NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Sunday, Sept. 28 marks the 30 year anniversary of Snow Mountain Wilderness.

In 1984, Congress passed the California Wilderness Act, establishing 23 new wilderness areas including the 37,000-acre Snow Mountain Wilderness area in the Berryessa Snow Mountain region.

It later was enlarged to 60,076 acres with Congressman Mike Thompson’s North Coastal Wild Heritage Act of 2006.

Snow Mountain Wilderness is located in the Mendocino National Forest and includes Colusa, Glenn and Lake counties.

In the late 1960s, the U.S. Forest Service was actively building roads and logging the lower slopes of Snow Mountain.

Students at U.C. Davis, members of a group called Active Conservation Tactics (ACT) adopted Snow Mountain and began working with the local Sierra Club and other groups to seek wilderness designation for the area.

The ACT students quickly learned that the support of local government was essential to preserving the mountain. They discovered conservation-minded people in the rural counties who wanted to help.

Pear farmer Katherine Petterson became a key contact in Lake County, and in Glenn County Lisa Thompson, wife of a Forest Service engineer, began organizing wilderness backers. The women also made contacts with equestrian groups in Colusa County.

With students and locals working together, the boards of supervisors of all three counties passed resolutions endorsing a Snow Mountain Wilderness.

This strong support led Congressman Robert Leggett to introduce wilderness legislation in congress in 1971, and Senators Alan Cranston and John Tunney did the same in the U.S. Senate.

Even the state attorney general pitched in, filing a lawsuit to stop a timber sale the Forest Service had sold.

At the same time, the Forest Service was planning to build a major forest road across Snow Mountain just west of the summit.

It took until 1984 for Snow Mountain to be protected as a wilderness area, but the strong local support, legislation pending in Congress, and a settlement in the lawsuit filed by the state of California caused the Forest Service to stop their development plans for the mountain.

Summit Springs is a gorgeous trail that winds up to the East and West peaks of Snow Mountain. Towering at more than 7,000 feet elevation the breathtaking views overlook the lush splendor of the Mendocino National Forest. It’s truly worth the two- or three-hour drive.

The first portion of the trail is surrounded by gorgeous chaparral and native brush. As you ascend along the trail the scenery changes into pockets of blue oaks and conifer forest.

In June after the snow has melted the trail reveals an explosion of annual wildflowers. The snow melt from the summit of Snow Mountain drains water toward the Sacramento River on the east and the Eel River Basin on the west. 

Other neat sights on the trail include soft native meadows, natural streams, and outcrops of rich green serpentine, sandstone, and shale.

Snow Mountain was once a seamount in the Pacific Ocean. With plate tectonics it was subducted down 15 or 20 kilometers beneath the surface and then the top of this ancient volcano was uplifted to the surface where we see this impressive massif at 7000 feet elevation.

Here you can discover rare plants found nowhere else on the planet, as the area is part of California’s biological hotspot.

This is a place where plants and animals from the Bay Area region meet those of the Klamath Siskiyou region and rare and endemic plants are found on serpentine soils

In addition to hiking and backpacking, the remote backcountry of Snow Mountain Wilderness is perfect to explore on horseback.

You also will find many great options for camping, hunting and fishing. In order to minimize human impact, road construction, development, motorized travel and bicycles are prohibited.

In spring 2015, Tuleyome will host a camping and hiking trip to Snow Mountain Wilderness.

For more information, or to sign-up, visit www.tuleyome.org or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more information about permanent protection of the Berryessa-Snow Mountain region, please visit www.berryessasnowmountain.org .

Jim Eaton was a cofounder of the California Wilderness Coalition and worked on passage of the Snow Mountain Wilderness bill from its inception through passage in 1984. He is a Tuleyome Board member. Tuleyome is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the mission of protecting the wild and agricultural heritage of the Northern Inner Coast Range and Western Sacramento Valley for existing and future generations.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Celebrate National Public Lands Day – Saturday, Sept. 27 – right in your own backyard.

