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NORTH COAST, Calif. – Mendocino County Health Officer Dr. Noemi Doohan reported that 19 new COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in that county over the weekend, with the first outbreak at a skilled nursing facility also under investigation.

Doohan said Mendocino County Public Health staffers worked all weekend, conducting case investigation and contact tracing.

By Sunday, the number of Mendocino County COVID-19 cases had risen to 132. That includes 91 who are recovered, one hospitalized and 40 on home isolation, Doohan reported.

Of the 40 who are in home isolation, Doohan said 24 are in the Ukiah Valley, eight are in the north county, six are on the North Coast and two are in the south county.

Of the 19 new cases, Doohan said three are residents at Sherwood Oaks Skilled Nursing Facility in Fort Bragg.

On July 7 an employee of the facility tested positive for COVID-19 and was promptly placed into isolation. Following the positive case, Doohan said an immediate plan was made in collaboration with Public Health to test all the employees and residents.

The results of the tests included three positive tests for COVID-19, all of whom were residents of the facility and all of them currently asymptomatic. Doohan said those results were reported to Public Health on July 11.

Once the COVID-19 status of the employee was reported to the skilled nursing facility on July 7, the facility went immediately into outbreak response with full personal protective equipment for all staff and isolation of residents in their rooms, said Doohan.

In addition, Doohan said the facility was following her medical masking order, which provides additional protections to skilled nursing facilities.

Case investigation and contract tracing were immediately initiated. The recent death at the facility tested negative for COVID-19 and the cause of death at this time is presumed to be unrelated to COVID-19. Public Health is doing further investigation and awaiting the death certificate, Doohan said.

In addition, Doohan said Mendocino County Public Health has reported this outbreak to the state as required and will be working with the state in support and review of the actions to contain the outbreak.

Additional testing will be conducted Monday in an effort to monitor and continue timely response to this outbreak, Doohan said.

Doohan said the COVID-19 incubation period is up to 14 days and Public Health is concerned that Mendocino County may experience an additional spike in cases resulting from increased activity county-wide over the July 4 weekend.

She continued to urge people to wear facial coverings to stop the spread of the virus, practice social distancing, and avoid gatherings, confined spaces and close contact with others.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has several new dogs available to new homes.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of border collie, Chihuahua, husky, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, shepherd and terrier.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.

This male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 15, ID No. 13790. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male pit bull

This male pit bull terrier has a short white coat.

He is in kennel No. 15, ID No. 13790.

This male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 18, ID No. 13772. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male pit bull terrier

This male pit bull terrier has a black coat.

He is in kennel No. 18, ID No. 13772.

This male husky is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 13774. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Male husky

This male husky has a medium-length red and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 20, ID No. 13774.

This female Chihuahua is in kennel No. 21, ID No. 13792. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female Chihuahua

This female Chihuahua has a short black and brown coat.

She is in kennel No. 21, ID No. 13792.

This female shepherd mix is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 13776. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Shepherd mix

This female shepherd mix has a brindle and white coat.

She is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 13776.

This female terrier is in kennel No. 23, ID No. 13784. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female terrier

This female terrier has a coarse tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. 13784.

This female pit bull is in kennel No. 24, ID No. 13777. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female pit bull

This female pit bull has a short black and white coat.

She is in kennel No. 24, ID No. 13777.

“Socci” is a female Labrador Retriever-border collie mix in kennel No. 25, ID No. 4924. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Socci’

“Socci” is a female Labrador Retriever-border collie mix with a black and white coat.

She has been spayed.

She is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 4924.

This female pit bull is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 13783. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female pit bull

This female pit bull has a short black coat.

She has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 27, ID No. 13783.

This female pit bull is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 13778. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Female pit bull

This female pit bull has a short blue coat.

She is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 13778.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Health reported on Friday that several more county residents have tested positive for COVID-19.

The figures posted on Friday showed Lake County’s cases totaled 108.

