LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County remains under a red flag warning through Sunday evening, with the area still subject to an elevated risk for the potential for a public safety power shutoff.

The red flag warning across Lake and several neighboring counties will continue until 5 p.m. on Sunday.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has so far not called for a public safety power shutoff for Lake County due to the weather, however, conditions in the Sacramento Valley and foothills led to PG&E shutting off power late Saturday to about 10,300 customers in parts of Butte, Plumas and Yuba counties.

PG&E, which activated its emergency operations center to monitor conditions, said portions of Napa, Lake and Sonoma counties remain under an elevated risk for a public safety power shutoff on Sunday as well as on Wednesday and Thursday.

The weather forecast for the region notes a high pressure system that is expected to bring warmer, above-normal temperatures and breezier conditions over the next few days.

Temperatures are expected to cool on Tuesday and Wednesday, with gusting north or northeast winds from Wednesday afternoon through Thursday, prompting PG&E’s concerns that a power shutoff may be necessary.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Move over super heroes, and look around, every Californian can be a hero if they know and practice fire safety skills.

As Fire Prevention Week takes place Oct. 6 to 12, planning and practicing a safe escape is the key to getting out of a house fire or wildfire in time.

“Being aware of your surroundings is an ability people need to use wherever they go,” said Cal Fire Director Thom Porter. “No matter where you are, look for two ways out. If the alarm system sounds, take it seriously and exit immediately. If you are in a wildfire situation, leave early.”

Complacency can result in disaster. Now is the time to educate yourself and your family about the small but important actions to keep everyone safe.

Start with a home escape plan and practice it monthly, during the day and at night so it becomes muscle memory.

Have an outside meeting place that your family knows where to go and to stay at, and have a communication plan in place.

In a wildfire, don’t wait to evacuate. If it’s an uncomfortable situation, leave early and make sure to take your pets and important items with you.

“Your ability to get out safely depends on advance planning and warning,” said California State Fire Marshal Mike Richwine. “Per the National Fire Protection Association, only one out of every three American households have actually developed and practiced a home fire escape plan. While 71 percent of Americans have an escape plan in case of a fire, only 47 percent of those have practiced it. We can do better.”

By being a hero, you can be someone who takes small, but important actions to keep yourself and those around you safe from fire?

When it comes to fire safety, be the hero in your household and your community.

Here are a few things you can do:

– Make an escape plan, practice your plan monthly during the day and at night to make sure that children and adults react to the smoke alarm and know what to do.
– Draw a map of each level of the home. Show two ways out of every room.
– Have an outside meeting place like a mailbox, tree, or light. Call 911 from your meeting place.
– Children, older adults and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out. Make sure that someone helps them.
– Install smoke alarms inside every sleeping area, in hallways outside of sleeping areas and on every level of your home.
– If people are trapped, firefighters have the best chance of rescuing them. Firefighters have the training, experience and protective equipment needed to enter burning buildings.

Become a hero by learning fire safety skills to protect you, your family, and your community.

For more detailed information, visit www.readyforwildfire.org or www.fire.ca.gov .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has several new dogs this week, including younger canines needing homes.

Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Australian Shepherd, beagle, Chihuahua, Labrador Retriever, pit bull, pug, shepherd and terrier.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

‘Marley’

“Marley” is a male terrier mix with a tan coat.

He is in kennel No. 14, ID No. 13047.

Male terrier

This male terrier has a short tricolor coat.

He is in kennel No. 15, ID No. 13027.

‘Trooper’

“Trooper” is a young male Labrador Retriever-boxer mix with a black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 16, ID No. 12971.

Male Labrador Retriever

This male Labrador Retriever has a short yellow coat.

He is in kennel No. 19, ID No. 12930.

‘Lola’

“Lola” is a female pug with a short tan coat.

She already has been spayed.

She’s in kennel No. 22, ID No. 12974.

‘Pluto’

“Pluto” is a male Labrador Retriever with a short black and white coat.

He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. 12850.

Male beagle

This male beagle has a short tan and white coat.