Lake County is one of the five counties included in the Berryessa Snow Mountain region comprised of 350,000-plus acres of federal public lands to be enjoyed.

The Berryessa Snow Mountain region stretches nearly one hundred miles from the shores of Lake Berryessa to the flanks of Snow Mountain in the Mendocino National Forest.

This undiscovered landscape provides wonderful opportunities to hike, horseback ride, and hunt, camp, fish, bird watch, use motorized vehicles on designated routes, enjoy both motorized and non-motorized boating, water recreation, and much more.

The Berryessa Snow Mountain region has a botanical biodiversity that makes it the center of the California global hot spot.

Come visit the blue oak woodlands, Shasta red fir forests, chaparral, rivers, riparian areas, and jaw dropping explosion of annual spring wildflowers.

This stunning outdoor wonderland provides habitat for nearly half of California’s dragonfly species, a wealth of butterflies, river otters, trout, tule elk, deer, mountain lions, bears, osprey, and California’s second largest population of wintering bald eagles.

Here are a few ways you can celebrate National Public Lands Day:

Go fishing: Sept. 27 also is National Hunting and Fishing Day. Check both celebrations on your list by going fishing in the Berryessa Snow Mountain region. Putah Creek is a great place to practice your catch and release fishing for wild trout. Don’t forget to only use artificial flies and lures with barbless hooks.

Sign-up for a hike or trail day: Tuleyome has an exciting list of hikes and trail days coming up in the Berryessa Snow Mountain region. These events are free to the public and led by experienced hike docents. Learn more about these hikes at www.tuleyome.org and sign up online at www.MeetUp.com/Tuleyome-Home-Place-Adventures .

Ask President Obama to take action: Permanent protection of this quintessential piece of California’s wild outdoor heritage will improve coordination between federal agencies, help adjustments to climate change, keep our water clean and provide additional federal funding opportunities for conservation management, invasive species eradication, and recreational enhancement. Ask President Obama to permanently protect the Berryessa Snow Mountain region by signing a postcard of support at www.berryessasnowmountain.org .

Upcoming Tuleyome hikes and trail days in the Berryessa Snow Mountain Region:

Hikes

– Saturday, Oct. 18.
– Saturday, Dec. 6: Berryessa Peak Hike.
– Saturday, Jan. 10: Cold Canyon Hike.
– Saturday, Feb. 7: High Bridge Trail.
– Saturday, April 11: Redbud Trail.
– Saturday, May 2: Berryessa Snow Mountain wildflower tour.
– Saturday, June 6, to Sunday, June 7: Snow Mountain camping trip (weather permitting).

Trail days

– Dec. 20: Volunteer trail restoration day at Stebbins Cold Canyon.
– Jan. 24: Volunteer trail restoration day at Stebbins Cold Canyon.
– Feb. 21: Volunteer trail restoration day at Stebbins Cold Canyon.
– March 21: Volunteer trail restoration day at Stebbins Cold Canyon.
– April 18: Volunteer trail restoration day at Stebbins Cold Canyon.
– May 16: Volunteer trail restoration day at Stebbins Cold Canyon.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The members of the Lake County Symphony Association Fundraising Committee has come up with a new way to have fun while raising funds for the organization.  

It’s what’s hoped to be an annual affair called “The Harvest BBQ and Dance,” slated this year for Saturday, Oct. 11, at Rancho de la Fuente, located at 2290 Soda Bay Road in Lakeport, just south of Konocti Vista Casino.

“This dinner dance promises to be one of the major social events of the year for our organization,” said association President Ed Bublitz.

Bublitz said income generated from the event will help to support the Lake County Symphony and Youth Orchestra, as well as string programs for beginning and intermediate musicians.

Music for the dance will be provided by the LC Diamonds, one of Lake County’s most popular bands, while dinner will feature barbecued pulled pork with all the trimmings, prepared by the staff of Yuba College Culinary Department.  

