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CLERC News
The latest news from the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center

Tree Felling Begins on Fox Drive

3/16/2022

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A sign providing information about the "Lake County Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project Phase 1: Fox Drive Fire Prevention Project" stands in front of a felled, beetle-killed tree.
After many weeks of logistical maneuvering, the Fox Drive Fire Prevention Project is kicking off with a bang as tree felling begins near Fox and Hoberg Drives. This project, funded by a CalFire Fire Prevention Grant, addresses the ongoing tree die-off in the Cobb area. For those of us who live in Lake County, this unusual color change on our mountainsides from green to red has been catching our attention and stoking our unease since the summer of 2021. But what exactly is causing the die-off? And what should we do about it? 

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CAL FIRE Communications Team visits Forest Health Grant Project at Harbin Hot Springs

11/2/2021

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The Harbin Creek watershed serves as part of the headwaters of Upper Putah Creek. Boggs State Demonstration Forest can be seen in the upper portion of the photo.
In May the CAL FIRE Communications Team toured the recently completed Forest Health Grant Project at Harbin Hot Springs. CLERC’s Executive Director and Senior Program Manager were on hand to give the tour of the project that got it all started for CLERC’s Fire and Forestry Program.
​CAL FIRE released a short video highlighting the Harbin project and the benefits to the community.  Check it out:

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CLERC Awarded $4.7M from CAL FIRE for Lake County Wildfire Resilience Project - Phase 1

8/12/2021

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Forest lands impacted by the Valley Fire adjacent to Boggs State Demonstration Forest.
​In August 2021, CAL FIRE announced that it was awarding $4.7M to CLERC and a group of partners to complete the Lake County Wildfire Resilience Project - Phase 1. The project was originally slated for award in mid-2020, but was delayed by the covid-19 pandemic. With this funding, CLERC, along with partners, will restore health and fire resilience to Lake County devastated by years of wildfires, prolonged drought, pest damage and death of conifers, and absence of natural fires leading to unprecedented levels of fuel. With local, state, federal, tribal, and private partners this project will use fuels reduction, prescribed fire, pest management, reforestation, and biomass utilization, to maximize carbon sequestration and minimize the loss of carbon from mega fires.  

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StoryMap:  GIS-Based Prioritization System for Wildfire Management Projects

7/29/2021

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On September 12, 2015 the Valley Fire erupted into what would become the third most destructive wildfire in the California's history at the time. It is currently the state's fifth most destructive blaze. (photo: Will Evans)

By: Laurel Bard, Fire and Forestry Project Coordinator
Email Author
​Lake County, California has had a tough time with wildfire in the last decade. Hit by the Valley Fire in 2015, the Mendocino Complex Fire in 2018, and many other fires, the county faces not only questions about how to rebuild, but also how to prepare for future wildfire. Like many places in California, Lake County strives to identify areas of risk before they are devastated by fire, and mitigate risk for those areas in whatever way they can. Community building plays an important role in this process, and the Lake County community has certainly come together in the wake of fire. But the question remains: once the community is together, where do you go next?

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Fire Prevention Grant - Progress Report #5

7/16/2021

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by: CLERC Staff
CLERC is over a year into implementing the Lake County Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project - Phase 1 and we're finally starting to see some major progress. Below are some highlights from CLERC's most recently submitted progress report to CAL FIRE.

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Lady of the Lake: Concerned about cyanobacteria in Soda Bay

7/11/2021

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From Lake County News:
The new “Lady of the Lake” column is written by Angela De Palma-Dow, a scientist, certified limnologist and staffer at Lake County Water Resources (It should be noted, she’s writing these columns on her own time, not county time, and the views expressed are her own). Her goal is to answer questions from community members about Clear Lake. Email her at LadyoftheClearLake@gmail.com.
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Cyanobacteria bloom in Clearlake Oaks, July 2021 (photo by: Angela DePalma-Dow)
Dear Lady of the Lake,

We have a family property on the lake in Soda Bay and the water in the lake there is really gross, it’s weedy, it smells, and I have heard that the algae growing on the top is toxic? We have children and dogs. What is going on and what do we do?

