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The Big Valley in Lake County, Calif. Photo by Kathleen Scavone.

"Treat the earth well. It was not given to you by your parents- it was loaned to you by your children." – Indian proverb

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – According to the “History of Lake County – 1881,” a description of the Big Valley's location is, "Beginning at the foot of Uncle Sam this valley extends in a circular course to the south-west, embracing Kelseyville and Highland Springs; thence northerly to Lakeport."

Uncle Sam is the name the settlers gave to Mount Konocti.

The Big Valley was once home to ancient oaks. Settlers cleared the valley for orchards. Acres of prolifically producing pears and grapevines adorn the rich soils now.

The valley was the homeland for peoples of ancient times called the Xa-Ben-Na-Po Pomo Indians.

Here, and elsewhere in what is now Lake County evidence points to the rich lifeways of the people of the past.

The Pomo Indians thrived in Lake County because of the abundance of foods such as acorns – a staple, seeds, game, fowl and, of course a plentitude of fish from Clear Lake and the surrounding streams.

Here is where they garnered a wealth of resources for home-building and constructing boats from the lush tule reeds that once ringed the Clear Lake in profusion.

Obsidian for tool-making was also in abundance due to the volcanic nature of the lands, especially around Mount Konocti and Borax Lake.

When Mexican and Spanish occupation of these lands occurred in the 1800s, the land and lifeways of the Pomo peoples of the past were altered forever.

The Indians were stripped of their sacred hunting and fishing grounds. Soon, settlers appeared and life changed evermore for the Indians when they were forced to work on ranchos and missions.

The Xa-Ben-Na-Po of today belong to the Big Valley Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians. They are working on maintaining their tribe's history and do so via ceremonial and educational events. One of the events is their Tule Boat Festival which is held each year on the lake.

Regarding the Big Valley's geology, according to geologist Dean Enderlin, "Much of the valley is underlain by sedimentary rocks that formed in ancient Clear Lake during the period that Mount Konocti was an active volcano (around 200,000 years ago). These early lake beds were buried and lithified over the millennia, but as the Clear Lake Basin continues to change its shape, some of these deposits have been uplifted, and are now elevated well above lake level. In the Lakeport and Kelseyville area, these ancient lake beds are called the Kelseyville Formation. Further south, by Lower Lake, similar deposits are known as the Lower Lake Formation."

The book entitled "History of Lake County – 1881” discussed Big Valley's geologic features as volcanic in nature with basalt and obsidian, along with limestone.

The obsidian features extend from Mount Konocti, southwest to Cobb Mountain. Much of the obsidian is sharp as a knife and shiny black, and is known as bottle rock, while other obsidian features are spotted, pocked and have the appearance of anthracite. The limestone outcroppings were never considered to be of a quantity to mine back then.

The Big Valley contributes to the value of Lake County's flourishing agricultural crops today, with its pears, walnuts and grapes.

Lake County, overall, has a pear crop that grossed $26,098,171. 00 according to Lake County Department of Agriculture's 2015 Crop Report. In that same year walnuts grossed $5,383,560.00 and winegrapes grossed $63,390,181.00.

The pioneers of The Big Valley paved the way for Lake County's now-abundant agricultural endeavors, when they settled in the Big Valley to grow grapes, sugar beets, vegetables, rye, oats, barley and fruits such as apples.

The abundance of rich soil was and remains conducive to growing lush grasses to allow for cattle to graze upon.

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also formerly wrote for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Holiday Fund will once again make holiday food boxes available to those in need, with the sponsoring organizations also asking for the community’s help to fund the effort.

Registration for holiday food boxes for the northern portion of Lake County will be taken from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, at Lake Family Resource Center, 5350 Main St. in Kelseyville.

Residents of residents of Finley, Glenhaven, Kelseyville, Lakeport, Lucerne, Nice and Upper Lake should register on that day.

For the southern portion of Lake County – including residents of Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Clearlake Park, Lower Lake and Spring Valley – holiday box registration takes place at NCO Community Action, located at 14832 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake, from 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28; 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 29; and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 30.

No sign ups will be accepted after those days.

All applicants must appear in person, bringing a photo identification and proof of physical residence.

Only one box per address will be allowed.

The boxes will be distributed in December before the holidays. Distribution information will be given at the time of registration.

Donations for the Lake County Holiday Fund are now being accepted at any branch of WestAmerica Bank or Umpqua Bank. Checks should be written to the Lake County Holiday Fund.

Because the Lake County Hunger Task Force is now the fiduciary agency, donations are tax-deductible, since the task force is a registered nonprofit.

