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Bikes lined up and ready for their new owners at a past Bike Angels giveaway. Courtesy photo.


CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Bike Angels United is planning its seventh giveaway for fire survivors and children in need this fall.

The giveaway for survivors of the Pawnee fire and Mendocino Complex will take place at the Clearlake Oaks Moose Lodge on Saturday, Nov. 10.

Bike Angels is an all-volunteer group formed by Candy Alcott of Livermore.

Alcott’s original goal was to bring joy to the families and children affected by the 2015 Valley fire.

Since then, the group has continued its giveaways in response to the other wildfire disasters the county has endured.

Alcott said that hundreds of people have continued to support the group’s efforts for three years.

Now, they’re asking for more support as they prepare for their November giveaway.

Bicycles, new or gently used, and new helmets are needed.

Donations are also needed to fix bikes for the November giveaway.

Alcott said new bikes and helmets can be purchased online at www.walmart.com and shipped to the Clearlake Walmart (store No. 1979) for Bike Angels United. The order confirmation number should then be messaged to Alcott or to the Bike Angels United Facebook page.

For more information call Alcott at 850-375-8492 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or on Facebook contact Bike Angels United.
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Marijuana plants found in a hoop house-style greenhouse in Lower Lake, Calif., on Wednesday, August 29, 2018. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.


LOWER LAKE, Calif. – This week Lake County Sheriff’s narcotics detectives arrested two men and a juvenile while serving a search warrant at an illegal marijuana grow in Lower Lake.

On Wednesday, the detectives served a search warrant in the 8800 block of Highway 29, according to a report from Lt. Corey Paulich.

When detectives made entry to the property through a locked gate they were confronted by two armed Hispanic males who were later identified as Carlos Cabadazazueta, 44, of Ukiah and Guillermo Cabadadelaherran, 19, of Lower Lake, Paulich said.

Paulich said Cabadadelaherran was armed with a 20-gauge shotgun and Cabadazazueta was armed with a .40-caliber handgun. After numerous verbal commands both suspects put down their guns.

While searching the property, detectives located a 16-year-old Hispanic male hiding in the brush who was in possession of more than $4,700, Paulich said.

From left, Carlos Cabadazazueta, 44, of Ukiah, Calif., and Guillermo Cabadadelaherran, 19, of Lower Lake, Calif., were arrested on Wednesday, August 29, 2018, in Lower Lake, Calif., for keeping a place to sell controlled substance, being armed while committing a felony, employing person under 21 to sell marijuana, cultivation of marijuana, and possession of marijuana for sale. A 16-year-old male juvenile also was arrested at that time. Lake County Jail photos.


On the property, Paulich said detectives located growing marijuana plants and three hoop style greenhouses that contained additional marijuana plants.

Detectives eradicated 858 marijuana plants and seized $5,493, Paulich said.

Cabadazazueta and Cabadadelaherran were both arrested and booked into custody for keeping a place to sell controlled substance, being armed while committing a felony, employing person under 21 to sell marijuana, cultivation of marijuana and possession of marijuana for sale, according to Paulich.

Paulich said the male juvenile also was taken into custody and turned over to juvenile probation for processing.

Due to the condition of the property detectives contacted Lake County Code Enforcement and requested they conduct an inspection, Paulich said.

Marijuana plants found growing outdoors in Lower Lake, Calif., on Wednesday, August 29, 2018. Photo courtesy of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
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The Mendocino Complex as mapped on Friday, Aug. 31, 2018. Map courtesy of Cal Fire.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Firefighters continue to strengthen lines around the Mendocino Complex in an effort to have the incident fully contained this weekend.

The Mendocino Complex remained at 459,102 acres and 93 percent containment as of Friday morning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The Ranch fire is still at 410,182 acres and 93 percent containment, officials said. The River five was fully contained earlier this month at 48,920 acres.

It’s expected the complex will be fully contained on Saturday, fire officials said.

