LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A Clearlake man has been sentenced to prison for sexually molesting a child.
Charles Lee Williamson, age 45, of Clearlake pleaded no contest to a charge of lewd acts with a minor, said Deputy District Attorney Rich Watson, who prosecuted the case.
Watson said Williamson also admitted that he had a prior conviction of first degree burglary from 1998 out of Mendocino County which is a strike offense under California sentencing laws.
The charges against Williamson stem from a report that he sexually assaulted a minor multiple times from 2010 through 2020 while living in Clearlake.
The investigation showed that Williamson had access to the minor during the time periods he was not incarcerated.
On Jan. 30, Judge Michael S. Lunas sentenced Williamson to 16 years in state prison.
Lunas’ decision came after denying defense attorney Thomas Feimer’s motion requesting the court dismiss the prior strike allegation.
Even though the prior strike allegation was over 20 years old, Watson argued that the prior strike should still be enforced because Williamson has lived a life of crime since his burglary conviction in 1998.
Williamson’s record included multiple drug and weapons convictions, a felony sexual assault conviction in 2015, and a felony grand theft conviction from 2017.
Conviction for a charge of lewd acts with a minor, which is a violation of Penal Code section 288(b)(1), limits accrual of work time credits to no more than 15% as defined in the penal code.
LUCERNE, Calif. — A project that’s studying the removal of invasive fish species from Clear Lake is continuing through next week.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is working with Robinson Rancheria, the Lake County Water Resources Department and a contractor, WSB, on a seine net fishing project for common carp and goldfish management.
The project began Feb. 3 and continues until Feb. 13.
It’s especially important now, with the Board of Supervisors having declared and emergency for the native Clear Lake hitch on Tuesday.
Scientists have stated that the hitch are preyed upon by carp, which eat their eggs.
The project involves using 1,000-foot seine nets at specific areas around the lake.
One of the spots where the team was working this week was along the shoreline in Lucerne.
In the video above, team members describe the work they are doing.
Seining locations around Clear Lake. Courtesy photo.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — After two meetings and nine hours of hearings and public testimony, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday evening voted unanimously to declare an emergency in an effort to save the Clear Lake hitch — a fish at the heart of Pomo culture — from extinction.
The board’s proclamation of a local emergency, which can be read in its entirety below, cites drought and habitat loss as factors in the potential extinction of the hitch, known to the Pomo as the chi.
The hitch is a native minnow that lives up to seven years, spawns in creeks and then makes its way to Clear Lake.
Supervisor Moke Simon, a member of the Middletown Rancheria, fished for them with his family and tribe growing up, and on Tuesday recalled seeing the creeks run black with the fish.
However,on Tuesday and on Jan. 24 — the meeting when the matter was first discussed — testimony from scientists and tribal members pointed out that the hitch’s numbers are in free fall.
On Tuesday afternoon, as prelude to the board continuing its discussion of the emergency proclamation, it heard a presentation from Fred Feyrer of the U.S. Geological Survey’s California Water Science Center.
Feyrer and his team started monitoring the hitch’s population in 2017 at the request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. They come to the lake every summer and conduct sampling with nets during the last two weeks of June, looking for fish one year old and older. The whole effort operates on a shoestring budget, he explained during the presentation.
Since the monitoring started, Feyrer said they’ve seen a major decline in fish numbers. In 2017 and 2018, they caught up to 70 fish at a time as the hitch is a schooling fish. By 2022, they caught only six.
“The population is not doing well,” he said. “We don’t know exactly what’s causing this population decline.”
However, Feyrer said it seems to be a “recruitment failure,” due to no new babies being born into the hitch population, but they don’t know what’s causing that failure. With hitch living five to seven years, he said it’s analogous to no human babies being born for 50 or 60 years.
“There’s a lot of concern that the fish does not have a lot of time left on the landscape if conditions and the situation does not change,” Feyrer said.
Feyrer cited work by the University of California, Davis, that shows that a primary driver of problems for all fish in Clear Lake is dissolved oxygen in the water, which leads to fish kills. The last large one on Clear Lake occurred in 2017.
He said the geological diversity of the watershed of the lake translates into unique chemical signatures for the streams and drainages. Those chemical signatures, in turn, are recorded naturally in the ear bones of fish.
Scientists can analyze the chemical composition of those signatures, take on an “ecological CSI” role and reconstruct where the fish have lived and which streams they were born in. As a result, Feyrer said they know the hitch uses the entire watershed.
Feyrer said the hitch are spawning in shallow water which can lead to their eggs being exposed to the elements, getting stranded and becoming desiccated so they don’t survive.
But perhaps the most alarming information Feyrer shared is that the Clear Lake fish community — a combination of native and nonnative fish — as a whole is in decline.
