LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lakeport City Council is set to consider candidates to fill a council vacancy and will hold a public hearing to consider approving entitlements for a new apartment and cluster home development when it meets early this week.

The council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

The agenda can be found here.

The council chambers will be open to the public for the meeting. Masks are highly encouraged where 6-foot distancing cannot be maintained.

If you cannot attend in person, and would like to speak on an agenda item, you can access the Zoom meeting remotely at this link or join by phone by calling toll-free 669-900-9128 or 346-248-7799.

The webinar ID is 973 6820 1787, access code is 477973; the audio pin will be shown after joining the webinar. Those phoning in without using the web link will be in “listen mode” only and will not be able to participate or comment.

Comments can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. To give the city clerk adequate time to print out comments for consideration at the meeting, please submit written comments before 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Under council business, the council will consider appointing one of three former council members to fill a vacant seat through the end of the year.

The vacancy came about late last month when Mireya Turner resigned after accepting the job of Lake County Community Development director on a permanent basis.

At the council’s Sept. 6 meeting, it directed staff to reach out to former council members to find one who would be interested in filling Turner’s seat through the certification of the November election, which should be completed by early December.

Administrative Services Director/City Clerk Kelly Buendia said that staff reached out to eight former council members and three expressed interest: Suzanne Lyons, Bob Rumfelt and George Spurr.

Buendia suggested the council may opt to interview the former council members at the meeting before selecting one. She could then administer the oath of office and the new member could be seated immediately.

Also on Tuesday, the council will hold a public hearing to consider the approval of entitlements sought by Waterstone Residential for the Parkside Residential Project at 1310 Craig Ave.

Developer Peter Schellinger is seeking approvals to build 128 new apartment units and 48 cluster homes on the 15-acre site, next to the original Parkside Development near Westside Community Park.

The council approved introducing the zone change ordinance and scheduled this week’s public hearing when it met Sept. 6.

This week, the council will be asked to adopt the proposed resolution making findings to approve a mitigated negative declaration for Parkside Residential’s general plan and zone change, approve the proposed general plan amendment revising realigning the existing residential general plan land use designation boundaries for a portion of the 15.16± acre property to reflect 5.97± acres to high density residential with the findings contained in the draft resolution; and approve the proposed zone change request to realign the existing R-1, low density residential base zoning districts to reflect the high density residential, with the remaining 9.19 acres to continue as R-1, low density residential with a planned development combining district overlay with the findings contained in the draft ordinance.

The council also will be asked to provide staff direction on the selection process for appointments to the city’s various commissions and committees with terms expiring this year and receive an update on the city’s GIS and asset management program from Utilities Superintendent Paul Harris.

On the consent agenda — items usually accepted as a slate on one vote — are ordinances; minutes of the regular council meeting on Sept. 6; adoption of a resolution authorizing continued remote teleconference meetings of the Lakeport City Council and its legislative bodies pursuant to Government Code section 54953(e); and confirmation of the continuing existence of a local emergency for the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.

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 has four felines waiting for adoption.

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm for information on visiting or adopting.

The following cats at the shelter have been cleared for adoption.

‘Mama’

“Mama” is a 2-year-old domestic shorthair cat with an all-black coat.

She is in cat room kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-3884.

Female domestic shorthair cat

This 2-year-old female domestic shorthair cat has an all-black coat.

Shelter staff said she is a “master greeter.”

“She is very talkative and likes softs pets down her back. She is uncomfortable when being picked up, but is more than happy to come to you, especially for pets,” and has a “chill” attitude, the shelter reported.

She is in cat room kennel No. 32, ID No. LCAC-A-3887.

‘Willow’

“Willow” is a female domestic shorthair cat with a gray and white coat.

She is in cat room kennel No. 47, ID No. LCAC-A-3762.

Male domestic shorthair cat

This 1-year-old male domestic shorthair cat has a black coat.

Shelter staff said he is a sweet, talkative kitty, who loves head scratches and will rub all over your legs as you walk through the room.

He is in cat room kennel No. 60, ID No. LCAC-A-3932.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Organizers said a bigger and better Kelseyville Pear Festival is in store for the community this month.

The festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, in downtown Kelseyville.

In 2014, Vicky Parish Smith, then the Kelseyville Pear Festival’s publicity director, coined the phrase, “Catch the small town magic,” which captures the event’s spirit.

The event that started as a minor street fair in 1993 now attracts more than 10,000 people to Kelseyville and is the largest one-day event in Lake County.

In the early spring of 1993, a small core of Kelseyville Business Association members met for their monthly meeting to discuss festival plans for the coming year. At one point, a member suggested presenting just one large, major festival for the year.

Kelseyville was considered the main agricultural center of the county and it was a time when the Bartlett pear was king.

The billboard outside of town announced, “Kelseyville is the Pear Capital of the World.”

Someone mentioned that Gilroy had the Garlic Festival and remarked, “Let’s present a Pear Festival.” That was the beginning.

Two women, Tootsie Huggins of Huggins Work Wear and Marilyn Holdenried of Holdenried Farms, volunteered to co-chair the first Kelseyville Pear Festival. Their committee was composed of Main Street business owners.

The mission statement for the festival was to showcase and support the small businesses on Main Street, Kelseyville, and to celebrate the agricultural heritage of Big Valley.

In 1993, the first year, the Main Stage with music was located at the local gas station, Jim’s Arco, now the location of the Kelseyville Fire Department. There were about 20 vendors, including pear pies which sold out quickly.

