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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Three female cats are waiting for adoption this week at Lake County Animal Care and Control.
They range in age between 2 and 5 years, come in tabby or tortie coloring, and all have been spayed.
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”).
Female brown tabby
This female brown tabby is 3 years old.
She has a curly coat and green eyes, weighs 8 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel 18, ID No. 39711.
Domestic long hair mix
This domestic long hair mix is 2 years old.
She has dilute tortie markings, weighs nearly 11 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 56, ID No. 39764.
Domestic medium hair mix
This female domestic medium hair mix cat is 5 years old.
She has a gray coat and has been spayed.
She's in cat room kennel No. 62, ID No. 39667.
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 .
Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.
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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.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
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Local, state and federal firefighters are on the scene of a wildland fire burning east of Clearlake Oaks.
The Indian Fire was reported early Sunday afternoon and is located halfway between Indian Valley Reservoir and the old Bartlett Springs resort above Lucerne, according to Northshore Fire Deputy Chief Pat Brown.
Northshore Fire units responded to the fire, but Brown said all local units – with the exception of Chief Jay Beristianos – were released.
He said Cal Fire and the Mendocino National Forest were taking unified command of the incident, which was reported to have burned into Forest Service boundaries.
The state and federal agencies took command of the incident shortly before 2:30 p.m., radio reports indicated.
As of shortly after 3:30 p.m., the fire was estimated to be about 150 acres, with 20 percent containment, according to radio and Cal Fire reports. No structures are reported to be threatened.
Shortly after 5:15 p.m., the fire was at 180 acres with 25-percent containment, Cal Fire reported.
Cal Fire tankers are being used to drop retardant on the fire, which is located in terrain where hand crews are needing to be used. Copter 104 also has been dropping water on hot spots, scanner reports indicated.
Radio reports also stated that firefighters have spotted several marijuana grows in the fire area.
Brown said Cal Fire is handling the investigation into the source of the fire.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
This story has been updated with additional and corrected information.
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Two people were injured in a golf cart crash in Hidden Valley Lake on Saturday night, with one of the victims flown out to a regional trauma center for treatment.
The crash was first reported just after 8:45 p.m. on Powder Horn Road, according to radio reports.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief Greg Bertelli said Cal Fire and South Lake County Fire units responded to the scene.
He said the golf cart rolled over as it was descending a hill.
He said a male subject with head, back and neck pain, and substantial pain in his pelvis was flown by REACH 6 air ambulance to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Radio reports indicated the helicopter set down in the area of Highway 29 and Spruce Grove Road Extension.
The other person injured in the crash was transported by ground ambulance to St. Helena Hospital Clear Lake. Bertelli did not have additional details about that person, including gender and extent of injuries.
On Sunday, Lake County News was contacted by Hidden Valley Lake resident Nick Jackson who said his 16- and 13-year-old sons had been the ones in the cart.
His older son, John, was flown to Santa Rosa and has a broken collarbone from being ejected. The younger son, Angelo, received staples in his head due to an injury from being dragged inside the cart.
Jackson said the boys were coming down a hill and the brakes locked on them, causing the golf cart to turn on its side and it slid down a few feet.
He said Sunday afternoon that both boys were home.
It was the third air ambulance transfer out of county in the past two days resulting from a vehicle wreck.
On Friday shortly after 5:30 p.m., a car crashed into a tree on Highland Springs Road near Lakeport.
Radio reports indicated that two people were transported to a local hospital by ground ambulance, while a third was taken by CalStar 4 to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. The California Highway Patrol has so far not issued a report on the wreck.
Then, just before 6 p.m. Friday, a man was injured when he crashed his motorcycle at Third and Church streets in Kelseyville, as Lake County News has reported.
The CHP said the man, a Kelseyville resident whose name has not yet been released, suffered major injuries and was flown to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.
Correction: The original report stated that the male subject who was injured was 60 years old. However, the father of the two subjects involved said his son was 16.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Boggs Lake is an unusual example of an upland vernal pool that occurs on volcanic substrate and may be the largest vernal pool in California. It provides an environment for many unique plant species.
Vernal pools are temporary pools of water that provide habitat for distinctive plants and animals, and most are typically much smaller in size than Boggs Lake.
As is typical of vernal pools, Boggs Lake is not fed by streams or springs, but rather acts as a catch basin for rainfall during the wet season, then gradually dries through the summer.
The natural community supports unique plant species adapted to this environment and provides habitat for a variety of waterfowl and marsh birds as well as a population of Western pond turtles.
Access to the Preserve is from Harrington Flat Road off of Bottle Rock Road near Mount Hannah.
In 2011, the Lake County Land Trust entered into a two year agreement to co-manage the Boggs Lake Preserve with The Nature Conservancy.
The Preserve is about 200 acres in size and the first 101 acres was acquired by TNC in 1973 from the Fibreboard Corp.
Acquisition of the Preserve was one of The Nature Conservancy’s earliest projects in California and resulted from concerns raised by the California Native Plant Society and botanists from UC California over proposed development adjacent to the Lake.
The Lake County Land Trust got involved in 2008, by inquiring if The Nature Conservancy would consider having the Land Trust take over as managers of the preserve.
We believed, due to our proximity to the preserve and connections to the local community, that the Land Trust could detect and respond to issues of concern in a more timely fashion than The Nature Conservancy.
After a few years of conversation, The Nature Conservancy agreed to a two-year trial period where it would provide some operational funding and the Lake County Land Trust would commit to accomplishing a number of management tasks including fund raising, community outreach, infrastructure upgrades, updating brochures, fence repairs, trail maintenance, etc.