Along with hitch, the native tule perch, as well as introduced fish such as the largemouth bass, black crappie, bluegill and channel catfish, are all in dramatic decline, Feyrer said.
What’s particularly striking about the situation, Feyrer said, is that this is a suite of fish with very different life histories and reproductive processes.
“There’s something going on in the lake. We don't know what it is,” he said.
He said scientists don’t yet have the information and data to understand what the factors are that are causing this across-the-board decline.
“There’s no silver bullet. There’s no smoking gun. It’s not one particular factor,” but a combination of factors, Feyrer said.
A working group of numerous agencies is now developing a hypothesis about what is driving decline and exploring specific research avenues, Feyrer said.
Supervisor Bruno Sabatier asked Feyrer if the situation is unique to Clear Lake or if similar issues are happening elsewhere.
“The simple answer is, no,” said Feyrer. While he doesn’t do a lot of work in other lakes, he said what is happening seems to be unique to Clear Lake itself.
Feyrer also noted, “It’s definitely not just a water issue,” explaining that there have been both wet and dry years since the monitoring started in 2017.
Sarah Ryan, environmental director for the Big Valley Pomo, said this was the first time the tribes had heard there were problems with the other fish in the lake.
“Why are we just hearing that now?” asked Ryan, who called it “really shocking.”
Chris McCloud, a Big Valley Tribal Council member and treasurer, pointed out that the hitch was listed as a species of special interest in 1980, then the state listed the hitch as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act.
McCloud said there has been 43 years of discussion, but still nothing is being done. She wanted to know what could be done today.
Lake County Water Resources Director Scott De Leon said that, since 2015, his department has applied for more than $9 million in state grants for projects that would have had positive impacts on hitch habitat. Yet none have been selected for funding.
“The county is certainly trying. We will continue to try,” De Leon said.
Patricia Franklin, a Scotts Valley Pomo tribal member who is a basket weaver, said she recently surveyed tribal elders about basket making materials but that the hitch’s importance came up in the conversations.
“I know that something needs to be done right away. We can't wait. We can’t wait. If we wait, this might be the last year,” Franklin said.
Board reaches agreement on final emergency proclamation
With those grim details in mind, the board then moved into consideration of the emergency proclamation itself.
Sabatier questioned where climate change fit into the situation, explaining that he felt it was missing from some of the information provided.
Simon said they knew the lake was sick, which is why they had asked Assemblywoman Cecilia Aguiar-Curry for help.
“We need to come together to save this species in the best way that we can,” Simon said.
During public comment, much of the concern the supervisors heard revolved around the sixth request in the proclamation, which asked the State Water Resources Control Board “to take regulatory steps such as issuing information orders or adopting emergency regulations in order to assure the continued viability of the Clear Lake hitch and other aquatic species upon receipt of stream-specific emergency flow recommendations from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or other fisheries agency.”
Rebecca Harper, executive director of the Lake County Farm Bureau, said the group supported the emergency proclamation without a call to the State Water Board for regulations. She said farmers planned to take voluntary actions.
At various points, Sabatier and Board Chair Jessica Pyska were directly criticized by public speakers who took their questions about the proclamation to mean they didn’t support it.
The situation was such that toward the end of public comment, business owner Toni Scully apologized to the board for the personal attacks on its members.
Scully also objected to the request to the water board, and said the agricultural community stood ready to help collect data necessary in the effort to save the hitch.
“We all want to protect the hitch. We respect the tribes. We respect your traditions and the desire and the necessity that’s part of our quality of life here to preserve that,” said Scully, adding that agriculture is also a part of Lake County’s quality of life.
She said that ag wanted to be at the table and not on the menu.
“If you want something fast to happen, I hope you don’t depend on the state to do it,” Scully said.
Sabatier also was concerned about the call to the state for regulations. “The state, I just don't trust.”
County Counsel Anita Grant provided a reworked version of that request to the State Water Resources Control Board that, rather than asking for regulatory steps, instead requested that the agency work directly with county stakeholders to consider regulations to ensure the hitch’s survival.
The board approved of the reworked language and reached consensus to make that change to the proclamation.
Supervisor EJ Crandell said he had been OK with the previous language because he doesn’t think the state is listening. “I just really don’t think the state’s going to do anything.”
Supervisor Michael Green, who along with Crandell authored and presented the proclamation, moved to approve it, with Simon seconding and the board voting unanimously to approve it.
After the vote, despite the previous criticism, the board received a round of applause.
Pyska said after the vote that it had been a little bit of a messy process — but that’s democracy.
The full text of the emergency proclamation is below.
