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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The late Russell Rustici, a Lake County cattle rancher who had a scientist’s drive to understand the rangelands that were his livelihood, has left about $9.5 million to the University of California, Davis, to support research and outreach efforts addressing problems that face California cattle producers and rangelands.
Rustici’s gift establishes the Russell L. Rustici Rangeland and Cattle Research Endowment in the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
The endowment will support applied research in water quality, rangeland ecology, animal health and other areas of importance to ranchers and residents across the state.
“Russell Rustici's bequest will assure the long-term health of rangelands and cattle ranching in California,” said Neal Van Alfen, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “His gifts will allow our researchers to solve ecosystem problems facing ranchers and help improve the quality of life for generations to come. Russell clearly understood how private donors can support our land-grant mission of solving society's problems.”
Rustici, who died in October 2008, fulfilled a lifelong dream to become a cattle rancher in Lake County after working many years in produce distribution.
As he became immersed in ranching, he sought to better understand the science behind rangeland and cattle management.
His bequest follows years of philanthropy in support of research at UC Davis.
In 2008, he gave $1.2 million to establish two endowed positions at the university: the Russell L. Rustici Endowed Chair in Rangeland Watershed Science and the Russell L. Rustici Endowed Specialist in Cooperative Extension in Rangeland Watershed Science.
The endowed chair position, held by Randy Dahlgren, professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, is devoted to research that examines water quality, nutrient cycling and hydrology on rangeland watershed.
The endowed extension position, held by Cooperative Extension rangeland management specialist Kenneth Tate, is focused on helping livestock producers manage rangelands in ways that simultaneously improve both water quality and ranch profitability.
Rustici’s total gifts to UC Davis are expected to exceed $10.8 million once his estate has been fully distributed.
He is among the top 10 donors to The Campaign for UC Davis, which seeks to raise $1 billion by 2014 for expanding the university’s capacity to meet the world’s challenges and educate future leaders.
Rustici also has a park in Lower Lake named after him, and left a generous bequest to Carlé Continuation High School in Lower Lake, Calif.
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In the first census of its kind, research led by UC Davis and Stanford University found that there are far fewer white sharks off central California than biologists had thought.
The study, published in the journal Biology Letters, is the first rigorous scientific estimate of white shark numbers in the northeast Pacific Ocean. It is also the best estimate among the world's three known white shark populations. The others are in Australia/New Zealand and South Africa.
The researchers went out into the Pacific Ocean in small boats to places where white sharks congregate.
They lured the sharks into photo range using a seal-shaped decoy on a fishing line. From 321 photographs of the uniquely jagged edges of white sharks’ dorsal fins, they identified 131 individual sharks.
From these data they used statistical methods to estimate that there are 219 adult and sub-adult white sharks in the region.
White sharks are classed as sub-adults when they reach about 8 to 9 feet in length and their dietary focus shifts from eating fish to mostly marine mammals. They are adults when they reach sexual maturity — for males, that is about 13 feet long; for females, it is about 15 feet.
“This low number was a real surprise,” said UC Davis doctoral student Taylor Chapple, the study's lead author. “It’s lower than we expected, and also substantially smaller than populations of other large marine predators, such as killer whales and polar bears. However, this estimate only represents a single point in time; further research will tell us if this number represents a healthy, viable population, or one critically in danger of collapse, or something in between.”
“We’ve found that these white sharks return to the same regions of the coast year after year,” said study co-author Barbara Block, a Stanford University marine biologist and a leading expert on sharks, tunas and billfishes. “It is this fact that makes it possible to estimate their numbers. Our goal is to keep track of our ocean predators.”
Satellite tagging studies have demonstrated that white sharks in the northeast Pacific make annual migrations from coastal areas in Central California and Guadalupe Island, Mexico, out to the Hawaiian Islands or to the “White Shark Café,” a region of the open ocean between the Baja Peninsula and Hawaii where white sharks have been found to congregate — and then they return to the coastal areas.
