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

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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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.  ​
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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
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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).
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Portion of the watershed near Saratoga Springs Resort in Upper Lake.
Fire & Forestry Project Map
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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
    • BOARD OF DIRECTORS
    • STAFF
    • Collaborators
  • What We Do
    • The CLERC Lab
    • Fire & Forestry >
      • Community Projects >
        • Hazardous Fuel Reduction Project - Phase 1
        • Wildfire Risk Reduction Project - Phase 1
        • Wildfire Resilience Project - Phase 1
        • Northshore Fuels Team
        • South Lake Chipping Program
        • Middletown and Cobb Evacuation Route Clearing
      • Cost-Share Programs >
        • North Bay Forest Improvement Program (NBFIP)
        • Building Fire Resiliency in California's Coast Range Forests and Grasslands
    • Hitch Observation Program
  • Resources
    • Current Conditions
    • Lab Forms
    • Lake County TREX
    • Wildfire Resiliency Resources
    • The CLERC Library
  • Connect
    • CLERC News
    • Work With Us
    • Contact Us >
      • Landowner Contact Form
    • Donate