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF THE COUNTY OF LAKE, STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PROCLAMATION OF THE EXISTENCE OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY DUE TO PERSISTENT
DROUGHT, HABITAT LOSS AND POTENTIAL EXTINCTION OF CLEAR LAKE HITCH
RESOLUTION NO. 2023 – ____
WHEREAS, on May 6, 2021, the Lake County sheriff, in his capacity as the Director of Emergency Services for the County of Lake, proclaimed a local emergency due to drought conditions, with said proclamation being renewed most recently on Jan. 10, 2023; and
WHEREAS, on March 28, 2022, Gov. Newsom issued Executive Order No. 7-77, to provide guidance on emergency drought relief. The executive order (EO) states that “the ongoing drought will have significant, immediate impacts on communities with vulnerable water supplies, farms that rely on irrigation to grow food and fiber, and fish and wildlife that rely on stream flows and cool water”; and
WHEREAS, the Clear Lake hitch (Lavinia exilicauda chi), a fish species endemic to Clear Lake, has been a primary food and cultural resource for indigenous Pomo peoples for thousands of years in the lands and watersheds now encompassed by Lake County and nearby counties, and remains central to the health, food security and well-being of sovereign tribal nations within Lake County; and
WHEREAS, in August 2014, the California Fish and Game Commission determined the Clear Lake hitch to be “threatened” under the California Endangered Species Act (“CESA”) and subsequently adopted regulations to improve hitch habitat and water quality in 2016; and
WHEREAS, in 2017 the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake was established under the California Natural Resources Agency (pursuant to Assembly Bill 707) to develop strategies to help restore Clear Lake and revitalize local economies dependent on the health of the lake; and
WHEREAS, on Dec. 3, 2020, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”) published in the Federal Register its adopted findings that the proposed listing of the Clear Lake hitch under the federal Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) was “not warranted at this time”; and
WHEREAS, on Aug. 17, 2021, the Center for Biological Diversity (“Center”), an environmental advocacy organization, filed suit in the Northern District of California against USFWS and the U.S. Department of the Interior, claiming the agency’s “not warranted” decision was unlawful; and
WHEREAS, on April 14, 2022, the USFWS agreed, in a stipulated settlement agreement and order signed by the Hon. Richard Seeborg, Chief U.S. District Court Judge, to conduct additional analysis and submit, on or before Jan. 12, 2025, a new “12-month finding” as to whether the listing of the Clear Lake hitch as “threatened” or “endangered” is now warranted under the federal ESA; and
WHEREAS, on Oct. 12, 2022, the California Fish and Game Commission directed President Samantha Murray to send a letter to USFWS Director Martha Williams seeking emergency listing for the hitch. Murray’s letter, dated Nov. 3, 2022, requests Williams to implement “immediate, emergency protections to Clear Lake hitch to secure an adequate level of 2023 spring spawning for the species”; and
WHEREAS, on Dec. 5, 2022, the Center for Biological Diversity and four sovereign tribal governments located within Lake County – Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians and Robinson Rancheria Citizens Business Council – announced they also have requested emergency listing of the Clear Lake hitch by USFWS; and
WHEREAS, on Dec. 8, 2022, an emergency, intergovernmental summit was held at Big Valley Rancheria to help facilitate communications between sovereign tribal governments and their environmental protection agencies and analogous state, local and federal environmental agencies; and
WHEREAS, a proposed “Conservation Strategy for the Clear Lake Hitch” and implementation agreement has been drafted by an intergovernmental task force, but the draft strategy has not been presented to potential signatories, including Lake County, for review, public input or adoption; and
WHEREAS, notwithstanding the important and ongoing efforts of sovereign tribal governments and environmental protection agencies, the Blue Ribbon Commission for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake and California Natural Resources Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, State Water Resources Control Board, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Lake County Water Resources and Public Works, many Lake County residents and interested parties, including agricultural and sport fishing interests, are not fully informed of the critical importance of the 2023 hitch spawning season, nor of the potentially significant voluntary and/or regulatory actions that may be proposed or implemented; and
WHEREAS, California Government Code § 8630 empowers the Board of Supervisors to proclaim the existence of a local emergency when the County is threatened or likely to be threatened by conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property that are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of this County; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors hereby finds that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property presently exist in Lake County, caused by rapidly decreasing populations of Clear Lake hitch that could potentially result in extinction for the species; possible permanent loss of food security and cultural resources for indigenous Pomo peoples and sovereign nations within Lake County; potentially significant impacts upon agricultural, mining, recreational and tourism activities to the extent they may impact hitch habitat in Clear Lake and its tributaries; and potentially serious economic impacts should the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service grant the pending requests for emergency ESA listing; and
WHEREAS, the Board of Supervisors does find that the aforesaid conditions and the breadth of the peril the county and its residents face as a result require the proclamation of a local emergency and that local resources are unable to cope with the effects of the significant danger.
