KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A local businesswoman, pilot, proponent of education and lover of books died earlier this month following a lengthy illness.

Lynn Fegan died on the evening of Nov. 1 at her Kelseyville home. She was 70 years old.

Fegan, a vibrant and energetic woman, had been confined to her bed for several months as she suffered from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

For many people, one of the big, unfinished tasks is the telling of their own story.

But Fegan spent that time when her body’s strength was fading sharing her story with this writer and others who loved her.

In the telling, Fegan was as true to form as ever – interesting, introspective and dazzlingly funny.

She was a wife, mom, grandma, great-grandma and friend.

Over the years she worked in a number of professions. Among them, she was a flying instructor – husband Jack called her “a damn fine pilot.”

For a time she worked in mortgage banking and then spent 20 years as a nurse before she and Jack came to Lake County in 1990.

She said she led great life – “a charmed life,” she called it – surrounded by great people. “I've been loved all my life.”

She enjoyed her life and acknowledged that there had been ups and downs, but overall she seemed to have few regrets. That can be one of the real gifts of a life filled with love.

“I have all the things that matter,” she said.

Lynn Fegan was born Oct. 25,1944, in Milwaukee, Wis., to Bernard William Burgess and Dorothy Claire Burgess.

Her parents died in a car crash when she was 17, and she’s also predeceased by her son, Michael Fegan.

She leaves behind husband and devoted caregiver, Jack; daughter, Bonnie Kopazzewski-Lieberman and husband, Richard Lieberman of Minnesota; son, Patrick and wife, Kate of Phoenix, Ariz.; grandson, Shawn, of Arizona; five other grandchildren; and one great-granddaughter in Minnesota.

And then there is her dog, Sammy, the patient lab mix with white toes, who will grumble at strangers but is fast friends once he gets a Tootsie Roll or two.

Overcoming loss

Looking at the stretch of her life, Fegan recounted being a child that didn’t like reading.

She appreciated the irony that she would later go on to be a voracious reader and own a bookstore, Catfish Books, in Lakeport for 17 years before health led to her decision to shut the doors.

As a teenager, she faced the horror of losing both of her parents in a car crash.

“I had the best parents a girl could have,” and the best childhood she could have had, she said, adding that she doesn’t believe her perception is a matter of looking at her life through rose-colored glasses.

She recalled her father, Bernard, as physically and emotionally resembling actor Don Knotts.

Her father was a small man, maybe weighing 128 pounds. He was a church deacon, a workaholic and a “major genius,” which, she added, “During the war didn’t really matter much.”

When he wasn’t working he was playing poker with his buddies, she said.

She remembered him being a great teacher. “He taught me how to fly a kite, but first he taught me how to build it, precisely.”

He also loved his children and was “just a good man,” she said.

Her mother, Dorothy, was just like June Cleaver in “Leave It To Beaver.” Dorothy Burgess was a Girl Scout leader who was always waiting for Lynn when she came home from school each day.

“We were best friends,” Fegan said.

The fact that she has always been a happy person, with a positive outlook, helped her overcome the shock of her parents’ deaths in the crash.

She went on to live a life filled with many careers, family and a lot of fun.

She hated reading as a child, preferring to be out playing.

“As an adult, my curiosity took over,” she said. “I suddenly became curious about how everything had happened.”

After coming to Lake County, she opened Catfish Books in the Safeway shopping center on 11th Street in Lakeport.

“My customers became my friends, not customers,” she said.

During the years the bookstore was open, she hired a number of young people to work there.

“These kids became my kids,” she said, with children visiting the store calling her “Grandma.”

She would host Harry Potter book release parties – complete with costumes – and became involved with local schools.

When reading became difficult after she developed macular degeneration – “God likes his little jokes,” she said – her bookstore family purchased an iPad for her, which enabled her to enlarge text so she could continue to enjoy reading. It’s the iPad she kept with her up until her death.

In June of 2011, Fegan became very sick and nearly died. At that point, the prospect of going back to work was too much, and so she made the decision to close the store that November.

She said she had a prospective buyer for the store, but considering the economy and the difficulties just keeping local libraries open, she didn’t want the buyer to be saddled with what, in her opinion, had become more a hobby than a workable business.

“It made no sense for it to go on,” she said of the store.

Anticipating solving the mystery

During the waning months of her life, Fegan’s COPD necessitated taking drugs to keep her calm from the fear of not breathing.

