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LAKEPORT, Calif. – It’s been nearly 15 years since the Lake County Model Railroad Club ended its nomadic journey throughout the county and took up residence in the old National Guard Armory at the Lakeport Fairgrounds, turning a collection of portable tables into what is now a miniature empire of sights and sounds much to the delight of children of all ages.

“We began with an idea to build a railroad we could have fun with,” said Bill Cossey, a longtime member and club vice president. “What we have now is a look at California of 70 years ago when the railroad was still our Nation’s primary mode of transportation.”

The club was started more than 30 years ago by three men, meeting in whatever donated space they could find, according to the club’s brochure

“We didn’t have many rules in those days,” said Cossey. “The idea was to have fun.”

Model railroading or the “World’s Greatest Hobby,” as it’s touted by the Tennessee-based National Model Railroad Association, is shared by more than 250,000 Americans and at least a million hobbyists throughout the world.

The club models in HO scale or 1/87th actual size and has more than 800 feet of track which meanders through cities, farmland and mountains in its journey across the “state.”

They have also included a section devoted to the old narrow gage logging and mining trains that were once a part of our state’s history.

“There is a lot more involved in the hobby than setting up a circle of track and running trains,” said Cossey.

He said club members combine their talents to produce believable miniaturizations of railroad life in the 1950s and 1960s.

The hobby has even adopted digital technology that allows the railroad to operate as it did in real life, Cossey said.

“From lights in the buildings, sounds in the streets and the roar of the locomotive, computers play a huge roll in our hobby,” said Cossey. “We hope to one day have all sorts of special effects and animations controlled from a laptop computer.”

Although all the track work has been completed the layout is far from finished with member attention being focused upon scenery construction and maintenance.

“They say a model railroad is never finished but is in a constant state of improvement,” said Cossey. “We’ll finish a scene but then get a better idea and start over. But that’s what makes this hobby fun.”

Cossey said that the club welcomes new members of all ages – children under 14 need parental supervision – and they are a 100-percent NMRA club.

They will be open to visitors during the Lake County Fair which opens Thursday, Aug. 31, and continues through Sunday, Sept. 3.

The Lake County Model Railroad Club meets every Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m., except holidays. Visitors are welcome anytime.

For more information contact Cossey at 707-274-8636 or Dave Fromer at 707-461-4025.

Dave Fromer lives in Hidden Valley Lake.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said several events are coming up over the next few weeks in honor of fallen Deputy Rob Rumfelt.

Sgt. Corey Paulich said there will be a candlelight vigil on Tuesday, Aug. 29, to remember Rumfelt, who died in the line of duty in Lakeport on Aug. 22.

Paulich said the vigil will be held at Library Park in Lakeport beginning at 8 p.m. The public is invited to attend.

Those attending may bring their own candle, utilize the light mechanism on their cell phone or a small flashlight. There will not be any candles available at the vigil, Paulich said.

Paulich said there also is a public viewing scheduled for noon to 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 1, at Chapel of the Lakes Mortuary, located at 1625 N. High St. in Lakeport.

The memorial service for Deputy Rumfelt will be held at Clear Lake High School’s Don Owens Stadium in Lakeport on Saturday, Sept. 9. Paulich said the service is scheduled to begin promptly at 10 a.m.

More details will be provided as the planning process progresses throughout the week, he said.

"A lake is the landscape’s most beautiful and expressive feature. It is earth’s eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature." – Henry David Thoreau

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Clear Lake is set like a jewel in Lake County.

The Mayacamas Mountains are to the east, and Clear Lake, at nearly 70 square miles, is the largest natural lake wholly within California.

Believed to be the oldest lake in North America, Clear Lake is about a half million years old.

Clear Lake sprawls across the landscape diagonally, with two arms at the narrows pointing southeast.

Mount Konocti, a dormant volcano resting on the Pacific Ring of Fire, emerges on the shoreline across the narrows, rising to 4,305 feet.

Clear Lake and Mount Konocti, two distinct and indivisible landscape features of Lake County contain vast stores of mythology, history and exquisite beauty.