That’s an increase of 22 cases over the previous week.

By Friday night, county Public Health departments were reporting a total of more than 310,000 cases and 6,945 deaths statewide.

Case totals for neighboring counties are Colusa, 113; Glenn, 164; Mendocino, 113; Napa, 477; Sonoma, 1,650; and Yolo, 839.

Public Health Officer Dr. Gary Pace confirmed on Thursday that three state prison inmates who tested positive for COVID-19 were released to Lake County earlier this month on a special early release program. They are not counted on the local COVID-19 dashboard but in the county where they were incarcerated.

Of Lake County’s 108 cases, 25 are active and 82 are recovered. Public Health reported one death last week.

Public Health said there are three COVID-19 positive patients currently hospitalized, an increase of one since Thursday. To date, 10 local patients have been treated for the virus in the hospital.

Tests in Lake County to date total 5,309, with the results of 565 of those tests pending.

The California Department of Public Health said Friday that 5,175,737 tests have been conducted in California, an increase of 97,303 over the previous 24 hours.

The state said that local health departments have reported 17,120 confirmed positive cases in health care workers and 98 deaths statewide.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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Human trafficking victims in California can now qualify for up to $20,000 in income loss paid through the California Victim Compensation Board.

Signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, Assembly Bill 629 (Smith and Gonzalez) went into effect on Jan. 1, 2020, making human trafficking victims eligible for up to $10,000 of income loss per year, for up to two years.

The bill required the board, on or before July 1, 2020, to adopt regulations that allow it to rely on evidence other than official employment documentation in considering and approving applications for compensation.

The board adopted the regulations in May. The Office of Administrative Law approved the final regulations, ahead of the July 1 deadline.

“It’s clear the trauma of human trafficking extends far beyond the time having been trafficked — survivors often have faced homelessness, addiction and mental health issues stemming from their exploitation,” Assemblywoman Christy Smith said. “My bill with Assemblywoman Gonzalez removes a loophole in the victim compensation system that required survivors to obtain a note from their employer — often times this was their trafficker. The regulations adopted remove these barriers to justice and provide critical support for victims rebuilding their lives.”

“Survivors of human trafficking face unimaginable obstacles when they work to put their lives back on track. They are typically on their own and have to figure out how they will pay for housing and food, apply for work, and get treatment for medical and mental health,” Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez said. “Most human trafficking survivors don’t have the formal documentation CalVCB had previously required to collect lost income, such as a W-2 form. CalVCB’s new rules, now in effect thanks to our legislation AB 629, are a just and fair way to help survivors get back on their feet and get the help they need.”

“CalVCB recognizes the challenges human trafficking victims face as they work to rebuild their lives,” said Executive Officer Lynda Gledhill. “By providing financial support, along with options for medical and mental health treatment and other compensation, CalVCB is able to play a small part in victims’ recovery.”

As with all claims, victims will need to provide CalVCB with evidence of a crime, including, but not limited to, a statement under penalty of perjury from the applicant, a caseworker, a licensed attorney or a witness, or a law enforcement report. Victims brought from other countries and trafficked in California may also qualify.

Before AB 629 became law, victims could only prove income loss with formal employment documentation or voluntary cooperation from their traffickers, meaning most could not qualify.

AB 629 became law on Jan. 1, 2020, allowing victims to submit income loss applications, even as CalVCB drafted the required regulations. In the months that followed, CalVCB has approved five income loss claims and compensated those survivors more than $70,000.

Victims, advocates, representatives, and attorneys can apply for compensation in several ways:

· Create an application using CalVCB Online — a secure and private portal that can be easily accessed from a smartphone, tablet or computer.
· Contact a local county Victim Witness Assistance Center.
· Call the CalVCB Help Line at 800-777-9229.
· Download an application from CalVCB's How to Apply page.
· E-mail CalVCB at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Victims must apply within seven years of the date of the crime. Minor victims must apply by their 28th birthday. CalVCB will release funds for minor victims after their 18th birthday.