During the two-year trial period we formed a Boggs Lake Committee comprised of local neighbors and Boards who met to determine goals over the trial period.
In August 2013, the trial period ended. The Land Trust now continues to manage the preserve, most recently with funding support from the local Cobb Geothermal Mitigation program, and is are discussing with The Nature Conservancy details behind a transfer of ownership to the Lake County Land Trust.
Jon Ambrose is president of the Lake County Land Trust, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. For more information about the Land Trust, or to become a member, please go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org or call 707-262-0707.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – With summer around the corner, Lake County Animal Care and Control has available for adoption a number of canines ready to go with you on your summertime trips.
They are offering big boxers and labs or little dogs like Chihuahuas and terriers in a variety of ages.
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”).
Male Chihuahua mix
This male Chihuahua mix is 2 years old.
He has a short coat and brown eyes, weighs nearly 8 pounds and has been neutered. He loves to snuggle and be a lap dog.
Find him in kennel No. 2, ID No. 39500.
'Chocolate'
“Chocolate” is a 1-year-old beagle-fox terrier mix.
He has a short brown and white spotted coat, weighs 31 pounds and has been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 3, ID No. 39610.
Terrier mix puppy
This male terrier mix is 15 weeks old.
He has a curly black coat, floppy ears and brown eyes, and has been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 7, ID No. 39692.
'Baxter'
“Baxter” is a 4-year-old male boxer mix.
He has a brown and white coat, weighs 92 pounds and has not been neutered.
He's in kennel No. 8, ID No. 39794.
'Gringo'
“Gringo” is a 4-year-old male boxer mix.
He has a white coat, weighs 75 pounds and has not been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 8, ID No. 39795.
'Cricket'
“Cricket” is a 4-year-old female Labrador Retriever-shepherd mix.
She has a short black and white coat, weighs 55 pounds and has been spayed.
She's in kennel No. 9, ID No. 39720.
Hound mix
This male hound mix is 4 years old.
He has a short tricolor coat, weighs 72 pounds and has been neutered.
Shelter staff said he is very mellow with great manners, and would make a great family pet with no cats.
He is heartworm positive but this is treatable; please contact the shelter with any questions.
He's in kennel No. 10, ID No. 39789.
Hound-Shar Pei mix
This male hound-Shar Pei mix puppy is 16 weeks old.
He has a short chocolate-colored coat and has been neutered.
Find him in kennel No. 13, ID No. 39407.
Female Labrador Retriever mix
Looking for a loyal companion who will always be by your side?
Check out this 13-year-old female Labrador Retriever mix.
She has a medium-length black coat and has been spayed.
Shelter staff say she is perfect for any home, has no food aggression, gets along great with other dogs – male or female – as well as cats. Plus, she loves baths.
Find her in kennel No. 14, ID No. 39781.
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, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.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
Every 10 days, the NASA/French Space Agency Jason-2 satellite maps all the world's oceans, monitoring changes in sea surface height, a measure of heat in the upper layers of the water.
Because our planet is more than 70 percent ocean, this information is crucial to global forecasts of weather and climate.
Lately, Jason-2 has seen something brewing in the Pacific – and it looks a lot like 1997.
“A pattern of sea surface heights and temperatures has formed that reminds me of the way the Pacific looked in the spring of 1997,” said Bill Patzert, a climatologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “That turned out to be the precursor of a big El Niño.”
“We can't yet say for sure that an El Niño will develop in 2014, or how big it might be,” cautioned Mike McPhaden of NOAA's Pacific Environmental Research Laboratories in Seattle, “but the Jason-2 data support the El Niño Watch issued last month by NOAA.”
What Jason-2 has been seeing is a series of “Kelvin waves”—massive ripples in sea level that travel across the Pacific from Australia to South America. Forecasters are paying close attention because these waves could be a herald of El Niño.
The two phenomena, Kelvin waves and El Niño, are linked by wind. Pacific trade winds blow from east to west, pushing sun-warmed surface waters toward Indonesia.
As a result, the sea level near Indonesia is normally 45 cm higher than it is near Ecuador. Researchers call that area the “warm pool” – it is the largest reservoir of warm water on our planet.
Sometimes, however, trade winds falter for a few days or weeks, and some of that excess sea level ripples back toward the Americas. “That's a Kelvin wave,” says McPhaden. “It's not unusual to see a couple every winter.”
El Niño happens when trade winds falter not just for days, but for many months. Then Kelvin waves cross the Pacific like a caravan, raising sea level and leaving warmer equatorial waters in their wake.
“The El Niño of 1997/98 was a textbook example,” recalled Patzert. “At that time we were getting data from TOPEX/Poseidon, a predecessor of Jason-2. Sea surface maps showed a whitish bump, indicating a sea level some 10 centimeters higher than usual, moving along the equator from Australia to South America.”
“The same pattern is repeating in 2014,” said McPhaden. “A series of Kelvin waves generated by localized west wind bursts in the western Pacific that began in mid-January 2014 are headed east. Excitement is building as a third weakening of the Pacific trade winds happened in mid-April.”
Ocean and atmospheric scientists at NOAA and NASA are carefully monitoring the Pacific trade winds. The tipping point for declaring a significant El Niño will be an even longer lasting, larger collapse in Pacific trade winds, possibly signaling a shift in weather all around our planet.
“It will become much clearer over the next two to three months whether these recent developments are the forerunner of a major El Niño – or any El Niño at all,” said McPhaden.
“Jason-2 is a marvelous Kelvin wave counter,” adds Patzert, “and it will tell the tale.”
Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.