LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Six people were taken into custody in Lake County last month as part of a nationwide operation targeting transnational criminal gangs.

“Project Wildfire” was a six-week operation led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, and its Homeland Security Investigations arm.

ICE said that the operation resulted in the seizure of more than 80 firearms and the arrests of 976 gang members and associates, including 178 gang members and associates across California.

In the Bay Area alone, 50 individuals were arrested, and ICE said all of those individuals are being prosecuted on state criminal charges, including various drug, weapons and parole violations.

Project Wildfire, which ran from Feb. 23 to March 31, led to the arrest of individuals tied to four different street gangs in the Bay Area – the Norteños, Sureños, Border Brothers and Skinheads, officials said.

Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office confirmed that local deputies – members of the sheriff's gang unit – were involved in the operation.

Nationwide, ICE said Homeland Security Investigations special agents worked with more than 200 state, local and federal law enforcement partners to apprehend individuals from various gangs.

Lori Haley, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, said six gang members were arrested in Lake County. She said they were not releasing the names of those taken into custody.

The operation in Lake County took place on March 24, Haley said, with five men and one woman arrested, all of them U.S. citizens.

Haley said four arrests took place in Clearlake, and one each in Lakeport and Upper Lake.

“They included members of the Modesto Hardcore Skinheads and the Norteños,” Haley said. “The basis for the arrests included probation violations, possession of drug paraphernalia and outstanding warrants.”
 
“Criminal gangs inflict violence and fear upon our communities and without the attention of law enforcement, these groups can spread like a cancer,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Sarah R. Saldaña “That's why ICE works with law enforcement partners around the country “to stamp out gang activity wherever it takes place.”

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.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Clearlake Oaks County Water District will host two upcoming hearings to discuss a proposed ordinance to increase water and sewer rates for customers.

The public hearings will take place at 4 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at Live Oak Senior Center, 12519 Foothill Blvd., and 10 a.m. Friday, April 24, at the district's administrative office, 12952 E. Highway 20.

In addition to the copy of the ordinance that's posted below, a full copy of it may be obtained at the district’s administrative office during regular business hours or on the district’s Web site at www.clocwd.org .

The California Rural Water Association completed a study of the district's current rates, determining that a new water base rate and an increase in current rates was needed to provide sufficient revenue and maintain the district's water and sewer systems, according to the hearing notice.

The proposed ordinance the district board will consider would, if approved, establish a base rate for water and sewer services for all customers with a district connection and institute a tiered water usage rate.

The district proposes to change its billing procedures from one based on active accounts to one that takes into account all service connections, meaning that all customers on the district – whether they use water or not – would have to pay the proposed base rates.

In addition, the ordinance would implement a 3-percent per-year rate increase in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and increase the capital improvement account fee by $2 per year for both water and sewer beginning in July 2016.

Residential customers in tier one would have a base rate of $37.87 and a usage rate of $1.30 per 100 cubic feet for a total monthly bill of $40.47 if they use 200 cubic feet of water – or 1,496 gallons, according to district documents.

Comparatively, the same customer in 2018 would have a base rate of $47.56 and usage rate of $2.84 for a total monthly bill of $50.40.

Additional rate tiers can be viewed in the documents below.

“Annually the board will be reviewing what effects these rates are having,” said district General Manager Matthew Bassett.

If adopted, the new rates would go into effect in this July's billing cycle, according to the district's hearing notice.

While the rates were last raised just three years ago, Bassett said the rates need to go up again in order to support district operations.

He emphasized that district payroll has not gone up, but other expenses have.

The biggest problem, however, is the district's aging infrastructure, which Bassett said dates from the 1960s.

“It’s at the point where it has to be replaced – not just repaired,” Bassett said.

The district also is under a state cleanup and abatement order. “If we don’t address the failing infrastructure then the state will call us out on the violation,” Bassett said.

He said the district already has taken the first steps needed to address the state's requirements, and is now in the middle of a sewer infrastructure study to look at what upgrades are needed.

