UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Mendocino National Forest is currently fighting a fire located in a remote area north of High Glade Lookout on the Upper Lake Ranger District of the Mendocino National Forest.

The High Glade Fire was spotted this morning, as Lake County News has reported.

It is estimated to be approximately 350 acres and is 0 percent contained, according to a Saturday evening report from the Mendocino National Forest.

Smoke from the fire was highly visible Saturday afternoon in the mountains west of Interstate 5, the forest's report said.

Engine crews, hand crews and aviation resources are currently working on containing the fire, according to the Mendocino National Forest.

As winds died down Saturday afternoon, the rate of spread has slowed, giving fire crews the opportunity to make progress, officials said.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to forest officials.

Astronomers using the combined power of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a far-flung trio of primitive galaxies nestled inside an enormous blob of primordial gas nearly 13 billion light-years from Earth.

“This exceedingly rare triple system, seen when the Universe was only 800 million years old, provides important insights into the earliest stages of galaxy formation during a period known as 'Cosmic Dawn,' when the Universe was first bathed in starlight,” said Richard Ellis, the Steele Professor of Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology and member of the research team. “Even more interesting, these galaxies appear poised to merge into a single massive galaxy, which could eventually evolve into something akin to the Milky Way.”

Researchers first detected this object, which appeared to be a giant bubble of hot, ionized gas, in 2009. Dubbed Himiko (after a legendary queen of ancient Japan), it is nearly 10 times larger than typical galaxies of that era and comparable in size to our own Milky Way.

Subsequent observations with the Spitzer Space Telescope suggested that Himiko might represent a single galaxy, which would make it uncharacteristically massive for that period of the early Universe.

“The new observations revealed that, rather than a single galaxy, Himiko harbors three distinct, bright sources, whose intense star formation is heating and ionizing this giant cloud of gas,” said Masami Ouchi, an associate professor at the University of Tokyo who led the international team of astronomers from Japan and the United States.

Areas of such furious star formation should be brimming with heavy elements such as carbon, silicon, and oxygen. These elements are forged in the nuclear furnaces of massive, short-lived stars like those bursting into life inside the three galaxies detected by Hubble.

At the end of their relatively brief lives, these stars explode as supernovas, seeding the intergalactic medium with a fine dust of heavy elements.

“When this dust is heated by ultraviolet radiation from massive newborn stars, the dust then re-radiates at radio wavelengths,” remarked Kotaro Kohno, a member of the team also with the University of Tokyo. “Such radiation is not detected in Himiko.”

“Surprisingly, observations with ALMA revealed a complete absence of the signal from carbon, which is rapidly synthesized in young stars. Given the sensitivity of ALMA, this is truly remarkable,” said Ouchi. “Exactly how this intense activity can be reconciled with the primitive chemical composition of Himiko is quite puzzling.”

The astronomers speculate that a large fraction of the gas in Himiko could be primordial, a mixture of the light elements hydrogen and helium, which were created in the Big Bang. If correct, this would be a landmark discovery signaling the detection of a primordial galaxy seen during its formation.

Ellis summed up the situation: “Astronomers are usually excited when a signal from an object is detected. But, in this case, it's the absence of a signal from heavy elements that is the most exciting result!”

The ALMA data were taken as part of the early science program with only a portion of the array's eventual full complement of 66 antennas.

Future research with the complete ALMA telescope and the next-generation of ground- and space-based observatories will look even further back in time, shedding more light on the origin and evolution of the first stars and galaxies.

The results are accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal.

ALMA, an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of Europe, North America and East Asia in cooperation with the Republic of Chile.

ALMA construction and operations are led on behalf of Europe by ESO, on behalf of North America by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), and on behalf of East Asia by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).

The Joint ALMA Observatory (JAO) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of ALMA.

The National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a facility of the National Science Foundation, operated under cooperative agreement by Associated Universities Inc.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A ferocious windstorm that tore through Lake County Thursday evening and early Friday morning left thousands of county residents without power, and upended countless trees which took down power poles, damaged homes and vehicles, and in several cases sparked wildland fires.

The National Weather Service had issued a Thursday afternoon wind advisory – later upgraded to a high wind warning – that stated winds would peak on Thursday night, and the prediction held true.