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED that the Board of Supervisors of the County of Lake hereby declares the existence of a local emergency and said emergency shall be deemed to continue until its termination is declared by the Board of Supervisors.
BE IT FURTHER PROCLAIMED that this Proclamation is issued pursuant to the California Emergency Services Act, Government Code §§ 8550, et seq. and proclaimed and ordered that during the existence of said local emergency, the powers, function, and duties of the emergency organization of Lake County shall be those prescribed by state and local law and County resolutions, as approved by the Board of Supervisors.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEREBY MAKES THE FOLLOWING REQUESTS:
1. That the California governor proclaim a state of emergency in Lake County due to persistent drought and habitat loss such that the potential extinction of the Clear Lake hitch appears to be imminent unless immediate and direct action is taken, and local resources are inadequate to cope with the emergency;
2. That the director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”) provide emergency funding and resources adequate to protect the Clear Lake hitch while its court-ordered review process is under way, and to promptly disclose any legal or financial constraints which would limit such emergency support;
3. That USFWS, among its other emergency actions, prioritize and expedite completion of the draft Clear Lake Hitch Strategy in coordination and cooperation with other government agencies and native sovereign nations and timely circulate the strategy for signatures and implementation;
4. That the chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake convene a meeting as soon as practical to consider the status of the Clear Lake hitch and threats to its 2023 spawning run, accept public testimony, and review and recommend hitch-related projects, activities and funding to the Office of the Governor, California Legislature and California Natural Resources Agency;
5. That the State Water Resources Control Board immediately order and direct enhanced compliance and enforcement activities to stop illegal water diversions affecting Clear Lake and its tributaries; and to enforce the adopted orders of the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program and Cannabis Cultivation Waste Discharge Regulatory Program to ensure they are protective of Clear Lake hitch habitats as applied;
6. That the State Water Resources Control Board work directly with county stakeholders to consider the promulgation of regulations to assure the continued viability of the Clear Lake hitch and other aquatic species upon receipt of watershed specific emergency flow recommendations from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or other fisheries agency;
7. That the California Fish and Game Commission or California Department of Fish and Wildlife, as may be appropriate, take reasonable steps to consider whether emergency regulations or amendments to sport fishing regulations are needed to reduce predation of Clear Lake hitch by carp and other non-native predatory fish; to consider whether establishment of one or more chi fish hatcheries or refuges within the County of Lake is feasible and warranted; to review and recommend short-term habitat improvement strategies and projects; and for the Fish and Game Commission to schedule and conduct at least one meeting within the County of Lake to accept public testimony regarding any chi-related actions;
8. That the Ukiah field office manager of the Bureau of Land Management take reasonable and prudent steps to identify and mitigate erosion and sediment transport attributed to fire, flood, off-highway vehicle use, abandoned mine locations, and any other conditions that may adversely affect Clear Lake hitch migration and survival within and downstream of BLM-managed lands and waterways, including Cache Creek Wilderness and North and South Cow Mountain Recreation areas;
9. That the forest supervisor of the Mendocino National Forest take reasonable and prudent steps to identify and mitigate erosion and sediment transport attributed to fire, flood, off-highway vehicle use, abandoned mine locations, and any other conditions that may adversely affect Clear Lake hitch migration and survival within and downstream of U.S. Forest Service-managed lands and waterways;
10. That the Lake County Water Resources Department develop and implement a plan to release water during the spring of 2023 from the Adobe Creek and/or Highland Springs reservoirs to supplement instream flows to the extent feasible during the hitch spawning season, including but not limited to coldweather events during which groundwater pumping occurs for agricultural crop protection; and submit a mid-year budget request authorizing reimbursement for unanticipated costs for chi-related projects and programs, such funding being contingent upon review and approval by the Board of Supervisors.
THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS HEREBY ORDERS that a copy of this proclamation be provided to the Office of the California Governor; state director of the Office of Emergency Services; president of the State Water Resources Control Board; president of the California Fish and Game Commission; director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife; chair of the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake; secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency; Ukiah field office manager of the Bureau of Land Management; forest supervisor of the Mendocino National Forest; director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior; and chair of each native sovereign nation within the County of Lake.
This proclamation was duly passed by the Board of Supervisors of the County of Lake at a regular meeting held on February 7, 2023, by the following roll call vote:
AYES: 5 NOES: 0
COUNTY OF LAKE Jessica Pyska CHAIR, Board of Supervisors
ATTEST: SUSAN PARKER Clerk of the Board of Supervisors
APPROVED AS TO FORM: ANITA L. GRANT County Counsel
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.