The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and California Interagency Incident Management Team 3 under Incident Commander Mark von Tillow, which is managing the complex, said 1,494 personnel, 56 engines, 39 hand crews, three helicopters and 25 dozers remain assigned to the incident.

The team’s Friday reports said two areas of the Ranch Fire remain the highest priority for suppression operations.

On Friday, officials said firefighters monitored burning vegetation inside the perimeter of the fire and extinguished hot spots along firelines near Little Round Mountain in the north and around Fouts Springs west of Stonyford.

The critical work of suppression repair to firelines constructed over the past month continues in all parts of the Ranch fire, the report said

Friday’s map of the fire showed that there are two areas of uncontrolled fire edge, noted on the map in red – one is north of Fouts Springs, from northern Colusa into southern Glenn County, and the other is to the northeast of Lake Pillsbury.

Hazy skies with moderate to light smoke impacts are expected Saturday. Officials said lingering smoke will move lower to the ground in the late morning as the inversion breaks. This will bring moderate smoke levels to communities closest to the fire such as Potter Valley, Stonyford/Elk Creek, the Clear Lake area and possibly Ukiah.

Light west and north winds will drift haze over regional zones east and south over the southern Sacramento Valley where light to moderate smoke impacts are expected, according to the Forest Service.

A smoke forecast can be found here: https://wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlooks/MendocinoNationalForest-SacramentoValleyArea.

Forest officials said Forest Order No. 08-18-14, covering the southern part of the Mendocino National Forest, remains in effect. All roads and areas described within the order remain closed to the general public. Homeowners with proof of residency are permitted to access their property within the closure area.

The northern half of the Mendocino National Forest remains open and can be accessed via Forest Highway 7.

The forest areas around Plaskett Meadows and Hammerhorn Lake are open for recreation activities. The Yolla Bolly-Middle Eel Wilderness is also open for recreation, forest officials reported.

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Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of television. Public domain image.

It is the unfortunate reality of the universe that life is not fair.

The world has no obligation to make our stay on it any better or worse than where our own actions take us.

For some people, life is a terrible thing to happen to them. For others, who learn to bend with the pressures of life rather than break, it holds limitless possibilities.

Take, by way of example, the little-known inventor Philo Farnsworth.

Philo was born in a log cabin in Indian Creek, Utah, in 1906. Stories tell us that from the time he could talk, he was asking questions about gadgets.

At 11, the boy and his family loaded up several wagons and made the long journey to Idaho, where they hoped to set up a new life.

On the way north, they stopped in Salt Lake City, where the electric street lights, cars and telephone wires set the young inquisitive boy agog with wonder.

The Farnsworths stayed a few years at an uncle's farm, which had electricity for light, heat and equipment.

It was while living here that Philo discovered his passion for tinkering and he routinely fixed the old generator and mechanical farm equipment on the farm.

His bedroom in the attic was full of science magazines, his favorite being Hugo Gernsback's “Science and Invention.”

He avidly followed the results of the magazine’s ongoing competition whereby readers from throughout the country submitted their inventions for consideration.

The magazine editors awarded prizes to the most spectacular inventions devised by their readership.

When he was 15 years old, his family moved out of his uncle’s house and onto their very own farm.

Shortly thereafter, Philo won Gernsback's first prize of $25 for best reader invention – he had built a magnetic car clock.

When he came of age, Philo attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where his family had recently moved. Unfortunately, when his father died suddenly a few years later, Philo dropped out of university to care for his now struggling family.

But that didn’t stop him from tinkering, and not long after dropping out of college, Philo attracted the attention of two investors.

With funding from these men, Philo moved with his new wife to a laboratory in San Francisco. It would be here that he would create his greatest invention to date.

For years, the young man had been kicking around the idea of transmitting images across space electronically.