If you are a victim of human trafficking, or you suspect someone you know is being trafficked, there are a number of local, national and international organizations that offer and provide help and services, including temporary shelter, legal assistance and medical and mental health treatment.
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Best Friends Animal Society has released its 2020 pet lifesaving findings, which gives a national overview of the number of dogs and cats that enter shelters each year in the United States, and the number of dogs and cats that are leaving those shelters alive.

The year-over-year data shows that the number of dogs and cats killed annually nationally has dropped from about 733,000 in 2018 to 625,000 during 2019 (or about 1,700 killed per day). Across the U.S., about 5.4 million dogs and cats entered shelters in 2019, and 4.2 million were saved making the national save rate 79.02 percent (2018 was 76.6 percent).

“We are seeing continued momentum and progress towards the goal of ending the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters by the year 2025, with the overall number of pets being killed in the U.S. continuing to go down and the number of shelters that are no kill going up,” said Julie Castle, chief executive officer, Best Friends Animal Society.

In addition, this year, Best Friends is releasing an inaugural state-by-state ranking that shows where the most dogs and cats need to be saved, and where the most dogs and cats are being killed.

Currently, the state in the country with the most shelter deaths is California, with 100,239 dogs and cats killed in 2019. Cats are getting killed in California at the rate of nearly four to every one dog, reflecting outdated laws, ordinances and road blocks in some communities that prevent the implementation of effective trap-neuter-return programs that are proven to save lives and reduce the free-roaming cat population.

Overall, California has a 76 percent save rate, with 90 percent considered to be the benchmark for no-kill.

However, there are strong signs of progress and commitment across California, with the number of dogs and cats dying in shelters declining from 110,239 in 2018 to 100,239 in 2019, an approximate 10 percent decrease. Additionally, California saved 540,248 dogs and cats in 2019, the most of any state in the country. And recently, California Governor Gavin Newsom and the state legislature agreed to provide $5 million to fund lifesaving work in California by the pioneering experts at the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program.

The top five states where the most dogs and cats need to be saved are California, Texas, North Carolina, Florida and Louisiana, who together make up more than 50 percent of the nation’s shelter killing of dogs and cats.

Over the past three years, Best Friends has spearheaded a first-of-its-kind extensive data collection process that involved coordinated outreach to every shelter in America followed by additional research, data analysis, and technology development.

To create the most comprehensive data set on animal welfare ever published, Best Friends collected data directly from shelters, state and local coalitions, government websites, and even FOIA requests.

The Best Friends 2020 dataset – consisting of statistics collected during 2019 – of U.S. shelters has a total net intake of 5,360,060 animals representing 4,850 known shelters.

Of this intake total, 92 percent of the data is based on collected information from 3,608 brick and mortar shelters. The remaining 8 percent is estimated to cover the uncollected shelters and their respective counties.

The solution to getting to no-kill lies within individual communities and its residents, as Castle illustrated.

“Best Friends has always believed that anyone can help homeless pets. You don’t need a rescue label, special credentials or permission to help save animals. Individual community members are the no-kill movement’s greatest resource,” she said. “Putting this data directly into the hands of the public allows individual community members and advocates like the members of our 2025 Action Team to gain a better understanding of exactly which shelters and types of pets are most in need of help and helps to connect them to those shelters.”

To view the 2020 lifesaving findings and find out about adopting, fostering, volunteering, donating, or spaying/neutering in your community, visit http://bestfriends.org .
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Dozens of seats on local school and special district boards will be up for election in November, and the filing period begins next week.

Lake County Registrar of Voters Maria Valadez said the school and special districts listed below have consolidated with the Nov. 3, 2020, General Election.

She said eligible voters have the opportunity to file for candidacy for the following offices:

– Mendocino-Lake Community College District: Trustee Area No. 7 (Lake County), one vacancy, four-year term.