He’s in kennel No. 26, ID No. 13028.

‘Benny’

“Benny” is a young male shepherd with a short brindle coat.

He has been neutered.

He is in kennel No. 27, ID No. 12717.

‘Bella’

“Bella” is a young female Australian Shepherd-terrier mix with a short brown and spotted coat.

She has already been spayed.

She is in kennel No. 28a, ID No. 13016.

‘Edward’

“Edward” is a young male Australian Shepherd-terrier mix with a medium-length black and white coat.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 28b, ID No. 13017.

‘Hanzel’

“Hanzel” is a young male Australian Shepherd-terrier mix with a medium-length brindle and whit ecoat.

He already has been neutered.

He’s in kennel No. 29, ID No. 13020.

Male Chihuahua

This male Chihuahua has a short tricolor coat.

He is in kennel No. 32, ID No. 13025.

Male Chihuahua

This male Chihuahua has a short brindle coat.

He is in kennel No. 33, ID No. 13018.

‘Coco’

“Coco” is a female Labrador Retriever with a short black and white coat.

Coco is in kennel No. 34, ID No. 12764.

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm.

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

Joe Nuth loves dust. Among astronomers, that puts him in a minority.

“The traditional astronomers — the people looking at galaxies and stars — they hate dust,” said Nuth, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “It’s the stuff that’s in their way.”

Like the Earthly dust that gathers under your bed, cosmic dust is hard to avoid. “It’s about two percent of the total stuff, from here to anywhere,” said Nuth. But it doesn’t take up all that space for nothing.

Dust condenses into asteroids and planets. Giant dust clouds can carry gases from a dying star to fertilize a new one. Dust surrounding young planets can keep them warm, providing surfaces for water to collect and organic molecules to form. But whether any of these effects occurs depends on just how these tiny dust grains are constructed, at the smallest of scales.

That’s why Nuth is launching the Determining Unknown yet Significant Traits, or DUST sounding rocket.

A collaboration between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the rocket will make a brief flight into space, carrying lab equipment into a zero-gravity environment.

There, Nuth and his team will build dust grains of their very own, hoping to shed light on the outsized role these tiny specks play in our universe. DUST’s first opportunity to launch from the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico begins on Oct. 7, 2019.

As prevalent as it may be, cosmic dust doesn’t form easily. Dust grains are born when individual atoms collide and stick to one another. But in space, direct collisions are rare (the space where dust forms is about 2.7 billion times less dense than air at sea level).

Even when atoms collide, they may not stick. In a previous experiment, Nuth found that for every 100,000 collisions between zinc atoms, only three stick to a growing dust crystal.

Once a few atoms cram together, a wobbly Jenga-like tower emerges. “You’re going up a ladder of instability,” said Nuth. “Small clusters really want to fall apart.” But if you can surround enough atoms on all sides, the system starts to stabilize. You have a growing dust grain.

It’s when dust grains themselves collide that things get interesting. If they pack together like snow into snowballs, they don’t react much with light or heat. But if they instead link together into lacy, snowflake-like structures, they do much more. Such crystalline dust aggregates catch starlight like a sail, whisking gases from one star to the next. They also trap heat, potentially changing the fate of planets they cover.

“If you’ve got a growing planet surrounded by a dusty blanket, that’s a different thermal environment than without,” said Nuth. “Dust affects the way planets grow.”

But how these dust grains form and aggregate together is still not well understood. Figuring that out may pay major returns across space physics.

Collecting dust

So far, Nuth has done most of his work in the lab, but Earth’s gravity imposes severe limitations. His experiments require heating materials to well over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit.

But such high temperatures create convection — the churning of air that happens in your oven — that doesn’t happen in deep space. “To measure dust grain growth, we need a constant environment,” said Nuth. To get that, you need to go to microgravity.

Nuth teamed up with his former postdoc Yuki Kimura of Hokkaido University in Japan to launch lab equipment into space. The payload, designed by Kimura, weighs about 330 pounds. “It’s about as big as a small motorbike,” said Kimura.

