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- Written by: Lindsey Doermann
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Newly released satellite imagery shows an algal bloom clouded the waters of Clear Lake in mid-May.
Bright green swirls were visible across most of the lake’s area when the Operational Land Imager-2, or OLI-2, on the Landsat 9 satellite acquired the image above on May 15.
The bloom may contain blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, as well as other types of phytoplankton; only a direct sample can determine the exact composition of a bloom.
Cyanobacteria are single-celled organisms that rely on photosynthesis to turn sunlight into food, and some produce microcystin, a potent toxin that can irritate the skin and cause liver and kidney damage.
Clear Lake is a naturally nutrient-rich, eutrophic lake that supports the growth of algae and aquatic plants. It has long contained large algal populations, possibly since the end of the last ice age about 10,000 years ago, according to sediment cores.
In recent years, however, people have increased nutrient inputs to the lake, and the number of harmful blooms has increased.
Out of the more than 130 algal species that have been identified in Clear Lake, three species of blue-green algae can cause adverse human health effects under certain conditions.
Blooms of these harmful algae tend to occur in spring and late summer, according to Lake County officials.
Nutrients such as phosphorus enter the lake through its tributaries and drive the growth of excess algae.
Runoff from nearby farms, vineyards, faulty septic systems, gravel mines, and an abandoned open-pit mercury mine contributes to water quality issues in the lake.
Some bloom-inducing nutrients reside in lakebed sediments, only to be stirred up by wave action and the foraging and spawning behavior of nonnative carp.
A water quality analysis tool showed that levels of chlorophyll-a, the sunlight-harvesting pigment in plants and phytoplankton (including algae), and an index estimating cyanobacteria concentration increased throughout early May.
These estimates, derived from an ocean color instrument on Sentinel-3 with additional processing by the NOAA National Ocean Service, reached some of their highest values of the month by May 15, the date of the image above.
As of May 25, measurements of microcystin concentrations for this bloom were not yet available from local water quality monitors.
Even if toxins were not present, the abundance of algae could still harm aquatic life; bacteria consume oxygen as they break down dead phytoplankton, which can cause hypoxia and dead zones.
Lindsey Doermann writes for NASA’s Earth Observatory.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County residents are encouraged to take home a new friend this weekend as part of a special event meant to help move more pets out of shelters locally and across the state.
The California Animal Welfare Association, the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals have announced the first-ever California Adopt-a-Pet Day, taking place on Saturday, June 1.
The statewide adoption day will feature more than 150 California animal welfare sites offering free adoptions to find homes for 2,024 shelter pets.
Among the participating shelters is Lake County Animal Care and Control.
“Mark your calendars for June 1st, 2024, as we embark on a groundbreaking journey – the inaugural California Adopt A Pet Day! Let's come together to give our shelter animals the love and care they deserve. With the support of ASPCA and CalAnimals, all adoptions on this day will be complimentary,” Animal Care and Control said on its Facebook page.
Lake County Animal Care and Control has 35 dogs and one cat listed for adoption on its website.
“Let's make a difference and find happy homes for our shelter animals. Together, we can make a positive impact!” Animal Care and Control said.
The ASPCA will provide funds to cover the cost of free adoptions at participating shelters.
“California shelters are facing enormous pressures due to overcrowding conditions, as the number of animals entering shelters is outpacing those leaving,” said Jill Tucker, CEO of CalAnimals. “By increasing adoption demand and encouraging pet-ready families to visit their local shelter first, we can make a change. This unprecedented and collaborative statewide effort can help reduce the number of animals in our shelters while also providing loving, caring families for our most vulnerable pets. There has never been a better time or better selection of incredible animals ready for new homes, and we know the people of California will rise to this Challenge.”
The large influx of animals being brought into shelters in recent years is due to a severe nationwide shortage of veterinary professionals as well as a confluence of other factors, such as inflation and pet-friendly housing restrictions.
Many communities in California do not have access to affordable veterinary care, including spay and neuter services.
“Shelters are such integral parts of our communities—we are where families find their next cat or dog or get treatment for their beloved pets—and now we are asking for the community’s help,” said Dr. Jennifer Scarlett, CEO of the SF SPCA. “By working together, we can find homes for thousands of animals throughout the state. Californians are famous for their compassion, empathy, and care. California Adopt-a-Pet Day is a perfect time to put those emotions into action.”