– Yuba Community College District: Trustee Area No. 7 (Lake County), one vacancy, four-year term.

– Lake County Board of Education: Trustee Area No. 1, one vacancy, four-year term; Trustee Area No. 2, one vacancy, four-year term.

– Kelseyville Unified School District: Three vacancies, four-year terms.

– Konocti Unified School District: Two vacancies, four-year terms.

– Lakeport Unified School District: Three vacancies, four-year terms.

– Lucerne Elementary School District: One vacancy, four-year term.

– Middletown Unified School District: Two vacancies, four-year terms.

– Upper Lake Unified School District: Two vacancies, four-year terms.

– Kelseyville Fire Protection District: Two full terms, one two-year unexpired term.

– Lake County Fire Protection District: Three full terms, one two-year unexpired term.

– Lake Pillsbury Fire Protection District: Two full terms, two two-year unexpired terms.

– Northshore Fire Protection District: Clearlake Oaks Zone, one full term; Upper Lake Zone, one full term.

– South Lake County Fire Protection District: Three full terms, one two-year unexpired term.

– Anderson Springs Community Services District: Two full terms, two two-year unexpired terms.

– Butler-Keys Community Services District: Three full terms.

– Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District: Three full terms, two two-year unexpired terms.

– Redbud Health Care District: Zone 1, one full term; Zone 3, one full term; Zone 5, one full term.

– Buckingham Park Water District: Two full terms.

– Callayomi County Water District: Two full terms, one two-year unexpired term.

– Clearlake Oaks County Water District: Three full terms.

– Cobb Area County Water District: Two full terms, one two-year unexpired term.

– Konocti County Water District: Two full terms.

– Upper Lake County Water District: Three full terms.

– Villa Blue Estates Water District: Three two-year unexpired terms.

Official declaration of candidacy forms for eligible candidates desiring to file for the elective offices enumerated above may be obtained from the Lake County Registrar of Voters office, located in Room 209 of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N Forbes St., Lakeport, during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

The first day a candidate may file for office is Monday, July 13; the last day for filing is Friday, Aug. 7, at 5 p.m.

The Registrar of Voters Office will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, to facilitate filings.

For more information call the Registrar of Voters Office at 707-263-2372.
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Cal Fire Copter 901 dipped into a pond at Beckstoffer Vineyards near Kit's Corner in Kelseyville, California, as it was working on a fire on nearby Bottle Rock Road on Saturday, July 11, 2020. Photo by Daniel Suenram.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters on Saturday contained a fire that started on a county supervisor’s property.

The fire in the area of 9100 Bottle Rock Road at Cole Creek Road in Kelseyville was first dispatched just before 11:50 a.m. Saturday, according to radio traffic.

Supervisor Rob Brown confirmed to Lake County News that the fire occurred on land he owns, which he’s been leasing for some time to Pacific Gas and Electric Co. for the processing of trees and vegetation that the company is continuing to remove from the Valley fire area.

A Cal Fire engine that arrived just before noon found a log pile that was estimated to be 100 feet long and 12 feet high fully involved and a threat to the wildland. There were multiple spot fires.

Among the air and land resources responding was Copter 901, which dipped its water bucket into a pond at nearby Beckstoffer Vineyard so that it could conduct drops on the fire.

The copter’s pilot estimated the fire was about half an acre upon arriving at the scene.

Firefighters were able to make quick progress on the fire, getting line around it and containing it, based on radio reports.

Shortly before 4:30 p.m., incident command reported the fire’s final size at 1.3 acres.

Brown said that PG&E has taken every precaution to avoid wildland fire at the site.

He said the company has completed clearing 1,000 feet of defensible space and the contractor working for PG&E has a water truck on scene at all times.

Officials have so far not reported on the fire’s cause.