Here at Clear Lake there is something for everyone: fishing, boating, kayaking, bird-watching, hiking and scientific discoveries galore.

To quote the magazine of the California Academy of Sciences, "Dead lakes are clear ..."

Clear Lake, never truly clear, since it is shallow and eutrophic, was, however, once more clear than it is now. Clear Lake has an average depth of 27 feet.

Our lake's problems began back in the 1920s. Then, construction development, agriculture practices, along with dwindling wetlands and the removal of the once-prolific tule plants, were the causes of the lake's diminishing clarity over time.

These practices removed the natural filtration structures of the lake and allowed excess nutrients from farms, vineyards.

Once, there were close to 9,000 acres of wetlands adjoining the lake, then the wetlands were decreased to 2,000 acres.

Steps are being taken by groups such as the Lake County Land Trust to reclaim valuable wetlands, like Rodman Slough.

Ecology-minded farmers are using lake-friendly farming practices to aid in the lake's water quality as well.

After European settlers arrived around 1840, lands near the lake were cleared for farming. The farming practices of the time caused sediments to wash into the lake, allowing the nutrient level in the lake to rise.

The geologic basin into which Clear Lake sits, the Clear Lake basin, is an extensively studied basin – one of the most studied in the state of California.

Reports from the University of California at Davis show that the lake's unique filtering system controls how much mercury from old mines enters the food chain.

According to local archaeologist Dr. John Parker, in some 1930s geology publications, "It was indicated that that there was a landslide at the north end of Blue Lakes which blocked and backed up the Clear Lake outlet channel causing the shift to the Cache Creek outlet."

He continues, "Yes there is a landslide there ... however it is not old enough to have caused the shift in Clear Lake’s outflow. The US Geological Survey has determined that the landslide is several hundred years (or thousand years) more recent than the change in outflow (which occurred approximately 12,000 years ago). It is likely that Clear Lake flowed out the Blue Lake canyon to the Russian River several times during its 500,000 plus years lifetime. It is also likely that its outlet channel that direction flowed through the Scott’s Creek Canyon a few times (rather than Tule Lake). In addition to the current Cache Creek outlet (which also was probably used many times over the millennia), geologic evidence suggests that the lake flowed past Lower Lake down the canyon by Hidden Valley Lake and drained out Putah Creek a few times."

Greg Giusti recently delivered a lecture entitled, "What Do We Know About Clear Lake?" at the Clear Lake State Park Visitor Center as part of the Summer Speaker Series sponsored by Clear Lake State Park's Interpretive Association.

Giusti recently retired as Lake and Mendocino County director and advisor for forests and wildland ecology, and holds a master’s degree in ecology from San Francisco State University.

He is a specialist in forest management, wildlife management, vertebrate pest management, wetlands, watersheds, fisheries and freshwater ecology.

Giusti discussed the long association our lake has had with humans, spanning back thousands of years to include the Pomo and Miwok peoples, on up to the pioneers who lived around the lake, and finally, today's recreational uses of the lake by fishermen and other sports and nature enthusiasts.

UC Davis mud core samples from the lake prove that there were once forests much like Cobb Mountain's.

Then, when the ice sheets receded the area became oak-dominated. With the abundance of food, such as fish, grizzly bear, elk and deer, the lake has historically attracted people.

Another interesting facet of Giusti's talk included a NASA image which depicts the abundant phosphorus in the soils adjacent to our lake. This picture delineated where the hotspots for improving the lake are located.

To improve the lake's water quality we need to limit the loss of tule reeds and improve roads as the erosion of the roads harms our lake, and enforce shoreline and stormwater ordinances.

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.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has six dogs that are cleared to go to new homes as this week begins.

The dogs available this week include mixes of border collie, Chihuahua, German Shepherd, husky, Labrador Retriever, shepherd and terrier.

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”).

Male terrier mix

This young male terrier mix has a short brown and white coat.

He’s in kennel No. 3, ID No. 8369.

