LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association will hold is annual membership meeting and open house at the ranch house at the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park on Wednesday, May 13.

The group will meet from 6 to 8 p.m.

Refreshments will be provided.

Join fellow AMIA members in the historic ranch house for an evening of information, refreshments and entertainment.

The program will include music, a slide show depicting the highlights of AMIA’s past year, introduction of AMIA’s 2015 officers and presentation of AMIA’s 2015 Volunteer of the Year Award.

AMIA Board members will be available to answer questions about the ranch house and what is happening in the park.

This event is open to the public, so please bring your friends to join in the fun.

Anderson Marsh State Historic Park is located on Highway 53, between Lower Lake and Clearlake. 

For information about the event, contact AMIA at 707-995-2658 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

“A word has power in and of itself. It comes from nothing into sound and meaning; it gives origin to all things.” – N. Scott Momaday, “The Way to Rainy Mountain”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – According to anthropologist Alfred Kroeber, in his book, “The Religion of the Indians of California,” “The California Indians were in an animistic state of mind, in which they attributed life, intelligence, and especially supernatural power, to virtually all living and lifeless things.”

The native peoples of Lake County – the Pomo, Miwok, Yuki, Wappo and Patwin – all incorporated myth into their various cultures.

There were specialists in some American Indian groups who sometimes traveled to tell the stories, or myths, which could explain their world in a unique way.

At times the storytellers were presented with food, furs and baskets. In his book, “Pomo Myths,” S.A. Barrett said, “In fact this region was an ideal 'Indian country', and here there was developed a special culture, with certain variants in each of the environmental units. Such variations are reflected even in the mythology of the people.”

Over time, in the western traditional literary circle myths have come to mean make-believe or fairy tale.

Studies done on mythology in the fields of anthropology, history, linguistics and archaeology have come to understand and value the meaning of myth in American Indian culture.

Since most California Indians were of the oral tradition, then it serves to follow that not only is the true meaning obscured by writing it down, but it loses much in the language translation as well.

Myths of many types were important to the peoples of times past. Some of the themes were cosmogonic, or origin myths – how the world came into being.

Through studying myths of different cultures in Joseph Campbell’s works it is fascinating to find themes that play out over and over across the cultures, such as the world coming into being from nothing (Mayan, Greek, Australian, first book of Genesis), or that of emergence from the lower worlds such as that of the Hopi and Navajo.

In Siberia and Romania the motif is that of an animal such as a bird or turtle who dives into primeval water and surfaces with a bit of earth that later grows into being the world.

The traditions of times past continue. These traditions are valuable, when so many have faced obliteration.

As Paula Gunn Allen states in “Spider Woman’s Granddaughters – Traditional Tales and Contemporary Writing by Native American Women,” “Indian storytellers seldom write or speak as isolated individuals, cut off from their communal context. Rather, they use their tales to entertain, enlighten, educate, and above all to reveal to the audience their connection to the wisdom and experience of the tribal group. In this way the continuity between daily life and the tribal matrix is reaffirmed, and the audience’s participation in the sacred life of the group and of the universe gains an added dimension.”

Myth, it is now understood, is of vast importance to each culture’s education.

When the stories are no longer told then it serves to follow that they are no longer in your mind.

With the loss of myth, you lose perspective about what’s occurring in your day-to-day life.

This valuable information from ancient times has everything to do with ideas we have, our religion, problems we may face, and life passages.

The stories and traditions become a rich source of meaning for life.

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.

On average, Americans drive 29.2 miles a day or 10,658 miles a year, according to a ground-breaking study underway by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the Urban Institute.

The foundation’s new American Driving Survey offers the most up-to-date, comprehensive look at how much Americans drive on a daily and yearly basis.

The first year data, collected from May 2013 through May 2014 is now available from the ongoing study.

This study sets the benchmark for future data and will ultimately reveal trends in Americans’ driving habits.

“This is the first ongoing study that provides a look at when and how much Americans are driving,” said Peter Kissinger, president and chief executive officer of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Existing federal data with this level of detail was last released in 2009, eight years after the previous release. This substantially limits the extent to which we can use existing data to draw conclusions about Americans’ current driving practices.”

“The information from these ongoing studies will allow states to make more informed choices when looking at traffic trends,” said Cynthia Harris, AAA Northern California spokeswoman.

The first-year results of the American Driving Survey revealed that:

· Motorists in the South drive the most (11,826 miles annually), while those in the Northeast drive the least (8,468 miles annually). Drivers in the West drive the second most (11,279 miles annually).

