Two of the most common herons in the local region are the great blue heron (Ardea Herodias), the largest heron in the United States standing about 4-feet tall with a 6-foot wingspan, and the green heron (Butorides virescens) the smallest of the herons standing only about 18-inches tall, about the size of a crow.

Finding them is relatively easy since they both like ponds, the margins of rivers, irrigation canals and flooded fields – and taking photos and video of them is a lot of fun.

Aside from their stately size, the great blue herons are easily recognizable by their plumage which is generally a dark gray-lavender overall streaked on the breast with black, white and rust.

The heron’s face is usually white, with a black stripe leading from its yellow eyes to the longer plumage at the back of the head.

When breeding, the blues sport longer plumes on their backs, breasts and upper thighs, their lower legs look more orange, and the rim around the bill turns blue. March is one of the best months to see them all decked out in their mating attire.

In California, the great blue herons are nonmigratory, and prefer to roost above ground in tall trees during the night.

The females build nests out of twigs provided by the males, and can lay up to 8 eggs in a clutch. Both parents incubate the eggs and provide for their hatchlings.

The babies can fly when they’re about 2 months old. These herons generally live about 10 years, but some have been known up to 23 years.

Although they are expert fishermen and primarily eat fish, crustaceans, insects and amphibians, great blue herons will eat just about anything they can catch, including other smaller birds and rodents.

Their basic fishing and capturing technique consists of a slow, almost motionless stance, and then a sharp stab with their bill which impales the prey.

The much smaller green heron is a little more sophisticated hunter. It’s one of the few birds that uses “lures” like feathers, bugs, or berries to attract fish.

It pitches its “bait” out onto the surface of the water, and then waits for something come by and snap at it. If the bait drifts, the heron will run along the bank looking for an opportunity to regain it. I actually saw a green heron at a local pond use discarded Cheetos as his “bait” for the small fish in the pond.

Hah! They prefer a diet of fish, but will also eat bugs, snails, reptiles, spiders and smaller rodents when they can catch them.

At a distance, green herons look more chestnut brown than green, and it’s only when you get close that you can see the dark green sheen on its back, wing and top-knot feathers.

During mating season, or when startled by trespassers, the Heron will lift the long feathers on its head in display.

Breeding usually takes place between March and July. The male selects the nesting site but, like the male great blue heron, leaves the construction of the nest to the female.

She usually lays about three to five pale blue or greenish eggs, and both she and her mate care for their young until they’re fledged (in about a month). Green herons can live up to seven years, although a shorter lifespan is more common.

The green heron’s numbers in the United States have declined about 2 percent every year (an accumulated drop of about 53 percent between 1966 and 2010). They’re not on any “high concern” list yet, but their numbers are being watched regularly. The biggest threat to them is the loss of habitat through the draining and development of wetland areas.

When you go out hiking in the region, take your camera with you, and keep an eye out for these two beauties. Their distinct coloring and waterside antics always make for great photo-taking opportunities.

Tuleyome Tales is a monthly publication of Tuleyome, conservation organization with offices in Woodland and Napa, Calif. Mary K. Hanson is an amateur naturalist and photographer who is currently serves as executive assistant to Tuleyome’s executive director. For more information about Tuleyome, go to www.tuleyome.org . All photographs are by Mary K. Hanson; used with permission.

COBB, Calif. – An early Friday morning structure fire destroyed a home on Cobb Mountain.

The fire in the two-story, wood-framed structure was first dispatched shortly after 3 a.m. in the area of Rainbow Drive and Bottle Rock Road, according to radio reports.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli said that when firefighters arrived at the scene, the residence was fully involved, as were numerous outbuildings.

Bertelli said he was not sure if anyone had been living in the home, but no one was in the residence at the time firefighters arrived and there were no injuries.

Cal Fire and South Lake County Fire responded, and Lake County Fire Protection District resources were started but later canceled, Bertelli said.

Due to the area having no hydrants, Bertelli said additional water tenders were requested.

