Did you know that one of California’s top 10 invasive species lives right outside your door?
In fact, you can hear its distinctive call in the early evenings. It sounds a bit like a humming cow which is maybe why it has “bull” in its name.
It is the American Bullfrog or Lithobates catesbeianus.
The native habitat of the American Bullfrog is eastern North America. However, the American Bullfrog is invasive in the West.
Here in California, it was introduced by the gold miners in the late 1800s and early 1900s as a food source, but it quickly spread to aquatic and semi aquatic biomes throughout California.
The bullfrog is a carnivore, or a secondary consumer. It eats mainly primary consumers like small fish, baby birds, small mammals, other amphibians, tadpoles and lots of insects; basically, whatever it can fit in its very large mouth.
It can grow up to 8 inches long and can weigh up to one pound. It has large and powerful legs and in the winter months can travel up to a mile per day looking for food.
This massive frog is a dangerous predator here in California and has been decimating our native amphibian populations since it arrived, most specifically the vulnerable red-legged frog (Rana draytonii) and the endangered foothill yellow legged frog (Rana boylii) who lives here in our local watershed.
In fact, red-legged frogs were the basis for Mark Twain’s famed short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”, but they are now so scarce that bullfrogs are used for the competition instead.
There are three main reasons why the bullfrog is threatening our native ecosystems.
First, at several stages in its life cycle the American Bullfrog preys upon our native frogs. Although the bullfrog tadpoles are mostly herbivorous, they will occasionally eat smaller, native frog tadpoles and insect larvae.
Further, as adults the American Bullfrog both competes with and eats native amphibians in such high amounts that one study done by a UC Davis ecologist in San Joaquin County showed a survival rate of just 5% of native red legged frogs in areas with bullfrogs compared to areas without.
Second, the bullfrog reproduces at a rate 10 times higher than the native frog population and can lay 20,000 eggs per clutch and two clutches per year compared to the native frogs which average 2,000 to 3,000 eggs per year.
This high reproduction rate combined with its ability to travel and quickly invade new water systems makes the bullfrog hard to eradicate completely and a dangerous competitor.
Finally, the bullfrog carries the chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrim dendrobatidis) but is not affected by it.
The chytrid fungus is a severe skin disease that causes death in susceptible native species. It disrupts the function of the skin in both the tadpole and adult frogs and specifically affects the native Californian mountain yellow legged frog.
This fungus has caused the extinction of 100 amphibian species worldwide since 1970.
So, what can we do about this voracious, opportunistic predator?
California allows the importation of bullfrog tadpoles as pets and adults for food. Approximately 2 million are brought here annually and many of them are released or escaped to wreak havoc on native ecosystems. Banning importation or increasing permit fees can help limit the negative impacts.
Also, we as residents can help! We can report bullfrogs when we see them and not keep them as pets.
If you are on a hike or see a bullfrog in your neighborhood you can report it to the CDFW Invasive Species Program or email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or by calling 866-440-9530.
Callum is a 13 year old student in Davis, California.
Since the launch of the first Landsat satellite in 1972, NASA and its partners have mapped agriculture worldwide and provided key input into global supply outlooks that bolster the economy and food security.
Now NASA is increasing its decades-long investment in U.S. agriculture through the launch of NASA Acres, a new consortium that will unite physical, social, and economic scientists with leaders in agriculture from public and private sectors.
They will have the shared mission of bringing NASA data, science, and tools down-to-Earth for the benefit of the many people working to feed the nation.
“For decades, NASA has collected data in space to improve life on planet Earth,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Now these observations can be used not only to better understand our home, but to make climate data more understandable, accessible, and usable to help support agricultural business and benefit all humanity."
NASA Acres is commissioned under the agency’s Applied Sciences Program and led by the University of Maryland. The consortium approach brings together public and private stakeholders and allows rapid actions in delivering NASA Earth observation data into the hands of U.S. farmers.
“Farmers and ranchers are looking for information to help them make all sorts of decisions, from water use to what crops to plant and when," said Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division. "NASA is always looking for new ways to help people find and use science to inform their decisions, so we’re very excited about this new consortium to help America’s farmers use NASA Earth science data.”
Initial projects include aggregating and analyzing years of satellite data with state-of-the-art machine learning and artificial intelligence tools. Such efforts could help optimize scheduling for fertilizer application and irrigation, support early detection of pests and disease, monitor soil health, and provide information tools to support local food production.
Other projects will focus on using open science to improve mapping capabilities that support user-driven applications. The consortium will help us understand how U.S. agriculture is evolving and will shed light on effective management strategies to build economic, environmental, and productive resilience to global change.
U.S. farmers and ranchers have their own space agency
“While we have seen enormous value in the use of NASA data and tools, we also know that what works in one place can’t just be picked up and dropped in a new place,” said Alyssa Whitcraft, the director of NASA Acres. “To bring the greatest value of satellite data to U.S. agriculture, we have to start with place-based knowledge. Pairing that with satellite data unlocks powerful insight.”
The United States is one of the world’s top agriculture producers and exporters. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the nation's farms, orchards, ranches, and supporting industries provide more than 10% of U.S. jobs and 5.4% of the U.S. gross domestic product.
In recent years, NASA has been working to ensure that members of the U.S. agriculture industry are connected directly to the agency’s agriculture work, particularly through its Earth Applied Sciences program. In 2022, agency scientists including St. Germain made a “Space for Ag” tour across Nebraska and Kansas, and they have continued to have a presence at the nation’s largest farming convention, the Commodity Classic.