Bassett said the district received a $381,000 state grant to fund the sewer collection study. In addition, the district is pursuing separate grants and loans from the government to make needed upgrades, including $400,000 in grants for a distribution study and a $1 million grant for new water meters.

To fully fund capital improvements and collect enough to pay the bills, as of this July the district would have had to collect $83 a month each customer for water alone, and about the same for sewer – far above current rates, Bassett said.

However, he said such a raise wouldn't have been realistic, and instead the district board has looked at a slower increase, with the plans to review the rates annually and do a true rate study again in three years.

With the proceeds from the rate increases, the district plans to undertake infrastructure projects including buying and installing a new $1.5 million clarifier for the sewer plant to replace one from the 1960s, Bassett said.

The district has a total of 12 sewer lift stations; Bassett said between eight and 10 of them need to be replaced at a cost of between $150,000 to $200,000 each.

The new lift stations will be made of stainless steel, not cast iron like the current ones, and rather than having to put people down into them for repairs, they'll be on rails and equipment can be lowered down into them, which he said will increase worker safety.

There also is the need to replace many miles of sewer lines – just how many will be determined by the sewer distribution study that's now under way and expected to be finished by fall, Bassett said.

There also will be a complete engineering and review of the sewer plant, where Bassett said they're looking at reducing sludge and heavy metals.

The proposed rate changes are a matter of being proactive about the district's needs and infrastructure, Bassett said.

“We’re not kicking the can down the road,” said Bassett. “It’s at our doorstep. We’ve got to address it.”

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.

April 2015 - Clearlake Oaks County Water District water and sewer rate ordinance

April 2015

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It's another full kennel this week at Lake County Animal Care and Control, where you can find dogs of all sizes and types needing new homes.

Available this week for adoption are canines who are mixes of Akita, Australian Shepherd, English Bulldog, fox terrier, German Shepherd Labrador Retriever, hound, husky, pit bull, Rhodesian Ridgeback, shepherd and terrier.

Low adoption fees are offered for some of the dogs.

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.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

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”).

Male fox terrier mix

This male fox terrier mix has a short tricolor coat.

Shelter staff said he appears to be deaf but is very attentive and seems to know some hand signals.

He's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 2019.

'Bella'

“Bella” is a young female pit bull terrier mix, estimated to be about 6 months old.

Shelter staff said she is a very loving little girl that just wants to be petted and held.

She's in kennel No. 6, ID No. 1971.

Male shepherd mix

This male shepherd mix has a short tricolor coat.

Shelter staff said he has a sweet disposition.

He's in kennel No. 7, ID No. 2042.

'Phantom'

“Phantom” is a male husky mix with a white coat.

Shelter staff said he was picked up in Lower Lake. He has a microchip and they are hoping his owners will come and redeems him.

Phantom is 9 years old and a big boy at 83 pounds. He is very friendly and loves everyone he meets.

He's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 2000.

Male German Shepherd-Labrador Retriever mix

This male German Shepherd-Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat.

Shelter staff said he's one big ball of energy, loving to fetch, run and play with other dogs. He is being socialized with other dogs and is learning very fast.

He's in kennel No. 10, ID No. 2004.

'Max'

“Max” is a beautiful 2-year-old male Australian Shepherd-husky mix who came to the shelter because his owner died.

Shelter staff said he's already neutered, crate- and house-trained, is very smart and a really good dog.

He is great with other dogs and shows no signs of food aggression. However, he needs to be in a home with no small animals – chickens, cats, etc. Max is good with children ages 9 years and up.

Max is in shelter No. 12, ID No. 1931.

Male pit bull terrier mix

This male pit bull terrier mix has a short gray and white coat.

Shelter staff calls him a “big squishy guy” who is very gentle. They believe he would be fine with children.

He has no food aggression, gets along with other dogs both male and female, and is very appropriate in every way.

The shelter is looking for that special "pitty" lover to take him home and care for him.

He's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 2035.

