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- Written by: Lake County News reports
Treponeme-associated hoof disease, or TAHD, is commonly referred to as "elk hoof disease." It can cause deformed, overgrown and otherwise damaged hooves.
The lesions and resulting deformities are painful and lead to limping, lameness and even death as observed in other states. When the disease is severe, elk may become too weak to graze, fight off other infections or escape predators.
TAHD was first identified in elk from Washington state in the 1990s, but much remains unknown about the disease. Currently, there is no known cure or vaccination.
TAHD has been documented in elk in Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Recent detections in Oregon's Douglas County were previously the closest to California.
TAHD gets its name from a bacterium, Treponema sp., that is associated with this disease, but other pathogens also may play a role. Scientists at Washington State University who are experienced with TAHD confirmed the disease in the two Roosevelt elk from Del Norte County.
It is unknown what impact TAHD may have on elk populations in California or other states. California is home to three subspecies of elk - Rocky Mountain elk, Roosevelt elk and tule elk – that together inhabit approximately 25 percent of the state. In other states, both Rocky Mountain and Roosevelt elk have contracted TAHD. To date, there are no known cases of TAHD among tule elk.
While the disease appears to be highly infectious among elk, there is no evidence that it affects humans. Still, hunters who harvest an elk exhibiting signs of deformed or damaged hooves should exercise caution and practice safe hygiene when processing, cooking and consuming the meat. Hunters also are encouraged to submit hoof samples to CDFW from suspect elk.
CDFW will be working with natural resource agencies in other western states and academic partners to increase surveillance for TAHD in California, plan management actions and facilitate research.
The general public can assist CDFW's efforts by reporting any elk that appears to be limping, lame or have abnormal hooves via CDFW's Wildlife Investigations Lab disease and mortality reporting website.
Additional information on elk hoof disease is available at the following link.
* Washington State University's website on TAHD:
www.vmp.vetmed.wsu.edu/research/elk-hoof-disease
* Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's website on TAHD:
www.wdfw.wa.gov/species-habitats/diseases/elk-hoof
* Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's fact sheet on TAHD:
www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/health_program/docs/elkhoofdiseasefactsheetfinal.pdf
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it has arrested the owner of Main Street Bicycles in Lakeport as the result of an ongoing child pornography investigation.
Jeffery Scott Cramer, 58, of Lakeport, was arrested on Thursday morning, according to Lt. Corey Paulich.
At 11 a.m. Thursday Lake County Sheriff’s detectives served search warrants at Main Street Bicycles and at a residence on Seventh Street in Lakeport, Paulich said.
Paulich said the warrants were related to a child pornography investigation that has been ongoing for the past several months.
In January detectives received information that they were able to link to both locations as being used to upload pornographic images of children, Paulich said.
Through the investigation, Paulich said detectives believed the individual responsible was Cramer.
Paulich said the detectives were able to identify social media accounts associated with Cramer that had been used to uploaded child pornography on at least five occasions between August 2019 and February 2020.
Detectives seized digital devices from both locations on Thursday, Paulich said Detectives believe that additional evidence will be located on the devices once they are searched.
Cramer has been a coach for high school mountain biking teams at Clear Lake and Kelseyville high schools, as Lake County News has reported.
“At this time there is no information linking this investigation with the schools,” Paulich told Lake County News.
Cramer was booked at the Lake County Jail for the possession and sending of child pornography. On Thursday afternoon he remained in custody with bail set at $30,000, Paulich said.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone who may have information related to this investigation to contact Det. Todd Dunia at 707-262-4232 or
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- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
“Unless there is a significant change in COVID-19 activity that must preclude the possibility, I expect Clear Lake and its public boat ramps will once again be open to the public Saturday, May 9, allowing lake use by residents to resume, while observing social distancing,” Pace said.
Ramp monitoring for the quagga mussel program will likewise resume, said Pace, adding that more detail will be provided later this week.
“Even though the lake will be open, now is not the time to visit Lake County,” Pace said.
Pace said the changes are part of the county’s efforts to align with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s changes to his statewide stay-at-home order and the beginning of stage two of COVID-19 recovery.
Gov. Newsom is expected to issue new orders – possibly as early as Thursday – and Pace said Lake County will align with those orders.
Newsom said this week that while the state is moving into stage two together, he will allow regional variation in that counties can move more quickly through the second stage if they can attest that they meet the state’s readiness criteria.
Since March 19, Lake County has been under a shelter in place order issued by Pace. Last week, Pace updated his order to last until May 17.
Pace has issued several addendums to the original order. One of the updates, which came out on March 22, closed down Clear Lake – as well as vacation rentals, hotels and motels – following a weekend in which Pace said the county saw an influx of visitors.
