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COBB, Calif. – Black Rock Golf Course in Cobb is hosting the Valley Fire Long-Term Recovery Task Force on Tuesday, Jan. 19.
The task force is comprised of local, state, federal, tribal and nonprofit agencies, all working together to manage the recovery of Lake County after the Valley Fire.
The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. at the golf course, 16451 Golf Road.
The Lake County Department of Public Works, tasked with keeping county roadways safe, will make a presentation on the Valley Fire Hazardous Tree Removal program.
Under this program the county will take responsibility for removing the hazard trees that threaten county roads, located on private property, at no cost to the owner.
The property owner will be required to sign a right of entry. This is an additional and separate right of entry from the one that was required to participate in the CalRecycle Debris Removal program.
All trees will be inspected by a certified arborist prior to removal. Only trees that have been identified for removal by a certified arborist will be removed.
For more information about the Lake County Hazardous Tree removal program, including a list of criteria that is used to assess a tree’s health, and to download a blank Lake County Hazardous Tree Removal right of entry form, please go to www.LakeCountyRecovers.com and click on the “Trees” button.
Questions about the Lake County Hazardous Tree Removal program can be sent to
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has three lovely female cats waiting for homes this week.
The threesome are all adults with black, calico and brown tabby coats.
In addition to spaying or neutering, cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are microchipped 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 there, hoping you'll choose them.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).
Domestic medium hair mix
This domestic medium hair cat has a calico coat with white markings.
She's in cat room kennel No. 14, ID No. 4280.
Domestic short hair mix
This female domestic short hair mix has a black coat.
She's in cat room kennel No. 23, ID No. 4256.
'Muffin'
“Muffin” is an adult domestic short hair mix with a gray and brown tabby coat.
She already was spayed when she arrived at the shelter, so her adoption fee will be lower.
She is in cat room kennel No. 144, ID No. 4153.
Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Team Lake County (TLC), Lake County’s officially recognized Long Term Recovery Group that was formed to meet the unmet needs of the fire survivors in our community, has requested the services of World Renew, a national disaster recovery group, to determine the full scope of the remaining rebuild and assistance needs of our community following the 2015 fires.
A team of World Renew volunteers will conduct one-on-one interviews with fire survivors this January.
The assessment process will help to prioritize individual needs and connect survivors with TLC for long-term recovery support through detailed, individual case management to identify and meet financial, construction, health, spiritual and emotional needs as yet unmet.
Fire survivors who have found they still have needs after having gone through the registration processes with their insurance company, FEMA and the state are encouraged to meet with this team at the following locations and dates:
– Middletown Community Meeting Room (between the Senior Center and the Middletown Library), 21256 Washington St.; Jan. 20 to 26, Jan. 29 through Feb. 5, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
– Teams will be visiting with residents staying at Konocti Harbor from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 27.
– Teams will interview survivors at mobile home parks hosting FEMA MHUs in Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Jan. 28.
Interviews will be conducted by a team of compassionate and trained World Renew volunteers.
All information will be kept confidential and used to assist designated case managers to help
residents connect with available resources.
Interview questions will be straightforward and should not require residents to supply any paperwork.
If fire survivors do have a FEMA number, they are asked to bring that with them to the interview.
Spanish language interpreters or other special needs will be available as needed or requested.
The assessment information will help to determine a detailed estimate of the total cost of securing a comprehensive, long-term recovery for Lake County (including cost to rebuild homes,
replace lost items, etc.).
Team Lake County will then be developing a disaster recovery plan, which takes into
account available fire relief funds, designed to assist in the development of programs to target the
most significant needs through a vast network of local and national partners active in disaster
recovery.
Team Lake County is accepting donations now to assist in the long-term recovery process for Lake County.
Donations can be sent to Team Lake County Fire Recovery, CO: NCO, 413 N. State St., Ukiah, CA 95482.
For more information, visit Team Lake County on the Web at www.teamlakecounty.org or contact Team Lake County at
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – When the ribbon cutting ceremony was held at the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum in July of 2011, there was a beautiful building sitting empty on vacant land.
After three months of hard work by volunteers, the Stage Stop officially opened to the public in October of the same year.
In the years since, a dedicated all-volunteer staff has created a living museum with new exhibits every few months.
The first barn has been built from reclaimed barn wood and construction on a working blacksmith shop is under way.
Volunteers disassemble donated barns, transport the materials to Ely, and use it for the construction of outbuildings on the grounds.
Volunteers staff the museum on weekends from 11a.m. to 3 p.m., as well as for private tours and events.
Ely docents co-host the Children's Museum of Art and Sciences annual Art and Science Camp with Taylor Observatory every May, when 120 elementary age students visit and learn how things used to be. The students have made butter, shelled dried corn, and washed clothing – all the old-fashioned way.
In November of this year, 80 third-graders from the Kelseyville Elementary School visited the Ely Stage Stop for a morning of living-history demonstrations.
Museum docents provided eight stations of various activities through which groups of 10 students rotated to get a better idea of how life was in the old days.
Ely docents were very happy to welcome the children. They were so curious, asking their own great questions as well as answering those posed to them by the presenters.