Fifteen hundred guests arrived that first year. As the years went on, more and more volunteers from the community stepped up to assist, and more and more events were added to the kaleidoscope of the festival.

A precursor to the present day Farm to Fork dinner was the popular Pear Maker Dinner. It was held at one of the local restaurants on the Thursday evening before the festival. Every course showcased a Lake County pear.

That dinner later moved to the courtyard of Wildhurst Winery with the well-known cowboy singer Dave Stamey as entertainment.

But, the COVID pandemic that began in 2019 spread to the U.S. and by 2020 crushed any thought of bringing together thousands of people in one place.

Reluctantly, the Kelseyville Pear Festival Committee canceled the 2020 affair. Following the advice of medical experts, the committee again canceled the 2021 event.

With health concerns waning in 2022, the KPF Committee eagerly jumped back into planning the 28th Kelseyville Pear Festival.

The immediate positive response from the community bolstered the committee’s enthusiasm.

Applications for parade spots came streaming in. More than 130 vendors vied to offer their wares and food.

Three stages were created to provide musical entertainment. Kid’s Town and Horse Faire returned with something for everyone. And the ever popular pear pie eating contest was reborn.

Come to celebrate Lake County’s pear farming history on Sept. 24.

For more information, visit the Pear Festival website.

The California Highway Patrol and the Office of Traffic Safety will help parents and caregivers ensure every child is properly restrained in the correct safety seat for their age and size as part of Child Passenger Safety Week from Sept. 18 to 24.

“When installed and used correctly, child safety seats and safety belts can prevent injuries and save lives,” said CHP Commissioner Amanda Ray. “The best way to protect your child in the car is to use a properly fitted child safety seat and seat belt.”

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children, and the latest research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows 46 percent of child safety seats are not installed correctly.

California law requires that all children under age 2, weighing under 40 pounds and under 40 inches tall, ride in a rear-facing car seat.

All children under age 8 must ride in the back seat of a vehicle, in an age-appropriate child safety seat. Safety experts recommend all children ride in the backseat until age 13.

For more information about child passenger safety, visit https://www.chp.ca.gov/Programs-Services/Programs/Child-Safety-Seats.

“This week is a great opportunity for parents and guardians to get that extra assurance that their child is as safe as possible riding in the car,” OTS Director Barbara Rooney said. “Child passenger safety technicians are here to assist parents with choosing and installing the right car seat.”

As part of Child Passenger Safety Week, CHP Child Passenger Safety, or CPS, technicians will provide child safety seat inspections, education, and hands-on training for parents and caregivers.

National Seat Check Saturday is Sept. 24, however, free inspections by CPS technicians are available all year by appointment at any CHP Area office.

Call the CHP’s Clear Lake Area office in Kelseyville at 707-279-0103 for more information.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has many puppies and young dogs waiting to meet their new families.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Australian cattle dog, Doberman pinscher, Dogo Argentino, German shepherd, Great Pyrenees, hound, husky, pit bull, Rottweiler, shepherd and treeing walker coonhound.

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.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.

Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.

Male pit bull terrier

This 1-year-old male pit bull terrier has a gray and white coat.

Shelter staff said is a playful young dog who does well on a leash and loves fetch. He will benefit from training.

He is in kennel No. 10, ID No. LCAC-A-3855.

Male hound mix puppy

This 6-month-old male hound mix puppy has a short brindle coat.

Shelter staff said he is very playful with a lot of energy, and he loves toys. “He is extremely treat motivated and has shown he is eager to learn all the cool tricks you could teach him.”

He is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-3916.

Female treeing walker coonhound-Doberman pinscher puppy

This 2-month-old female treeing walker coonhound-Doberman pinscher has a short tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 16a, ID No. LCAC-A-3924.

Female treeing walker coonhound-Doberman pinscher puppy

This 2-month-old female treeing walker coonhound-Doberman pinscher has a short tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 16d, ID No. LCAC-A-3927.

Male treeing walker coonhound-Doberman pinscher puppy

This 2-month-old male treeing walker coonhound-Doberman pinscher has a short tricolor coat.

He is in kennel No. 17a, ID No. LCAC-A-3921.

Male treeing walker coonhound-Doberman pinscher puppy

This 2-month-old male treeing walker coonhound-Doberman pinscher has a short tan and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 17b, ID No. LCAC-A-3922.

Male Rottweiler-Australian cattle dog cross

This 5-year-old male Rottweiler-Australian cattle dog cross has a short tricolor coat.

He is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-3942.

Female hound mix

This 1-year-old female hound mix has a short brown and white coat.

Shelter staff said she is a talkative girls that loves to be around people and will show you the true meaning of a lap dog. She enjoys toys and walks well with a leash.

“Being a younger dog means she still needs some schooling, but with positive reinforcement, she can catch on quickly,” staff said.

She is in kennel No. 19, ID No. LCAC-A-3766.

Female pit bull

This 2-year-old female pit bull has a short brown brindle coat.

She is in kennel No. 20, ID No. LCAC-A-3918.

‘Tracy’

“Tracy” is a 2-year-old female Dogo Argentino with a short white coat.

She is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-3952.

Female German shepherd

This 1-year-old female German shepherd has a short black and tan coat.

She is in kennel No. 24, ID No. LCAC-A-3780.

Male German shepherd

This 2-year-old male German shepherd has a black and tan coat.

