MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Identifying opportunities to improve Lake County's economic prospects in the years to come is a key goal of an event set for next week in Middletown.

“Lake County Resilience: Guiding Lake County Toward 2020 and Beyond” will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at the Twin Pine Event Center, 22223 Highway 29.

The Economic Outlook and Forecast event features keynote speaker, Robert Eyler, Ph.D and professor of economics at Sonoma State University.

Eyler is the director of the Center for Regional Economic Analysis at Sonoma State University and has worked on multiple regional studies for Sonoma, Napa, Marin and Mendocino counties.

He specializes in research on macroeconomic and monetary policies. His academic work has focused on the economics of the wine industry, monetary policy and theory, derivative markets and international finance.

“Understanding where Lake County’s economy stands after the fires is an important step toward identifying opportunities to strengthen the recovery of the community,” said Brett Martinez, president and CEO of Redwood Credit Union, where Dr. Eyler serves on the Board of Directors. “Dr. Eyler’s updates will provide clarity and are always insightful.”

Those interested in the economic resilience and success of Lake County are encouraged to attend the event.

The event includes a panel discussion moderated by Jeff Lucas of the Community Development Services and an economic planning session guided by Dr. Eyler culminating in “action steps” for Lake County.

Dignitaries from county, state and federal organizations will be present at the event. Confirmed attendees include Assemblyman Bill Dodd, Brad Onorato from Congressman Mike Thompson's office (Thompson will have a video presence at the event) and State Board of Equalization member Fiona Ma, CPA.

The cost to attend is $10 per person.

Registration is open. To register, mail a check for $10 with “Economic Outlook” noted in the memo section to the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 295, Lakeport, Calif. 95453, Attn: Economic Outlook.

To register online with a credit card, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/economic-outlook-forecast-tickets-19534545351?aff=ebrowse ; a fee of $1.54 per registration will be added to the $10 event fee.

Contributing sponsors to the event include North Coast Builders Exchange, Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Lake County Winegrape Commission, Lake County Association of Realtors, Six Sigma Ranch & Winery, Community Development Services, Valley Oaks, Century 21 Northbay Alliance, Coldwell Banker Lake County, Lake County Farm Bureau, Sutter Lakeside Hospital, St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake, Mendo Lake Credit Union, Hardester’s Markets and Twin Pine Casino & Hotel Event Center.

The event is held in partnership with the Middletown Area Merchants Association.

For more information contact Monica Rosenthal at 707-355-2762 or call the Lake County Chamber of Commerce at 707-263-5092.

 NORTH COAST, Calif. – Fostered by the United States Forest Service, Mendocino County Fish and Game Commission, volunteers and local supporters, the Hammerhorn Lake Project in the Mendocino National Forest is truly a community project.

Planning and funding for this project started early last year, but the bulk of the work was done during the week of Oct. 24 to 30.

Mendocino National Forest staff from the Covelo and the Upper Lake Ranger Districts partnered with volunteers and local business to complete several service projects.

Volunteers led the effort and completed the majority of the work during the service week. Volunteers involved included Nate O’Ferrall, Doyle Brown, Randy Vann, Tony and Sheena Kanownik, Mary Lou Mileck, Susan Rudich, and Tim and Leanne Hurt. 

One major project involved carving out a new 1,870-foot pathway and installing four foundations for two walking bridges.

The original accessible pathway was only 800 feet; adding an additional 1,870 feet created a new accessible pathway that will encompass the remote and peaceful lake.  

Local businesses also contributed including M&M Feed, Wylatti Resource Management, Grist Creek Aggregates, Northern Builders Supply, Chris Wilson, Willits Redwood Co. and Redwood Empire Sawmill.

Other work accomplished by this group included removal of old barriers and installation of 30 new barriers within the campground; repair and painting of the accessible bathroom; repairs of siding and installation of two new building vents on the water treatment shed; grading of the campground road system, twice; removal of numerous hazard trees within the campground and along the pathway; mowing and vegetation removal within the lake several times; installation of several turtle structures; prepping of drinking waterline for next year’s upgrade; replacement of damaged post for the main gate; cleaning out fire pits; and general up-keep of the campground.

Total volunteer time for this project exceed 300 hours – labor plus equipment time.

Future plans for this project include final construction of the two wooden walking bridges; upgrading and replacement of 1,200 feet of the waterline that provides potable water to the campground; installation of four educational information signs; and re-sloping a small part of the new pathway to meet accessibility standards.

