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- Written by: Ian Markham
“Whi-Whi-Whi!” the agitated trilling, followed by the vehement hammering of a tiny beak, jolted me from my near-comatose stupor. I yanked my eyes from their vacant staring at the math book in front of me to discover the source of that startling noise which had erupted from just above my head.
Instinctively brushing aside my books and reaching for my camera, I turned and followed the tiny shower of bark that alighted upon my head to find myself face-to-face with a jittery and insolent little bird. It became abundantly clear in that brief period as we blinked at each other in bewilderment that the little nuthatch had chosen this precise moment to dislodge her prize from the tree branch above me, and was offended by my intrusion into what she undoubtedly saw as more meaningful work.
In one deliberate motion I leveled the camera at my harasser and broke my gaze for just a moment to peer down into the viewfinder. “NOOOO!” a voice inside of me screamed as I realized I had done it again. Rather than finding the beautiful image I had meant to capture, my eyes were greeted by the abysmal darkness of the inside of my lens cap.
By the time I had looked up and removed the cover, the little bird was flitting triumphantly across Lake Solano, taunting me audibly around the hefty seed lodged in its bill. I couldn’t resist. The bird had vanquished all hope of returning to my neglected math homework so I grabbed my binoculars and prepared for pursuit.
This marked the end of yet another misguided attempt to multi-task and study for a math test in the great outdoors, but was the beginning of a chase that resulted in my eventually getting the picture of the nuthatch, with a bonus opportunity to watch a red-shouldered hawk devour a red-shafted flicker.
So what’s it like to be a young naturalist these days balancing the commitments of high school with a commitment to nature? With fistfuls of anecdotes like this to draw from, you can probably see why I’d answer the question offhand with the curt response, “frustrating!”
In a life burdened with innumerable obligations, constantly torn between finishing homework, studying for tests, preparing for SATs, researching colleges, carousing with friends and running to rugby practice, at times it seems scarcely possible to pay homage to my true passion.
My frequent attempts to enjoy Mother Nature in convenient conjunction with other necessary tasks like rushing through the Yolo Basin on the way to rugby in Sacramento or heading down to Lake Solano to study for an impending math test most often end fruitlessly. You can only enjoy yourself so much with deadlines nipping at your heels and distracted study time is often more harm than help. So why do it then? Why make the sacrifices to scrape together a few hours and go hiking every other weekend?
In truth, there was a time I had no answer for these questions and that bit of my life withered and wasted away with neglect. I ignored my impulses to escape into nature and they became muffled in the back of my mind. Yet, inevitably, I suffered for that denial of my true self. My mind became fraught with a listless urge to escape and get away. Finally I did.
I fled school for a summer abroad in the jungles of Southeastern Peru researching rain forest fish beside my brother, and was overawed by those wonders we found. I lived, for two months, a blissful life exploring the amazing intricacies of Amazonian ecology and was reinvigorated by the experience. I had found the contentment that had so often eluded me, and as the summer came to a close I refused to let it dissipate.
Seizing upon the spark of ornithological fascination I had acquired in one of the best birding hot spots in the world, I kindled it into a fully-fledged love of bird watching to bring home with me. Upon arrival in San Francisco, I bought myself a copy of The Sibley Field Guide to Birds and began to fervently familiarize myself with those creatures whom I had ignored most my life but had now resolved to befriend.
Soon I was hopelessly hooked, dashing about between the many spectacular natural areas in our region – from the Yolo Basin to Grey Lodge Wildlife Refuge, from trails high up Cache Creek to the Stebbin’s Cold Canyon reserve below Monticello Dam – in pursuit of my feathered friends. Stalking about with camera and binoculars I became intimately acquainted with the land’s winged residents.
Even the onset of school couldn’t stop my expeditions to the beautiful wildlife habitats of the region. I discovered that I simply couldn’t deny the important facet of my life which exploring nature has always been. I realized that it was television shows and lethargy that could be sacrificed to make room for better entertainment and more soothing relaxation.