It took about two hours to put the fire out, with some of it spreading into nearby wildland, Bertelli said.

He noted that the situation could have been more challenging if there had been wind, as there had been earlier in the week.

Bertelli said investigators were on scene during the day to determine the cause. A final conclusion hadn't yet been reached on Friday.

A total estimated dollar loss was not yet available on Friday, Bertelli 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.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – A Clearlake man was arrested on Wednesday following an alleged road rage incident that caused the rollover of a vehicle with a child inside.

Eric Vonrenegar, 65, was arrested after the incident, according to Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Just after 2:30 p.m. Wednesday a sheriff's patrol deputy was leaving the Clearlake Oaks Substation when he witnessed a vehicle rollover on Highway 20, Brooks said.

The deputy said the white sport utility vehicle came to a stop on its roof in the eastbound lane of Highway 20, near Keys Boulevard. Brooks said the deputy did not witness what caused the collision or if any other vehicles were involved.

The deputy contacted Central Dispatch and requested that the fire department respond as well as the California Highway Patrol, Brooks said.

Brooks said the deputy contacted the driver of the sport utility vehicle, who said his 4-year-old daughter was still secured in her car seat. The driver was able to remove his daughter from the vehicle, and the child did not appear to have any injuries.

Medical personnel from Northshore Fire Protection District's Station 75 arrived on scene, where Brooks said they provided medical attention to both the driver and his child.

Brooks said the SUV driver told the deputy that another vehicle had purposely struck him had caused the rollover.

The patrol deputy and CHP officers conducted interviews and obtained statements from several witnesses concerning the crash, and in the process received a description of the vehicle alleged to have caused the rollover, Brooks said.

Brooks said several witnesses said they saw an older pickup strike the victim's vehicle multiple times as they were traveling on Highway 20, eventually causing the SUV to roll over several times. Another witness said the pickup hit the SUV and kept pushing it as they were going down the road until it started to roll over.

The deputy was contacted by a CHP officer who said he had located the pickup and detained the driver, Brooks said. The deputy responded and contacted the suspect, who was identified as Vonrenegar.

Brooks said Vonrenegar denied hitting the victim with his pickup and stated, “That guy got what he deserved.”

The deputy inspected Vonrenegar’s vehicle, an older Dodge pickup with black front fenders and a white utility bed. Brooks said the deputy noticed numerous white paint chips and paint transfer on the front bumper, which appeared to be consistent with the victim’s vehicle.

Vonrenegar was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. He was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, Brooks said.

Jail records indicated Vonrenegar remained in custody on Friday evening, with bail set at $25,000.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – On March 11, President Barack Obama used his authority under the Antiquities Act to issue a proclamation adding the 1665-acre Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands to the California Coastal National Monument, allowing the monument to “walk on shore” (in the words of California Bureau of Land Management Director Jim Kenna) for the first time.

Under the management of the BLM Ukiah field office since 2004, Point Arena-Stornetta is located on Mendocino County’s south coast adjacent to Manchester State Beach and the Point Arena Lighthouse.

It includes more than two miles of Pacific coastline with natural bridges, tide pools, waterfalls, sinkholes and blowholes, as well as two miles of the Garcia River, the Garcia estuary, a quarter-mile of beach adjacent to Manchester State Park, and a five-acre island called Sea Island Rocks.

The area is recognized not only for breathtaking scenic values, but also for outstanding natural resources that include riparian corridors, extensive coastal wetlands, wind-sculptured stands of cypress, wildflower-strewn meadows, and shifting sand dunes, a varied ecosystem which taken as a whole provides significant wildlife habitat.

Otters and seals gambol in the surf, brown pelicans sail by in characteristic single file, and countless gulls and shorebirds call the area home.

Overwhelming public enthusiasm for adding this spectacular area to the monument was obvious last November, when a standing-room-only crowd of at least 300 people crammed into the diminutive Point Arena city hall to welcome Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Congressman Jared Huffman, BLM Deputy Director Neil Kornze, and countless other federal, state, and local dignitaries.  