NASA Acres builds on the success of NASA Harvest, a globally focused consortium also based at the University of Maryland.
“We want farmers to know that their space agency has an agriculture program that is focused on understanding their needs and finding solutions with them," said Brad Doorn, who leads the NASA agriculture program area that oversees NASA Acres and Harvest.
Whitcraft emphasizes that NASA Acres relies first and foremost upon those closest to the land. NASA Acres is already working with small-scale, independent farmers in Maui County, Hawaii; specialty crop growers in California and New York; ranchers in Colorado; and farmers regenerating marginalized and degraded agricultural lands across the country.
“My mission has always been to feed people—not just in my home, and not just today, but looking ahead for the many generations to come,” said Whitcraft. “U.S. agriculture is a cornerstone of the global food system, and it is awesome to have this opportunity with NASA to benefit my own ‘backyard.’”
Keelin Haynes works for NASA Acres.
Ray Block Jr, Penn State; Andrene Wright, Penn State, and Mia Angelica Powell, Penn State
The Summit for Democracy, a virtual event being co-hosted by the White House, is being touted as an opportunity to “reflect, listen and learn” with the aim of encouraging “democratic renewal.”
As political scientists, we have beendoing something very similar. In the fall of 2022 we listened to thousands of U.S. residents about their views on the state of American democracy. What we found was that, despite widespread fears over the future of democracy, many people are also hopeful, and that hope translated into “voting for democracy” by shunning election result deniers at the polls.
As a group, we have decades of experience studying politics and believe that not since the American Civil War has there been so much concern that American democracy, while always a work in progress, is under threat. Survey trends point to eroding trust in democratic institutions. And in addition to serving as a direct reminder of our political system’s fragility, the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol provoked concern of the potential of democratic backsliding in the U.S.
Fears of a failing democracy
The 2022 midterms were the first nationwide ballot to take place after the Jan. 6 attack. The vote provided a good opportunity to check in with potential U.S. voters over how they viewed the risks to democracy.
As such, in the fall of 2022, the African American Research Collaborative – of which one of us is a member – worked with a team of partners to create the Midterm Election Voter Poll. In an online and phone survey, we asked more than 12,000 U.S. voters from a variety of backgrounds a series of questions about voting intention and trust in national politics. Respondents were also quizzed over their concern about the state of American democracy.
On a five-point scale ranging from “very” to “not at all,” the survey asked how worried respondents were that: “The political system in the United States is failing and there is a decent chance that we will no longer have a functioning democracy within the next 10 years.”
Roughly 6 in 10 Americans expressed fear that democracy is in peril, with 35% saying they were “very worried.”
Broken down by race and ethnicity, white Americans were the most concerned, with 64% expressing some worry that democracy is in peril. Black and Latino Americans were slightly less concerned. Asian Americans appeared the least worried, with 55% expressing concern.
Of the 63% of respondents who registered concern, more than half said they were “very worried” that democracy is in trouble and that it may soon come to an end.
Such fragility-of-democracy concerns can have a self-perpetuating effect; voters’ increasing lack of faith in their system can hasten the collapse in government they fear.
For example, negative attitudes about democracy can also destabilize voting habits – prompting some to skip elections altogether while motivating others to swing back and forth between candidates and political parties from one election to another. This pattern of voting can, in turn, lead to gridlock in government or worse: the election of cynical politicians who are less able – or even willing – to govern. It is a process that former Democratic Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts described in 2015 as the “self-fulfilling prophesy of ‘government doesn’t work.’”
Turning hope into action
But the story that emerged from our survey isn’t all doom and gloom.
In addition to confirming how endangered Americans believe their democracy is, citizens appear hopeful that their political system can recover. When given the prompt: “Overall, as you vote in November 2022, are you mostly feeling …,” more than 40% of the respondents – regardless of race or ethnicity – said they felt “hopeful.”
Indeed, “hope” was by far the most common feeling out of the four emotions that respondents were able to choose from. “Worry” was the second most typical emotion, with 31% of the total sample selecting it, followed by “pride” and “anger.”
Rather than resigning themselves to a lost democracy, the results indicate that voters from a broad array of demographic and political backgrounds feel hopeful that American democracy can overcome the challenges facing the nation.
Black Americans were among the most hopeful (49%), second only to Asian Americans (55%), while white Americans were the most worried (33%). These racial and ethnic differences are consistent with recent research on how emotions can shape politics.
The results also make sense in the context of the trajectory of race relations in the U.S. Black people have borne the brunt of what happens when authoritarian forces in this country have prevailed. They have suffered firsthand from anti-democratic actions being used against them, depriving them of the right to vote, for example. Throughout U.S. history, stories of racial progress often reveal a struggle to reconcile feelings of hope and worry – particularly when thinking about what America is versus what the nation ought to be.
Such hope in democracy has turned into action. Efforts to counter GOP-led attempts to suppress votes are encouraging signs of citizens combating anti-democratic measures, while punishing parties deemed to be pushing them.
Take the example of Georgia, which has “flipped from Republican to Democrat” in large part because of voting rights activist and Democratic politician Stacey Abrams’ tireless mobilization efforts. In the midterm election, GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker underperformed among Black voters, winning less of the Black vote than GOP candidates in other states.
The breaking of the Republican stronghold in Georgia fits with a broader theme of Black voters casting ballots to “save democracy,” as scholars writing for the Brookings Institution think tank put it. In rejecting anti-democratic measures – and representatives of the party held responsible – in Georgia, “Black people were the solution for an authentic democracy.”
