Humboldt Outdoors is a community access television series broadcast on local media by Access Humboldt (accesshumboldt.net). The series showcases the landscapes, stories, and people of Humboldt County. What began as a local program has now expanded to reach a wider audience. Viewers can now also watch Humboldt Outdoors on KORK North Bay TV and on streaming platforms like Apple TV and Roku
For alumni who miss the scent of redwoods after rain, the sun breaking over Trinidad Head, or the feeling of being surrounded by nature on campus, Olson's show fits the bill.
“My wife Moonlight and I produce this series as a gift to the community,” Olson says. He’s quick to emphasize that it’s not monetized. It’s not about chasing views. The show is about opening a door back into a place that shaped him.
Olson’s connection to the North Coast runs deep. His family spent summers near Crescent City, with long stretches outdoors that built an early love of nature and a lifelong curiosity about how places work.
So when it came time to choose a university, Humboldt felt like the natural next step.
“This area has always felt like home,” Olson says. And once he arrived, he found exactly what he’d hoped for: learning that didn’t just happen in classrooms, but out in the world.
Some of his favorite memories were rooted in the field, especially in botany, where the forest was part of the syllabus.
“For our botany classes, we would go up into the forest and identify the growth stages of ferns,” Olson says, describing the joy of studying living systems in real time. That immersive, hands-on learning left a mark, not just intellectually, but emotionally. “It was a really joyful experience,” he said.
Olson doesn’t romanticize his student years. In fact, he’s candid about the struggle because the turning point is the part he most wants students to hear.
“Initially, I was not a really good student,” Olson says. The outdoors was always calling, and schoolwork didn’t come easily at first. He failed botany and zoology and had to retake them. But what happened next became a guiding principle for the rest of his life.
“I learned that I had to work hard,” Olson says. “I had to commit to studying several hours every day, and I ended up graduating with mostly A’s.”
The deeper lesson wasn’t just academic, it was transformational.
“At Humboldt, I learned that if I buckle down and I really am determined to learn it, I can do it,” Olson says. “It gave me confidence and showed me that I can learn anything if I put my mind to it.”
That confidence followed him into professional life, especially the moments where a new assignment felt impossible. “When tasked with an especially challenging project,” he said, “I would remind myself, ‘You know what? I can figure this out.’”
After graduating, Olson made a choice many alumni recognize: leave the area to grow a career, while keeping Humboldt close in his heart.
He went on to earn a Master of Public Administration at Cal State Northridge and built a 30-year career in environmental sustainability and public works. For nearly two decades, he helped manage the City of Ventura’s Environmental Sustainability Division, overseeing a multimillion-dollar budget and programs ranging from stormwater and solid waste to climate action planning and public education.
And somewhere along the way, he discovered a powerful tool for community education: television.
In the days when community access was a central hub for local storytelling, Olson and his wife began producing environmental education programming, primarily with humor, narrative arcs, and creative “adventures” to make complex topics stick.
“It ended up being fun,” Olson says. “We would create a story around it… and they were really popular in the community.”
When Olson retired and returned to Humboldt permanently in 2015, it felt, in his words, “like coming home.”
Then, a few years later, the pandemic reshaped daily life and sparked something new. Olson remembered reading public health guidance that encouraged people to get outside, both for safety and mental well-being. That moment clicked into purpose.
“I thought, well, here’s a way I can contribute,” Olson says.
He went to Access Humboldt, offered to make programs, and began producing outdoor episodes that helped viewers rediscover local places, where to go, what they’re seeing, and why it matters. Over time, the series evolved beyond nature walks into something broader: local history, cultural history, and the living threads that connect community and landscape.
The Lost Coast Outpost now catalogs episodes, which range from Trinidad’s lighthouse to the Arcata Community Forest, Ma-le’l Dunes, and more. See a full list of all the episodes.
Humboldt Outdoors is a local gem, built for Humboldt County viewers through community access and shared online. Now, through KORK North Bay TV, the show has expanded into a broader digital broadcast ecosystem, with on-demand episodes presented on KORK’s site.
At first, Olson felt uneasy about the wider visibility of his work. He originally created these pieces for local use. However, he believes it’s important to showcase Humboldt County positively. “I enjoy showing Humboldt County in such a good light,” he said. He feels that the series highlights the county's history and beauty.
Olson doesn’t seek recognition for his efforts. “I don’t get any sense of glory out of it,” he says. He’s just happy that people enjoy and appreciate the episodes.
For Olson, Humboldt is more than just a location. It taught him independence and determination. He learned that hard work pays off when you show up every day. He hopes alumni feel not only nostalgia but also a sense of recognition when they watch his work. He is proud that the show also includes episodes related to campus life, featuring university spaces and activities.
In every episode—whether he’s exploring Ma-le’l Dunes or discussing student activism—Olson shares what he learned from Humboldt: pay attention, learn deeply, and share your knowledge. He hopes that for alumni watching from afar, it feels like coming home.