Beer and wine will be available at a no-host bar. A raffle will offer a tub holding a wide selection of Lake County’s finest wines as the prize.

Space is limited so Lake County Symphony Association members are urged to get their reservations early.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. with dinner served from 6 to 6:45 p.m.

Music will start at 7 p.m., with dancing until 10 p.m.

Cost for the dinner dance is $45 per person.

Reservations can be made online at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by calling 707-277-8172.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control continues to have a full house of dogs available for adoption this week.

Mixes of basset hound, border collie, boxer, Labrador Retriever and pit bull are ready to go to new homes.

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”).

Basset hound-pit bull mix pup

This pup is a mix of basset hound and pit bull.

He has a short black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 2B, ID No. 577.

Basset hound-pit bull mix pup

This female pup is a mix of basset hound and pit bull.

She has a short black and white coat.

She is in kennel No. 2C, ID No. 581.

Basset hound-pit bull mix pup

This female pup is a mix of basset hound and pit bull.

She has a short white coat with black markings.

She is in kennel No. 2D, ID No. 584.

Basset hound-pit bull mix pup

This female pup is a mix of basset hound and pit bull.

She has a short black coat with white markings.

She is in kennel No. 2E, ID No. 673.

'Dot'

“Dot” is a border collie and pit bull mix puppy.

She has a short white coat with black markings.

She's in kennel No. 3a, ID No. 674.

'Lefty'

“Lefty” is a young male Labrador Retriever and shepherd mix.

He has a short buff and tan coat.

Lefty is in kennel No. 11, ID No. 666.

'Aces'

“Aces” is a female pit bull terrier mix.

She has a short coat with beautiful markings.

Information was not posted on her age or if she has been altered.

She is in kennel No. 24, ID No. 573.

'Bessie'

“Bessie” is a basset hound pit bull terrier mix.

Shelter staff said she is a very sweet dog that came in with puppies that are now big enough to be on their own.

She loves to be with people and would make a great family companion.

Bessie is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 574.

Boxer-pit bull mix

Shelter staff said this female boxer-pit bull mix is a very mellow, sweet dog who is good with other dogs.

She would fit well in most household situations with children age 10 and over.

She's in kennel No. 27, ID No. 559.

'Hank'

“Hank” is a male pit bull terrier mix.

Shelter staff said he is great with other dogs. He is very playful but calms down quickly.

He needs training with basic manners but he is a quick learner and would make a good family pet for a family with children age 5 and above.

Hank is in kennel No. 28, ID No. 672.

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.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Fire restrictions on the Mendocino National Forest were lifted at 6 p.m. Friday as a result of recent rains and lower temperatures in the area.

Visitors with a valid California Campfire Permit will once again be able to have fires outside of designated campgrounds, including wilderness areas.

The fire restrictions were put in place June 17 due to increased fire danger and hot, dry weather.

“The Mendocino National Forest has been very fortunate this season to not have a large wildfire, despite hot weather and ongoing drought conditions,” said Forest Supervisor Sherry Tune. “This success is largely due to the care taken by our visitors with campfires, stoves and anything that can create a spark. We want to thank our visitors and ask that they continue to help us prevent human-caused wildfires by being vigilant when recreating or traveling in the forest.”

Despite the change in weather, fire season is not officially over.

Visitors are asked to continue to be careful when using campfires, charcoal fires and gas stoves in the National Forest.

When you have a campfire, please do the following:

– Clear all flammable material away from the fire for a minimum of 5 feet in all directions to prevent escape of the fire.
– Have a shovel available at the campfire site for preparing and extinguishing campfires.
– Have a responsible person in attendance at all times.
– Extinguish campfire with water, drowning the fire, stirring the coals and ash, and feeling for heat or warm spots; continue the process until the coals and ash are cold.

