LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Members of the Lake County Symphony Association Wine Club are looking for home brewers and garage winemakers to participate in the 2017 Home Wine and Beer Makers’ Festival.
The event takes place from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 17, at Lakeport’s Library Park.
The Wine Club sponsors the event as a major fundraiser for the Lake County Symphony and Youth Orchestra.
Each year, dozens of amateurs from throughout Northern California show up to pour tastes of their homemade beverages, hoping to win a coveted “Peoples’ Choice” award from event attendees.
There is no booth fee for the amateurs, who have until June 7 to sign up for this year’s festival.
Amateur winemakers also have the opportunity to enter their creations for separate professional judging and the chance to win one of the wide range of ribbons offered.
They are joined by many of Lake County’s leading commercial wineries who, although not eligible for prizes – which are restricted to amateurs – nevertheless want to show their support for our fine local music.
Now in its 16th year, the Winefest also attracts artists and artisans who offer their wares for sale, along with musicians who provide live entertainment for the entire festival.
Additionally, the Norcal Aircooled Group vintage car club will be on hand with more than four dozen collectible car owners showing off their unique antiques.
Adults eligible for tasting wines and beers are charged $25 at the gate, or $20 in advance, available through the Chamber of Commerce or most winery tasting rooms.
There is no charge to visit the vendors or to explore the vintage automobiles.
Symphony Association President Charlie Schley urges potential amateur participants to contact him as soon as possible; June 7 is the cutoff date for entries.
He can be reached at 707-279-2997 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Additional information is available online at www.homewinemakersfestival.com .
Most married people leave their estate to their surviving spouse and children. Typically, when the children are from the current marriage, there is no issue with leaving everything to the surviving spouse. That is not always the case with blended families.
Some married people with children from a prior marriage feel that the security of the surviving spouse is paramount. They believe the surviving spouse should be free to do as he or she wants with assets from the deceased spouse’s estate.
They typically leave most everything to the surviving spouse; meaning the surviving spouse can spend the entire deceased spouse’s estate and can also disinherit the deceased spouse’s own children.
However, some married people want not only to protect their spouse but also their own children.
Careful estate planning consideration and safeguards are needed in such cases.
How much does each spouse want to leave for their surviving spouse versus to leave to their own (biological) children? Do the children have to wait until the surviving spouse dies before receiving some or all of their inheritance? Will the surviving spouse and stepchildren be entangled with each other because of the estate planning?
Many married people try to balance these competing concerns.
Approaches vary. If one’s spouse and stepchildren cannot get along then it may be desirable for all to receive their separate share at death and part ways. Otherwise the decedent’s children must wait till their stepparent dies; waiting often leads to conflict.
Rightly or wrongly, the decedent’s children may feel that their step parent is abusing his or her rights as lifetime beneficiary in their parent’s estate, especially if the stepparent is the sole trustee.
Where the decedent’s estate is left in trust for the lifetime benefit of the surviving spouse, the trust should be clear and explicit about what rights the surviving spouse has as beneficiary.
When and to what extent is the surviving spouse allowed to receive distributions of trust principal in addition to distributions of trust income? Will the surviving spouse be the trustee who decides upon such distributions?
Can the trustee sell the family residence in order to make more money available to the surviving spouse, or is the children’s consent required? What desired standard of living by the surviving spouse is the trust intended to support?
Is the surviving spouse expected primarily to rely on his or her own resources and the trust be a supplemental resource or even a resource of final resort? The trust should address these and other relevant issues.
The intended standard for distributions to the surviving spouse is clearly an important planning issue.
Sometimes a person wants his or her estate to supplement the surviving spouse’s resources but only to the extent necessary to maintain a certain standard of living. In that case decedent’s trust may require the trustee to consider the sufficiency of the surviving spouse’s own separate resources before distributing any principal.
Otherwise if the deceased spouse’s trust estate is used up this reduces what remains for the decedent’s own children.
Taken to one extreme the surviving spouse may be expected to completely spend-down her own assets before the trustee may distribute any principal.
Alternatively, looking at the other extreme, the deceased spouse’s trust may provide that the distributions to or for the surviving spouse’s benefit are to be made liberally and that the interests of remainder beneficiaries (the decedent’s children) are only of secondary importance.
Trying to do right in any given family situation clearly means balancing the expected needs and interpersonal family relationships of the beneficiaries in the estate plan.