Male German Shepherd

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

He’s in kennel No. 10, ID No. 8298.

Male Chihuahua

This male Chihuahua mix has a short tan coat.

He’s in kennel No. 8355, ID No. 11.

‘Satchel’

“Satchel” is a male border collie and Labrador Retriever mix with a short black and white coat.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 12, ID No. 8275.

Female shepherd mix

This female shepherd mix has a short brindle coat.

She’s in kennel No. 19, ID No. 8315.

Male husky

This male husky has a long gray and white coat.

He’s in kennel No. 32, ID No. 8360.

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.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope will use its infrared capabilities to study the "ocean worlds" of Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus, adding to observations previously made by NASA's Galileo and Cassini orbiters.

The Webb telescope's observations could also help guide future missions to the icy moons.

Europa and Enceladus are on the Webb telescope's list of targets chosen by guaranteed time observers, scientists who helped develop the telescope and thus get to be among the first to use it to observe the universe.

One of the telescope's science goals is to study planets that could help shed light on the origins of life, but this does not just mean exoplanets; Webb will also help unravel the mysteries still held by objects in our own solar system (from Mars outward).

Geronimo Villanueva, a planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is the lead scientist on the Webb telescope's observation of Europa and Enceladus.

His team is part of a larger effort to study our solar system with the telescope, spearheaded by astronomer Heidi Hammel, the executive vice president of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, or AURA. NASA selected Hammel as an interdisciplinary scientist for Webb in 2002.

Of particular interest to the scientists are the plumes of water that breach the surface of Enceladus and Europa, and that contain a mixture of water vapor and simple organic chemicals.

NASA's Cassini-Huygens and Galileo missions, and NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, previously gathered evidence that these jets are the result of geologic processes heating large subsurface oceans.

"We chose these two moons because of their potential to exhibit chemical signatures of astrobiological interest," said Hammel.

Villanueva and his team plan to use Webb's near-infrared camera, or NIRCam, to take high-resolution imagery of Europa, which they will use to study its surface and to search for hot surface regions indicative of plume activity and active geologic processes.

Once they locate a plume, they will use Webb's near-infrared spectrograph, NIRSpec, and mid-infrared instrument, or MIRI, to spectroscopically analyze the plume's composition.

Webb telescope's observations might be particularly telling for the plumes on Europa, the composition of which largely remains a mystery.

"Are they made of water ice? Is hot water vapor being released? What is the temperature of the active regions and the emitted water?" questioned Villanueva. "Webb telescope's measurements will allow us to address these questions with unprecedented accuracy and precision."

For Enceladus, Villanueva explained that because that moon is nearly 10 times smaller than Europa as seen from the Webb telescope, high-resolution imagery of its surface will not be possible.

However, the telescope can still analyze the molecular composition of Enceladus' plumes and perform a broad analysis of its surface features.

Much of the moon's terrain has already been mapped by NASA's Cassini orbiter, which has spent about 13 years studying Saturn and its satellites.

Villanueva cautioned that while he and his team plan to use NIRSpec to search for organic signatures (such as methane, methanol, and ethane) in the plumes of both moons, there is no guarantee the team will be able to time the Webb telescope's observations to catch one of the intermittent emissions, nor that the emissions will have a significant organic composition.

"We only expect detections if the plumes are particularly active and if they are organic-rich," said Villanueva.

Evidence of life in the plumes could prove even more elusive. Villanueva explained that while chemical disequilibrium in the plumes (an unexpected abundance or scarcity of certain chemicals) could be a sign of the natural processes of microbial life, it could also be caused by natural geologic processes.

While the Webb telescope may be unable to concretely answer whether the subsurface oceans of the moons contain life, Villanueva said it will be able to pinpoint and better characterize active regions of the moons that could merit further study.

Future missions, such as NASA's Europa Clipper, the primary objective of which is to determine if Europa is habitable, could use Webb's data to hone in on prime locations for observation.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the scientific complement to NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It will be the most powerful space telescope ever built. Webb is an international project led by NASA with its partners, European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency.