The rain the county had experienced over the last few days, coupled with the onslaught of the winds, served to begin a process in the afternoon of toppling trees.

As the winds picked up – gusts were expected to be as high as 60 miles per hour – there were numerous reports of trees falling across roads and into power lines. There was even a flipped-over carport in Clearlake Oaks.

Firefighters, police and road crews would be dispatched from one call to another, with Central Dispatch inundated by 911 calls throughout the night.

In the early evening, power was cut off to about 5,000 thousand residents, with Pacific Gas and Electric reporting that the outages were largely weather-related.

Power would be restored and knocked out intermittently through the night, with about 10,000 county residents – primarily in the Clearlake and Nice areas – reported to be without power around midnight, according to PG&E. Most of those residents had power restored in the early morning hours.

The winds seemed only to become more fierce, with the night punctuated by the sounds of exploding transformers and arcing lines in various parts of the county, including at a power substation near Lower Lake, according to reports from witnesses and first responders.

Nice and Clearlake both were especially hard hit. A Plumas Street home in Nice had its roof ripped off, and there were countless reports of fallen trees and downed lines in both communities, and several instances of homes damaged by falling trees.

At around 10 p.m. a tree fell on three parked cars at the Drift Inn RV Resort on Lakeshore in Nice, according to a witness.

Near Paradise Cove outside of Lucerne, a wildland fire was reported on the north side of Highway 20 shortly before 9:30 p.m.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli said it reached about 15 acres and was about 50 percent contained when Cal Fire units turned the incident over to Northshore Fire in order to respond to other incidents.

Another wildland fire was reported just before 1 a.m. at Witter Springs, with Lakeport and Northshore Fire Protection District firefighters containing it to about three acres in around 45 minutes, according to reports from the scene.

At the same time, Lake County Fire Protection District personnel were dispatched to a structure fire in the area of Cache Creek Way and Old Highway 53, with entrance to the fire made difficult and dangerous by downed power lines.

Just after 2 a.m., Cal Fire was dispatched to a report of a fire in The Geysers geothermal steamfield, with units responding from Lake and Sonoma counties.

During the night and early morning, several large trees also were reported to have fallen across Highway 20 in Nice and Lucerne, causing temporary highway closures.

Just before 4:30 a.m., lines were reported to be down at Lucerne Elementary School.

The National Weather Service's high wind warning remains in effect until noon on Friday.

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. – Firefighters are working to control several new wildland fires around Lake County.

New incidents in Upper Lake and Clearlake were reported throughout the day Saturday.

On Saturday morning, two fires were reported near Upper Lake, the Hunter off of Hunter Point and Elk Mountain roads, and the High Glade Fire, located off of Bartlett Springs Road near the High Glade fire lookout.

Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown said the Hunter fire burned about five acres and destroyed one home, but firefighters were able to save two other residences.

A total of five engines, two water tenders, and one engine each from Lakeport and Kelseyville responded, he said.

Brown said it was while Northshore firefighters were out at the Hunter incident that they spotted the High Glade Fire.

Mendocino National Forest spokesperson Tamara Schmidt told Lake County News at 4 p.m. that the latest size estimate on the High Glade Fire was 350 acres.

Cal Fire also reported that it is assisting the Mendocino National Forest with ground and air resources on the fire.

Just after 2 p.m. a fire was reported near the Cache Creek Dam outside of Clearlake.

The fire quickly grew from a few acres to an estimated 30 acres, with one structure threatened, according to reports from the scene and a Cal Fire update issued just before 4 p.m.

Cal Fire diverted three air tankers from the McCabe Fire at The Geysers to respond to the Dam Fire, with two helicopters also dispatched.

Work also was continuing on fires that had begun earlier in the week, including the Bruner Fire at the Kono Tayee subdivision near Lucerne.

Cal Fire said Saturday afternoon that the Bruner Fire was 50 acres and 90 percent contained.

Residents in the subdivision reported on Saturday they were still without power after more than a day.

Also on Saturday afternoon, Cal Fire reported that the McCabe Fire at The Geysers geothermal steamfield had grown again, reaching 3,500 acres with 25 percent containment.

The fire is located within Sonoma County, but moving toward Lake County, officials said.