“Roman.” Photo courtesy of Clearlake Animal Control. CLEARLAKE, Calif. — Clearlake Animal Control continues to have a full shelter of dogs needing to find their new families.
There currently are 34 adoptable dogs at the shelter available to be adopted into new homes.
Among the dogs available is Roman, a 4 year old border collie-German shepherd mix with a black and white coat. He has been neutered.
The shelter is located at 6820 Old Highway 53. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
For more information, call the shelter at 707-762-6227, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., visit Clearlake Animal Control on Facebook or on the city’s website.
Volunteers also are invited to apply to walk and care for the dogs.
This week’s adoptable dogs are featured below.
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.
County Librarian Christopher Veach and Friends of the Lake County Library President Debbie Zacharisen at the Friends’ meeting on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2023. Courtesy photo. LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Funds from the Lake County Wine Alliance will be used to improve collections at the Lake County Library.
The Friends of the Lake County Library was one of the fortunate groups to be granted funds from the Lake County Wine Alliance on Dec. 12.
As a result, President Debbie Zacharisen was able to present County Librarian Christopher Veach with a check for $8,000 at the Jan. 25 meeting of the Friends.
The funds are earmarked for large type books and children’s materials, including audiobooks. These items will be distributed to all four of the branches of the county library system.
The library itself is supported by local property taxes but these don’t always stretch far enough to provide everything needed to support the public.
The goal of the Friends of the Library is to provide financial donations that help support the programming at the library and help add books and other materials to the library collection.
The Friends also provide support for the exceptional clubs and programs put on by the library.
Examples include the ever popular children’s programs like story time and lego club and programming for the community like the Summer Reading Program and the current Winter Reading Challenge.
Also happening now is the very exciting Big Read with its amazing line-up of programs all designed around the book, “Postcolonial Love Poem” by Pulitzer Prize winner Natalie Diaz.
The support provided by the Friends is made possible with the book sales at each of the branches, membership dues, financial donations and the pursuit of grant funds.
Additional support is always needed. The group asks community members to please consider becoming a member by asking for an application at your local branch or visiting their website at https://www.friendsofthelakecountylibrary.org.
Active members are always needed as well. There are monthly business meetings on the fourth Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m. in the children’s room at the Lakeport branch and all are welcome.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Sunrise Special Services Foundation announced that it is opening an emergency warming shelter.
The shelter will be located at 1111 Whalen Drive in Lakeport, the site of the former juvenile hall that was operated until last summer as a shelter.
At its Jan. 24 meeting, the Board of Supervisors approved a $153,600 contract with the Sunrise Special Services Foundation to run the warming shelter for three months.
Annie Barnes, the grant’s administrator and the founder of Sunrise Special Services Foundation, told Lake County News that Yvonne Cox is the shelter’s on-site director.
The foundation said the warming shelter is a 35-bed adult congregate shelter, designed to provide warm and safe shelter for people experiencing homelessness in Lake County.
The hours of operation are 4 p.m. to 8 a.m., seven days a week.
The shelter is scheduled to officially open its doors on Feb. 14 and will host an opening ceremony from 10 a.m. and noon. The event will be a celebration of the new shelter and an opportunity to learn more about the foundation’s mission and the services it will offer.
The foundation said the shelter will offer a range of essential services to help people get back on their feet.
It will provide a warm and welcoming space for people in need of shelter, offering access to basic necessities such as dinner, shower, bed, breakfast and bag lunch.
The foundation said the shelter’s dedicated staff will provide supportive and compassionate care for each individual who enters the doors.
They are currently hiring for several positions, and are seeking people who are passionate about helping others and who want to make a difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness.
In addition, they are seeking community volunteers and partners who are interested in supporting their mission.
For more information on job opportunities and how to apply, or general information about the shelter, visit the foundation's website or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
For donations, volunteer positions and questions please contact Yvonne Cox at 707-349-5022.
Atmospheric rivers, those long, powerful streams of moisture in the sky, are becoming more frequent in the Arctic, and they’re helping to drive dramatic shrinking of the Arctic’s sea ice cover.
I’m an atmospheric scientist. In a new study of the Barents-Kara Seas and the neighboring central Arctic, published Feb. 6, 2023, in Nature Climate Change, my colleagues and I found that these storms reached this region more often and were responsible for over a third of the region’s early winter sea ice decline since 1979.
More frequent atmospheric rivers
By early winter, the temperature in most of the Arctic is well below freezing and the days are mostly dark. Sea ice should be growing and spreading over a wider area. Yet the total area with Arctic sea ice has fallen dramatically in recent decades.
Part of the reason is that atmospheric rivers have been penetrating into the region more frequently in recent decades.