Hound-Labrador Retriever mix

This pretty young girl is a hound-Labrador Retriever mix.

She has a short sable, black and white coat.

She's in kennel No. 14, ID No. 2041.

Female husky mix

This pretty female husky mix is about 7 months old.

She has an all-white coat and blue eyes.

Shelter staff said she's a very good pup and walks well on a leash. She would do best with an experienced dog owner who can give her some basic training.

She's in kennel No. 16, ID No. 2037.

Male pit bull mix

This male pit bull terrier mix is about 1 year old.

He's shy and needs some training, but loves to play and have his belly rubbed.

He's in kennel No. 17, ID No. 1991.

Lab-pit bull mix

This male Labrador Retriever-pit bull mix is 4 years old.

He's in kennel No. 28, ID No. 2045.

'Bear'

“Bear” is a male English Bulldog mix.

He has a short tan and white coat.

Shelter staff said he is great with other dogs and very social with people.

He's in kennel No. 29, ID No. 1972.

Hound-lab mix

This male hound-Labrador Retriever mix has a short tan and white coat.

He's in kennel No. 30, ID No. 2040.

Akita mix

This 5-year-old male Akita mix has a short tan and white coat.

He knows basic commands and his housebroken, and needs some leash training.

Shelter staff said he likes toys and they're looking for an owner for him who would love to spend time taking him for walks.

He is mellow and would be great with kids, but they recommend no cats.

He's in kennel No. 31, ID No. 1938.

Female pit bull terrier mix

This female pit bull terrier mix is about a year and a half old.

Shelter staff said she was found on Lakeshore Boulevard in Lakeport taking a stroll.

She weighs 42 pounds and is very friendly.

She's in kennel No. 32, ID No. 1986.

Rhodesian Ridgeback mix

This 4-year-old male Rhodesian Ridgeback mix gets along well with cats; his tail wagged as he watched them play.

Anyone who is interested in adopting him and who has dogs already is asked to submit an application and introduce bring their dogs in for an introduction.

He is slightly shy but with some training he could be a wonderful addition to your family or for an individual.

He's in kennel No. 34, ID No. 1762.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Library invites the public to get to know about the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region on Saturday, April 18, when Victoria Brandon will introduce “Life on the Edge: the Plants and Animals of the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region” as part of the library’s free lecture series Know Lake County.

The presentation will begin at 2 p.m. at Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St.

Brandon says that the remarkable Berryessa Snow Mountain region includes the wild heart of California’s Inner Coast Range; stretching more than 100 miles from the Snow Mountain Wilderness in the north to south of Lake Berryessa, it contains an amazing variety of distinct soil types and terrain, that in turn support amazingly diverse vegetation ranging from rare serpentine meadow wildflowers to towering red firs.

Wildlife species include tule elk, bald and golden eagles, and the rare Pacific fisher. Because of the large size and altitudinal variation of the region, and the outstanding connectivity that remains there, it has the potential to provide a refuge for many sensitive species threatened by a changing climate.

Berryessa Snow Mountain includes portions of seven counties, with by far the largest section being here in Lake County – but many people have never explored its wonders.

In the talk, Brandon will discuss the underlying topographic conditions that have made it so special and take a close look at some of it remarkable features.

Federal legislation has been introduced to make the region a national monument, a designation may occur in the next few weeks.

More information about the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region and the pending legislation can be found at www.berryessasnowmountain.org .

Brandon is a Lake County resident and community activist who is a member of the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter, the Chi Council for the Clear Lake Hitch, the East Lake Resource Conservation District board of directors, the Lake County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee, the Cache Creek Watershed Steering Committee and the Tuleyome Board of Directors.

The Know Lake County programs will take place on the third Saturday of each month from February through December at 2 p.m. at Lakeport Library.

Know Lake County delves into many facets of Lake County with family-friendly programs designed to inform and entertain local residents about Lake County.

For more information about Know Lake County and other library programs call 707-263-8817.