Inside, a set of metal wires coated with magnesium silicates — would-be dust particles — are waiting for launch. Once the rocket enters space and experiences microgravity, the wire heats up and the atoms and molecules diffuse away. Some collide, stick, and begin to form dust grains; others won’t.

Using spectroscopy and other measures, the DUST experiment will measure when grains start to grow and link together into aggregates, noting at what temperature and density they do the best. The payload will then fall back to Earth to be collected for further analysis.

When the dust settles

Even before retrieving the payload, Nuth will be in the lab working on the Earth-based part of the experiment. His question is whether dust grain formation could be simpler than expected.

In principle, dust grains can form from any of the 92 naturally-occurring elements in the periodic table. “But it’s very tough to model,” said Nuth. Each element has its own quirks; taking them all into account at once is a major challenge.

In previous experiments, Nuth learned that some elements block one another: If iron gets into a growing dust grain, for instance, it tends to keep magnesium out. He’s exploring this behavior in the lab, hoping to reduce a 92-variable equation into something much more manageable. “It’s much easier if you only have to worry about one or two particular materials,” said Nuth.

The results from the rocket, paired with Nuth’s work in the lab, aim to shed light on how the dusty two percent of our visible universe works. Overall, the DUST experiment reminds us that the key to the unimaginably large sometimes lies in the incredibly tiny.

The DUST sounding rocket will launch from the White Sands Missile Range on a Black Brant IX rocket. During its approximately 14 minute flight, the rocket will reach an estimated altitude of 200 miles before falling back to Earth for recovery.

NASA's Sounding Rockets Program is managed at the agency's Wallops Flight Facility, which is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. NASA's Heliophysics Division funds the Sounding Rockets Program for the agency.

Miles Hatfield works for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Key accomplishments in the city of Clearlake from the past year as well as plans and goals for the future were highlighted at the fourth annual “State of the City” this week.

The event was held on Wednesday evening in Austin Park.

The annual State of the City was instituted by former Clearlake City Manager Greg Folsom as a way of sharing with the community how the city is striving to improve and what it has accomplished over the previous year.

Folsom left earlier this year to take the helm at Suisun City, so this was the first year Folsom’s successor, Alan Flora, oversaw the event.

The State of the City’s most notable change is that it moved from the Clearlake senior center to Austin Park, across from City Hall, where a big white tent was set up in the middle of the park.

Holding the event at Austin Park provided the opportunity to hold a groundbreaking for the major upgrades that will take place at the park over the coming year, with a new playground, band shell and dog park, along with new parking lots, lawn areas, irrigation and lighting among the key new amenities. Flora said the goal is to have the park improvements completed by May.

The event started with a Clearlake Police K9 demonstration in the area of the park that’s slated for the new dog park, along Olympic Drive near City Hall.

Officer Mark Harden put his K9 partner Zip through his paces, explaining his training and breeding and what he does – he specializes in apprehension – before letting him bite Officer Calli Batz, who had a large thick protective suit on. Zip enthusiastically bit into the protective suit as Batz – as the baiter – told him he was a good boy.

The crowd was then invited over near the park’s gazebo, where Clearlake Public Works staff demonstrated new road repair equipment in a pothole patching operation. The equipment is funded by the city’s Measure V road sales tax.

The groundbreaking for Austin Park then took place, with city council members and community leaders grabbing golden shovels and hefting some dirt to commemorate the occasion.

Collaboration, achievements highlighted

The event’s featured speakers shared a key theme, not just of achievement but how they are getting there, and that’s through collaboration and cooperation.

Clear Lake Chamber President Denise Loustalot, the city’s former mayor and a longtime local business owner, said the last four years in the city have been some of the best.

She said the chamber is now in its forever home, a redeveloped lakeside property which was made possible with the city’s help.

“I just think it’s been getting better and better every year,” she said.

Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said he believes the city has turned a corner, citing the Austin Park project as an example.

