LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Lake County Animal Care and Control has dogs of many ages and types ready for new homes this week.
Dogs available for adoption this week include mixes of Anatolian shepherd, Belgian malinois, border collie, Dogo Argentino, German shepherd, Great Pyrenees, mastiff and pit bull.
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.
Male German shepherd puppy
This 2-month-old male German shepherd puppy has a black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 31a, ID No. LCAC-A-5784.
Male Great Pyrenees
This 1 and a half year old male Great Pyrenees has a white coat.
He is in kennel No. 3, ID No. LCAC-A-5469.
‘Jake’
“Jake” is a 3-year-old male Anatolian shepherd-mastiff mix with a short fawn coat.
He is in kennel No. 5, ID No. LCAC-A-5276.
‘Roasie’
“Roasie”is a 2-year-old female pit bull terrier with a short black and white coat.
She is in kennel No. 7, ID No. LCAC-A-5434.
Male border collie
This 1-year-old male border collie has a black and white coat.
He is in kennel No. 9, ID No. LCAC-A-5643.
Female German shepherd
This 2-year-old female German shepherd has a black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 12, ID No. LCAC-A-5488.
Female shepherd mix puppy
This 6-month-old female shepherd mix puppy has a short tricolor coat.
She is in kennel No. 15, ID No. LCAC-A-5659.
‘Zeta’
“Zeta” is a 1-year-old female pit bull terrier with a black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 16, ID No. LCAC-A-5427.
Female Dogo Argentino
This 3-year-old female Dogo Argentino has a short white coat.
She is in kennel No. 18, ID No. LCAC-A-5729.
Male pit bull
This 1-year-old male pit bull has a short brindle coat.
He is in kennel No. 21, ID No. LCAC-A-5616.
Male shepherd
This 2-year-old male shepherd has a black and tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 22, ID No. LCAC-A-5423.
Male pit bull terrier
This 1-year-old male pit bull terrier has a short tan coat.
He is in kennel No. 25, ID No. LCAC-A-5628.
Male shepherd
This 1 and a half year old male shepherd has a short tricolor coat.
He is in kennel No. 26, ID No. LCAC-A-5424.
Female German shepherd
This 7-year-old female German shepherd has a black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 30, ID No. LCAC-A-5629.
‘Nana’
“Nana” is a 2-year-old female shepherd mix with a short yellow coat.
She is in kennel No. 33, ID No. LCAC-A-5277.
‘Dory’
“Dory” is a 1-year-old female German shepherd-Belgian malinois with a black and tan coat.
She is in kennel No. 34, ID No. LCAC-A-5323.
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.
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Rotary Club of Lakeport reported that its recent fundraiser to help those impacted by the fires in Maui was a “remarkable” success.
The event took place on Wednesday at Wine in the Willows in downtown Lakeport.
It not only brought the community together in a spirit of camaraderie but also raised over $3,500 in funds to support those affected by the devastating Maui fires.
The Rotary Club of Lakeport extends heartfelt gratitude to everyone who generously contributed to the Maui Fire Fund.
This outpouring of support is a testament to the incredible unity and compassion of the Lakeport community.
These funds will play a vital role in aiding the recovery and relief efforts for those affected by the fire's impact.
A significant highlight of the event was the silent auction, where an array of unique items and experiences were generously donated by local businesses and individuals.
The Rotary Club of Lakeport would like to express sincere appreciation to the following donors for their invaluable contributions to the silent auction:
• Chasewater Wines; • Lake County Theatre Co.; • Clear Lake High School Culinary Department; • Herb Lingl; • Management Connections; • Anna Sabalone; • Flowers By Jackie; • Tanner Mansell; • Fixin' It Up With Sandra; • Flawless Skin; • Lucci Art; • Back Stage Magazine; • Brassfield Winery; • Scully Packing Co.; • Boatique Winery; • Gail Salituri; • Ripe Choice Farm and Catering; • Tom and Ruth Lincoln; • R Vineyards; • John Zirelli.