She hated that the drugs made it so she couldn’t recall a word here or there that she needed to complete a sentence.

Increasingly, she had trouble typing on her iPad, which was an important point of keeping connected with her friends on social media.

Her failing lungs were the result of a variety of things, Fegan said – among them, use of lead-based spray paint and toxic insect sprays. Then, there were 50 years of smoking cigarettes.

Husband Jack was her primary caregiver. A kind-faced, silver-haired man, he quickly appeared in the doorway if he heard a cough or if she called to ask a question.

Lake County was one of the big “ups” in her life, she said. She and husband Jack made their Kelseyville vacation home their permanent residence in 1990.

They had married the year before, in July. She wasn’t sure of the date.

“Jack, when did we get married?” she called out during an interview.

He walked into the room. “Are you kidding me? I need to go to the book.”

Jack came back a moment later, to announce that they had married on July 6, 1989.

“Aren’t you glad I take notes?” he asked as he walked out of the room.

They were together since 1974. She met him when he was working in television production in Southern California. Most notably, he was one of the creative minds behind the production of the original “Star Trek” television series.

At one point they had a brief break in their relationship, at which point she dated Steve McQueen’s stunt double. But Jack and Lynn didn’t stay apart for long.

They eventually made a happy transition from Southern California to Lake County’s rural atmosphere.

“Look at where we live,” she said, looking out her window, calling Lake County a beautiful place where there have been “so many people whose sole purpose in life seemed to make my life a happy place to be.”

She wanted people to see Lake County for what it truly is.

She added, “I love Lake County. I love the kids that are growing up for tomorrow.”

And one of the things she wanted to communicate to Lake County is her gratitude for its residents’ thoughtfulness, support and love.

“I loved you back,” she said.

Fegan outlived her own estimates. She thought she wouldn’t last beyond the spring, but with Jack’s care she continued on, through what she called an “extraordinarily boring” summer.

However, at the end of the summer, as the fall began, Fegan said she began “seeing things” and having minor hallucinations.

At one point, she said she saw someone sitting in her room with her, an experience she continued having. Finally, she realized it was her father.

Then, there was the presence of her beloved cat that had died several years ago, also hovering nearby.

A desire to continue giving

She asked that there be no services after her passing.

However, as part of her desire to keep paying it forward, she asked that community members support the Imagination Library, which promotes and encourages reading, a cause about which she felt very strongly.

Singer/songwriter Dolly Parton founded Imagination Library in 1996 to foster a love of reading in the preschool children and families in her home county in east Tennessee by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month, according to the Web site, http://www.imaginationlibrary.com/ .

The Lake County Office of Education sponsors the Imagination Library program in Lake County with the help of a variety of sponsors and community donations.

For $25 a year, one book will be sent each month to a child from birth to age 5.

Donations can be sent to the Lake County Office of Education, c/o Literacy Task Force, 1152 S. Main St., Lakeport. CA, attention “Imagination Library.”

For more information on the Imagination Library contact Stephanie Wayment at the Lake County Office of Education, 707-262-4163 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Donations are tax-deductible.

During one of the final times she sat for an interview about her life, Fegan – her eyes wide with the thought – said she was ready for the next big adventure, and was happy in anticipating that life’s big mystery, for her, was about to be solved.

“I don’t like mysteries that don’t have endings,” she 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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Forecasters are predicting the potential for heavy rainfall around Northern California through Sunday night, with more rain in the week ahead.

The National Weather Service on Friday estimated that the Central Valley would see one half to an inch of rain through Sunday.

Lake County, however, is one of the areas where more rain is anticipated to occur.

The latest forecast put Lake County in the range of from as little as half an inch by Sunday night to almost 2 inches, with areas on the Northshore and Middletown expected to get more precipitation, especially overnight on Friday.

The National Weather Service said mountain snow is expected to be as low as 5,000 feet as snow levels drop on Sunday.

As the rains continue, temperatures are expected to be in the high 50s during the day and down to the low 40s at night, with wind gusts of up to 21 miles per hour in the Lucerne area, according to the forecast.

Beyond Sunday, a chance of showers also is forecast from Monday through next Friday, the National Weather Service reported.

By early Saturday, the National Weather Service was reporting 24-hour rainfall totals for Lake County including 0.46 inches at the High Glade Lookout near Upper Lake, 0.37 inches near Bartlett Springs, 0.28 inches near Lakeport, 0.26 inches near Kelseyville, 0.40 inches near Whispering Pines, 0.37 inches on Cow Mountain,  0.42 inches near Lower Lake and 0.41 inches near the Lake/Colusa County line.