Getting it right can turn out to be well worth it in the long run to those who will live with the results.
Dennis A. Fordham, Attorney, is a State Bar-Certified Specialist in estate planning, probate and trust law. His office is at 870 S. Main St., Lakeport, Calif. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 707-263-3235. His Web site is www.DennisFordhamLaw.com .
The spectacle of a mammoth rocket “breaking the surly bonds of Earth” takes our breath away.
Equally amazing are the secrets revealed to us by science missions these rockets have launched – and NASA puts careful thought into what kind of mission will best achieve that science.
Sometimes a large, multi-instrumented mission on a giant rocket is the best way to go. But other missions are better suited to a smaller, less expensive rocket as the key to getting a quick answer to a tightly focused science question. Like a sounding rocket.
A sounding rocket is an instrument-carrying rocket designed for research, such as taking measurements and performing scientific experiments during a suborbital flight.
“A sounding rocket experiment can be designed in six months,” said Kristina Lynch, professor of Physics at Dartmouth College. “From proposal acceptance through data analysis, a mission can be done in 1-3 years, as opposed to many more years for a typical satellite mission. The trade-off is that you only get 10 minutes in space – but, as my colleagues in the sounding rocket community say, ‘It’s a great 10 minutes.’”
Sounding rockets afford a certain amount of flexibility. Because they can be launched from temporary sites all over the world, sounding rockets can be used for remote field studies.
They can also be used to develop and test new scientific instrumentation for use in more costly, longer duration orbital missions.
And because of their low cost and short lead time, sounding rocket missions are perfect for use by university graduate students, particularly to gather data for PhD dissertations.
Sounding rockets are especially well suited for studying areas of the Earth’s upper atmosphere inaccessible by orbital missions, providing the only way to directly sample the lower portion of near-Earth space with scientific probes.
Furthermore, they are ideally suited to position an experiment for an up-close look at auroras – beautiful green curtains of light that sometimes dance across the night sky.
While auroras can be wondrous to behold, they are sparked by geomagnetic storms with potential side-effects such as satellite malfunctions and power outages.
Telecommunications, air traffic, power grids, and Global Positioning System signals are vulnerable. So, understanding this layer of near Earth space is vital.
Lynch says, “Sounding rockets are used to get above the part of Earth’s atmosphere where we live and breathe.
Above 60 miles, the atmosphere includes an electrically charged gas where charged particles flit around, collide, respond to magnetic and electric fields, and produce an aurora.
These “northern and southern lights” appear flame-like, but the movement looks slower than that of a flame, and their structure can be more orderly. We want to understand this movement and structure. Is the movement fast or slow? Why? Where is it going?”
Lynch is working on a sounding rocket mission that could provide some answers. ISINGLASS, short for Ionospheric Structuring: In Situ and Ground-based Low Altitude StudieS, launched on March 2 and is one of about 20 sounding rockets that NASA will be launching in 2017.
ISINGLASS deployed an array of payloads launched by a single rocket to take measurements at several locations in an aurora simultaneously.
Understanding what the aurora’s visual patterns signify within the aurora itself can serve as an analog to help scientists understand what’s happening farther out, even extending this information to auroras on other planets.
All it takes … is “a great 10 minutes.”
For more news about science in and around Earth’s atmosphere, stay tuned to http://science.nasa.gov .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Sunday, June 11, is the date you’ll want to mark on your calendar for Lake County Land Trust’s annual spring fundraising event.
Once again Bernie and Lynne Butcher, owners of the Tallman Hotel and Blue Wing Saloon Restaurant in Upper Lake, have offered to host this festive fundraising event for the Land Trust.
The event will feature Lake County wines, hors d’oeuvres and live music, and will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. with tickets costing $50 per person.
Click on the “purchase your tickets,” link and complete the form. You may also make a reservation by calling 707-262-0707. Payment in advance is urged or payment can be taken at the gate to the garden.
All funds raised at the annual spring event will support the Lake County Land Trust and its many projects in Lake County, including preservation of the Clear Lake shoreline and operation of Boggs Lake, the Rodman Preserve near Upper Lake and Rabbit Hill in Middletown.
The event will be a great opportunity to celebrate recent successes with Land Trust supporters and board members, to hear updates on local projects, and to get to know the Lake County Land Trust.
The Lake County Land Trust is a local nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting land and water resources of important value on behalf of present and future generations.
Question: I am an artist and my medium is to work with natural items I find in nature.