Cal Fire said 12 residences are threatened by the fire. So far, one power plant cooling tower has been destroyed.

Approximately 783 personnel are assigned to the fire, along with 54 fire engines, 34 crews, four air tankers, two helicopters, seven dozers and eight water tenders.

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.

This story has been updated.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A fire that began at The Geysers geothermal steamfield during the midst of an early Friday morning windstorm jumped in size by the afternoon.

The McCabe Fire was reported just after 2 a.m. Friday, as Lake County News has reported.

At around 10 a.m. Friday it had been reported at 200 acres with 10 percent containment, with Cal Fire reporting that it had grown to 2,000 acres by about 4 p.m., and was up to 2,500 acres just before 6 p.m., with 10 percent containment.

Cal Fire said it is located within Sonoma County's boundaries but is headed toward Lake County.

The fire is threatening a number of structures, including two nearby geothermal power plants. Radio reports indicated it had damaged a cooling tower on one of the plants.

The winds that continued throughout Friday – and which forecasters expect to last until Saturday evening – appeared to be aiding the fire's rapid spread, with firefighters on scene reporting they were focusing on structure protection.

Cal Fire spokesperson Suzi Blankenship said the incident was displaying “erratic fire behavior” with long range spotting.

On Friday afternoon, Cal Fire said there were 32 fire engines, 18 fire crews and a total of 350 fire personnel assigned to the incident.

The fire's cause remains under investigation, Cal Fire said.

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.

COBB, Calif. – Firefighters early Friday were working to contain a wildland fire at The Geysers geothermal steamfield.

The fire was first reported at around 2 a.m. Friday in the midst of a severe windstorm.

It is located in steep terrain near power plants five and six, according to reports from the scene.

Firefighters at the scene reported south winds in excess of 30 miles per hour that were pushing the fire to the north.

Damage from the windstorm also made it difficult for firefighters to access the scene, with a fallen tree blocking one of the access roads from the Lake County side and power lines reported to be down, according to radio reports.

One firefighter reported seeing two large flashes as he was arriving, which he believed to be arcing power lines.

Incident command asked for three strike teams and eight water tenders, as well as dozers. Both Lake and Sonoma County resources responded.

It was unclear whether aircraft would be able to be used on the fire due to wind conditions, according to radio reports.

Shortly after 3:30 a.m., reports from the scene indicated the fire was 25 acres, with containment at 10 percent.

Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.

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. – Gusting winds that have blown across Lake County in recent days are believed to have contributed to conditions that led to several fires late Thursday and during the day on Friday.

As much of the Northshore and Clearlake areas dealt with the damage from this week's windstorm, on Friday firefighters dealt with several wildland fires along the Northshore.

A fire that began Thursday night near Paradise Cove was fully contained at 15 acres on Friday morning, according to Cal Fire.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli, who had been at the scene of the blaze Thursday night, told Lake County News that despite the rain earlier this week, “With these winds, it's overriding any moisture we had.”

Early Friday afternoon, firefighters responded to a wildland fire on Bruner Drive in the Kono Tayee subdivision near Lucerne.

Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown said the fire was between 20 and 25 acres Friday night.

An in-county strike team that included personnel from Northshore, Kelseyville, Lake County and Lakeport Fire protection districts, along with Cal Fire, responded, with a total of six engines and a water tender on scene, Brown said.

The fire, pushed by 30- to 40-mile-per-hour winds, damaged four homes, he said.

As for the cause, “It's related to a power issue,” Brown said.

While firefighters were working the Bruner incident, a driver stopped to look at the fire and was rear-ended, Brown said. A juvenile was injured and transported to Sutter Lakeside Hospital with what were believed to be minor injuries.

Later on Friday afternoon, firefighters also responded to a small wildland fire in the area of Clover Valley Road in Upper Lake. Brown estimated it was contained at close to five acres, with three engines and a water tender on scene.

Brown said Cal Fire was continuing to monitor the scenes at the Paradise Cove and Bruner incidents because of the windy, dry conditions.

Later in the evening, a small vegetation fire was reported on Elliott Street in Upper Lake after downed power lines caught trees and grass on fire, according to radio reports.