My hikes, birding expeditions, and even my simple sorties about my own country property have yielded a consummate satisfaction without parallel. While they do add extra time commitments to an already full schedule, their cathartic influence more than makes up for lost time by boosting my productivity.
The only real burden that my nature going has placed on my life remains the sadness I feel when reflecting on how few of my peers appear to share my same love. Or maybe, like me, it is in them waiting to be discovered.
But I’ve never been one to wallow. I’m taking the torch and attempting to pass on my love of the natural world to anyone I can. In my school’s environmental club I am spearheading the movement to make regular club field trips to wildlife areas and I try to volunteer with the Yolo Audubon Society’s Education program for school kids in Esparto, when I can.
For those of you who already share my passion, I encourage you to do what you can to pass it on. For those of you who don’t, I suggest giving it a try. The wonders of the natural world have brought me an endless source of entertainment and satisfaction as I have never known before, and they are right here in front of our faces.
Ian Markham is a Yolo County resident and a Junior at Christian Brothers High School. He frequently enjoys the Cache Creek area. Tuleyome Tales is made possible by Tuleyome, a nonprofit working to protect both our wild heritage and our agricultural heritage for future generations. Visit them online at www.tuleyome.org.
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKE PILLSBURY – National Forest and local law enforcement officials are increasing enforcement in the Lake Pillsbury area following recent accidents caused by drivers under the influence.
In the past month, three serious injuries and a fatality were caused by persons driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs at Lake Pillsbury Basin on the Upper Lake Ranger District.
As reported here last month, an early-morning accident on March 11 that occurred along Elk Mountain Road claimed the life of a 19-year-old Santa Rosa man, who died after the pickup he was riding in went off the road, began to overturn and ejected him. A 17-year-old juvenile passenger also was injured in that accident, according to the CHP.
The CHP arrested the driver, Ryan White, 20, of Rohnert Park, on suspicion of driving under the influence, vehicular manslaughter and DUI causing bodily injury.
A second early morning accident on March 24, also along Elk Mountain Road, injured both driver M. Seyms and passenger K. Nyholm. Seyms lost control of his pickup, went off the road and hit a dirt embankment, according to the CHP.
Seyms later was arrested under suspicion of driving under the influence, the CHP reported.
Mendocino National Forest spokesperson Phebe Brown reported that, in response to those accidents, a multi-agency task force conducted “Operation Safe Driving” over the last two weekends.
Forest Service law enforcement officers, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies and officers from the state Department of Fish & Game comprised the task force, Brown said.
The operation, Brown reported, resulted in 19 arrests for driving under the influence, public intoxication, evading and other drug-related crimes.
“This task force really made a difference,” said Matt Knudson, a Forest Service law enforcement officer. “Not a single vehicle accident occurred during the periods of 'Operation Safe Driving.'”
In addition to the arrests, task force members shut down a “minors-in-possession” party with more than 75 people in attendance, Brown said.
Seven vehicles were towed and 25 “Notices to Appear” were issued for violations, including possession of controlled substances, minor in possession of alcohol, Fish & Game violations and possession of fireworks, added Brown.
“Operation Safe Driving will continue in the Lake Pillsbury Basin until we see a drastic decrease in DUIs and other driving habits,” said Knudson. “Drinking and driving do not mix; the National Forest is no exception.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Editor
SACRAMENTO – Ensuring that elderly and disabled persons receive medically necessary prescription drugs is the objective of state Sen. Patricia Wiggins' SB 623, which passed the Senate Health Committee today on a bipartisan 7-3 vote Wednesday.
The Medicare Modernization Act of 2003, which went into effect in January 2006, resulted in the biggest change to the Medicare program since its inception roughly 40 years ago. A new component, Part D, gives beneficiaries the option to sign up for a drug plan to help cover a portion of their prescriptions.
Prior to 2006, there were over a million low-income elderly and disabled Californians who received drug coverage from both Medi-Cal and Medicare. These people were automatically shifted into the Medicare Part D program and were required to begin making co-payments for their drugs for the first time.