Shelter staff called him a “handsome sweet dude who is motivated by treats and does well walking on a leash.

He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. LCAC-A-3870.

Female husky

This 1-year-old female husky has a cream and black coat.

She is in kennel No. 27, ID No. LCAC-A-3893.

‘Poppy’

“Poppy” is a 4-month-old female Great Pyrenees with a short white and gray coat.

She is in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-3790.

Male German shepherd

This 1-year-old male German shepherd has a black and tan coat.

He is in kennel No. 31, ID No. LCAC-A-3930.

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

Greenhouse gas concentrations, global sea levels and ocean heat content reached record highs in 2021, according to the 32nd annual  State of the Climate.

The international annual review of the world’s climate, led by scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information and published by the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, or AMS, is based on contributions from more than 530 scientists in over 60 countries.

It provides the most comprehensive update on Earth’s climate indicators, notable weather events and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments located on land, water, ice and in space.

"The data presented in this report are clear — we continue to see more compelling scientific evidence that climate change has global impacts and shows no sign of slowing,” said NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “With many communities hit with 1,000-year floods, exceptional drought and historic heat this year, it shows that the climate crisis is not a future threat but something we must address today as we work to build a Climate-Ready Nation — and world — that is resilient to climate-driven extremes.”

"The 2021 AMS State of the Climate provides the latest synthesis of scientific understanding of the climate system and the impact people are having on it," said AMS Associate Executive Director Paul Higgins. "If we take it seriously and use it wisely, it can help us thrive on a planet that is increasingly small in comparison to the impact of our activities."

Notable findings from the international report include:

• Earth’s greenhouse gases were the highest on record. The major atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations — carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide — each rose once again to new record highs during 2021. The global annual average atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration was 414.7 parts per million (ppm). This was 2.3 ppm greater than 2020 amounts and was the highest measured in the modern observational records as well as the highest in at least the last million years based on paleoclimatic records. The annual average atmospheric methane concentration was also the highest on record, and the annual increase of 18 parts per billion (ppb) was the highest since measurements began. The annual increase in methane has significantly accelerated since 2014. The annual increase of 1.3 ppb for nitrous oxide was the third highest since 2001, contributing to a global annual average atmospheric concentration of 334.3 ppb.
• Earth’s warming trend continued. A range of scientific analyses indicate that annual global surface temperatures were 0.38 - 0.50 degrees F (0.21-0.28 of a degree C) above the 1991 -2020 average. This places 2021 among the six warmest years since records began in the mid to late 1800s. The last seven years (2015–2021) were the seven warmest years on record, and the average global surface temperature has increased at an average rate of 0.14 - 0.16 of a degree F (0.08 - 0.09 of a degree C) per decade since the start of record-keeping and at a rate more than twice as high since 1981 (0.32 - 0.36 of a degree F, or 0.18 - 0.20 of a degree C, per decade since 1981, according to a range of scientific analyses).
• Ocean heat and global sea level were the highest on record. The ocean sequesters the vast majority of the excess energy trapped in the Earth's system by greenhouse gases and other factors; estimated at more than 90% over the past half-century. Global ocean heat content, measured from the ocean’s surface to a depth of more than 6,000 feet, continued to increase and reached new record highs in 2021. For the 10th consecutive year, global average sea level rose to a new record high and was about 3.8 inches (97.0 mm) higher than the 1993 average — the year that marks the beginning of the satellite measurement record.
• La Niña conditions lowered sea surface temperatures. La Niña conditions that began in mid-2020 continued for most of 2021. The annual global sea surface temperature in 2021 was lower than both 2019 and 2020 due in part to La Niña, but was still 0.52 of a degree F (0.29 of a degree C) higher than the 1991–2020 average. Approximately 57% of the ocean surface experienced at least one marine heatwave during 2021.
• Temperatures were mixed in the Southern Hemisphere. La Niña contributed to the warmest year on record for New Zealand, but also to the coolest year since 2012 for Australia. On Antarctica, cold air within a strong, stable polar vortex contributed to the coldest winter (from April through September) on record at the South Pole. On the Antarctic Peninsula, the only part of the continent which reaches beyond the Antarctic Circle, two stations received persistent warm northerly winds; one station tied its highest annual temperature on record while the other experienced its second highest recorded temperature.
• The Arctic was cooler overall, but some records were set. The Arctic had its coolest year since 2013, but 2021 was still the 13th warmest year in the 122 year record. Extreme heat events occurred during the summer. During a massive heat wave in western North America, a temperature of 103.8 degrees F (39.9 degrees C) was recorded on June 30 at Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada; this was the highest temperature ever recorded above 60 degrees North latitude. A widespread melting event on the Greenland Ice Sheet on August 14, 2021 — the latest in the season on record — coincided with the first observed rainfall in the 33 year record at the Summit Station, which sits at more than 10,500 feet (3,200 meters) above sea level. While the Arctic minimum sea ice extent was the 12th smallest extent in the 43 year record, the amount of multiyear ice — ice that survives one or more summer melt seasons — remaining in the Arctic was the second lowest on record. This indicates the Arctic’s sustained transition to a younger, thinner ice cover, which is more likely to experience complete melting in the future.
• Tropical cyclone activity was well above average. There were 97 named tropical storms during the Northern and Southern Hemisphere storm seasons last year, well above the 1991–2020 average of 87. Seven tropical cyclones reached Category 5 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The North Atlantic hurricane basin recorded 21 named storms, the third most for the basin, behind the record 30 cyclones in 2020 and 28 in 2005. Category 4 Hurricane Ida was the most impactful storm in the Atlantic. At $75 billion (U.S. dollars) in damage, Ida was the costliest U.S. disaster of 2021 and the fifth most expensive hurricane on record since 1980. Super Typhoon Rai was the third-costliest typhoon in the history of the Philippines causing about $1 billion (U.S. dollars) in damages and more than 400 deaths.