· Motorists age 16 years and older drive, on average, 29.2 miles per day or 10,658 miles per year.

· Women take more driving trips, but men spend 25 percent more time behind the wheel and drive 35 percent more miles than women.

· Both teenagers and seniors over the age of 75 drive fewer miles than any other age group; motorists 30-49 years drive an average 13,140 miles annually, more than any other age group.

· The average distance and time spent driving increase in relation to higher levels of education. A driver with a grade school or some high school education drives an average of 19.9 miles and 32 minutes daily. Drive time and distance correlate to higher levels of education.

· Drivers who reported living “in the country” or “a small town” drive greater distances (12,264 miles annually) and spend a greater amount of time driving than people who described living in a “medium sized town” or city (9,709 miles annually).

· On average, Americans drive fewer miles on weekends than on weekdays.

· Americans drive, on average, the least during the winter months (January through March) at 27.5 miles daily, they drive the most during the summer months (July through September) at 30.6 miles daily. Interestingly, Western drivers drove the most in January through March at 35.2 miles daily and second most in October through December at 33.5 miles daily.

The data from this study will be especially useful when combined with crash data. For the first time, researchers will be able to conduct unique, timely studies of crash rates.

The results for the American Driver Survey are based on telephone interviews with drivers living in a random sample of households nationwide.

The drivers reported detailed information about all their driving trips taken the day before the interview. Data collection is ongoing.

The information reported in the first-year results was collected between May 21, 2013 and May 31, 2014.

The full results from the inaugural American Driver Survey are available online at www.aaafoundation.org .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has two tabbies waiting for adoption this week.

The adult cats – one male, one female – are cleared to go to new homes.

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”).

Female domestic short hair mix

This sweet female domestic short hair mix has a gray tabby coat.

She's in cat room kennel No. 13, ID No. 2082.

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.

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. – This week's group of adoptable dogs at Lake County Animal Care and Control come both in little and large size.

The dogs available this week include mixes of Chihuahua, dachshund, English Bulldog, German Shepherd, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, Rottweiler, Shar Pei 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.

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”).

Chihuahua-dachshund mix

This male Chihuahua-dachshund mix has a short brown coat.

He's in kennel No. 2, ID No. 2054.

Female Chihuahua mix

This female Chihuahua mix has a short tan coat.

She's in kennel No. 7, ID No. 2085.

Rottweiler-Shar Pei mix

This male Rottweiler-Shar Pei mix has a short black coat and big brown eyes.

Shelter staff said that the family who found him said he was good with children and got along with other dogs.

He's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 1983.

Male Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix has a short buff-colored coat.

He's in kennel No. 9, ID No. 2064.

Labrador Retriever-German Shepherd mix

This male Labrador Retriever-German Shepherd 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.

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.

Male pit bull mix

This male pit bull mix has a short dark brown and white coat.

He's in kennel No. 15, ID No. 2094.

'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.

Labrador Retriever mix

This female Labrador Retriever mix has a short buff-colored coat.

She's in kennel No. 33, ID No. 2115.

Male pit bull terrier mix

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

He's in kennel No. 34, ID No. 2101.

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.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The Clearlake Oaks County Water District Board on Friday held it second hearing on proposed water and sewer rate increases, making modifications that will result in another reading next month.

The district held an initial hearing on April 16 before the Friday meeting. While there were about 50 people in attendance at the first hearing, that number was down to about half a dozen on Friday, according to General Manager Matt Bassett.

Bassett said the increases are needed to cover district operating expenses as well as providing needed funding for extensive updates to the district's aging decades-old infrastructure.

Increases, as detailed in the documents and charts shown here, would be rolled out over three years, beginning in the July billing cycle, Bassett said.

At Friday's meeting, “The board made some proposed revisions and we’re going to work on them,” said Bassett.

The district's rate increase proposal has included switching its billing system from only charging active accounts to charging all service connections.

The biggest change that the board agreed to work into its increase proposals, Bassett said, is that it will allow individuals who don't want to pay the monthly base rate to disconnect their water and sewer connections without being charged capital expansion fees.

In other words, they will not have to pay thousands of dollars to reconnect to the system in the future, as they have already paid that cost once, he said.

“That is by far the main change” to the rate increase proposals, Bassett said. The documents are still open to additional revision if necessary.

The changes the board accepted on Friday will necessitate a new second reading, which Bassett said will happen at the next regular board meeting, Thursday, May 21.

Even with the changes, the new rates are still set to go into effect in July, Bassett said.