Lectures scheduled in coming months will feature Lake County insects and other critters, the Lake County Master Gardeners, the Taylor Observatory and Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association.

The year will conclude with programs on Lake County’s prehistory, Konocti Regional Trails, the Soper Reese Theatre and the Children’s Museum of Art and Science.

Know Lake County’s full schedule is posted on the Know Lake County Web site www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Lake_County_CA__Library/KLC.htm . The schedule is subject to change without notice.

The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.co.lake.ca.us and Facebook at www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .

Library events also are posted at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Lake_County_CA__Library/Calendar.htm .

Jan Cook is a staffer at the Lakeport Library.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A standout Clear Lake High School senior will head to Chicago later this month to take part in the final leg of a competition for a $50,000 Elks National Foundation scholarship.

Christopher Vincent, 17, will make his first trip to the windy city from April 24 to 26.

“It's pretty exciting,” he told Lake County News.

He's among the top 20 of 500 Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student national finalists who will travel to Chicago, home of the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks headquarters, for the second annual Most Valuable Student Leadership Weekend.

Vincent is sponsored in the competition by Lakeport Elks Lodge No. 2704.

The Elks National Foundation said the 500 Most Valuable Student scholars are an impressive group that boasts an average grade point average of 4.283 GPA on a 4.0 scale, collectively volunteered for 278,591 hours throughout high school and are all leaders in their communities.

Vincent already is a winner in the competition, having gotten into the final 20 from among a total of 19,257 high school seniors nationwide who applied for an Elks National Foundation Most Valuable Student scholarship this year.

Thanks to his placement so far, Vincent already has been guaranteed a $20,000 scholarship.

Based on how things go in Chicago, he could find himself among the top six finalists, who will receive scholarships ranging from $30,000 to $50,000.

In addition to the top 20 students competing for the biggest scholarships this month in Chicago, the remaining 480 runners-up each will receive a $4,000 scholarship.

The Elks National Foundation reported that it provides $3.74 million in college scholarships each year through its three scholarship programs.

Even in the group of super-achievers in the Elks competition, Vincent is a standout.

The only child of Clyde and Lily Vincent, he's active in sports and the arts, and gets high marks in academics.

He was the Clear Lake High School Academic Decathlon team's top medal-winner at the county competition earlier this year – he took home 11 medals – plus he won a medal in essay at the state event in March.

“We did well,” he said. “It was a great experience.”

He's performed in the high school's musicals – including productions of “Hairspray” and “Footloose” – and he plays two high school sports, football and tennis.

In the midst of all of those activities, he finds time to serve on the executive student council, is president of Interact and vice president of the California Scholarship Federation, and has been a coach and referee for youth basketball.

Vincent, who wants to pursue a degree in aerospace engineering, said he and his parents have been trying to figure out how to pay for his university education.

His top pick – UCLA, where he's already been offered a place but hasn't given a final acceptance – is estimated to cost about $33,000 a year total, including room and board, which Vincent admits is “a big chunk of money.”

In the process of finding a way to pay for college, he started pursuing scholarship and grant applications with the help of high school counselor Paul Larrea.

Larrea encouraged Vincent to apply for the Elks scholarship, as other students from the school had done well in the competition in the past.

Plus, Vincent had the three key requirements to advance – academic achievement, leadership experience and financial need.

The competition so far has included an application and essay. The essay, Vincent said, required him to pick a service project and speak about why it was important.

He said that for the past few years he's been involved with the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, an organization that works to rescue and rehabilitate injured marine mammals and educate the public about them. It was an interest inspired by his high school biology teacher, Oscar Dominguez.

Vincent stayed with his aunt for a summer so he could volunteer at the center several days a week. More recently, he has driven down on weekends a few times a month.

That experience – which he said gave him a good look at how people, animals and the environment are interconnected – was the topic of his winning essay.

The competition moves from the local level, up to the district, state and national levels. Vincent said he just kept advancing.