Their commitment to supporting the community and their willingness to contribute to the auction played a significant role in the event's success. Their generosity embodies the spirit of cooperation and empathy that Lakeport stands for, Rotary leadership said.
Wine in the Willows prepared a sumptuous charcuterie board for the benefit’s guests to enjoy in addition to offering beverage sales.
In addition to the generous contributions generated by the silent auction, Cinamon Vann, owner of the wine bar and community gathering place, contributed all tips plus 20% of the evening's sales to the Maui Fire Fund.
The Rotary Club of Lakeport looks forward to continuing its mission of service and giving back to the community. The success of this fundraising event further emphasizes the positive impact that collective efforts can achieve.
For more information about the Rotary Club of Lakeport and its upcoming activities, please visit www.lakeportrotary.org.
The Rotary Club of Lakeport is a dedicated group of individuals committed to making a positive difference in the greater Lakeport community.
Through various projects and events, the club aims to create a lasting impact in areas such as education, healthcare, and disaster relief.
Robyn Harris, Amber Hennessy, Ava Mckain and Mercera Silva
Do you ever wonder how daily resources — lights at the flick of a switch, flowing water at the turn of a tap or irrigation to grow fresh produce — arrive in our homes and stores?
Chances are you live in an area where the natural resources you use are provided by a special district government that manages one or more of these vital services.
The U.S. Census Bureau has released the 2022 Census of Governments — Organization, a compilation of the total count and types of all local governments, including special districts, in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
The Census Bureau classifies local governments (primarily funded by taxpayer dollars) as either general purpose (counties, municipalities, and townships) or special purpose (independent school districts and special district governments).
Special district governments operate independently from your local county or municipality. They have the legal power to collect their own tax revenues necessary to provide services that benefit our communities, such as irrigation, water treatment, and soil and water conservation.
What are natural resources special districts?
While special districts cover a wide range of services for the public sector, let’s explore those like water supply and flood control that conserve, promote and develop natural resources.
How many natural resources special districts were there in 2022?
The 2022 Census of Governments — Organization publication shows that 16,020 or 41% of the nation’s 39,555 special district governments in 2022 supported parts of the economy related to natural resources.
In comparison, there were fewer (38,542) special district governments in 2017 but slightly more (16,145) devoted to natural resources.
In general, the number of natural resources special districts remained relatively consistent over the five-year period.
Everyone can appreciate that irrigation and proper water management are critical functions for stable agriculture. The Census of Governments captures several types of these special districts that you may not be aware of, some unique to a geographic region.
• Acequias (ah-SAY-kee-Yuhs):
In the U.S. Southwest, specifically in southern Colorado and parts of New Mexico, acequias are vital to communities’ water operations.
Acequias are special district governments that are community-operated irrigation canals which provide water for domestic and industrial use. Each community that borders an acequia is entitled to use the water and commits to provide the regular maintenance and repairs. An acequia commission (led by a superintendent or mayordomo) oversees the acequia’s operations of the acequia and distribution of the water.
The hydrology of acequias benefits ecological health and farming production and maintains groundwater levels. They are the oldest water management system in the United States. The Census Bureau typically classifies these as drainage or irrigation districts.
• Tax ditch districts:
Prevalent on the East Coast, particularly in Delaware and Maryland, tax ditch districts are another type of natural resources special district that oversee drainage of agricultural lands and water management for resource conservation purposes.
The Census of Governments counts over 200 tax ditch districts in Delaware, ranging in size from a small two-acre system in Wilmington to 56,000 acres in west central Delaware. These districts manage over 2,000 miles of water channels and provide benefits to over 100,000 people, according to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.
More information
Government Organization tables provide information about the number of active local governments by type, function, and by state. The data published in August 2023 includes 11 tables of data on local government counts from the 2022 Census of Governments.