Sabatier, who until he took his seat on the Board of Supervisors in January had been a Clearlake City Council member, said the city has brought back code enforcement which has resulted in major improvements, as has the addition of universal garbage.

Like Loustalot, he pointed to the importance of collaboration, crediting it for getting Measure V passed.

As a supervisor, he said collaboration is key, and he’s working with city leaders to make sure they have the resources they need. He called his work as a supervisor one of the biggest challenges of his life, but added that he loves it.

Sabatier also mentioned his effort to make sure tax auctions take place so the city can recoup unpaid taxes, pointed to the fully staffed Clearlake Police Department and the work to staff up the sheriff’s office.

“Let’s keep the collaboration going,” he said.

Mayor Russ Cremer highlighted road improvements funded by Measure V. Previously, he said the city had only been able to dedicate about $100,000 a year to road work. However, Measure V has made possible $4.7 million in repairs, new equipment and increased staffing in the three years it’s been in effect.

At the same time, the city has invested $6.5 million in capital projects such as Dam Road Extension and the civic center upgrades.

The council also recently approved a major upgrade to the animal shelter – adoptable animals also were featured at the event – and City Hall is undergoing upgrades, with solar upgrades being made on city facilities including the senior center, he said.

He recognized Adventist Health Clear Lake for its contributions. President David Santos had handed Cremer a check for $100,000 during the groundbreaking, with that money to go toward a new playground for the community’s children.

Cremer said during his remarks that the new version of Austin Park will be a focal point for the city, and that effort – along with cleanup along Lakeshore Drive – is meant to draw more investment and business, especially those geared toward the county’s tourism industry.

He said he, Flora and Sabatier have been meeting with developers who are interested in building new housing in the city.

It’s an exciting time in Clearlake, said Cremer, adding that he hopes to see it regain the spirit it had when he was growing up there.

Drop in crime reported

Police Chief Andrew White, who just marked his first year with the city, said he was gratified by the community’s support.

White said department priorities include engagement through social media, recruitment and retention, training and increased code enforcement. He outlined accomplishments so far, which included replacing the department’s outdated vehicle fleet, upgrading radios, improving the animal shelter, becoming a 911 public safety answer point and new Tasers and training.

In 2018, there was a 16-percent drop in violent crime and a 14-percent decrease in property crime, which followed previous years, he said.

White reported that statistics through the end of September show that the city is experiencing yet another crime decrease, this time totaling 13 percent.

He said the agency has significantly increased its proactive work in the community, thanks to additional staffing, with a 46-percent increase in traffic stops and arrests. They also regularly do special enforcement operations around the city which are based on crime trends and community input.

“We’re happy to be able to be responsive to the issues that have plagued our community and to try to make a difference,” White said.

He also noted that the council has enacted new ordinances to help with code enforcement, and is looking at the city’s rental inspection ordinance.

Flora, in his turn at the microphone, thanked White and other city staff, including City Clerk Melissa Swanson – noting he didn’t there is anyone more dedicated to the city – along with Finance Director Jill Martin and Consulting City Engineer David Swartz.

He went on to outline the city’s increased investment in infrastructure, community policing and code enforcement, all of which are shifting the needle. Clearlake, he said, is now leading by example.

Flora said the city is dedicated to leading change in the community, and driving transformation and revitalization. But all of that requires community support and a new approach.

“I ask you not to accept that negativity that is often associated with the city when you talk to people,” he said.

He offered thanks to Adventist Health; Councilman Dirk Slooten and his wife Karen, who have purchased commercial properties, fixed them up and rented them to increase the business property inventory; Citizens Caring For Clearlake, founded by Barbara Christwitz, which has undertaken a massive cleanup campaign in the city, including partnering with Clearlake Code Enforcement on some projects; and the Lake County Chamber, which has created a committee to help address the city’s image problems.

“The city cannot solve every problem,” said Flora, who called on everyone to join in making a difference any way they can.

“Are you committed to a new Clearlake? Today is the day we make the change,” Flora said.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – To improve traffic flow on Konocti Road between 7:30 and 8 a.m. when students are dropped off for school, the Lake County Road Department just changed the road to a no-stopping/no-parking zone.