I was wondering if I am allowed to take items from the beaches near my home. I see people collecting many things but I know that the beaches are protected and I don’t want to take anything that is forbidden.
I am particularly interested in the seaweed and colorful algae that washes up after storms. There are also items such as sponges, tree fans, dead crabs, even little animal skulls, and of course drift wood.
I would really love to know if I am allowed to collect anything so as not to disrupt the natural process of things. Any information you could offer would really be great. (Aggie M.)
Answer: Aside from state parks and marine protected areas that prohibit take/collecting of marine life within their boundaries, some collecting of beach wrack for personal use is allowed under certain conditions.
If any of the algae/kelp you collect will be used for products that will be sold, a commercial kelp harvesters license will be required. Please check our Web site for all of the details regarding kelp and marine algae collection.
Shells that have been discarded by their occupants may be taken as long as you’re doing so in an area where collecting is not prohibited by the governing agency.
Wherever you go, you should contact the governing agency to find out what collecting activities are legal for that area. As long as the shells are legally obtained and not sport-taken, they can be used to make art and or jewelry that is sold.
Marine protected area information is available online. Notice that some areas do not allow any “take.” You will find information on this page regarding the areas you may want to avoid.
As far as animal skulls, sea otters and all other marine mammal skulls may not be collected or possessed unless specifically authorized through the federal government (NOAA).
If you are selling your artwork, Fish and Game Code, section 3039 generally prohibits selling any parts of a bird or mammal found in the wild in California.
GO ID required on buoys when crab fishing from a pier/dock?
Question: The 2016-2017 Dungeness crab fishing regulations say you have to have a buoy on your crab pot with your GO ID number.
Does this requirement apply when you are crabbing off a pier or dock, too? (Judy and John F.)
Answer: Yes, if you already have a fishing license when fishing off a pier or jetty (even where no license is required), then you must fish with buoys marked with your GO ID. It’s OK to use a small net float/buoy instead of a full size buoy if you’d prefer.
According to the California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 29.80(c)(3), every recreational “crab trap” except those used by a Commercial Passenger Fishing Vessel (CPFV) “shall be marked with a buoy” with the operator’s GO ID on it.
One exception to the GO ID requirement in this scenario would be if the person fishing from a public pier or jetty was not required to have a fishing license and therefore has no GO ID.
The trap would still need a buoy attached, but would not need to be marked. Anyone can get a GO ID, even if they have no fishing license or are under age 16. Instructions for getting a GO ID are available on our Web site.
Baiting turkeys with water?
Question: I have a friend who bow hunts for turkeys and puts a tub of water near his turkey blind. He also places small water tanks in brush areas during deer season and says it’s OK.
Is this true? Is it legal to use water as bait? (Dennis B., Palmdale)
Answer: Your friend should be informed that CCR Title 14, section 251.1 prohibits intentional acts that “disrupts an animal’s normal behavior patterns.”
This activity is also specifically prohibited on some public lands (CCR Title 14, section 730). This section prohibits hunting for more than 30 minutes within 200 yards of wildlife watering places on public land within the boundary of the California Desert Conservation Area or within ¼ mile of six specified wildlife watering places in Lassen and Modoc Counties.
The definition of “watering place” includes man-made watering devices for wildlife.
Lost fishing license
Question: I purchased a fishing license a couple of months ago but now cannot find it. I do have a picture of it. How can I get a copy of my original? (Dee D.)
Answer: Go to any License Agent or CDFW License Sales Office to buy a duplicate sport fishing license. A small fee is charged for each duplicate validation.
If you lose your Abalone Report Card or Sturgeon Fishing Report Card, you can obtain a duplicate from CDFW license sales offices only. You must complete an Abalone Report Card Affidavit and pay the duplicate fee to replace an Abalone Report Card. You must complete a Sturgeon Fishing Report Card Affidavit and pay the duplicate fee to replace a Sturgeon Fishing Report Card. Duplicate fees are listed on the license description page.
Do licensed fishing guides also need a fishing license?
Question: Is a California licensed fishing guide required to also have an individual sport fishing license? (Tom H.)
Answer: If the guide is just driving the boat and only verbally guiding clients while they fish, then no. However, if the guide does any fishing themselves, then a sport fishing license is also required.
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – In an effort to rebuild and maintain California’s infrastructure, the California Transportation Commission, or CTC, has allocated $328 million to 88 transportation projects that will alleviate traffic delays, repair aging roads and bridges and encourage bicycling and walking.
