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LAKEPORT – For the past several months, numerous sightings of mountain lions have been reported around Lake County, and now a new report has come from the Lakeport area.
Three separate witnesses reported seeing a mountain lion near the dumpster behind Kmart on S. Main Street on Wednesday, according to Lakeport Police Officer Jim Bell.
Bell said the people who reported seeing the big cat said it left northbound past a nearby office and went into a shrubbery south of the county's corporation yard. It was described as being 4 feet long, not counting its tail.
“I went over there and looked around and didn't see anything,” said Bell, who nonetheless said he isn't discounting the reports.
He went on to advise nearby businesses of the sighting.
Lake County Animal Care and Control first received the report and notified Fish and Game, which reportedly said they wouldn't respond unless the animal was being aggressive. The agency then contacted Lakeport Police, according to Animal Care and Control Deputy Director Bill Davidson.
Over the summer there were numerous reports around Lake County of lions, which were seen in areas including Kelseyville, Nice, Lucerne, Clearlake Oaks and Lakeport.
Lakeport has had several reports this summer, including in the north Lakeport area, where a woman and her dog confronted a cougar, and behind Burger King on Lakeport Boulevard. Bell said he previously responded to a report of a mountain lion on 20th Street.
Bell said he's noticed a large deer population this year. “It seems like there was a lot more this year than past years.”
Kyle Orr, a spokesman for California Fish and Game, said mountain lion sightings aren't always verified, so his agency doesn't have any statistics on whether or not mountain lion reports are up this year.
However, one of the primary factors used to estimate the mountain lion population in an area are deer populations, which fluctuate in regions, he said.
“As a rule of thumb, if you have a lot of deer in an area, you have mountain lions present,” said Orr.
Orr said estimates for the mountain lion population in California range between 4,000 and 6,000.
He said the animals have a huge territory; an adult male lion's range can exceed 100 square miles. That means if you see a mountain lion in the morning, it could be long gone by the end of the day.
Orr emphasized that mountain lion attacks on humans are exceedingly rare, with only 14 verified attacks and six fatalities on record since 1890.
In California mountain lions are a protected species that can only be hunted with a special depredation permit. Department of Fish and Game records show that 119 depredation permits have been issued in Lake County since 1972, with the largest number – 17 – issued in 1997. In 2008, two such permits were issued.
Neighboring Mendocino County has the larger number of depredation permits issued statewide since 1972 – 630, according to Department of Fish and Game records.
When the food and water sources for deer dry up, or when weather conditions worsen, the animals can be found moving into subdivisions and neighborhoods, said Orr. If mountain lions are seen in such an area, it's because they're tracking the deer and “just being mountain lions.”
Orr said seeing a mountain in an area where they're not normally seen isn't necessarily a cause for concern.
But the prey-predator relationship makes it all the more important that people not feed deer, said Orr.
“Not only is it illegal in California, it attracts mountain lions,” he said.
He suggested deer proofing and landscaping to keep the deer – and, therefore, mountain lions – away from homes. It's also important to trim brush to reduce places where the big cats can hide.
In rural areas, covered shelter is important to protect vulnerable livestock like goats and sheet. Horses also can be attacked but that's rare, said Orr.
He advised that people should not leave small children and pets unattended.
People shouldn't hike, bike or jog alone, especially in the early morning, at dusk or at night. If a person sees one, they should face the animal, make noise, wave their arms and throw rocks. If small children are nearby, they should be picked up.
And, in the rare case of an attack, Orr said it's critical to fight.
“The key with mountain lions is in fighting you're not acting like prey,” he said.
For more information visit the Department of Fish and Game's “Keep Me Wild” Web page at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/lion.html .
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
With Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, many groups and businesses are joining together to create safe and fun events for the whole family, giving parents some additional options for enjoying the holiday with their children.
The following is a list of fun events planned for Friday and Saturday around Lake County.
CLEARLAKE
Orchard Park Assisted Living and Memory Care Community, 14789 Burns Valley Road, will host free Halloween festivities starting at 3 p.m. Saturday. Featured will be a ghost and goblin parade, costume contest, prizes and refreshments. For information call 707-995-1900.