“The risk of a devastating surge in Lake County was significant, and Clear Lake was serving as a magnet, drawing activity that threatened public health,” Pace said.
On April 23, Pace began to allow fishing from Clear Lake’s shorelines. Last week, along with extending the shelter in place order until mid-month, Pace loosened some restrictions on the use of the lake, including allowing fishing from nonmotorized boats – excluding sailboats.
“I have been encouraged that social distancing practices have generally been observed, and we have not seen a related rise in local infections,” said Pace.
Lake County so far has eight confirmed COVID-19 cases – six of which are recovered – and Pace said there has been less evidence of community spread in the county than had been anticipated.
“While multiple infections within households have been documented, we have not seen geographic pockets of significant community viral activity. Raw sewage has been tested, and the most recent results seem to indicate a positive trend,” said Pace.
He added, “Now, with the economy reeling, and true human costs associated with cessation of normal activities and isolation mounting, it is time to take additional steps to move forward, and do so safely.”
Pace said that, in time for Mother’s Day, low-risk retail businesses such as florists, clothing stores, booksellers, home goods stores and sporting equipment stores, and the manufacturing and supply chain businesses that support them, are expected to be allowed to reopen on a limited basis as part of the state’s stage two of recovery. Retail stores are expected to offer curbside delivery.
While the shelter in place order remains in effect, Pace said nonessential travel will remain restricted and, with that, hotels will remain closed except in limited circumstances. He said an exemption process will remain in place to ensure lodging is provided only for permitted and essential purposes.
Pace said many businesses will remain closed, including both indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants. To-go orders will stay the norm for a while longer.
If Newsom’s directives aren’t what the county expects, Pace said he will have to revise the county’s plans. He said local orders can be more restrictive but not less than those issued by the state.
“If we see a surge in cases in Lake County, or the state experiences a significant uptick, we may have to go back to greater restrictions. The governor has described this process as likely to include some ‘toggling’ back and forth, loosening and retightening of restrictions, as opposed to reopening being a ‘switch’ that can be flipped,” Pace said.
As restrictions are loosened, Pace said it’s essential that people continue to maintain social distancing and good hygiene.
He strongly recommends people wear masks when out in public and that vulnerable populations – those over age 65 and individuals with chronic medical conditions – should continue to stay safe at home.
People also are urged not to cross county lines, since this is an important way that the virus spreads, Pace said.
Read Pace’s full statement here.
Email Elizabeth Larson at
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- Written by: Lake County News reports
The new site allows Californians to quickly search for testing sites by current location, address, city or zip code and schedule an appointment.
It also features an interactive map of testing sites across the state.
The testing locator website features community testing locations, including sites operated by Verily and OptumServe, which are open to Californians who meet current testing guidelines.
Testing is free for all individuals, including those who are uninsured or undocumented. Individual testing results are confidential.
“As testing continues to ramp up at a rapid pace across the state, we want to make sure Californians know how to schedule an appointment, which can easily be done online for many locations,” said Dr. Charity Dean, assistant director of the California Department of Public Health and co-chair of the California COVID-19 Testing Task Force. “With the launch of new community testing sites and significantly expanded testing criteria, more Californians will be tested – and in locations much closer to their homes.”
One goal of the Testing Task Force is to ensure that more than 90 percent of Californians are within 60 minutes driving distance of COVID-19 testing sites.
“We are taking another crucial step toward helping to solve this unprecedented public health crisis – ensuring Californians have access to testing and knowing where the nearest testing sites are located in their community,” said Paul Markovich, president and CEO of Blue Shield of California and co-chair of the Testing Task Force. “Our public-private collaboration in tackling the pandemic continues to make a difference in delivering the results California deserves.”
To date, Verily has launched eight testing locations statewide, and a total of 80 OptumServe sites will be launched by next week in 36 counties. The California COVID-19 Testing Task Force worked with county leaders statewide to identify appropriate testing sites with a focus on underserved communities in both rural and urban areas.
The testing locator application was designed for California by Esri, a mapping and location analytics company, in collaboration with GIS Corps, which is mapping community test sites.
“Using a map to help Californians locate and access testing sites near their current location is critical to ensuring those who need testing will receive it as quickly as possible,” said Amy Leung, Technical Consultant with Esri. “Esri is proud to provide mapping and location intelligence for the State of California’s ongoing response to the pandemic and for the COVID-19 Testing Task Force.”
For more information about testing and preventing the spread of COVID-19, visit www.covid19.ca.gov .
Additional resources
California Testing Task Force: http://testing.covid19.ca.gov
Esri: www.esri.com/en-us/home
GIS Corps: www.giscorps.org