LOWER LAKE, Calif. – A special holiday event for the Lower Lake community is being planned.

The Lake County Fire Victims Fund will present “Christmas in Lower Lake” in the downtown on Sunday, Dec. 4.

Immediately after the Clayton fire suddenly changed course and swept through Lower Lake devastating the area – less than a year after the third worst wildfire in our state’s history had caused devastation in south Lake County – the partners that collaborated to raise more than $2.5 million for Valley fire survivors moved into action again to raise much-needed funds for those impacted by the Clayton fire.

The Lake County Fire Victims Fund, whose creators include State Sen. Mike McGuire and Redwood Credit Union, has again stepped up to assist the residents, businesses, schools and children impacted by the Clayton fire.

More than $260,000 has been raised and over 90 percent has been allocated or distributed.

More than $130,000 in individual checks of up to $1,000 for residents who lost their homes has been distributed so far, $20,000 through the Lake Area Rotary Club Association in support for downtown business recovery, and almost $20,000 in gift cards were donated to students, teachers and school staff who lost their homes to this devastating blaze so they could buy new clothes and school supplies.

And just like last year in Middletown, the Lake County Fire Victims Fund is excited to be hosting Christmas in Lower Lake.

The event will kick off the holiday season with a visit from Santa Claus and a free pasta lunch with all of the fixings provided generously by Pasta King Art Ibleto, the event will also include raffle drawings, toys for the kids, music and Christmas fun for the whole family.

Christmas in Lower Lake will kick off at 11:30 a.m. at the Brick Hall in downtown Lower Lake with a holiday celebration free to all Lower Lake residents.

The hall will be decked out with holiday cheer, Santa will have toys for children who lost their homes, and the Lake County Fire Victims Fund will have over $2,500 in gift certificates purchased from local Lower Lake and Clearlake businesses to raffle off.

“We’re coming together to help our Lake County neighbors who are still in need of assistance, especially as the holidays approach,” said Sen. McGuire. “Lake County has gone through a lot over the last year and a half, but we’re coming back stronger than ever. We hope the whole town comes out and celebrates Christmas in Lower Lake on Dec. 4.”

“All of us at Redwood Credit Union, along with our generous supporters, are committed to helping Lake County, so we’re honored to host this family fun event on December 4, and bring a little holiday cheer to the community,” said Brett Martinez, president and chief executive officer of Redwood Credit Union. “People still stop me all the time and ask how they can help – this event is the perfect opportunity to support Lower Lake residents and businesses as they continue to recover and rebuild.”

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Sheriff's Office has released the name of a Lucerne man who died Saturday after being hit by a car while he was walking across Highway 20.

Lt. Steve Brooks identified the pedestrian who was hit as Herbert Edward Muellerleile, 84.
 
The California Highway Patrol said Muellerleile was crossing Highway 20 at Pomo Way – the entrance to Robinson Rancheria – shortly before 5:30 p.m. Saturday when he was hit by a 2001 Ford Escort driven by 56-year-old Lucerne resident Douglas Williams.

Williams had been unable to see Muellerleile until just before hitting him. Muellerleile died at the scene, the CHP said.

The CHP said the crash remains under investigation.

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. – Following the success of a series of October events celebrating a decade of protection for Northern California wilderness, communities and land managers are adding two new events to the roster of local festivities.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, which was signed into law on Oct. 17, 2006.

“A decade later, our communities continue to benefit from the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act,” said Ryan Henson, senior policy director for CalWild, one of the organizations helping to support these events. “These benefits include clean water, the preservation of iconic wildlife, and access to recreation activities like hiking, fishing, boating, and hunting.”

This legislation protected 273,000 acres of Wilderness and 21 miles of a Wild & Scenic River, and set aside approximately 51,000 acres as a Recreation Area for off-highway vehicles, mountain bikes, and other recreational activities.

These public lands are located in Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino and Napa counties, and include the Black Butte River in Mendocino County and the Cow Mountain Recreation Area in Mendocino and Lake counties.