The city of Clearlake will host its fourth annual Halloween Trick-Or-Treat Party from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive. City staff and police officers will volunteer their time to dress up and hand out goodies and reflective treat bags to community children as a safe alternative to trick-or-treating in unknown neighborhoods. Refreshments also will be available for children and parents to enjoy. Cameras are welcome. For more information call 707-994-8201, Extension 106.
The Lake County Area of Narcotics Anonymous will host a Halloween dance and speaker meeting from 6 p.m. to midnight on Halloween at the Clear Lake/Callayomi Masonic Lodge at 7100 S. Center Drive, Clearlake. The evening features a speaker meeting and dinner to be followed by a DJ dance. The suggested donation is $10 for adults, but no one will be turned away. Please bring a potluck dessert to share. Children are welcome at this event. For more information visit www.lakecountyna.org .
HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE
Hidden Valley Pet Palace, 18983 Hartmann Road, will host its second annual pet costume party at 1 p.m. Saturday. Prizes will be awarded for the best costumes. Everyone is welcome. For information call 707-987-1981.
The Hidden Valley Community Church Harvest Party, 18160 Spruce Grove Extension, will take place from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday. The theme for the free family event is “Blast From the Past.” There will be a wide array of contests – involving costumes, hula hoops, Bazooka Bubble Gum Blowing and pumpkin carving. There will be two grand prize raffle drawings, plus drawings for bikes, gift certificates, movie tickets, an art basket and lots of candy for the kids. The Beaudettes will provide musical entertainment. For more information visit www.hvcchurch.com or call 707-987-3510.
KELSEYVILLE
The Kelseyville Sunrise Rotary Club and the Kelseyville Business Association will present their “Oldies But Ghoulies” gala costume ball to benefit the Kelseyville K-12 Schools Foundation beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday at Big Valley Grange Haunted Hall, 1510 Big Valley Road, Finley. There will be evil spirits, monster munchies and prizes for costumes. Live music will be provided by Without a Net. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 at the door. To get your tickets visit one of the following Kelseyville merchants: Riviera Foods, 9730 Soda Bay Road; Polestar Computers, 3930 Main St.; Kelseyville Lumber, 3555 N. Main St.; Studebakers, 3990 Main St.; or Lyndall's Sports Stop Grill, 4220 Main St.
LAKEPORT
Lakeport Elementary School's annual Halloween parade will take place from noon to 12:30 p.m. Friday in downtown Lakeport. The parade will begin at Natural High School in the 800 block of N. Main Street and travel down to Second Street. Spectators are welcome.
Clear Lake High School will hold its annual homecoming parade from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday in downtown Lakeport. The parade will travel from Clearlake Avenue to Martin Street.
Lakeport Kiwanis will host a Halloween party for the county's children from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Clear Lake High School gym, 350 Lange St. The free event is open to children of all ages and their families. There will be game booths, all with candy prizes, and a costume contest starting at 7:15 p.m.
Faded At Four will host its own Halloween Eve Frightfest beginning at 9:30 p.m. Friday at TJ's Downtown Bar and Grill, 370 S. Main St., Lakeport. Get out your costume, dress up and go rock with the group. There will be a costume contest, drawings and great music. The event is limited to those aged 21 and over. There will be a $5 cover charge.
The Lakeport Main Street Association is hosting a downtown trick or treat event from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday. Visit the businesses displaying orange and black balloons. Play games at C&G Enterprises and enjoy hot chocolate and cookies at Angelina's Bakery. There will be candy, goodies and a costume contest in three age groups – 6 years old and under, 7 to 12, and 13 years and older. Prizes will be awarded in front of Museum Square at 5 p.m. For more information call 707-263-8843.
LOWER LAKE
Downtown merchants are hosting the second annual “Lower Lake Safe Halloween” from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. There will be fun for the whole family, including goodies and prizes on top of free fun and entertainment, plus a magic show.