The annual holiday food box effort is a cooperative undertaking that includes the Lakeport Rotary, NCO Community Action, Lake County Hunger Task Force, Lake Family Resource Center, WestAmerica Bank, Umpqua Bank and Lake County Publishing.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Special Districts Administrator Jan Coppinger was the guest speaker at the fall Geysers Geothermal Association dinner on Nov. 16.

She reported on the Anderson Springs wastewater project. The Lake County Board of Supervisors signed a contract for construction of the collection system earlier this month.

The contract to actually build the facilities for each individual property including the grinder pump and holding tanks for the first 100 properties will go out to bid in the spring of 2018.

The Anderson Springs Community Alliance will host a community meeting on Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. the Middletown Community Center for updates on the wastewater collection system, warning sirens, emergency exit and other issues of community concern.

The focus of Coppinger's presentation explained how Lake County's recycled water pipeline to The Geysers has benefited Lake County users and replenished and stabilized the steam decline of the world's single-largest geothermal resource developed for electric generation.

The recycled water is treated wastewater (secondary treatment standard) from four wastewater treatment plants which serve 10 communities and conveys 85 percent of Lake County wastewater for stem production.

All of the effluent from the following plants is captured and conveyed to The Geysers:

– Northwest Regional wastewater treatment plant, population 8,903;
– Southeast Regional wastewater treatment plant, population 13,008;
– Clearlake Oaks wastewater treatment plant, population 2,500;
– Middletown wastewater treatment plant, population 869.

Lake County provides an average of 5,000 gallons of treated effluent per minute to Northern California Power Agency and Calpine’s operations at The Geysers.

The city of Santa Rosa Geysers Recharge Project from Sonoma County contributes 12,000 gallons per minute.

The contract Lake County Special Districts has to supply effluent to The Geysers guarantees a consistent amount of flow with the projected 20 years expected population growth initially allowing "make up water" to be drawn from Clear Lake.

However, with the housing collapse of 2008 and the fires of 2015 and 2016, draws from Clear Lake have remained high except for periods of California's drought which caused reductions in water from Clear Lake.

During the heavy rains and flooding in January and February, the Lake County Sanitation District maximized flows of recycled water to The Geysers to avoid spilling from the treatment reservoirs that were overloaded due to the flooding.

Voris Brumfield is president of the Anderson Springs Community Alliance.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a new group of big dogs ready for new homes this week.

The dogs offered adoption this week include mixes of border collie, German Shepherd, heeler, husky, Labrador Retriever, pit bull and shepherd.

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.

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”).

This male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 3, ID No. 8817. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Pit bull terrier

This male pit bull terrier has a short blue and white coat.

Shelter staff said he was tested with a female dog and got along great with her.

He is in kennel No. 3, ID No. 8817.

This female Labrador Retriever is in kennel No. 4, ID No. 8966. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Labrador Retriever

This female Labrador Retriever has a short black coat with white markings.

She is in kennel No. 4, ID No. 8966.

This female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 7. ID No. 8893. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Pit bull terrier

This female pit bull terrier has a short blue coat.

She is in kennel No. 7. ID No. 8893.

This female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 8, ID No. 8974. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Pit bull terrier

This female pit bull terrier has a short blue and white coat.

She’s in kennel No. 8, ID No. 8974.

This male German Shepherd is in kennel No. 9, ID No. 8993. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

German Shepherd

This male German Shepherd has a medium-length black and tan coat.

He’s in kennel No. 9, ID No. 8993.

“Mischief” is a female border collie-heeler mix in kennel No. 10, ID No. 8970. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Mischief’

“Mischief” is a female border collie-heeler mix.

She has a short black and white coat.

Mischief is in kennel No. 10, ID No. 8970.

“Bella” is a female husky in kennel No. 12, ID No. 8985. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Bella’

“Bella” is a female husky.

She has a medium-length black and white coat and blue eyes, and is potty trained.

Shelter staff said she should not be around livestock.

She’s in kennel No. 12, ID No. 8985.

“Blaze” is a male husky mix in kennel No. 13, ID No. 6807. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Blaze’

“Blaze” is a male husky mix.

He has a fluffy red and white coat and blue eyes.

Shelter staff said he is potty trained but should not be around livestock.

He’s in kennel No. 13, ID No. 6807.

This male pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 14, ID No. 8996. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Pit bull terrier

This male pit bull terrier has a short black and white coat.

He’s in kennel No. 14, ID No. 8996.