This includes 41 biking and pedestrian projects throughout the state that will receive $35.8 million in allocations from the Active Transportation Program.
“This list of multi-modal and fix-it-first projects help us keep our commitment to Californians to maintain and improve the transportation system for economic and quality of life benefits,” said Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty.
The Legislature recently passed SB 1 which increases funding for transportation infrastructure projects and road repairs. In the coming year the public can expect to see increased awards and allocations for projects similar to those allocated funding this week.
The newly allocated funding also includes $234 million from the State Highway Operation and Protection Program for 29 “fix-it first” projects that will maintain and preserve the state highway system and its supporting infrastructure.
These capital improvements consist of projects covering maintenance, pavement repair and rehabilitation, safety improvements and upgrades to bridges throughout the state.
The allocations also include:
· $45.4 million for two Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program projects. · $6.4 million for eight capital improvement projects both on and off the state highway system as part of the State Transportation Improvement Program. · $4.6 million for Traffic Congestion Relief Program projects that will relieve congestion, connect transportation systems and provide for better goods movement. · The remaining $1.6 million in allocations came from various state and federal transportation accounts.
Among the projects receiving funding allocations is Last Change Grade, a four-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 101 south of Crescent City known for geological instability and continuous maintenance and high repair costs.
The project received $5 million which will allow Caltrans to obtain environmental clearances to begin conducting necessary geotechnical investigations of the proposed alternatives to the existing highway alignment.
Beginning at the southern section of the proposed alternatives, Caltrans will use the money to work in close coordination with environmental groups and other stakeholders to plan out, permit, and collect data at a number of geotechnical drilling locations. The data will be used to help select an alternative route and permanent solution.
“While this amount is not enough to complete all of the studies required, it is positive movement towards developing a project that meets everyone’s needs,” said Caltrans District 1 Director Matt Brady.
SACRAMENTO – State Sen. Mike McGuire’s groundbreaking legislation that significantly restricts pharmaceutical companies from giving gifts and incentives to medical professionals was approved on Thursday in the Senate.
SB 790 severely restricts pharmaceutical companies from providing flights, travel, speaking fees, consulting payments, entertainment or other economic benefits to health care providers.
California has an opportunity to put patient care and drug affordability before corporate profits with SB 790.
“I’ll be the first to say that the vast majority of physicians and medical professionals put the needs of their patients first. There’s a reason why doctors answer the call to practice medicine – to help people in their time of need,” Sen. McGuire said. “But growing evidence reveals that financial relationships between some physicians and pharmaceutical companies confirm what has been suspected – financial incentives change minds.”
A recent UCSF study showed that doctors who receive industry gifts such as meals, travel, speaking fees and royalties were two to three times more likely to prescribe costly name-brand drugs than equivalent lower priced generic drugs in their specialty.
Similarly, a Harvard Medical School study found that Massachusetts physicians prescribed a larger proportion of brand-name statins – the category of drugs that treat high cholesterol – the more industry money they received.
“This bill is all about protecting patients, taxpayers and driving down the costs of prescription drugs,” Sen. McGuire said. “Throughout the state, some of our largest hospitals and medical centers have realized the importance of limiting gifts from the pharma industry to doctors – it’s time the State of California bans these types of gifts and incentives, which will put patients above profits.”
In recent years, California has begun to fall behind on safeguards relating to limiting pharma gifts and incentives.
Eight other states and the District of Columbia, along with California’s largest hospitals such as Kaiser, the University of California Medical Centers, Stanford and many Federally Qualified Health Centers have implemented policies restricting or outright banning pharma gifts to doctors.
But, data shows that California physicians, in 2014, received the highest number of gifts and payments from pharmaceutical companies of any state – at $1.44 billion.
While the vast majority of physicians put the needs of their patients first, growing evidence clearly suggests that there is a direct correlation between gifts and incentives provided by the pharmaceutical industry and prescribing patterns of brand name drugs..
Each year in the U.S., $73 billion is spent on brand name drugs for which an equivalent generic is available at a significantly lower cost. This has a big impact on taxpayers since Medicare pays for 1 in every 4 prescriptions in the United States.
The use of gifts is of significant concern to vulnerable populations. For example, medical professionals prescribing in California’s foster care system in recent years have received, on average, more than twice the amount in payments and incentives from drug companies when compared with the typical California doctor.