The notion itself was nothing new and, in fact, other inventors throughout the world were struggling to develop just such a device – most notably, the Russian-born inventor Vladimir Zworykin at Westinghouse Electric Corp. in Pittsburgh.

The race was on to develop the world’s first feasible television set.

On Sept. 7, 1927, in his small laboratory in San Francisco, Philo placed a slide containing an image of a triangle in front of a machine he called an Image Dissector.

Retreating to a back room, Philo gathered around a receiving tube and pressed the button to commence the experiment. As he watched, one line of the triangle appeared in a small bluish square of light on the receiver – he had done it, he had invented television.

If he thought fortune and fame would soon be his, Philo was sorely mistaken. The age of the idealist-inventor-turned-businessman was past. It was up to capitalists, not the inventor, to fully harness the possibilities of new inventions.

That, at least, is how David Sarnoff saw things. Sarnoff was the president of Radio Corporation of America, more commonly known as RCA, the biggest radio company in the nation.

When news reached him of this Philo Farnsworth and his unbelievable device, Sarnoff knew he had to control it. So, the businessman sent along Vladimir Zworykin, the Russian inventor who now worked for RCA.

The Farnsworth image dissector tube. Public domain image.


Zworykin approached his fellow inventor with RCA’s offer of $100,000 for the rights of the television – an amount of money equivalent to roughly $1.5 million today. But this Utahan farm-boy had more guile in him that Sarnoff had supposed, and he obstinately refused to sell his brainchild for so cheap a price.

So Sarnoff resorted to the favorite weapon of all capitalists – the courts. Suing Philo for supposed copyright infringement, Sarnoff hoped to bog down the inventor in a sea of lawyer bills and complicated legal briefs. Philo was equally determined, however, and he travelled to Europe to drum up investors and when he returned to America, he gave Sarnoff the fight of his life.

After nearly a decade of court battles, Sarnoff recognized that his profit margins were quickly dissipating. In 1939, he caved and offered Philo Farnsworth a $1 million, multi-year licensing agreement for his device.

Sticking to his guns had allowed Philo to holdout and instead of a one-time payment of $100,000, he received what in today’s equivalent would be $16.8 million for licensing alone.

Despite his achievements, Philo Farnsworth never received the acclaim he so deserved. In 1957, he was a mystery guest on the game show “I’ve Got a Secret.” A panel of celebrities peppered him with questions about his secret, but failed to guess what it was: “I invented the television.”

Philo’s prize for stumping the panel was $80 and a carton of cigarettes.

No, life isn’t fair – even for those, like Philo, who fight for the just purpose of receiving due rewards.

But, we can take heart in the story of Philo Farnsworth. He, at least, was able to assuage the injuries done to him by impartial Fate with $16.8 million.

Antone Pierucci is curator of history at the Riverside County Park and Open Space District and a freelance writer whose work has been featured in such magazines as Archaeology and Wild West as well as regional California newspapers.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This week, Congressman John Garamendi (D-Davis, Fairfield, Yuba City) sent a letter with 12 of his California Democratic colleagues to the Federal Trade Commission calling for an investigation into Verizon for slowing the download speeds of the Santa Clara County Fire Department’s “unlimited” data plan after it hit a “data cap” while it was battling the Mendocino Complex fire, the largest wildfire in California history.

Specifically, Garamendi and his colleagues are asking the FTC to determine whether Verizon’s practices were ‘unfair’ or ‘deceptive’ pursuant to Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

“Diminishing the download speeds of data that our firefighters rely upon to coordinate and deploy resources to fight active wildfires is unconscionable. The Mendocino Complex fire is threatening numerous communities throughout my district, including Lake County, which has experienced eight wildfires over the past three years. Any delay in firefighting efforts could be a disaster for my constituents, and we must ensure our first responders have unabated access to the services they rely upon to keep our communities safe,” Garamendi said.