In addition to Block and Chapple (who is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute in Germany), the study’s co-authors are Loo Botsford, professor, and Peter Klimley, adjunct associate professor, both of the UC Davis Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology; postdoctoral researcher Salvador Jorgensen of Stanford University, who is now a research scientist with the Monterey Bay Aquarium; researcher Scot Anderson of Point Reyes National Seashore; and graduate student Paul Kanive of Montana State University in Bozeman.
The research was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) Fisheries through the Partnership for Education in Marine Resource and Ecosystem Management (PEMREM) and the NOAA Fisheries/Sea Grant Fellowship Program; the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation; the National Park Service’s Pacific Coast Science and Learning Center; Monterey Bay Aquarium; UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory; and Patricia King, a member of the Point Reyes National Seashore Association.
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The annual year in review for the local watershed groups is always a fun, informative evening, and this year’s event will be no exception.
Mark your calendar for Thursday, March 24, and join local watershed groups at the Lower Lake School House Museum, 16435 Morgan Valley Road in Lower Lake.
The doors will open at 6 p.m., with the event beginning immediately following the potluck.
Bring a dish that's ready to be shared with your friends and neighbors, and be prepared to honor the volunteers who work to make your communities and watersheds a better place to live.
Greg Dills, district manager and watershed coordinator for the East Lake and West Lake Resource Conservation Districts will show highlights of activities by the watershed groups in the Upper Cache Creek Watershed.
Dills will also present information about the activities and projects of the county's resource conservation districts.
Friends and neighbors of volunteers from the Big Valley Watershed Council, Chi Council for the Clear Lake hitch, Lower Lake Watershed Council, Middle Creek CRMP, Nice Watershed Council, and Scotts Creek Watershed Council are especially encouraged to attend.
A Volunteer of the Year Award will be presented to an outstanding member from the active watershed groups.
The West Lake Resource Conservation District will also be presenting their annual Partner of the Year Award.
A special treat this year will be a presentation by the Tribe’s ongoing work they're doing to help preserve the Clear Lake hitch.
The evening is one of celebration for the work the watershed groups do throughout the year, and is being hosted by the Lower Lake Watershed Council.
Each year the public is invited to attend the event to learn more about the contributions these ambitious volunteers make to their communities.
There's been a recent focus on illegal dumping activities, and various concerns are being expressed regarding the health of the watersheds in Lake County.
Be a part of what your community can do to help with these issues – join a watershed group.
For more information about these organizations, please visit www.lakecountyrcds.org.
There will be good food, great volunteers and caring members of the community… the perfect combination for a successful annual meeting.
For more information, contact Greg Dills, 707-263-4180, Extension 102.
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Twenty-two year old rookie Kyla Durham from Lake County finished 11th in the 2011 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race last month.
She covered the 1,000 miles between Whitehorse, Yukon to Fairbanks, Alaska in 13 days 1 hour and 53 minutes, crossing the finish line on Friday, Feb. 18, at 1:05 p.m.
She and her nine-dog team from Wild and Free Mushing were all in fine spirits.
Thirteen days earlier and back in Whitehorse, Clyde, one of Durham’s lead dogs, couldn’t wait to get
started, chewed his tug line, and took off on his own seconds before Durham’s start. Durham had him back in harness and pulling with the team 300 yards down the trail.
She started with 14 dogs, many of them under two years, but left five dogs with her handler at check points along the way.
Dogs that sprain a wrist, catch a virus or turn out just not to have it in them get a ride to the end of the race.
Although dogs can be dropped from the race team, no dogs can be added during the race.
This was an unusual year and 12 of the 25 mushers did not finish the race, including several of those thought to have a good chance of winning.
The weather was a big factor, but Durham and others at the back of the pack missed the worst of the storm that hit the front runners.
When asked if she was nervous about heading out into the storm that had caused several mushers to scratch from the race, Durham responded that she preferred “delusional happiness” to worrying.
Durham was running a team of young dogs, training them up for Brent Sass, fellow musher, and owner of Wild and Free Mushing.
Sass was there when Durham arrived at the finish line as was her mother, visiting from Northern California to see her daughter living her dream and finishing her first Yukon Quest.
