Blog Posts

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

12/1/2020

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.

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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CLERC Executive Director Provides Update at the Sierra Club Lake Group Community Meeting - November 19, 2020

11/24/2020

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Coming to Lake County: North Bay Forest Improvement Program

10/28/2020

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CAL FIRE recently announced the winners of the Prop 68 Forestry Assistance Grant and the Rebuild North Bay Foundation was successful in securing $1.5M to develop a forest landowner assistance program in the four county area they serve (Lake, Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino). The project is being implemented by CLERC in conjunction with the Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) in each county.

Ten percent of the project budget has been set aside to provide technical assistance to Disadvantaged Communities (DACs), of which Lake County has a significant portion of the total from the four-county project area. Technical assistance will include completion of Cooperative Forest Management Plans for a selection of qualified landowners. These plans will allow the landowners to apply for cost-share programs such as the California Forest Improvement Program (CFIP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). More details will be available soon. The project is scheduled to start in January 2021 and last for three years or until funds are exhausted.

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CivicSpark Fellow Starts with CLERC

9/15/2020

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The CivicSpark program is an Americorps program designed to help build capacity in local governments in an effort to increase resiliency in the face of climate change. CLERC is sponsoring the Fellow for 1 year to help the Lake County Community Risk Reduction Authority and Lake County Resource Conservation District increase fire resilience capacity. The Fellow and CLERC will be completing a GIS-based prioritization plan for fuel reduction projects, which will help streamline completion of projects listed in the Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

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CLERC is Awarded $3M from CAL FIRE for Hazard Fuel Reduction, Planning, and Workforce Development

3/18/2020

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On March 11, 2020, CAL FIRE announced that it was awarding $3M to CLERC and a group of partners to complete the Lake County Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project Phase 1. The project includes:

190 acres of fuel break maintenance along the Mt. Konocti Interface Project
85 acres of fuel reduction in BLM’s Black Forest on the north slope of Mt. Konocti
504 acres of hazard tree removal along roads in the Mendocino National Forest
Planning and construction of the Scotts Valley Fuel Break, west of the City of Lakeport
Planning and construction of the Davis Fuel Break; east of the City of Clearlake
20 acres of fuel reduction around the Seigler Mountain public safety communications site
Lot clearing on 200 high priority lots within residential subdivisions
Four years of funding for the South Lake Fire Safe Council chipping program
Ecological Restoration Workforce Development Program at New Paradigm College
Regional Prioritization Planning to assist with identifying and developing future projects

Map of the Mt. Konocti Interface Fuel Break from the Fire Prevention Grant proposal. The grant includes funding for maintenance of the existing fuel break across private land and the Black Forest owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Learn More

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CLERC Lab Receives State Accreditation

2/28/2020

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After nearly 18 months of planning and preparation, on February 28, 2020, the CLERC analytical lab received accreditation from the State of California Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP). The CLERC lab is authorized to provide microbiological testing of drinking water and wastewater and report these results to the state for regulatory compliance purposes. Prior to the CLERC lab, there was no accredited laboratory in Lake County, so all water samples had to be sent to labs in other parts of the state. The CLERC Lab is located at Kits Corner in Kelseyville. If you’re interested in having water tested at the CLERC Lab, please contact the Lab Manager.

Contact Lab Manager

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CLERC Staff Participate in UC Cooperative Extension Forest Stewardship Workshop

2/1/2020

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In January 2020, CLERC’s Executive Director and Senior Program Manager both participated in the Forest Stewardship Workshop in Ukiah sponsored by the University of California Cooperative Extension. The purpose of the workshop is to facilitate the development of Forest Management Plans (FMP’s), an essential tool for planning and securing funding for fuel reduction projects on private forest land. The workshop series is funded through a CAL FIRE grant and CLERC is hoping to develop a future workshop series focused on Lake County landowners.

CLERC Executive Director, Will Evans, discusses forest management with Tim Bailey from Humboldt RCD / Watershed Research and Training Center.

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CLERC Submits Community-Wide Grant Proposals to CAL FIRE Totaling Over $8 Million

12/20/2019

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During the first week of December 2019, CLERC submitted several large funding requests to CAL FIRE for community-wide forest health and fire resiliency projects. The proposals represent the culmination of nearly six months of planning and coordination among multiple partners in and around Lake County including the US Forest Service (USFS), US Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Robinson Rancheria, New Paradigm College, South Lake Fire Safe Council, UC Davis, Climate Action Reserve, CAL FIRE, Omni BioEnergy, LLC., Dogwood Springs Forestry, Pepperwood Preserve, and 45+ private landowners. A portion of the proposal development costs were funded through the Regional Forest and Fire Capacity Program (RFFC).

Portion of the watershed near Saratoga Springs Resort in Upper Lake.

Fire & Forestry Project Map

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CLERC is moving in...

10/1/2019

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During the first week of September 2019, the CLERC Board of Directors approved a lease for lab space located at Kits Corner in Kelseyville. CLERC has raised the necessary funds to purchase an initial set of lab equipment and apply for state accreditation. Once accreditation is obtained, CLERC will be able to offer lab services to local water agencies.

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CLERC has a Certified Lab Analyst

5/10/2019

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After many months of study, on May 1, 2019 one of the CLERC Board members, Carolyn Ruttan, passed the lab analyst exam and is now a certified lab analyst. This provides the necessary training and expertise required to open an accredited analytical lab.

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

CLERC Executive Director Provides Update at the Sierra Club Lake Group Community Meeting - November 19, 2020

Coming to Lake County: North Bay Forest Improvement Program

CivicSpark Fellow Starts with CLERC

CLERC is Awarded $3M from CAL FIRE for Hazard Fuel Reduction, Planning, and Workforce Development

CLERC Lab Receives State Accreditation

CLERC Staff Participate in UC Cooperative Extension Forest Stewardship Workshop

CLERC Submits Community-Wide Grant Proposals to CAL FIRE Totaling Over $8 Million

CLERC is moving in...

CLERC has a Certified Lab Analyst

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