Coming in Spring 2024, the Census Bureau will release detailed descriptions of the responsibilities and authorities of local governments in each state and the District of Columbia in the 2022 Individual State Descriptions report.
Robyn Harris, Amber Hennessy, Ava Mckain and Mercera Silva are survey statisticians in the Census Bureau’s Public Sector Frame and Classification Branch.
With the start of a new school year comes the inevitable battle to get kids back into a healthy bedtime routine. In many cases, this likely means resetting boundaries on screen use, especially late in the evenings. But imposing and enforcing those rules can be easier said than done.
And it is a vicious cycle: Both a lack of sleep and the heightened activity involved in the consumption of social media and video games before bedtime can exacerbate or even trigger anxiety and depression that warrant intervention.
I am the lead physician of the sleep center at Seattle Children’s Hospital, where I study various pediatric sleep disorders. Our team of physicians and providers routinely observe firsthand the negative effects of excessive screen time, and particularly social media, both of which affect not only sleep, but also the physical and mental health of our patients.
Relationship between mental health and poor sleep
Research has long shown a clear relationship between mental health and sleep: Poor sleep can lead to poor mental health and vice versa. People with depression and anxiety commonly haveinsomnia, a condition in which people have trouble falling or staying asleep, or both, or getting refreshing sleep. That ongoing sleep deprivation further worsens the very depression and anxiety that caused the insomnia in the first place.
What’s more, insomnia and poor-quality sleep may also blunt the benefits of therapy and medication. At its worst, chronic sleep deprivation increases the risk of suicide. One study found that just one hour less sleep during the week was associated with “significantly greater odds of feeling hopeless, seriously considering suicide, suicide attempts and substance use.”
And what do young people do when lying in bed awake, frustrated and unable to sleep? You guessed it – far too often, they get on their smart devices.
Studies across the world in over 120,000 youth ages 6 to 18 who engage in any sort of social media have repeatedly shown worsened quality and decreased quantity of sleep. This is happening across the globe, not just in the U.S.
When melatonin release is inhibited by staring at a lit device near bedtime, falling asleep becomes more challenging. For some people, melatonin supplements can help with inducing sleep. However, supplements cannot overcome the highly stimulating powers of internet content and light.
Third, and perhaps most problematic, is the content that young people are consuming. Taking in fast-paced imagery like that found on TikTok or video games before bedtime is disruptive because the brain and body are highly stimulated by these exposures, and require time to settle back into a state that is conducive to sleep.
But it’s not just the speed of the imagery flitting by. Media content can disrupt both nondream and dream sleep. Have you ever fallen asleep watching a disturbing thriller or a horror movie and had scenes from that movie enter your dreams? And it’s not just dreams that are affected – the brain also may not sustain deep nondream sleep since it is still processing those fast-paced images. These intrusions in your sleep can be very disruptive to overall quality and quantity of sleep.
Worst of all, social media can contribute to FOMO – short for the fear of missing out. This can occur when a teen becomes enmeshed with an influencer or role model through posts, reels and stories, all of which are cultivated to reflect unrealistic perfection, not reality.
Making sleep a high priority is a cornerstone of overall health and mental health, and it is also key to staying alert and attentive during the school day.
So what can be done to pry teens and tweens away from their screens? Keeping goals realistic is key, and sometimes it is helpful to start by focusing on just one goal.
Parents need to prioritize sleep for the entire household and model good screen time habits. Caregivers too often send mixed messages around screen time use, given their own bad habits.
When it comes to digital media, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends avoiding screens for at least an hour before going to bed and not sleeping with devices in the bedroom.
For older kids who have homework to do online, avoiding screen use right before bedtime can feel next to impossible. What’s more, this rule tends to lead to covert use of electronic devices.
So if one hour before bedtime is too stringent, then start by avoiding media for even 15 or 30 minutes prior to going to sleep. Or if some media is needed as a compromise, try watching something passive, like TV, rather than engaging in social media apps like Snapchat.
Remember that not everything has to be done all at once – incremental changes can make a big difference over time.