In April 2014, Brown had a contractor conducting a control burn on his property when the wind shifted and drove it onto a neighbor’s property. That fire burned close to 10 acres and destroyed a structure.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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Stitched together from 28 images, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover captured this view from "Greenheugh Pediment" on April 9, 2020, the 2,729th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. In the foreground is the pediment's sandstone cap. At the center is the "clay-bearing unit"; the floor of Gale Crater is in the distance. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.


NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has started a road trip that will continue through the summer across roughly a mile of terrain.

By trip's end, the rover will be able to ascend to the next section of the 3-mile-tall Martian mountain it's been exploring since 2014, searching for conditions that may have supported ancient microbial life.

Located on the floor of Gale Crater, Mount Sharp is composed of sedimentary layers that built up over time. Each layer helps tell the story about how Mars changed from being more Earth-like – with lakes, streams and a thicker atmosphere – to the nearly-airless, freezing desert it is today.

The rover's next stop is a part of the mountain called the "sulfate-bearing unit." Sulfates, like gypsum and Epsom salts, usually form around water as it evaporates, and they are yet another clue to how the climate and prospects for life changed nearly 3 billion years ago.

But between the rover and those sulfates lies a vast patch of sand that Curiosity must drive around to avoid getting stuck.

Hence the mile-long road trip: Rover planners, who are commanding Curiosity from home rather than their offices at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, expect to reach the area in early fall, although the science team could decide to stop along the way to drill a sample or study any surprises they come across.

Depending on the landscape, Curiosity's top speeds range between 82 and 328 feet per hour. Some of this summer road trip will be completed using the rover's automated driving abilities, which enable Curiosity to find the safest paths forward on its own. Rover planners allow for this when they lack terrain imagery. (Planners hope for more autonomy in the future; in fact, you can help train an algorithm that identifies Martian drive paths.)

"Curiosity can't drive entirely without humans in the loop," said Matt Gildner, lead rover driver at JPL. "But it does have the ability to make simple decisions along the way to avoid large rocks or risky terrain. It stops if it doesn't have enough information to complete a drive on its own."

In journeying to the "sulfate-bearing unit," Curiosity leaves behind Mount Sharp's "clay-bearing unit," which the robotic scientist had been investigating on the lower side of the mountain since early 2019. Scientists are interested in the watery environment that formed this clay and whether it could have supported ancient microbes.

Extending across both the clay unit and the sulfate unit is a separate feature: the "Greenheugh Pediment," a slope with a sandstone cap. It likely represents a major transition in the climate of Gale Crater.

The goosebump-like textures in the center of this image were formed by water billions of years ago. NASA's Curiosity Mars rover discovered them as it crested the slope of the Greenheugh Pediment on February 24, 2020 (the 2685th Martian day, or sol, of the mission). Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.


At some point, the lakes that filled the 96-mile-wide crater disappeared, leaving behind sediments that eroded into the mountain we see today. The pediment formed later (though whether from wind or water erosion remains unknown); then windblown sand blanketed its surface, building into the sandstone cap.

The northern end of the pediment spans the clay region, and though the slope is steep, the rover's team decided to ascend Greenheugh back in March for a preview of terrain they'll see later in the mission. As Curiosity peeked over the top, scientists were surprised to find small bumps along the sandstone surface.

"Nodules like these require water in order to form," said Alexander Bryk, a doctoral student at University of California, Berkeley who led the pediment detour. "We found some in the windblown sandstone on top of the pediment and some just below the pediment. At some point after the pediment formed, water seems to have returned, altering the rock as it flowed through it."

These bumps may look familiar to Mars rover fans: One of Curiosity's predecessors, the Opportunity rover, found similar geologic textures dubbed "blueberries" back in 2004.

Nodules have become a familiar sight throughout Mount Sharp, though these newly discovered ones are different in composition from what Opportunity found.

They suggest water was present in Gale long after the lakes disappeared and the mountain took its present shape. The discovery extends the period when the crater hosted conditions capable of supporting life, if it ever was present.