The rain is showing marginal improvements in the level of Clear Lake, which on Nov. 20 had dropped to -0.85 feet Rumsey but by early Saturday was reported at -0.72 feet Rumsey, according to the US Geological Survey.

US Geological Survey stream gauges also show that water levels appear to be improving in local creeks and streams thanks to the rain.

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.

Two donuts of seething radiation that surround Earth, called the Van Allen radiation belts, have been found to contain a nearly impenetrable barrier that prevents the fastest, most energetic electrons from reaching Earth.

The Van Allen belts are a collection of charged particles, gathered in place by Earth's magnetic field.

They can wax and wane in response to incoming energy from the sun, sometimes swelling up enough to expose satellites in low-Earth orbit to damaging radiation.

The discovery of the drain that acts as a barrier within the belts was made using NASA's Van Allen Probes, launched in August 2012 to study the region.

A paper on these results appeared in the Nov. 27 issue of Nature magazine.

“This barrier for the ultra-fast electrons is a remarkable feature of the belts,” said Dan Baker, a space scientist at the University of Colorado in Boulder and first author of the paper. “We're able to study it for the first time, because we never had such accurate measurements of these high-energy electrons before.”

Understanding what gives the radiation belts their shape and what can affect the way they swell or shrink helps scientists predict the onset of those changes.

Such predictions can help scientists protect satellites in the area from the radiation.

The Van Allen belts were the first discovery of the space age, measured with the launch of a US satellite, Explorer 1, in 1958.

In the decades since, scientists have learned that the size of the two belts can change – or merge, or even separate into three belts occasionally.

But generally the inner belt stretches from 400 to 6,000 miles above Earth's surface and the outer belt stretches from 8,400 to 36,000 miles above Earth's surface.

A slot of fairly empty space typically separates the belts. But, what keeps them separate? Why is there a region in between the belts with no electrons?

Enter the newly discovered barrier. The Van Allen Probes data show that the inner edge of the outer belt is, in fact, highly pronounced.

For the fastest, highest-energy electrons, this edge is a sharp boundary that, under normal circumstances, the electrons simply cannot penetrate.

“When you look at really energetic electrons, they can only come to within a certain distance from Earth,” said Shri Kanekal, the deputy mission scientist for the Van Allen Probes at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and a co-author on the Nature paper. “This is completely new. We certainly didn't expect that.”

The team looked at possible causes. They determined that human-generated transmissions were not the cause of the barrier.

They also looked at physical causes. Could the very shape of the magnetic field surrounding Earth cause the boundary?

Scientists studied but eliminated that possibility. What about the presence of other space particles? This appears to be a more likely cause.

The radiation belts are not the only particle structures surrounding Earth.

A giant cloud of relatively cool, charged particles called the plasmasphere fills the outermost region of Earth's atmosphere, beginning at about 600 miles up and extending partially into the outer Van Allen belt.

The particles at the outer boundary of the plasmasphere cause particles in the outer radiation belt to scatter, removing them from the belt.

This scattering effect is fairly weak and might not be enough to keep the electrons at the boundary in place, except for a quirk of geometry: The radiation belt electrons move incredibly quickly, but not toward Earth. Instead, they move in giant loops around Earth.

The Van Allen Probes data show that in the direction toward Earth, the most energetic electrons have very little motion at all – just a gentle, slow drift that occurs over the course of months.

This is a movement so slow and weak that it can be rebuffed by the scattering caused by the plasmasphere.

This also helps explain why – under extreme conditions, when an especially strong solar wind or a giant solar eruption such as a coronal mass ejection sends clouds of material into near-Earth space – the electrons from the outer belt can be pushed into the usually-empty slot region between the belts.

“The scattering due to the plasmapause is strong enough to create a wall at the inner edge of the outer Van Allen Belt,” said Baker. “But a strong solar wind event causes the plasmasphere boundary to move inward.”

A massive inflow of matter from the sun can erode the outer plasmasphere, moving its boundaries inward and allowing electrons from the radiation belts the room to move further inward too.

The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, built and operates the Van Allen Probes for NASA's Science Mission Directorate.

The mission is the second in NASA's Living With a Star program, managed by Goddard.

For more information about the Van Allen Probe, visit http://www.nasa.gov/vanallenprobes .