“I’m calling upon the FTC to investigate this matter and determine whether Verizon is misleading customers in the services they offer, and to identify remedies that can prevent events like this from occurring in the future. I would like to thank Congresswoman Eshoo for coordinating this letter, and many of my California Democratic colleagues who joined us in this effort,” Garamendi concluded.

The letter was also signed by Representatives Nancy Pelosi (CA-11), Anna Eshoo (CA-18), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-11), Jared Huffman (CA-2), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Zoe Lofgren (CA-19), Doris Matsui (CA-6), Jerry McNerney (CA-9), Jimmy Panetta (CA-20), Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Mike Thompson (CA-5).
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Sharon Foley, 67, of Kelseyville, Calif. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Authorities said that they have located and recovered what evidence so far suggests is the body of a woman who was reported missing from Lake County nearly two months ago.

The Ford Crown Victoria belonging to Kelseyville resident Sharon Foley, along with human remains, was discovered earlier this week on private property in a remote, forested area of Sierra County, according to Sgt. Mike Fisher of the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office.

A family member reported Foley, 67, missing to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on July 9, six days after she was last seen.

She also had gone missing for a few days in early May but was quickly located, as Lake County News has reported.

When she was reported missing in July, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said she suffered from depression and bipolar disorder and hadn’t been taking her medications, and that she couldn’t walk on her own, but could drive a vehicle.

Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office told Lake County News that on Monday the agency was notified by the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office that a deceased female believed to be Foley was located in a rural area of that county.

Fisher, the supervising sergeant on the investigation as well as Sierra County’s sheriff-elect, said that on Monday afternoon the Sierra County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a forester who had been doing some work on a remote piece of property in that county’s western portion.

The forester came across a white Ford Crown Victoria and thought it was suspicious. When he approached the vehicle, he found what he believed to be human remains, Fisher said.

With there being no cell service, the forester went to get the property owner and together the two of them went to find an area of cell coverage to call authorities, according to Fisher.

Fisher said he and two deputies responded out to the location, which he said is about a 40-minute drive on dirt roads to the east of Camptonville, the closest town, located in neighboring Yuba County.

Once on scene, Fisher said they were able to confirm that the vehicle was Foley’s 2009 Ford Crown Victoria – the same vehicle in which the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said she had left her home on July 3 – and matched the license plate, 6FYP475.

During their subsequent investigation of the scene, Fisher said they located human remains.

“We believe it to be that of Sharon Foley but we have not made positive identification,” he said.

Fisher said they don’t believe there was foul play. Rather, it appears that Foley’s car became stuck and she succumbed to the elements. She had been dead for some time, he added.

He said it appeared that Foley had traveled a series of Forest Service roads before turning off onto the private property.

“We run into this a little more in the winter time,” he said, noting that one of the area’s main highways on its far east side is Interstate 80 between Truckee and Reno. In those cases, if there is a highway closure, people can get off course when their GPS directs them to alternate routes through remote territory.

But that didn’t appear to be the case here, with there being no sign of a GPS, he said.

The vehicle was found on an unmaintained road that the property owner doesn’t often travel, Fisher said.

In examining the car, Fisher said Foley did not have her wheelchair with her, which she needed because she couldn’t walk. She also didn’t have a cell phone. Without the ability to walk out or to signal for help, Foley was trapped.

Fisher said the car was open, and the remains appeared to have been disturbed by animals.

The remains were sent to the Placer County Medical Examiner’s office for an autopsy. Fisher said they will essentially catalog what was recovered and collect DNA samples to confirm the identity.

The car also was removed from the scene, he said.

Fisher said Foley’s family has been notified of the discovery.

While they haven’t so far positively identified the individual, “Based on the evidence at scene, we were confident enough to give the family some closure,” Fisher said.

He said it may take another month to get DNA results back from the California Department of Justice.