“Marley” is a female pit bull terrier mix in kennel No. 15, ID No. 8857. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Marley’

“Marley” is a female pit bull terrier mix with a short tan coat.

She already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 15, ID No. 8857.

“GracieMae” is a female border collie-heeler mix in kennel No. 17, ID No. 8972. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘GracieMae’

“GracieMae” is a female border collie-heeler mix.

She has a short black and white coat and already is spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 17, ID No. 8972.

This female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 19, ID No. 8965. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Pit bull terrier

This female pit bull terrier has a short red and white coat.

She already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 19, ID No. 8965.

This female German Shepherd is in kennel No. 22, ID No. 8943. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

German Shepherd

This female German Shepherd has a medium-length brown and black coat.

She’s in kennel No. 22, ID No. 8943.

“Jack” is a male shepherd mix in kennel No. 25, ID No. 8721. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

‘Jack’

“Jack” is a male shepherd mix.

He has a long black and white coat and has already been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 25, ID No. 8721.

This female pit bull terrier is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 8916. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Pit bull terrier

This female pit bull terrier has a short fawn and white coat.

She is in kennel No. 26, ID No. 8916.

This male shepherd is in kennel No. 30, ID No.8929. Photo courtesy of Lake County Animal Care and Control.

Shepherd mix

This male shepherd has a medium-length black and brown coat.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 30, ID No. 8929.

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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California's 2017 wine harvest wrapped up early this fall following summer heat spurts and a growing season that saw significant rain throughout the state ending a five-year drought.

While October wildfires in North Coast wine communities made international headlines, the state's vineyards and wineries were not significantly affected.

Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino counties, the regions most impacted, grow 12 percent of California's winegrapes, and 90 percent percent of the harvest in Napa and Sonoma and 85 percent in Mendocino were already picked and in production at wineries before the fires.

"The vast majority of California's 2017 winegrape harvest was unaffected by the wildfires and the vintage promises to be of excellent quality," said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch, president and CEO of Wine Institute. "The outpouring of support locally and from around the world for people in the impacted communities has been phenomenal. We are saddened by the loss of lives and homes and this will truly be remembered as a harvest of the heart. Wineries are at work making their 2017 wines and welcoming visitors during this beautiful late fall/early winter season."

Lake County Agricultural Commissioner Steve Hajik told Lake County News that no vineyards were damaged or impacted by October’s Sulphur fire.

The report said that in Lake County generous yields and excellent quality have the region’s vintners excited about 2017.

Harvest in Lake County began slightly later than normal and was still in full swing in early October, with a few final picks happening into late October.

The county’s winter rains replenished groundwater and fed abundant cover crops, particularly
valuable in helping the land heal in areas recovering from 2015 and 2016 wildfires.

A late summer heat wave had minimal impact on Lake County vineyards as growers prepared with advance irrigation to avert vine stress, so fruit was not subject to shrinkage or raisining.

Vintners we able to give the fruit longer hang time into the cooler days of October, and winemakers are very optimistic about quality, according to the report.

With all but late harvest grapes in, statewide vintners are looking back at the 2017 growing season. The drought is over with the season beginning with rainfall that refilled reservoirs and replenished soils.

Harvest began early at a normal pace in many regions, and then progressed rapidly during a heat wave in late August and early September.

Temperatures cooled mid-September, slowing the harvest pace and allowing red grapes to ripen gradually. Many regions are reporting reduced yields due to the heat spell, but vintners are reporting strong quality for the 2017 vintage.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture estimated in early August that the state's overall crop size would reach four million tons, down slightly from 4.03 million in 2016 and above the historical average of 3.9 million tons. The heat wave will likely lower this prediction.

"We had above average rainfall this winter on the Central Coast, but not as much as areas that saw flooding," said Steve Lohr, CEO, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines. "It was wonderful because it helped fill up the reservoirs and bring new life to cover crops that had been parched after several years of drought. It has been a good year for us, all in all, on the Central Coast," Lohr said. "From the 30,000-foot perspective, I would say that these wines are going to show particularly nicely in their youth but will have the capacity to age."

According to Neil Bernardi, vice president of winemaking at Duckhorn Wine Co., the increased rainfall also brought vine-vigor challenges.

"It required special focus on cover crops and tillage and closely managing canopies. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in Napa Valley and Alexander Valley look especially healthy," he said. "Our Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Merlot have excellent color, extraction and flavor, and Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are showing excellent aromatics and great acidity."

The rainfall helped vines in the Santa Cruz Mountains rebound from the drought, but also caused some problems during flowering.