Sen. McGuire was successful in passing legislation last year creating protections for foster youth against the over-prescription of mind-numbing drugs.
During several hearings over the past two years, Sen. McGuire became increasingly aware that doctors prescribing in the foster care system were receiving a troubling number of gifts and payments. But the problem is larger than the foster care system, and statewide regulation is needed.
“The facts are clear. Current voluntary efforts are not enough. California physicians and medical professionals lead the nation in the number of gifts taken, over $1.4 billion in 2014. SB 790 will curb financial payments, gifts and incentives to medical professionals and help drive down the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs for millions in California,” McGuire said.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Carol was born May 15, 1937, in Chicago, Ill., and passed away pain free on May 15, 2017, with family by her side.
Carol was preceded in death by her husband of 47 years, Charles (Chuck) Thomas Allen; her son, Carl Allen; and her brother, Carl Naumen.
She is survived by her loving children, Vicki Reeves (Harry), Lori Ogden (Mike), Cathy Saderlund (Robert) and Chuck Allen. She also leaves behind grandchildren, Carol Ann, Paul, Shannon, Eric, Elizabeth, Mason, Cathi Lou, Jason and Ryan.
Carol was adopted at birth by parents Carl and Grace Naumen. Marrying Chuck at a young age they started their family moving frequently up and down the West Coast as a “military family.”
Carol was a housewife during that time and upon Chuck’s retirement in 1972 they moved to be near their parents “at the lake” where they had often visited with their children.
It was after Chuck’s retirement that Carol began her lifelong goal to become a nurse. Obtaining her GED and working as an LVN, she later obtained her degree to become a Registered Nurse.
During her nursing career, Carol worked at Sutter Lakeside Hospital and skilled nursing facilities in the area.
Nursing was Mom’s passion and she shared her knowledge and passion of nursing with her children, friends, and even those that cared for her to the very end. Mom enjoyed sewing, quilting, crafting and painting. She was a collector of “things” and her paintings are treasured in the homes of her children.
Carol will be laid to rest at Kelseyville Cemetery with her husband. There will be a family service at a date to be determined.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611 or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Tom passed away at home surrounded by family and friends following complications from a stem cell transplant for leukemia.
Tom possessed a generous spirit and exuded kindness whenever called upon to help. He never expected any payback. He was happy to lend a hand.
Along with his big heart he had really big hands that loved the earth. He was always planting seeds, working in his greenhouse, or planting trees.
A few years ago he began planting Cedar Trees along Highway 20. If you happen to be heading over to Blue Lakes you might see them. They are really beautiful. They are a gift from Tom.
The other passions he had were riding his bike. He loved his bike and joining others on adventures.
And lastly, he was dedicated to picking up trash. His son Erik and daughter Iris as well as his wife Tje will do our best to carry on that tradition. That would make Tom happy.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Brenda Sue DuMont, passed away April 28, 2017, at the age of 59.
Brenda was born Dec. 15, 1957, in Fort Bragg, Calif., to Pete DuMont and Christine Thornbrugh.
She was a 25-year resident of Upper Lake. She was the third generation to live in Upper Lake. She loved the small town and being involved with the community.
Brenda had a lifelong love for cooking and baking and freely shared this passion with loved ones.
While stationed in Europe with her first husband, she attended culinary art classes allowing a passion to turn into a career.
Working as a chef throughout Northern California gave her the opportunity to win the hearts and trust of many, share her sweet and modest demeanor; and best of all culinary talent! Those touched by her faith, love, kindness, continuous laughter and persistent humor will not forget her.
She was preceded in death by her father, Pete Dumont; mother and stepfather, Christine and Lynn Thornbrugh; and sister, Betty Hathorne.
Brenda is survived by her daughters: Christina Chafin of Reno, Nev., Olivia Rubio of Lakeport, Calif. and Suzzie Chapa of the Bay Area; 10 grandchildren, BrendaSue, Edward, Baby, Danny, Cody, Mariana, Alex, Izabella, Zoe and Brooklyn; expecting her first great grandchild Julian; her sisters, Sharon Lawson and Tammy Gardner; brothers, Larry DuMont, Gary DuMont, David Gould and Mark Gardner; and many beloved nieces and nephews.
Arrangements by Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, 707-263-0357 or 707-994-5611, or visit www.chapelofthelakes.com .
