ARCATA, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management is hosting a free guided bird walk at the Ma-le’l Dunes near Eureka in celebration of World Migratory Bird Day, Saturday, May 10, from 8 to 10 a.m. Participants should meet at the Ma-le’l Dunes South parking area. Registration is not needed to join.

Dan Dendler, BLM park ranger, will lead this 1.5-mile hike on loose sandy trails through the dunes. Participants will learn how to effectively use binoculars, basic bird identification, and other birding tips. There will be limited binoculars and bird guides available for use on a first come, first served basis.

To get to the Ma-le’l Dunes parking area, take exit 713 for Samoa Boulevard from Highway 101 and travel West on Samoa Boulevard/CA-255S for 4.1 miles. Turn left onto Young Lane followed by a left turn onto Vera Linda Lane. Continue on Vera Linda Lane until arriving at the Ma-le’l Dunes South Unit parking area.

World Migratory Bird Day is a biannual event occurring every May and October that focuses on the protection of migratory birds and the various habitats they use as they make their journeys. The goal for WMBD 2025 is to promote a healthy coexistence of humans and birds by making our local cities and communities more bird friendly.

The Ma-le’l Dunes includes 937 acres cooperatively managed by the BLM and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It is a National Natural Landmark, a designation given by the National Park Service recognizing its outstanding coastal dune ecosystem. The BLM manages the southern 206 acres for conservation and hiking and horseback riding.

A 26-year-old man in Tennessee is facing a possible life sentence for allegedly killing his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend, a medical student who was fatally shot was participating in a walk benefiting the American Cancer Society over the weekend. Jackson Hopper was taken into custody on Sunday and charged with one count of first-degree murder in the cold-blooded slaying of Ellie Young, authorities announced.

Young, a medical student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, had been attending the “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” event at the park.

According to a probable cause affidavit, deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office at about 12:19 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, responded to a call about a recent homicide at the Shelby Farms Visitor’s Center in the 6900 block of Great View Drive North in Memphis.

ARCATA, Calif. – The story of Falk, a historic town and lumber mill in the Headwaters Forest Reserve, will be told in a free guided archaeology walk offered by the Bureau of Land Management, Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to noon.  Participants should meet at the Elk River Trail parking area. Registration is not required.

Rusty Goodlive, an archaeological site steward, and volunteer docent Kristi Wrigley will lead the one mile walk on the paved and accessible Elk River Trail. Participants will see the restored locomotive barn and sand shack from the townsite and discuss the historical importance of Falk to the region. Falk is an archaeological district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Goodlive resides in the north coast region. He is a retired firefighter with an interest in history and archaeology. As an archaeological site steward, he helps monitor the Falk site and explains its history to visitors.

Wrigley is a lifelong resident of the Elk River Valley. Her grandfather was the general manager of the store in Falk, and her uncle was superintendent of the Elk River Mill and Lumber Company that operated from 1905 until 1937. She is a retired surveyor who volunteers for the BLM as a Headwaters docent and archaeological stewardship consultant.

To get to the Elk River Trailhead, take the Herrick Avenue exit off Highway 101 at the southern end of Eureka and turn right on to Elk River Road. Travel 1.6 miles and take another right to stay on Elk River Road.Continue 4.2 miles to the signed parking area and trailhead.