The State of the Climate report is a peer-reviewed series published annually as a special supplement to the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. The journal makes the full report openly available online. NCEI’s high-level overview report is also available online.

BERKELEY — Rings appear to be common around planets in the solar system, but the dramatic rings of Saturn have long puzzled astronomers, as has the steep tilt of the rings and the planet’s rotation axis relative to its orbit around the sun.

Scientists now show that the rings and the tilt are intimately linked, and that the key is a former moon of Saturn that was torn apart some 160 million years ago to form the rings. The researchers dubbed the lost moon Chrysalis because it blossomed into the rings much as a chrysalis transforms into a butterfly.

The new proposal for how Saturn became “Lord of the Rings” in our solar system and how Saturn got its axial tilt was published today in the journal Science. The lead author is Jack Wisdom, a professor of planetary science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with key contributions from Burkhard Militzer at the University of California, Berkeley.

Militzer, UC Berkeley professor of earth and planetary science, was part of a team that in 2019 concluded that the rings of Saturn are relatively recent, having formed a mere 100 million years ago and perhaps even more recently.

The planet itself is as old as the solar system, about 4.5 billion years. The rings could be debris left over from the tidal destruction of a former icy moon of Saturn or the remains of a comet that strayed too close to the planet.

The new theory proposes that the rings are from a former moon and provide an estimate of how massive that moon was — about the size of Iapetus, Saturn's third-largest moon — and why the moon got so close to the planet that it was torn apart.

The researchers conclude that about 99% of Chrysalis ended up swallowed by the gas giant planet, with the remainder forming the rings.

“The tilt is too large to be a result of known formation processes in a protoplanetary disk or from later, large collisions,” Wisdom said. “A variety of explanations have been offered, but none is totally convincing. The cool thing is that the previously unexplained young age of the rings is naturally explained in our scenario.”

The dance between Saturn and Neptune

Astronomers have suspected before that Saturn’s axial tilt comes from gravitational interactions with its outer companion, Neptune, because Saturn's tilt precesses, like a spinning top, at nearly the same rate as the precession of the orbit of Neptune. Such an interaction is called a resonance.

In the new study, the researchers conclude that, for billions of years, Neptune and Saturn were in a resonant dance that caused the tilt of Saturn’s spin axis. But the outward movement of Saturn’s moon Titan — the second-largest moon in the solar system — destabilized the Saturn system, causing it to lose a moon and fall out of resonance. The result? A bright and beautiful set of rings that grace the planet today.

Like most planets, Saturn likely formed with its rotation axis perpendicular to its orbital plane. The planet’s rapid rotation slightly flattened its shape, allowing the sun and other planets to exert a torque that tilted the axis.

Saturn’s 83 known moons — in particular, Titan — provided other levers to tug on. Over the history of the solar system, such tugs not only tilted Saturn’s axis, but caused the axis to wobble, or precess, like a top. Earth’s rotation axis also precesses.

One explanation for the large tilt of Saturn’s rotation axis today — currently 26.7 degrees versus Earth’s 23.5 degrees — is that the precession is locked in a resonance with the precession of the orbit of Neptune, a planet half its size and more than three times farther from the sun than Saturn. This resonance would have turned a slight tilt of Saturn’s rotation axis into a big tilt.

Several years ago, a study concluded that the two planets are still locked in resonance, but Wisdom found it hard to confirm that result, primarily because the angular momentum of Saturn was not precisely known.

The higher the angular momentum — a product of a planet’s spin rate and its moment of inertia, that is, the distribution of mass within the planet — the more resistant a system is to torques from the sun or other planets.

“Jack came to us and said, “The only thing I don't know for sure is this angular momentum,’” Militzer said. “If it's very large, then the system is in resonance, and Neptune can do the job: We understand why the planet formed spinning vertically, and Neptune has tilted it over time. If, on the other hand, the angular momentum is small, then the whole thing falls apart, and you have to come up with some other theory why Saturn would spin on its side.”

Thanks to measurements of Saturn’s gravity field made by the Cassini mission in 2017 — the same measurements that allowed Militzer and his colleagues to estimate the mass of the rings and their age — Militzer and co-authors were able to provide a more precise determination of the planet’s moment of inertia and to calculate the angular momentum.

Surprisingly, it turned out to be just a tiny bit too small for the two planets to be in resonance today. But calculations showed that Saturn would have been in resonance if it had once had an additional moon.

So how, then, did Saturn get out of its multi-billion-year resonance with Neptune? In computer simulations, Wisdom and his colleagues tested various scenarios. The most likely, they found, is that Saturn’s moon Titan — which currently is migrating rapidly outward from the planet at some 11 centimeters per year — at some point got in resonance with the orbit of another moon, Chrysalis, destabilizing its orbit.