Black women deserve the most credit here, consistently voting for pro-democracy candidates. Not surprisingly, when broken down by race and gender, our survey shows that Black women are most hopeful (56%), some way ahead of white men (43%), with Black men and white women both at 42%.
A democracy, to keep for good.
Democracy has long been a cherished ideal in the U.S. – but one that from the country’s founding was perceived to be fragile.
While acknowledging that the success of our government isn’t promised, Franklin’s words serve as a reminder that citizens must work relentlessly to maintain and protect what the Constitution provides. What we’ve discovered, both from our survey and from how people voted, is that Americans are sending a clear message that they support democracy, and will fight anti-democratic measures – something that politicians of all parties might benefit from listening to if we want to keep our republic.
Ray Block Jr, Brown-McCourtney Career Development Professor in the McCourtney Institute and associate professor of political science and African American studies, Penn State; Andrene Wright, Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow, Penn State, and Mia Angelica Powell, PhD Student in Department of Political Science, Penn State
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The organization leading the restoration of the historic Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse in Finley has received a grant from a nationwide program dedicated to the preservation of America’s unique history.
Americana Corner, an online resource focused on the founding of our nation, announced the 2023 awardees of its Preserving America Grant Program.
“We are so excited and grateful to Americana Corner and its founder, Tom Hand,” said Elizabeth Larson, co-founder of LARA and publisher and editor of Lake County News. “This award moves us closer to starting on a critical phase of the schoolhouse’s restoration — the complete removal of decades of lead paint on the building’s interior and exterior.”
LARA is among 119 organizations in 35 states that will receive grant awards totaling $835,500 from the Americana Corner Fund at DonorsTrust.
The Americana Corner program was established to help other organizations tell the incredible story of America from its founding era through its first century as a nation.
These grants will help fund a diverse range of projects, including restoring historical objects, creating educational displays, and making improvements to historic sites that will enhance the visitor experience.
Among the grant recipients are numerous projects focused on Civil War and Revolutionary War history and artifacts, as well as improvements to the homes of U.S. presidents James K. Polk, James Monroe and Ulysses S. Grant, and at Valley Forge.
Due to overwhelming interest and the historic significance of the projects that sought funding, Americana Corner will award $835,500 in total grant funding for 2023, nearly double last year’s commitment of $446,000.
“I am thrilled to be able to help others across America tell our country’s wonderful story,” said Tom Hand, founder of Americana Corner.
The Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse, also known as the Hells Bend Schoolhouse, was built in 1871 and moved to its current location in 1882. There, it remained in operation as a school until July 1920.
In 2021, the Kelseyville Unified School District granted LARA the Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse following a public process that involved a request for proposals. LARA and the school district entered into a 50-year lease for the property where the schoolhouse sits in Finley.
LARA launched a fundraising campaign on Giving Tuesday in November in order to begin the renovations this year, with initial work to focus on removing the lead paint.
Larson thanked the many community members who donated to the effort, and offered special mention to Lake County Fair Chief Executive Officer Sheli Wright who pointed her toward the Americana Corner grant in late 2022.
LARA is pursuing the final piece of funding to begin the lead removal project. The total project is expected to cost about $20,000, and so far they’ve raised about $12,000 of that amount.
Tax-deductible donations for the Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse project can be made through LARA’s online donation platform or mailed to LARA, P.O. Box 1792, Lucerne, CA 95458-1792.
LARA’s project is one of three in California approved in this year’s round of funding. The other two projects are the Gold Discovery Park Association’s plans to replace and create interpretive signage throughout Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park in Coloma and the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation in Vallejo’s plan to upgrade the audio visual system in St. Peter's Chapel, the oldest naval chapel in the nation.
The full list of 2023 Americana Corner grant awardees include the following:
• 1st Virginia Regiment of Continental Line to repair a three-pound brass "Grasshopper" cannon. • Acadian Heritage and Culture Foundation for an exhibit on the role of Acadians and Spanish in the American Revolution. • Adams County Historical Society for a Civil War photo exhibit. • Alabama Historic Ironworks Foundation to restore the historic Fowler House. • American Civil War Museum to help restore the White House of the Confederacy. • Andrew Jackson Foundation for ongoing educational and preservation projects. • Avoca Museum and Historical Society to restore two outbuildings on the property, Smokehouse and Milkhouse. • Battle of Rhode Island Association to restore visitor trails at the Butts Hill Fort. • Bedford Heritage Trust to complete the "fort-era" exhibit on Fort Bedford. • Bergen County Historical Society to build a display case for a restored musket • Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates to provide living history programs to the public. • Camp Blount Historical Site Association to recreate historic Joseph Greer House. • Citizenship Trust American Village to help refurbish the Visitor Center. • Clarke County Historical Museum to restore the Alston-Cobb House. • Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to help restore the Peyton-Randolph Stable. • Connecticut Landmarks to improve exhibits and displays at the Nathan Hale Homestead. • Constituting America to promote a 90-day study on America's First Principles. • Cortland County Historical Society to preserve four 1820s maps produced by young women. • Delaware Company of NY for a permanent museum display on civil conflict in the Upper Delaware Valley. • Discovery Expedition of St. Charles to add