350 Humboldt

Wendy Ring, M.D. looks at climate action through the health lens. In this Zoom presentation she’ll talk about local climate health impacts, the benefits of climate actions and how to communicate about them to the public. We’ll also hear her perspective on the threat of coal trains rolling down the Eel River canyon.

Wendy Ring is a longtime Humboldt resident. She received her MD and Masters degree in Public Health from Columbia University. As the founder and medical director of Humboldt’s first mobile clinic, she cared for Humboldt’s homeless, undocumented, and uninsured for over 20 years. Now retired, she is a full-time advocate for climate action. Back in 2012, her first act was to ride a bicycle across the country on a speaking tour about the health impacts of climate change.

Wendy works on climate with state and national health professional groups as well as in our local community, and produces a radio show/podcast called Cool Solutions, about climate action from the bottom up, which airs on radio stations across the US.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, October 5th) at its 9 am meeting, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors will vote on a resolution which officially declares the County’s opposition to coal exports and directs staff to draft an ordinance prohibiting the construction of any infrastructure to support it. They could also vote to reaffirm their support for the Great Redwood Trail.

This is a key step in the campaign to stop the horrific coal train scheme and ensure that the vision of the Great Redwood Trail is realized. The Supervisors need to hear from you! Here’s how to participate:

Click here to find the full meeting agenda and the link to watch the video livestream once the meeting starts. When they announce the agenda item (Item H.2), call the conference line (720) 707-2699, enter Meeting ID 820 5963 6024 and turn off your TV or live stream and press star (*) 9 on your phone to raise your hand.

If you can’t make it to the meeting tomorrow, you can click here to email the Board your comments right now.

Here are some ideas of what to say:

• Please pass the resolution to oppose coal export through Humboldt Bay.
• Please also reaffirm support for the Great Redwood Trail and direct staff to support the railbanking process. The horrors of coal trains are getting headlines, but the most immediate threat is to the state’s ability to create this critical regionwide transportation and recreation asset.
• Coal trains are public health disasters. Each car on a coal train releases 500 to 2,000 pounds of coal dust loaded with toxic heavy metals. Coal dust also contains Particulate Matter 2.5, which can contribute to asthma, prenatal complications, respiratory illness, and cardiac disease.
• Contamination from coal dust will negatively impact aquaculture, tourism and other businesses reliant on a healthy Humboldt Bay.
• Burning coal is one of the biggest causes of the global climate crisis, while active transportation is one of the most important solutions. Replacing the vision of the Great Redwood Trail with the nightmare of coal trains would be a disaster for the climate, helping fuel more deadly wildfires and harmful sea level rise locally.