The agency has painted the curbs red to display the change.

Kelseyville Unified School District Superintendent Dave McQueen said, “This has been in the works for a while; the traffic is terrible in the mornings. To improve the situation, people dropping off high school students at the crosswalk in front of the school on Konocti Road will need to drive up to the high school and drop off their students there.”

Kelseyville High School, Kelseyville Elementary School and Mountain Vista Middle School are located in close proximity.

“Parents of students at all three schools end up waiting for kids to jump out at the crosswalk, which brings everything to a standstill,” McQueen said.

McQueen recognizes that the red curbs “won't totally fix the long wait lines in the morning, but they will at least help some, and more importantly, they’ll help keep kids safe.”

He encourages parents to heed the new status for safety and because he does not want parents to get ticketed.

“I spoke with California Highway Patrol Sergeant Josh Dye who let me know CHP officers will be patrolling the area and may ticket people who don’t obey the no-stopping and no-parking restrictions,” McQueen said.

McQueen explained that Kelseyville Unified School District is continuing to work with the Lake County Road Department to develop ways to help the flow of traffic on Konocti Road in the mornings.

In the meantime, if parents do not have time to drop off their students and make it to work, Kelseyville Unified offers free bussing for all students who live within the district boundaries.

To stay up to date with Kelseyville Unified news and events, visit https://kvusd.org/.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Authorities took a Lakeport man into custody on Thursday for theft of an expensive mountain bike this spring.

Jon Hayden Ferrer, 41, was arrested in the case, according to Lt. Corey Paulich of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Paulich said that on Thursday the Lake County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by a citizen who had previously reported a Specialized mountain bike stolen from the Kelseyville area in May. The mountain bike was valued at $7,300.

The victim told deputies that they had located their stolen bike on eBay and someone was currently trying to sell it, Paulich said.

Paulich said sheriff’s detectives were able to obtain information from eBay related to the person who had posted the bike online.

Detectives were able to make contact with this person, who told them they had posted the bike on eBay for a friend. Paulich said detectives were provided information for the location of the bike and the person who was in possession of it, identified as Ferrer.

The detectives attempted to make contact with Ferrer at his residence on Alterra Drive in Lakeport, but no one would answer the door, Paulich said.

Paulich said detectives later obtained and served a search warrant at Ferrer’s residence. As deputies were entering the residence, Ferrer attempted to flee by jumping over a fence at the rear of the residence and was taken into custody.

Detectives located the stolen bike inside the residence as well as a small amount of methamphetamine, according to Paulich’s report.

Ferrer told detectives he had purchased the bike from a Hispanic male three to four months ago in Kelseyville. Paulich said Ferrer could not provide any information regarding the Hispanic male and claimed he did not know the bike was stolen.

Paulich said Ferrer was booked into custody at the Lake County Jail on charges of grand theft, receiving stolen property, possession of a controlled substance and resisting arrest. Ferrer later posted bail and was released.

Ferrer’s booking sheet said he is due to appear in Lake County Superior Court for arraignment on Monday.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry’s (D-Winters) has succeeded in her efforts to secure $2.2 million in state funding to replace County Road 40 low water bridge in Yolo County, a project that will give improved access to surrounding counties, including Lake.

The funding was included Senate Bill 109, which was signed by Gov. Newson last week, to provide funding for the project through Cal Fire local assistance grants.

The existing CR 40 low water bridge is a critical fire access road into the rural reaches of Yolo, Lake and Napa counties.

The bridge has deteriorated significantly since being built over 100 years ago and is unable to support the weight of fire-fighting apparatuses or other vehicles, hampering Cal Fire’s efforts to gain access to this fire-prone region.

“Through the fierce and tireless advocacy of Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry, funding for the CR 40 low water bridge has been secured,” said Yolo County Board of Supervisors Chair Don Saylor. “This project will greatly enhance fire safety in northern Yolo County and the region.”