When Secretary Jewell asked if she should recommend that the president give Point Arena-Stornetta monument status, every hand in the room reached towards the sky (including her own).

On March 12, the day after the presidential declaration, Secretary Jewell came back to the coast to join numerous other agency officials, representatives of Congressmen Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman, local tribal members, and many community activists in a day of rejoicing at the culmination of so many years of collaborative effort.

Hundreds of people gathered on a headland under a bright blue sky full of wheeling gulls and before a backdrop of crashing surf to hug, cheer, applaud, wave flags and listen to a succession of speakers marvel at the place, and affirm the solidarity of the community in making this achievement possible.

Members of the Point Arena/Manchester Band of Pomo Indians opened the gathering with a prayer and dances, and students from Pacific Community Charter School closed it by singing “This Land is Your Land.”

In between Secretary Jewell pointed out that “great places drive local economies and “it takes a village to make a monument.”

She also mentioned to President Obama’s belief in our “moral obligation to leave these lands better than we found them,” and as did Mike Boots of the President’s Council on Environmental Quality referred to the President’s fulfillment of his State of the Union promise to “use my authority to protect more of our pristine federal lands for future generations.”

This was a day of pure joy, a celebration of a spectacular landscape, of the communities that cherish its wonders, and of the most admirable attributes of this our nation.

Victoria Brandon is chair of the Sierra Club Redwood Chapter in Northern California.

California's seasonal flu deaths increased still more over the past week, with this season's total number of deaths now more than three times that of last year, according to state health officials.

Dr. Ron Chapman, director of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and state health officer, said Friday that the number of confirmed influenza-related deaths in persons under 65 years of age reported in the state has increased by 14, to a total of 332 confirmed deaths for the 2013-14 flu season.

Seven of the 332 are pediatric deaths. There are an additional 19 deaths under investigation and not yet confirmed, Chapman's office reported.

The 332 confirmed influenza-associated deaths this season have been reported by the following jurisdictions: Alameda (7), Butte (1), Calaveras (2), Contra Costa (7), El Dorado (2), Fresno (22), Glenn (1), Humboldt (1), Imperial (2), Kern (9), Kings (7), Lake (1), Lassen (1), Long Beach (7), Los Angeles (54), Madera (3), Marin (2), Mendocino (4), Merced (5), Monterey (5), Nevada (1), Orange (15), Riverside (15), Sacramento (27), San Bernardino (23), San Diego (30), San Francisco (3), San Joaquin (7), San Luis Obispo (1), San Mateo (6), Santa Barbara (3), Santa Clara (18), Santa Cruz (3),
Shasta (3), Siskiyou (2), Solano (3), Sonoma (6), Stanislaus (13), Sutter (1), Tulare (4), Tuolumne (1), Ventura (3) and Yolo (1).

By this time last year, CDPH had received reports of 47 influenza fatalities in persons under 65 years of age. In the entire 2012-13 flu season 106 deaths were reported, according to Chapman's report.

The great majority of reported influenza deaths in persons under 65 years of age have occurred in people with underlying medical conditions. Outpatient visits and hospitalizations are at or below expected baseline levels for this time of year. The influenza-season activity status remains local.

Those at highest risk – the elderly, pregnant women, infants, or those with other health conditions – who have flu symptoms should contact their physician promptly in order to get the most effective treatment. Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headaches and fatigue.

Influenza vaccine remains available and there is no widespread shortage of antivirals for treatment. CDPH continues to closely monitor statewide influenza activity and resources.

For information on local vaccinations, call Lake County Public Health, 707-263-1090 or 800-794-9291.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The races for eight county elected offices are now set for the June 3 ballot.

The deadline for offices in which incumbents are seeking reelection was last Friday, and the final deadline for submitting paperwork for offices in which the incumbent was not seeking reelection was Wednesday, the Registrar of Voters Office said.

