The yearly quarantine for sport-harvested mussels in California is in effect. This is along the coast including all bays, inlets, and harbors. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is reminding about the quarantine to protect against possible poisoning due to toxins that can lead to severe illness and death. It does not apply to Clear Lake or commercially sold clams, mussels, scallops or oysters. State-certified commercial shellfish harvesters or dealers can still sell their products which are frequently tested to be sure they’re safe. The quarantine lasts from the beginning of May to the end of October.
For more information, go to the California Department of Public Health’s Annual Mussel Quarantine Frequently Asked Questions web page here: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CEH/DRSEM/Pages/EMB/Shellfish/Annual-Mussel-Quarantine.aspx
This month is mental health awareness month and Lake County is reminding to check in on your own mental health and those you know. May is Mental Health Matters Month so the Dept. of
Behavioral Health Services is inviting folks to “Take Action 4 Mental Health” with an event. It’s one week from Saturday, May 14th from 10am to 2pm at Library Park in Lakeport. A reminder when you do check in with others to ask how they are and if they want to talk. Let them know where they can get support too.
To get started, visit the “Take Action 4 Mental Health” website’s check-in page at https://takeaction4mh.com/.
Lake County Behavioral Health Services also offers community trainings for suicide prevention.
For more information, please contact Kendra Boyce, Prevention Specialist at Kendra.Boyce@lakecountyca.gov or 707-533-7358, or Michael Mos, Prevention Specialist, at Michael.Mos@lakecountyca.gov
A man arrested for sex crimes against a minor has been found dead in jail. The Sheriff reports 75 year old Steven Helm of Fort Bragg was found down by Corrections Deputies during routine rounds. They found him unconscious, went into his cell and found he had no pulse. They began CPR on Helm as jail medical staff were called along with Ukiah Valley Fire Authority and Medstar Ambulance. But Helm was pronounced dead. The Sheriff’s office reports he was in custody just over a week and by himself in a cell because of his alleged crime and COVID-19 quarantine procedures. He had no interactions with other inmates.
A new trail is starting to take shape at Low Gap Park. Volunteers along with the Ukiah Valley Trail Group and California Conservation Corps are building the trail which will be publicly revealed Sunday, May 15th. The reveal is at 10am and those there will get a map and directions to walk the new trail, which is about 1.5 miles from the parking lot. The completion will make the whole path, a 5-mile round trip. It will be plainly marked with information stations along the path. The Upper City View Trail is being built mostly from funds donated by the Pacific Redwood Medical Group through their Community Foundation of Mendocino County (CFMC) Fund. The City of Ukiah also gave staff time.
The groundfish opener in the Northern Management Area and the Mendocino Management Area are open for boat-based groundfish fishing. They opened the area yesterday and it’s open thru the end of the year. It starts at the Calif. Oregon state line and goes to about Cape Mendocino and out to Pt. Arena. Make sure you have your fish ID and know your bag limits for vermilion rockfish, 4 and only 1 for both copper and quillback rockfish. Check the CDFW’s website for the current regulations before fishing because changes can occur during the season.
Hotline at (831) 649-2801 or visit CDFW’s summary of recreational groundfish fishing regulations for 2022 at https://wildlife.ca.gov/…/regulations/groundfish-summary
For background information on groundfish science and management, please visit CDFW’s Marine Region Groundfish page at https://wildlife.ca.gov/conservation/marine/groundfish
Mendocino County has been declared a disaster area by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The declaration due to the drought. A severe drought was declared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) with a disaster designation of D2, which means it’s been dry for at least eight consecutive weeks, per the U.S. Drought Monitor. This means county farmers or agricultural producers can apply to the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Emergency Loan Program of up to $500,000. And nonfarm businesses, small agricultural coops, small aquaculture businesses and most private nonprofits are also able to apply for low-interest deferral disaster loans from the SBA of up to $2 million.
For additional information, please email the Mendocino County Water Agency at mcwa@mendocinocounty.org. For the pdf version of this press release, please click here.