"Curiosity was designed to go beyond Opportunity's search for the history of water," said Abigail Fraeman of JPL, who has served as deputy project scientist for both missions. "We're uncovering an ancient world that offered life a foothold for longer than we realized."

For more about Curiosity visit https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/ or https://nasa.gov/msl/ .


Stitched together from 116 images, this view captured by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows the path it will take in the summer of 2020 as it drives toward the next region it will be investigating, the "sulfate-bearing unit." Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS.
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SOUTH LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – On Monday, July 13, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services will conduct a test of the emergency warning sirens in the Loch Lomond, Cobb Mountain, Anderson Springs and Middletown areas.

The test will begin at 11 a.m.

Officials said the test is being conducted to assure the functionality of the warning sirens.

During the test, additional messaging will be sent out as a reminder.

Should there be an active response to local fires in progress, the test will be canceled, and resume the following month.

The Sheriff’s Office encourages you to make sure that your e-mail address is entered into the LakeCoAlerts system.

Visit the website and sign into your account or establish a new account to receive notifications.
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A crawdad in Cache Creek in Lake County, California. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Crawdads, crayfish, craydids: whatever you choose to call those crustaceans that bear a resemblance to mini-lobsters, they are probably not native to our creeks and waters.

Did you know that the one remaining native species of crawdad to California is the Shasta crawdad?

The signal crayfish is a prolific crustacean found in Lake County. Many of the crawdads that you find in our lakes and streams today are descendants of those brought in around 1912 from Oregon and Washington.

Some species may have made their way west from southern states during the Gold Rush era when miners had a hankering for some vittles from home.

According to researchers, there are around 400 species of crawdads in the U.S.A. with almost half on the endangered or threatened list.

The good, the bad and the ugly of crawdads is that some species are important food for river otters, herons, egrets and raccoons – and many humans love to eat crawdads and use them for bait, as well.

However, invasive crawdads have been known to consume important species like California newts, and they devour frogs and fish of all manner by utilizing their imposing and complex claws and jaws.

As they ascend from burrowing under gravel, mud and rocks they can stir up detritus and cause nuisance amounts of sediment in the water which can disturb fish life. In irrigated agricultural areas the crawdads often clog up irrigation pipes.

These freshwater animals possess two large claws, like a Maine lobster. Here in California, the fully mature crawdad can be 3 to 6 inches in length. Colors of crawdads vary from brick red to grey to green hues.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, there are regulations regarding the catching of crawdads. They can only be caught using the following methods with a valid fishing license: by hand, hook and line, or through the use of a net if its dimensions reach no larger than 3 feet.

The regulations state that, "Crayfish can be caught year-round, and there is no bag limit on them (CCR Title 14, section 5.35)."

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife goes on to explain that there are protections in place for the Shasta crayfish since it is the only native crayfish and also holds an endangered species status.

One more item of importance from the Department of Fish and Wildlife: "There are also special laws and rules in place throughout the state to prevent the spread of Quagga and Zebra mussel infestations. The use of crayfish caught in contaminated water for bait may not be prohibited, but it is illegal to move adult or larval Quagga and zebra mussels from infested waters."

Crawdads are consumed worldwide in tasty bisques, boils or in soups, but in the Czech Republic, they are fitted with sensors to monitor water used in brewing their beer. If the crawdads display changes in their pulse, the waters are screened for pollutants.

In Australia, there are fossil records of crawdads that reach past the 30 million year mark, along with evidence displayed in the strata of some fossils found in the early Mesozoic era.

Those crawling crustaceans have definitely made themselves at home in the world.

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, freelance writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.”
A crawdad in Cache Creek in Lake County, California. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.
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A serpentine outcrop in the mountains of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, which marked its fifth anniversary on Friday, July 10, 2020. Courtesy photo.

Biodiversity hotspots are regions where species numbers are unusually high. Most but not all are in the tropics. One that isn’t is the California region.