The California state auditor has removed the state’s transportation infrastructure from its “high-risk list” after 16 years in recognition of the progress California has made in rebuilding and upgrading the state transportation system in recent years.
“The auditor’s findings are a testament to the substantial progress Caltrans, the California Transportation Commission and our partners have made as we work together to improve and rebuild our state’s critical transportation infrastructure,” said California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin. “This progress has been especially noteworthy since the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 — landmark legislation that ushered in a new era of infrastructure investment to rebuild California.”
Omishakin added, “Our elected officials and the people of California entrusted us with their hard-earned tax dollars to upgrade the state’s aging infrastructure, and we have delivered and will continue to make good on that trust. Coupled with Gov. Newsom’s infrastructure streamlining package and a $15 billion investment in clean transportation infrastructure, along with recent increased federal infrastructure funding, our state is in an incredible and unique position to keep making progress and accelerate our transition to a cleaner, safer, more equitable and more connected transportation system that benefits all Californians.”
The auditor first designated California’s deteriorating transportation infrastructure as a high-risk issue in May 2007, noting at the time that a long-term stable funding source was needed to address maintaining and upgrading the state’s aging roads and bridges, reduce traffic delays, improve goods movement, and increase options for transit, intercity rail and active transportation like walking and biking.
That all changed with the passage of SB 1, which provides more than $5 billion in transportation funding annually that is shared about equally between state and local agencies. SB 1 represented the first significant, stable and ongoing increase in state transportation funding in more than two decades.
To date, California has invested $18.3 billion in SB 1 funding in more than 10,000 projects in communities throughout the state, creating more than 237,000 jobs.
As the auditor notes, keeping California’s transportation infrastructure in good repair is important because it enhances safety and maintains the usable life of critical state assets, which currently consists of 50,000 lane miles of pavement, 13,200 bridges, 213,000 culverts and drainage facilities, and nearly 21,000 transportation management system elements (changeable message signs, meters, etc.).
Caltrans already has exceeded the 10-year SB 1 targets in three of the four primary infrastructure targets and is making substantial progress on the fourth. Since the start of SB 1, Caltrans has:
• Enhanced pavement on nearly 15,000 lane miles on the state highway system so 99% of pavement is in good or fair condition – above the SB 1 goal of 98% by 2027. • Fixed 1,512 bridges — more than doubling the number of structures repaired annually and already surpassing the SB 1 goal of 500 additional bridges restored by 2027. • Repaired 578,285 linear feet of culverts — a more than three-fold increase from pre-SB 1 levels — and cleaned more than 1.6 million linear feet of culverts so 90% of drainage systems on the state highway network are now in good or fair condition, in line with SB 1’s 10-year goal. • Added or repaired nearly 6,200 traffic management system elements, with 77% currently in good or fair condition and on track to reach the SB 1 target of 90% in good condition by 2027.
To leverage this notable progress in upgrading and rebuilding the state’s critical infrastructure, Gov. Newsom signed a $15 billion clean transportation infrastructure package as part of the 2022-23 state budget to further the state’s ambitious climate goals.
These historic multiyear investments are improving and expanding transit and passenger rail service throughout the state, increasing safe walking and biking options, making key safety improvements that will save lives, reconnecting communities, continuing progress on the nation’s first electrified high-speed rail line, and upgrading the state’s supply chain infrastructure to support a more efficient, sustainable and resilient goods movement system.
In addition to these historic state investments, California is receiving an influx of federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Also known as the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” this represents a once-in-a-generation federal investment in the nation’s infrastructure to improve the sustainability and resiliency of the country’s energy, water, broadband and transportation systems.
Since November 2021, California has received more than $22 billion in federal infrastructure funding.
That includes nearly $16 billion in federal transportation funding to upgrade the state’s roads, bridges, rail, public transit, airports, electric vehicle charging network, ports and waterways.
These transportation investments alone have already created nearly 48,000 jobs.