Additionally, private donations and state and/or federal grants are being pursued in order to install 1,870 feet of chip seal with safety barriers. 

If you would like to assist with this project or have additional questions please contact the Mendocino National Forest, Covelo Ranger District Office at 78150 Covelo Road, or by phone at 707-983-6118.

The Sun demonstrates the potential to superflare, new research into stellar flaring suggests.

Led by the University of Warwick, the research has found a stellar superflare on a star observed by NASA's Kepler space telescope with wave patterns similar to those that have been observed in solar flares.

Superflares are thousands of times more powerful than those ever recorded on the Sun, and are frequently observed on some stars.

Found in the Milky Way, the binary star, KIC9655129, is known to superflare. The researchers suggest due to the similarities between the superflare on KIC9655129 and the Sun's solar flares, the underlying physics of the flares might be the same, supporting the idea that our Sun could also produce a superflare.

Typical solar flares can have energies equivalent to a 100 million megaton bombs, but a superflare on the Sun could release energy equivalent to a billion megaton bombs.

If the Sun were to superflare the Earth's communications and energy systems could be at serious risk of failing.

"Our solar system is filled with plasma, or ionized gas, originating from the Sun as a result of the solar wind and other more violent solar eruptions, such as solar flares,” said lead researcher Chloë Pugh from the University of Warwick's Centre for Fusion, Space and Astrophysics. “Stars very similar to the Sun have been observed to produce enormous flares, called superflares. To give us a better indication of whether the Sun could produce a catastrophic superflare, we need to determine whether the same physical processes are responsible for both stellar superflares and solar flares.”

Solar flares are commonly observed to consist of a series of regularly occurring pulses. Often these pulsations resemble waves, with a wavelength that relates to various properties of the region of the Sun that is producing the flare.

The study of waves such as these is referred to as coronal seismology. Occasionally solar flares contain multiple waves superimposed on top of one another, which can easily be explained by coronal seismology.

“We have found evidence for multiple waves, or multiple periodicities, in a stellar superflare, and the properties of these waves are consistent with those that occur in solar flares,” Pugh said.

Discussing the potential consequences of the Sun superflaring, Pugh said, "If the Sun were to produce a superflare it would be disastrous for life on Earth; our GPS and radio communication systems could be severely disrupted and there could be large scale power blackouts as a result of strong electrical currents being induced in power grids. Fortunately the conditions needed for a superflare are extremely unlikely to occur on the Sun, based on previous observations of solar activity."

The researchers used time series analysis to detect wave patterns in the light curve of a flare emanating from KIC9655129, using data collected by the Kepler space telescope.

"When a flare occurs we typically see a rapid increase in intensity followed by a gradual decline,” said research co-author Dr Anne-Marie Broomhall from the University of Warwick. “Usually the decline phase is relatively smooth but occasionally there are noticeable bumps, which are termed 'quasi-periodic pulsations' or QPPs. We used techniques called wavelet analysis and Monte Carlo modeling in order to assess the periodicity and statistical significance of these QPPs."

The researcher's analysis revealed not one but two significant periodicities, with less than a 1% probability that these pulsations would be observed by chance.

"We then fitted a model to the flare light curve that described both the exponential decay phase and the two periodicities. The periods were found to be 78 minutes and 32 minutes respectively. The properties of the periodicities, such as their decay times, imply that the two periodicities are independent,” said Dr. Broomhall.

"The most plausible explanation for the presence of two independent periodicities is that the QPPs were caused by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) oscillations, which are frequently observed in solar flares,” Broomhall said. “This result is, therefore, an indication that the same physical processes are involved in both solar flares and stellar superflares. The latter finding supports the hypothesis that the Sun is able to produce a potentially devastating superflare.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County received more rain than anticipated during a Thursday storm, with forecasters predicting chances for more showers into the middle of next week.

The National Weather Service reported 24-hour rainfall totals ending just before 4:45 p.m. on Thursday that showed some parts of Lake County had well over an inch of rain in that time frame.