Bassett said the updated documents will be posted on the district's Web site, www.clocwd.org , next week. Below are posted the documents in their current form, along with the hearing notice.

Also on Friday, Bassett presented a preliminary district budget for the 2015-16 budget year.

Bassett has crafted a budget that shows no increases in the cost of labor or supplies.

However, he said it will include an increased cost for infrastructure repairs.

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

NICE, Calif. – The Nice Mutual Water Co. has issued a public notification regarding high levels of a chemical compound that was revealed in the district's drinking water during routine testing.

The testing revealed that total trihalomethanes, or TTHMs, came in above the state drinking water standard in the year's first quarter, according to district General Manager David Fultz.

The district draws its water from Clear Lake, he said. Trihalomethanes are a byproduct of chlorinating the drinking water.

Fultz said the district tests for trihalomethanes – a suspected carcinogen – quarterly.

Samples between April 2015 and March 2015 showed that the drinking water the district provides had an average TTHMs of 84.73 micrograms per liter.

The maximum level allowed – also known as the maximum contaminant level – is 80 micrograms per liter, according to the district's notice to its customers.

Fultz said the substance found to have exceeded the standard was chloroform.

He said the state requires that when the standards are exceeded, notices be issued.

There isn't an emergency, and district water users don't need to do anything like boil water, he said.

“This is the first time that we’ve had high results in the wintertime,” said Fultz. “They’re always low.”

As for what may have caused the high levels, Fultz said it's hard to know why. “We could sit here and guess all day long.”

The district already is taking action. Week before last, they installed fresh carbon at the water treatment plant. Fultz said the new carbon will help reduce the organics in the water, which along with chlorine produces trihalomethanes.

They're also preparing to install aeration pumps and blowers in the Yuba tanks, he said. The Yuba tanks have the longest turnover time, which can cause trihalomethanes to form.

Fultz said trihalomethanes are very volatile, and come out of the water when it's aerated.

The notice to water users was issued on April 16.

It states that within 10 days the following entities must also issue reports:

– Schools: Must notify employees, students and parents (if the students are minors);
– Residential property owners and managers, including nursing homes and care facilities: Must notify tenants and employees;
– Business property owners, managers or operators: Must notify employees and customers of businesses located on the property.

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.

A NASA-funded research team led by Dr. Bill Bottke of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) independently estimated the Moon's age as slightly less than 4.5 billion years by analyzing impact-heated shock signatures found in stony meteorites originating from the Main Asteroid Belt.

Their work will appear in the April 2015 issue of the journal Science.

“This research is helping to refine our time scales for 'what happened when' on other worlds in the solar system,” said Bottke, of the Institute for the Science of Exploration Targets (ISET). ISET is a founding member of NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) and is based in SwRI's Boulder, Colo. Office.

The Moon-forming giant impact, which took place between a large protoplanet and the proto-Earth, was the inner Solar System's biggest and most recent known collision.

Its timing, however, is still uncertain. Ages of the most ancient lunar samples returned by the Apollo astronauts are still being debated.

The team used numerical simulations to show that the giant impact likely created a disk near Earth that eventually coalesced to form the Moon, while ejecting huge amounts of debris completely out of the Earth-Moon system.

The fate of that material has been a mystery. However, it is plausible that some of it would have blasted other ancient inner-solar-system worlds such as asteroids, leaving behind telltale signs of impact-heating shock on their surfaces.

Subsequent, less violent collisions between asteroids have since ejected some shocked remnants back to Earth in the form of fist-sized meteorites.

By determining the age of the shock signatures on those meteorites, scientists were able to infer that their origin likely corresponds to the time of the giant impact, and therefore to the age of the Moon.

The SSERVI research indicates that material accelerated by the giant impact struck Main Belt asteroids at much higher velocities than typical Main Belt collisions. The craters left behind by this bombardment contained an abundance of shocked and melted material with formation ages that provide a characteristic of the ancient giant impact event.

Evidence that the giant impact produced a large number of kilometer-sized fragments can be inferred from laboratory and numerical impact experiments, the ancient lunar impact record itself, and the numbers and sizes of fragments produced by major Main Belt asteroid collisions.

Once the team concluded that pieces of the Moon-forming impact hit Main Belt asteroids and made ancient impact age signatures in meteorites, they set out to deduce both the timing and the relative magnitude of the bombardment.

By modeling their evolution over time, and fitting the results to ancient impact heating signatures in stony meteorites, the team was able to infer the Moon formed about 4.47 billion years ago, in agreement with many previous estimates.