"Zinfandel got caught by spring rain during bloom and most of our Zinfandel sites are down in tonnage anywhere from 15 percent to 40 percent," said Eric Baugher, chief operating officer and winemaker, Ridge Vineyards Monte Bello Winery. "It does appear that the Zinfandel vintage will be an extraordinary one, similar to 1999. I expect similar excellent quality out of Chardonnay since the fruit had such great intensity of flavor from the petite-size clusters and berries."

A heat spell impacted many California regions in late summer, speeding up harvest schedules and requiring extra vigilance.

"Some vineyards that had exposed fruit showed desiccation," said David Hayman, vice president of winegrowing for Delicato Family Vineyards, which farms grapes across the state. "Ripeness was accelerated and a lot of fruit became ready all at once. Flavors across the board look good."
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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has released a draft of the Statewide Elk Conservation and Management Plan for public review and comment.

The plan provides guidance and direction to help set priorities for elk management efforts statewide.

"This draft plan is an important milestone for many of our wildlife program staff, and we're pleased to be one step closer to completion," said CDFW Wildlife Branch Chief Kari Lewis. "Public feedback is a critical part of shaping this effort, which emphasizes the sharing of resources and collaboration with all parties interested in elk and elk management. These are essential for effective management of California's elk populations."

The overarching plan addresses historical and current geographic range, habitat conditions and trends, and major factors affecting Roosevelt, Rocky Mountain and tule elk in California.

The plan also includes subsections that are specific to each of the 22 Elk Management Units in California. These areas collectively comprise the currently known distribution of elk in California, and include locations in Lake County.

Each subsection includes a description of the Elk Management Units and information about elk distribution and abundance, management goals, objectives and actions, herd viability and a summary of annual harvests in that unit.

The plan also outlines management actions that emphasize maintenance and improvement of habitat conditions on both public and private land.

All public comments should be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29, 2018.

Comments may be submitted online at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or can be mailed to California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Branch, Attn: Joe Hobbs, 1812 Ninth St., Sacramento, CA 95811.

Comments received by the deadline will be reviewed by CDFW, and appropriate changes will be incorporated into the final document prior to its anticipated release in early 2018.

Elk Management Plan Final Public Draft 11-16-17 by LakeCoNews on Scribd

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Artist’s impression of the planet Ross 128 b. Courtesy of European Southern Observatory.


A temperate Earth-sized planet has been discovered only 11 light-years from the Solar System by a team using ESO’s unique planet-hunting HARPS instrument.

The new world has the designation Ross 128 b and is now the second-closest temperate planet to be detected after Proxima b.

It is also the closest planet to be discovered orbiting an inactive red dwarf star, which may increase the likelihood that this planet could potentially sustain life.

Ross 128 b will be a prime target for ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, which will be able to search for biomarkers in the planet's atmosphere.

A team working with ESO’s High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, or HARPS, at the La Silla Observatory in Chile has found that the red dwarf star Ross 128 is orbited by a low-mass exoplanet every 9.9 days.

This Earth-sized world is expected to be temperate, with a surface temperature that may also be close to that of the Earth. Ross 128 is the “quietest” nearby star to host such a temperate exoplanet.

“This discovery is based on more than a decade of HARPS intensive monitoring together with state-of-the-art data reduction and analysis techniques. Only HARPS has demonstrated such a precision and it remains the best planet hunter of its kind, 15 years after it began operations,” explains Nicola Astudillo-Defru (Geneva Observatory – University of Geneva, Switzerland), who co-authored the discovery paper.

Red dwarfs are some of the coolest, faintest — and most common — stars in the Universe.

This makes them very good targets in the search for exoplanets and so they are increasingly being studied. In fact, lead author Xavier Bonfils (Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble – Université Grenoble-Alpes/CNRS, Grenoble, France), named their HARPS programme The shortcut to happiness, as it is easier to detect small cool siblings of Earth around these stars, than around stars more similar to the Sun.

Many red dwarf stars, including Proxima Centauri, are subject to flares that occasionally bathe their orbiting planets in deadly ultraviolet and X-ray radiation.

However, it seems that Ross 128 is a much quieter star, and so its planets may be the closest known comfortable abode for possible life.

Although it is currently 11 light-years from Earth, Ross 128 is moving towards us and is expected to become our nearest stellar neighbor in just 79 000 years – a blink of the eye in cosmic terms. Ross 128 b will by then take the crown from Proxima b and become the closest exoplanet to Earth.

