News

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – This year promises to be quite a show for Redbud Audubon’s Heron Days pontoon boat tours.

Herons, egrets and cormorants are nesting now, and their numbers are amazing. 

If you haven’t taken one of these tours, this year is the year to do it.

Boats will depart on April 29 and 30 at Lakeside County Park.

On May 6 and 7 they depart from Shady Acres Campground. 

A number of tours already are closed; sign up now.

For more information, and to register, go to www.redbudaudubon.org .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Thursday Morning Breakfast Group that meets weekly in Clearlake has announced its lineup of invited guest speakers for April.

The group meets at 7 a.m. at Main Street Café, 14084 Lakeshore Drive.

The lineup is as follows:

• April 13: Whitney Petrie, Lake County interim museum curator, 2015/16 fire stories.

• April 20: District Attorney Don Anderson, Perjury Investigation Unit.

• April 29: Ed Robey, Team Lake County.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Calpine Geothermal Visitors Center, located at 15500 Central Park Road in Middletown, will be closed this Friday, April 14, in observance of Good Friday.

On Saturday, April 15, the center will resume our regularly scheduled operational hours of Wednesday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For Geysers and tour information, please visit website, www.geysers.com .

LUCERNE, Calif. – California Water Service is now accepting applications from eligible students in its service areas for the company’s fourth annual college scholarship cycle.

In total, $60,000 in scholarships for college and vocational-technical education will be awarded for the 2017-18 school year, with two top scholarship prizes equaling $10,000 each.

Scholarship recipients will be determined by academic achievement, community service and financial need.

The scholarship program, which is funded through California Water Service Group’s philanthropic giving program, not ratepayers, will be administered by Scholarship Management Services, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

To be eligible for a scholarship, students or their parents must live in a Cal Water service area, plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational-technical school, and not already possess a degree or diploma from an accredited two- or four-year college or vocational-technical school.

“At Cal Water, we are committed to improving the quality of life in the communities we serve and making good things happen. We believe that an investment in students’ education is an investment in the future leadership of our local communities,” said Local Manager Darin McCosker. “I encourage all eligible students in our service areas to consider applying.”

Students interested in learning more about the scholarship program or applying should visit www.calwater.com/scholarship .

The deadline to apply for this scholarship period is May 1. The scholarships will be awarded this summer.

Cal Water serves approximately 1,900 service connections in the Redwood Valley area and about two million people through 480,300 service connections in California.

The company, which has provided water service in the area since 2000, was ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Water Utilities in the West” in 2016 by J.D. Power in its inaugural Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study.

Additional information may be obtained online at www.calwater.com .

SACRAMENTO – The Pacific Fishery Management Council on Monday announced the continued closure of the Pacific sardine directed fishery through June 30, 2018.

This is the third annual closure in a row for this fishery.

Council members heard from scientists that the abundance forecast for the 2017-18 season, scheduled to start July 1, was significantly below the 150,000 metric ton threshold for a directed fishery.

They also considered testimony from fishery participants and environmental groups before reaching a decision to close the directed fishery.

Small amounts of sardines may be taken incidental to target fishing on other stocks, and a small harvest amount was allocated to the Quinault Indian Nation along the mid-Washington coast.

“This represents a real hardship for coastal communities that depend on sardines and other coastal pelagic species. However, there are signs that the sardine population is increasing, so we’re hopeful there will be some fishing opportunity for next year,” said Council Chair Herb Pollard.

Sardines are subject to large natural population swings associated with ocean conditions. In general, sardines thrive in warm water regimes, such as those of the 1930s, and decline in cool water years, like the 1970s.

After reaching a recent year peak of about one million metric tons in 2006, the sardine biomass1 has dropped to an estimated 86,586 metric tons in 2017.

The council takes a precautionary approach to managing Pacific sardines. When the fish are abundant, more fishing is allowed; but as the stock size declines, the amount of allocated to harvest decreases. When the biomass is estimated at or below 150,000 metric tons, directed commercial fishing is shut down.

Although directed commercial fishing will close, the Council will allow up to 8,000 tons of sardines to account for small amounts taken as incidental catch in other fisheries (such as mackerel), live bait harvest, Tribal harvest, and research.

The sardine biomass is assessed annually, and the fishing year runs July 1 through June 30. Although sardine fishing hasn’t generated the money that some other fisheries have in recent years, it is an important source of income for communities up and down the west coast.

The allowable harvest in recent years has been as high as 109,000 metric tons (2012), but has dropped as the biomass has dropped.

In 2013 the harvest guideline was 66,495 mt, and in 2014 it was 23,293 mt. Since July 2015, the harvest guideline has been zero.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council is one of eight regional fishery management councils established by the Magnuson Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 1976 for the purpose of managing fisheries 3-200 miles offshore of the United States of America coastline.

The Pacific Council recommends management measures for fisheries off the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. All council meetings are open to the public.

Recognizing the key importance of public safety dispatchers, the California Highway Patrol supports National Telecommunicators’ Week, April 9 to 15.

Public safety dispatchers provide lifesaving services to the public and law enforcement. 

“With each new crisis, dispatchers prove to be an indispensable link between our officers, the public, and vital support services,” CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow said. “Without their commitment, devotion, and hard work, countless numbers of lives and property would be in jeopardy. The work of these highly trained women and men is so much more than just a job.”

The public hears dispatchers when they call 9-1-1, but seldom sees them. Dispatchers are the bridge between law enforcement and the public, making sure the correct assistance is provided.

The correct assistance may include sending an officer or contacting other emergency services, whatever the situation requires.

Dispatchers sometimes stay on a call, giving lifesaving instructions or providing a sympathetic ear to a person in crisis.

The CHP has 25 Communications Centers statewide, employing more than 900 professional public safety dispatchers. Last year, these telecommunicators handled approximately 10.1 million calls.

The CHP telecommunicators take the majority of California’s wireless 9-1-1 emergency and nonemergency calls.

Law enforcement telecommunicators include the public safety operators, public safety dispatchers, public safety dispatch supervisors, and telecommunication technicians who provide radio, telephone and computer services to law enforcement.

Calling 9-1-1 can be stressful. The following tips will help callers and dispatchers during an emergency:

– Remain calm.
– Be prepared to provide your name, phone number, address or location, and a detailed description of the incident or vehicle being reported.
– Wireless devices do not always give the call-taker your location. Providing an accurate location of the emergency may be the single most important information for the dispatcher. This allows them to send help to the correct place.
– Listen carefully and follow all directions provided by the dispatcher.
– Wait for the dispatcher to ask questions, and then answer clearly and calmly.
– Be prepared to provide a physical description if the emergency involves a criminal suspect.
– Remember, 9-1-1 is for life-threatening emergencies. Misuse of the emergency 9-1-1 system will result in a delay for callers with real emergencies.

The mission of the California Highway Patrol is to provide the highest level of safety, service, and security to the people of California.