Chrysalis eventually came so close to Saturn that the planet’s gravity tore it apart, with a portion of it settling into a ring. Given Titan’s current migration rate, that would have happened between 100 and 200 million years ago, they determined, matching the current estimate of the age of the rings.

“You're losing this whole moon, and then you can have one less handle to jerk Saturn around,” Militzer said.

Titan’s outward migration was only discovered recently, Militzer said.

“The rapid migration of Titan gives a new possibility for explaining the tilt of Saturn,” he said. “The formula for the rate of precession of the spin axis depends on the presence of the satellites. So, the system could have escaped the resonance if Saturn used to have an additional satellite that was lost, changing the rate of precession enough to escape the resonance, but leaving the system close to the resonance.”

The researchers hope that more precise measurements of the motions of Neptune and of Saturn and its moons will confirm their hypothesis.

"It's a pretty good story, but like any other result, it will have to be examined by others," Wisdom said. "But it seems that this lost satellite was just a chrysalis, waiting to have its instability."

Other co-authors are graduate student Rola Dbouk of MIT, Professor Emeritus William Hubbard of the University of Arizona, professor Francis Nimmo and graduate student Brynna Downey of UC Santa Cruz, and Richard French of Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

The work was funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation.

Robert Sanders writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The 30th running of the Konocti Challenge cycling event is set to take place Saturday, Oct. 1, in Lake County for one final time.

This cycling event, produced by the Rotary Club of Lakeport, brings in hundreds of cyclists and their guests to participate in this unique and fun and fitness-oriented event.

The ride is staged from the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport with the festivities beginning on Friday afternoon with local wine and beer tasting and the rider packet pickup from 4 to 7 p.m.

This final ride will feature the two “Nostalgia Rides” of 20 miles and 40 miles culminating in the after ride BBQ and live music.

The cyclists will be departing Saturday morning from the Skylark between 8 and 10 a.m. The 20 mile and 40 mile routes travel through Scotts Valley and to Kelseyville. The ride route maps can be found at www.konoctichallenge.com.

The ride has significantly impacted the Lake County economy for 30 years, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Lake County community with hotels booked to capacity, restaurants filled and the shops and wineries seeing many visitors.

“This is an amazing event for our community and we are excited to bring all of these folks to our beautiful area,” said Konocti Challenge Ride Director and Lakeport Rotarian Jennifer Strong. “While this is the end of an era, it is our opportunity for us to show off the incredible assets we have and to encourage these cyclists to come back other times during the year.”

The ride has been highly regarded as one of the best in the state as was apparent with their Cycle CA! Magazine Awards for the Best Metric Century of 2014 and the 2015 Excellence in Service Award.

If you would like to register for the event, please do so online at www.konoctichallenge.com.

The deadline to register this year is Sept. 23 and no same day registrations will be available.

The event’s longtime sponsors are Calpine Corp., Eagle One Distributing, Lake County Tribal Health, and Kelseyville Lumber.

There are also still volunteer opportunities available – contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you are interested in helping and please share the road.

The Rotary Club of Lakeport meets every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. at O'Meara's Brewing. Follow the club on Facebook at Lakeport Rotary to keep up to date on all Rotary activities and events.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — Looking for a way to meet people, get some exercise, and have so much fun that you won’t even notice all the calories you’re burning?

Head on over to the new pickleball courts located on Lincoln Street in Kelseyville, adjacent to the Gard Street tennis facility.

Invented in 1965 by three dads trying to amuse their kids, pickleball is a combination of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong.

The sport has a welcoming vibe, is inexpensive, and is easy enough that newcomers can immediately play.

Named the fastest growing sport in the nation for the last two years by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, pickleball is equally enjoyed by men and women of all ages.

Michael Shay, president of the Lake County Tennis Association, was instrumental in bringing pickleball to the area.

Funded by a few local donations, he and a handful of volunteers from the association converted a portion of the cracked, weed-ridden asphalt in the Gard Street tennis facility into two smooth, bright green pickleball courts, each about a quarter of the size of a tennis court.

Play began in January and it soon became clear that more courts were needed. With a generous donation from Lake County Tribal Health, two more courts were added, again with an all-volunteer labor crew.

Nets, balls and paddles are provided by the association, although many purchase their own paddles once hooked on the sport.

Shay has plans for additional courts and equipment as need increases and funding allows. This latest effort will require significant funds and approval of the Kelseyville Unified School District.

Tribal Health has started off the fundraising effort by pledging $10,000 provided all the needed
Money is raised.

For more information, visit https://lctennis.org/ or email questions to Michael Shay at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Better yet, cruise on over to Lincoln Street and check out the action Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 to 11 a.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 6 to 9 p.m., and Sunday from 9 to 11 a.m. If you go, don’t be surprised if you run home and buy a paddle.

On Friday, California enacted some of the nation’s most aggressive climate measures in history as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a sweeping package of legislation to cut pollution, protect Californians from big polluters, and accelerate the state’s transition to clean energy.

The governor partnered with legislative leaders this session to advance groundbreaking measures to achieve carbon neutrality no later than 2045 and 90% clean energy by 2035, establish new setback measures protecting communities from oil drilling, capture carbon pollution from the air, advance nature-based solutions, and more.

The Governor’s Office said this is an essential piece of the California Climate Commitment, a record $54 billion investment in climate action that exceeds what most countries are spending and advances economic opportunity and environmental justice in communities across the state.