He offered special thanks to Lakeport Elks Lodge No. 2704, which he said gives out a lot of local scholarships and played a huge role in sponsoring him in going to the national competition.

“I definitely was not expecting to get this far,” he said. “It was a very big surprise.”

It also was a surprise for his parents, who he initially hadn't told about his application since he hadn't been sure he would do very well.

“They were pretty much as shocked as I was,” he said, but he added, “They're proud.”

The entire family is happy about the fact that the $20,000 he's been guaranteed so far will help defray his college colleges.

In addition to acknowledging his parents, Dominguez and Larrea, Vincent said his chemistry teacher, Ken Hook, really helped him with the recommendation form key to the competition so far.

“I've been really fortunate. We’ve had such good teachers and good staff,” along with great classes and extracurricular activities, said Vincent.

Applications for the scholarship are available in September. Winners of this year’s contest will be announced online by April 30 at www.elks.org/enf/scholars .

Follow the Elks National Foundation on Twitter and Instagram @ElksScholars, and like them on Facebook.

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.

The Sun undergoes a type of seasonal variability with its activity waxing and waning over the course of nearly two years, according to a new study by a team of researchers led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, or NCAR.

This behavior affects the peaks and valleys in the approximately 11-year solar cycle, sometimes amplifying and sometimes weakening the solar storms that can buffet Earth’s atmosphere.

The quasi-annual variations appear to be driven by changes in the bands of strong magnetic fields in each solar hemisphere.

These bands also help shape the approximately 11-year solar cycle that is part of a longer cycle that lasts about 22 years.

“What we’re looking at here is a massive driver of solar storms,” said Scott McIntosh, lead author of the new study and director of NCAR’s High Altitude Observatory. “By better understanding how these activity bands form in the Sun and cause seasonal instabilities, there’s the potential to greatly improve forecasts of space weather events.”

The overlapping bands are fueled by the rotation of the Sun’s deep interior, according to observations by the research team.

As the bands move within the Sun’s northern and southern hemispheres, activity rises to a peak over a period of about 11 months and then begins to wane.

The quasi-annual variations can be likened to regions on Earth that have two seasons, such as a rainy season and a dry season, McIntosh said.

The study, published this week in Nature Communications, can help lead to better predictions of massive geomagnetic storms in Earth’s outer atmosphere that sometimes disrupt satellite operations, communications, power grids, and other technologies.

The research was funded by NASA and the National Science Foundation, which is NCAR’s sponsor.

A 'jet stream' in the Sun

The new study is one of a series of papers by the research team that examines the influence of the magnetic bands on several interrelated cycles of solar magnetism.

In a paper last year in Astrophysical Journal, the authors characterized the approximately 11-year sunspot cycle in terms of two overlapping parallel bands of opposite magnetic polarity that slowly migrate over almost 22 years from high solar latitudes toward the equator, where they meet and terminate.

McIntosh and his co-authors detected the twisted, ring-shaped bands by drawing on a host of NASA satellites and ground-based observatories that gather information on the structure of the Sun and the nature of solar flares and coronal mass ejections, or CMEs.

These observations revealed the bands in the form of fluctuations in the density of magnetic fuel that rose from the solar interior through a transition region known as the tachocline and on to the surface, where they correlated with changes in flares and CMEs.

In the new paper, the authors conclude that the migrating bands produce seasonal variations in solar activity that are as strong as the more familiar 11-year counterpart. These quasi-annual variations take place separately in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

“Much like Earth’s jet stream, whose warps and waves have had severe impact on our regional weather patterns in the past couple of winters, the bands on the Sun have very slow-moving waves that can expand and warp it too,” said co-author Robert Leamon, a scientist at Montana State University. “Sometimes this results in magnetic fields leaking from one band to the other. In other cases, the warp drags magnetic fields from deep in the solar interior, near the tachocline, and pushes them toward the surface.”

The surges of magnetic fuel from the Sun’s interior catastrophically destabilize the corona, the Sun’s outermost atmosphere. They are the driving force behind the most destructive solar storms.