To see Kyla Durham in action, visit the following links:
http://www.youtube.com/TheYukonQuest#p/u/3/r7P7Aoz4Oz8 .
http://www.facebook.com/YukonQuest#!/video/video.php?v=726275222375&oid=49609734489&comments .
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LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A two-day enforcement sweep conducted by the Lake County Gang Task Force this week has resulted in a total of 17 arrests and the seizure of suspected methamphetamine.
On March 8 and 9, the Lake County Gang Task Force conducted more than 50 probation or parole searches in unincorporated county communities and the cities of Clearlake and Lakeport, according to a report from Capt. James Bauman of the Lake County Sheriff's Office.
The operation targeted validated gang members, known drug dealers and convicted sex registrants. Bauman said 14 of the total arrests included felony charges and the other three were classified as misdemeanors.
Arrests made during the two-day operation also resulted in nine parole violations, the execution of eight outstanding arrest warrants and two Immigration and Naturalization holds, Bauman said.
Arrests made during the two day operation included:
Angel Rodriquez Jr., 33, for violation of parole;
Steven Michael Pruitt, 25, for a misdemeanor warrant and possession of narcotics paraphernalia;
Samuel William Rhea, 30, for a misdemeanor warrant;
Paul Martinez, 40, for violation of parole;
Javier Gonzalez Alvarez, 27, for possession of concentrated cannabis;
Alejandro Jose Lopez, 29, for a misdemeanor warrant;
Ronald Melvin Lebrun, 38, for a felony warrant and a misdemeanor warrant;
Kelvin Lee Simpson, 44, for violation of parole;
Cesario Angelo Jacobo, 35, for violation of parole;
Doffus Lomack Gallon, 42, for violation of parole;
Jose Matilde Vega, 25, for an immigration hold;
Ivan Montalvo Vargas, 24, for possession of a controlled substance for sales, possession of marijuana for sales, a felony warrant and an immigration hold;
John Girllmo Marquez, 46, for possession of a controlled substance for sales and a felony warrant;
Joseph Robert Garcia, 37, for violation of parole;
Charlene Marie Carver, 24, for violation of parole and felon in possession of tear gas;
Thomatra Eugene Lyons, 32, for violation of parole;
Dwayne Lenor Yiggins, 33, for violation of parole.
The Lake County Gang Task Force consists of members from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Clearlake Police Department, the Lakeport Police Department, the Lake County Probation Department and the Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
This week’s operation was assisted by members of the Sheriff’s Narcotics Task Force, the Sheriff’s Narcotics Detection K-9 teams, California State Parole and the Department of Homeland Security.
Bauman said the Lake County Sheriff’s Office considered the two-day enforcement sweep a complete
success and attributed that success to the coordinated and cooperative effort of all the agencies that were involved.
Sheriff Frank Rivero expressed his deepest appreciation to the dedicated law enforcement professionals that participated in this operation and helped make Lake County a safer place to live.
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Lake County’s unemployment rate up went up in January, hitting 19.7 percent, up 0.4 percentage points from the revised December figures and up 0.3 percentage points over January 2010, according to the Employment Development Department.
California's overall rate was 12.4 percent, down from the December unemployment rate of 12.5 percent but up from the 12.3 percent reported in January 2010, the report showed.
Nonfarm payroll jobs increased by 12,500 in January in California, with the state reporting that five of 11 industry sectors showing gains.
The number of people unemployed in California was 2,248,000 – down by 25,000 over the month, but up by 8,000 compared with January of last year, the state said.
The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households, the state reported.
Nationally, unemployment also decreased slightly in January, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting a 9 percent rate, down from 9.4 percent in December and 9.7 percent in January 2011.
The agency reported that in February nationwide unemployment edged down again, to 8.9 percent, the lowest level since April 2009. During that time 192,000 nonfarm payroll jobs were added.
Lake County's January unemployment rate earned it a ranking of No. 49 out of California's 58 counties.
In January, Lake had a labor force of 24,460 people, with 4,830 of them without jobs, state figures showed. In December, when Lake County was ranked No. 51 for unemployment, it had a 24,430-member workforce with 4,720 people out of work.