Those rainfall totals the National Weather Service reported are as follows, in inches:

– Whispering Pines: 1.24.
– Boggs Mountain: 1.18.
– South Lakeport: 0.78.
– Southwest of the Gravelly Valley Airport: 0.78.
– High Glade Lookout: 0.76.
– Five miles west northwest of Hough Springs: 0.74.
– Two miles east northeast of Hidden Valley Lake: 0.74.
– Nine miles north northeast of Witter Springs: 0.65.
– Two miles west southwest of Kelseyville: 0.55.      
– Mt. Konocti: 0.54.
– Cow Mountain Ridge: 0.51.
– Eight miles east northeast of Hidden Valley Lake: 0.51.
– Three miles south of Indian Valley Reservoir: 0.34.
– One mile south southeast of Wilbur Springs: 0.27.

Rain continued overnight on Thursday and into early Friday morning.

During the day on Friday, there are chances of rain ranging as high as 30 percent in parts of the county, with conditions expected to clear at night, continuing into Saturday night, when up to a 60-percent chance of rain is forecast.

On Sunday, chance of rain are at 80 percent during the day, tapering off to the 20-percent range that night, according to the specific Lake County forecast.

From Monday through Thursday, the National Weather Service is predicting chances of rain across the county.

Temperatures over the next week are expected to range from the low 30s at night to the low 60s during the day, forecasters said, with some light winds.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved more assistance for Valley fire survivors over the last few weeks.

The agency began registering thousands of Valley fire survivors in late September, shortly after President Barack Obama issued a presidential major disaster declaration which made federal aid available, as Lake County News has reported.

At last count, more than 2,500 Valley fire survivors had registered for assistance, according to FEMA spokesman Steve Solomon.

The deadline to register for FEMA assistance was Nov. 23, but officials said claims processing continued past that date.

So far, approximately $3,365,922 has been approved for Valley fire survivor housing, and $2,951,031 for other needs – including medical/dental, transportation, furniture, etc. – according to Solomon.

Solomon said six private sites have been assessed for the feasibility of placing on them FEMA's manufactured housing units, which are fully furnished – down to the silverware.

He said that, as of Thursday, four of those units are now installed and occupied in Lake County.

Community members who have pending claims are urged to continue to stay in contact with the agency.

To reach FEMA, visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov or www.fema.gov ; dial the FEMA Helpline 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585; or for those who use 711 Relay or Video Relay Services, call 800-621-3362.

The toll-free numbers are operated from 6 a.m. to midnight daily. Multilingual phone operators are available on the FEMA helpline. Choose Option 2 for Spanish and Option 3 for other languages.

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

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Rotary Club of Clear Lake will hold its 23rd annual Community Christmas Dinner and Celebration on Saturday, Dec. 12.

The dinner will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Burns Valley School multipurpose room, 3620 Pine St. in Clearlake.

The story of how the event began goes like this: In 1992 one of the group's members, Dave Stoneberg, said, “Let’s do something for the community. Let’s serve Christmas dinner to all who want to attend. Let’s have it be no charge and let’s have Santa there to talk with the children.” And so it was.

The first year about 100 people attended. Santa had time to take a dinner break.  

Fast forward 23 years to Dec. 12, when crowds of 900 to 1,000 community members are expected to enjoy a dinner prepared and served by Clear Lake Rotarians, and their family and friends.

Parents stand in line to accompany their children for a visit to share their Christmas wishes with Santa.  They receive a photo and a toy from Santa’s elves; the elf corp includes local high school students from Carlé Continuation High School and Lower Lake High School.

Between 500 and 600 children per year pass through this line, faces light up, and smiles abound.

Dinner includes ham, scalloped potatoes, yams, vegetables and rolls. For dessert, pumpkin pie and chocolate chip cookies are served. Yes, you can go back for seconds – but that rarely happens because plates are filled to the brim the first time around.

Take home meals are available for a family member who cannot attend. Meals On Wheels delivers the warm meal to the seniors on their list.

There’s no charge; the dinner is the club's gift to the community. 

The Warm for the Winter program continues this year as part of the event.

This is a free giveaway of new and gently used coats, warm clothing, sleeping bags and blankets held outside the building and available to all. Boy Scout Troop 44 will be on hand to assist. If you wish to contribute items, contact Joyce Overton at 707-350-2898.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – An epidemic is consuming the country, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Prescription medication overdoses kill more Americans than motor vehicle crashes. Of the 41,000 fatal drug overdoses in 2012, more than half involved prescription drugs. In California, deaths involving prescription overdoses have increased 16.5 percent since 2006.