Campfire permits are available free of charge from any Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management or Cal Fire offices, including the Mendocino National Forest.

For more information, please contact the forest at 530-934-3316 or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposal to eliminate mercury pollution from dental offices nationwide.

These new Clean Water Act standards would cut discharges of dental amalgam – a mixture of mercury and other metals that dentists use to fill cavities.

Under this proposal, dentists must use devices to remove mercury and other toxic metals before they go down the drain.

“This proposed rule would cut mercury and toxic metal discharges to public wastewater systems by at least 8.8 tons a year nationwide,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s regional administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “Bay Area communities already require dentists to use amalgam capture devices and have seen their mercury pollution levels drop nearly 75 percent. Now the rest of California and the nation will see these same benefits.”

About half the mercury that enters public water treatment systems comes from dental offices that do not use amalgam separators.

When mercury from amalgam is discharged into water bodies, it can be transformed into methylmercury, a highly toxic form of mercury that builds up in fish, shellfish and fish-eating animals.

People can be harmed by methylmercury when they eat contaminated fish and shellfish. Methylmercury is a neurotoxin which impairs brain and nervous system development and function.

Many states and local wastewater districts have started mercury pollution control programs that require amalgam separators in dentist offices. Amalgam separators remove 90 to 95 percent of mercury and other metal waste.

Under the San Francisco Bay Regional Watershed Mercury control program, virtually all Bay Area cities and public water systems have successful mandatory dental amalgam separator programs, but this is not the case in most other communities and states.

EPA estimates that up to 120,000 dental offices in the U.S. use or dispose of amalgam fillings that contain mercury. Almost all of these offices discharge to sanitary sewers that flow to wastewater treatment plants.

While most offices use some practices to reduce amalgam discharges to the sewers, they are not nearly as effective as amalgam separators.

Because 40 to 50 percent of dentists across the country already use amalgam separators thanks to state and local programs, the new rule may result in installation of separators in up to 60,000 dental offices nationwide.

EPA estimates put the total annual cost of the proposed rule at $44 million to $49 million and a new streamlining proposal will cut state and local oversight costs by a similar amount.

This action is one way the U.S. is meeting the goals of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international environmental agreement that addresses human activities contributing to widespread mercury pollution. 

EPA will accept public comments on the proposal for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register and expects to finalize the rule in September 2015.

For more information visit http://water.epa.gov/scitech/wastetech/guide/dental/ .

NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft successfully entered Mars’ orbit Sept. 21, where it now will prepare to study the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere as never done before. MAVEN is the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the tenuous upper atmosphere of Mars.

“As the first orbiter dedicated to studying Mars’ upper atmosphere, MAVEN will greatly improve our understanding of the history of the Martian atmosphere, how the climate has changed over time, and how that has influenced the evolution of the surface and the potential habitability of the planet,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “It also will better inform a future mission to send humans to the Red Planet in the 2030s.”

After a 10-month journey, confirmation of successful orbit insertion was received from MAVEN data observed at the Lockheed Martin operations center in Littleton, Colo., as well as from tracking data monitored at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) navigation facility in Pasadena, Calif.

The telemetry and tracking data were received by NASA’s Deep Space Network antenna station in Canberra, Australia.

“NASA has a long history of scientific discovery at Mars and the safe arrival of MAVEN opens another chapter,” said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of the NASA Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington. “Maven will complement NASA’s other Martian robotic explorers – and those of our partners around the globe – to answer some fundamental questions about Mars and life beyond Earth.”

Following orbit insertion, MAVEN will begin a six-week commissioning phase that includes maneuvering into its final science orbit and testing the instruments and science-mapping commands.

MAVEN then will begin its one Earth-year primary mission, taking measurements of the composition, structure and escape of gases in Mars’ upper atmosphere and its interaction with the sun and solar wind.

