vinyard.
Mike Diggles and Lucille Vinyard. Mike was a founding Director of NEC representing HSU's Boot 'n Blister Club. He was President of the Board while a partner in Flat Earth Bicycle Shop in about 1974. He has been a geologist at at the U.S. Geological Survey since 1977 and was the lead geologist on the Sierra Nevada Ecosystem Project.

Photograph Bill Rodstrom
Bill Rodstrom. [Bill is another long-term North Coast resident who volunteered for a variety of projects at the NEC and with other local conservation organizations. I think heÕs currently affiliated with the natural resources program at the Redwood Community Action Agency in Eureka.]

Photograph Steve O'Meara.
Steve O'Meara.

Photograph Laurel McKay.
Laurel McKay.

Photograph

Photograph

Photograph Chris Jenican
Chris Jenican. [Chris is Tim McKay"s ex-wife and the mother of his children. Her current last name is Beresford. She's a current NEC Board member, and IÕm quite sure sheÕs involved in local community issues in several ways.]

Photograph Tim McKay.
Tim McKay.

Photograph Roberts Stewart
Chad Roberts and Connie Stewart

Photograph John Woolley.
John Woolley.

Photograph Ann Marie Woolley
Ann Marie Woolley. [Ann was/is John Woolley's wife. She is a semiprofessional-grade musician and an educator with long experience in the North Coast.]

Photograph Woolleys
Ann Marie and John Woolley

Photograph

Photograph

Photograph

Photograph Chesbro Amodio.
Wes Chesbro and John Amodio.

Photograph Michael Matthews.
Michael Matthews.

Photograph

Photograph Kay Chaffee.
Kay Chaffee.

Photograph Dorothy
[This woman's name is/was Dorothy something, a friend of Kay Chaffee]

Photograph

Photograph Jan de Pace
Jan de Pace

Photograph

Photograph Kate Krebs
Kate Krebs. [Kate was the primary founder of the Arcata Community Recycling Center and its Executive Director for many years. She later moved to the east coast to assume the leadership of some national recycling group, and at the time of the celebration was still there (she came back to Arcata for the celebration). Kate was a long-time friend of the McKays and Wes Chesbro, and I think she was one of the residents in "the house" who were involved in the NEC's creation. ...One the houses; another was "D Street House" at 9th about a block from Tim's --MFD]

Photograph

Photograph

Photograph Candles lit.
Candles lit.

Photograph of Laurel blowing out her birthday candles.
Make a wish.

Photograph Nancy Reichard.
Nancy Reichard.

Photograph Wes Chesbro.
Wes Chesbro.

Photograph of thirty-one-year-old notes.
Copy of notes from November 24, 1970 when we met to plan the formation of the Northcoast Environmental Center. Steve O'Meara pointed out that a group he was in was meeting weekly at Sambos on this topic even before that.

Photograph close-up of the text of the note.
Some of the text of the note.

Photograph Joint Resolution.
Joint Resolution of the California State Legislature commemorating this 30th birthday of NEC.

Photograph Connie Stewart
Connie Stewart

Photograph Bill Van Fleet.
Bill Van Fleet.

Photograph drawing of animals and people.
Bill's artwork.

Photograph Steve O'Meara.
Steve O'Meara.

Photograph Dominitz.
Sid Dominitz.

Photograph Sid Dominitz.
Sid Dominitz.

Photograph John Ross.
John Ross.

Photograph John Ross.
John Ross.

Photograph John Ross.
John Ross.

Photograph

Photograph Jim Test
Jim Test. [Jim was (I'm pretty sure) the Mayor of the City pf Arcata at the time of the celebration (I think that was Connie; Jim was earlier -- MFD). For several decades he was the owner of Bug Press, a local printing company in Arcata, which resulted in his helping with a variety of local projects.]

Photograph Chris Jenican
Chris Jenican. [See notes above.]

Photograph Mark Larson.
Mark Larson.

Photograph Sidney Fisher.
Sidney Fisher.

Photograph

Photograph Praise for Tim.
Praise for Tim.

Photograph Standing ovation.
Standing ovation.

Photograph Andy Alm.
Andy Alm

Photograph Laura Zerzan.
Laura Zerzan.

Photograph Maggie Gainer
Maggie Gainer

Photograph

Photograph

Photograph Kate Krebs
Kate Krebs. [See notes above.]

Photograph Dan Hauser.
Dan Hauser.

Photograph Thea Gast.
Thea Gast.

Photograph

Photograph

Photograph Claire Courtney
Claire Courtney. [Claire was a long-time member of the NEC Board of Directors. She played a significant role in the transition of the NEC after Time McKay died. She was politically active and previously had worked as local representative for a number of state/federal electeds.]

Photograph John Wooley.
John Wooley.

Photograph Joint Resolution.
Joint Resolution.

Photograph Mark Andre
Mark Andre. [Mark is a Registered Professional Forester (and as such works often with Greg Blomstrom in the region). He has worked for the City of Arcata Environmental Services Department for many years, initially as the forester who helped create the current Community Forest management approach, including its certification by the Forest Stewardship Council. He's currently the Director of the department. He served at least one term on the NEC Board of Directors.]

Photograph Wendall Wood.
Wendall Wood.

Photograph

Photograph

Photograph

Photograph John Hewston.
John Hewston who recounted how Mike Diggles came into his class in the 1960s and took photographs.

Photograph Greg Blomstrom
Greg Blomstrom. [See notes above.]

Photograph Carl Zichella
Carl Zichella. [Carl lived in the North Coast for a while after he finished a degree program at HSU and was engaged in a variety of conservationist activities. I believe he worked for the Redwood Community Action Agency on energy programs, and he volunteered for the NEC. Carl later worked for the national Sierra Club organization on energy issues, and is now at NRDC.]

Photograph Live teenager.
As Tim pointed out, "A live teenager."

Photograph Ernie Wasson.
Ernie Wasson.

Photograph Sue Van Hook
[I'm not totally positive, but I'm about 98% sure that this is Sue Van Hook. Sue earned an MA in mycology from Dave Largent at HSU, and was the Preserve Manager (and everything else) for the Lanphere Dunes Preserve when it was owned by The Nature Conservancy in the 1980s. She's married to a nationally known painter named George Van Hook, based in upstate New York. She (and one of her daughters) came west for the celebration, and while this photo is not the best representation I'm fairly sure that this is Sue.]

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Date created: July 23, 2001
Last modified: January 31, 2016

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