In neighboring Sonoma County, a fire that broke out early Friday morning in The Geysers geothermal steamfield had burned an estimated 2,500 acres by nightfall, with containment at 10 percent, according to Cal Fire.

Although it's fall, the county is still experiencing dry conditions on par with the summer months, according to Bertelli.

“Everything is burning like it's August or September,” he said.

Cal Fire hasn't yet declared an end to fire season in its Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit. The 2012 fire season closed Nov. 5.

“We're still on heightened alert,” Bertelli said. “We haven't fully downstaffed as we normally would because of the weather.”

He asked that county residents continue to use caution and be fire safe.

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. – The Lake County Department of Public Works issued a Friday afternoon update on road conditions following the overnight windstorm.

Crews were out all night working to clear roads but are having to wait for Pacific Gas and Electric crews to remove downed lines before they can continue with their work in some areas, according to county officials.

Caltrans reported no closures on state highways in the county.

The following is a roundup of the latest conditions on county roads. Updates will be posted as they become available.

CLEARLAKE OAKS

High Valley Road – Closed to all traffic due to tree across the roadway – four to six miles off of Highway 20.

KELSEYVILLE

Hawaina Way – Power lines hanging low across the roadway (crew on scene).

Aqua Vista Way – Closed to all traffic due to downed tree and power lines (crew on scene – waiting on PGE to power down the line).

LUCERNE

Country Club Drive – One lane traffic from Highway 20 to 17th Avenue (due to debris in the roadway.

Bruner Drive – Bruner Drive is closed to all traffic (except for emergency vehicles) until further notice due to a wildland fire.

NICE

Lakeshore Boulevard – Closed at Hudson Avenue, Stokes Avenue, and Sayer Avenue due to downed power lines and debris in the roadway. No estimate on when the roadway will be reopened.

Floyd Way – Closed between Highway 20 and Merced due to downed power lines and debris in the roadway. No estimate on when the road will be reopened

Marin Street – Closed to all traffic, multiple trees and power lines down. No estimate on when the roadway will be reopened.

Springe Street – Downed tree blocking the roadway near Highway 20.

Black Oak Way – Downed tree partially blocking the roadway at Springe Street.

UPPER LAKE

Bachelor Valley Road – Road closed from Witter Springs Road to East Road due to downed power pole. No estimate on when the roadway will be reopened.

Clover Valley Road – One lane traffic from MP 1.5 to MP 2.0 due to downed debris in the roadway.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it recently awarded the State of California $174 million in federal funding to invest in water infrastructure projects.

The California Department of Public Health received a $79 million grant for its Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the California State Water Resources Control Board received a $95 million grant for its Clean Water State Revolving Fund.

The funding will be used for projects to control water pollution and provide low-cost loans for both drinking water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades statewide.

“In the last 26 years, EPA has provided more than $4 billion in funding for California water projects alone” said Jared Blumenfeld, regional administrator of EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region. “Without this investment at the federal level, many communities would not be able to satisfy Californians’ basic needs for clean and safe drinking water.”

Projects previously supported by the State Revolving Fund include a $34 million loan to Los Angeles County for the construction of a new pumping plant and renovating aging water mains and an $11 million loan to the city of Lathrop to construct an arsenic treatment facility, improve wells and lay down new water mains for over 16,000 residents.

The funds are used for a wide variety of water quality projects, including nonpoint source pollution control, watershed protection or restoration, water and energy efficiency projects, wastewater reclamation, drinking water infrastructure improvements, technical assistance, and traditional municipal wastewater treatment projects.

The EPA’s Pacific Southwest Region administers and enforces federal environmental laws in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 tribal nations – home to more than 48 million people. The EPA also is a significant source of funding.

In 2013, more than 85 percent of the $631 million regional operating budget flowed to state and tribal agencies, local governments, nonprofit organizations and private-sector companies in the form of grants and contracts.

This funding pays for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, air pollution reduction programs, Superfund site cleanups and many other activities that protect human health and natural resources.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – California state legislators on Friday announced plans to introduce legislation regulation imitation or “copycat” guns in an effort to stem a reoccurring tragedy involving the toys being mistaken for real firearms.

The Imitation Firearm Safety Act would amend California law to define what an imitation firearm is and what those imitations must look like to differentiate real guns from fake guns.