The only changes since last Friday were in the District 3 supervisorial race, which officials had said last week had nine candidates.

Three, however, have dropped out – Craig Bach, Nine Green and Wilmer Lipscomb, according to elections officials.

That leaves a six-candidate field that includes John Brosnan, James Brown, Marvin Butler, Mark Currier, Herb Gura and Jim Steele, the Registrar of Voters Office said.

The candidates listed below are set to appear on the June 3 ballot, according to the Registrar of Voters Office.

Assessor-recorder: Richard Ford, Sorhna Li Jordan, Logan Weiper.

County clerk-auditor: Cathy Saderlund (incumbent).

District attorney: Don Anderson (incumbent), Andre Ross.

Sheriff: Bob Chalk, Brian Martin, Frank Rivero (incumbent).

Superintendent of schools: Brock Falkenberg.

Supervisor, District 2: Joyce Overton, Jeff Smith (incumbent), Jeri Spittler.

Supervisor, District 3: John Brosnan, James Brown, Marvin Butler, Mark Currier, Herb Gura, Jim Steele.

Treasurer-tax collector: Barbara Ringen (incumbent).

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. – Six dogs are being offered for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control.

They range in age from 5 months to 4 years, and include five males and one female.

The dogs include mixes of Rottweiler, Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever, basset hound, boxer and pit bull.

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”).

'Skippy'

“Skippy” is a 3-year-old male Chihuahua mix.

He weighs 10 pounds, has a short buff coat and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 2, ID No. 39112.

Male Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix is of undetermined age.

He weighs 7.6 pounds, and has a short brown and white coat. It was not reported if he has been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 39172.

Boxer-pit bull terrier mix

This male boxer-pit bull terrier mix is 5 months old.

He has a short brown brindle coat, weighs 30 pounds and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 6, ID No. 39135.

Rottweiler mix

This female Rottweiler mix is 2 years old.

She has a short black and brown coat, is large in size and has not been spayed.

She's in kennel No. 11, ID No. 39225.

'Dillon'

“Dillon” is a 3-year-old male basset hound-retriever mix.

He weighs 42 pounds, has a short tan and white coat, and has been neutered.

Find him in kennel No. 14, ID No. 27834.

'Duke'

“Duke” is a 4-year-old male Rottweiler mix.

He weighs 122 pounds, has a docked tail and has been neutered.

He's in kennel No. 33, ID No. 39158.

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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.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. – The California Highway patrol will conduct a sobriety checkpoint in Lake County on the afternoon and evening of Sunday, March 16.

“The desired result is to save lives and make everyone's family spring excursion, for both our community residents and those visiting our beautiful county, a safe and pleasurable memory,” Lt. Greg Baarts, commander of the CHP's Clear Lake Area office, said Friday.

The sobriety checkpoint will be staffed by officers who are trained in the detection of alcohol- and drug-impaired drivers.

Drug recognition experts, certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will be on site to provide on-the-spot assessments of drivers suspected of drug use.

The officers also will be equipped with state-of-the-art, handheld breath devices which provide an accurate measure of blood alcohol concentrations of suspected drunk drivers.

“Traffic volume permitting, all vehicles will be checked and drivers who are under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs can expect to be arrested,” said Baarts.

“Our goal is to ensure the safe passage of each and every motorist by targeting roads where there is a high frequency of drunk driving. DUI enforcement patrols, as well as sobriety checkpoints, are effective tools for achieving this goal and are designed to augment existing patrol operations,” Baarts added. “By publicizing our efforts, we believe that we can deter motorists from drinking and driving.”

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Lake County Special Districts is planning its third workshop on gardening in the midst of drought.

The workshop will take place beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 29, at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge, 15900 E. Highway 20.

Special Districts held two workshops on the same topic late in February, and decided to put on this latest event after receiving requests for another one.

With weather and water experts predicting the worst statewide drought in recent history, there are many things to consider before planting a garden.  