To review the latest news and information on state and federal infrastructure investments, visit RebuildingCA.ca.gov, which contains data on the increased funding. Website visitors can learn more about the different state and federal infrastructure programs, track the amount of funding California is receiving, and find projects on an updated interactive map.
A native of China, Pan has lived in the United States since 1985, pursuing his masters and doctoral degrees and holding leadership positions in colleges in Florida, Arizona and, most recently, Washington — where he was chancellor of the Seattle Community Colleges — before making his way to California.
He now presides over the Yuba Community College District, which crosses eight counties and serves an estimated 13,000 students at its Yuba College and Woodland Community College campuses.
Lake County’s campus, in Clearlake, is under Woodland Community College.
That’s where the reception for Pan took place on Wednesday afternoon.
Dignitaries and officials on hand to celebrate Pan at the event included Supervisor Bruno Sabatier; Dr. Santanu Bandyopadhyay, president of Woodland Community College; Ingrid Larsen, dean of the Lake County Campus; Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenburg; Clearlake City Councilman Dirk Slooten; and college district board member Doug Harris and President Juan Delgado.
Dr. Pan thanked everyone for coming and honoring him, noting that it speaks of their love and support for the campus.
“It is clear to me what this campus means to the county, to the city, to this region,” Pan said, adding that listening to stories from community members about their experiences with the campus gave him goose bumps.
Community colleges in America are a rare innovation, Pan said.
He explained that after World War II, veterans returning home led to the need to create a new higher educational system for those who weren’t served well in the nation’s traditional — and, in some ways, racist — higher education system. That changed America, where at one point a new college was emerging every week.
Pan said he was grateful to the college district trustees for selecting him as the next chancellor. “This is a rare opportunity for me to continue my love for community college.”
He shared his experiences growing up in China. His father was the only one in the family who had a college degree, and because he had been dubbed an anti-communist, his children struggled to get an education.
Pan said that he was excluded from many things because of how the government targeted his father. Despite his challenges, he was a very good student and would go on to become the first person in his family to get a college degree.
Although he was a good high school student, Pan said he was unsure of himself, and the government determined to send him to the countryside to be a farmer for the rest of his life.
However, thanks to China opening up, Pan was able to come to the United States, where community colleges resonated with him. His two sons, born in the United States, excelled in community college — he said it changed their lives — while they had struggled in university.
Community college is a gateway and equalizer for counties like Lake, Colusa and the other rural counties the district serves, he said.
Pan said they want to be mission centered, and find how to provide training and education that allows those who have historically been underserved to have the equal opportunity to excel and to break the cycle of poverty.
The Lake County Campus, Pan said, “has an important role to play.”
He said he wants to collaborate with community leaders. “We want to be innovative. We have to be responsive, agile, adaptive” to the needs of the county and community.
Pan said the college wants to be sustainable and needs more resources. Still, with its limited resources, he said they need to focus on students and their future.
“I look forward to continuing to come to this county, to this city, to collaborate with you,” and to explore possibilities to serve students and taxpayers well, Pan said.
By honoring him, they are honoring higher education and the campus, Pan said.
The biography of Dr. Pan provided at the event follows in its entirety.
Shouan Pan, Ph.D.
Chancellor, Yuba Community College District
Dr. Shouan Pan comes to the Yuba Community College District from Washington, where he served as chancellor of the Seattle Community Colleges. During his tenure in Seattle, Dr. Pan led the integration of HR, web services, eLearning, IT, international education, corporate training, and initiated the Seattle Promise program that is recognized nationally as a model of equitable student success. Under his leadership, the Seattle Colleges Foundation raised a record amount of funds in support of students, and Equity Diversity and Inclusion priorities. In concert with community partners, the Seattle Community Colleges initiated five no-credit micro-pathway programs, new associate degrees in Fire Sciences, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science.
