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LAKEPORT, Calif. – An emergency stemming from the recent atmospheric river storms and a draft weed abatement ordinance are up for discussion by the Board of Supervisors this week.

The board will meet beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 5, in the board chambers on the first floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The meeting can be watched live on Channel 8 and online at https://countyoflake.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. Accompanying board documents, the agenda and archived board meeting videos also are available at that link.

In an item timed for 9:11 a.m., the board will confirm the existence of a local emergency and consider a proclamation confirming the existence of a local emergency due to the recent atmospheric river event.

The board also will consider continuing several proclamations of local emergencies for the Mendocino Complex, Pawnee fire, Sulphur fire, Clayton fire and the 2017 atmospheric river storm.

Also on Tuesday, in an untimed discussion, the board will continue its consideration of a draft ordinance regarding hazardous vegetation abatement.

The full agenda follows.

CONSENT AGENDA

5.1: Adopt proclamation commending William Davidson for his years of service.

5.2: Adopt proclamation recognizing and honoring Alice C. Darrow on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

5.3: Approve leave of absence request for Substance Abuse Counselor III Leroy Fields from Feb. 14 to June 14 and authorize the chair to sign.

5.4: Approve letter of support for AB 632, sponsored by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry and authorize the board to sign.

5.5: Approve letter of support for the governor’s In-Home Supportive Services maintenance of effort proposal and authorize the chair to sign.

5.6: Approve amendment No. 1 to the agreement between the county of Lake and Crestwood Behavioral Health for Adult Residential Support Services and Specialty Mental Health Services for Fiscal Year 2018-19 for the amount of $1,050,000 and authorize the board chair to sign the amendment.

5.7: Adopt resolution authorizing the 2019-20 Grant Project - Lake County Child Advocacy Center Program and authorize the chair to sign the certification and assurance of compliance.

5.8: Approve long distance travel for Dr. Erin Gustafson to Anniston, Alabama, on May 19 to 25, 2019, to attend the Strategic National Stockpile Preparedness Course.

5.9: Adopt resolution approving Lake County Health Services Department, Environmental Health Division’s renewal agreement with Accela Inc. software company for a 5 percent increase annually during the period of March 1, 2019, through Feb. 28, 2022, and authorize the director of Health Services to sign said agreement.

5.10: Sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors, adopt resolution to accept grant funds from the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Division of Boating and Waterways for Improvements to Highland Springs Recreation Area.

5.11: Approve agreement between the county of Lake and Ross Hardester for inspection and engineering services and authorize the chair to sign .

5.12: Approve Amendment No. 1 to the agreement for engineering services for replacement of Bartlett Creek Bridge at Bartlett Springs Road (14c-0099) and rehabilitation of Cache Creek Bridge at Bartlett Springs Road (14C-0107) in Lake County with Quincy Engineering Inc., in the amount not to exceed $609,550 (an increase of $27,500) and authorize the chairman to execute said amendment.

5.13: Approve contract between the county of Lake and Redwood Community Services Inc. for family wraparound services in the amount of $180,000, from Jan. 1, 2019, to Dece. 31, 2019, and authorize the chair to sign.

TIMED ITEMS

6.2, 9:10 a.m.: (a) Presentation of proclamation commending William Davidson for his years of service; and (b) presentation of proclamation recognizing and honoring Alice C. Darrow on the occasion of her 100th birthday.

6.3, 9:11 a.m.: (a) Confirmation of existence of a local emergency and (b) consideration of proclamation confirming existence of a local emergency due to an atmospheric river event.

6.4, 9:12 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to the Mendocino Complex Fire Incident (River and Ranch fires).

6.5, 9:13 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to the Pawnee fire incident.

6.6, 9:14 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to the Sulphur fire incident.

6.7, 9:15 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to Clayton fire.

6.8, 9:16 a.m.: Consideration of continuing a proclamation of a local emergency due to the atmospheric river storm.

6.9, 9:17 a.m.: (a) Consideration of continuing the declaration of a local health emergency and order prohibiting the endangerment of the community through the unsafe removal, transportation, and disposal of fire debris; and (b) update on the Mendocino Complex - River and Ranch Fires Recovery.

UNTIMED ITEMS

7.2: Consideration of the following appointments: Big Valley Groundwater Management Zone Commission Advisory Board, Child Care Planning and Development Advisory Board, East Regional Town Hall Advisory Board, IHSS Advisory Board.