According to the California Department of Public Health, or CDPH, opioids like hydrocodone, oxycodone and morphine are increasingly prescribed for long-term pain; illegal sales of opioid pain relievers have increased 400 percent since 2005.

Lake County has the second highest pharmaceutical opioid-related death rate in California and ranks 11th in nonfatal emergency department visits related to all opioids, according to data provided by Brandeis PDMP Center of Excellence.

Sutter Lakeside Hospital has partnered with the Lake County Safe Opioid Workgroup to address the problem of prescription opiate abuse.

The work group, which is comprised of multiple local agencies, area physicians and care providers, is focused on reducing the rate of opioid addiction and fatal overdoses.

It is one of 12 programs in the state of California to receive a grant from the California HealthCare Foundation to help accelerate work to address the misuse of prescription pain killers.

“I see the struggle patients go through to manage pain,” said Nicole Lamm, RN, Emergency Department Nurse Manager for Sutter Lakeside Hospital, who is part of the work group. “To be good stewards, it’s our responsibility to offer alternative methods of pain management. Patients often don’t realize how dangerously addictive opioids can be.”

Educating the public on responsible opioid use is an important step to reducing abuse, according to Lamm.

“It’s important to work together with all of the services offered in Lake County. We strive to consider our patients as a whole to connect him or her to the right services, instead of just focusing on pain. It’s my hope that this work group will accomplish a shared mental model about how to treat patients.”

While prescription opioids can be effective in relieving pain for the short term, following up with a primary care provider is essential to treating chronic pain, according to Lamm.

“Opiates are not indicated for long term use, which can change brain chemistry,” said Leeann Hadgis, RN, Director of Ambulatory Clinics at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “Starting March 15, our clinics will not be prescribing opiates to treat chronic pain. Rather, we offer alternate therapies like osteopathic manipulation, joint injections, and referrals to physical therapy, chiropractors and pain management specialists, if appropriate. We can refer patients to specialists to find the root cause of pain, rather than use opiates to mask the real problem.”

“We want to change the culture of how prescription opiates are treated,” said Sara Haworth, RN, Manager of Ambulatory Clinics at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “We want to offer the safest care for our patients.”

“While opioids may have their place in medicine, it’s much safer to use other medications for long term pain management,” said Mike Mietz, physician’s assistant at Sutter Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic. “The pain scale is different for everyone, so it can be difficult to assess what a patient’s needs really are. The longer a patient is on opioid medication, the more likely he or she is to get addicted; opioid dependency can also have an emotional component. Patients may feel anxious when told they’ll be tapered off of their medication.”

“We’re tapering patients off of narcotics over a reasonable period of time,” said Henry Knoop IV, physician’s assistant at Sutter Lakeside Family Medicine Clinic. “We’re introducing other non-narcotic medications to ease the transition and manage any symptoms of withdrawal. We’ve heard feedback from patients that they have more energy and feel like a fog has been lifted once they’re off of narcotic medication.”

Patients using prescription opiates should be sure to ask questions of their medical provider or pharmacist to clearly understand the response, as well as know the risks of prescription opioids. Prescription medication should be stored safely away from children, and only taken as prescribed, according to the CDPH.

If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction, help is available. Lake County Narcotics Anonymous can be reached at 707-262-0132. Lake County Alcoholics Anonymous can be reached at 707-995-3316. Lake County Family Resource Center offers counseling and can be reached at 707-279-0563.

Morgen Wells is Sutter Lakeside Hospital's community relations and fund development specialist.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has released the draft Conservation Plan for Gray Wolves in California and is soliciting input about the draft.

The plan is the product of collaboration between CDFW scientific and wildlife experts, and a diverse stakeholder group that has spent many hours since 2012 to develop it.

The group includes Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Natural Resources Defense Council, California Farm Bureau Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, California Woolgrowers Association, California Deer Association, California Cattlemen's Association and the Center for Biological Diversity, among others.

Interested parties are encouraged to review CDFW's Web site with information about gray wolves in California, including the legal status of wolves under federal and state law, the migration of the first documented wolf in the state in nearly 100 years and CDFW's announcement about the Shasta pack this summer.

The Web site also features procedures for contacting CDFW for those who may experience wolves in the wild.

Informational workshops will be held to provide information and hear views about the plan in early 2016. All meetings will be held from 5 to 8 p.m.