Before leading Seattle Community Colleges, Dr. Pan served as President of Mesa Community College; Provost of Broward College-South Campus; Executive Dean of Instruction and Student Services at Florida State College, Jacksonville; Dean of Student Life at Community College of Philadelphia; and Assistant Professor of Educational Psychology, and Recruitment and Retention Administrator at Northern Arizona University.
Dr. Pan centers his leadership practices on fulfilling the community college mission and promoting student and community success. He places emphasis on working with the Board of Trustees, institutional and community stakeholders in formulating a common vision and building consensus on strategic decisions. His success is evidenced in a strong track record of improving student success; building partnerships with educational institutions, businesses, and civic organizations to further institutional goals and community economic development; and securing external resources.
He has been active in higher education at local, state, and national levels, including membership in the American Association of Community Colleges, and the Association of Community College Trustees. He has served on the boards of the National Asian Pacific Islander Council, Campus Compact, Chair Academy, and Economic Development Council of Seattle and King County. He has received honors and awards from organizations including, the League for Innovation in Community Colleges, Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, and the Mesa MLK Jr. Celebration Committee. Born and raised in China, Dr. Pan immigrated to the United States in 1985.
He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education from Iowa State University, a Master of Education from Colorado State, and a Bachelor of Arts from Hefei Polytechnic University, RP China.
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.
NASA has selected the geology team that will develop the surface science plan for the first crewed lunar landing mission in more than 50 years. NASA’s Artemis III mission will land astronauts, including the first woman to land on the Moon, near the lunar South Pole to advance scientific discovery and pave the way for long-term lunar exploration.
“Science is one of the pillars of Artemis,” said Dr. Nicky Fox, NASA Science Associate Administrator. “This team will be responsible for leading the geology planning for humanity’s first return to the lunar surface in more than 50 years, ensuring that we maximize the science return of Artemis and grow in our understanding of our nearest celestial neighbor.”
The Artemis III Geology Team, led by principal investigator Dr. Brett Denevi of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, will work with the agency to determine the mission’s geological science objectives and design the geology surface campaign that the Artemis astronauts will carry out on the Moon during this historic mission. These objectives will be defined in accordance with the established Artemis science priorities.
“Selecting this team marks an important step in our efforts to optimize the science return of Artemis III. This team of well-respected lunar scientists has demonstrated experience with science operations, sample analysis, and operational flexibility, all of which is critical for the successful incorporation of science during Artemis III,” said Dr. Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “With the establishment of the Artemis III Geology Team, we are ensuring that NASA will build a strong lunar science program.”
The other co-investigators on the Artemis III Geology Team are:
• Dr. Lauren Edgar (deputy principal investigator), U.S. Geological Survey in Reston, Virginia; • Dr. Bradley Jolliff, Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri; • Dr. Caleb Fassett, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland; • Dr. Dana Hurley, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland; • Dr. Gordon Osinski, University of Western Ontario in London; • Dr. Jennifer Heldmann, NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California; • Dr. Jose Hurtado, University of Texas at El Paso; • Dr. Juliane Gross, Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey; • Dr. Katherine Joy, University of Manchester in the United Kingdom; • Dr. Mark Robinson, Arizona State University in Tempe; • Dr. Yang Liu, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
The Geology Team’s focus will be to plan the Artemis III astronauts’ science activities during their moonwalks, which will include field geology traverses, observations, and the collection of lunar samples, imagery, and scientific measurements.
The team will also support the real-time documentation and initial assessment of scientific data during astronaut lunar operations. Members will then evaluate the data returned by the mission, including preliminary examination and cataloguing of the first lunar samples collected by NASA since 1972.
“The Artemis III Geology Team will have the unique opportunity to analyze the first-ever samples from the lunar south pole region, helping us not only to unlock new information about the formation of our Solar System, but also with planning for future Artemis missions and establishing a long-term lunar presence,” said Jim Free, associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate.
The collection of samples and data from this region, which contains some of the oldest parts of the Moon, estimated to be at least 3.85 billion years old, will help scientists better understand fundamental planetary processes that operate across the solar system and beyond.