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – One of the organizations working to build new homes for wildland fire survivors has celebrated its first home completed in the Valley fire area.
On May 6, Habitat for Humanity dedicated the new home for the Carreker family on Big Valley Road in Middletown.
This is the 21st new home the organization has brought to the county, the second for fire victims overall and the first in the Valley fire area, according to President Richard Birk.
Birk and other Habitat staff, friends and family welcomed the Carrekers into their new home at the May 6 event, which also featured a lunch and prayers of blessing by members of the community.
“We are so blessed; I never felt we deserved something like this,” said new homeowner Jim Carreker. “God and Habitat have been so generous. We can’t thank them enough for this opportunity.”
Habitat for Humanity Lake County partners with qualified, low-income families to build safe, decent, affordable houses.
The organization may be best known for stick-built homes that involve both sweat equity from the families who qualify for the homes as well as from volunteers.
Birk said Habitat in Lake County is continuing with those construction projects but also placing modular homes in situations where they make the most sense.
Because of Lake County’s devastating wildland fires of 2015 and 2016, Habitat’s mission has expanded to include recovery and putting fire survivors in new homes.
The organization itself was impacted by fire when its headquarters office in downtown Lower Lake was destroyed in the August 2016 Clayton fire.
Thanks to the generosity of community members – including Foods, Etc. owner Dennis Darling, who made available to Habitat office space he owns behind the grocery store at 15312 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake – Habitat was able to get back on its feet and continue with its work.
“We’re settled in and going,” said Birk.
The Carrekers’ home was the second fire area home project Habitat has completed. The first, for Clearlake Oaks resident Walter Dreis who lost his home in the 2015 Rocky fire, was completed earlier this year, Birk said. That home, located in the Double Eagle Subdivision, also is a modular.
“Our target for the recovery is mostly people who were renters who got displaced, because we believe that is the gap that nobody else is paying much attention to,” Birk said.
That’s especially important now, with rentals in even higher demand due to scarce housing stock. Birk said he has heard of rents going up by 40 to 50 percent, which is having a heavy impact on low-income county residents.
He said Habitat can get them into new homes for half the cost they’re paying in rent.
Regarding fire projects, Birk said Habitat has no others currently under way, although there are applications pending.
Asked how many fire area homes Habitat plans to build, Birk said, “It’s hard to get a number of the need, that’s the problem.”
He said Habitat is holding workshops for fire survivors and has had 50 applications, with more expected. Not all will qualify for various reasons.
“We’re just going to do as many as we can as long as we have funding,” he said.
Habitat has received a $2.6 million grant under the state CalHome program, which can be used for rebuilding homes for homeowners and new homes for former renters, who will become first-time homeowners, as Lake County News has reported.
Birk explained that the organization didn’t receive a lump sum; rather, the program requires that Habitat go through a detailed process that includes submitting its expenses after projects are completed in order to get reimbursed.
At the same time, Habitat continues to work with families in need who were not impacted by the fires.
He said they have three other homes under way for families who did not lose their homes in the fires, one of which is nearing completion. The groundbreaking on a fourth is about to take place.
Birk said applications are being accepted now for low-income families seeking to own their own homes and fire survivors.
Additionally, Habitat continues to offer its very successful critical home repair program, he said.
If you or someone you know has a housing need, were affected by one of the recent county wildfires and would like to learn more, visit www.lakehabitat.org , stop by Habitat’s Clearlake office at 15312 Lakeshore Drive or call 707-994-1100 for more information or a preapplication.
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.
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Middletown Area Town Hall’s meeting last week hosted a discussion on the process for planning the recovery of Trailside Park and its future uses.
Lake County Public Services Director Lars Ewing spoke to the group May 11 about what’s ahead for the 107-acre park, which was entirely burned over by the Valley fire in September 2015.
“We don't have anything set in stone,” he said, explaining that he was there more for receiving input than telling community members what the park will be, as he believes the ultimate vision belongs to them.
Ewing, who formerly worked in the county’s Public Works Department, took on the director role with Public Services after the Valley fire. By that time, the park already had been destroyed.
He said an arborist assessed the trees that remained in the park after the fire and the decision was made to remove them.
The tree removal has three phases, Ewing said.
The first phase was conducted under a contract with AshBritt Inc. of Deerfield Beach, Fla. Ewing said that phase removed trees that posed hazards to the park’s existing trails.