“Replacing the CR 40 low water bridge has been a longstanding priority for me as a measure of both fire protection and recreational use,” said Yolo County Supervisor for District 5 Duane Chamberlain. “I applaud Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry for this remarkable achievement.”

“Forcing emergency response personnel to take extra hours to respond to wildfires and other disasters in Yolo, Napa and Lake Counties is inexcusable,” said Aguiar-Curry. “Just like our efforts to respond to the wildfires of the past several years, this victory was a true partnership with my colleagues on the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and county staff, and the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation. I appreciate Assembly Budget Chair Phil Ting and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon’s efforts to fight for this critical project, and the Governor for supporting it with his signature.”

In 2017, Aguiar-Curry and Yolo County secured $800,000 in the state budget for design and engineering of the replacement bridge.

Bridge construction is slated to begin in 2020.

The Jason-2/Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM), the third in a U.S.-European series of satellite missions designed to measure sea surface height, successfully ended its science mission on Oct. 1. NASA and its mission partners made the decision to end the mission after detecting deterioration in the spacecraft's power system.

Jason-2/OSTM, a joint NASA mission with the French space agency Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), launched in June 2008.

The mission extended the long-term record of sea surface height measurements started by the NASA-CNES TOPEX/Poseidon and Jason-1 missions. Jason-2/OSTM’s 11-year lifetime well exceeded its three-year design life. These measurements are being continued by its successor, Jason-3, launched in 2016.

"Today we celebrate the end of this resoundingly successful international mission," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Jason-2/OSTM has provided unique insight into ocean currents and sea level rise with tangible benefits to marine forecasting, meteorology and our understanding of climate change.”

Since its launch, Jason-2/OSTM charted nearly 2 inches (5 centimeters) of global sea level rise, a critical measure of climate change. The mission has also resulted in the distribution of over a million data products and the publication of more than 2,100 science papers.

"Jason-2/OSTM was a high point of operational satellite oceanography as the first Jason mission to formally include EUMETSAT and NOAA as partners," said Steve Volz, assistant administrator of NOAA’s Satellite and Information Service. “During its 11-year run, Jason-2/OSTM helped improve NOAA’s hurricane intensity forecasts and provided important observations of marine winds and waves and in doing so has anchored these essential ocean altimetry observations in NOAA’s operational observing system requirements.”

With the recent degradation of the spacecraft's power system, mission partners decided to end the mission to decrease risks to other satellites and future altimetry missions, and to comply with French space law. Final decommissioning operations for Jason-2/OSTM are scheduled to be completed by CNES on Oct. 10.

"With the involvement of EUMETSAT and NOAA, Jason-2 brought high precision monitoring of ocean surface topography and mean sea level to operational status," said Alain Ratier, EUMETSAT's director general. "Its 11-year lifetime in orbit was rewarding for the four program partners and the ocean and climate user community."

Jason-2/OSTM’s mission might have ended earlier if not for the ingenuity of its mission teams. In July 2017, the degradation of critical onboard components and control systems required that Jason-2/OSTM move from its original science orbit, deplete excess propellant reserves, and be maneuvered into a slightly lower orbit away from functioning satellites.

In close collaboration with the Ocean Surface Topography Science Team, mission partners identified an orbit that would allow for the continuation of the Jason-2/OSTM measurements, while still being compatible with orbital debris mitigation constraints and of scientific benefit.

This new orbit resulted in less frequent observations of the same location on Earth but overall resolution of the data improved because the ground tracks of the observations were closer together. This improved resolution is extremely useful for marine gravity studies and the mapping of seafloor topography. It also allowed for valuable operational oceanographic and science observations.

"Not only did Jason-2 extend the precise climate record established by TOPEX/Poseidon and continued by Jason-1, it also made invaluable observations for small to medium-scale ocean studies in its second, interleaved orbit," said CNES President Jean-Yves Le Gall. "Even when moved to the 'graveyard' orbit, Jason-2 continued to make unprecedented new observations of the Earth's gravity field, with precise measurements right until the end."