“It's taken 11 years from the original concept for MAVEN to now having a spacecraft in orbit at Mars,” said Bruce Jakosky, MAVEN principal investigator with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU/LASP). “I'm delighted to be here safely and successfully, and looking forward to starting our science mission.”

The primary mission includes five “deep-dip” campaigns, in which MAVEN’s periapsis, or lowest orbit altitude, will be lowered from 93 miles (150 kilometers) to about 77 miles (125 kilometers).

These measurements will provide information down to where the upper and lower atmospheres meet, giving scientists a full profile of the upper tier.

“This was a very big day for MAVEN,” said David Mitchell, MAVEN project manager from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland.  “We’re very excited to join the constellation of spacecraft in orbit at Mars and on the surface of the Red Planet.  The commissioning phase will keep the operations team busy for the next six weeks, and then we’ll begin, at last, the science phase of the mission.  Congratulations to the team for a job well done today.”

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

The International Space Station has been called a stepping stone to other worlds.

NASA hasn't forgotten, however, that the behemoth space station is also on the doorstep of Earth.

“We're seeing the space station come into its own as an Earth-observing platform,” said Julie Robinson, chief scientist for the International Space Station Program. “It has a different orbit than other Earth-observing satellites. It's closer to Earth, and it sees Earth at different times of day with a different schedule.”

In short, the space station offers something unique to the study of our home planet.

Sometimes astronauts in low Earth orbit to see what regular satellites do not. In May 2013 for example, astronauts on board the International Space Station photographed a fresh eruption of the Pavlof Volcano in the Aleutian Islands.

Their oblique perspective revealed the three dimensional structure of the ash plume, which was only 20,000 feet high, but many times longer. Down-looking satellites could not get the same kind of 3D information.

Low Earth orbit turns out to be a great place to study the planet below. In recent years astronauts trained to photograph Earth have gathered data on desert dust, coral reefs, urban growth, pollution, glaciers, hurricanes, lightning, river deltas, volcanic plumes, Northern and Southern Lights and much more.

Now, however, NASA is taking the space station's Earth-observing capabilities to a whole new level. Before the end of the decade, six NASA Earth science instruments will be mounted to the station to help scientists study our changing planet.

The upgrades began this month: On Sept. 20, a SpaceX resupply rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral carrying the first NASA Earth-observing instrument to be mounted on the exterior of the space station: ISS-RapidScat will monitor ocean winds for climate research, weather predictions and hurricane science.

Next up is the Cloud-Aerosol Transport System – “CATS” for short – a laser radar that can measure clouds along with airborne particles such as pollution, mineral dust, and smoke. CATS will follow ISS-RapidScat on another SpaceX flight targeted for December.

Two more Earth science instruments are slated to launch in 2016. First, SAGE III will measure ozone and other gases in the upper atmosphere to help scientists assess how the ozone layer is recovering. Second, the Lightning Imaging Sensor will monitor thunderstorm activity around the globe.

Those instruments are already built and ready to fly. In July, NASA selected proposals for two new instruments: The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation, “GEDI,” and the ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station, “ECOSTRESS,” will give scientists new ways to observe how forests and ecosystems are affected by climate change. Both will be completed before the end of the decade.

Stephen Volz, associate director of flight programs in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters explains the rapid pace of new sensors: “With the space station we don't have to build a whole new spacecraft to gather new data – it's already there. Designing instruments for the space station also gives us a chance to do high-risk, high-return instruments in a relatively economical way.”

The biggest spacecraft in Earth orbit is now paying serious attention to our home planet. For more news from low-Earth orbit, stay tuned to http://science.nasa.gov/ .

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

NICE, Calif. – A Napa woman suffered major injuries Wednesday night when she was hit by a vehicle on Highway 20.

Laurel Johnson, 23, was struck on Highway 20 west of Howard Avenue in Nice, according to a report from the California Highway Patrol's Clear Lake Area office.