To mark this significant anniversary, communities and land managers throughout Northern California are extending the series of events they kicked off in October, including hikes and restoration projects with students, veterans, members of local Native American Tribes and more.

These activities aim to encourage local families and residents to explore these special places and highlight the local commitment to protect these public lands for future generations.

In Lake County, a field trip has been added for the Cache Creek Wilderness Area from 8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1.

Fourth- and fifth-graders from Lower Lake Elementary School students will trek into the Cache Creek Wilderness, setting off by bus to the Redbud Trailhead at the forest’s Northern border. 

BLM and Tuleyome staff and volunteers will lead the interpretive hike and teach students about fire recovery biology in an area burned in the 2015 Rocky fire.

Students will also learn about archaeology, hydrology, geology, and recreation resources in the area.

Volunteers can visit http://tuleyome.org/volunteer/. For more information about the event, contact Bill Grabert of Tuleyome, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 530-350-2599.

Farther up the North Coast, on Tuesday, Nov. 15, beginning at 8:30 a.m., there will e dozer line repair work on the Cahto Peak/Black Oak Mountain Trail.

River Recovery Project volunteers, the Cahto Tribe and Bureau of Land Management Arcata Field Office in appreciating and caring for a beautiful landscape at the top of the South Fork Eel wilderness. 

Attendees will take a “hike with tools” to evaluate and update work performed last fall to retain soil and protect streams. Hikers will meet in Laytonville and carpool to Cahto Peak. Hand tools and gloves will be provided. Contact Bruce E. Hilbach-Barger, Eel River Recovery Project, for more information at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-983-6169.

This 10th anniversary coincides with the National Park Service Centennial and the 70th anniversary of the Bureau of Land Management, which manages many of these public lands. These milestones provide perfect occasions to recognize the incredible value these public lands contribute to our lives.

“It’s a perfect time to recognize the Congressional leaders that championed the protection of these special places: Congressman Mike Thompson, Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Dianne Feinstein. Their legacy can be seen in the beauty of the Black Butte River, the redwoods of Elkhorn Ridge, and the bald eagles and elk in Cache Creek,” said Sara Husby, executive director of Tuleyome, an organization that is also celebrating these events.

“Looking to the future, we urge our Congressional and regional leaders to continue making the protection and funding of our public lands a priority,” added Henson. “Together, we can ensure that future generations will enjoy Northern California’s outdoors in its wildest form.”

Community partners are proud to host these events and work in stewardship with land managers from the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service.

To learn more, visit http://tuleyome.org/northcoastwildernessbill/ .  

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Rain is back in the forecast for Lake County this week, as well as snow in higher elevations.

The National Weather Service said a cold Pacific storm is moving in over Northern California, bringing rain and some snow in the region's mountains.

The forecast in Lake County is calling for up to a 50-percent chance of rain on Tuesday, with a total of less than a quarter of an inch expected.

The chances of rain continue during the day on Wednesday, with foggy conditions possible on Wednesday night, forecasters said.

Across the region, snow levels are expected to be around 10,000 feet on Tuesday before much colder air begins to move in during the evening, the National Weather Service said.

By Wednesday, forecasters are predicting the snow level will fall to around 3,500 to 4,000 feet. However, no more than a dusting of snow is expected.

In the mountains in northern Lake County, the forecast calls for up to an inch of snow.

Conditions are expected to clear on Thursday and Friday, with chances of rain returning on Friday night and continuing from Saturday through Monday.

In addition to some patchy fog and light winds this week, temperatures are expected to range from the high 50s during the daytime to the low 30s at night.

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.

 LUCERNE, Calif. – The last three months of 2016 have supermoons, and the second of those celestial events has light up the night sky on Sunday and Monday.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the full moon this week is the closest full moon to the Earth since 1948, and there won't be another supermoon as large until 2034.

The picture above by Lake County News Editor Elizabeth Larson shows the supermoon rising above the ridge in Lucerne on Monday night. Silhouetted against the moon are a power transmission tower and a passing airplane.

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