The Concert in the Park Series at Todd Grove Park is on. After two years without, due to the pandemic, the yearly concert series is returning for the 30th year. The shows were canceled in 2020, and four of six were back last year. But this year will be a full slate of shows to celebrate the concert series 30th anniversary. The poster was created by local artist Danza Davis and the bands will vary from Latin hip-hop outfit, Ozomatli to soulful, party funk of Con Brio.
The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors is taking on their Fiscal Year 3rd Quarter Budget Report and check in with departmental spending and revenue. They will hear from the Executive Office, then look to adopt the budget. The board will also hear a presentation of the Lodging Business Improvement District on its Annual Report and are expected to approve that. They will also adopt the resolution to Levy the Boundaries of the Unincorporated Portion of the County and the Incorporated Areas of the City of Fort Bragg, the City of Point Arena, the City of Ukiah, and the City of Willits from Specified Lodging Businesses. There are a bunch of tree removal projects the Board is expected to approve for PG&E too.
The Lake County Board of Supervisors has to come up with a way to fill its District 4 seat and will take up how they plan to recruit a new county administrative officer. The meeting in person and on Zoom will cover filling Supervisor Tina Scott’s seat. She announced she had taken a teaching job in Lakeport and would resign effective the end of July. County staff says the Board should have the seat on the general election ballot, but that may not be the way to go since the state says it can be filled by the Governor, then there will be an election. Lake Co News reports county staff have been in contact “with appropriate State and Local officials,” and will provide an update and invite the board’s discussion tomorrow. They will also hear from HR about finding a new county administrative officer after Carol Huchingson retired.
It’s Wildfire Preparedness Week so Cal Fire along with partner agencies are raising awareness about what we can do to protect against the threat of wildfires. Many of the state’s most devastating fires were in 2020 and 2021 where nearly 7 million areas burned. Cal Fire also reportedly went out to over 1,400 wildfires which blackened more than 6,500 acres on state and federal lands. The Cal Fire Chief says minimal rainfall is expected this spring while we are in an extreme drought ahead of the summer. The Governor has floated over $3 billion for Cal Fire in his latest budget for fire management, fire prevention, mitigation efforts including prescribed fire and fuel breaks, forest health and home hardening.
This weekend is the Lake County Renaissance Faire Fundraiser. The 15th annual Konocti Christian Academy celebration will have a petting zoo and horse-drawn carriage rides also this year. It’s all happening at the Lake County Fairgrounds Saturday, May 7th, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. They’re working with Crazy Quilt farms so that guests can pet animals, including ducks, chickens, goats, sheep, pigs and a pony or mini horse. Narley Dude Ranch will also be there with free horse drawn-carriage rides. Folks in attendance get to enjoy Renaissance era costumes, theater, games, activities, food, and song. There will also be a Shakespeare play put on by nearly 100 KCA students.
Ticket prices range from $10 to $45 and sponsorships are available. To purchase tickets or to become a sponsor visit Eventbrite, KCA’s Facebook page, or at KCA by calling 707-262-1522.
The state continues to remove wildfire debris from homes as part of the Consolidated Debris Removal Program. After last year’s fires crews reported taking out almost 90% of the debris and over half of the 56,400 fire-damaged hazard trees so rebuilding and recovery can start. The crews have taken out charred metal, concrete, ash and contaminated soil from 1,608 properties. The 1,608 cleared properties are 90.4 percent of the 1,779 properties in 15 counties who took part in the full debris removal program. There were also 359 properties that only had hazardous trees removed as part of the program. Mendocino County had 12 of 20 sites with asbestos removed.
State Sen. Mike McGuire at the latest Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Business Association dinner. McGuire was the featured speaker and spoke about what lawmakers are up to including their work on unsheltered people and the housing crisis and plans for a CAL FIRE crew expansion. He also touched on the need for a healthcare expansion and needed broadband internet in Lake, Humboldt and Mendocino Counties. He says he feels frustrated because you cannot do a one size fits all approach in rural Calif and says it’s unacceptable the way some folks in rural California have been treated. He did say we have another year of budget surplus so lawmakers would push through a bunch of projects.
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