Dates and locations are as follows:

– Yreka: Jan. 21, 2016. Miner's Inn Convention Center/Best Western, 122 E. Miner St.
– Long Beach: Jan. 26, 2016. Pointe Conference Center at CSU Long Beach, Walter Pyramid (entrance on Merriam Way), 1250 N. Bellflower Blvd.
– Sacramento: Feb. 1, 2016. Double Tree Hotel, 2001 Point West Way.

Comments will also be accepted via e-mail at [email protected] , and regular mail at Wolf Plan Comments, P.O. Box 26750, San Francisco, CA 94126.

Please postmark the comments no later than Feb. 15, 2016.

Californians have reduced water use by 27.1 percent in the five months since emergency conservation regulations took effect in June, continuing to meet Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.’s 25 percent mandate despite a decline in the statewide water-savings rate for October. 

In October, when outdoor water use – and the opportunity for significant savings – typically drops off from the hot summer months, the statewide conservation rate was 22.2 percent, down from 26.4 percent in September.

Adding to the challenge, October brought temperatures that were well above normal for most of the state.

Nonetheless, average statewide water use declined from 97 gallons per person per day in September to 87 in October.

“We anticipated a dip in the conservation rate for October, but it is not because people are losing interest – they actually did quite well considering how unusually hot it was in October,” said Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board.

“It’s harder to keep the percentages up in the fall and winter when little outdoor watering takes place,” Marcus said. “That’s why the savings over the summer were so important. Now, we need to keep finding ways to save water. While El Nino storms may bring significant rain this winter, the depth of our drought and the uncertainty of the amount, type, and location of precipitation means we have to continue conserving every way we can.  In other words, unless we get a ton of snow in the Sierras that lasts through April, every drop saved today is one we’ll be glad we have tomorrow.”

A public workshop to discuss concepts for a renewed urban water conservation regulation has been set for Dec. 7.

he current drought emergency water conservation regulation adopted by the board in May expires in February 2016.

Last month, the governor issued an additional executive order giving the State Water Board authority to extend and revise the emergency water conservation regulations. 

State Water Board is soliciting public comment on what the next iteration of the regulation will look like. Following public review and comment, the Board tentatively plans to adopt the updated regulations by late January or early February.

At the same time, the State Water Board is reminding small water suppliers (those with 3,000 or fewer customers) that they are required to report water use by Dec. 15. While large urban suppliers have been required to report water conservation information every month, small water suppliers must report only once.

The regulations state that small water suppliers must limit outdoor landscape irrigation to no more than two days per week or reduce total potable water production by 25 percent as compared to 2013. The full report of information submitted by small water suppliers is expected to be available by mid-January 2016 here.

The State Water Board tracks water conservation for each of the state’s urban water suppliers on a monthly basis, but compliance with individual water supplier conservation requirements and the statewide 25 percent mandate is based on cumulative savings.

Cumulative tracking means that conservation savings will be added together from one month to the next and compared to the amount of water used during the same months in 2013.

October conservation data

For June through October, the cumulative statewide reduction was 27.1 percent, compared with the same months in 2013. That equates to 913,851 acre-feet (297.8 billion gallons), or 76 percent of the 1.2 million acre-feet savings goal to be achieved by the end of February 2016.

Statewide water savings for October was 22.2 percent (128,901 acre-feet or 41.9 billion gallons), a decrease from September’s 26.2 percent savings. See fact sheet here.

Statewide, the average water use for October was 87 residential gallons per capita per day (R-GPCD), a decrease from the 97 residential gallons per capita per day reported for September.

Although October 2015 had the lowest level of monthly savings since June 2015, suppliers still saved more than three times the volume of water saved in October 2014.

The last five months have been the hottest on record and October was no exception, with higher average temperatures than October 2013.

Enforcement data

Suppliers reported 69,999 compliance and enforcement actions taken in October, a decrease from the 77,868 actions suppliers reported in September. See the enforcement statistics for more information.

The Office of Enforcement continues to work with suppliers that have not met their conservation standard.

Since June, the State Water Board has issued nine conservation orders; 104 information orders; 72 warning letters; four administrative civil liability complaints and seven alternative compliance orders.

October saw a decrease in compliance by water suppliers. Of the 409 suppliers reporting for October, 69 percent met or were within one percentage point of meeting their conservation standard and 15 percent were between one and five percentage points of meeting their standard.

