CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Animal Control has a new group of pets waiting for their forever homes this week.

This week's featured animals include a dog and four cats, all ready to join new families.

To meet the animals, contact Marcia Taylor, the animal control outreach technician, at 707-994-8201, Extension 103, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, or contact Animal Control Officer Jenna Tuller at Extension 115 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. those same days or leave a message on Fridays or weekends.

Also follow Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook for the latest updates.

Below are this week's available pets.

'Garfield'

“Garfield” is a male orange tabby with a short coat.

Shelter staff said he's a young teenager looking for his new family. He is playful and loves a warm lap.

'Madison'

“Madison” is a young female black Labrador Retriever and German Shepherd mix.

She is a year and a half old, likes people and gets along with other dogs. Just show her a leash and she is ready to go with you.

'Tigger'

“Tigger” is a young male domestic short hair mix with an orange tabby and white coat.

Shelter staff said he is a “kickback cool cat,” who is ready to go home with you.

'Tommy'

“Tommy” is a young male domestic short hair and Cymric mix cat.

Shelter staff said he is a very nice cat, with a beautiful black and white coat.

'Savannah'

“Savannah” is a young gray and white short hair mix cat who is offered for a reduced adoption fee.

Shelter staff said she has been a wonderful mother and now is looking for her place in the world. She loves attention but can be independent as well.

She also loves to play, is very confident around dogs and will not run away, and is housebroken. She can be spayed prior to placement for an additional fee.

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

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has new kittens and cats at the shelter this week waiting for new homes.

The available cats include tabbies in a variety of colors and torties.

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

For those looking for a barn cat to keep the rodents at bay, be sure to ask about the barn cat adoption program. Feral barn cats are adopted out for $1 each, which includes altering, ear notching and vaccines. 

In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Shelter_Animal_Search.htm .

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

Gray tabby kitten

This female gray tabby kitten has a short coat and gold eyes.

She's in cat room No. 1b, ID No. 6446.

Orange tabby

This male orange tabby has a short coat and gold eyes.

He's in cat room kennel No. 43, ID No. 6513.

'Cleo'

“Cleo” is a female domestic short hair cat has a white coat with dilute calico markings and gold eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 49, ID No. 6501.

'Cosmo'

“Cosmo” is a male domestic short hair kitten with a buff and white coat and gold eyes.

He's in cat room kennel No. 101b, ID No. 6502.

'Wanda'

“Wanda” is a female domestic short hair mix kitten with a gray tabby and white coat and gold eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 101c, ID No. 6503.

'Nikki'

“Nikki” is a female domestic short hair mix kitten with a gray and white coat and gold eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 101d, ID No. 6504.

Domestic medium hair cat

This female domestic medium hair cat has a dilute tortie coat and green eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 111, ID No. 6459.

Domestic short hair

This young female domestic short hair cat has a gray tabby coat and gold eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 112, ID No. 6555.

Domestic short hair

This female domestic short hair has a gray tabby coat and gold eyes.

She's in cat room kennel No. 120, ID No. 6416.

Clayton fire cat

This male domestic medium hair cat was injured during the Clayton fire. He was taken into care on Aug. 18 in Lower Lake.

He has a medium-length gray and white coat and gold eyes, and is recovering from injuries suffered during the Clayton fire. He has been neutered.

He's in the Animal Care and Control clinic, ID No. 5856.

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, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.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.

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LUCERNE, Calif. – The Lake County Library and Friends of the Lake County Library are partnering with Marymount California University's Lakeside Campus to start a small honor charge lending library that can be used by students, faculty and visitors.

The mini-honor charge library is located at the campus, also known as the Lucerne Castle, located at 3700 Country Club Drive.

It's open during regular business hours, Monday through Thursday, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Historically this may be the first-ever library in Lucerne, according to the new library's organizers.

Books have been provided by university staff and Friends of the Lake County Library. 

It is planned that the books will be on loan and rotated out on a regular schedule to provide reading materials for interested parties.

Lake County Librarian Christopher Veach and Leanne Harvey from Marymount California University agree that the goal of the library and the university is to provide opportunities for the community to become empowered through education.

Both Marymount California University and the Lake County Library realize the importance of having businesses thrive in our county. Friends of the Lake County Library recently purchased $500 worth of business related books.

“Small business success is one big way Lake County is recovering from the recent devastating fires. Reading these books should help small businesses improve their businesses and will benefit our county,” said Veach. “Business students and small business owners will enjoy a visit to one of the main library branches to check out the new books.”
 
Marymount offers upper division, degree-completion courses. Students may complete their bachelor degrees at a university located right here in Lake County. Business, psychology and liberal arts majors are offered. A master’s degree in community psychology is also offered.

For more information about the campus or the library, call 707-274-6725.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – California's overall recycling rate dropped last year, and on the local level results for diversion were mixed.

Numbers provided by CalRecycle showed that as the state's economy improved in 2015, Californians sent more material to landfills than the previous year, with the disposal increase accompanied by a drop in the statewide recycling rate.

Disposal rates generally increase during economic upturn, said CalRecycle, nothing that California’s statewide diversion rate of 63 percent – the proportion of waste that is diverted from landfills – continues to outpace the 50 percent diversion mandate set in law for local jurisdictions.

CalRecycle said California disposed of 33.2 million tons of material in 2015, compared to 31.2 million tons in 2014 for residential, business and industry sectors. 

Those numbers amount to Californians disposing of an average of 4.7 pounds of material per person per day, up from 4.5 pounds per person per day in 2014.

The state said about 40 percent of the increased disposal was organic material – such as food waste and grasses – which readily decomposes and generates greenhouse gases such as methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

If the additional two million tons of material that went to landfills in 2015 had instead been recycled or composted, CalRecycle said greenhouse gas emissions would have been reduced by about two million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

On the local level, Clearlake's per person disposal rate was 4.3 pounds in 2015, according to CalRecycle data.

In Lakeport, residents had the best rate of removing recyclables from the waste stream in 2015, 6.1 pounds per person per day, CalRecycle said.

The unincorporated county's numbers were far lower, and didn't reach the statewide rate. CalRecycle said the county's diversion rate was 3.4 pounds per person per day.

State data indicated that the county and two cities had maintained the same diversion rates for several years.

While more specific data wasn't available to establish trends, CalRecycle's reports indicated that all three local jurisdictions were meeting the required disposal rates.

CalRecycle officials increased disposal and missed opportunities to use organic material challenge California’s ability to achieve environmental goals such as combating climate change.

“Disposal-related greenhouse gases, and the public health and environmental problems they produce, don’t take a break whether the economy is up or down,” said Scott Smithline, director of the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery.

Landfilling is typically considered cheaper than recycling. However, Smithline said the costs of recycling do not accurately reflect the money saved by reduced greenhouse gas emissions, money saved by using recycled feedstock as opposed to virgin feedstock in material production, and the money saved on water and fertilizer for agricultural production when organic material is recycled into compost and applied to soil, making it more nutrient-rich and better able to retain moisture.

Smithline said the low cost of dumping recyclable material into landfills undercuts all of these benefits.

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.