Atmospheric rivers get their name because they are essentially long rivers of water vapor in the sky. They carry heat and water from the subtropical oceans into the midlatitudes and beyond. California and New Zealand both saw extreme rainfall from multiple atmospheric rivers in January 2023. These storms also drive the bulk of moisture reaching the Arctic.
Warm air can hold more water vapor. So as the planet and the Arctic warm, atmospheric rivers and other storms carrying lots of moisture can become more common – including in colder regions like the Arctic.
When atmospheric rivers cross over newly formed sea ice, their heat and rainfall can melt the thin, fragile ice cover away. Ice will start to regrow fairly quickly, but episodic atmospheric river penetrations can easily melt it again. The increasing frequency of these storms means it takes longer for stable ice cover to become established.
As a result, sea ice doesn’t spread to the extent that the cold winter temperature normally would allow it to, leaving more ocean water open longer to release heat energy.
How atmospheric rivers melt sea ice
Atmospheric rivers affect sea ice melting in two primary ways.
More precipitation is falling as rain. But a larger influence on ice loss involves water vapor in the atmosphere. As water vapor turns into rainfall, the process releases a lot of heat, which warms the atmosphere. Water vapor also has a greenhouse effect that prevents heat from escaping into space. Together with the effect of clouds, they make the atmosphere much warmer than the sea ice.
Scientists have known for years that heat from strong moisture transports could melt sea ice, but no one knew to what extent. That’s because it’s nearly impossible to install instruments on wild ice to conduct long-term energy exchange observation.
We looked at it in a different way. We were able to establish a statistical linkage between the amount of ice lost and the average count of atmospheric rivers that arrived. In the Barents-Kara Seas and central Arctic, the Arctic quadrant with the most atmospheric river activity, we found that about 34% of the ice decline from 1979 to 2021 can be attributed to the increased frequency of atmospheric rivers.
Other studies have described increases in atmospheric rivers affecting ice loss on Antarctica, Greenland and across the Arctic during the near-record low-ice winter of 2016-2017.
The area studied involves the Arctic Ocean quadrant with the Kara and Barents Seas – the shallower regions north of Norway and Russia – and the neighboring central Arctic.NOAA
Anthropogenic warming – temperature rise caused by human activities such as burning fossil fuels – is a key reason for the increase in atmospheric rivers. We also noticed some influence from natural variability in the tropical Pacific, but studies have found that anthropogenic forcing is likely to overwhelm the influence of natural variability by the middle of the 21st century.
Our earlier research has suggested that after the middle of this century, when temperatures are warmer, just about every part of the polar regions should see a substantial increase in atmospheric rivers.
What sea ice decline means for humans
Like just about everything, sea ice loss has both bad and good effects.
More open water may enable more direct shipping, so ships could sail from Northern Europe to North America and East Asia through the Arctic, which would be much cheaper. It can also increase access to natural resources, including oil, natural gas and minerals crucial for clean energy production.
Of course, atmospheric rivers are also accompanied by strong wind, which can mean more dangerous wind storms for shipping and erosion for coastal areas. For some wildlife, the effects would be a disaster. Polar bears, for example, rely on sea ice to hunt seals. Loss of sea ice also contributes to climate change. Sea ice reflects incoming energy back into space. Without it, the dark oceans absorb more than 90% of that energy, which causes the oceans to heat up, with wide implications.
According to the latest global assessment published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Arctic could be almost entirely ice-free in summer by the middle of this century. That means thin, fragile ice across almost the entire region in early winter that would be susceptible to increasing storms.
This astounding figure translates to an overall drop in average living years from 71.8 years in 2019 to 65.2 by the end of 2021.
Although the pandemic is a major reason for this decline, it’s not the whole story. Even before COVID-19 emerged, life expectancy for Indigenous men was already five years lower than for non-Hispanic white men in the United States.
Growing up in remote rural Alaska as a member of the Koyukon Athabascan tribe, I heard stories of how infectious diseases like flu, smallpox and tuberculosis threatened our survival. My cultural group descends from three families that survived the 1918 flu pandemic.
This history inspired me to become a traditional healer. Along with my training in Western medicine, I have also studied plant-based medicine and earth-based science, which was taught to me by my elders – practitioners who passed down thousands of years of accumulated knowledge to me.
Through both my medical and traditional practices, I have learned there are many reasons for the decline in life expectancy and the divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health outcomes. But this gap – if the government and the medical system will act – can be narrowed.
“Young and Native American,” a short documentary produced by BBC News.
There are many reasons for these disparities. For starters: Native Americans have the highest poverty rate among all minority groups, perhaps as high as 25%.