If there is a delay, they will consult a forensic odontologist in the Bay Area, who will use dental records for the identification, he said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.
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About 11 months before the current dust storm enveloped the rover, Opportunity took five images that were turned into a mosaic showing a view from inside the upper end of "Perseverance Valley" on the inner slope of Endeavour Crater's western rim. The images were taken on July 7, 2017. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

A planet-encircling dust storm on Mars, which was first detected May 30 and halted operations for the Opportunity rover, continues to abate.

With clearing skies over Opportunity’s resting spot in Mars’ Perseverance Valley, engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, believe the nearly 15-year-old, solar-powered rover will soon receive enough sunlight to automatically initiate recovery procedures – if the rover is able to do so.

To prepare, the Opportunity mission team has developed a two-step plan to provide the highest probability of successfully communicating with the rover and bringing it back online.

“The Sun is breaking through the haze over Perseverance Valley, and soon there will be enough sunlight present that Opportunity should be able to recharge its batteries,” said John Callas, Opportunity project manager at JPL. “When the tau level [a measure of the amount of particulate matter in the Martian sky] dips below 1.5, we will begin a period of actively attempting to communicate with the rover by sending it commands via the antennas of NASA’s Deep Space Network. Assuming that we hear back from Opportunity, we will begin the process of discerning its status and bringing it back online.”

The rover’s last communication with Earth was received June 10, and Opportunity’s current health is unknown.

Opportunity engineers are relying on the expertise of Mars scientists analyzing data from the Mars Color Imager (MARCI) aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to estimate the tau near the rover’s position.

“The dust haze produced by the Martian global dust storm of 2018 is one of the most extensive on record, but all indications are it is finally coming to a close,” said MRO Project Scientist Rich Zurek at JPL. “MARCI images of the Opportunity site have shown no active dust storms for some time within 3,000 kilometers [about 1,900 miles] of the rover site.”

With skies clearing, mission managers are hopeful the rover will attempt to call home, but they are also prepared for an extended period of silence.

“If we do not hear back after 45 days, the team will be forced to conclude that the Sun-blocking dust and the Martian cold have conspired to cause some type of fault from which the rover will more than likely not recover,” said Callas. “At that point our active phase of reaching out to Opportunity will be at an end. However, in the unlikely chance that there is a large amount of dust sitting on the solar arrays that is blocking the Sun’s energy, we will continue passive listening efforts for several months.”

The additional several months for passive listening are an allowance for the possibility that a Red Planet dust devil could come along and literally dust off Opportunity’s solar arrays.

Such “cleaning events” were first discovered by Mars rover teams in 2004 when, on several occasions, battery power levels aboard both Spirit and Opportunity increased by several percent during a single Martian night, when the logical expectation was that they would continue to decrease.

These cleaning dust devils have even been imaged by both rovers on the surface and spacecraft in orbit (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8lfJ0c7WQ8 and https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/5307/the-serpent-dust-devil-of-mars/ ).

The chances are small that dust accumulation would be the root cause of Opportunity’s lack of communication. Nonetheless, each day during the passive phase, JPL’s Radio Science group will scour the signal records taken by a very sensitive broadband receiver of radio frequencies emanating from Mars, looking for a sign that the rover is trying to reach out.

Even if the team hears back from Opportunity during either phase, there is no assurance the rover will be operational. The impact of this latest storm on Opportunity’s systems is unknown but could have resulted in reduced energy production, diminished battery performance, or other unforeseen damage that could make it difficult for the rover to fully return online.

While the situation in Perseverance Valley is critical, the rover team is cautiously optimistic, knowing that Opportunity has overcome significant challenges during its 14-plus years on Mars.

The rover lost use of its front steering – its left-front in June of 2017, and right front in 2005. Its 256-megabyte flash memory is no longer functioning.

The team also knows that everything about the rover is well beyond its warranty period – both Opportunity and its twin rover, Spirit, were constructed for 90-day missions (Spirit lasted 20 times longer and Opportunity is going on 60 times).