The “Lake County Has Talent” contest will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Lower Lake High School Auditorium, 9430 Lake St. Admission costs $20 for a family, $10 per adults and $5 per student. Admission to the Halloween carnival is free although there are ticket fees for individual carnival events. Proceeds go for the Lower Lake High School Music Program and TV PEG Channel 8. For more information visit www.talentcontest.wikispaces.com or call Barbara Christwitz at 707-995-0940.
LUCERNE
Lucerne FLOW will hold a fundraising dinner and dance from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at the Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, 10th and Country Club. Music will be provided by Blue Moon. The dinner will be moussaka (with and without meat) and salad. Wine and beer will be available. Costumes are encouraged, and there will be a prize for best costume as well as a raffle. Tickets are $13 in advance, $15 at the door. For tickets or more information call 707-739-6788 and leave a message.
MIDDLETOWN
Wiloth Equine Therapy and Riding Center is hosting a pumpkin patch from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. There will be hay rides, horse rides, jump houses, baked goods, vendors and pumpkins. The pumpkin patch is located at 20740 Butts Canyon Road, at the corner of Butts Canyon Road and Highway 29 in Middletown. For more information call 707-355-1280.
Expressive Motion Dance Studio, 21720 Highway 29, will host a Halloween haunted house from noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The suggested donation is $2. For more information call 707-987-8197.
NICE
The Sons of Italy will host a Halloween dinner and dance on Saturday at the club hall, 2817 E. Highway 20. Costumes are encouraged but not mandatory. There will be a contest for anyone who comes dressed up. Enjoy a buffet meal of roasted Cornish hens, wild rice, vegetables, green salad and rolls, which then will be topped off with yummy cake for dessert. The bar is open for socializing at 5 p.m. then dinner will be served at 6 p.m. Enjoy dancing to the music of John Zimmerman right after the meal. All tickets cost $14 at the door. For more information call 707-274-9952.
For those adults enjoying themselves on Halloween, be sure to designate a driver if planning on drinking alcohol during the fall festivities.
If anyone finds that they're unable to drive and need a tow, AAA of Northern California will offer its free “Tipsy Tow” program to everyone. From 6 p.m. Saturday to 6 a.m. Sunday drivers, potential passengers, party hosts, bartenders, and restaurant managers can call 800-222-4357 (AAA-HELP) for a free tow home of up to five miles.
The service will provide a one-way ride for the driver and vehicle to the driver’s home. If there are additional passengers who need a ride, they will be taken to the driver’s home as long is there is sufficient room for them to be transported safely in the tow truck.
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The California Highway Patrol has reported numerous collisions between vehicles and deer in recent weeks, and official are urging drivers to be particularly cautious at this time of year.
Drivers should be extra vigilant and follow these tips for driving in deer country, which were compiled by the National Park Service:
Be particularly attentive between sunset and midnight, during the hours shortly before and after sunrise, and in foggy conditions. Most deer-vehicle collisions occur during those times.
Drive carefully in areas known to have high deer populations. Places where roads divide agricultural fields or streams from forestland are particularly dangerous.
If you see a deer, slow down. Others are probably nearby.
Use high-beam headlights when there is no oncoming traffic. The high beams can reflect off their eyes and warn you of their presence.
If a deer is in your lane, brake firmly but stay in the lane. The most serious crashes occur when drivers swerve.
Don't rely on deer whistles, deer fences, or reflectors to deter deer.
Wear seat belts.
If your car strikes a deer, don't touch the animal. If the deer is blocking the highway, call 911.
“Please use extra caution when driving and make the end of the day a good one,” said Charlie Fielder, director of Caltrans' District 1, which includes Lake County.
NORTHSHORE – Lake County is home to an amazing array of birds and wildlife, and on Monday a large group of pelicans created quite a show on Clear Lake.
Local photographer Ron Keas caught hundreds of the big white birds on film.
Keas estimated about 200 pelicans flew across the lake and landed near Lucerne, swimming silently along as Keas followed from a distance on the lakeshore.
“Along the way they kept posing for pictures,” he said.
Keas added, “I love this lake.”
Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .
The board will meet at 7 pm. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the district's multi-use building at 20932 Big Canyon Road.
With the district facing less state funding coupled with a continuing drop in enrollment, district Superintendent Dr. Korby Olson said that the board is beginning its discussion into how it can save on expenses.