At 7:40 p.m. Wednesday Gerald Stahr, 78, of Stonyford was driving his 2006 Chevrolet eastbound at an unknown speed in the rain, the CHP said.

Johnson, who was wearing a camouflage dress, appeared to be walking eastbound on the highway in the eastbound lane, not crossing the highway. There is no crosswalk in the area where she was hit, the CHP said.

“Due to the dark, rainy conditions, and the fact that Johnson was wearing dark-colored clothes, Stahr was late to observe her walking in the lane to the front of his vehicle,” the report said.

Stahr applied the brakes and swerved to the left but was not able to avoid hitting Johnson, the CHP said.

Johnson's head struck the windshield of Stahr's vehicle, and then she rolled off and under the vehicle as it came to a stop, according to the report.

The CHP said she suffered unknown head trauma and lacerations and was transported from the scene. Stahr was not injured.

Radio reports indicated a Northshore Fire ambulance transported her to Sutter Lakeside Hospital.

When contacted by Lake County News on Thursday with a request for a condition update on Johnson, hospital officials said they could not provide it due to privacy laws.

Officer Glen Thomas is investigating the crash.

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. – U.S. Reps. Mike Thompson (CA-5) and John Garamendi (CA-3) on Friday announced a $372,923 School Climate Transformation Grant from the Department of Education for the Lake County Office of Education.

The School Climate Transformation Grant is a federal program designed to help make schools safer and improve mental health services for students and young adults.

“A safe, high-quality learning environment goes hand-in-hand with a high-quality learning experience,” said Thompson. “The classroom should always be a place where students come to learn, grow and prepare for their future. And the programs these grants support will help make sure our students are in the best possible environment for educational success.”

“This grant will help improve the learning environment for Lake County students. Every child deserves a secure and productive learning environment, and it’s important for us to directly address behavioral and mental health issues before they get out of hand,” Garamendi said. “Students in school should be focused on graduation and preparing for their futures, not on distractions in the classroom that can be avoided. I look forward to seeing the results of this important program.”

Rob Young, author of the School Climate Grant and director of the new program, said, “We are incredibly excited about this opportunity to develop proven and powerful programs that can mean better futures for Lake County students.  This comprehensive program gives us the resources we need for systems changes that help us achieve our number one priority: successful students who are coming to school ready to learn and graduating ready to succeed.”

The School Climate Transformation Grant provides funds to school districts that will be used to develop, enhance, or expand systems of support for implementing evidence-based, multi-tiered behavioral frameworks for improving behavioral outcomes and learning conditions for students.

The goals of the program are to connect children, youths, and families to appropriate services and supports; improve conditions for learning and behavioral outcomes for school-aged youths; and increase awareness of and the ability to respond to mental-health issues among school-aged youths.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Residents around Lake County welcomed the rain that arrived on Wednesday and Thursday, although the amounts did little to improve the local drought outlook.

The latest rainfall totals showed that the Boggs Mountain area led in total rain, reporting 0.51 of an inch through the 24-hour period ending at 3 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.

Other amounts reported through Thursday afternoon included 0.18 of an inch on Mt. Konocti, 0.21 inch at the Indian Valley Reservoir, 0.23 inch at Wilbur Springs, 0.24 inch at Witter Springs, 0.25 inch at Hough Springs, 0.28 inch in Hidden Valley Lake, 0.29 inch in Lakeport, 0.30 inch in Lower Lake, 0.42 on Cow Mountain Ridge, 0.46 inch in Pine Grove and 0.48 inch at the High Glade Lookout.

So far, the rainfall hasn't appeared to have had any impact on the level of Clear Lake, which on Thursday night was at -0.43 feet Rumsey, the special measure used just for the lake.

According to data from the Yolo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District – which controls the main water rights to Clear Lake – there has been 10.47 inches of precipitation impacting the lake to date this year, compared to 22.84 inches at this time in 2013.