With the data from HARPS, the team found that Ross 128 b orbits 20 times closer than the Earth orbits the Sun. Despite this proximity, Ross 128 b receives only 1.38 times more irradiation than the Earth.

As a result, Ross 128 b’s equilibrium temperature is estimated to lie between -60 and 20°C, thanks to the cool and faint nature of its small red dwarf host star, which has just over half the surface temperature of the Sun.

While the scientists involved in this discovery consider Ross 128b to be a temperate planet, uncertainty remains as to whether the planet lies inside, outside, or on the cusp of the habitable zone, where liquid water may exist on a planet’s surface.

Astronomers are now detecting more and more temperate exoplanets, and the next stage will be to study their atmospheres, composition and chemistry in more detail.

Vitally, the detection of biomarkers such as oxygen in the very closest exoplanet atmospheres will be a huge next step, which ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, or ELT, is in prime position to take.

“New facilities at ESO will first play a critical role in building the census of Earth-mass planets amenable to characterization. In particular, NIRPS, the infrared arm of HARPS, will boost our efficiency in observing red dwarfs, which emit most of their radiation in the infrared. And then, the ELT will provide the opportunity to observe and characterize a large fraction of these planets,” concludes Xavier Bonfils.
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The James Webb Space Telescope, with its 18 hexagonal mirrors, will have more than twice the collecting area of the Hubble Space Telescope, allowing it to peer back in time to the beginning of the universe. Artist’s rendering by Northrop Grumman.


BERKELEY, Calif. – Two UC Berkeley astronomers are eagerly awaiting the spring 2019 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, having been chosen to lead two of the first 13 groups that will test the capabilities of NASA's snazzy new successor to the Hubble Space Telescope.

The 13 teams, which were announced earlier this month, won't be able to get their hands on any data for another two years, following a six-month commissioning period after launch.

But from November 2019 until April 2020, these teams will scan objects near and far, ranging from planets in our solar system to planets around nearby stars, and from star systems in the Milky Way galaxy to galaxies at the edge of the universe.

"The diversity of science represented by these 13 teams is amazing," said Daniel Weisz, an assistant professor of astronomy and leader of one of the teams. "We are definitely excited about this opportunity."

The teams are hoping for new discoveries, but they've also been selected because of promises to provide baseline information for future observers and computer software tools that those astronomers will need to make sense of their observations on the telescope.

"With the telescope's five-year lifetime, we need to use it very efficiently to maximize the return," Weisz said. "The early release science program is supposed to produce science-enabling results within five months of the observations, which in the astronomy world is basically yesterday."

Letting astronomers rather than staff take the telescope for a test drive is a new concept for NASA, said Imke de Pater, a UC Berkeley professor of astronomy who will lead a team using the telescope for up-close observations of the solar system.

She and her team will focus on Jupiter, its moons Io and Ganymede and its faint rings, to see if they can capture fine detail against the bright background of Jupiter, which is actually too bright for the telescope to look at without filters.

"We will see if we can image the rings and get rid of the scattered light from Jupiter, which pushes the telescope's limits and really tests the capabilities of JWST," she said.

Weisz, who studies star systems, from globular clusters with millions of stars to galaxies in the local Universe, will take the long view.

He is particularly interested in systems near enough that individual stars can be picked out and counted, which can tell astronomers about the history of the galaxy and ultimately the history of the universe.

The James Webb telescope will be ideal for this, because its mirrors will be two and a half times the size of the mirror in the Hubble space telescope, effectively cutting the time it takes to collect data on a cluster or galaxy by a factor of 10.

This allows detailed studies of the very faintest stars, some of which first started to glow when the universe was a baby more than 10 billion years ago.

"For studies of very faint stars in the Milky Way – our own galaxy – the JWST is going to be phenomenal," he said. "The telescope will do roughly in its five- to 10-year mission what Hubble has done in its 25-year mission for local galaxies."

During the 20 hours of telescope time allocated to his team, they will take images in both optical and infrared for a globular cluster in the Milky Way, a very faint, dark-matter-dominated dwarf galaxy that orbits the Milky Way and a close neighbor and traveling companion of the Milky Way, a galaxy at a distance of about 3 million light years.

By counting and determining the age of each star within within these galaxies, for example, he hopes to shed light on what happened early in the universe when stars first began to shine across the cosmos, the so-called epoch of reionization.

"We are adjusting our academic schedules so that we will be ready to hit the ground as soon as the data gets downloaded; we will be off to the races," Weisz said.