Currently, toy guns such as paintball, Airsoft and BB guns are not included in the California legal definition of imitation weapons.

The goal of the legislation is to prevent tragedies that occur when toy guns too closely resemble real firearms.

The announcement was made in Santa Rosa, the scene of a recent law enforcement-related shooting death of a local teenager, Andy Lopez, who was carrying a mock AK-47.

“Currently these copycat toys are manufactured to be virtually indistinguishable from real firearms,” said Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) a joint author of the legislation. “Because the use of lethal force against a person carrying an imitation firearm is a significant threat to public safety, toys must look like toys and not lethal weapons.”

Last month in Santa Rosa, the 13-year-old Lopez was shot and killed by a sheriff deputy who believed the Airsoft gun he was carrying was a real AK-47.

“In the coming Legislative Session, I plan to reintroduce my bill that would require all BB, pellet and Airsoft guns to have their entire exterior surfaces painted a bright color,” said Sen. Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles) and joint author of the bill.

“This will give police an opportunity to easily identify toy guns for what they really are and avoid these types of tragedies,” said de Leon. “Toy gun replicas do not belong on the streets. They endanger children, teens and law enforcement. We can easily protect everyone involved with this simple solution. My strongest hope is that we can enact legislation this time so that no more families are forced to suffer the terrible grief the Lopez family has suffered today.”

A 1990 study commissioned by the Department of Justice found that there are more than 200 incidents per year in which imitation guns are mistaken for real firearms.

“As a social worker by training, I believe that prevention is a lot more effective than reaction,” said Assemblymember Mariko Yamada (D-Davis). “We can act to prevent tragic losses like Andy Lopez by taking this very straightforward, common-sense measure.”

“The loss of Andy Lopez is unfathomable, gut wrenching and tragic. My heart goes out to his family, friends, and classmates, and to the entire community,” said Assemblyman Marc Levine (D- San Rafael). “When a child is playing with a toy gun, there must be no doubt that the toy is not a real gun. Consequently, we need a law that fully protects our families from tragedies like this. I am proud to co-author this important legislation.”

According to law enforcement, one of the primary dangers posed by imitation firearms is that such guns are used by children and young adults who may not comprehend the seriousness of displaying them around unsuspecting law enforcement officers or around other armed individuals.

As a result, officers and community residents can find themselves in precarious situations when they are unable to distinguish imitation guns from handguns and assault weapons.

“This bill is good for all of us who have been heartbroken by the Andy Lopez tragedy,” said Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane. “I don’t want any other communities to have to suffer the loss of a child, as we have, because a toy gun was mistaken for a lethal firearm. Looking forward, at my urging, Sonoma County supervisors are in the process of building a Task Force that will explore, among other things, best practices for a civilian review committee, which i believe should be put in place as soon as possible.”

In a similar incident in 2010, a teenager was accidentally shot by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) who misidentified the replica gun he was carrying.

The teenager and two of his friends were playing that evening in the middle of a dark street shooting pellets at one another with fake handguns.

When the two LAPD officers stopped to investigate, the boys ran away, but one produced a pellet gun that the LAPD officers mistook for a real handgun.

An officer who feared for his life shot the teenager in self-defense. The pellet gun looked identical to a real gun and it even had the exact dimensions of a Beretta 92F.

As a result of this accidental shooting, SB 798 (de León) was introduced in 2011 in collaboration with Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck to require distinguishing colors on BB guns. This measure would have allowed law enforcement to effectively discriminate between imitation and real firearms.

Though the measure failed passage in the Assembly Public Safety Committee, SB 1315 (De Leon) was signed by Gov. Brown last year to allow cities within the county of Los Angeles to enact local ordinances more restrictive than state law regulating the manufacture, sale, possession, or use of any BB device, toy gun, or replica of a firearm that substantially similar to existing firearms (Statutes of 2012, Chapter 214).

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Thousands of Lake County residents remained without power on Friday afternoon in the wake of a powerful overnight windstorm.

The storm damaged homes and vehicles, knocked down power lines and upended many trees, according to witnesses and first responders.

Shortly after 1 p.m. Pacific Gas and Electric estimated that more than 4,000 residents still did not have power, with more than 2,200 of those people located in the hard-hit Nice area.