Over the next two decades, the California Climate Commitment will:

• Create 4 million new jobs;
• Cut air pollution by 60%;
• Reduce state oil consumption by 91%;
• Save California $23 billion by avoiding the damages of pollution;
• Reduce fossil fuel use in buildings and transportation by 92%; and
• Cut refinery pollution by 94%.

Taken together, the Governor’s Office said these measures represent the most significant action on the climate crisis in California’s history and raises the bar for governments around the world.

“This month has been a wake-up call for all of us that later is too late to act on climate change. California isn’t waiting any more,” said Newsom. “Together with the Legislature, California is taking the most aggressive action on climate our nation has ever seen. We’re cleaning the air we breathe, holding the big polluters accountable, and ushering in a new era for clean energy. That’s climate action done the California Way – and we’re not only doubling down, we’re just getting started.”

With multiple oil refineries in the distance, the governor signed the legislation alongside legislative leaders at the USDA Forest Service Regional Office on Mare Island, a facility powered by clean energy that also feeds the grid.

“Our state has been facing extreme temperatures, putting our communities, especially our most vulnerable neighbors, at risk. We’re also continuing to deal with an historic drought and the ongoing threat of wildfires. The challenges of climate change are here, and this Legislative session, we took bold action to address these severe conditions and mitigate future risk both through our state budget and key legislation,” said Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego). “We established ambitious and necessary goals to reduce carbon emission and increase renewable energy. We provided the tools industry needs to capture and store carbon before it hits the atmosphere. And we invested in critical infrastructure programs that will keep us firmly planted on the path to a greener future, while simultaneously creating jobs that will support families across the state. California has, and will continue to, lead the nation on not only addressing the worsening climate crisis, but finding proactive solutions.”

“It’s great to see California and the governor celebrating our collective dedication to climate response. The Assembly has initiated this kind of legislation for years, and put forward some of these bills more than a year ago,” said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood). “That makes it especially heartening to be able to enact a package like this as a team. I look forward to working on additional climate change legislation with the Governor and the Senate. We are just getting started.”

The climate package signed Friday includes:

CARBON NEUTRALITY: AB 1279 by Assemlymembers Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) and Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) codifies the statewide carbon neutrality goal to dramatically reduce climate pollution.

Establishes a clear, legally binding, and achievable goal for California to achieve statewide carbon neutrality as soon as possible, and no later than 2045, and establishes an 85% emissions reduction target as part of that goal.

PROTECT COMMUNITIES AGAINST OIL DRILLING: SB 1137 by Senators Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) and Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) protects communities from the harmful impacts of the oil industry.

Establishes a setback distance of 3,200 feet between any new oil well and homes, schools, parks or businesses open to the public.

Ensures comprehensive pollution controls for existing oil wells within 3,200 feet of these facilities.

100% CLEAN ELECTRIC GRID: SB 1020 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) establishes a pathway toward the state’s clean energy future.

Creates clean electricity targets of 90% by 2035 and 95% by 2040 with the intent of advancing the state’s trajectory to the existing 100% clean electricity retail sales by 2045 goal.

CAPTURING AND REMOVING CARBON POLLUTION: SB 905 by Senators Anna Caballero (D-Merced) and Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) and SB 1314 by Senator Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara) advance engineered technologies to remove carbon pollution, while banning the use of those technologies for enhanced oil recovery.

Establishes a clear regulatory framework for carbon removal and carbon capture, utilization and sequestration.

Bans the practice of injecting carbon dioxide for the purpose of enhanced oil recovery.

NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS: AB 1757 by Assemblymembers Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) and Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) enlists nature in the state’s climate agenda.

Requires the state to develop an achievable carbon removal target for natural and working lands.

Last week, Gov. Newsom signed legislation to help protect Californians from more frequent and severe heat waves driven by climate change. This month’s legislative action comes on the heels of California enacting a world-leading regulation to phase out sales of new gas-powered cars by 2035.

In a July letter to the Chair of the California Air Resources Board, or CARB, Gov. Newsom called for the state to ensure that the 2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan provides a path to achieve both the 2030 climate goal and state carbon neutrality no later than 2045, requesting that the final plan incorporate new efforts to advance offshore wind, clean fuels, climate-friendly homes, carbon removal and address methane leaks.

The full set of bills the Governor signed that work toward achieving the state’s climate goals include:

AB 1279 by Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance) – The California Climate Crisis Act.
AB 1384 by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Encino) – Resiliency Through Adaptation, Economic Vitality, and Equity Act of 2022.
AB 1389 by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-Colton) – Clean Transportation Program: project funding preferences.
AB 1749 by Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) – Community emissions reduction programs: toxic air contaminants and criteria air pollutants.
AB 1757 by Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) – California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: climate goal: natural and working lands.
AB 1857 by Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) – Solid waste.
AB 1909 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) – Vehicles: bicycle omnibus bill.
AB 1985 by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) – Organic waste: recovered organic waste product procurement targets.
AB 2061 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) – Transportation electrification: electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
AB 2075 by Assemblymember Philip Ting (D-San Francisco) – Energy: electric vehicle charging standards.
AB 2108 by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) – Water policy: environmental justice: disadvantaged and tribal communities.
AB 2204 by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath (D-Encinitas) – Clean energy: Labor and Workforce Development Agency: Deputy Secretary for Climate.
AB 2278 by Assemblymember Ash Kalra (D-San Jose) – Natural resources: biodiversity and conservation report.
AB 2316 by Assemblymember Christopher Ward (D-San Diego) – Public Utilities Commission: customer renewable energy subscription programs and the community renewable energy program.
AB 2440 by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) – Responsible Battery Recycling Act of 2022.
AB 2446 by Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) – Embodied carbon emissions: construction materials.
AB 2622 by Assemblymember Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco) – Sales and use taxes: exemptions: California Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project: transit buses.
AB 2700 by Assemblymember Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) – Transportation electrification: electrical distribution grid upgrades.
AB 2836 by Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia (D-Coachella) – Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Attainment Program: vehicle registration fees: California tire fee.
SB 379 by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) – Residential solar energy systems: permitting.
SB 529 by Senator Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) – Electricity: electrical transmission facilities.
SB 887 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Electricity: transmission facility planning.
SB 905 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) – Carbon sequestration: Carbon Capture, Removal, Utilization, and Storage Program.
SB 1010 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – Air pollution: state vehicle fleet.
SB 1020 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) – Clean Energy, Jobs, and Affordability Act of 2022.
SB 1063 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – Energy: appliance standards and cost-effective measures.
SB 1075 by Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) – Hydrogen: green hydrogen: emissions of greenhouse gases.
SB 1109 by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Merced) – California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program: bioenergy projects.
SB 1137 by Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) – Oil and gas: operations: location restrictions: notice of intention: health protection zone: sensitive receptors.
SB 1145 by Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) – California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006: greenhouse gas emissions: dashboard.
SB 1158 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Retail electricity suppliers: emissions of greenhouse gases.
SB 1203 by Senator Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park) – Net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases: state agency operations.
SB 1205 by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) – Water rights: appropriation.
SB 1215 by Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) – Electronic Waste Recycling Act of 2003: covered battery-embedded products.
SB 1230 by Senator Monique Limόn (D-Santa Barbara) – Zero-emission and near-zero-emission vehicle incentive programs: requirements.
SB 1251 by Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) – Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development: Zero-Emission Vehicle Market Development Office: Zero-Emission Vehicle Equity Advocate.
SB 1291 by Senator Bob Archuleta (D-Pico Rivera) – Hydrogen-fueling stations: administrative approval.
SB 1314 by Senator Monique Limόn (D-Santa Barbara) – Oil and gas: Class II injection wells: enhanced oil recovery.
SB 1322 by Senator Ben Allen (D-Santa Monica) – Energy: petroleum pricing.
SB 1382 by Senator Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) – Air pollution: Clean Cars 4 All Program: Sales and Use Tax Law: zero emissions vehicle exemption.

Gov. Newsom previously signed:

AB 2251 by Assemblymember Lisa Calderon (D-Whittier) – Urban forestry: statewide strategic plan.
SB 1174 by Senator Robert Hertzberg (D-Van Nuys) – Electricity: eligible renewable energy or energy storage resources: transmission and interconnection.
For full text of the bills, visit: http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov.

 

Sharks are some of the most ecologically important and most threatened animals on Earth. Recent reports show that up to one-third of all known species of sharks and their relatives, rays, are threatened with extinction. Unsustainable overfishing is the biggest threat by far.

Losing sharks can disrupt coastal food webs that billions of people depend on for food. When food chains lose their top predators, the rest can unravel as smaller prey species multiply.

In my years of talking with the public about sharks and ocean conservation, I’ve found that many people care about sharks and want to help but don’t know how. The solutions can be quite technical, and it’s challenging to understand and appreciate the scale and scope of some of the threats.

At the same time, there is an enormous amount of oversimplification and even misinformation about these important topics, which can lead well-intentioned people to support policies that experts know won’t work.

I am a marine conservation biologist and have sought to improve this situation by surveying shark researchers and helping scientists identify research topics that can advance conservation. I’ve also written a book, “Why Sharks Matter: A Deep Dive With the World’s Most Misunderstood Predator.” Here are three ways that anyone can make a difference for sharks and avoid taking steps that are ineffective or even harmful.

Don’t eat unsustainable seafood

The No. 1 threat to sharks and rays – and arguably, to marine biodiversity in general – is unsustainable overfishing. Some fishing methods are incredibly destructive to marine life and habitats.

They can also produce high rates of bycatch – the unintended catch of nontarget species. For example, fishermen pursuing tuna may accidentally catch sea turtles or sharks swimming near the tuna.

The single most effective thing that individual consumers can do is to avoid seafood produced using these harmful methods. This does not mean completely avoiding seafood, as some advocates urge. Seafood is healthy, delicious and culturally important, and there are environmentally friendly ways of catching it sustainably. There are even sustainable fisheries for sharks.

Reputable organizations such as California’s Monterey Bay Aquarium publish sustainable seafood guides that rate different types of seafood based on how they are caught or raised. While experts may quibble over details of some of these rankings, consumers can follow these guidelines and know that they are helping to protect sharks and ocean life in general.

 

Support reputable environmental nonprofits, not harmful extremists

Lots of great environmental nonprofit organizations work on shark issues and offer opportunities to get involved, such as donating money and communicating with elected officials and other decision-makers. In my book, I describe the work of many of these groups, including my favorite, Shark Advocates International.

Unfortunately, some organizations promote pseudoscience that doesn’t help anyone or anything. In a 2021 study, colleagues and I surveyed employees of 78 nonprofits that work on shark conservation issues to understand whether and how these organizations engaged with the science of shark conservation.