costumed historical interpreters for visitors. • Fort Adams Trust for the restoration of the Southeast Demi-Bastion Terreplein and adjacent inboard parade grounds. • Fort LeBoeuf Historical Society to expand existing historic garden; develop living history curriculum; and build a soldier's hut. • Fort Ligonier to design and print 50,000 site maps for visitors. • Fort Loudoun Historical Society to purchase a gun carriage for British one-pounder cannon. • Fort Randolph Committee for media handouts such as rack cards; hands-on materials for visitors; and a stipend for costumed interpreters. • Fraunces Tavern Museum to conserve Martha Washington slipper shoe. • Friends of Fort Frederick State Park for new period costumes for living history interpreters. • Friends of Kaw Point Park to develop informational signage on the Corps of Discovery at Kaw Point; restore native gardens; and guided tours. • Friends of Maxwell Hall to create educational signage at Maxwell Hall on the Patuxent River. • Friends of Minute Man National Park for a battlefield restoration project at Elm Brook Hill associated with the Battle of Lexington and Concord. • Friends of the Longfellow House‚ÄìWashington's Headquarters to restore window seat cushions in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's study. • Friends of the Monterey Pass Battlefield to interpret the Great Philadelphia Wagon Road at Monterey Pass Battlefield. • Friends of U.S. Grant Cottage to design, construct and install two interpretive panels on the Eastern Overlook at Grant Cottage. • Friends of Washington Crossing Park to create six "76 Seconds of History" videos on Washington Crossing. • Furnace Town Foundation to help restore the circa 1830 Nassawango Iron Furnace. • Georgia Salzburger Society to replace authentic shingles on the roof of the Fail House at Ebenezer historic site. • Gettysburg Foundation to help fund the Children of Gettysburg 1863 educational program. • Gold Discovery Park Association to replace and create interpretive signage throughout Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. • Gordon-Wascott Historical Society to create a historical park at site of the 1858 Antoine Gordon trading post in northern Wisconsin. • Grout Museum to help complete repairs to the Rensselaer-Russell House. • Hart Square Foundation to restore the circa 1850 Hoyle Dogtrot cabin at Hart Square Village. • Heritage Foundation of Williamson County to digitally map and record all cemeteries in Williamson County focusing on American Revolution and Civil War veterans cemeteries. • Heritage Frederick to design and develop exhibits on 19th-century Frederick, Maryland. • Highlanders Chapter to build a monument to American Revolution soldiers. • Hillsdale County Historical Society to restore interior of the Will Carleton poorhouse. • Historic Albany Foundation to restore original roof of oldest house in Albany, Ostrande-Radliff House, circa 1728. • Historic Camden Foundation to build an 18th-century limber and artillery carriage for "La Populaire" cannon surrendered at YorkTown. • Historic Fallsington to replace cedar roof on historic Burges-Lippincott House. • Historic Harmony to replace roof on Harmony Museum circa 1825 log cabin. • Historic Huguenot Street to develop videos of the Historic Huguenot Street historic site. • Historic Rock Ford for funding an exhibit in the Snyder Gallery called “The Market Town and the Metropolis.” • Historic Southwest Ohio - Heritage Village Museum & Educational Center to create a working tinsmith and blacksmith shop. • Historic Trappe to restore porch of Frederick Muhlenberg home. • Historic Village at Allaire to restore the 1840s-era Star and Eagle flag. • Hull House Foundation to build a working early 19th-century outdoor fireplace, hearth, and bake oven to demonstrate period cooking and baking techniques. • James K Polk Home & Museum to update the James K. Polk House Museum. • James Monroe Memorial Foundation to restore landscaping at the James Monroe Presidential Birthplace site. • Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation to support a photography initiative to digitized the museum's historic objects. • Lancaster NY Historical Society to help restore a circa 1868 one room school house. • Lawrence County Civic Center and Regional History Museum to restore circa.1805 canoe and circa 1850 wagon wheels for display in the Lawrence County Regional History Museum • Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Trail Foundation for the reproduction of historic artifacts such as trade goods, furs, and period furniture at Fort Osage • Lucerne Area Revitalization Association to restore historic circa 1871 Kelsey Creek Schoolhouse. • Main Street Perryville to restore the home of Civil War doctor, Dr. J.J. Polk. • Maine's First Ship to fund necessary equipment so the historic ship Virginia, Maine's first ship, can sail. • Mare Island Historic Park Foundation to upgrade a/v system in St. Peter's Chapel, the oldest naval chapel in the nation. • Moffatt-Ladd House & Garden to restore the Yellow Room in the Moffatt-Ladd House to its 1763 condition. • Monmouth County Historical Association for the restoration of the circa 1752 Covenhoven House. • Mount Vernon Ladies Association to create online educational resources to be used in classrooms. • Museum of the American Revolution to preserve a collection of 18th and 19th century documents and letters. • Muskingum County History for the repair and maintenance of the Stone Academy Museum. • Musee de Venoge to create a visitor center video on how early settlers to the area impacted the settlement of Indiana and the western expansion of the United States. • National Road Heritage Foundation to create the “Engineering, Paving, and Maintenance” exhibit at new National Road Museum. • Neenah Historical Society to create an exhibit to celebrate the 150th anniversary of founding of "Twin Cities" Neenah and Menasha. • Nolensville Historical Society to restore circa 1870 Morton-Brittain house. • Northern Central Railway to fund an 1860s steam engine replica restoration project. • Old Stone House Museum & Historic Village to restore historically significant Cyrus Eaton House in the Old Stone House Museum and Historic Village. • Pejepscot History Center for the restoration and preservation of 14 regimental battle flags from the Grand Army of the Republic. • Pendleton HIstoric Foundation to restore circa 1837 Historic Jenkins Home in Pendleton, South Carolina. • Plimoth Patuxet Museums to upgrade and repair period clothing for living history interpreters. • Preservation Virginia to create signage for Patrick Henry’s home at Scotchtown. • Princeton Battlefield Society to design, manufacture