These impact signatures also provide insights into the last stages of planet formation in the inner solar system.

For example, the team is exploring how they can be used to place new constraints on how many planet formation “leftovers,” many in the form of asteroid-like bodies, still existed in the inner solar system in the aftermath of planet formation.

“It is even possible,” Bottke said, “that tiny remnants of the Moon-forming impactor or proto-Earth might still be found within meteorites that show signs of shock heating by giant impact debris. This would allow scientists to explore for the first time the unknown primordial nature of our home world.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Communities are once again gearing up for the Memorial Day weekend, with popular longtime celebrations set to help usher in the summer season.

Two of the county's main events are once again planned for Lakeport and Lower Lake.

In Lakeport, the annual Memorial Day Parade, sponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, will commence at 11 a.m. sharp on Main Street on Saturday, May 23.

The theme this year is “Salute to Our Veterans.” Each year this parade salutes the members of the Armed Forces – retired and active.

The parade route travels from the fairgrounds on Martin Street, entering Main at Martin Street and traveling north to 10th Street, with the judges' stand in front of the Lake County Special Districts office across from the Courthouse Museum, between Second and Third streets.

The parade is sanctioned by the California State Horsemen’s Association, which presents an opportunity for equestrians to earn points for the CSHA annual award. Kim Cipro of Hidden Valley Lake is the sanctioned CSHA Judge for the parade.

The chamber requests that members of the public honor the no parking signs, which will be posted on Main Street from First to Fourth streets, from 10 a.m. to noon. This area will allow unobstructed views of the parade for spectators.

Entry applications are available on the Lake County Chamber Web site, www.lakecochamber.com; click on the parade banner on the home page. They also may be obtained at the chamber office at 875 Lakeport Blvd. at Vista Point or by calling 707-263-5092.

The annual 4H Pancake Breakfast at Natural High School on Main Street, will be hosted again this year from 7 to 11 a.m. that day by the Lakeport Kiwanis who also sponsor a two-day craft faire at the same location.

Then, on Sunday, May 24, Lower Lake hosts its Lower Lake Daze Parade & Pet Parade.

The celebration begins at 11 a.m. and continues until 3 p.m.

The Lower Lake Community Action Group plans to include an old time barbecue, craft vendors, face painting, games for children, pony rides, music during the afternoon and a raffle.

Proceeds from the raffle will benefit community projects.

Following the parade, all activities are in the Russell Rustici Community Park, behind the Brick Hall. 

Call 707-995-9174 for more information on the Lower Lake activities.

University of California, Berkeley, seismologists have proven that the Hayward Fault is essentially a branch of the Calaveras Fault that runs east of San Jose, which means that both could rupture together, resulting in a significantly more destructive earthquake than previously thought.

“The maximum earthquake on a fault is proportional to its length, so by having the two directly connected, we can have a rupture propagating across from one to the other, making a larger quake,” said lead researcher Estelle Chaussard, a postdoctoral fellow in the Berkeley Seismological Laboratory. “People have been looking for evidence of this for a long time, but only now do we have the data to prove it.”

The 70-kilometer-long Hayward Fault is already known as one of the most dangerous in the country because it runs through large population areas from its northern limit on San Pablo Bay at Richmond to its southern end south of Fremont.

In an update of seismic hazards last month, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated a 14.3 percent likelihood of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake on the Hayward Fault in the next 30 years, and a 7.4 percent chance on the Calaveras Fault.

These are based on the assumption that the two faults are independent systems, and that the maximum quake on the Hayward Fault would be between magnitudes 6.9 and 7.0.

Given that the Hayward and Calaveras faults are connected, the energy released in a simultaneous rupture could be 2.5 times greater, or a magnitude 7.3 quake.

“A rupture from Richmond to Gilroy would produce about a 7.3 magnitude quake, but it would be even greater if the rupture extended south to Hollister, where the Calaveras Fault meets the San Andreas Fault,” Chaussard said.

Chaussard and her colleagues, including Roland Bürgmann, a UC Berkeley professor of earth and planetary science, reported their findings today (April 2) in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.

Creep connects two faults

Chaussard said there has always been ambiguity about whether the two faults are connected. The Hayward Fault ends just short of the Calaveras Fault, which runs about 123 kilometers from north of Danville south to Hollister in the Salinas Valley.

The UC Berkeley team used 19 years of satellite data to map ground deformation using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and measure creep along the southern end of the Hayward Fault, and found, surprisingly, that the creep didn’t stop south of Fremont, the presumed southern end of the fault, but continued as far as the Calaveras Fault.