The result is that there are fewer physicians, nurses and therapists seeing Indigenous patients, particularly those who live in rural areas. Those providing care have fewer technologies available to them, such as MRI and ultrasound machines, to help diagnose and treat disease earlier. Such shortages mean less access to either primary or emergency care, which contributes to lower life expectancy.
It’s clear that Indigenous communities need new or upgraded hospitals and clinics, more and better diagnostic technology, more specialty services in dental care, obstetrics, pediatrics and oncology, and more alcohol and substance abuse treatment programs.
The recent increases in funding are certainly a step in the right direction. But the factors contributing to the shorter lives of Native Americans started generations ago, and they are still reverberating among the youngest of us today.
Both from a professional standpoint – as well as one that is very personal to me and my ancestors – more work in this area cannot come soon enough.
Tribes from across the state gathered Tuesday for the first-ever Missing and Murdered Indigenous Day of Action at the California State Capitol to advocate for tribally proposed solutions that address the crisis of violence against California’s Native Americans.
Proposed solutions to address the crisis surrounding Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, or MMIP, included two bills introduced earlier this year by Assemblymember James C. Ramos (D-San Bernardino) and regional funding for Northern, Central and Southern California tribes, which have long been excluded from many state and federal programs.
“California tribes have united to combat the MMIP crisis, which has weighed heavy on the hearts of every Native person in the state for far too long. The time for action is now,” said Joseph L. James, Yurok Tribe chairman. “We are asking the state legislature to support a series of solutions that will help us prevent MMIP cases and keep our children safe.”
“The devastating issue of MMIP has caused untold tragedy that often becomes long lingering ripples of grief and further tragedy,” Ramos said. “We can reduce the number of cases through greater collaboration by law enforcement, tribal communities, mental health and other service providers to ensure that victims and their loved ones receive the support and attention they need to overcome these acts of violence.”
Ramos added, “This issue remains a priority for me and others in the Native American Legislative Caucus; we want California at the forefront in confronting this issue.”
The Ramos legislation builds on previous measures authored by the lawmaker.
The first bill, AB 44, takes the first steps to create parity between tribal law enforcement and other peace officers in the state. Qualified tribal police officers would be able to enforce state laws within their jurisdictions, adding to California’s overall safety network and reducing jurisdictional confusion between local and tribal law enforcement officers.
AB 44 would also allow tribal law enforcement and tribal courts access to the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, CLETS. The computer network contains FBI and DMV-administered databases, criminal histories and many other essential records. Thirteen states and the federal government already grant tribal law enforcement officers authority to enforce state or federal law if the officers meet the respective governments’ qualifications.
Ramos’ second bill, AB 273, would require counties and courts to notify tribes, key family members and attorneys when a child is missing from their foster care placement. It would also require a judicial hearing when a child or non-minor dependent in foster care is missing, to ensure the child is located and returned to a safe and appropriate environment. Native children in the foster care system are disproportionately more at risk of becoming MMIP victims.
Tribal leaders also called for an historic investment of $200 million to build programs and services that prevent girls, women and people from becoming missing or murdered and meet pressing needs in tribal communities. The proposal will bolster tribally led response plans, law enforcement and public health programs.
In the US, California ranks in the top 10 in terms of the quantity of MMIP cases that occur in the state on an annual basis.
The Golden State also has 110 federally recognized tribes and the largest Native American population of any state in the country.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Jameson Humane, a Napa Valley nonprofit animal rescue and sanctuary, is offering Lake County residents a clinic to help animal companions and their guardians prepare for natural disasters.
The clinic, which will be free to the community, will include vaccinations provided by Petco Love, including rabies, FVRCP for cats, and DAPP — distemper, adenovirus, parainfluenza, and parvo — for dogs, microchipping, and pet supplies for dogs and cats.
The clinic will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Clearlake Senior Community Center, 3245 Bowers Ave. It is first come, first served.
The importance of having your animal companions microchipped and up to date on vaccinations is critical in the event of an evacuation due to a flood, fire, or other natural disaster.
Jameson Humane recognizes the need for access to affordable veterinary care, which is why they are offering these free clinics to help companion animals and their guardians prepare for the unexpected.
"Jameson Humane's goal with these clinics is to ensure animals and their guardians are prepared for a disaster and can stay together during an evacuation. We also wish to provide access to veterinary care for those who need it most," said Monica Stevens, co-founder of Jameson Humane. "We understand how important it is to have your animal companions ready and prepared in the event of a disaster, which is why we are eager to offer these disaster preparedness clinics to the wider community.”
For more information, visit Jameson Humane's calendar.
