Mad River News

Kenny Ballard has been appointed Mustang Survival’s new President, taking over responsibilities from Juanita Killen, who stepped into the role of Interim President in 2023. Additionally, Lance Richardson takes on the newly created role of VP, Manufacturing and Innovation for the Wing Group, Mustang Survival’s parent company.Ballard brings a wealth of experience from previous executive roles with renowned brands, including Osprey, SwissGear, Wenger Outdoor, Kelty, and, most recently, his own successful consulting firm.

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Air Station Humboldt Bay is continuing standardization training as well as a pair of search-and-rescue operations. On Feb. 4, the Coast Guard received a distress call by cell phone regarding a 23-year-old man who was swept down the Mad River while trying to rescue his dog. The following day, the Coast Guard assisted the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office with a search for two men in a raft who failed to return as planned from a day trip on the Van Duzen River. Deputies spotted a yellow object in the river and called in the Coast Guard, who flew over the area and confirmed that the object was a partially submerged raft. The Coast Guard continued to search the area from the air, while the Sheriff’s Posse was called out to conduct a thorough ground search.