7.3: Discussion and consideration of a draft ordinance adding Article VIII to Chapter 13 of the Lake County Code regarding hazardous vegetation abatement.

7.4: Consideration of Change Order No. 3 to contract with Team Ghilotti Inc., for Mockingbird Lane at Robinson Creek Bridge Replacement Project, Federal Project No. BRLO-5914 (105) for a decrease of $24,875 and a revised contract amount of $1,385,903.30.

CLOSED SESSION

8.1: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): (a) Interviews of registrar of voters (b) appointment of registrar of voters.

8.2: Public employee appointment pursuant to Gov. Code Section 54957(b)(1): (a) Interviews of interim Animal Care and Control director; (b) appointment of interim interim Animal Care and Control.

8.3: Employee disciplinary appeal (EDA 19-01) Pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54957.

8.4: Employee disciplinary appeal (EDA 19-02) Pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54957.

8.5: Conference with legal counsel: Significant exposure to litigation pursuant to Gov. Code sec. 54956.9(d)(2)(e)(3): Claim of Flesch.

8.6: Conference with legal counsel: Existing litigation pursuant to Gov. Code section 54956.9(d)(1): Dotson v. County of Lake, et al.

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.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A moderately sized earthquake shook the Lower Lake area early Sunday, with residents from different communities around Lake County reporting that they felt it.

The 3.4-magnitude quake occurred at 7:04 a.m., according to the US Geological Survey.

The survey said the quake was centered 1.4 miles north northeast of Seigler Springs and 5.4 miles southwest of Clearlake, at a depth of six tenths of a mile.

There were 219 shake reports submitted. In addition to Lower Lake, locally reports came from Clearlake, Clearlake Oaks, Glenhaven, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville, Lucerne, Middletown; the quake was reported at highest intensity in Glenhaven, Lower Lake and Middletown.

Shake reports also came from Napa, Sonoma, Folsom, Fontana and Walnut Creek, and as far away as Junction City, Oregon.

Two other smaller quakes were reported on Sunday morning in the Lower Lake area: a 2.3-magnitude at 1:47 a.m. and a 1.3-magnitude quake at 9:27 a.m., according to US Geological Survey records.

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 three new cats waiting for homes this week.

The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.

Female domestic medium hair

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

She’s in kennel No. 16a, ID No. 11839.

Siamese cat

This Siamese cat of undetermined gender has a long coat and blue eyes.

It’s in kennel No. 16b, ID No. 11840.

Domestic short hair cat

This domestic short hair cat of undetermined gender has a white coat with black markings and gold eyes.

It’s in kennel No. 121, ID No. 11841.

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.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has released the 2018 Armed and Prohibited Persons, or APPS, program annual report.

The state of California is the first and only state in the nation to have established an automated system for tracking firearm owners who fall into a prohibited status.

The APPS database works to identify individuals who previously procured firearms but later became prohibited from legally owning them because they were convicted of a felony or a violent misdemeanor, placed under a domestic violence or other restraining order, or suffer from serious mental illness.

Mandated by Senate Bill 140 in 2013, the annual report provides a comprehensive analysis of the APPS database.

In order to capture and better display the number of individuals coming into the system, leaving the system, and the current caseload, this year’s report also provides a comprehensive assessment of the APPS system, data, and the California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Firearms enforcement activities.

“California will continue to set an example for the rest of the nation when it comes removing illegal firearms from our neighborhoods,” said Attorney General Becerra. “This is smart and efficient law enforcement. I am proud of our agents, who put themselves in dangerous situations on a daily basis in order to protect our families. My office remains committed to our mission: taking firearms away from dangerous and violent individuals. We look forward to working with our Governor and legislature and our local partners to fulfill this mission.”

This report for 2018 analyzes historical information such as APPS caseload and workflow since July 2013, including an examination of the total number of persons in APPS over time, paired with examinations of the removal of individuals.

Some of the key highlights from the report include:

– The task of addressing the original backlog of 20,721 cases neared completion. The remaining 538 active cases are under investigation.
– In 2018, the California Department of Justice set an annual record of 10,681 individuals were removed from the APPS list.
– Agents seized a total of 2,290 firearms in APPS enforcement actions.
– The California Department of Justice averaged 50 filled agent positions working in six teams dedicated to the search and seizure of firearms from prohibited persons spanning California’s 58 counties.
– In just over 10 years, the number of known firearm owners in California has more than doubled, going from 927,686 in 2008 to 2,516,836 as of January 1, 2019. Since 2013, over 56,000 armed and prohibited persons have been added to APPS, while over 53,000 armed and prohibited persons have been removed.

