FERNDALE, Calif. – Northern California’s favorite barn owl is due to welcome the first owlets to hatch live on the Ferndale Owl Cam at the end of April.

Since the owl cam was installed this January in the tower of The Old Steeple – a historic former church turned concert hall in the scenic North Coast town of Ferndale – a fast-growing flock of followers has been tuning in to watch resident owl “Truman” and her mate swoop in, share their latest rodent catches and, recently, set up a nest.

The owl cam has even become a regular segment on popular morning show Good Day Sacramento.

Truman laid her first egg on March 25 and is currently sitting on a clutch of six.

Barn owl eggs hatch in approximately 30 days, in the order they are laid. Once hatched, owlets spend about eight weeks in the nest developing downy feathers, jostling and screeching for food, and learning to run, jump and pounce, before testing their wings and ultimately fledging the nest in early summer.

Of course, it’s not all cuteness and fluff. Owlets that hatch last, especially in larger broods, often don’t survive when they are unable to compete with older, larger siblings.

It’s also quite common for one or two eggs to fail. But while there’s no way to control nature, there is one way we can help protect the families of Truman and other raptors, said Paul Beatie, owner of The Old Steeple.

“Barn Owl diets consist largely of rodents,” said Beatie. “By avoiding rodenticide, we can keep these awesome birds safe and allow them to do their job keeping down the rodent population naturally.”

Join the egg watch and enjoy sweeping views of the Victorian village of Ferndale and the North Coast of California at www.FerndaleOwlCam.com .

The Old Steeple and its parent company, Ferndale Music Co., are located at 246 Berding St. in Ferndale (next to the cemetery). Special thanks to FerndaleTech for providing the owl cam.

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SACRAMENTO – State Controller Betty T. Yee announced that her team has added tens of thousands of properties to her online database as a result of a new law.

The expansion allows the State Controller’s Office to identify and locate more owners of U.S. savings bonds and military awards held in safe deposit boxes.

The controller is currently safeguarding the contents of more than 138,000 safe deposit boxes turned over to the state.

Prior to a new law sponsored by Controller Yee (Chapter 297, Statutes of 2015), the State Controller’s Office could only notify and publicize the name of the person reported as owning a safe deposit box.

However, items in safe deposit boxes often have different names on them, such as U.S. savings bonds held in the names of children and grandchildren.

Under the new law, the controller now can notify potential owners of U.S. savings bonds or military awards contained within safe deposit boxes.

“Each day, my team is returning hundreds of thousands of dollars to people who had not known it was missing. Expanding the unclaimed property database provides greater opportunity for U.S. savings bonds and military awards to be returned to their rightful owners,” said Controller Yee, the state’s chief fiscal officer. “Search your name at claimit.ca.gov to see if the state is safeguarding any of your forgotten funds or lost family heirlooms.”

The controller is currently safeguarding over 75,000 U.S. savings bonds with an estimated value of more than $31.6 million in matured bonds.

Established in 1959, California’s unclaimed property law requires banks, corporations and other entities to report and transfer property to the State Controller’s Office when there has been no activity for a certain period of time, generally three years.

In addition to safe deposit box contents, common types of unclaimed property are bank accounts, life insurance benefits, uncashed checks, wages and stocks.

The controller protects this lost property and works to reunite it with the rightful owners. Potential owners can search for unclaimed property on the controller’s free online database at http://claimit.ca.gov or call 800-992-4647.

NAPA, Calif. – Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) announced his office is now accepting entries for the 2017 Congressional Art Competition.

High school students from across the Fifth Congressional District have until April 26 to submit their artwork for consideration.

This annual competition showcases the artistic talents and ability of students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories. All winning pieces are displayed in the United States Capitol.

“The Congressional Art Competition gives our students the opportunity to showcase their work on the national stage,” said Thompson. “Every year, I am blown away by the talent, creativity, and passion of our young artists. I always look forward to seeing their work and learning what inspires them, and I am eager to see this year’s submissions. I strongly encourage all of our students to submit their work.”

Since 1982, the Congressional Art Competition has given Members of Congress the opportunity to encourage the artistic talents of their young constituents. Each Member of Congress hosts a competition among high school students in his or her district.

The grand prize winner will be flown with a guest to Washington, D.C. to attend an awards ceremony in June and see their work installed in the Capitol.

All artwork must be submitted by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 26, to one of Thompson’s District Offices:

– Napa office, 2721 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa, CA 94558; telephone 707-226-9898.
– Santa Rosa office, 2300 Country Center Dr, Suite A100, Santa Rosa, CA 95403; telephone 707-542-7182.
– Vallejo office, 985 Walnut St., Vallejo, CA 94592; telephone 707-645-1888.

A panel of judges will select the winning entry from each county in our district. The grand prize winner will be chosen from those finalists, and that winner will be announced in early May.

The guidelines for the Congressional Art Competition are as follows:

– Artwork must be two-dimensional.
– Artwork can be no larger than 26” x 26” x 4” including the frame.
– If selected as the winning piece, your artwork must arrive in Washington, DC framed.
– Framed artwork should weigh no more than 15 pounds.
– Each entry must be original in concept, design, and execution and may not violate U.S. copyright laws.
– Any entry that has been copied from an existing photo or image (including a painting, graphic, or advertisement) that was created by someone other than the student is a violation of the competition rules and will not be accepted.