Conservation must continue through winter

Residential water users are urged to keep up their efforts to conserve through the winter months. That includes complying with urban water supplier directives to switch to watering schedules of once a week as well as a prohibition against watering during a rain event and 48 hours directly following a rain event.

“We can’t know when the drought will end, so we have to keep saving every drop we can,” Chair Marcus said. “Predictions are just that, predictions.  Having the odds in our favor, can give us hope, but not the certainty we need to relax our efforts.”

Conservation programs put in place during the late spring and early summer months by most of the state’s water suppliers have yielded dramatic reductions in water use and a reexamination of personal water-use habits.

In addition to many effective local programs, state-funded turf removal and toilet replacement rebates are also now available. Information and rebate applications are available at www.saveourwaterrebates.com/ .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With the Valley fire long subsided and the rains starting to come, Lake County is turning its attention toward long-term recovery from the summer wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes and tens of thousands of acres.

A major player in that recovery process is Team Lake County (TLC), a volunteer-led long-term recovery group.

Recognized by the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), TLC is comprised of non-governmental agencies, faith-based groups and interested individuals, and seeks to identify needs and fill gaps in services across all impacted areas of Lake County.

TLC has elected a board consisting of 11 members which is chaired by Shelly Mascari, director of Community Wellness at Adventist Health.

In addition to officers, the board is comprised of representatives from each TLC committee, including volunteer, finance, donations, construction/housing, case management, spirituality and counseling, communications, and community assessment committees.

Each committee meets regularly and reports on progress at the board meetings, which take place at the Twin Pine Casino & Hotel in Middletown.

The next meeting is Friday, Dec. 18, at 10 a.m.

"Our focus through TLC is long range – a marathon and not a sprint,” says Mascari. “We are committed to supporting our communities and individuals in the months and even years ahead to rebuild.”

According to TLC Communications Committee Chair Erroll Marchais, “As a network of nonprofits and business organizations active in our community, TLC is in a unique position to coordinate the vast local and national resources available to aid in Lake County's recovery.”

Participating TLC partners offer services at no charge to fire survivors, including needs assessments, housing assistance, spiritual guidance, insurance consulting, and property clean up.

These services are funded exclusively by donations and grants, and the TLC board votes on how to allocate funds.

For example, TLC is working with Habitat for Humanity to expand the reach of home repairs and new construction for low-income families. Funds provided through TLC will never need to be paid back, nor will any labor or other costs be charged as part of the services provided.

In order to efficiently raise and disburse funds, TLC sought fiscal sponsorship from North Coast Opportunities (NCO), a 501c3 organization that serves as the Community Action Agency for Lake and Mendocino Counties.

NCO had previously responded to the fires through the Lake County Wildfire Relief Fund, which disbursed $1.42 million in direct aid to over 1,000 fire survivors.

Intended for emergency relief, the fund closed on Nov. 2, and NCO has since shifted its focus to long-term recovery efforts.

As the fiscal sponsor for TLC, all additional funds raised go straight to TLC to be voted on by the board.

“People know a donation to NCO will go directly to fire survivors,” said NCO Executive Assistant Elizabeth Archer. “Partnering with TLC lets us channel all additional funds raised into recovery efforts done for the community, by the community.”

Donations are still being accepted at Mendo Lake Credit Union, Tri Counties Bank, and Savings Bank of Mendocino County.

NCO Executive Director Patty Bruder is the finance committee chair, and she agrees that the partnership between NCO and TLC is a perfect fit.

“We’re so proud to be part of this team, and we know that by working together we can be efficient, avoid duplicating efforts, and maximize available resources to have the highest possible impact. It’s pretty exciting,” said Bruder.

It's a learning process for all of us, but our hearts are here,” added Mascari. “We believe that together Lake County will become even stronger than before the Valley Fire."

To learn more about TLC, visit www.teamlakecounty.org or www.facebook.com/teamlakecounty .

To donate to long-term relief efforts, visit www.ncoinc.org .

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The men and women who dedicate their careers to educating Lake County's students were honored at an annual awards ceremony in late November.

The Lake County Office of Education hosted the 21st Annual Excellence in Education Awards Ceremony on Friday, Nov. 20, at Twin Pine Casino & Hotel in Middletown.

This event honored the county teacher of the year, district teachers of the year, as well as others who have positively impacted education in Lake County.

Lake County Assistant Superintendent of Schools April Leiferman was the master of ceremonies for the event.