De Pater admits that two years is a long time to wait, but she, her co-principal investigator Thierry Fouchet of the Observatory of Paris and their team hope to use their 28.9 hours of observing time to measure the wind speeds in Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, observe gases in the atmospheres of Io and Ganymede and see ripples left by comets in the rings around the planet.

"The idea is that for any solar system object, you have to assemble a mosaic of the planet or moon from multiple observations when everything is moving and rotating and changing. How do you do that?" de Pater said. "We have to develop the software so that astronomers can put their little postage stamps together into a map."

UC Berkeley research astronomer Michael Wong is one of the co-investigators on de Pater's team.

Robert Sanders writes for the UC Berkeley News Center.
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California’s drug, alcohol and suicide death rate could increase by 38 percent in the next 10 years, according to a new report, Pain in the Nation: The Drug, Alcohol and Suicide Epidemics and the Need for a National Resilience Strategy, released today by the Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust.

California’s rate could rise to 48.9 per 100,000 deaths from these three causes by 2025 – which would be the 13th lowest – compared to the state’s current rate of 35.4 per 100,000 (as of 2015), which is the 13th lowest.

Nationally, deaths from drugs, alcohol and suicide could account for 1.6 million fatalities over the coming decade (2016 to 2025). This would represent a 60 percent increase compared to the past decade, if recent trends hold, based on an analysis conducted by the Berkeley Research Group for this report. From 2006 to 2015, there were 1 million deaths from these three causes.

– Nationally, in 2015, there were 127,500 deaths from drugs, alcohol and suicide. The epidemics currently are responsible for 350 deaths per day, 14 per hour and one every four minutes.

– According to the report’s projections, this could reach 192,000 per year by 2025 (39.7 deaths per 100,000 in 2015 compared to 55.9 per 100,000 in 2025).

– At a state level, in 2005, 21 states and Washington, D.C. had death rates from these three causes above 30 per 100,000, and only six states had death rates above 40 per 100,000.

– As of 2015, 48 states and Washington, D.C. had rates above 30 per 100,000, 30 were above 40 per 100,000 and five states had rates above 60 per 100,000, including New Mexico which had the highest rate of 77.4 per 100,000.

– By 2025, 26 states could reach 60 deaths per 100,000 – and two states (New Mexico and West Virginia) could reach rates of 100 deaths per 100,000.

The study found, however, that these numbers may be conservative, especially with the rapid rise of heroin, fentanyl and carfentanil use. If the nation continues along recent trajectories, death rates would actually double to 2 million by 2025.

“These numbers are staggering, tragic – and preventable,” said John Auerbach, president and CEO of Trust for America’s Health. “There is a serious crisis across the nation and solutions must go way beyond reducing the supply of opioids, other drugs and alcohol. Greater steps – that promote prevention, resiliency and opportunity – must be taken to address the underlying issues of pain, hopelessness and despair.”

The report showed that current nationwide trends included drug overdose deaths tripling between 2000 and 2015 (with a total of 52,400 deaths in 2015), with rural community opioid-related death rates increasing seven-fold.

Provisional data shows drug overdoses could exceed 64,000 in 2016, with fentanyl deaths alone accounting for 21,000 of these deaths (and fentanyl-related deaths doubling between 2015 and 2016). California’s drug overdose death rate was 11.9 per 100,000 in 2015.

Alcohol-induced deaths increased 37 percent between 2000 and 2015, reaching a 35-year high at 33,200 deaths in 2015. This excludes alcohol-attributable deaths related to injury and violence. California’s alcohol-induced death rate was 13.2 per 100,000 in 2015.

Suicide deaths increased by 28 percent between 2000 and 2015 to more than 44,000 deaths (as of 2015). Rural suicide rates are 40 percent higher than in metro areas. California’s suicide death rate was 10.7 per 100,000 in 2015.

As of 2015, more than 43 million Americans experienced a mental health issue, more than 20 million had a substance use disorder and more than 8 million experienced both – and these numbers are likely to be underestimates due to stigma and lack of available treatment.

Only around one in 10 people with substance use disorders receive recommended treatment.

“We’re facing a generational crisis. And it calls for bigger and bolder action. Simply creating new programs to address one piece of the problem is insufficient – we need more robust and systematic change. The good news is: we know a lot about what works and can make a difference," said Benjamin F. Miller, PsyD, chief policy officer, Well Being Trust. “This report highlights the need for investments that take a whole-person approach to wellbeing – encompassing the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of well-being – to truly address the drivers of pain, ultimately saving lives.”

Pain in the Nation calls for the creation of a National Resilience Strategy that takes a comprehensive approach by focusing on prevention, early identification of issues and effective treatment.