They plan to look at several different areas, starting with a close consideration of transportation, which is both costly for the district and has a potentially large impact on families, he said.
“It's a place where we can make reductions that are not in the classroom,” Olson explained. “But it's only the beginning.”
Olson said no action will be taken at the Oct. 28 meeting, which is merely a starting point.
He said the district receives some funding from the state for transportation, but the district budgets another $270,000 out of its general fund to get students to and from school.
Last year the district held a meeting to begin talking about possible changes in transportation – including route changes and the possibility of charging, as Lake County News has reported.
However, Olson said hardly anyone showed up, so this time they gave parents plenty of notice, sending out a recent letter to families notifying them of the Wednesday meeting.
The letter notes that the district has had to cut nearly $2 million from its budget over the last two years. Olson said they anticipate another possible $1 million cut in the 2010-11 fiscal year. Federal stimulus funds have helped fill the gap that resulted from less state funding, but that money is a temporary fix.
Olson's letter to parents also invited them to participate in a survey about transportation options. The survey can be found at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=A_2fDh9Xyue1OHFjomW_2ff3Cw_3d_3d .
The survey's first question is what Olson calls a “throwaway” item – it asks if transportation should be eliminated except as required by law, which it notes is “the most drastic step that could be taken” but which would result in a savings of $220,000, the equivalent of four teaching positions.
“I don't see that as a possibility for us,” nor is it an option the district would want to take, said Olson.
Other options include reducing routes or possibly charging a fee to families who use the services.
So far, the survey has shown that a few of the route plan reductions have some support, Olson said.
There's also a little support for charging fees, Olson added. While he could see charing a fee as being part of an overall strategy, it's not a solution all by itself, because the amount they would have to charge to make an impact would be too much.
Once they've gathered information on Wednesday, the board will look at some refined proposals at its Nov. 18 meeting. Then in January district administration will have some proposals for them to consider adopting, Olson said.
He said he doubts there is any resulting action the district can take this year, so changes may take place next year. But Olson said he can't yet say what's going to happen.
Visit the Middletown Unified School District's Web site at www.middletownusd.org .
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
The Office of Justice Programs’ (OJP) National Institute of Justice (NIJ) will administer the grant through the Postconviction Testing Program.
“Earlier this year, our nationwide symposium on post conviction DNA issues received overwhelming response from prosecutors, defense lawyers, judges, crime laboratory personnel, advocates, victims and law enforcement personnel from nearly all the 50 states,” said OJP Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary. “We look forward to continue working with California to use DNA technology to protect the innocent and bring the guilty to justice.”
The California Innocence Project, a program of California Western School of Law, and the Northern California Innocence Project, a program of Santa Clara University which recently was involved in assisting the defense in the Bismarck Dinius trial, plan to utilize grant funds to assist defense lawyers and law students seek the release of wrongfully convicted prisoners in the state of California.
The DNA Initiative, Advancing Justice through DNA Technology, provides funding, training, and assistance to ensure that forensic DNA reaches its full potential to solve crimes, protect the innocent, and identify missing persons.
DNA testing is not only a predominant forensic technique for identifying criminals, but has become a method of post-conviction exoneration of the innocent. DNA testing makes it possible to obtain conclusive results in cases in which previous testing had been inconclusive or non-existent.
In January, NIJ held a national symposium to allow states to share information and ideas that could improve processes related to post-conviction DNA cases. The symposium also provided an opportunity for networking among key people from around the country.
Approximately 300 attendees – prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement agencies and crime laboratories representing 46 states and one territory – were able to attend the symposium. Also in attendance were representatives from the five states – Arizona, Kentucky, Texas, Virginia and Washington – to which NIJ awarded nearly $8 million in postconviction funding in 2008.
Additional awards were provided to Colorado ($1.1 million), Connecticut ($1.4 million), Louisiana ($1.3 million), Maryland ($307,000), New Mexico ($924,000), Minnesota ($859,000), North Carolina ($566,000) and Wisconsin ($647,000) totaling $9.8 million.
More information on the DNA Initiative is available at www.dna.gov .