Special Districts believes that with some proper planning, determination and willingness to exert a little extra effort, people can garden and retain landscaping despite the possibility of a severe water shortage.

At the March 29 workshop, Master Gardeners from the University of California Cooperative Extension will cover topics including how to make your existing garden more drought tolerant, what you must know if you are planning a new garden – complete with a recommended plant list – and what you want out of your garden and how you can achieve it with less water.

Those in attendance will receive a phone number for the permanent Master Gardener help-line to have gardening questions answered Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., throughout the entire year.

Special Districts has established a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lakecountyspecialdistricts for general drought-related updates and information.  

Anyone with questions about these or other drought related meetings and workshops can call Jan Coppinger at Special Districts, 707-263-0119.

In the giant system that connects Earth to the sun, one key event happens over and over: solar material streams toward Earth and the giant magnetic bubble around Earth, the magnetosphere helps keep it at bay.

The parameters, however, change: The particles streaming in could be from the constant solar wind, or perhaps from a giant cloud erupting off the sun called a coronal mass ejection, or CME.

Sometimes the configuration is such that the magnetosphere blocks almost all the material, other times the connection is long and strong, allowing much material in.

Understanding just what circumstances lead to what results is a key part of protecting our orbiting spacecraft from the effects of such space weather.

Now, for the first time, a study shows that in certain circumstances a pool of dense particles normally circling Earth, deep inside the magnetosphere, can extend a long arm out to meet – and help block – incoming solar material.

“It's like what you might do if a monster tried to break into your house. You'd stack furniture up against the front door, and that's close to what the Earth is doing here,” said Brian Walsh, a space scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. “The material that is usually much nearer Earth stacks up against the outer boundary of the magnetosphere, throttling the interaction there and stopping solar material from entering.”
                
In the March 6 issue of Science Express, Walsh and his colleagues compared observations from the ground and in space during a solar storm on Jan. 17, 2013.

This was a fairly moderate solar storm caused by a CME impacting Earth's magnetosphere for several hours. As the CME encountered the boundary of the magnetosphere, its magnetic fields and those around Earth realigned in a process called magnetic reconnection, which allowed energy and solar material to cross the boundary into the magnetosphere.

NASA's three THEMIS – for Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms – spacecraft were in the right place at the right time, flying through the magnetosphere's boundary approximately 45 minutes apart, and caught this interaction.

Closer to Earth, scientists could also study the sphere of cold dense gas at the very top of our atmosphere. This region is called the plasmasphere and it's made of what's known as plasma, a gas made of charged particles.

GPS signals travel through the plasmasphere and they travel at different speeds depending on how thick or thin the plasmasphere is along the journey. Tracking the GPS radio signals, therefore, can help researchers map out the properties of the plasmasphere.

“A colleague who works with these kind of observations said I had to see some interesting data showing a plume from the ground,” said Walsh. “And I typed in the dates and saw that it was a date when THEMIS was in the right position. So, for the first time, we could make a comparison.”

THEMIS showed that the tongue of this cold, dense plasmasphere material stretched all the way up to the magnetic reconnection point where the CME had made contact with the magnetopause.

The three sets of THEMIS observations demonstrated that the plume had a dramatic impact on the characteristics of the magnetic reconnection region.

“It wouldn't work if the magnetic reconnection happened for only a few minutes,” said David Sibeck the project scientist for THEMIS at NASA Goddard. “But if it lasts long enough, the whole magnetosphere gets involved. This tongue of the plasmasphere surges out, adding another layer of protection, curbing the magnetic reconnection.”

As scientists try to better understand the space weather system around Earth, they rely on multipoint observations such as this to connect what's seen on the ground to what's seen in space.

In this case THEMIS data connected to GPS data, but such combinations are increasingly being used to watch how Earth is affected by its closest star.

Eventually such observations could lead to improvements in space weather predictions, which would be as useful for spacecraft operators as terrestrial weather forecasts are for us here on Earth.