“If you want to understand today you have to search yesterday.” – Pearl Buck

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Tom Dye Rock is located in southern Lake County, in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains.

It rises like a pillar, at 3,100 feet, above Sacre Gap.

According to Lake County historian past, Henry Mauldin, and Napa Valley writer Ken Stanton, there are several tales about the infamous Tom Dye.

The facts are, however, that a Middletown resident named Charles Bates was killed on Oct. 1, 1878.

Bates, who worked for the Napa consolidated Quicksilver Mine, was said to have met up with Dye in a Middletown bar, where a quarrel ensued and Dye pulled a pistol and killed him.

Bates was a newlywed who worked at one of the many mines dotting southern Lake County, the Oat Hill Mine.

Most of the mining in Lake County was for quicksilver, or mercury, in those days; however, gold, silver, borax and sulfur were also found.

An occupational hazard in mining quicksilver was breathing mercury vapor. This job was typically delegated to Chinese workers, as there was much in the way of prejudice back in the “good old days.”

After breathing mercury vapors a person would typically have problems with their gums. Bates was suffering with bad gums and went to the bar to self-medicate.

Nobody seemed to recollect what the altercation arose from, but it ended with Bates being shot to death.

Dye was arrested and sent to the Lakeport jail. The October 9, 1878, issue of the “Weekly Calistogan” newspaper printed the following: “If he escapes the hangman's noose, we shall wonder.”

Because the grand jury knew of another man named W.A. Barnes who was egging Dye to shoot Bates, both Barnes and Dye were indicted for the murder.

Next, on Nov. 27 of the same year, the indictment was tossed out due to “illegal and improper evidence,” but Dye had to wait out his time in jail for the subsequent grand jury, while Barnes was acquitted for accessory to murder.
It appears that Dye, tired of waiting for his second trial, escaped from jail on March 7, 1879, via a complicated and intricate means.

His escape involved a stove wood ladder, the removal of brick with an iron spike and slicing a hole in the roof with a knife of unknown origins.

Dye slipped away, and was not seen for more than a year.

Legend has it that he hid up at what is now known as Tom Dye Rock for several of those months, wanting, no doubt, to be near his family.

In letters received by his family, Dye stated that Bates intended harm him, and that he shot Bates in self defense.

In August of 1880 Dye was apprehended in Reno and after a nearly two-week trial Dye was convicted of second-degree murder and sent to San Quentin State Prison for 15 years.

He was discharged from San Quentin on August 19, 1886, after around five years in prison and went to work in Napa County.

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.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Kelseyville American Legion Post 194 recently sent a record number of nine outstanding local students to participate in the annual Boys and Girls State program.

The boys honored by the post were Jafeth Silva, Brandon Huber, Andrew Vonwal and Luis Acosta from Kelseyville High School, Christopher Vincent of Clear Lake High School and Arthur Wilkie from Upper Lake High School.

All of the teens completed a weeklong trip to the State Capitol in June to represent the post at the 2014 American Legion Boys State program.

The girls honored by the post were Abigail McQueen of Kelseyville High School, Janee Swaney of Upper Lake High School and Kennedi Syphax from Clear Lake High School. They attended a five-day program on the campus of Marymount University.

A dinner was held in their honor and each as presented an award for their participation.

The schools recommend the most qualified students to the local American Legion, which in turn conducts interviews and selects its representatives for the program.

Only those who illustrate leadership, character, scholarship, loyalty and service in their schools and community are considered.

Kelseyville American Legion Post 194 officials said the organization was excited to send a record number of students this year from Lake County because American Legion Boys State is among the most respected and selective educational programs of government instructions for United States high school students.

Boys State and Girls State are participatory programs in which students become part of the operation of local, county and state government.

Boys State was founded in 1935 to counter the socialism-inspired Young Pioneer Camps. The program was the idea of two Illinois Legionnaires, Hayes Kennedy and Harold Card, who organized the first Boys State at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

American Legion Auxiliary sponsors a separate but similar program for young women, Girls State.

At Boys State, participants learn the rights, privileges and responsibilities of franchised citizens. The training is objective and centers on the structure of city, county and state governments.

Operated by students elected to various offices, Boys State activities include legislative sessions, court proceedings, law enforcement, presentations, assemblies bands, choruses and recreational programs.

Legion posts select high school juniors to attend the program. In most cases, individual expenses are paid by a sponsoring post, a local business or another community-based organization.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – The effort to bring a cell phone tower to the Spring Valley community is getting closer to completion.