In a 2000 Nature Conservancy inventory of state biodiversity, California stood out dramatically. Its 5,653 species of animals and plants – non-vascular plants and most invertebrate animals were not included because of insufficient state information – was the most of any state.

Its 1,480 endemics, species that only occur in one state and nowhere else, were also more than in any other state.

California was No. 1 by far in vascular plant species (4,389) as well as in endemic plants (1,416). The state’s 804 vertebrate animal species were only fifth among states, but it led all states in endemic animals with 62.

California led all states in mammal species with 185 as well as with its 18 endemic mammals. Its 418 bird species were only fourth among states, but its two endemic birds brought it to second among states despite being far behind Hawaii’s 52.

The state’s 83 reptiles tie it for sixth, but the five endemics among these are only slightly exceeded by two states with six.

California’s 50 amphibians tie it for twelfth, but it still leads by far in endemic amphibians with 17.

California is only 30th in freshwater fish species with 68 but is back to No. 1 with 20 endemic fish.

What accounts for our great biodiversity? One factor leading to high endemism is mountains and deserts isolating us from states to the east.

Another that sets us apart from eastern states is a Mediterranean climate. It may not be accidental that several other nontropical hotspots on other continents also have such climates in which most rain falls when it’s coldest.

Since most plants grow fastest when it’s warmest, the gap between when water arrives and when it’s used makes these ecosystems very sensitive to where it’s stored below ground.

That’s evident in California, where vegetation can shift within meters from deeply rooted chaparral shrubs on steep rocky slopes in full sun to shallowly rooted wildflower prairies in flatter areas where clay accumulates and holds water near surfaces.

Shadier slopes intermediate between these extremes may support oak woodland with an herb understory not far away. Species diversity thrives in such diverse conditions.

California is also a place of climate extremes with annual rainfall from 64 inches at Crescent City along the northwest coast to 2.3 inches at Death Valley.

California temperatures are also very diverse with a July mean of 58 degrees Fahrenheit at Crescent City and 101 at Death Valley, one of the world’s hottest places.

Most of our wet places are cool in summer but not Shasta Dam, where a 81.4 degree July mean and precipitation of 60.4 inches provides habitat for the endemic rare plant Shasta snow-wreath (Neviusia cliftonii).

Cool summer fogs extending down the coast to Santa Barbara County and reappearing in the Channel Islands provide a corridor for species from much farther north to enter California and add to its diversity. So do the forests of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada Mountains. Some northern species or their near relatives reappear in isolated forest islands on high peaks in southern California.

These Southern California peaks are among our ecological islands, places very different from surrounding landscapes. They can result from climate as at Shasta Dam or relatively wetter isolated desert ranges like the Providence and White mountains.

Redwood forests in the Santa Cruz and Santa Lucia mountains, which are oriented to intercept the full force of winter storms arriving from the southwest, are ecological islands in the otherwise relatively dry southern Coast Range, where some interior valleys are so shadowed from rain that they’re drier than much of the Mojave Desert and provide a corridor for some of its species to move northwest to the Bay Area.

Many of California’s ecological islands are caused by the state’s very active geology. Outcrops of serpentine, a mantle rock only exposed at sites of violent tectonic plate collisions, and limestone provide isolated areas with unique soils. Geomorphic basins where water accumulates to form vernal pools are another important kind of California ecological island.

Ever since Charles Darwin described how the Galapagos archipelago promoted evolution, it’s been known that isolation increases biodiversity, which is definitely true of California’s many ecological islands.

But it has real islands as well. The Channel Islands off southern California have many endemic species of their own like island scrub jay (Aphelocoma insularis), island fox (Urocyon littoralis), and island ironwood trees (Lyonothamnus floribundus), but California’s turbulent geologic history produced many former islands that promoted evolution in what’s now its southern Coast Range.

The most recent of these former islands forms the Palos Verdes Peninsula, which became connected to the mainland by sediments washed down from local mountains. It is still the only mainland location of Crossosoma californicum, a shrub otherwise confined to the Channel Islands.