“Shelters in California and around the country are facing an overcrowding crisis that requires the support and collaboration of national and local organizations working together with communities to help our most vulnerable animals,” said Matt Bershadker, president and CEO for ASPCA. “The lifesaving impact of our collective efforts will be felt by the animals, the participating organizations, and communities across the state."
California Adopt-a-Pet Day is being managed by CalAnimals, an organization that focuses on the success of California animal welfare and sheltering organizations in meeting the needs of animals and people in their communities.
The initiative is being generously supported by the SF SPCA, a nonprofit that works in San Francisco, the Central Valley, and across California to ensure that every companion animal has access to quality medical care, compassionate shelter, and a loving home, and the ASPCA, the longest-standing animal welfare organization in North America that works on the frontlines to save, transform, and protect the lives of millions of dogs, cats, equines, and farm animals in the fight against animal cruelty and homelessness.
To find a participating animal shelter in California Adopt-a-Pet Day, please visit https://caadoptapetday.org.
For more information about the local adoption effort, contact Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.
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- Written by: LAKE COUNTY NEWS REPORTS
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — On Thursday, federal and tribal officials gathered to celebrate President Joe Biden’s recent expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.
The action renames the “Walker Ridge” parcel to “Molok Luyuk,” which means “Condor Ridge” in the Patwin language, and adds over 13,000 acres of federal public land to the previously-designated monument, protecting the area in its entirety.
Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-04), U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA), the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Tracy Stone-Manning and community leaders were on hand for the event, which took place in Brookes, in neighboring Yolo County.
Members of the Yocha Dehe and Kletsel Dehe Tribes also signed a historic co-stewardship agreement with BLM during the ceremony.
The presidential proclamation advances co-stewardship of the monument to safeguard generations of tribal origin stories and protect wildlife corridors and rich biodiversity in the region.
This co-stewardship agreement stems from the amended 2022 order by the secretary of the Interior and signed by the secretaries of the Interior, Agriculture and Commerce that directs the departments and their component bureaus and offices to manage federal lands in a manner that protects the treaty, religious, subsistence and cultural interests of federally recognized Indian tribes.
“Molok Luyuk has been stewarded for thousands of years by the Wintun Nations,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “This co-stewardship agreement will strengthen management of this portion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument for generations to come, enhancing our ability to protect natural and cultural resources and to educate visitors to the monument.”
This agreement strengthens stewardship of Molok Luyuk through increased natural and cultural resource program coordination and inter-governmental engagement in management planning processes.
It provides a framework for tribal officials, planners, resource specialists, and tribal members to share additional knowledge and expertise, and provide resources and services to the BLM to collaboratively develop resource management programs and coordinate on land use planning and management of resources.
Rep. Thompson sponsored the legislation, cosponsored by Reps. John Garamendi (CA-08), Jared Huffman (CA-02), and Doris Matsui (CA-07) that called for the initial designation of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument in 2013. In 2022 and again 2023, Rep. Thompson, Sen. Padilla, and Rep. Garamendi introduced legislation to expand the Monument to include adjacent Bureau of Land Management-administered public lands.
Last October, Rep. Thompson, Sen. Padilla, and Rep. Garamendi led a letter to President Biden and Interior Department Secretary Deb Haaland urging the administration to use its authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to expand the Monument and support co-stewardship opportunities at Molok Luyuk.
In May, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the BLM celebrated President Biden’s expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument as part of the administration’s unprecedented commitment to protect America’s natural wonders for future generations, honor areas of cultural significance to tribal nations and Indigenous peoples, and expand access to nature.
The new designation protects a striking 11-mile-long north-south ridgeline that is sacred to the Patwin people and hosts a mosaic of rare natural features supported by the area’s unique geologic and hydrologic features.
“Today marks a new era of tribal co-stewardship of ancestral lands. I’m honored to join leaders from the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation, Kletsel Dehe Wintun Nation, Bureau of Land Management, and community advocates to celebrate the expansion of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and formalize local tribes’ role in the protection of the land that has sustained them for generations,” said Thompson. “I worked to designate the Berryessa Snow Mountain region as a national monument in 2015 and Sen. Padilla, Rep. Garamendi (CA-08), and I were successful in working with the Biden Administration to expand it. Thanks to President Biden’s proclamation, the biodiversity, geological formations, and cultural connections of this land will be preserved for generations to come.”
