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LAKEPORT, Calif. – Tall, dark and handsome, industrious, loves the outdoors.
That describes “Ike,” a 6-year-old male German Shepherd mix who is up for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control.
Ike is personable, gets along with other dogs and has lived around horses. He weighs about 79 pounds.
He plays a mean game of fetch – he even catches tennis balls in mid air – and shelter staff believes he would make a great family pet.
Find Ike in kennel No. 11, ID No. 32187.
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 .
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 .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has completed its 2012 yearling bear release program by returning six orphaned cubs to the wild where they were born.
The cubs were found in various locations around the state in the summer months of 2011 and were rehabilitated at a licensed care facility in Lake Tahoe prior to being judged ready to return to the wild.
All six cubs – four males and two females – were in distress and weighed between 15 to 30 pounds when found.
Two brother cubs that were found by hikers in the Fresno area had lost their mother to the arrow of a poacher, while another cub was found bawling in a farmer’s pear tree in San Luis Obispo.
The others were victims of some other unfortunate circumstance.
“One of the most satisfying experiences I’ve had at DFG is to return a bear back into its environment and live the way natured intended it,” DFG Bear Program Coordinator Marc Kenyon said. “The bear rehabilitation program at Lake Tahoe is completely funded by generous donations and passionate volunteers. Our hope is that we can take learnings from facilities like this and keep bears from becoming public nuisances.”
To be eligible for rehabilitation, a cub must still be dependent upon its mother and not habituated. DFG works with the non-profit Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) organization – the only licensed bear program in California to rehabilitate qualified cubs.
At the facility, cubs learn how forage for real bear food such as berries, acorns, fish, grubs and insects. Human contact is kept to a minimum or is nonexistent.
When the yearling bears leave, each has tripled its size or more. Most weigh from 45 to 80 pounds, depending upon their body type and the condition they arrived in.
“Our hope is that these cubs will wake up to bountiful buffet of spring food and become productive members of California’s thriving bear population,” Kenyon said. "Regardless if it's six bears or 30,000, every bear in California is important."
Upon release, each cub is given a final health check up which includes taking hair and blood samples, and is fitted with a radio transmitter to track its movements for the next year.
Yearlings are placed in man-made dens with bedding used from the LTWC to give them some familiarity.
In most circumstances, DFG recommends that people leave wildlife alone, including removing attractants from their properties. If this is not an option, DFG should be contacted.
For more information, see www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/ .
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Thanks to the work of community members of all ages, Riviera Elementary School has a new swing set for its students.
The new swing set was installed on Saturday, March 24.
Even in the rain, the swing set installation was reported to be a rewarding event, according to the Riviera Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization.
The parents who showed up in the rain to construct the swing set and shovel the 80 yards of engineered cedar chips will long be rewarded as the children at Riviera Elementary will enjoy this playground equipment for many years to come, the group said.
Teachers, parents, children and community members have wanted to see a swing set installed for the first through fifth graders for a very long time, the group reported, adding that it's proud to have the opportunity to provide such a wonderful addition to the school.
The group thanked all those who contributed to raising the funds and donating the resources for the new Riviera Elementary School swing set.
For the past year the PTO has been raising funds to purchase the nearly $7,500 swing set and ground materials.
PTO Vice President Pilar White spearheaded the swing set project. Her hard work was credited with realizing the goal of providing the new playground equipment for the school's children.
For more information on how businesses and individual members of the community can help with upcoming events at the Riviera Elementary School, contact PTO President Cherie DeChaine at 707-277-6050.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The staff at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter in Lakeport loves Lucy.
The shelter staff are hoping to find the lovable little Labrador Retriever/Rottweiler mix a new home.
She's about 2 to 3 years old, is sweet and friendly, and wins the hearts of those who meet her.
She came to the shelter with one puppy, Bonita, who was adopted.
Lucy has been spayed and is ready to join your home.
Shelter staff said she is great with kids and other dogs, has a low energy level, and is very loyal and willing to please.
Find her in kennel No. 29, ID No. 32057.
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 .
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 .
For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
LUCERNE, Calif – Investigators are still working to determine the cause of a Sunday fire that killed a Lucerne man, and fire officials also are discussing hydrant upgrades with the property owner of the mobile home park where the fire occurred.
Michael Edwin Fulk, 72, was identified as the victim of the Sunday morning fire by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Fulk’s trailer, located in space No. 51 at Lorraine Village Mobile Home Park on Highway 20, caught fire early Sunday morning and was destroyed by the fire, according to Northshore Fire Protection District officials.