and install new multi-panel sign on the Battle of Princeton at Princeton Battlefield State Park. • Randolph County Heritage Museum/Five Rivers Historic Preservation for an exhibit on the founders of Randolph County. • Revolutionary Spaces to create an exhibit commemorating the Boston Tea Party. • Seminary Ridge Historic Preservation Foundation for updating the “Voices of Duty and Devotion” display. • Shepherd University Foundation and the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War to create the “Crossroads: Shepherdstown in the American Civil War” exhibit. • Shippensburg History Center to purchase period clothing for living history program and create an exhibit showcasing Shippensburg’s role in American history. • Shirley Plantation Foundation to fund additional living history interpreters. • Smoky Hills Trail Association to purchase limestone Butterfield Overland Despatch markers for the Smoky Hill Trail. • South Dakota Historical Society Foundation for the videography and still photography of 25 key archival and museum artifacts. • St. John's Church Foundation to fund reenactments at Historic St. John's Church, site of Patrick Henry's “Give me liberty or give me death” speech. • Stratford Hall to preserve extraordinary documents in Stratford Hall’s collection, including the original Terms of Surrender signed by Generals Lee and Grant. • The Belle W. Baruch Foundation to restore two Currier & Ives prints. • The Boyertown Area Historical Society to restore cupola of historic Bahr's mill. • The Cairo Historical Preservation Project to restore 1869 Magnolia Manor. • The Catoctin Furnace Historical Society to restore 1800s blacksmith bellows. • The Charles Hall Museum for an exhibit on the history of the Tellico Iron Works. • The Conococheague Institute for educational programs on the frontier. • The Fort Ticonderoga Association to update interpretive signage at Fort Ticonderoga. • The Friends of Perryville Battlefield to develop wayside informational signs on the Battle of Perryville. • The Lewes Historical Society to create signage for 14 historic buildings curated by the Lewes Historical Society. • The Library of Virginia for the conservation of documents from the Virginia Convention of 1776. • The National Civil War Museum to upgrade lighting in the museum to enhance the visitor experience. • The Pursuit of History to fund a series of videos that put important historical sites in context and show the connections between various events and sites. • Thomasville History Center to restore a painting of Archibald Thompson MacIntyre, Thomas County resident and member of the U.S. House of Representatives. • Tioga Point Museum for the digitization and display of historic rare books, documents, and maps related to the early history of northern Pennsylvania. • Tipton-Haynes Historical Association to purchase and install privacy fence to protect historic viewshed from nearby development. • Travelers' Rest Connection to create an exhibit on the Corps of Discovery (Lewis and Clark expedition). • United Daughters of the Confederacy — Kentucky to enhance access to a War Memorial to the Immortal 600 at the Meade County Historical Museum. • United Daughters of the Confederacy — Virginia to restore a historic library and books damaged by fire. • Valley Forge Park Alliance to restore historic Maurice Stevens House at Valley Forge. • Virginia Commemorations to fund collaboration efforts to enhance the visitor experience at Virginia historic sites in the runup to our nation's 250th birthday. • Virginia Museum of History & Culture to support the creation of Civil War and Reconstruction era classroom materials. • Washington Association of New Jersey to furnish new window treatments at the Ford mansion where General Washington spent the winter of 1779-80. • Washington Memorial Heritage for signage for the Washington Memorial Chapel and its 40-acre site. • Washington’s Trail – 1753 for signage for the trail George Washington took on his 1753 military diplomatic mission to Fort LeBoeuf. • West Jersey Artillery to build artillery limber for a bronze three-pounder cannon. • West Point Association of Graduates to produce an interactive digital map related to the Battle of New York in 1776. • Wisconsin Historical Foundation to preserve a 20-star Loyalty flag from the Civil War. • Ximenez-Fatio House Museum for the restoration of authentic wooden-framed, old glass-paned windows on the Ximenex-Fatio House.
Americana Corner was founded by Tom Hand in 2020 as an online resource to help others rediscover America’s incredible founding and first century of expansion.
From the American Revolution to the settlement of the American West, from the Declaration of Independence to the Emancipation Proclamation, and from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln, Americana Corner contains positive stories of the great events, founding documents, and inspirational leaders who helped create and shape our country.
Perhaps most importantly, Hand discusses why all those events and people from so long ago still matter to us today.
President Joe Biden has approved a request for assistance from California’s governor in response to the heavy winter storms that have pummeled the state in recent weeks.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday announced that, within hours of California’s request, the White House has approved a presidential emergency declaration authorizing federal assistance to support the state and local response to continuous storms impacting much of the state.
“We are grateful for President Biden’s swift action to provide more resources and assistance to Californians reeling from back-to-back storms,” said Gov. Newsom. “We also thank all the heroic first responders working tirelessly to save lives in these dangerous and challenging conditions. California will continue to work day and night with local, state and federal partners to protect and support our communities.”
The presidential emergency declaration enables impacted counties to immediately access direct federal assistance to help protect public safety and property, including generators, road clearance equipment and sheltering or mass care assistance as needed.
With storms forecasted to continue through mid-March, the governor this week proclaimed a state of emergency in 21 counties — including Lake — to support disaster response and relief efforts, following the state of emergency he proclaimed in an initial 13 counties earlier this month.
California is mobilizing personnel and resources to storm-impacted communities throughout the state.
Details on the ongoing response and information on staying safe during the storms can be found here.