— Concerned in Soda Bay
Dear Concerned,

Thank you for asking this question, I am glad you are paying attention to the lake and you are noticing that the conditions have changed...
Read more at Lake County News
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CLERC President Receives Stars of Lake County Environmental Award

5/3/2021

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The annual Stars of Lake County award ceremony was hosted by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce on May 1 at the Soper-Reese Theater in Lakeport.  This year, CLERC's President and Executive Director, Will Evans, was presented with the Environmental Award in recognition of the tremendous impact he's made towards enhancing and preserving the unique landscape surrounding Clear Lake. The award was sponsored by Adventist Health Clearlake and presented by David Santos, Adventist Health President.
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"Will Evans is a dynamic force for environmental protection and scientific study. As President of CLERC, he has facilitated the acquisition of a $1M grant from the State of California to assist in wildfire resistance and recovery. He has played a prominent role in the work to protect and restore the unique Clear Lake Hitch, an endangered native fish of Clear Lake, working on the prevention of the invasion of quagga mussels into the lake, and established an organization, CLERC, to carry out and increase the amount of scientific research being conducted on Clear Lake and using the research as a way to promote economic development for the local community.  

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USFS Discusses Northshore Restoration Project at Sierra Club Lake Group meeting

2/17/2021

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In case you missed it - Frank Aebly and Hinda Darner of the Upper Lake Ranger District of the Mendocino National Forest discuss the impacts from the 2018 Ranch Fire and the efforts to restore the landscape.
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Late afternoon in the Black Forest: Thoughts on nature and us

1/25/2021

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By: Laurel Bard, CivicSpark Fellow
​The sun was already setting behind Mt Konocti and the Black Forest was deep in shadow by the time I started the climb. There was no official trail, but someone had left hints: cairns stacked atop decomposing douglas fir logs, or balanced precariously on huge boulders; and, best of all, a sturdy branch carved on one end into the perfect walking stick. I have a habit of following social trails, but this one was particularly steep, and the rocky dirt under my feet meant that for every two steps I took, I slid back one. Whenever I was about to give up, turn back – surely only deer had gone farther than this, any person would have stopped by now – I would see another cairn, another sign that my determination wasn’t unique. I kept on.
​I was trying to reach something that I’d seen from the ground: a tall bluff of exposed rock on the side of Mt. Konocti, which juts out into the Black Forest like the figurehead of a ship. I have a condition called being a climber, and it means that when I see rock, I must touch it. And that was some big rock. The only trouble: as soon as I entered the Black Forest, that bluff disappeared. The trees stood so thick that when I looked behind me as I climbed, I couldn’t see Clear Lake, despite the severity of the slope and how close the Black Forest is to the lakeshore. Forget seeing above me to the bluff – I had no hope of that at all. I just had to imagine that whoever set the cairns was also interested in getting to where I was going.
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(Photo of the bluffs above the Black Forest courtesy of the Lake County Land Trust)

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CLERC Co-Founder discusses the creation of the California Society of Environmental Analysts (CSEA)

12/1/2020

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The Clear Lake Environmental Research Center (CLERC) is a nonprofit organization in northern CA with a mission to bring permanent science to Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake in CA and oldest lake in the Americas. 
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Carolyn Ruttan, co-founder of CLERC and the California Society of Environmental Analysts (CSEA)
​On our way to complete our mission we are creating an accredited environmental laboratory for wastewater and drinking water. After a short time, it became clear there was no forum for the professionals working in laboratories and so we formed the California Society of Environmental Analysts (CSEA).

​
Check out the video of the presentation.
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Clear Lake Environmental Research Center is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 47-1489147) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
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© 2022 Clear Lake Environmental Research Center, PO Box 636 Lakeport, CA  95453
  • Who We Are
    • About CLERC
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
    • Collaborators
  • What We Do
    • The CLERC Lab >
      • Lab Forms
    • Fire & Forestry >
      • Community Projects >
        • 2019 Fire Prevention Grant
        • 2021 Forest Health Grant
        • Northshore FPD Fuels Crew
        • SLFSC Chipping Program
        • Fox Drive Fire Prevention Project
      • Cost-Share Programs >
        • NBFIP
      • Get Involved >
        • Landowner Contact Form
        • Lake County TREX
    • Hitch Observation Program
  • Resources
    • Blue Ribbon Committee
    • Current Conditions
    • The CLERC Library
  • Connect
    • CLERC News
    • Work With Us
    • Contact Us >
      • Landowner Contact Form
    • Donate