Accepted mediums for two-dimensional artwork are as follows:
– Paintings: oil, acrylics, watercolor, etc.
– Drawings: colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels, charcoal (it is recommended that charcoal and pastel drawings be fixed).
– Collages: must be two-dimensional.
– Prints: lithographs, silkscreen, block prints.
– Mixed Media: use of two or more mediums, such as pencil, ink, watercolor, etc.
– Computer-generated art.
– Photographs.

Complete rules and guidelines can be found here, or at http://www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competition/pdf/2017-Rules-for-Students-and-Teachers%20.pdf .

Congressman Mike Thompson is proud to represent California’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes all or part of Contra Costa, Lake, Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

FORT BRAGG, Calif. – Each year, the Noyo Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, or ARS, partners with Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens to showcase some of the best rhody specimens on the west coast.

The 40th Annual John Druecker Memorial Rhododendron Show will be held at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23.

The juried show is the largest in California with more than 700 entries submitted annually filling the big tent with cascades of color and fragrance.

The rhododendron show is free to attend and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

In addition to hundreds of individual flower entries, there will be plants, bonsai, photos, floral arrangements, raffle gifts, educational displays and a silent auction. Rhody’s Garden Café will be open both days, serving snacks, lunch, and ice cream.

A large selection of rhododendrons and other plants will be available for purchase in the big tent and at Nursery on the Plaza. Local growers and Noyo Chapter ARS members will be on hand to answer questions and discuss the best plants for your garden.

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens will be open to visitors during the rhododendron show (regular admission rates apply) with memberships to the gardens on sale at a 10-percent discount all weekend long.

The Gardens is home to one of the nation’s largest collections of rhododendrons – many hybridized on the Mendocino Coast – and they will fill the formal gardens and woodlands with riotous color.

The Gardens’ Rhododendron Collection includes over 122 species and 315 taxa. More than 1,000 rhododendrons can be seen blooming throughout the Gardens from early spring until June.

All rhody growers are welcome to enter their best trusses for judging. Those wishing to participate should bring their entries to the Gardens on Thursday, April 20, from 5 to 7 p.m. or Friday, April 21, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Chapter members will be available to assist in filling out entry forms. Judges will award ribbons and trophies to top entries in a wide range of categories.

Please visit www.gardenbythesa.org for details on the event or www.noyochapterars.com for more information on entry rules and procedures.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Green Party will hold its monthly meeting on Sunday, April 23.

The meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at Round Table Pizza, 821 11 St. in Lakeport.

There will be no host food and beverages.

All meetings will now be held on the fourth Sunday of the month.

This meeting will feature Jenna Goodman, Green Party candidate for lieutenant governor from Napa.

Also a movie about single payer health care will be shown. "FixIt" is 38 minutes long and talks about a private businessman who discovers that health care premiums are wrecking his bottom line and how he starts promoting single payer as a solution.

If anyone wants to be on the agenda please email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by April 22 or call 707-263-3391 for further information.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – Due to safety concerns over high water and unsafe conditions, the annual Susan River Youth Fishing Derby will be postponed.

Sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, the 28th annual derby was scheduled to be held on Saturday, April 22 on the Susan River in Susanville, Lassen County.

“With all the rain we have had and the accompanying snow melt, the Lassen Sportsmen’s Club and CDFW felt it was best to postpone the event until the river conditions improve,” said CDFW Fisheries Biologist Paul Divine. “We will be working closely with the Lassen Sportsmen’s Club to find a weekend later this year to hold the event.”

Fishing derbies are held in several locations around the state and are designed to promote fishing to young people and their families.

At most events, all fishing tackle, gear, bait and equipment are provided free of charge and volunteers from local angling groups help with baiting hooks to cleaning the fish.

In California, anyone under 16 can fish without a license.

For complete regulations on fishing in California, as well as fish planting locations, state fishing records and more, please go to www.wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing .

SACRAMENTO – State agencies, local and tribal governments, as well as certain private nonprofit organizations, which sustained damage during severe winter storms from Feb. 1 to Feb. 23, 2017, have until April 25 to submit requests for public assistance to the state of California.

Submitting an RPA to the State is the first step in applying for funding under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance program.

On April 1, the president approved a major disaster declaration for the state of California. The declaration provides federal funds to help communities recover from severe winter storms, flooding, and mudslides that occurred from Feb. 1 to Feb. 23.

Federal funding is available to state, tribal, eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by severe winter storms, flooding and mudslides in 42 counties: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Marin, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.

Applicants are asked to submit their RPAs to the state by 5 p.m. on April 25.

The state will then submit the requests to FEMA. Requests for public assistance must be received by FEMA within 30 days of the declaration date.

FEMA reimburses applicants for no less than 75 percent of eligible expenses – the remaining 25 percent is the non-federal share. The federal portion is paid directly to the state, which disburses the funds to the applicants.

In addition to Public Assistance Program grants, funds will be available in California under FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, or HMGP, which is a cost-share program administered by the state.

HMGP provides supplemental financial assistance to public entities and certain private nonprofits to reduce risks to life and property in future disasters.

More information about the Public Assistance Program is available at www.fema.gov/public-assistance-local-state-tribal-and-non-profit . More information about the HMGP is available at www.fema.gov/hazard-mitigation-grant-program .

Additional information about the declaration is available at www.fema.gov/disaster/4308 . More information about applying for the Public Assistance Program is available at www.caloes.ca.gov/for-governments-tribal .