Ahead of more severe storms expected in the coming days, Caltrans is urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel in affected areas, more information is available here.
What's up for March? Venus climbs high while Jupiter dives sunward, and the little planet that shares its namesake with your breakfast cereal.
Venus and Jupiter began the month very close together in the evening sky, following their close conjunction on March 1.
They quickly went their separate ways, though.
Venus climbs higher in the sky each night for the next couple of months, while Jupiter dives after the Sun.
The giant planet appears lower in the sky each night through the month, making its exit as an evening object. It'll reappear in May, in the predawn sky, with Saturn.
On the 23rd and 24th, in the couple of hours after sunset, you'll find the Moon as a beautifully slim crescent hanging just below, and the next night above, blazing bright Venus. Then, on the 25th, the Moon continues upward in the sky, landing right next to the brilliant Pleiades star cluster that night.
With March bringing the arrival of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall in the Southern Hemisphere, it's a time for both planting or harvesting crops, depending on where you live. So it's perhaps a fitting time to try and spot the planet named for a mythical goddess of agriculture, grains, and fertile lands. (In addition to being the origin of the word "cereal.")
That's dwarf planet Ceres. This month it's at opposition, meaning it's directly on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun. This is when a planet is around its shortest distance from Earth, making this the best time to have a go at observing it when it's at its brightest.
Ceres is the largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Still it's only about 600 miles wide — far smaller than our own Moon. Its dusty surface is peppered with impact craters, with bright salt deposits here and there, that hint at the possibility of slushy, briny ice beneath. In fact, NASA's Dawn spacecraft found that Ceres could be up to one-quarter water ice on the inside.
Now, Ceres is too faint to see with the unaided eye, so to locate it in the March sky, you'll need binoculars or a small telescope. Find the lion constellation Leo in the southeast after around 9 p.m.
The bright, bluish-white star Regulus (the lion's heart) should catch your eye first. Then look eastward about 25 degrees to find Denebola, which represents the lion's tail. From there Ceres should be 8 or 9 degrees farther east from Denebola. It appears as a faint, starlike point of light — which is why, when Ceres and objects like it were first discovered in the early 19th century, they were called "asteroids," which means "starlike."
Since 2006, Ceres has been classified as a dwarf planet — along with other diminutive worlds in our solar system including Pluto, Eris, Haumea, and Makemake. Wherever you land on the topic of "planet vs. dwarf planet" -status for worlds like Ceres and Pluto, what's really important to remember is that the way we think about different families of objects in our solar system has evolved over time, and likely will continue to evolve as we explore and learn more about them.
So here's hoping you try your hand at spotting Ceres as you explore the skies above your home planet this month.
Stay up to date with all of NASA's missions to explore the solar system and beyond at www.nasa.gov.
Preston Dyches works for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has more new dogs waiting for their forever homes this week.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of border collie, boxer, German shepherd, German shorthaired pointer, Great Pyrenees, hound, Labrador retriever, mastiff, pit bull, shepherd, treeing walker coonhound and terrier.
Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.
The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption.
Call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278 or visit the shelter online for information on visiting or adopting.
Female pit bull terrier puppy
This 3-month-old female American pit bull terrier puppy has a short brindle coat.
She is in kennel No. 4a, ID No. LCAC-A-4787.
Female pit bull terrier puppy
This 3-month-old female American pit bull terrier puppy has a short black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 4b, ID No. LCAC-A-4788.
Male Labrador retriever mix
This 1-year-old male Labrador retriever mix has a short black coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 6, ID No. 4841.
‘Able’
“Able” is a 6-year-old male coonhound mix with a short black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-4773.
Male German shorthaired pointer puppy
This 5-month-old male German shorthaired pointer puppy has a short red and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-4769.
‘AxxelRose’
“AxxelRose” is a 5-year-old male terrier with a long blond coat.
He is in kennel No. 10a, ID No. LCAC-A-4807.
‘Luigi’
“Luigi” is a 2-year-old male pit bull terrier with a short red and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-4742.
‘Oreo’
“Oreo” is a 2-year-old male treeing walker coonhound with a short tricolor coat.
He is in kennel No. 13, ID No. LCAC-A-4738.
Male German shepherd mix
This 2-year-old male German shepherd mix has a red and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 16, ID No. LCAC-A-4835.
Female pit bull-Labrador retriever mix
This female pit bull-Labrador retriever mix has a short tricolor coat.
She is in kennel No. 17, ID No. LCAC-A-4692.
‘Bruno’
“Bruno” is a 9-month-old male mastiff-pit bull mix with a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 23, ID No. LCAC-A-4789.
Male boxer-pit bull mix
This 8-year-old male boxer-pit bull mix has a short brown brindle coat.
He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-4678.
Male Great Pyrenees
This 2-year-old male Great Pyrenees has a long white coat.
He is in kennel No. 28, ID No. LCAC-A-4821.
Male German shepherd
This 1-year-old male German shepherd has a short black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 29, ID No. LCAC-A-4710.
Male border collie puppy
This 3-month-old male border collie puppy has a short black coat with white markings.
He is in kennel No. 32, ID No. LCAC-A-4783.
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.
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — A strong atmospheric river is bringing heavy rain and high elevation snow to California that started Thursday night through Sunday, with more rain possible early next week.
The greatest impacts are expected over Central and Northern California, particularly flooding across the Sierras.
Several feet of water are trapped in Central and Northern California snowpack. Heavy rains will cause significant melting of heavy snowpack below 6,000 feet and could lead to significant flooding, road and infrastructure damage in those areas.