Everyday, California Department of Justice agents face numerous APPS challenges, such as a growing caseload, seizing firearms from uncooperative individuals, locating current addresses, obtaining search warrants, and locating the particular firearm registered in the database.

In 2018, California Department of Justice agents made approximately 22,119 contacts with individuals in their efforts to remove firearms from the hands of prohibited persons.

A copy of the report can be seen below.

California Department of Justice 2018 Armed and Prohibited Persons program annual report by LakeCoNews on Scribd

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Two little girls who went missing near their Benbow home on Friday evening were found safe on Sunday morning during a search that involved agencies from around the region.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office said search and rescue teams located Caroline Carrico, age 5, and Leia Carrico, age 8, alive and well, more than 44 hours after they were last seen in southern Humboldt County.

Authorities said searchers Delbert Chumley and Abram Hill from the Piercy Volunteer Fire Department located the two girls at close to 10:30 a.m. Sunday, approximately 1.4 miles away from their home in Benbow.

Chumley and Hill found boot prints believed to belong to the girls at around 8:30 a.m. Those tracks led the team southeast to an area near Richardson Grove State Park, authorities said.

Caroline and Leia responded when crew members called out to them. The girls were located huddled together under a bush, according to the sheriff’s office.

The sheriff’s office said the sisters were evaluated by medical personnel for dehydration and given water and warm, dry clothing. They were reunited with family shortly after being located.

The girls told first responders that they were following a deer trail when they had become lost. The two decided to stay put, drinking fresh water from huckleberry leaves, the sheriff’s office said.

More than 250 personnel from across the state responded to assist in this operation. Participating agencies included the California Office of Emergency Services, Humboldt Bay Fire, Piercy Volunteer Fire Department, Redway Fire, Fortuna Fire, Cal Fire, Southern Humboldt Technical Rescue, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse, California Highway Patrol, California National Guard, United States Coast Guard, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California State Parks and Salmon Creek Fire.

Lake was among the counties that sent sent search and rescue personnel, along with Mendocino, Marin, Trinity, Napa, Alameda, Solano, Santa Clara, Sonoma, Contra Costa, Siskiyou County, Del Norte, Placer, El Dorado, San Mateo and Nevada.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office thanked all of the agencies and jurisdictions involved in bringing Caroline and Leia home safe.

“We would like to especially thank the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for their assistance in coordinating agency response from across the state, the California National Guard for their ground and air support provided, and Mendocino, Napa and Marin counties for helping organize the search and rescue operation,” the agency said in a statement.

The public tip line established by the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has now been deactivated.

The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office also thanked the public for overwhelming support during this entire effort.

“Throughout this process we have received several inquiries from those who wanted to help in the ground search effort,” the agency said, adding that it encourages those who want to help to get involved in its Sheriff’s Search and Rescue Posse.

"The voice of nature is always encouraging." – Henry David Thoreau

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – On a recent cool and damp winter day, about a dozen Middletown Art Center art and nature enthusiasts met in southern Middletown at Rabbit Hill and Chaparral Preserve for a walk to discuss plans for a new art trail on the property.

The excursion was the initiation phase of a shared art trail design and implementation venture between MAC’s Restore project and the Lake County Land Trust.

The art trail design will be inspired by Rabbit Hill's unique environment and put into play the proposals of thinkers and doers at MAC, led by Lisa Kaplan, the center’s director and teacher who works with clay, sculptors and teaching artists Marcus Maria Jung (natural wood) and Emily Scheibal (plaster and cement).

All art trail design proposals will be approved by the Lake County Land Trust.

Rabbit Hill was burned in the devastating Valley fire, and although stark evidence of the fire remains – especially in the form of “terrible totems” of charred gray pines and other evergreens – signs of renewal and regeneration can be seen across Rabbit Hill.

Throughout the walk, Kaplan paused to discuss artistic possibilities at various vantage points. With her practiced skills in looking through an artist's eyes it became evident that at specific spots along the trail your eye is drawn uphill, or out to Middletown's picturesque Callayomi Valley below. At one vantage point, a clear view of the Middletown Trailside Park is in view.

Middletown Trailside Park, also consumed by the Valley fire, was once home of the EcoArts Sculpture Walk and is also being revitalized through the Middletown Art Center.

