Kyle on Del Norte’s Ecotourism Potential, Young Adult Opportunities, and Local Naturalists Doing ‘Rad Activism’
As an interpreter for Jedediah Smith State Park, Kyle Buchanan witnesses firsthand the importance of Del Norte’s natural resources in the community’s emotional and economic well being. As a young adult, he sees a lack of the sort of social spaces common to young adults in more populated areas but has found a thriving naturalist community passionate about protecting Del Norte’s most precious resources.
Youth In Crescent City
Kyle Buchanan first fell in love with Del Norte while on a road trip. Once he found a dream job interpreting for Jedediah Smith State Park, he left his hometown of Long Beach to move up to the much more remote Crescent City. Kyle spends his free time riding his bike, botanizing, birding, surfing, and exploring all that Del Norte has to offer. As a young adult, he sees a lack of the sort of social spaces common to young adults in more populated areas. However, for him, it’s not always about that.
“It is difficult to think about what there is in Crescent City for young people, because I feel like that's heavily embedded in what young people should be doing at a certain age. There’s different forms of outdoor recreation and different forms of naturalizing in the outdoors, and sometimes that's not really perceived as a young person thing. But the young people here are all about it. And as long as people are happy, like myself, I think there's that for young people.”
“It’s really difficult sometimes to get in and out of Crescent City. The landslides, fires, and all the construction that needs to happen afterwards definitely restricts transportation.”
A Dangerous Road
The remoteness of Del Norte is a part of its appeal to Kyle, but also is a hindrance when it comes to transportation. Erosion caused by seasonal fires often leads to landslides that bottleneck the few roads in and out of Crescent City. Much of the region doesn’t have reception which puts pressure on having a reliable vehicle that won't get stranded out in the backroads where Kyle often recreates.
Ecotourism Opportunities
While its wilderness can make Del Norte difficult to navigate to and from, it's these natural resources that are the backbone of its tourism industry. Kyle sees a lot of economic potential by bolstering ecotourism opportunities like organized biking, kayaking and backpacking tours similar to places like Moab, Utah.
“We could use more ecotourism businesses, where people really take advantage of what a beautiful area this is. I mean, we have redwoods, we have the Six Rivers National Forest, and coastal habitats just all within a 15 minute drive from each other.”
Photos by Amy Kumler
“When I first moved to Crescent City, I started meeting passion-oriented people. If someone has an interest in naturalizing, birding, or wildflowers, they're full throttle, led by passion, trying to do it to the best of their ability.”
Environmental Advocates
Kyle has found a community that shares a similar passion for the surrounding area and is advocating for the environment that draws so many tourists in and keeps a lot of local industries afloat.
“Some of the groups that lead invasive species removals up here are really devoted, those groups really care about the work that they're doing. The Tolowa Dune Stewards is a perfect example where they're doing a lot of invasive species removals and trying to really restore these habitats. In my eyes, that's like the most rad form of activism, where so much work is being done in which these people are spreading the good word of restoring those habitats. There's also different groups within the areas that are just purely focused on environmentalism, like Friends of Del Norte County that really aim at trying to keep these natural ecosystems as intact as possible.”
Protecting Del Norte’s Assets
Del Norte’s rich ecosystems and abundant natural resources are its greatest asset, and Buchanan believes it is imperative to protect them not only for the sake of environmental health, but for the future of Crescent City’s tourist industry and wellbeing of the population.
“The only reason that people are working really hard to try and stay in Crescent City is because of how amazing this location is, having the coast so close to the redwoods and so close to the mountains. I mean it keeps me here. I know that.”