The great UC Davis botanists Ledyard Stebbins and Jack Major once categorized California’s endemic plants as neo-endemics and paleo-endemics.

Neo-endemics like lupines (Lupinus) exploded into many closely related species through recent evolution, while paleo-endemics lack close relatives and hang on in special habitats like ecological islands.

Shasta snow-wreath confined to the hot and wet area around Shasta Dam with nearest relatives in faraway but similarly hot and wet Alabama is an example.

On evolutionary trees neo-endemics are like the many leaves on a single branch while paleo-endemics are like single leaves on an entirely separate branch.

A mammalian example of neo-endemics are chipmunks (Tamias) with 13 California species so similar they’re sometimes difficult to tell apart, while a classic paleo-endemic is mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa), so distinctive that it’s the only member of its family and definitely not a beaver (although not a California endemic since its range extends north to British Columbia).

Since California is the most populous as well as the most biodiverse state, its conservation challenges are immense.

Dr. Glen Holstein is a retired senior scientist from Zentner and Zentner, a Northern California biological consulting company and the Chapter Botanist for the Sacramento Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. He is also on the board of Tuleyome, a Woodland-based nonprofit conservation organization.

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An unprocessed image from the WISPR instrument on board NASA’s Parker Solar Probe shows comet NEOWISE on Sunday, July 5, 2020, shortly after its closest approach to the Sun. The Sun is out of frame to the left. The faint grid pattern near the center of the image is an artifact of the way the image is created. The small black structure near the lower left of the image is caused by a grain of dust resting on the imager’s lens. Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Lab/Parker Solar Probe/Brendan Gallagher.

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe was at the right place at the right time to capture a unique view of comet NEOWISE on Saturday, July 5.

Parker Solar Probe’s position in space gave the spacecraft an unmatched view of the comet’s twin tails when it was particularly active just after its closest approach to the Sun, called perihelion.

The comet was discovered by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or NEOWISE, on March 27.

Since then, the comet — called comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE and nicknamed comet NEOWISE — has been spotted by several NASA spacecraft, including Parker Solar Probe, NASA’s Solar and Terrestrial Relations Observatory, the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, and astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

The image above is unprocessed data from Parker Solar Probe’s WISPR instrument, which takes images of the Sun’s outer atmosphere and solar wind in visible light. WISPR’s sensitivity also makes it well-suited to see fine detail in structures like comet tails.

Parker Solar Probe collected science data through June 28 for its fifth solar flyby, but the availability of additional downlink time allowed the team to take extra images, including this image of comet NEOWISE.

The twin tails of comet NEOWISE are seen more clearly in this image from the WISPR instrument, which has been processed to increase contrast and remove excess brightness from scattered sunlight, revealing more detail in the comet tails.

The lower tail, which appears broad and fuzzy, is the dust tail of comet NEOWISE — created when dust lifts off the surface of the comet’s nucleus and trails behind the comet in its orbit. Scientists hope to use WISPR’s images to study the size of dust grains within the dust tail, as well as the rate at which the comet sheds dust.

The upper tail is the ion tail, which is made up of gases that have been ionized by losing electrons in the Sun’s intense light.

These ionized gases are buffeted by the solar wind — the Sun’s constant outflow of magnetized material — creating the ion tail that extends directly away from the Sun.

Parker Solar Probe’s images appear to show a divide in the ion tail. This could mean that comet NEOWISE has two ion tails, in addition to its dust tail, though scientists would need more data and analysis to confirm this possibility.

Sarah Frazier works for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Processed data from the WISPR instrument on NASA’s Parker Solar Probe shows greater detail in the twin tails of comet NEOWISE, as seen on July 5, 2020. The lower, broader tail is the comet’s dust tail, while the thinner, upper tail is the comet’s ion tail. Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Naval Research Lab/Parker Solar Probe/Guillermo Stenborg.

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