Spring Valley resident Bob Hendrickson, who also chairs the community's safety committee and is on the advisory board for County Service Area No. 2 – which covers the Spring Valley Lakes subdivision – has been one of the people helping move the cell tower forward.

He told Lake County News that the new tower is about to be installed by Verizon.

The 4G cell tower, which is being designed to look like a water tower, is to be located at 2589 Indian Hill Road.

While it’s a Verizon project, it will use some AT&T phone lines, Hendrickson said.

Following a failed effort about a decade ago, the push to get a cell tower gained ground after the 2012 Walker and Wye fires.

The fires, located east of Clearlake Oaks, damaged phone lines to the community.

First responders reported that during that incident – as well as in other cases where they’ve responded to the Spring Valley area – they were challenged by a lack of cell coverage.

The result was that Northshore Fire, Cal Fire, Lake County Fire and county Supervisor Denise Rushing joined forces with residents to get the project on track.

A community meeting and vote of Spring Valley's residents were held earlier this year, as Lake County News has reported.

Hendrickson said 98 percent of the community – which includes about 900 property owners – was in favor of the project.

“It was really remarkable how few people voted against it,” he said.

At the February community town hall meeting, a Verizon representative had reported that the goal was to have the tower completed by August at the latest.

However, work to construct the tower began later, with the digging of the foundation starting on Oct. 22, Hendrickson said.

About two weeks ago the foundation was poured, with Hendrickson noting that the process used a lot of concrete.

Hendrickson said the foundation is now in place, and the electrical and electronic work is done.

He's anticipating that the tower will arrive and be craned into place early next week, at which point the Verizon crew will install the microwave antenna.

Once the tower is installed, Hendrickson said it's expected that Verizon will be able to offer a more accurate estimate of when the project may be completed.

Hendrickson said he anticipates that Spring Valley's residents will be able to make cell phone calls by the end of January.

While Hendrickson is looking forward to the project's completion, he noted, “One isolated cell tower doesn't mean you're suddenly going to have super duper cell service.”

He said more cell towers will be needed to improve the services to Spring Valley, and officials have reported that Spring Valley's tower is part of a larger plan to increase cell phone service all along the Highway 20 corridor.

With the cell tower project nearing completion, Hendrickson said the community's next big project is working with the county of Lake to establish a community emergency response team.

So far, 25 Spring Valley residents have indicated a desire to get involved, which includes becoming certified following a training set to begin in January.

He said Lake County Office of Emergency Services Manager Marisa Chilafoe has acquired the money for training and other needs for the group.

“It's an exciting project to get going,” he 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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control this week has another shelter full of dogs of all breeds, sizes and ages.

Dogs available this week range from puppies to older dogs, including mixes of boxer, Chihuahua, dachshund, hound, Labrador Retriever, pit bull terrier and shepherd.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

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

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

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

Male Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix has a short white coat.

He's in kennel No. 2a, ID No. 1202.

Female Chihuahua mix

This female Chihuahua mix has a short tan and black coat.

She's in kennel No. 3, ID No. 1301.

Dachshund-terrier mix

This male dachshund-terrier mix has a short black and white coat.

He's in kennel No. 6, ID No. 1309.

Male pit bull mix

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

Shelter staff said he is a very friendly dog with no food aggression or food guarding issues.

He was introduced to other dogs and never showed any aggression but was a little nervous until he got to know them better. They said he is a great boy who could use some socialization.

He's in kennel No. 7, ID No. 1233.

Female boxer mix

This female boxer mix has a short tan and white coat.

She's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 1247.

Male Chihuahua mix

This male Chihuahua mix has a short black and tan coat.

He's in kennel No. 12, ID No. 1311.

Hound-shepherd mix

This male hound-shepherd mix has a short brown coat.

Shelter staff said he is a very sweet dog that walks well on a leash and does not appear to be interested in cats.

He needs more socialization with other dogs; he does well with female dogs but caution is suggested around other males.

He has no signs of food aggression.

He's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 1107.

'Gizmo'

“Gizmo” is a male Chihuahua mix with a short tan and white coat.

Shelter staff reports that Gizmo is a very sweet and loving dog who is full of energy. He appears to be good with children. His ideal home will have an owner willing to spend time training and teaching him.

He's in kennel No. 17, ID No. 1229.

Female lab mix

This female Labrador Retriever mix puppy has a short black coat.

She's in kennel No. 24a, ID No. 1212.