“These surges or ‘whomps’ as we have dubbed them, are responsible for over 95 percent of the large flares and CMEs – the ones that are really devastating,” McIntosh said.

The quasi-annual variability can also help explain a cold-war era puzzle: why do powerful solar flares and CMEs often peak a year or more after the maximum number of sunspots? This lag is known as the Gnevyshev Gap, after the Soviet scientist who first reported it in the 1940s.

The answer appears to be that seasonal changes may cause an upswing in solar disturbances long after the peak in the solar cycle.

Researchers can turn to advanced computer simulations and more detailed observations to learn more about the profound influence of the bands on solar activity.

McIntosh said this could be assisted by a proposed network of satellites observing the Sun, much as the global networks of satellites around Earth have helped advance terrestrial weather models since the 1960s.

“If you understand what the patterns of solar activity are telling you, you’ll know whether we’re in the stormy phase or the quiet phase in each hemisphere,” McIntosh said. “If we can combine these pieces of information, forecast skill goes through the roof.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Two cats are waiting at Lake County Animal Care and Control for adoption this week.

The cats, one male and one female, are domestic short hair mixes.

In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .

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

Male domestic short hair mix

This male domestic short hair mix has a gray tabby coat.

He's a handsome guy, very sweet and affectionate, and wants to be petted and loved, according to shelter staff.

He's in cat room kennel No. 32, ID No. 1997.

Female domestic short hair mix

This female dilute tortie with a short coat is about 1 year old.

Shelter staff said she has a tipped ear, meaning she's already spayed so her adoption fee will be low.

She's in cat room kennel No. 67, ID No. 2048.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – It is time to make your reservations for the upcoming popular Heron Days event slated for Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3.

This popular event, which features pontoon boat rides on Clear Lake – one of California’s largest natural fresh water lakes – was on hiatus last year because of low lake levels, but this year’s rains, although minimal, have brought the lake to a navigable level.

The event is sponsored by Lake County’s Redbud Audubon Society and features pontoon boat rides on Clear Lake with each boat staffed by Audubon volunteers who will point out and identify the variety of bird life on Clear Lake.

On Saturday, May 2, boats will leave from Lakeside County Park near Kelseyville and venture along the shoreline of Clear Lake to the Corinthian Bay area where viewers are likely to see nesting great blue herons along with a variety of other waterfowl and songbirds, including Western and Clark’s Grebes.

On Sunday, May 3, boats will leave from Redbud Park in the city of Clearlake and head down Cache Creek and into Anderson Marsh.

There also is a heron nesting site that may be seen on this trip along with other waterfowl, raptors and songbirds.

The event will once again feature only boat excursions as the “festival” part of Heron Days has been retired.

Redbud Audubon started Heron Days 20 years ago. It has gone from a small event at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park to a huge festival, held for many years at Clear Lake State Park, back to a simplified version that includes only boat rides to view the birds on Clear Lake, explained Redbud Audubon President Roberta Lyons.

“All versions of the event have been great and we look forward to being able to offer the opportunity once again for residents and visitors alike to enjoy the birdlife of Clear Lake,” Lyons said.

The boat trips last about an hour and a half and cost $25 per person.

For more information about the event and to purchase tickets go to www.redbudaudubon.org .

The safety of the public, as well as law enforcement and first responders, frequently depends on a group of highly trained professionals who are heard far more often than they are seen.

The California Highway Patrol honors these skilled men and women during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, April 12 to 18.

“I am very proud of our dedicated professionals and the services they provide the public every single day,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “Public Safety Telecommunicators, or dispatchers, are the first and most critical contact people have with emergency services. In addition to assisting the public, they help our officers in the field by providing valuable information, so that officers can get the job done on the front lines.”

CHP dispatchers handle the majority of California’s wireless 9-1-1 emergency and non-emergency calls.

Dispatchers ensure the appropriate assistance is provided, whether it is sending an officer to respond to a call, or contacting fire, ambulance, or other emergency services.