Despite a female neighbor’s efforts to get Fulk out of the house, she wasn’t able to reach him through the smoke and heat and had to turn back, as Lake County News first reported Sunday.
Fulk’s body later was found in the rear portion of the trailer by firefighters, the district reported.
While Fulk’s residence was a total loss, firefighters were able to prevent damage to the structures that surrounded it. Northshore Fire Chief Jay Beristianos said the other buildings close by experienced no exposure damage.
The Lake County Arson Task Force, which is leading the fire investigation, is continuing work to settle on a final cause, said Beristianos.
“I have not got an official ruling on it but we are leaning toward electrical,” Beristianos said of the potential cause on Tuesday.
The district’s initial report on the fire said that Lorraine Village has no operating fire hydrants, which made it necessary for firefighters to place 800 feet of 5-inch hose in order to fight the fire.
On Tuesday Beristianos clarified that the mobile home park’s hydrants work, but they are only capable of 150 gallons per minute on average, well below the minimum of 500 gallons a minute needed for firefighting.
Beristianos said hydrants have capacity for as much as 1,750 gallons per minute, although not all areas of Lake County have that water pressure available. He said that tends to be an issue in rural areas.
In Lorraine Village’s case, when the park was first built several decades ago – Beristianos estimated it was developed in the 1960s – there weren’t requirements for the kinds of standard hydrants found in most community areas, he said.
While the park has no requirements for an upgrade, Beristianos said the park owner has expressed a willingness to bring the hydrants to a higher standard, and he’s working with the owner on that effort.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A young local dentist is preparing to leave later this month to take part in a humanitarian mission to Colombia.
Levi Palmer, 38, will go to Colombia April 14-24, where he and a cohort of about 10 dentists and up to 40 dental students will bring much-needed emergency dental care to residents of the Cartagena area.
Beginning in 2000 – when he was a dental student at the University of Southern California – Palmer has taken such trips about once a year with AYUDA International Dental Clinics, a nonprofit organization that holds dental clinics worldwide.
The group’s Web site, http://www.smilesforall.net/ayuda/about.html, reported that over the past four decades AYUDA has helped more than 200,000 dental patients.
This is Palmer’s first trip to South America. He previously traveled to areas including Mexico and Central America, seeing as many as 1,000 patients during his last mission.
“It’s pretty rewarding,” he said.
The clinics in Colombia will be held in facilities provided by the Fundacion Granitos de Paz, a group that serves the poor.
Palmer’s wife, Christina, has accompanied him on previous missions, but this time around Christina will be staying home for an important reason – the couple is expecting their first child later this year.
A video made by Christina Palmer about the AYUDA dental mission to Belize and Guatemala in 2011 can be seen above.
Levi Palmer followed in his father’s footsteps in becoming a dentist. Roger Palmer was a popular dentist who practiced in Kelseyville until his death several years ago.
He took over his father’s practice but later pursued a residency in pediatric dentistry. Today, Levi Palmer’s practice in downtown Lakeport is the only one in Lake County dedicated to pediatric dentistry.
“I love my job,” he said.
Fitting well with Palmer’s specialty, the AYUDA dental clinic in Colombia will see mostly children – about 90 percent, Palmer estimated – but some adults, too.
“There’s a lot of kids with pain down there,” he said.
Children who have dental pain, he added, have been shown to not do as well in school. Many children also are afraid of saying anything because of fear of going to the dentist.
Typically the clinic’s dentists will pull a lot of teeth, and do fillings and crowns. He said they focus on preserving adult molars, which are the teeth that the children will have for the rest of their lives and which therefore are critical.
Palmer said there is always a line of people waiting for help, and the clinic staff will work five to six days in a row, as long as 11 hours a day.
“At the end of five days we’re pretty tired,” he said.
Each year Palmer, along with paying for his own trip, offers a scholarship for a dental student to take part in one of the missions.
He said he enjoys having the opportunity to see the students working and helping patients.
Each of the participating dentists also chips in to cover the food for all three dozen or so students for one day, he said.
“It’s just such a cool experience,” he said. “There’s nothing like it.”
Incidentally, Palmer and the team of dentists and dental students will be arriving in Colombia just as the Summit of the Americas – a summit of 34 of the countries in the Americas – is in session. President Barack Obama is expected to be in attendance at the event, set to take place April 14-15.
For more about the efforts of AYUDA and to donate, visit www.smilesforall.net/ayuda/about.html .
Email Elizabeth Larson at