“In every school, during every era, the children, staff, and parents create a mini culture unique to them,” Leiferman said. “Over time, each of these cultures provides all the material needed for a dramatic mini-series. You can find heroes, tragedies, comedies, laughter, tears, and especially learning in many dimensions.”

This year’s honorees include teachers of the year from the county's school districts.

Elisa Prather received honors including Lake County Teacher of the Year and Lakeport Unified School District Teacher of the Year.

Cheryl Mostin was named Kelseyville Unified School District Teacher of the Year, Pam Ingersoll was named Konocti Unified School District Teacher of the Year, Megan Grant was honored as Lucerne Elementary District Teacher of the Year, Sue Olsen is Middletown Unified School District Teacher of the Year, Clarinda Higgins is Upper Lake Union Elementary School District Teacher of the Year and Paul Holt is Upper Lake Union High School District Teacher of the Year.

Classified employees of the year include Eduardo Ledesma, Kelseyville Unified; Barb Denno, Konocti Unified; Tracy Columbi, Lakeport Unified; Marilyn Bingham, Middletown Unified; Mechelle Finney, Upper Lake Union Elementary; and Buddy Thomas, Upper Lake Union High.

In addition, Pamela Hobbs received the Early Childhood Educator of the Year Award and Tim Gill was named Administrator of the Year by the Association of California School Administrators.

Annie Mills works for the Lake County Office of Education.

The California Department of Water Resources on Tuesday announced an initial 2016 allocation of 10 percent for customers of the State Water Project.

Depending upon the amount of rain and snow that reaches California this winter, the allocation may be increased or decreased.

If dry conditions continue into a fifth year of drought, DWR may reallocate State Water Project, or SWP, supplies to meet critical human health and safety needs.

Despite early season storms, California continues to face severe water shortages with record low levels in some reservoirs, including Folsom Lake near Sacramento.

Lake Oroville in Butte County, the SWP’s principal reservoir, is dipping toward its record low of 882,000 acre-feet set on Sept. 7, 1977.

Oroville, which supplies a percentage of the water for 25 million Californians and just under a million acres of irrigated farmland, is holding only 929,151 acre-feet, 26 percent of its capacity of 3.5 million acre-feet and 43 percent of its historic average for the date.

Shasta Lake north of Redding, California’s and the federal Central Valley Project’s (CVP) largest reservoir, is at 29 percent of its 4.5 million acre-foot capacity, 49 percent of its historical average for this time of year.

San Luis Reservoir, a critical south-of-Delta pool for both the SWP and CVP, is at 19 percent of its 2 million acre-foot capacity, 32 percent of average for the date.

Folsom Lake, a CVP reservoir, is holding a record low 136,980 acre-feet of its 977,000 acre-foot capacity. The reservoir’s previous low was 140,600 acre-feet on Nov. 20, 1977.

Low reservoir levels mean there is plenty of room for runoff from El Niño-driven storms should they develop, but even an extremely wet winter would not return conditions – especially groundwater levels – to normal after four consecutive dry years.

“No matter how hard it’s raining, we need to remember to use water wisely and sparingly,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “Our historic drought has lasted for years and isn’t going to quickly be washed away.”

The 29 public water agencies that receive SWP water (State Water Project Contractors) requested 4,172,786 acre-feet of water for 2016.

Under Tuesday's initial allocation, they will receive ­422,848 acre-feet. For most agencies, that amounts to 10 percent of the supplies for which they contract with DWR.

It is important to note that nearly all areas served by the SWP also have other sources of water, among them streams, groundwater and local reservoirs.

DWR is hopeful that Tuesday's SWP allocation, made before the wettest months, will increase as storms bring rain and snow to the state. But drought may continue to be the reality.

This calendar year’s (2015) 20 percent allocation is the second lowest since 1991, when agricultural customers of the SWP got a zero allocation and municipal customers received 30 percent. In 2014, SWP deliveries were five percent of requested amounts for all customers.

The last 100-percent SWP allocation – difficult to achieve even in wet years because of Delta pumping restrictions to protect threatened and endangered fish species – was in 2006.

SWP allocations in recent years are as follows: 2014 – 5 percent; 2013 – 35 percent; 2012 – 65 percent; 2011 – 80 percent; 2010 – 50 percent; 2009 – 40 percent; 2008 – 35 percent; and 2007 – 60 percent.