The report highlights more than 60 research-based policies, practices and programs to reduce substance misuse and suicide and improve well-being.

Some key recommendations from the report include:

– Improve pain management and treatment by helping people heal physically, mentally and emotionally. Approaches must acknowledge that there are different types of pain and experts from mental health, medical care and other disciplines must develop team-based solutions that focus on proactively addressing pain before it gets worse.

–Stem the opioid crisis with a full-scale approach – including promoting responsible opioid prescribing practices (such as provider education and best practices for prescription drug monitoring programs); public education about misuse and safe disposal of unused drugs; “hotspot” intervention strategies; anti-trafficking to stop the flow of heroin, fentanyl and other illicit drugs; and expanding the use and availability of rescue drugs, sterile syringes and diversion programs.

– Address the impact of the opioid epidemic on children – and the need for a multigenerational response that includes substance use disorder treatment for parents and wrap-around services for children and families, including grandparents and other relatives who help care for children, and expand support for the foster care system. Model programs for families struggling with opioid and other substance misuse disorders have been twice as effective in helping mothers achieve sobriety, reduced state custody placement of children by half and had a return on investment of $2.22 for every $1 spent on child welfare programs.

– Lower excessive alcohol use through evidence-based policies, such as by increasing pricing, limiting hours and density of alcohol sales, enforcing underage drinking laws and holding sellers and hosts liable for serving minors. For example, a 10 percent increase in the price of alcoholic beverages is shown to reduce consumption by 7.7 percent.

– Prevent suicides by expanding crisis intervention services; anti-bullying and social-emotional learning in schools; and support systems for Veterans; and better integrating mental health into primary care. For instance, the Zero Suicide model program has shown 80 percent reductions in suicides.

– Expand and modernize mental health and substance use disorder treatment services – toward a goal of focusing on the “whole health” of individuals by prioritizing innovative integrated delivery models for rural and underserved urban areas and expanding the provider workforce, including those who can deliver medication-assisted treatment. Some effective substance use treatment programs have a return of $3.77 per $1 invested.

– Prioritize prevention, reduce risk factors and promote resilience in children, families and communities by limiting trauma and adverse experiences, which have the biggest long-term impact on later substance misuse, and promoting better mental health. For instance, nurse family home visiting programs have a return of $5.70 for every $1 invested, and early childhood education programs have a $4 to $12 return for every $1 invested.

– Reboot Substance Misuse Prevention and Mental Health in Schools by scaling up evidence-based life- and coping-skills programs and inclusive school environments and increasing the availability of mental health and other services. Top school substance misuse prevention programs have a $3.80 to $34 return for every $1 invested; social-emotional learning programs have an $11 for $1 return; and school violence prevention (including suicide) programs have a $15 to $81 for $1 return.
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This male snake fly had just shed its skin. The skin, called “exuvia,” is usually eaten by the insect. Photo by Mary K. Hanson.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – We all know what a housefly (Musca domestica) looks like, but lots of creatures we call “flies” don’t actually look like the typical housefly at all. 


Two of most interesting and bizarre ones readily found in our region are the crane fly (of insect family Tipulidae) and the snake fly (of the order Raphidioptera) most visible in the spring and summer months.

Crane flies are those long-legged insects that many folks call “mosquito hawks”, even though the flies don’t hunt or eat mosquitos.

In fact, most adult crane flies don’t eat or drink much of anything, and some of the 15,000 species don’t even have mouth parts.

They also don’t have stingers like female mosquitoes do, so they can’t sting or bite you – but they still may be able to creep you out with their gangly long-legged flights.

If you’re able to get close to one, you’ll see that it has large eyes and an elongated face (rostrum).

On its back is one set of wings that are clearly visible, but look closer. Behind the wings you’ll also see little protrusions with a ball at the end of them.

These are the “halteres” and like oddly modified wings, they help keep the fly steady and maneuverable in flight.

Although there are some aquatic species, the majority of crane flies spend most of their lives underground as larvae called “leatherjackets”, named for their thick-skinned hides.

This female snake fly is typical of her species. Note the long stinger-looking protrusion at the end of her body. That’s her ovipositor, and it’s specially made to bore into and under tree bark where she’ll lay her eggs. Don’t worry, though; snake flies don’t sting. Photo by Mary K. Hanson.

These terrestrial larvae eat roots, decomposing plants and microorganisms – which can make them pests if they start foraging on the roots of your lawn.