For more information about the Webb telescope, visit: http://www.jwst.nasa.gov or http://www.nasa.gov/webb.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – A domestic violence suspect who fought with deputies shortly before one of them died earlier this week has made an initial court appearance, with the district attorney indicating he’s holding off on manslaughter and other charges related to the death pending the deputy’s autopsy results.

Alex Michael Castillo, 21, of Nice was arraigned in Lake County Superior Court on Thursday morning, according to District Attorney Don Anderson.

Castillo was taken into custody on Tuesday night in Lakeport after he fought with Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy Rob Rumfelt and Deputy Nate Newton, who had responded to the 900 block of Boggs Lane to back up Lakeport Police Sgt. Joe Eastham on a report of several subjects fighting.

Anderson said Castillo had assaulted his wife and mother-in-law during the incident, and was leaving the area covered with blood that investigators believe may have been his wife’s.

A short time later, after the deputies arrested Castillo, Rumfelt was leaving in his Ford SUV patrol vehicle when he crashed into a tree on Hartley Street north of 20th Street. Rumfelt was declared dead at Sutter Lakeside Hospital later that night.

Anderson had told Lake County News earlier this week that he intended to charge Castillo with voluntary manslaughter in connection to Rumfelt’s death.

However, by the time of Castillo’s appearance before Judge Michael Lunas on Thursday, that charge hadn’t been filed, according to Anderson.

Instead, the charges against Castillo at that point in included domestic violence, two counts of resisting arrest, a number of probation violations and resisting an officer resulting in death, Anderson said.

On Thursday, the same day Castillo was in court, an autopsy was performed on Rumfelt’s body in Napa County, with a procession bringing him home later in the day, as Lake County News has reported.

While on Friday Anderson had some preliminary results from Rumfelt’s autopsy, he said his office would await the full results in order to make a final charging decision.

As such, Anderson told Lake County News on Friday that his office isn’t currently alleging that Castillo was the cause of Rumfelt’s death, and that he’s not going to pursue the charges of voluntary manslaughter or resisting an officer leading to death against Castillo – at least not yet.

Anderson said the key to the case is to determine the cause of death for the 50-year-old Rumfelt, a veteran law enforcement officer who had served in the US Marines and was an assistant football coach at Clear Lake High School.

“That’s really a mystery right now,” Anderson said of Rumfelt’s death, with the preliminary autopsy results not shedding enough light on the matter.

Anderson said it may take as long as two to three months to have some certainty about the cause.

He said of the autopsy, “Until we get that, I don’t want to have someone in custody for those charges.”

At that time, Anderson said he could decide to refile the charge of resisting arrest leading to death and also could add the manslaughter charge.

Castillo is due to return to court on Tuesday, at which point his newly appointed defense attorney, Andrea Sullivan, will make her first appearance in the case, Anderson said.

Anderson said his office is filing an amended complaint against Castillo that will be heard on Tuesday. In that complaint, the charge of resisting an officer resulting in death will be dropped, while a count of child endangerment will be added.

Witnesses had reported to Lake County News that Castillo had been seen leaving the area of the Tuesday night fight with a child, a detail that hadn’t been noted in initial law enforcement accounts of the incident.

Anderson on Friday confirmed to Lake County News that Castillo was taking his young child with him as he was attempting to leave when the deputies caught up to him.

He said Castillo wouldn’t put the child down as he began to fight with Rumfelt and Newton, which resulted in the child endangerment charge.

Castillo remains in the Lake County Jail with bail set at $1.5 million, which Anderson said is for violating his probation for a previous domestic violence conviction.

Many other aspects of the investigation are still actively under way, Anderson said.

Anderson said Rumfelt’s patrol vehicle – which sustained major front-end damage in the crash – remains in secure storage pending an examination.

He said he hasn’t yet decided whether the California Highway Patrol’s Multidisciplinary Accident Investigation Team will be asked to look at the vehicle or if it will be done by one of his investigators in-house.

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.