In addition, they are in constant radio communication with the patrol officers, often assisting them by looking up vehicle identification, license plate and driver license numbers, or by running checks for wanted subjects.

The CHP has 25 communications centers statewide that employ more than 900 public safety dispatchers. Last year these employees were responsible for handling approximately 9.3 million calls for service.

Calling 9-1-1 can be intimidating. The following tips will help callers during an emergency.

– Stay as calm as possible.

– Be prepared to provide your name, phone number, address or location and a detailed description of the incident or vehicle being reported.

– Cellular telephones may not tell the call-taker where you are. The location of the emergency may be the single most important information for the dispatcher in case the call is cut off.

– Wait for the dispatcher to ask questions, and then answer clearly and calmly.

– Listen carefully and follow all directions provided by the dispatcher.

– Be prepared to provide a physical description if the emergency involves a criminal suspect.

– Remember, 9-1-1 is for life-threatening emergencies. Misuse of the emergency 9-1-1 system will result in a delay for callers with real emergencies and is punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Library joins libraries in schools, campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week April 12-18, a time to highlight the changing role of libraries, librarians and library workers.

Libraries today are more than warehouses for books. Instead, libraries and librarians are change agents within their communities – transforming lives through innovative educational resources and forward-thinking programming.

Libraries are doing their part to close the digital divide and level the playing field by providing free access to information and technologies that many in their communities would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

Libraries help to ensure the American dream and promote democracy by providing service to all regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, age, ability, sexual orientation, gender identity or socio-economic status.

Librarians work with elected officials, small business owners, students and the public at large to discover and meet the needs of their communities. Whether through offering e-books and technology classes, materials for English-language learners, programs for job seekers or offering a safe haven in times of crisis, librarians listen to the community they serve, and they respond.

The Lake County Library serves Lake County by providing books and other materials for free checkout. 

The library presents free informative and entertaining programs including story times at all branches and the Summer Reading Programs for children and teens; the Know Lake County lecture series and, currently, the Book-to-Action: Cooked events.

The library hosts several free book clubs for the public at library branches around the county. The Lake County Collection at Lakeport Library contains books, microfilms and audio-visual materials relating to Lake County.

The library offers free Internet computers and wi-fi for the public, free movie showings at some branches and meeting rooms at some branches.

The Lake County Library works with other organizations to bring information to the citizens of Lake County.

The library invites speakers from other agencies, some of which create displays in the library. Library employees disseminate the library’s information into the community through programs at schools and community events.

Lakeport opened Lake County’s first public library in 1907, followed Upper Lake in 1916, Middletown in 1930 and Clearlake in the 1960s. Those libraries banded together to form the Lake County Library system 40 years ago.

Since 2001 the Lake County Library has shared an online catalog with the Sonoma and Mendocino County libraries, which gives patrons access to about one million items.

“What’s so great about the library is that it’s a part of the community,” said Christopher Veach, county librarian for the Lake County Library system, “it’s a place for people to come and find whatever it is they want to know to accomplish their own goals or enrich their community.”

First sponsored in 1958, National Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

Lakeport Library is located at 1425 N. High St. and the phone number is 707-263-8817. Hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Redbud Library is located at 14785 Burns Valley Rd. in Clearlake and the phone number is 994-5115. Hours are Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Wednesdays from noon to 7:00 p.m.

Middletown Library is located at 21256 Washington St., telephone 707-987-3674. Hours are noon to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Upper Lake Library is located at Main and Second streets, telephone 707-275-2049. Hours are noon to 5 p.m., Tuesdays through Fridays, and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Lake County Library is on the Internet at http://library.lakecountyca.gov where you can find the library catalog, library hours and a calendar of upcoming events.

Also look for the Lake County Library on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLibrary .

Jan Cook is a staffer at the Lake County Library.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The settlement of Lake County by European-Americans changed forever the lifeways of native cultures that resided here on this bountiful land for thousands of years.