Marin County and Mono County tied for lowest unemployment in January, both with 8.2 percent. State figures showed that the highest unemployment in the state was found in neighboring Colusa County, where 27.8 percent of the workforce is jobless.
Lake's neighboring counties registered the following unemployment rates and statewide ranks: Colusa, 27.8 percent, No. 58; Glenn, 18.8 percent, No. 47; Yolo, 15.3 percent, No. 33; Mendocino, 12.3 percent, No. 19; Napa, 10.7 percent, No. 12; and Sonoma, 10.5 percent, No. 10.
Inside Lake County, Upper Lake has the lowest January unemployment, at 10.5 percent, with Clearlake Oaks reporting the highest, 28.8 percent, state records showed.
The following unemployment rates were reported for other areas of the county, from highest to lowest: Nice, 28.1 percent; city of Clearlake, 27.7 percent; Lucerne, 20.8 percent; Kelseyville, 20.1 percent; Middletown, 19.9 percent; city of Lakeport, 19.1 percent; Cobb, 17.7 percent; Lower Lake, 16.7 percent; Hidden Valley Lake, 16.4 percent; north Lakeport, 15.8 percent.
Dennis Mullins of the Employment Development Department's Labor Market Information Division said Lake County industry employment decreased 170 jobs between December and January, ending the month-over period with 11,970.
He said overall, six industries gained or were unchanged over the month and five declined. Total government employment remained down over the year.
The county's month-over job growth occurred in categories including farm, 60 new jobs; professional and business services, 10; other services, 10; government, 10, according to Mullins.
Month-over job losses occurred in mining, logging and construction, 60 lost jobs; manufacturing, 20; trade, transportation and utilities, 70; private educational and health services, 60; and leisure and hospitality, 50, he said. Information and financial activities showed no change over the month.
Modest job gains statewide
California's nonfarm jobs in January totaled 13,971,200, an increase of 12,500 over the month, according to a survey of businesses that is larger and less variable statistically.
That survey of 42,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy. The year-over-year change – from January 2010 to January 2011 – shows an increase of 102,100 jobs, up 0.7 percent, the Employment Development Department said.
The state said that the federal survey of households, done with a smaller sample than the survey of employers, shows an increase in the number of employed people.
It estimated the number of Californians holding jobs in January was 15,905,000, an increase of 27,000 from December, but down 32,000 from the employment total in January of last year, according to the report.
The Employment Development Department's Friday report on payroll employment – wage and salary jobs – in the nonfarm industries of California totaled 13,971,200 in January, a net gain of 12,500 jobs since the December survey. This followed a gain of 21,700 jobs, as revised, in December.
Five categories – mining and logging; construction; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; and government – added jobs over the month, gaining 41,800 jobs. The state said trade, transportation and utilities posted the largest increase over the month, adding 19,200 jobs.
Six categories – information; financial activities; professional and business services; educational and health services; leisure and hospitality; and other services – reported job declines this month, down 29,300 jobs. The Employment Development Department said the information category posted the largest decline over the month, down by 9,600 jobs.
In a year-over-year comparison – January 2010 to January 2011 – nonfarm payroll employment in California increased by 102,100 jobs, up 0.7 percent, the Friday report said.
Seven industry divisions – mining and logging; manufacturing; trade, transportation and utilities; information; professional and business services; educational and health services; and leisure and hospitality – posted job gains over the year, adding 175,100 jobs, according to the Employment Development Department.
The state said professional and business services posted the largest gain on a numerical basis, up by 60,400 jobs, an increase of 3.0 percent. Mining and logging posted the largest gain on a percentage basis, up by 4.2 percent, up by 1,100 jobs.
Four categories – construction; financial activities; other services; and government – posted job declines over the year, down 73,000 jobs, the state said. Government posted the largest decline on both a numerical and percentage basis, down by 49,700 jobs, a decrease of 2.0 percent.
Regarding unemployment claims, the Employment Development Department reported that there were 603,946 people receiving regular unemployment insurance benefits during the January survey week, compared with 599,221 in December and 717,070 in January 2010.
At the same time, new claims for unemployment insurance were 63,331 in January 2011, compared with 87,289 in December and 92,738 in January of last year, the report showed.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at