The rovers were designed to travel about 1,000 yards, and Opportunity has logged more than 28 miles. Through thick and thin, the team has seen their rover soldier on.

Now, Opportunity engineers and scientists of Opportunity are planning, and hoping, that this latest dilemma is just another bump in their Martian road.

“In a situation like this you hope for the best but plan for all eventualities,” said Callas. “We are pulling for our tenacious rover to pull her feet from the fire one more time. And if she does, we will be there to hear her.”

Updates on the dust storm and tau can be found at https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/status_opportunityAll.html.

JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, built Opportunity and manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington.

For more information about Opportunity, visit https://www.nasa.gov/rovers or https://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov.


Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) took the component images for this view from a position outside Endeavor Crater during the span of June 7 to June 19, 2017. Toward the right side of this scene is a broad notch in the crest of the western rim of crater. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/Arizona State University.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – As Labor Day officially signals the end of summer, Cal Fire officials are encouraging Californians to be cautious with outdoor plans this weekend as wildfire risk remains high.

With millions of people taking advantage of the holiday weekend to visit beaches, parks, and campgrounds, we need everyone to be extra vigilant in preventing wildfires.

“This year we have seen not only the largest wildfire in California history, but the largest wildfire for 2018 across the United States,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, director of Cal Fire. “The past few months, our firefighters have been extremely busy with devastating, record-breaking wildfires. This year, Cal Fire has responded to 4,434 fires that burned 876,428 acres, compared to last year when we responded to 4,170 fires for 228,803 acres. Even though we will have near-normal temperatures this weekend, vegetation across the state is extremely dry and fall is when we typically see some of the most devastating fires.”

“We need everyone to be prepared ahead of time with our Ready, Set, Go! program that helps equip residents for a wildfire,” said Lynne Tolmachoff, Cal Fire chief of public education. “As 95 percent of our wildfires are human caused, the One Less Spark, One Less Wildfire Program stresses how to prevent wildfires through proper care and maintenance of campfires, vehicles, outdoor equipment and much more.”

So, what can you do to help prevent wildfires?

Vehicles:

– Never pull over and park in dry grass.
– Make sure your vehicle is properly maintained.
– When towing, ensure chains are not dragging on the ground.
– Check your tire pressure to avoid driving on an exposed metal rim.

Camping:

– Obtain a campfire permit and ALWAYS check for local fire restrictions.
– Keep a safe distance from dead trees to avoid falling branches and limbs.
– Avoid parking and setting up camp under or near dead trees.
– Be careful! Human activity causes 95 percent of wildfires.
– Clear away grass, leaves and other debris within a 10-foot perimeter of any campfire “Drown, stir and feel” to make sure a campfire is completely out.
– When barbequing, never leave the grill unattended.

Yardwork:

– Do all yardwork before 10 a.m. – avoid yardwork on hot, dry and windy days.
– Make sure you use the right tool for the job – lawnmowers are for cutting grass only.

Visit www.ReadyForWildfire.org to learn more about being prepared and for tips in reducing wildfire, visit www.PreventWildfireCA.org. Get ready for wildfire with the Cal Fire app. For current fire information, visit www.fire.ca.gov.
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The map shows areas on Clear Lake in Lake County, Calif., where samples taken on August 15 and August 21, 2018, revealed “caution” levels for blue-green algae cyanotoxin. Image courtesy of the county of Lake and Big Valley Rancheria.


LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Public Health reported that the latest round of testing for blue-green algae cyanotoxins on Clear Lake has resulted in “caution” levels for several areas.

Officials said current cyanotoxin results for lakewide sampling conducted Aug. 15 and Aug. 21 – which results received on Aug. 29 – detected microcystin at 12 of 21 sampled sites.

Four of those sites resulted in caution trigger levels: the center of the Oaks Arm, Clearlake Oaks shoreline, Elem shoreline and Cache Creek at Highway 53.

The remaining sites do not reach any trigger levels, were nondetect for toxins, or were not sampled due to being inaccessible, official said.