Similarly, the Indian Valley Reservoir – which also provides water for Yolo Flood – reported no impact from the recent rain on the reservoir, where there has been 10.75 inches of rain to date, compared to 16.87 inches by September 2013.

The latest US Drought Monitor report, released Thursday, continues to list most of California – including Lake County – in the “exceptional” drought category, with more than 51 million people affected by the drought conditions.

In Lake County, there still is some possibility of more rain on Friday, according to the forecast.

The National Weather Service is predicting a 20-percent chance of showers during the night and nighttime hours Friday around most of Lake County, with the weather to clear over the weekend and through next week.

Temperatures over the coming week are expected to top out in the low 80s during the day and the high 50s during the night, with some light winds expected, according to the forecast.

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's participation in the annual statewide Coastal Cleanup removed more than four times as much trash from local waterways as it did last year, thanks to a record number of volunteers.

The 30th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day, held Saturday morning, had an estimated 850 cleanup sites across the state, according to the California Coastal Commission, which sponsors the cleanup.

Lake – which had four focus sites – was one of 55 counties that participated in the cleanup, which the commission said is state's largest volunteer event.

Statewide, with 75 percent of the cleanup sites reporting, the Coastal Commission said there were 54,124 volunteers who picked up 576,571 pounds of trash and 109,494 pounds of recyclable materials, for a total of 686,065 pounds or 343 tons.

The cleanup doesn't just focus on the coast, but also inland waters like Clear Lake and local creeks.

“It was absolutely outstanding,” said Carolyn Ruttan, invasive species program coordinator for Lake County Water Resources, who organized the local cleanup.

The county of Lake had three gathering sites for volunteers: Holiday Harbor in Nice, the Big Oak Shopping Center in Clearlake Oaks and the Lake County Fire Protection District station in Clearlake, with Shady Acres Campground in Clearlake sponsoring a fourth location.

Across those four sites there were 55 volunteers, a number “way higher than we've ever had,” said Ruttan.

Ruttan said the Saturday cleanup covered 14 miles of creek and lakeside.

Those 55 volunteers collected 8,700 pounds of trash, which included 200 pounds of recyclables, and filled 71 trash bags, Ruttan said.

For comparison, the 2013 event had three dozen volunteers who removed 1,680 pounds of trash and recyclables.

She said volunteers removed 90 tires and hundreds of feet of fishing line.

Despite the fact that Redbud Audubon Society has set up fishing line receptacles at docks around Clear Lake, “We need to do more about fishing line,” Ruttan said, noting it “gets entrapped in all these gorgeous critters that are using our lake,” often killing them.

Among the big finds was an aluminum boat volunteers pulled from the lake, as well as a shopping cart, a lot of clothing, three car batteries – “I've no idea how they wound up in the lake,” Ruttan said – and disintegrating dock floats.

Ruttan found two-thirds of a $20 bill near the Clearlake fire station gathering site, adding she intends to frame it as a memento of the cleanup.

The Coastal Commission said the winners of the 2014 Most Unusual Item contest included a volunteer in Ventura County who found a polar bear costume on the coast, and for inland California, a volunteer in San Joaquin County found a preserved blowfish ornament.

Based on data from past cleanups, the commission said that 60 to 80 percent of the debris on California's beaches and shorelines is made up of single-use disposable plastic items that originate on land, traveling through storm drains, creeks, or rivers to the beaches and ocean.

This year the Coastal Commission also continued an effort, initiated during the 2010 Coastal Cleanup, to reduce the environmental footprint of the cleanup.

The commission reported that it asked volunteers to bring their own reusable bag or bucket and reusable gloves to the event, rather than using the single-use disposable plastic items that were available at every site.

Thanks to this effort, the commission was able to order almost 50,000 fewer trash bags for this year’s event than in prior years, and early reports indicate that the popularity of the effort is growing.

The latest reports show that 11,489 volunteers brought at least one reusable item from home for use during this year’s cleanup, the commission 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.