Shepherd-boxer mix puppy

This female shepherd-boxer mix puppy has a short tan coat.

She's in kennel No. 24b, ID No. 1230.

Male pit bull terrier-shepherd mix

This young male pit bull terrier-shepherd mix has a short tan coat.

He's in kennel No. 25, ID No. 1135.

Lab mix puppy

This male Labrador Retriever mix puppy has a black coat with white markings.

He's in kennel No. 26, ID No. 1232.

'Frank'

“Frank” is a male Labrador Retriever mix puppy with a short black coat.

He's in kennel No. 27, ID No. 1037.

Male pit bull terrier mix

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

He's described as a sweet and friendly dog that walks well on a leash and has no signs of food aggression.

Shelter staff said he gets along well with both male and female dogs, but he would be best in a home with no cats and with children age 10 and above.

He's in kennel No. 30, ID No. 1201.

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.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – You might think that during the winter months, when all the pretty flowers are gone, grasses are going dormant and wildlife is in migration or hibernation mode, that there’s not a lot to see in the wild areas in northern California, but you’d be wrong.

Weather permitting (the wetter the better), December, January and February are some of the best months for viewing the local region’s fungi and lichen.

Some are crusty, some are gelatinous, others tough as leather, and they come is a huge variety of shapes and colors: everything from pure white to purple and even bright orange!

Fungi are those members of the kingdom that includes everything from mushrooms to slime molds. They don’t produce chlorophyll, can’t fix carbon, and use spores to reproduce.

Of the common fungi in the area, some of the most interesting ones include sulfur shelf fungus (Laetiporus sulphureus) also called the “Chicken of the Forest.”

It is a kind of bract fungus that grows on trees. It’s most notable and recognizable for its bright orange and yellow color.

When it first starts out, it looks like a painful orange swelling on the tree and sometimes weeps orange-gold “tears.”

Eventually, though, the swelling reforms itself into one or more half-moon shaped plates that protrude out from the tree like shelves.

As the plates age, they lose their distinctive coloring and become very leathery.

Earth stars (Geastrales) are one of the more interesting forms of fungi we can find especially in riparian (river’s edge) areas.

There are about 64 different species of these beasties, but they all have a similar look: a puff ball belly surrounded by a leathery petals that form a star shape when they open.

I usually find these in areas where the grass and leaf litter on the forest floor is thin; places where the stars can lift themselves up to the surface without having to fight through too much overgrowth.

The petals of the Earth Stars are hard and leathery in the dry months and clutch up tightly like a fist around the puff ball center.

After a rain, though, the petals unfurl and allow the puff ball in the middle to release its cache of spores.

One kind of fungus I found recently, that I hadn’t seen in the area before, was a large specimen of Cauliflower Fungus (Sparassis radicata).

These fungi look like large, roundish, gray-colored brain or cauliflower floret. The one I saw was about the size of a softball, but they can get up to half a meter in size and weigh up to 30 pounds!

Cauliflower Fungus is parasitic and likes to grow where the roots of oaks and fir trees come close to the surface.

Although often misidentified as a fungus, lichen is actually a “symbiotic” union between fungus cells and algae cells. 

The fungus cells help to keep the algae protected during times of heat and low moisture, and the algae cells help the fungus to get the carbon and carbohydrates it needs.

Of the local lichen the most recognizable one – especially in Napa County – is Lace Lichen (Ramalina-menziesii), often called Spanish Moss (even though it’s not moss at all).

In the dry months, it looks like scraggly, dead “hair”, but when the rains come it shows off how incredibly lovely it really is: a pale green lace-work pattern of branching loops and lines.

Go outside and see how many different kinds of fungi and lichen you can spot in a day.

Have fun – but be careful. Don’t eat any of the mushrooms you find; many of them are poisonous.

Also, remember that fungi play an important role in the ecosystem. They are a necessary component of any habitat because they help to break down and recycle organic matter (dead plants and animals).

So, leave the fungi where they are, and take home photos of them instead.

Tuleyome Tales is a monthly publication of Tuleyome, a nonprofit conservation organization based in Woodland and Napa, Calif. For more information about Tuleyome go to www.tuleyome.org . Mary K. Hanson is an amateur naturalist and photographer and author of The Chubby Woman’s Walkabout blog.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The 2014 Lake County burn ban will be lifted on Monday, Dec. 1, with Cal Fire declaring an end to fire hazard season.