Visits by school children and other interested groups prove the value of preserving the history of Lake County and sharing it with county residents and visitors.
Partnering with the Northern California Old Time Fiddlers Association, District 10, Ely volunteers have created a monthly Fiddlers' Jam in the Ely barn.
This family-friendly affair is held on the first Sunday of each month. There is no charge to attend and complimentary beverages and homemade cookies are available from the docents.
On the fourth Saturday of each month local historians come to the main house from noon to 2 p.m. to visit with guests and answer questions regarding different aspects of Lake County history. As these visits are recorded, the stories of Lake County's history are being preserved for future generations.
The volunteers have created a merchandise corner in the main house that features many books on local history, Lake County diamonds, obsidian arrowheads, and items featuring both Ely Stage Stop and Lake County Historical Society logos.
During business hours the volunteer docents are on hand to explain exhibits, answer questions, exchange stories, and just generally share the visitor’s experience.
In 2015 the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum docents developed a Marketplace venue creating a new fundraising activity to benefit the museum while partnering with local artists and artisans.
Three such Marketplace events were held during the year. All of the Ely docents and volunteers have made the project a huge success.
More than just a fundraiser for Ely, the Marketplace has become a community event showcasing the museum property and possibly aiding in the recruitment of new volunteers.
Along the way decisions have been made to enhance the Marketplace experience. The market is not to be perceived as an outlet for commercial merchandise. Most of the “vendors” sell handcrafted items or items that fit the Ely vintage character.
Partnering with local artists and artisans has been a great learning experience for the Ely docents. They have taught us much and are considered to be yet another part of Ely’s “extended family.”
More Ely Marketplace events are being planned for 2016. Expect one to join both the May 1 and Oct. 2 Fiddlers’ Jams. A Christmas Marketplace will be repeated in December, with that date to be determined.
Each year the docents nominate and vote on a “Docent of the Year,” an individual whose outstanding contributions of time and energy are recognized by fellow docents.
Bill Lane was awarded the honor for 2012, Suzanne Schutz for 2013 and Pam Hendricks for 2014. For 2015 Linda Drake was proud to have been given that honor.
The current docent/volunteer pool consists of a wonderful team of people who bring a variety of skills to make the stage stop a fun and exciting place to volunteer.
All Ely docents and volunteers were celebrated in 2014 as the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum was presented with a Star of Lake County Award by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce in recognition for their contributions to Lake County. The award designated the museum as “Organization of the Year-Volunteer (All Volunteer Staff).”
Everything about the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum is a testament to what can be done by volunteers who are passionate about, and committed to a project.
There is a tremendous amount of work still to be done. Improvements to the grounds are ongoing and, with the incredible support from visitors and the community received so far, the volunteers are confident that their future goals will be realized.
To that end, the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum is in need of more docents to greet visitors and share information on our history, our current displays, and our planned events. Volunteers for maintenance and construction projects are also needed.
Come join the fun and be a volunteer at Ely.
Visit www.elystagestop.com or www.lakecountyhistory.org , check out the stage stop on Facebook at www.facebook.com/elystagestop or call the museum at 707-533-9990.
Linda Drake is a volunteer with the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum.
“Nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.” – E. O. Wilson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – What better place to find a microcosm of life than in an organism such as lichens.
The wonder of something so small, yet profuse and startlingly perfect, is a joy.
In nature there is always much more than meets the eye, and an already beautiful sight is enhanced by a closer look.
Discovering the lives of lichens can become habit-forming. Once you start looking closely you begin to discover previously unseen worlds.
Much like strolling with an archaeologist whose trained eye discerns the artifact from the ordinary rock, soon you take note of the lovely lichens across the landscape.
Lichens enjoys a symbiotic relationship of algae and cyanobacteria, all set amongst fungus.
They sport profuse color variations, coming in shades including green, red, orange and yellow. Lichens can be leafy, crusty, gelatinous or even shrub-like in nature.
These unique organisms contain no roots to absorb moisture or nutrients like a typical plant does. They do, however make their own food through photosynthesis with the sun's power, and obtain moisture and minerals from the environment around them.
You can find them growing on rocks, fence posts and live trees and plants, but they are not considered to be parasitic in nature.
At least 6 percent of our planet's surface contains a form of lichen, creating a visual palate of color.
Through a process called lichenometry, these hardy growths can be used to date events, and are some of nature's longest-living organisms.
Lichens usually beat out other life forms, growing the first thing after a disturbance such as a landslide.
Lace lichen, or Ramalina menziesi, now designated by Gov. Brown as California's state lichen, is often confused with Spanish moss, or usneoides is often called beard lichen.
Lace lichen flies like delicate lacy flags on oak trees, from Alaska to Baja California. Deer love to browse on the minty green strips, and birds construct nests of lace lichen.
It's called Spanish moss but it is really neither a moss or lichen. Since it is a flowering plant, or angiospern and belongs to the bromeliad family, it grows in flowing forms from oak trees and is also enjoyed by birds as fragments for nesting material.
Lichens have enjoyed many uses throughout history: environmentalists use it as a determining factor in air pollution, it's used in medicines, dyes and fragrances.
Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is an 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 writes 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. – It's another full shelter at Lake County Animal Care and Control this week, with dogs of many breeds and ages needing homes.
The dogs available for adoption this week are mixes of Australian Cattle Dog, Australian Shepherd, border collie, boxer, cattle dog, Chihuahua, Dalmatian, German Shepherd, hound, husky, Labrador Retriever, Leonberger, pit bull, 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.
In addition to the animals featured here, all adoptable animals in Lake County can be seen here: http://bit.ly/Z6xHMb .
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”).
Chihuahua mix
This male Chihuahua mix has a short, light brown coat.
He's in kennel No. 4, ID No. 4268.
Labrador Retriever-Dalmatian mix
This male Labrador Retriever-Dalmatian has a short black coat with white markings.
He also has one blue eye and one brown eye.
Shelter staff said he has a low energy level and is good with other dogs.
He's in kennel No. 5, ID No. 4138.
Male pit bull terrier
This male pit bull terrier has a short white coat with black markings.
Shelter staff describe him as “an outstanding and smart dog” that gets along great with other dogs.
He knows some basic commands, has no food aggression, and was fine when they removed the food and pulled on his skin and tail. He would do wonderful in a home with no cats.
He's in kennel No. 6, ID No. 4234.
Pit bull mix
This male pit bull mix has a short gray and white coat.
He's in kennel No. 7, ID No. 4255.
Border collie-husky mix
This female border collie-husky mix has a short gray and white coat.
Shelter staff said she has no issues with food aggression, and would be good with children ages 7 and above.
She's in kennel No. 9, ID No. 4217.
'Cache'
“Cache” has had a rough year. He was rescued from the area of the Jerusalem fire this summer and adopted, but later returned because he didn't get along with a cat.
Shelter staff said he's a gentle, mellow giant that is part Leonberger. He's looking for a special person to give him a home for the rest of his life.
Cache is in kennel No. 11, ID No. 3101.
Hound mix
This female hound mix has a short tan coat with white markings.
She is in kennel No. 12, ID No. 4298.
Shepherd mix
This male shepherd mix has a short tricolor coat.
Shelter staff said when he came into the shelter he already was neutered, so his adoption fee is reduced.
They said he has no issues with food guarding and was great in the cat room; they even took a cat out of the cage and he calmly walked by while on a leash.
The dog is very nervous in the animal control environment, and wasn't too interested when we introduced him to other dogs, but shelter staff believes he would be an amazing dog in a good home.
He's in kennel No. 13, ID No. 4267.
'Mom'
“Mom” is a pit bull terrier mix with a short brown and white coat.
She's in kennel No. 15, ID No. 4242.
Boxer mix
This male boxer mix has a short tan coat with white markings.
He's in kennel No. 16, ID No. 4274.
Pit bull terrier mix
This female pit bull terrier mix has an all-white coat.
Shelter staff said she would do best in a home with no small dogs or cats.
She's in kennel No. 17, ID No. 4276.
Pit bull mix
This female pit bull mix has a short gray coat with white markings.
Shelter staff said she is great with other dogs and is very people friendly, just wanting to sit in your lap. She has a low energy level and would do well in home with children.
She's in kennel No. 18, ID No. 3194.
Pit bull terrier
This female pit bull terrier mix has a short black coat with white markings.
Shelter staff said she was brought in as a stray and is hoping her family will come for her.
She is bouncy and sits on command, has no food aggression and was pretty calm in the cat room, showing no aggression towards them. She does great with both male and female dogs, and just wants to play.
“She should and could definitely be an ambassador for the breed,” according to shelter staff.
She is in kennel No. 19, ID No. 4213.
German Shepherd mix
This male German Shepherd mix has a medium-length tricolor coat.
Shelter staff said he would be great in a home with no livestock.
He's in kennel No. 20, ID No. 4252.
Pit bull terrier mix
This female pit bull terrier mix has a short tan coat with white markings.
She's in kennel No. 23, ID No. 4305.
Boxer mix
This male boxer mix has a short tan coat with white markings.
He's in kennel No. 24, ID No. 4304.
Labrador Retriever mix
This male Labrador Retriever mix has a short black coat with white markings.
He's in kennel No. 26, ID No. 4303.
Shepherd-Australian Shepherd mix
This male shepherd-Australian Shepherd mix has a black coat with tan and white markings.
He is a handsome, sweet and affectionate boy who walks well on a leash and knows basic commands including sit.
Shelter staff said he would thrive in a home with no cats. He has no food aggression, and would probably be good with children ages 7 and above. He is a dominant male, but with female dogs, he is more wiggly and friendly.
He's in kennel No. 31, ID No. 4197.
Hound mix
This female hound mix has a short black and white coat.
She's in kennel No. 32, ID No. 4271.
Australian Cattle Dog-shepherd mix puppies
These seven puppies are a mix of Australian Cattle Dog and shepherd.
There are four females and three males. All have short coats in various colors.
They are in kennels No. 33a through 33d, and No. 34a through 34c, ID Nos. 4243 through 4249.
To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .
Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.
Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
Email Elizabeth Larson at