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope in northern Chile have announced the discovery of an unexpected clump of carbon monoxide gas in the dusty disc around the star Beta Pictoris.

This is a surprise, as such gas is expected to be rapidly destroyed by starlight.

Something – probably frequent collisions between small, icy objects such as comets – must be causing the gas to be continuously replenished. The new results are published today in the journal Science.

Beta Pictoris, a nearby star easily visible to the naked eye in the southern sky, is already hailed as the archetypal young planetary system. It is known to harbor a planet that orbits some 1.2 billion kilometers from the star, and it was one of the first stars found to be surrounded by a large disc of dusty debris.

New observations from ALMA now show that the disc is permeated by carbon monoxide gas. Paradoxically the presence of carbon monoxide, which is so harmful to humans on Earth, could indicate that the Beta Pictoris planetary system may eventually become a good habitat for life.

The cometary bombardment that its planets are currently undergoing is likely providing them with life-enabling water.

But carbon monoxide is easily and rapidly broken up by starlight — it can only last about 100 years where it is observed in the Beta Pictoris disc. Seeing it in the 20-million year old Beta Pictoris disc is a complete surprise. So where did it come from, and why is it still there?

“Unless we are observing Beta Pictoris at a very unusual time, the carbon monoxide must be continuously replenished,” said Bill Dent, an ESO astronomer at the Joint ALMA Office in Santiago, Chile, and lead author on a paper published today in the journal Science. “The most abundant source of carbon monoxide in a young solar system is collisions between icy bodies, from comets up to larger planet-sized objects.”

But the rate of destruction must be very high: “To get the amount of carbon monoxide we observe, the rate of collisions would be truly startling – one large comet collision every five minutes,” noted Aki Roberge, an astronomer at NASA’s Goddard Research Center in Greenbelt, USA, and coauthor of the paper. “To get this number of collisions, this would have to be a very tight, massive comet swarm.”

But there was another surprise in the ALMA observations, which did not just discover the carbon monoxide, but also mapped its location in the disc, through ALMA’s unique ability to simultaneously measure both position and velocity: the gas is concentrated in a single compact clump.

This concentration lies 13 billion kilometres from the star, which is about three times the distance of Neptune from the Sun. Why the gas is in this small clump so far from the star is a mystery.

“This clump is an important clue to what is going on in the outer reaches of this young planetary system,” said Mark Wyatt, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge, UK, and a co-author on the paper.

He goes on to explain that there are two ways such a clump can form: “Either the gravitational pull of an as yet unseen planet similar in mass to Saturn is concentrating the cometary collisions into a small area, or what we are seeing are the remnants of a single catastrophic collision between two icy Mars-mass planets.”

Both of these possibilities give astronomers reason to be optimistic that there are several more planets waiting to be found around Beta Pictoris. “Carbon monoxide is just the beginning – there may be other more complex pre-organic molecules released from these icy bodies,” added Roberge.

Further observations are planned with ALMA, which is still ramping up to its full capabilities, to shed more light on this intriguing planetary system, and so help us to understand what conditions were like during the formation of the Solar System.

U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-5) on Thursday introduced comprehensive drought relief legislation he co-authored with Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-2) that will provide assistance to farmers and ranchers, businesses, and communities suffering from the record drought in California and other Western states.

The legislation provides emergency relief to affected agricultural producers and fishing communities, funds emergency drought relief projects, maintains environmental protections, and ensures that the United States will be better-prepared to respond to future droughts and natural disasters.

“This bill provides comprehensive relief to our entire state without putting the needs of some California water users above others,” said Thompson. “The bill is transparent, based on sound science, builds on the efforts of Senators Feinstein and Boxer, and protects the interests of farmers, fishers, businesses and other water users in the northern, central and southern parts of our state.”