Lake County’s joint fire and air quality management district’s open burning program has incorporated both fire safety and air quality management since 1987, and officials said it has greatly contributed to the community’s superior fire safety and air quality.

Burn permits are required for all burning in the Lake County Air Basin. Contact your local fire protection agency for a burn permit, or the Lake County Air Quality Management District to obtain a smoke management plan.

A smoke management plan is required for all burns over 20 acres in size, multiday burns, standing vegetation burns, whole tree or vine removals over one acre, and other burns where significant smoke impacts may occur or sensitive receptors may be impacted.

A fee is required for all burn permits, payable at the time the permit is issued. Burn permits (agricultural and residential) and smoke management plans are each $24, while land development/lot clearing burn permits are $73 each.

Only clean dry vegetation that was grown on the property may be burned. Residential burn permits require a one-acre or larger lot, a burn location that is located at least 100 feet from all neighbors, and a burn location at least 30 feet from any structure.

Lot clearing burns require special permits available at your local fire agency. Burn only the amount of material that can be completely consumed during the allowed burning hours. Read your burn permit carefully and follow all the conditions.

Each day of the burning season is designated as a “no burn day,” a “limited burn day” or an “extended burn day.” On “no burn days” all open burning is prohibited, unless an economic exemption has been given for a specific burn. Contact the Lake County Air Quality Management District for details, 707-263-7000.

On all permissive burn days, burning is generally allowed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. only.

Extended burn days allow burning during daylight hours for certain agricultural burn permit holders with specific approval for extended hours. Read your permit for allowed hours of burning.

You can determine the daily “burn day” status by calling the phone numbers found on your burn permit.

Consider using the vegetative waste pickup provided with your waste collection services or composting as an alternative to burning leaves. Improper leaf burning can produce excessive smoke creating a health hazard and potentially a public nuisance.

Contact your local fire safe council for chipping information. For residents of the South Lake Fire Protection District, go to www.southlakefiresafecouncil.org or your local fire station. For all other areas of the county, call 707-263-4180, Extension 106, or your local fire station.

The law requires that an able-bodied adult supervise all fires. Burning even a small amount of illegal material can result in toxic ash and smoke that contain cancer-causing substances and contribute to other health problems.

Burning prohibited materials can also result in significant fines. Some people have smoke allergies and/or respiratory problems and their health is degraded by even small amounts of smoke.

Please be considerate of your neighbors. A permit does not allow you to create health problems for others and you can be liable for health care costs, fines and other costs resulting from your burning.

Back in 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts orbiting the moon photographed something very odd. Researchers called it “Ina,” and it looked like the aftermath of a volcanic eruption.

There's nothing odd about volcanoes on the moon, per se.

Much of the moon's ancient surface is covered with hardened lava. The main features of the “Man in the moon,” in fact, are old basaltic flows deposited billions of years ago when the moon was wracked by violent eruptions. The strange thing about Ina was its age.

Planetary scientists have long thought that lunar volcanism came to an end about a billion years ago, and little has changed since.

Yet Ina looked remarkably fresh. For more than 30 years Ina remained a mystery, a “one-off oddity” that no one could explain.

Turns out, the mystery is bigger than anyone imagined. Using NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, a team of researchers led by Sarah Braden of Arizona State University has found 70 landscapes similar to Ina. They call them “Irregular Mare Patches” or IMPs for short.

“Discovering new features on the lunar surface was thrilling,” said Braden. “We looked at hundreds of high-resolution images, and when I found a new IMP it was always the highlight of my day.”

“The irregular mare patches look so different than more common lunar features like impact craters, impact melt, and highlands material,” she said. “They really jump out at you.”

On the moon, it is possible to estimate the age of a landscape by counting its craters. The moon is pelted by a slow drizzle of meteoroids that pepper its surface with impact scars. The older a landscape, the more craters it contains.

Some of the IMPs they found are very lightly cratered, suggesting that they are no more than 100 million years old.

A hundred million years may sound like a long time, but in geological terms it's just a blink of an eye.

The volcanic craters LRO found may have been erupting during the Cretaceous period on Earth – the heyday of dinosaurs.

Some of the volcanic features may be even younger, 50 million years old, a time when mammals were replacing dinosaurs as dominant lifeforms.

“This finding is the kind of science that is literally going to make geologists rewrite the textbooks about the moon,” said John Keller, LRO project scientist at the Goddard Space Flight Center.