But they are actually a valuable part of the ecosystem because they help to aerate the soil and process organic material.

When their larval stage is over, the leatherjackets pupate, and then emerge from the earth as fully formed crane flies. In our region we see mostly gray and yellow variations.

Female crane flies emerge with their eggs already intact and waiting for fertilization. That’s a time saving adaptation no doubt born of the fact that the mature winged crane flies usually only live for about a week.

The lifespan of the snake fly is significantly longer (about three years), but it spends the majority of that time as a voracious aphid-eating larva.

Vaguely related to lacewings, snake flies are considered “living fossils” that haven’t changed much since the early Jurassic period (140 million years ago).

There are about 250 different species, all of them confined to western North America, and about 20 of those species live in California.

The snake fly’s most identifying features are its long prothorax (that part of an insect between the head and the abdomen that usually hold the first pair of legs) and its two wings which are heavily veined like a dragonfly’s wings.

Look in between this crane fly’s left wing and leg and you’ll see a tiny protrusion called a “haltere”; it helps to stabilize the fly in flight. Photo by Mary K. Hanson.

On the females, the other distinguishing feature is their elongated ovipositor which pokes out of the back end of the abdomen and looks like a thick stinger. Snake flies don’t sting, but they do have tough mouth parts and can give you a nip if you mishandle them.

That long ovipositor allows the female snake fly to bore into and under the bark of trees to lay her eggs. The eggs hatch into larvae that look sort of, well, Frankenstein-ish. The front half looks like an adult snake fly, but the back end is long and wormlike, like a giant stomach.

Both the larvae and adults are predatory, eating a variety of aphids, mites, psyllids and other soft-bodied insects. In fact, they are thought to be exceedingly beneficial to fruit orchards where some species dine specifically on those pests that can damage apples or peaches.

Like the Crane flies, snake flies go through “complete metamorphosis” and have a pupal stage.

But unlike the crane fly pupa which encases itself in a hard “shell,” the snake fly pupa has no casing or cocoon, and actually moves around and even feeds for about 10 months while it continues to grow and develop. In this stage, the pupa looks almost like an adult snake fly, but it is pale (often white) and has only rudimentary wing buds.

Although you’ll see the crane flies just about anywhere, snake flies are most commonly found in woody or forested areas.

So, next time you’re out on a nature walk, keep an eye out for these critters. They valuable parts of the ecosystem that are also engaging to watch and learn more about.

Mary K. Hanson is a Certified California Naturalist, author and nature photographer. Tuleyome is a501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation organization based in Woodland, CA. For more information, see their website at: www.tuleyome.org.
This is a mating pair of crane flies. The yellow-orange ones are sometimes referred to as “tigers”, but they’re not in the least bit ferocious. Most adult crane flies don’t eat or drink much of anything, and some of the 15,000 species don’t even have mouth parts. Photo by Mary K. Hanson.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a special weather statement for Lake County and other parts of Northern California due to inbound storm systems.

Forecasters said that Friday is expected to be dry, with a warm, weak weather system bringing light precipitation to the northern mountains on Saturday.

On Sunday, more widespread rain is expected across the region due to another mild weather system early in the day, which will be followed by a colder system from late Sunday into early Monday that will bring mountain snow.

The specific Lake County forecast calls for rain on Saturday and Sunday, as well as during the day on Monday before conditions clear through much of the new week.

From Saturday through Monday, much of Lake County is forecast to have about an inch of rain, while north of Upper Lake rainfall totals are forecast to be close to 2 inches.

Temperatures will range from the low 40s at night to the low 60s during the day, 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.
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A Clearlake Police cruiser that participated in the 2016 Christmas parade in Clearlake, Calif. Courtesy photo.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Come out and celebrate the holidays with the annual Christmas parade and tree lighting ceremony in Clearlake on Saturday, Dec. 9.

The theme for the parade this year is “the 12 days of Christmas.”

The lighted parade will begin at 6 p.m. from Redbud Park and end at Austin Park with the lighting of the Clearlake Christmas tree.

Lakeshore Drive will be closed to traffic during the parade.

This event is free and open to the public.

Hot chocolate and glow sticks will be provided by the Lakeshore Lions Club.

Santa and Mrs. Claus have RSVP’d and will be in the gazebo to pose for photographs courtesy of My Wicked Pix.

“This parade really sets off the holiday season in Clearlake,” said City Manager Greg Folsom. “The parade was great last year and we are hoping for an even better event this year.”

If you would like to participate in the parade, contact the Clear Lake Chamber of Commerce at 707-994-3600 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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