The next monitoring event will be Sept. 10.

This week's reading are lower than previously, but two consecutive improved readings are needed before the county can change the level of alert for cyanobacteria that went out on Aug. 10.

Be aware that you will see signs for a higher level – for example, danger instead of caution – until there are two readings at the lower level. Public Health also needs two consecutive nondetect readings before they remove signs.

Blue-green algae can pose health risks, particularly to children and pets. Local health officials urge people to choose safe activities when visiting the Oaks Arm and parts of the Lower Arm of Clear Lake and wherever blooms are visible.

It is strongly recommended that people and their pets avoid contact with water and avoid swallowing lake water in an algae bloom area.

Public Health recommends following the below from the statewide guidance on cyanobacteria and harmful algal blooms:

• Take care that pets and livestock do not drink the water, swim through algae, scums or mats, or lick their fur after going in the water. Rinse pets in clean water to remove algae from fur.

• Avoid wading, swimming, jet or water skiing in water containing algae blooms, scums or mats.

• Do not drink, cook or wash dishes with untreated surface water from these areas under any circumstances; common water purification techniques such as camping filters, tablets and boiling do not remove toxins.

• People should not eat mussels or other bivalves collected from these areas. Limit or avoid eating fish from these areas; if fish are consumed, remove the guts and liver, and rinse filets in clean drinking water.

• Get medical treatment immediately if you think that you, your pet, or livestock might have been poisoned by blue-green algae toxins. Be sure to alert the medical professional to the possible contact with blue-green algae. Also, make sure to contact the local county public health department at 707-263-1090.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The county of Lake reported that its Mendocino Complex recovery coordinator will be holding office at several locations around the county in the coming week.

Lake County Recovery Coordinator Nathan Spangler will be available from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 4, through Friday, Sept. 7, at the following locations:

· Tuesday, Sept. 4: Scotts Valley Women’s Club, 2298 Hendricks Road, Lakeport.

· Wednesday, Sept. 5:Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Recovery Center at the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Community Center, 9460 Main St., Upper Lake.

· Thursday, Sept. 6, Spring Valley Community Center, 1300 Wolf Creek Road, Clearlake Oaks.

· Friday, Sept. 7: Nylander Park Visitor Center, 12588 Acorn St., Clearlake Oaks.

The Ranch and River fires, together known as the Mendocino Complex, have exacted a considerable toll upon County lands and residents, alike.

County and city, state and federal agencies, local and national nonprofit groups, and countless community members have risen up in response.

Needs remain, and full recovery will be a long-term effort. Many wildfire survivors were able to take positive steps by visiting the county’s local assistance center, receiving a variety of supports and services in Lucerne in early August.

Dozens more have connected with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get information on federal assistance, including grants and low-interest disaster loans.

FEMA’s Disaster Resource Center remains open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake Community Center, 9460 Main St., Upper Lake. The center will be closed for the Labor Day holiday, Monday, Sept. 3.

Each individual’s recovery journey is unique, and Lake County residents are understandably at various stages. Some are navigating initial responsive steps. Others, for example, have detailed questions regarding steps required to rebuild.

Some have practical needs, and may need to be pointed in the right direction to replace a vital document.

For others, emotional needs may be in the foreground, and the county can connect individuals with Behavioral Health and other supportive resources.

Given the diversity of emerging recovery needs and the geographic expansiveness of the Mendocino Complex disaster, it was decided to have Spangler travel to different locations around Lake County to connect with survivors.

“I am looking forward to meeting with Ranch and River fire survivors, helping to identify needs and available supports, and working with wildfire survivors to chart the best way forward,” said Spangler. “Whatever your recovery-related needs are right now, you are not alone. I hope to see many of you, and will happily do all I can to help make your next steps a little clearer.”

Spangler can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and 916-521-7108.
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Earth recently experienced its largest annual increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels in at least 2,000 years.