The technological advancements proven on Jason-1, Jason-2/OSTM, and Jason-3 will be put to use well into future decades. Following Jason-3 will be two future Sentinel-6/Jason-CS satellites, planned for launch in 2020 and 2025.

For more information about NASA’s Earth science activities, visit https://www.nasa.gov/earth .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for parts of the North Coast and the Sacramento Valley that has prompted Pacific Gas and Electric to report that there is an elevated risk of public safety power shutoffs for Lake County over the weekend and again late next week.

The red flag warning goes into effect at 1 p.m. Saturday and will continue until 5 p.m. Sunday.

The National Weather Service said a red flag warning means that critical fire weather conditions are either occurring now or will shortly.

Forecasters said building high pressure will result in breezy northerly winds with warming temperatures and lowering humidity through the weekend.

It’s that combination of breezy winds and low humidity that the National Weather Service will bring critical fire weather conditions over the western side of the Sacramento Valley into the northern Coastal Range and adjacent foothills.

Winds are forecast to decrease by early Sunday evening, based on the forecast.

The red flag warnings says there will be north to northeast winds of between 10 to 20 miles per hour with gusts of between 25 and 35 miles per hour in the warning area.

In response, on Friday PG&E reported that its emergency operations center is now activated for a potential public safety power shutoff due to the offshore wind event that’s heading toward Northern California.

PG&E reported that Lake County has an “elevated” risk of a power shutoff on Sunday, but as of Friday evening no shutoff had been announced.

Additionally, PG&E said that based on the forecast Lake County also has an elevated risk of a public safety power shutoff on Thursday.

PG&E said the weather models are indicating the warmer autumn weather will continue into Monday, to be followed by a slight cooldown through midweek as a weak weather system will pass to the north.

On Wednesday, high pressure is forecast to build and bring with it the potential for gusty offshore winds at times through the end of next week, when the second power shutoff for Lake County is possible.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Volunteers taking part in the annual Coastal Cleanup Day removed thousands of pounds of trash in Lake County – far surpassing last year’s totals – and were part of a larger statewide effort that included tens of thousands of participants.

The 35th annual Coastal Cleanup Day took place Saturday, Sept. 21.

Begun by the California Coastal Commission in 1983, it isn’t limited to coastal areas, but also includes creeks, rivers and lakes.

This year, statewide there were 68,152 volunteers, 812,121 pounds of debris removed and 1,428 miles of shoreline cleaned, according to Eben Schwartz, a California Coastal Commission spokesperson.

That’s compared to more than 53,000 volunteers, 698,931 pounds of trash and an additional 35,674 pounds of recyclable materials, for a total of 734,606 pounds or 367 tons removed in 2018.

The Coastal Commission reported that, besides every day garbage and debris, including plastics, volunteers picked up a number of “unusual” items during this year’s cleanup.

The winners of the 2019 Most Unusual Item contest are a volunteer at Middle Harbor Shoreline Park in Oakland who found a beautiful statue of Vishnu, and a volunteer at Swami’s State Beach in Encinitas who found a message in a bottle.

This year, volunteers in Lake County gathered at Keeling Park in Nice, Rodman Slough in Lakeport, the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff and Highlands Springs, and in Clearlake at the Clear Lake Campground, Austin Park and Borax Lake.

Angela De Palma-Dow, Lake County Water Resources’ invasive species coordinator and an organizer of the local event, said the local cleanup went really well.

This year, she said there were a total of 57 volunteers, compared to the 39 reported to have participated last year.

Those 57 volunteers collected 6,457 pounds of trash and 55 pounds of recyclables, filled 147 bags and cleaned 15.5 miles, De Palma-Dow said.

Of the total pounds of trash picked up, De Palma-Dow said 2,400 pounds came from the Austin Park area in Clearlake.

The amount of trash picked up this year was more than 10 times greater than the amount reported last year, when 500 pounds were removed.

De Palma-Dow said it was “not too shabby for a single morning!”

It also was a busy morning, with a number of other events going on around the county the same day.