Original co-authors of the legislation include Grace Napolitano (CA-32), Peter DeFazio (OR-4), George Miller (CA-11), John Garamendi (CA-3), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), Doris Matsui (CA-6), Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), Sam Farr (CA-20), Jackie Speier (CA-14), Ami Bera (CA-7), Juan Vargas (CA-51), Alan Lowenthal (CA-47), and Scott Peters (CA-52).

This comprehensive legislation stands in stark contrast with H.R. 3964, the partisan drought legislation by the House Majority in early February. H.R. 3964 would allow water to be pumped south from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for as long as water is available.

If enacted, the bill would devastate Bay-Delta communities, harm drinking water, and jeopardize thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of economic activity, according to Thompson's office.

In contrast, Thompson and his co-authors asserted that comprehensive bill introduced on Thursday:

• Accelerates planning and execution of water supply projects while maintaining environmental protections like the National Environmental Policy Act compliance.
• Brings the Army Corps reservoir operations in line with modern science, saving water, and helping communities through extreme weather events. The Army Corps of Engineers operates many of its reservoirs on outdated and obsolete water control manuals, some of which are as much as 60 years old. The new bill includes an emergency provision for faster updates during times of drought.
• Allows the Secretary of Agriculture to help cover losses caused by the drought.
• Ensures that the damages from California’s drought are properly recognized under the Stafford Act, so that Californians receive accurate and adequate disaster relief.
• Cracks down on illegal water diversions for marijuana cultivation. Illegal water diversions not only reduce available water for legal uses, but create a significant environmental threat in Northern California and other rural parts of the state. Thompson and Huffman previously introduced a bill to crack down on such environmental damages.
• Authorizes water planning and management activities to reduce water use in the Klamath Basin in California and Oregon.
• Directs the President to update the National Response Plan and the National Disaster Recovery Framework to address plans for responding to catastrophic drought preparing for longer term, continued drought in California and the western United States.
• Requires the development of a California salmon drought plan to address impacts of drought on wild fisheries, those that support tribal fisheries and the commercial and recreational fishing industry.
• Urges the Secretary of Commerce to immediately declare a fisheries disaster and fast-tracks future processes to respond to disaster conditions, ensuring prompt assistance rather than years after a disaster.
• Requires that water agencies receiving assistance under the legislation are in full compliance with state laws regarding groundwater and agricultural water use.
• Includes sunset provisions ensuring that emergency provisions end once the drought declaration is revoked.

The bill includes $255 million in emergency appropriations, including:

• $50 million for the Land and Water Conservation Fund for projects in drought-affected states that reduce fire risk or assist water quality and capacity.
• $5 million for the Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program within the Rural Utilities Service to assist with rural water supply projects.
• $30 million for grants under the Clean Water State Revolving Fund.
• $15 billion for grants under the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
• $3 million for the Drug Enforcement Administration to assist in suppression of illegal trespass marijuana grows that diminish available water supply.
• $152 million available to the Bureau of Reclamation for projects, including $52 million for water conservation and efficiency projects, and to develop alternative water supplies, through the WaterSMART and Title XVI programs.

Also included is $200 million in emergency disaster assistance including:

• $100 million in emergency assistance for farmers to fund water conservation measures that protect lands and sensitive watersheds.
• $25 million for Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grants that fund community projects to reduce harmful effects of the drought.
• $25 million to the Emergency Community Water Assistance Grants program for water conservation projects and to protect and upgrade water systems. These grants of up to $1 million are to complete projects that boost the availability and quality of drinking water, including in California communities at risk of running out of safe drinking water;
• $25 million in grant funding for public and nonprofit institutions to provide emergency assistance to low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers harmed by the drought.
• $25 million in grants fo  r private forest landowners to carry out conservation measures in response to drought and wildlife risks.

The bill allocates $3 million in funding for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to carry out its work to respond to extreme drought conditions, including relocation of the release location and timing of hatchery fish and barging of hatchery release fish, and $15 million for integrated regional water management projects that focus on water recycling and integrated water management on a watershed or regional scale.

Thompson represents California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.