As a result of the change, dual eligibles are now required to do something that no other Medi-Cal beneficiaries are required to do – make co-payments to receive medically necessary drugs ranging from $1 to $5 for each prescription filled.
While the co-payments may seem small, they can add up to a significant monthly cost for people on limited incomes (the 100,000 dual eligible beneficiaries in California nursing homes are not required to make co-pays, thus creating a financial incentive for institutionalization).
“By definition,” Wiggins says, “dual eligibles are low-income seniors and individuals with disabilities who are among the most vulnerable populations in the state and have the least amount of disposable income. In spite of this, these individuals must now pay a substantial amount of their fixed income for live-saving medications.
“Even minimal co-payments are unaffordable for most of these beneficiaries and therefore serve as a barrier to obtaining medically necessary mediations,” she adds. “This group is very low income, sick and frail. They are all elderly or significantly disabled and are among the highest users of prescription drugs because many suffer from chronic illnesses.”
The average number of medications for this population frequently ranges to 10 to 12 per month, but may be many more to treat certain conditions.
“These individuals are being forced to choose between rent, utilities, food and medicines,” Wiggins says. Many are on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and have a total monthly income of $901 or less. Tens of thousands live in Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFE) and assign their entire monthly SSI check to the RCFE for room and board.
“This leaves them with virtually no cash income to pay drug co-pays,” she adds. “One result is that this frail, vulnerable population may choose to not take medicine putting them at risk for hospitalization or long-term institutionalization.”
Until May 16, 2006, California’s emergency Medicare Part D backup program covered co-payments for dual eligible beneficiaries. DHS estimates that the annual cost of covering co-pays to be $75 million, while the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program, a group of state and federally funded agencies advising seniors on Medicare issues, believes that the cost would be lower.
The HICAP estimate is based on the fact that the state’s obligation to cover co-pays will be capped at $5,100 annually for total prescription costs, even though many seniors would easily exceed the limit.
SB 623 is backed by numerous individuals and organizations, including the Congress of California Seniors (sponsor), Health Access, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Western Center on Law and Poverty, Alliance for Retired Americans, Gray Panthers, National Health Law Program, Older Women’s League of California, and the Western Center on Law and Poverty.
Wiggins' district includes Lake County. For more about her, including legislation and other issues, visit her Web site at http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/.
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- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT – There are many great ways to see Lake County, and arguably one of the very best is from a seaplane.
Martin expertly guided the bright yellow plane onto the lake, taxing across the surface before leaping from the water and soaring over the lake and along the edges of the city before smoothly gliding back down onto the water. The views of the city, the lake and the mountains were stunning.
Last year, Martin started Delta Seaplanes, giving seaplane tours of the Delta area. She owns two seaplanes: the Super Cub and a green and white Cessna 172, also on amphibious floats. The planes themselves are beautiful, trim and sleek, with shiny paint jobs and throaty engines.
She brought her two seaplanes to Lakeport Thursday, where they skipped and glided around the lake before rolling down Park Street and Main Street. The effort was a practice run for an appearance in August at Taste of Lakeport, which will promote the Seaplane Splash-In – known officially these days as the Western States Seaplane Festival.
The Seaplane Splash-In will take place Sept. 21-23 in Lakeport. It's the 28th year for the event, which organizers like to say is the West's oldest and largest seaplane splash-in event.
Nancy Brier of Solo Flight School, who recently joined the effort as its marketing person, said the group putting on the event has been meeting for several months on a regular basis.
She said this year the event will add a new element – a public festival that will be based in Library Park.
The planes themselves, as in years past, will land and park at Natural High School.
"The pilots have their own series of events," she said, which will include skill building activities and exercises.
The splash-in's new features this year will likely draw even bigger crowds to the event. Brier said the community's support for the event has been incredible.
Certainly, the sight of the planes garnered plenty of attention, with many people following the planes with digital and cell phone cameras as they progressed through the streets.
Part of that festival will include the chance to take a ride in one of Martin's seaplanes. She requests reservations ahead of time; for more information, visit her Web site, www.deltaseaplanes.com.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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