DePalma-Dow offered thanks and recognition to C&S Waste Solutions and Lake County Public Services for sponsoring the event. “We could not have done this event without them and their dumpster donations.”

She said Lower Lake High School Upward Bound volunteers helped Barbara Christwitz and Citizens Caring for Clearlake pick up the 2,400 pounds of trash from the Austin Park area.

County Supervisors Eddie Crandall and Tina Scott picked up trash on the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, where Thomas Aceves and his adopt-a-road volunteer team regularly also meet to clean up the roadway.

DePalma-Dow said Edgar Ketchum and his volunteer team removed more than 3,000 pounds of trash from around Borax Lake off Sulfur Bank Drive in Clearlake.

Lisa Wilson and her dedicated kayakers and boaters at Clear Lake Campground also participated, as did Highland Springs caretaker James Davis and his volunteers, DePalma-Dow said.

On the Northshore, Water Resources staffers and site captains Marina Deligiannis and Yuliya Osetrova helped volunteers. In that area, DePalma-Dow said lots of tires were picked up.

In addition to the Coastal Cleanup Day volunteers, DePalma-Dow said there were a lot of volunteers on Highway 20 in the Upper Lake and Lucerne area that weren’t officially a part of Coastal Clean Up Day, but she thanked them for their efforts to keep Lake County Clean.

If anyone wants to sponsor this event or be a site captain for next year’s Coastal Clean Up Day, they can contact De Palma-Dow at Water Resources at 707-263-2344.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

 

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The California Department of Public Health reported that California’s adolescent birth rate continues to decline, with declines also noted over the most recent two-year study period in Lake County.

A new report the agency released Thursday showed a record low of 13.9 births per 1,000 females between the ages of 15 and 19.

Those numbers reflect an 11.5-percent decline between 2016 and 2017, the California Department of Public Health reported.

State officials said declining rates can be attributed to a number of factors, including improved access to reproductive health services and increased use of contraception; delayed first sexual intercourse; and public health prevention, education and support programs.

“California’s commitment to ensuring access to reproductive health care services and sexual health education are helping teens make safe and healthy choices about pregnancy prevention,” said acting State Public Health Officer Dr. Charity Dean.

Lake County’s adolescent birth rate in the latest report is 28.6 births per 1,000, or 154 births per year, down from 34.8 births per 1,000, or 198 births, in the 2012-14 time frame.

For comparison, the local adolescent birth rate has shown a large decrease since 2000-02, when it was at 47.2 births per 1,000, or 273 overall births.

Based on the data, Lake County had the sixth-highest rate statewide for its adolescent birth rate.

In related data, the state reported that 91.7 percent of the deliveries for adolescent mothers in Lake County were paid for by MediCal from 2015 to 2017, compared to 71.5 percent for all mothers. That’s higher than the state average.

Despite the declining birth rates reported this week, state officials said racial disparities persist in adolescent childbearing in California.

African-American and Hispanic adolescents are three to four times as likely to give birth as white youth.

Rates also vary dramatically across counties: the county with the highest adolescent birth rate has a rate 5.4 times greater than the county with the lowest rate.

The 10 highest rates in the report are as follows: Imperial, 33.4; Tulare, 32.7; Kern, 31.8; Madera, 31.3; Kings, 30.2; Lake, 28.6; Yuba, 27.5; Fresno and Tehama, 26.5; Merced, 25.9; and Monterey, 25.8.

The 10 counties with the lowest birth rates are Marin, 6.2; San Francisco, 6.6; Placer, 7.1; El Dorado, 7.8; Yolo, 8.0; Alameda, 8.5; Santa Clara, 8.7; San Mateo, 9.1; Sonoma, 9.3; and Contra Costa, 10.

Lake’s neighboring counties reported the following rates: Mendocino, 21.6; Napa, 11.5; Sonoma, 9.3; and Yolo, 8. All of those rates showed decreases since the last report.

Colusa and Glenn had rates too small to report, the state said.

For more birth rate data, visit CDPH’s Adolescent Health Data and Statistics webpage.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.