The resulting analysis from the geology team’s activities could also help yield important information about the depth, distribution, and composition of ice at the Moon’s South Pole.
This information is valuable from both a scientific and a resource perspective because oxygen and hydrogen can be extracted from lunar ice to be used for life support systems and fuel.
The team, which was chosen through a dual-anonymous peer review process, will have a budget of $5.1 million to lead the geology for Artemis III.
The members of this geology team are part of the broader Artemis Science Team and will work in coordination with Artemis III Project Scientist, Dr. Noah Petro, and the NASA Artemis Internal Science Team, as well as participating scientists, and deployed payload teams that will be selected from future or ongoing competitive solicitations.
Through Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, establishing a long-term, sustainable lunar presence to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before and prepare for future astronaut missions to Mars.
A video showing a close encounter between a hiker in Utah and a mountain lion defending her cubs went viral in 2020. The video, during which the hiker remained calm as the mountain lion followed him for several minutes, served as a visceral reminder that sharing the land with carnivores can be a complicated affair.
For conservation scientists like me, it also underscored that Americans have a fraught relationship with large carnivores like wolves, bears and mountain lions. My colleagues and I have proposed a federal policy that, when combined with other initiatives, could allow for sustainable coexistence between people and carnivores.
Major state and federal government efforts are underway to reintroduce grizzly bears to the Northern Cascades and gray wolves to Colorado. These are places where stable populations of these animals have not roamed for many decades.
More human development and, in some cases, expanding carnivore populations have led to more encounters between humans and carnivores. Coyote attacks on pets are more common, alligator bites are on the rise in some regions, and the killing of livestock by wolves has spread.
To manage these risks, people too often default to the widespread killing of carnivores. In 2021 alone, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services euthanized nearly 70,000 bears, wolves, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes and foxes.
In the same year, controversial laws passed in Idaho and Montana that substantially reduced wolf numbers because people perceive these animals as risks to livestock production and game species hunting.
Thousands of animals die every year in wildlife killing contests that often target carnivores such as coyotes and bobcats. These contests are legal in more than 40 U.S. states – under the guise that they help with wildlife management and protect livestock.
Instead, coexisting with carnivores can benefit both carnivores and people. For example, the presence of wolves and mountain lions lowers the frequency of vehicle collisions with deer, saving money and human lives. Foxes, likewise, reduce an abundance of small mammals that carry ticks, likely reducing cases of Lyme disease in humans. Sea otters maintain healthy kelp forests that support tourism and fisheries and capture carbon.
However, the U.S. has no unified approach for making interactions with carnivores more peaceful in the spaces that people share with them. Shared spaces – like multiuse forests and grasslands, coastlines, croplands and even cities – constitute over 70% of the continental U.S. by one estimate.
A federal policy like the one my colleagues and I propose that sets goals for sharing spaces with carnivores could allow for coexistence between people and carnivores while also recognizing local priorities.
While much of wildlife management takes place at the state level, having a federal policy framework could provide resources and incentives for states and communities to adopt specific coexistence strategies relevant to the carnivores in their area.
Large-scale policy goals may include lowering conflicts, increasing human tolerance to risks and fostering self-sustaining carnivore populations.
Coexistence strategies should prioritize using proven, nonlethal deterrence methods such as properly disposing of trash or other attractants, bringing pets inside, erecting barriers to separate livestock from carnivores in risky places and times, and working with guard animals such as dogs that are trained to protect herds from carnivores. These strategies not only reduce carnivores’ impact on human property and well-being but also facilitate carnivore recovery.
Several local projects demonstrate that nonlethal deterrence programs work. In Montana’s Blackfoot watershed, natural resource managers and local residents coordinate the disposal of livestock carcasses away from ranches. This prevents grizzlies and wolves from approaching the ranches.