Data from NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2), which launched in 2014, are helping scientists understand why.

Many factors go into improving long-term climate forecasting, including the study of how, how much, and where carbon dioxide (CO2) is absorbed and emitted by natural processes and human activities at different locations on Earth’s surface.

These exchanges vary from year to year, and scientists are using OCO-2 data to uncover the reasons.

Dr. Annmarie Eldering, Deputy Project Scientist for OCO-2 at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained: “We already knew that the global amount of carbon dioxide taken up and released by the land and ocean differs each year, and that often in El Niño years, more CO2 remains in the atmosphere. But this mission’s high-precision data on atmospheric CO2 across the globe have shown us, for the first time, how different regions contributed to this phenomenon and exactly what was driving the change.”

OCO-2 data for an El Niño event during 2015-2016 revealed that extra CO2 in the atmosphere at that time was caused by releases from South America, Africa and Indonesia.

Eldering said, “We saw that each of these regions released more carbon for slightly different reasons – different combinations of increased temperatures, less rain, or more fires.”

Not all of the carbon dioxide emitted into Earth’s atmosphere stays there. Some of the CO2 is absorbed by Earth’s oceans. Natural land sinks also absorb CO2, but the amounts of CO2 taken up at different locations on Earth’s surface are not well understood.

Eldering asked: “As carbon dioxide continues to build up, will the land and ocean continue absorbing it? Will natural processes reach a saturation point or will they keep taking up more and more?”

The many and varied uses of OCO-2 data will continue to be essential to understanding the dynamics of carbon dioxide across our planet, and will help contribute to improved long-term climate forecasting.

For more intriguing discoveries about our changing planet, stay tuned to http://science.nasa.gov.
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As destructive wildfires continue to burn throughout California, the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection took action last week in adoption of the 2018 Strategic Fire Plan.

The Strategic Fire Plan for California is the state’s road map for reducing the risk and impacts from wildland fires.

“We continue to experience large and damaging wildfires across our state and must work to break the cycle,” said J. Keith Gilless, chair of the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. “This plan addresses the need for continued efforts to prevent wildfire, while considering recent climate considerations like drought and tree mortality.”

The plan update was developed over the past 21-months in a collaborative effort between the Board, Cal Fire, stakeholders and public input.

“Significant effort went into the development of this plan, and now we have updated policy to guide us through current and future fire seasons,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, Cal Fire director.

The Strategic Fire Plan places an emphasis on what needs to be done long before a fire starts, while also looking to reduce firefighting costs, property losses, increasing firefighter safety, and contributing to forest health.

The 2018 Strategic Fire Plan has seven goals that include: analyzing the fire risk, supporting land use planning, community preparedness planning, public education, integrating landowner fuels management, identifying fire suppression resources, increasing fire prevention efforts and post wildfire recovery.

Since the last iteration of the Strategic Fire Plan in 2010, it appears that the impacts of climate change has resulted in increased severity of wildfires, longer fire seasons, increased extreme weather conditions, historic drought, and led to our state’s worst tree mortality epidemic in history.

The 2018 Strategic Fire Plan addresses these issues and highlights the need for heightened levels of fire prevention and protection of natural resources.

“The 2010 Fire Plan served us well in navigating one of California’s worst droughts,” said Chief Daniel Berlant, Cal Fire assistant deputy director and co-chair of the Fire Plan Steering Committee. “This new plan will continue to provide us a framework to reduce California’s growing wildfire risk.”

The State’s Strategic Fire Plan is updated every eight to 10 years.

Annually, Cal Fire provides an update to the board to report on the progress in plan implementation and on successes, as well as challenges.

Each Cal Fire Unit and Contract County develop local fire plans based on the guidance provided in the 2018 Strategic Fire Plan.

The 2018 Strategic Fire Plan is available on the board’s Web site at http://www.bof.fire.ca.gov/.

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