After that phase, a majority of the park’s damaged trees were still standing. Ewing said the county received a California Department of Labor grant through California Human Development Corp. for the next phase of tree removal.
He said the third tree removal phase is now under way, and is between two and two and a half months from being completed.
That phase includes chipping trees for use as trail surfacing, he said.
The park has now been cleared as much as it can be, Ewing said.
In looking ahead, Ewing noted, “It's not going to be the park that it was.”
He said the foresters he’s spoken to – including Greg Giusti, the retired director of the University of California Cooperative Extension in Lake County – have said it won’t be a pine forest if it’s left to grow up on its own. Rather, it will be oak and manzanita and will take time to grow back on its own.
In response to a question asked later in the meeting about those trees, Ewing said the oaks and manzanitas will thrive and won’t require a specific replanting like the pines.
Ewing said his department plans to hold a public meeting about the park. At the same time, they’ve been contacted by a number of individuals with interest in that park for various uses – arts in the park, trails, bocce ball, equestrian uses, baseball fields and playgrounds.
“It's a big park,” he said, with leads to the possibility of many different uses.
There also is the underlying assumption that it's a nature preserve. Ewing said the county purchased the park land under a state Proposition 70 grant, meant to support parks and open space.
Ewing said they needed to look back at legislative intent of the funds. He said the state said the funds can be used for general park purposes, and that Proposition 70’s intent was not explicitly for the purposes of open space, nature and wildland preserves.
However, Ewing said he also doesn’t want to assume that they can do anything with the property, which is why they’ve asked the state to review the legislative intent.
He said they are dealing with a unique circumstance due to the fire. “It created a clean slate on that park.”
Now to be considered is what can be done given the conditions of that grant and in light of the new circumstances, Ewing said.
The Lake County Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will meet on June 7 to discuss countywide issues. Ewing said it will be an open meeting and a notice will be sent out. He said it’s the first time he’s convened the group in his tenure as director.
“The focus is going to be Trailside Park and the area of Middletown and Cobb, where we have the need for parks,” Ewing said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is not just handing out money, said Ewing, adding, “We're not going to get a free park.”
Ewing said the second step will be holding a public forum to look at the park’s needs.
During the meeting he was asked about a roughly 10-acre area of the park where trees burned in the fire have been left standing.
Ewing said that the intent of that area was to look at a possible memorial or natural regeneration project. He said the decision was made not to cut down that group of trees but to see what it would look like if it came back on its own.
He said he got the idea during a visit to the Grand Canyon. Ewing saw an area there where a fire had occurred about 20 years ago. It features interpretive signs showing how things came back, which he said was informative and impactful.
He added that he’s also open to not having such an area in the park if the community is against it.
In late March, the Rotary project, with the help of hundreds of volunteers from around Northern California, about 4,000 ponderosa pines were planted in that portion of the park, as Lake County News has reported.
Ewing also was asked about at-risk trees across from the park which currently are waiting to be removed. Ewing said those trees – about 1,000 of them – are marked and awaiting approval of FEMA. The county has a contractor lined up to do the work.
The issue of when the trails at the park will be reopened to walking and horseback riding also was raised. Ewing said he wants to wait until hazard trees are removed and it’s safe before allowing use of those areas again.
During the discussion other potential uses were raised for the park, including Robert Battaile’s suggestion of bocce courts for the Middletown Bocce League.
Battaile said the club wants to be close to the park’s restrooms and have lighting. Ewing said getting power to that area will be a challenge.
Another proposed use is for the park included a stadium and play fields for the Middletown and Cobb Little League, which a group representative said could get grants and funding for those facilities.
Ewing said the county can masterplan itself to death and then the plans get shelved due to lack of funding. He said the county is extremely strapped for cash, so he said it will require thinking outside of the box – such as that suggested by the Little League – to find ways to pay for park amenities.
However, another community remember reminded the audience that the original intent at the time the park was purchased was to keep it natural. She pointed out that, because of that condition, community members had spoken out against locating the dormitory for Hope City volunteers involved in the fire recovery and rebuilding effort at the park.
Ewing told Lake County News this week that the Lake County Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will meet beginning at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 7.
The meeting will begin at Trailside Park before reconvening in the community room at the Middletown Library, he said.
He said he expected the meeting topics to include a broad discussion of county park issues, with a focus on Trailside Park.
Ewing said the full agenda hasn’t been set yet, but will be sent out to the community ahead of the meeting.
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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