A map of the U.S. plotted with some of the most significant climate events that occurred during January 2023. Please see the story below as well as more details in the report summary from NOAA NCEI at http://bit.ly/USClimate202301offsite link. Image courtesy of NOAA/NCEI. The new year started off on a very warm note across the U.S., with the nation seeing its sixth-warmest January on record, according to scientists from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, or NCEI.
The month was also plagued by a series of atmospheric rivers that brought historic rainfall and snow to the West, as numerous tornadoes struck other parts of the country.
Below are highlights from NOAA’s U.S. climate report for January 2023:
Climate by the numbers
January 2023
The average January temperature across the contiguous U.S. was 35.2 degrees F (5.1 degrees above average), ranking as the sixth-warmest January on record.
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont each had their warmest Januaries on record. Indiana, New York and Pennsylvania saw their second-warmest Januaries on record, with 17 additional states experiencing a top-10 warmest January.
The nation’s average precipitation across the contiguous U.S was 2.85 inches (0.54 of an inch above average), ranking among the wettest third of Januaries on record.
Nebraska saw its third-wettest January on record, with Massachusetts ranking fourth wettest and Rhode Island ranking seventh. Colorado, Iowa, New Hampshire and Utah each had a top-10 wettest January on record.
Other notable climate events
Atmospheric rivers dropped record rain and snow: A series of nine atmospheric rivers from late December into mid-January dumped a record amount of rain and mountain snow across parts of the western U.S., hitting California particularly hard and causing significant damage to the region, including power outages. The weeks-long deluge resulted in at least 21 deaths and prompted more than 1,400 rescues throughout the state. The San Francisco Bay area experienced its wettest three-week period in 161 years.
A busy month for tornadoes: January was notable for several weather systems that brought severe thunderstorms and an unusually high number of tornadoes to portions of the U.S.. More than 100 tornadoes were confirmed, marking the third time since 1950 where 100 tornadoes occurred during January.
• Jan. 2-4: A tornado outbreak occurred across portions of the southern Plains, Southeast and Illinois, where 61 tornadoes were confirmed by NOAA’s National Weather Service. The storms also brought severe thunderstorms, hail and significant damage to the region.
• Jan. 12: Severe storms and tornadoes swept through parts of the Midwest and Southeast. This outbreak included 69 confirmed tornadoes, including two EF-3 tornadoes.
• Jan. 16: Two tornadoes were confirmed in Iowa – the state’s first instances of January tornadoes since 1967.
Drought conditions improved overall: According to the January 31 U.S. Drought Monitor, about 42.7% of the contiguous U.S. was in drought, down about 3.6% from the beginning of January.
Drought conditions expanded or intensified across portions of the southern Plains, the Florida Peninsula and parts of the Rockies, Pacific Northwest, Midwest and Hawaii.
Drought conditions improved across large parts of the West and Midwest, and portions of the Plains, Great Lakes, Southeast, Northeast and Puerto Rico.
Fentanyl and methamphetamine seized during an early morning traffic stop on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023, in Lakeport, California. Photo courtesy of the Lakeport Police Department. LAKEPORT, Calif. — An early Tuesday morning traffic stop by Lakeport Police officers resulted in an arrest and the seizure of an amount of fentanyl large enough to kill tens of thousands of people.
The Lakeport Police Department said its officers conducted a traffic stop for a vehicle code violation near the intersection of S. Main Street and Highway 175 at 12:40 a.m. Tuesday.
The officers contacted the vehicle’s driver, James Biocca of Healdsburg, conducted a Department of Motor Vehicles records check on him and determined that his driver’s license had multiple suspensions on file with good service.
Officers arrested Biocca and subsequent to his arrest located suspected fentanyl and drug paraphernalia on his person.
The officers then searched Biocca’s vehicle and located additional drug paraphernalia as well as a total of approximately 3.48 ounces — or 98.8 grams — of suspected fentanyl and 21.3 grams of methamphetamine, all of which were packaged in varying amounts. They also located additional baggies and a scale inside the vehicle.
Based on the items discovered during the search, Biocca was booked into the Lake County Jail for possession of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance for sale, transport of a controlled substance, possession of narcotics, possession of narcotics for sale, transportation of narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia and driving on a suspended license.
According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, just 2 milligrams of fentanyl is considered to be enough to cause an overdose and kill someone.
Based on this data, the Lakeport Police Department said the amount of fentanyl seized as a result of this one traffic stop could have killed up to 49,400 people.
The Lakeport Police Department encourages those who are addicted to dangerous drugs, like fentanyl, to reach out and seek rehabilitative treatment.
The police department currently is partnered with the Lake Family Resource Center and has a crisis responder who can link those in need with life-changing services.
If this is something that you would like more information on, please contact the Lakeport Police Department by calling 707-263-5491, emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or by sending the agency on Facebook.
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