“Today, thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration and decades of advocacy from tribal leaders and allies, the Patwin people will once again have a say in how Molok Luyuk is cared for,” Sen. Padilla said Thursday. “We’re setting a new standard of cooperative stewardship and embarking on a new era of public land management that gives tribes a seat at the table. With the historic signing of these co-stewardship agreements, local tribes will be able to more formally contribute their deep, personal knowledge of the history and ecology of the area to better protect and celebrate this land. The expansion of the monument is also crucial for protecting the rich biodiversity and wildlife corridors that make California so unique, ensuring that these areas endure for the benefit of current and future generations.”
“The expansion of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument enhances protections of the region’s rich biodiversity and rare plant species and provides a lifeline for wildlife such as tule elk, mountain lions, and black bears as a connectivity corridor between the existing monument and other conserved areas,” said California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot. “This commitment to conservation protects sacred cultural sites and enshrines access to our public lands. It also moves us closer toward California’s 30x30 goal to conserve 30% of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. This shows what happens when big ideas and people rally together to protect incredible places. The California Natural Resources Agency is honored to continue work with California Native American tribes, local communities, and the Biden-Harris Administration to further designate new National Monuments in California.”
“We are profoundly grateful for this commitment to protect tribal cultural resources and the environment. All the support we received to expand the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument and include Molok Luyuk, especially from U.S. Senator Padilla, Congressman Thompson, Congressman Garamendi, and environmental organizations — their care and commitment to tribal lands has ensured a better world for generations to come. We look forward to additional opportunities to partner in our ancestral lands,” said Yocha Dehe Tribal Chairman Anthony Roberts.
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- Written by: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s California Invasive Species Action Week, or CISAW, which takes place Saturday, June 1, through Sunday, June 9, educates and calls for the public to take action to guard California’s natural resources, ecology and economy.
CDFW Invasive Species Program scientist Daydre Roser urges all Californians to get involved as “invasive species reduce the biodiversity that is so important to our landscape.”
Throughout the state the week will see volunteers removing invasive plants, interactive activities, a series of educational webinars and the reveal of the 2024 Youth Art Contest winner, among other events. The theme of this year’s Youth Art Contest was Species Reporters Wanted — What's the Scoop on Invasives.
CDFW staff will join in CISAW efforts, teaming up with the American River Parkway Foundation to help eradicate non-native plants along the American River in Sacramento.
Virtual and in-person opportunities to participate in CISAW include:
Tune in to the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Lunchtime Talks webinar series, where each weekday experts will take on invasive species topics such as the tree-killing shothole borer beetle that is making its way into the Bay Area or the threat of yellow starthistle — what some consider the state’s most invasive plant.
Take the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s Eyes on the Lake Training Thursday, June 6, where participants will learn to identify native versus non-native aquatic plants and how to report aquatic invaders that damage Lake Tahoe’s ecosystem.
Get educated about the invasive quagga mussel with the East Bay Regional Park District on Saturday, June 8. Interactive activities at Shadow Cliffs Regional Recreation Area in Pleasanton will show effects of and how to prevent infestation of the quagga mussel in California lakes.
Find further details and a full list of CISAW events online, some which require participants to register in advance.
Be a part of the effort to remove invasive species and restore wildlife habitat throughout the year by volunteering through the California State Parks Foundation and other local organizations, or by reporting invasive species to iNaturalist and/or CDFW’s Invasive Species app (through EDDMaps).
Californians can also help stop the spread of invasive species by taking small, everyday actions, such as landscaping with native plants, not releasing unwanted pets into the wild and cleaning, draining and drying gear when recreating in bodies of water.
The CISAW web page lists simple actions Californians can take all year long while visiting natural areas, boating or fishing, or at home.
The mission of CDFW’s Invasive Species Program is to reduce the impacts of invasive species on the wildlands and waterways of California.
The program is involved in efforts to prevent the introduction of these species into the state, detect and respond to introductions when they occur, and prevent the spread of those species that have established.
For questions or more information about CISAW contact