“We found that it continued on another 15 kilometers and that the trace merged with the trace of the Calaveras Fault,” she said. In addition, seismic data show that micro-earthquakes on these faults 3-5 kilometers underground also merge. “With this evidence from surface creep and seismicity, we can argue for a direct junction on the surface and at depth for the two faults.”

Both are strike-slip faults – the western side moves northward relative to the eastern side. The researchers found that the underground portion of the Hayward Fault meets the Calaveras Fault 10 kilometers farther north than where the creeping surface traces of both faults meet. This geometry implies that the Hayward Fault dips at an angle where it meets the Calaveras Fault.

InSAR revolutionizes mapping

Chaussard said that the 19 years of InSAR data from the European Space Agency’s ERS and Envisat satellites from 1992 to 2011 were critical to connecting the two faults.

Creep, or the surface movement along a fault, is evidenced by offset curbs, streets and home foundations.

It is normally determined by measuring points on opposite sides of a fault every few years, but that is hard to do along an entire fault or in difficult terrain.

InSAR provides data over large areas even in vegetated terrains and outside of urban areas, and with repeated measurements over many years, InSAR can detect deformation with a precision of 2 millimeters per year.

“With InSAR, we have access to much larger spatial coverage,” said Chaussard, who has been expanding the uses of InSAR to measure water resources and now ground deformation that occurs between earthquakes. “Instead of having a few points, we have over 200,000 points in the Bay Area. And we have access to areas we couldn’t go to on the ground.”

She noted that while creep relieves stress on a fault gradually, eventually the surface movement must catch up with the long-term underground fault movement.

The Hayward Fault moves at about 10 millimeters per year underground, but it creeps at only 3 to 8 millimeters per year. Earthquakes occur when the surface suddenly catches up with a fault’s underground long-term movement.

“Creep is delaying the accumulation of stress needed to get to an earthquake, but it does not cancel the earthquake,” Chaussard said.

Other co-authors are seismologists Robert Nadeau, Taka'aki Taira and Ingrid Johanson, as well as graduate student Chris Johnson, all of UC Berkeley; and Heresh Fattahi of the University of Miami in Florida. The work was supported by NASA and the USGS.

Robert Sanders writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – A Windsor man sustained major injuries when he collided with a US Forest Service staffer's pickup on Saturday afternoon.

Joel Higuera, 41, suffered a broken right leg, according to a report from Officer Erich Paarsch of the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office.

Higuera was riding his 2015 KTM dirt bike northbound on Elk Mountain Road north of Penny Pines above Upper Lake when the crash happened at 12:50 p.m., based on Paarsch's report.

The report said Higuera was being followed closely by Santa Rosa resident Frank Tibbens, 54, on his 2010 Yamaha dirt bike.

The two men entered a lefthand curve and collided with a southbound US Forest Service vehicle – a 2012 Ford F-150 pickup – driven by Robert Seehase, 31, Paarsch said.

Higuera was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital by REACH air ambulance, according to Paarsch's report.

Tibbens and Seehase were uninjured, the report said.

Elk Mountain Road remained partially closed for approximately an hour and a half while the crash was investigated, Paarsch said.

All three of the men were using their safety equipment, according to the report.

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.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office will hold its next free traffic safety class for young people on Tuesday, April 28, in Kelseyville.

The “Start Smart” traffic safety class for newly licensed and teenage drivers and their parents/guardians will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Clear Lake Area CHP office, located at 5700 Live Oak Drive.

The leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 15 and 20 years old is motor vehicle collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The CHP's goal is to reduce the death rate among young drivers as the result of these collisions.

The CHP’s “Start Smart” program is aimed at helping newly licensed and future licensed teenage drivers understand the critical responsibilities of driving and to understand that accidents happen, but collisions are 100 percent preventable. 

The program is designed to provide interactive safe driving awareness class which will illustrate how poor choices behind the wheel of a car can affect the lives of numerous people.

“Start Smart” also focuses on responsibilities of newly licensed drivers, responsibilities of parents/guardians and, collision avoidance techniques.

“The CHP is committed to mitigating traffic collisions involving young, inexperienced drivers, because they are preventable,” said Lt. Hector Paredes, commander of the Clear Lake Area office. “Start Smart is an excellent program that promotes safe driving for young new drivers.”

Space is limited for this class. For more information or reservations, call Officer Kory Reynolds at the CHP office, 707-279-0103.