EcoArts, also called EcoArts of Lake County, was founded by artist Karen Turcotte 14 years ago. To revitalize the park, EcoArts of Lake County is reimagining five acres of the 107-acre park with art in the theme, “Locus.”

Keeping in mind the habitats and soils of Lake County that once inhabited both parks – Middletown Trailside and Rabbit Hill – is a high priority.

Along that vein there was an informative lecture held recently at MAC on the subject, during which resident director Cathy Koehler of the McLaughlin Reserve University of California research station outside of Lower Lake spoke in depth.

During the walk and talk at Rabbit Hill, each turn in the trail presented its own unique perspective for thoughtful ideas to be brought to life here.

Art ideas that may be appropriate to the Rabbit Hill property were bandied about, with everything from totems to honor the mighty gray pines which once thrived here, to a mounted hoop or circle in which the viewer peers across the wide valley to view the sister park that is Middletown Trailside park, to a stone or mosaic walkway to honor the past owners, the Huck and Skee Hamann.

The Hamanns resided here on Rabbit Hill until their deaths, Huck in 1975 and Skee in 1983.

The Hamanns turned Rabbit Hill into a sanctuary to honor the memory of their daughter, Joan Hamann Dole, who was murdered at her Anderson Springs home in 1966.

Huck Hamann ran a lapidary on the hill, creating artistic jewelry with skilled hands. In 1968 Rabbit Hill was deeded to the Madrone Audubon Society, then it came under the care of the Lake County Land Trust in 1999.

Unique perspectives and native plants in the landscape

Dispersed amongst impressive boulders of serpentine, California's state rock, and other unique geologic features, plenty of California native plants have sprung up to reclaim their place in nature on Rabbit Hill.

Here in the shadow of swiftly moving rain clouds you will find hardy leather oaks, which are small scrubby plants holding unique acorns that cover almost half of their seeds- the mighty acorn.

Acorns were a staple food of most California Indians in the past, when they took pains to shell them, mash and leach them to make the food palatable by removing the bitter, naturally occurring tannins.

Other California native plants making their return to Rabbit Hill by taking advantage of the unique soils here include the Yerba Santa, or “blessed herb.”

This shrub belongs to the waterleaf family, and received its moniker from Spanish settlers who, along with California Indians before them, made a tea with the plant. This plant produces a sticky substance on its leaves, along with delicate white flowers which bloom from April through July.

In time, the gray pines will regenerate. This towering tree produces large pinecones with an abundance of pine nuts which were used by California Indians as a food source. Pine nuts were favored due to their delicious flavor, as well as for their nutrition and high calorie count. Pine nuts are a good source of carbohydrates and protein.

Rabbit Hill was once home to distinctive Konocti manzanita, a subspecies of the common manzanita, which is on the California Native Plant Society's Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants. It too, was once consumed by California Indians in the form of a tea.

Many soaproot plants have reappeared on the Rabbit Hill. Soaproot is a low-lying green plant which was used in a variety of ways by California Indians. Soaproot is also called soap plant or amole, and is considered to be one of the most abundant bulbs in California.

A relative of the lily, it is easily identified even without a flower. The leaves are narrow and long with a slightly wavy edge.

Soaproot has been used to make brushes from the brown fibers which cover the bulb. After the fibers were removed from the bulb, they were cleaned of debris, and were fashioned into various sized bundles for sifting acorn.

Soaproot, as its name implies, was used for soap, as well. First, the bulb was crushed, then mixed with water for a foamy, fresh cleaner.

Along with soaproot's many other uses, it was used traditionally to stun fish in a dammed creek, and its bulb was also cooked and consumed.

The toyon shrub grows in abundance on Rabbit Hill. Toyon is a California native plant and is much-loved by many bird species for its bright red berries.

MAC encourages all ideas and welcomes those who are interested in joining this enriching community art project, as well as signing up for one or many of its Restore classes.

The Restore project’s arts classes offered at MAC are low-cost, and offer opportunity to take part in an array of artistic activities which utilize a host of materials and techniques in sculpture, mixed media, printmaking or even creative writing.

MAC's Restore classes in sculpture and mixed media will largely center on implementation of the Rabbit Hill Art Trail. Classes take place most weekends through May.

Visit the Middletown Art Center’s Web site for more information, and learn more about the Lake County Land Trust here.

Kathleen Scavone is a writer and retired educator. She lives in Middletown.