Heavy rains are expected to continue through early next week, which could worsen and prolong flooding impacts.
Some national forests, like Sequoia National Forest, have already closed many forest-managed roads. Closures are being put in place for public and employee safety. Heavy rain can put forest visitors and residents at risk. Debris flows and flash floods often develop with little warning.
Safety tips for heavy rain and flooding
Please act with extra caution if in affected areas during this high-alert weather event.
• Do not camp or park vehicles along streams or rivers. • Move to higher ground if heavy rain or rising water occurs. • NEVER drive through flooded roadways.
NORTH COAST, Calif. — Caltrans announced on Thursday that it is awarding more than $225 million for local projects designed to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries on city and county roads, with several Lake County projects to be funded.
The funding is provided through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, or HSIP.
“Safety is always Caltrans’ top priority,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “These projects will enhance systemwide safety features, including enhancing safety for people who walk and bike, and move us closer to our vision of reaching zero fatalities and serious injuries on roadways throughout the state by 2050.”
In Lake County, three projects will be funded:
— Pedestrian crossing improvements including installing solar powered rectangular rapid flashing beacons and LED enhanced crosswalk signs, speed tables, lighting and pavement markings at 12 locations including, Upper Lake, North Lakeport, Lucerne, Lower Lake, Hidden Valley, Middletown and Kelseyville.
— Install solar powered dynamic speed warning signs at 22 locations including Soda Bay Road, Butts Canyon Road, Nice-Lucerne Cutoff Road, Lakeshore Boulevard, Morgan Valley Road, Sulphur Bank Drive, Bottle Rock Road, Scotts Valley Road, New Long Valley Road, Seigler Canyon Road and Spruce Grove Road.
— Robinson Rancheria street sign and guardrail replacement including new street signage with regulatory, warning and information. Upgrades to guardrails on Acorn Drive and crosswalk improvements on Pomo Way.
Other city and county road projects around the North Coast approved for funding in Caltrans District 1 include the following.
Eureka: Install LED stop signs, dynamic speed warning signs, curb extensions, rectangular rapid flashing beacons for pedestrians and sidewalks on Buhne Street between Fairfield and Dean streets.
Humboldt County: Guardrail repair and replacement at various locations on roadways and bridges.
Humboldt County: In Willow Creek, install a pedestrian activated flashing beacon crosswalk at the intersection of County Club Road and Terrance Road and a warning flashing sign on Country Club Road.
Humboldt County: Install fog lines on rural roads in Humboldt County that are utilized by the Hoopa Valley, Karuk and Yurok Tribes.
Crescent City: Pedestrian crossing improvement projects at various locations, including sidewalks with ADA curb ramps, rectangular rapid flashing beacons, road signs, and updated pavement markings.
Ukiah: Traffic signal improvements along with signal re-timing and provide protected left-turn phases at various intersections of State Street, Perkins Street at South Orchard Avenue, East Gobbi Street at South Orchard Avenue and Airport Park Boulevard at Talmage Road.
Willits: Install and upgrade regulatory warning signs, new dynamic speed warning signs and center and edge lines on nine roadway segments including portions of North Main Street, Sherwood Road, East Commercial Street, McKinley Street, East San Francisco Avenue and Hazel Street.
Willits: Pedestrian safety improvements including upgrades to signal hardware, install and upgrade signs and crosswalks and pavement markings, Accessible Pedestrian Signal buttons and upgrade controllers and ped signal head mounts along Main St at East San Francisco Street, West Valley Road and Commercial Street.
Mendocino County: Upgrades and replaces existing guardrails and end treatments along roadway segments on East Side Potter Valley Road, Point Cabrillo Drive, Babcock Lane, Primrose Drive and Comptche-Ukiah Road.
Mendocino County: Installation of advance curve warning signs, pedestrian sidewalks, pathways and crossing improvements at Branscomb Road, Kenny Creek Road, Eastside Calpella Road/Marina Drive-Route 20 on/off ramp, Comptche Ukiah Road/Route 1-Mendocino Headlands State Park, Mountain View Road between Manchester and Boonville, Crawford Road, Foothill Blvd, and South State Street, Laws Avenue and Beacon Lane.
Mendocino County: Installation and upgrade of regulatory and warning signs with fluorescent sheeting and the installation of curve signs on horizontal curves, delineators, reflectors, and object markers on roadway segments along Branscomb Road, Eastside Calpella Road, North and South State Street, Sherwood Road, Comptche Ukiah Road, Simpson Lane, Vichy Springs Road, Valley Road, Mountain View Road, Pudding Creek Road, Eel River Road and Henderson Lane.
Fort Bragg: Install and upgrade larger stop signs along with intersection warning and regulatory signs, and upgrade pedestrian crossings improvements with enhanced safety features including rectangular rapid flashing beacons at Route 20 at Boatyard Drive, Route 1 at Pine Street, Pudding Creek, at Noyo Point/Harbor and Harold at Oak.
Fort Bragg: Pedestrian safety improvements including high visibility crosswalks, bulb-outs, warning signs and ADA curb ramps at nine intersections and connecting segments on Harold Street between Fir Street and Maple Street.
"While Caltrans continues to prioritize safety and sustainability on state highways, the Department also recognizes the importance of the local roads connected to those highways," said Caltrans District 1 Director Matt Brady. "We're excited to serve a role in helping to fund these improvements for counties and incorporated areas in Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino and Lake counties."