Jill Ruzicka, public information officer for the county of Lake, said 26 PG&E crews were either in the county or en route in an effort to restore power.

She said Public Works Department crews are standing by to work on cleanup, but they have to wait while downed lines are dealt with by the utility crews.

Full assessments of damage to county and other facilities haven't yet been done, she said, as emergency personnel are still responding to incidents around the county, including a wildland fire that had broken out near the Kono Tayee subdivision near Lucerne.

Ruzicka said PG&E has told the county that it expects power to be fully restored to the remaining residents without power within 24 hours.

She said a major concern is downed power lines and the danger they pose for community members.

Residents are warned to assume that any downed line is energized, and to keep children and animals away.

The county and PG&E also urge residents not to use candles during outage because of risk of fire. If they are used, they shouldn't be placed near drapes or under lampshades, be in the reach of children, and must not be left unattended.

Other advice includes turning off or unplugging all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits when power is restored.

Leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns, and turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal, officials suggested.

Report downed power lines immediately by calling 911 and PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – After almost 30 years with North Coast Opportunities, Patty Bruder began her new role as executive director on Monday, Nov. 18.

Bruder has served as NCO’s Community Action Agency director for the past 15 years, and according to NCO Board President Lisa Ray, Bruder’s loyalty, competence and vision combined to make her the best choice to fill the executive director position.

NCO is blending the Community Action Agency director and executive director positions to improve efficiency and free up funds for new projects, since significant overlap existed between the two positions.

“As a community action agency for Lake and Mendocino counties, NCO serves as a community focal point for fighting poverty by promoting self-sufficiency. It makes good programmatic and fiscal sense for NCO to combine the positions and restructure NCO to integrate our programs so we’re more of a one-stop-shop for the low-income people we serve,” Bruder said.

Bruder’s appointment is also supported by her colleagues, who know firsthand the type of leader she is.

“We are thrilled to have Patty as our new executive director. She knows how to get things done and already has wonderful relationships established with local partners and community leaders throughout Lake and Mendocino counties,” said Chief Financial Officer Carolyn Welch, who has served as interim executive director for the past few months.

Bruder has been active in the local food movement, supporting programs like the Gardens Project, Farm2Fork, BEANS and more.

“It all started about 12 years ago as we were reviewing our community needs survey,” Bruder said. “Community members reported concerns about health, obesity and diabetes; health care costs; access to healthy foods; economic concerns and lack of jobs; food security; lack of cooking skills; and disaster preparedness. These are all big issues, and we wondered what we could do that would have an impact. People were struggling to make ends meet, often the cheapest foods are the unhealthiest, and we wanted to reduce the costs of health care.”

She added, “As our committee talked, we began to develop strategies. ‘Could we reduce health care costs through prevention?’ we wondered. Some poor health is lifestyle-related, and by encouraging people to stay as healthy as possible, we hoped to prevent some illness.”

Bruder and the rest of the committee decided to promote programs that create access to affordable, healthy food.

“Our farmers produce amazing quality vegetables locally; but they are small farmers, and without the benefit of any farm subsidies they need to charge the true cost of production,” she said.

Many families simply can’t afford fresh fruits and vegetables, and some families no longer know how to cook from scratch.

Bruder knew community gardens could provide access to healthy food. At the same time, gardens provide opportunities for exercise and bring people together in ways that strengthen community (both healthy endeavors).

By supporting small farmers and helping to “grow” more farmers, Bruder believed they could also have an impact on job creation.

Today, along with their partners, North Coast Opportunities Community Action brings community resources together to encourage health and hope, according to Bruder.

“We’ve created a structure that develops both individual and community-level food self-reliance while addressing the needs of high-risk, low-income people through education about nutrition, cooking skills, income-patching with value-added foods, and micro-enterprise opportunities,” she said.

NCO’s work with the food movement is significant, but only the tip of the NCO iceberg. NCO’s programs include all the Community Action Agency projects, Head Start Child Development Program, Leadership Mendocino, Rural Communities Child Care, Redwood Caregivers Resource Center, Foster Grandparents, and the Volunteer Network.

To learn more about NCO and its many programs, visit www.ncoinc.org .