IMPs are too small to be seen from Earth, averaging less than a third of a mile (500 meters) across in their largest dimension.

That's why, other than Ina, they haven't been found before. Nevertheless, they appear to be widespread around the nearside of the moon.

“Not only are the IMPs striking landscapes, but also they tell us something very important about the thermal evolution of the moon,” says Mark Robinson of Arizona State University, the principal investigator for LRO's high resolution camera. “The interior of the moon is perhaps hotter than previously thought.”

“We know so little of the moon,” he continued. “The moon is a large mysterious world in its own right, and its only three days away! I would love to land on an IMP and take the moon's temperature first-hand using a heat probe.”

Some people think the moon looks dead, “but I never thought so,” said Robinson, who won't rule out the possibility of future eruptions. “To me, it has always been an inviting place of magnificent beauty, a giant magnet in our sky drawing me towards it.”

Young volcanoes have only turned up the heat on the moon's allure.

Said Robinson, “Let's go!”

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

A recent study produced by the San Francisco Estuary Institute-Aquatic Science Center and funded by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) identifies the dramatic ecological transformation of the Delta over the past 150 years.

Developed by a group of scientists and resource managers, “A Delta Transformed” explains the relationship between specific landscape features and ecological functions, and compares historic conditions with the present.

It identifies the restoration framework needed to design landscapes that will support native wildlife and hold up to the threats presented by climate change and invasive species.

The complete report can be found at http://sfei.li/deltametrics .

Clear Lake is linked to the Bay-Delta through waterways including Cache Creek and the Yolo Bypass.

“The Delta no longer functions as a delta and is now a network of deep, engineered channels with declining abundances of native wildlife, particularly fish species, and increasing numbers of invasive species,” said Carl Wilcox, CDFW Policy Advisor to the Director for the Bay-Delta. “This critical report contributes a missing dimension to Delta planning by providing a landscape-scale perspective that illustrates how restoration in the Delta should be implemented to support native habitat and species.”

Presently, the Delta estuary is in a highly altered condition and struggling.

Study participants identified a variety of landscape changes in the Delta that have impacted its ecological function over the years.

These primary changes include loss of connectivity among habitat, degradation of habitat quality and loss of complexity.

The knowledge gained from this project will be used to identify specific elements of the landscape that can be restored to meet the needs of native species.

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is part of the largest natural estuary on the west coast of North America. It is home to more than 750 native species and supplies water to more than 25 million Californians as well as 3 million acres of farmland.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A Fort Bragg man who was the suspect in a Wednesday robbery died after two deputies and a California Highway Patrol officer used Tasers to take him into custody.

Daniel Cedar Saulsbury, 39, died at the scene of the confrontation with law enforcement, according to a report from Capt. Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

Van Patten reported that just after noon on Wednesday the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office was contacted by a person who wanted to report that they had been the victim of a robbery in the 200 block of Main Street in Point Arena.

Deputies in the Fort Bragg area called the victim before responding to Point Arena, Van Patten said.

During the phone conversation the deputies learned the victim had been confronted by a white male adult while standing in a business parking lot in the 200 block of Main Street, according to Van Patten's report.

During the confrontation the white male adult robbed the victim of a diaper bag in his possession and threw large rocks that almost struck the victim, Van Patten said.

Van Patten said the information of the incident was broadcast to the CHP, which had an officer working near Point Arena.

The CHP officer located the white male adult, later identified as Saulsbury, near the scene of the robbery, Van Patten said.

When the CHP officer attempted to detain Saulsbury a foot chase ensued mixed with moments of active resistance by Saulsbury. Van Patten said the CHP officer requested emergency assistance via the radio while deputies were responding to Point Arena.

Van Patten said the deputies arrived in Point Arena several minutes later and assisted in apprehending an actively resisting Saulsbury on Mill Street in Point Arena.

During the attempts to apprehend Saulsbury the CHP officer and two deputies deployed their issued Taser weapons, Van Patten said.

Shortly after Saulsbury was apprehended, Van Patten said he began to show signs of medical distress.

Medical aid was immediately rendered by medical personnel who had been summoned to the scene just after Saulsbury's apprehension. However, Van Patten said Saulsbury subsequently was pronounced dead after lifesaving efforts were unsuccessful.

As a result of Saulsbury’s death, Van Patten said the Mendocino County Officer Involved Fatal Protocol was initiated.

Van Patten said the Mendocino County District Attorney's Office has now assumed jurisdiction over the investigation into the incident.