A total of 282 projects from 155 local agencies will receive HSIP funds for safety enhancements that include pedestrian crossing enhancements, bike safety improvements and new traffic signals, roundabouts, turn lanes, rumble strips and guardrails. Caltrans awards these grants every other year to cities, counties and tribal governments.
Caltrans is using the Safe System approach — which emphasizes multiple layers of protection, including safer road designs — to achieve its goal of reducing to zero the number of fatalities and serious injuries on state roadways by 2050.
Caltrans’ adoption of the Safe System approach builds on its ongoing work to embed safety in the state’s transportation system, and for that reason all transportation projects the department funds or oversees now must include “complete street” features that provide safe and accessible options for people walking, biking and taking transit.
More information on the program is available at Caltrans’ HSIP page, including a full list of approved projects.
Cymie Payne, Rutgers University and Robert Blasiak, Stockholm University
It may come as a surprise to fellow land-dwellers, but the ocean actually accounts for most of the habitable space on our planet. Yet a big chunk of it has been left largely unmanaged. It’s a vast global common resource, and the focus of a new treaty called the biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement.
For 15 years, UN member states have been negotiating rules that will apply to the ocean lying more than 200 nautical miles from coastlines, including the seabed and the air space above, referred to as the “high seas”.
Covering nearly half the Earth’s surface, the high seas are shared by all nations under international law, with equal rights to navigate, fish and conduct scientific research. Until now, only a small number of states have taken advantage of these opportunities.
This new agreement is supposed to help more countries get involved by creating rules for more fairly sharing the rewards from new fields of scientific discovery. This includes assisting developing countries with research funding and the transfer of technology.
Countries that join the treaty must also ensure that they properly assess and mitigate any environmental impacts from vessels or aircraft in the high seas under their jurisdiction. This will be especially relevant for novel activities like removing plastic.
Once at least 60 states have ratified the agreement (this may take three years or more), it will be possible to establish marine protected areas (MPAs) in high sea locations of special value.
This could protect unique ecosystems like the Sargasso Sea: a refuge of floating seaweed bounded by ocean currents in the north Atlantic which offers breeding habitat for countless rare species. By restricting what can happen at these sites, MPAs can help marine life persevere against climate change, acidification, pollution and fishing.
There are obstacles to all nations participating in the shared enjoyment and protection of the high seas, even with this new treaty. Nations joining the new agreement will need to work with existing global organisations such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which regulates shipping, as well as regional fisheries management organisations.
The new treaty encourages consultation and cooperation with existing bodies, but states will need to balance their commitments with those made under other agreements. Already, some departments within governments work against each other when implementing broad, international treaties. For example, one division may chafe at greenhouse gas pollution regulations imposed at the IMO while a sister agency advocates for more stringent climate change measures elsewhere.
A new research frontier
A key element of the new treaty addresses the disproportionate ability of developed countries to benefit from the scientific knowledge and commercial products derived from genetic samples taken from the high seas. More than 40 years ago, when the law of the sea convention was being negotiated, the same issue arose over seabed minerals in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Industrialised nations had the technology to explore and intended to eventually mine these minerals, while developing countries did not. At that time, nations agreed that these resources were part of the “common heritage of humankind” and created the International Seabed Authority to manage a shared regime for exploiting them.
The extreme conditions for life in the open ocean have nurtured a rich diversity of survival strategies, from the bacteria that thrive in the extremely hot hydrothermal vents of the deep sea to icefish that breed in the intense cold of the Southern Ocean off Antarctica. These life forms carry potentially valuable information in their genes, known as marine genetic resources.
This new agreement provides developing states, whether coastal or landlocked, with rights to the benefits of marine genetic resources. It does not establish an administrative body comparable to that created for seabed mining, however. Instead, non-monetary benefits, such as access to samples and digital sequence information, will be shared and researchers from all countries will be able to study them for free.
Economic inequality between countries will still determine who can access these samples to a large extent, and sharing DNA sequencing data will be further complicated by the convention on biological diversity, another global treaty. The BBNJ agreement will establish a financial mechanism for sharing the monetary benefits of marine genetic resources, though experts involved in the negotiations are still parsing what it will eventually look like.
The best hope for robust marine protected areas and equitable use of marine genetic resources lies in rapid implementation of the BBNJ agreement. But making it effective will depend on how its provisions are interpreted in each country and what rules of procedure are established. In many ways, the hard work is beginning.
Although areas beyond national jurisdiction are remote for most people they generate the air you breathe, the food you eat and moderate the climate. Life exists throughout the ocean, from the surface to the seabed. Ensuring it benefits everyone living today, as well as future generations, will depend on this next phase of implementing the historic treaty.
CLEARLAKE, Calif. — There are many dogs continuing to wait for homes at Clearlake Animal Control.
There currently are 33 adoptable dogs at the shelter available to be adopted into new homes.
They include “Chogi,” a pit bull terrier mix, and “Evie,” a female German shepherd mix.
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.
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.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The National Weather Service has placed Lake County under a flood watch due to more rain in the forecast.
The flood watch will remain in effect until 10 p.m. Friday.
National Weather Service observation stations showed that more than 2 inches of rain fell in parts of Lake County on Thursday.
Heavy rain fell late Thursday night in areas including the Northshore.
Another inch and a half of rain could fall through Sunday night, the forecast said, and still more rain is predicted through next weekend.
Windy conditions also are in the forecast through Sunday, with gusts of up to 30 miles per hour.
Daytime conditions this week see temperatures topping out in the low 50s, with nighttime temperatures into the high 30s.
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.