Our county, like most of California, was a magnet for mining and agricultural ventures.

Quicksilver mining companies, like the “Dead Broke,” “Pioneer” and “Bradford” formed.

“The California Borax Company” was kept busy, as there was a big demand for the mineral, borax.

Lake County's native peoples – the Pomo, Miwok, Yuki and Wappo – enjoyed their traditional lifestyle for a slightly longer period of time than did coastal tribes who met up with the Spanish missionaries.

Not that all Lake County tribes were exempt from the enslavement of working at the missions. It is clearly written in history that some American Indians who lived in what is now Lake County were sent to work at the missions.

Russians from the Fort Ross settlement on the North Coast traveled to the Clear Lake Basin area in 1811 to retrieve furs and trapping paraphernalia

Ethnographic studies began on the coast of California by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s expedition of 1542-43.

Cabrillo met with American Indian tribes, including the Chumash of Southern California. Although the Chumash were a peaceful people they possessed no silver, gold or other inducement for European conquer.

The Pacific Coast off of California came alive with further European exploration around the late 1700s, prompting the Spanish crown to affirm settlement of lands north of Mexico.

The Franciscan Mission Order was organized in San Diego in 1769. Twenty-one missions were established, with the last occurring in the town of Sonoma in 1823.

There was little early Euro-American exploration of the Clear Lake Basin area early on, but in the late 1820s a few trapping and hunting parties made their way through our area.

In 1836 Gen. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, commander of the Mexican forces north of San Francisco sent his brother, Capt. Salvador Vallejo to the Clear Lake Basin to explore in 1836.

Capt. Vallejo applied for a Mexican land grant of 16 leagues. Charles Stone and Andrew Kelsey garnered permission from Vallejo to graze their cattle on his land.

The story gets quite involved, ending tragically for local tribes, with the Bloody Island massacre chapter.

Settlement of Lake County had begun. On May 20, 1861 Lake County was established. It had originally been a part of Napa County.

Not many people know that there was a mission to the north of Sonoma, here in Lake County.

Father Osuna, who belonged to the Franciscan Order, established Mission St. Turibius in a district schoolhouse on Kelsey Creek, near present-day Kelseyville in 1867.

It was located on 235 acres and served as both church and school. There were approximately 100 American Indians living at the mission then.

The vast landscape that is Lake County continues to draw new people with mining and agriculture ventures in mind.

By looking back in the pages of Lake County history we benefit from the old stories.

Henry David Thoreau said, “The earth is not a mere fragment of dead history, stratum upon stratum like the leaves of a book, to be studied by geologists and antiquaries chiefly, but living poetry like the leaves of a tree, which precede flowers and fruit- not a fossil earth, but a living earth; compared with whose great central life all animal and vegetable life is merely parasitic. Its throes will heave our excuviae from their graves.”

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an educator, potter, 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.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – A Chico man was found alive and safe on Thursday after his girlfriend reported him missing in the Mendocino National Forest.

Alex Canto, 44, and his dog Brava were reunited with girlfriend Monica Smith, who had reported him missing on Tuesday, according to Glenn County Undersheriff Todd James.

Canto – an experienced outdoorsman – had left last Saturday to go camping in the Mendocino National Forest in Glenn County west of Elk Creek. He sent Smith a text message later that day that he was heading up Forest Highway 7, and then she heard nothing more from him, according to James.

Smith reported him missing and a search ensued with Glenn County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue and agencies in Mendocino County also assisting, authorities said.

On Thursday, the California Highway Patrol's Air Ops began flying the forest, locating Canto that same afternoon, James reported.

CHP Air Ops found Canto, who had become stuck. James said CHP advised that they spotted a sign that Canto had made in the roadway out of wood saying “Alex” with an arrow pointing toward his location, which aided the CHP in finding him. 

James said Canto and his dog were hungry, but otherwise in good condition.

Canto and his dog were reunited with his girlfriend just before 5 p.m. Thursday, James said.