We found that a small but vocal minority had never read scientific reports or spoken with scientists, and held blatantly incorrect and harmful views that cannot help sharks. For example, some organizations are trying to get certain airlines to stop carrying shark products like dried fins, without acknowledging that well over 95% of fins are shipped by sea or that sustainable sources of these fins exist.

One of my particular pet peeves is amateur online petitions that may not reflect actual conditions. For example, in the spring of 2022, some 60,000 people signed a petition calling for Florida to ban the practice of shark finning – without recognizing that Florida had banned shark finning in the early 1990s. As I explain in my book, it is essential to identify organizations that use science in support of worthwhile conservation goals and avoid promoting others that do not.

Look to experts

Many ocean science, management and conservation experts are active on social media. Following them is a great way to learn about fascinating new scientific discoveries and conservation issues.

 

Unfortunately, sharks also get a lot of sensational coverage in the media, and well-intentioned but uninformed people often spread misinformation on social media. For example, you may have seen posts celebrating Hawaii for banning shark fishing in its waters – but these posts don’t note that about 99% of fishing in Hawaii occurs in federal waters.

Don’t take the bait. By getting your information from reliable sources, you can help other people learn more about these fascinating, ecologically important animals, why they need humans’ help and the most effective steps to take.

David Shiffman, Post-Doctoral and Research Scholar in Marine Biology, Arizona State University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

NASA’s Perseverance rover is well into its second science campaign, collecting rock-core samples from features within an area long considered by scientists to be a top prospect for finding signs of ancient microbial life on Mars.

The rover has collected four samples from an ancient river delta in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater since July 7, bringing the total count of scientifically compelling rock samples to 12.

“We picked the Jezero Crater for Perseverance to explore because we thought it had the best chance of providing scientifically excellent samples — and now we know we sent the rover to the right location,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science in Washington. “These first two science campaigns have yielded an amazing diversity of samples to bring back to Earth by the Mars Sample Return campaign.”

Twenty-eight miles wide, Jezero Crater hosts a delta — an ancient fan-shaped feature that formed about 3.5 billion years ago at the convergence of a Martian river and a lake.

Perseverance is currently investigating the delta’s sedimentary rocks, formed when particles of various sizes settled in the once-watery environment.

During its first science campaign, the rover explored the crater’s floor, finding igneous rock, which forms deep underground from magma or during volcanic activity at the surface.

“The delta, with its diverse sedimentary rocks, contrasts beautifully with the igneous rocks — formed from crystallization of magma — discovered on the crater floor,” said Perseverance project scientist Ken Farley of Caltech in Pasadena, California. “This juxtaposition provides us with a rich understanding of the geologic history after the crater formed and a diverse sample suite. For example, we found a sandstone that carries grains and rock fragments created far from Jezero Crater — and a mudstone that includes intriguing organic compounds.”

“Wildcat Ridge” is the name given to a rock about 3 feet (1 meter) wide that likely formed billions of years ago as mud and fine sand settled in an evaporating saltwater lake. On July 20, the rover abraded some of the surface of Wildcat Ridge so it could analyze the area with the instrument called Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals, or SHERLOC.

SHERLOC’s analysis indicates the samples feature a class of organic molecules that are spatially correlated with those of sulfate minerals.

Sulfate minerals found in layers of sedimentary rock can yield significant information about the aqueous environments in which they formed.

What Is organic matter?

Organic molecules consist of a wide variety of compounds made primarily of carbon and usually include hydrogen and oxygen atoms. They can also contain other elements, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur.

While there are chemical processes that produce these molecules that don’t require life, some of these compounds are the chemical building blocks of life.

The presence of these specific molecules is considered to be a potential biosignature — a substance or structure that could be evidence of past life but may also have been produced without the presence of life.

In 2013, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover found evidence of organic matter in rock-powder samples, and Perseverance has detected organics in Jezero Crater before.

But unlike that previous discovery, this latest detection was made in an area where, in the distant past, sediment and salts were deposited into a lake under conditions in which life could potentially have existed.

In its analysis of Wildcat Ridge, the SHERLOC instrument registered the most abundant organic detections on the mission to date.

“In the distant past, the sand, mud, and salts that now make up the Wildcat Ridge sample were deposited under conditions where life could potentially have thrived,” said Farley. “The fact the organic matter was found in such a sedimentary rock — known for preserving fossils of ancient life here on Earth — is important. However, as capable as our instruments aboard Perseverance are, further conclusions regarding what is contained in the Wildcat Ridge sample will have to wait until it’s returned to Earth for in-depth study as part of the agency’s Mars Sample Return campaign.”

The first step in the NASA-ESA (European Space Agency) Mars Sample Return campaign began when Perseverance cored its first rock sample in September 2021. Along with its rock-core samples, the rover has collected one atmospheric sample and two witness tubes, all of which are stored in the rover’s belly.

The geologic diversity of the samples already carried in the rover is so good that the rover team is looking into depositing select tubes near the base of the delta in about two months. After depositing the cache, the rover will continue its delta explorations.

“I’ve studied Martian habitability and geology for much of my career and know firsthand the incredible scientific value of returning a carefully collected set of Mars rocks to Earth,” said Laurie Leshin, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “That we are weeks from deploying Perseverance’s fascinating samples and mere years from bringing them to Earth so scientists can study them in exquisite detail is truly phenomenal. We will learn so much.”

More about the mission

A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including caching samples that may contain signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA, would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

For more about Perseverance visit https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/.