The city of Durango, Colorado, has supplied its residents with automatically locking bear-resistant trash containers. These containers keep bears from damaging property or scaring residents while looking for food in them. A study found that these new trash containers reduced trash-related conflicts with bears by 60%.
Negative encounters with carnivores still occur in these cases, but now that the communities are collectively adapting to them, they are less severe. And these carnivores are less likely to be euthanized.
Some states are also taking incremental steps toward coexistence. For example, to reduce animal suffering, New Mexico passed the Wildlife Conservation and Public Safety Act in 2021 that bans the use of a trap, snare or poison to kill an animal on public land.
In 2023, Maryland and Colorado authorized provisions that help fund provisions to prevent lethal encounters with black bears and gray wolves, respectively.
A broader coexistence framework
These local and state-level successes are encouraging, but not enough to address the issue at a broader, national scale. A federal coexistence policy could harness the insights from these individual communities’ coexistence efforts and encourage other communities to adopt these techniques.
For example, members of universities, businesses, tribes, government and nongovernmental organizations and the public could come together at regional coexistence workshops to showcase their coexistence actions, receive support for new ideas and share tools and best practices.
A federal policy could allow states and communities to try out high-risk, high-reward initiatives, like Pay for Presence programs. One such program, established in northern Mexico near the U.S. border in 2007, compensates landowners for the documented presence of jaguars on their properties.
A federal policy might also facilitate the adoption of market-based solutions like predator-friendly meats. The predator-friendly certification enables ranchers who do not use lethal predator control to sell their meat products at a premium price.
A federal coexistence policy could also support community outreach and education programs. Teaching communities about carnivore behavior can help them to avoid potentially risky situations, like jogging with a dog or leaving children unattended in mountain lion territory.
By reducing negative encounters, these programs can enhance the adoption of nonlethal coexistence strategies, foster more positive attitudes toward carnivores and share the benefits carnivores offer humans.
There are promising signs that the federal government and some states are starting to pay more attention to coexistence with carnivores. As the segment of the American public that views wildlife as deserving of rights and compassion grows, translating an ethic of coexistence into good policy could better align policy with public values.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — During the 2022-23 school year, 48% of chronically absent students in Lake County improved their attendance through the Communities for School Success program.
The Lake County Office of Education Communities for School Success program was implemented in partnership with Lake County school districts to address the high chronic absenteeism rates in Lake County schools.
“When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating,” said Lake County Superintendent of Schools Brock Falkenberg.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing two or more days of school, excused or unexcused, a month.
During the 2022-23 school year, the attendance liaisons contacted 915 K-12 Lake County students.
Of those students contacted, 75% returned to school within three days of a home visit. Less than half of the contacted students needed a second contact attempt.
Overall, 1,400 contacts or attempts were made by the attendance liaisons.
An attendance liaison is an individual who works directly with students to find solutions to improve their attendance rates. Each liaison is assigned to a single school district.
Barriers that are preventing regular school attendance include trauma, transportation, cultural differences or even students not finding school engaging or fun.
Attendance Liaisons held weekly Social Emotional Learning, or SEL, activities during the lunch break at schools. This was done to support connections between students and the community and to inspire students to want to be at school.
Angie DeMaria, a former Teacher at Terrace Middle School in Lakeport and now principal of Hance Community School, was responsible for implementing this program and overseeing a staff of seven Attendance Liaisons.
“I am proud of my staff and the work they have done to help Lake County students return to school. They not only gave students the resources they need to get to school but also gave students a sense of belonging,” DeMaria said.
This Learning Communities for School Success program is a partnership between LCOE and the Lake County school districts and is grant funded through the California Department of Education.
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — A head-on wreck near the Konocti Conservation Camp early Friday afternoon resulted in a fatality.
The crash occurred on Highway 29 near Diener Drive outside of Lower Lake just after noon, according to the California Highway Patrol’s Clear Lake Area office.
CHP Officer Efrain Cortez told Lake County News that a 52-year-old Kelseyville man died as a result of the wreck.
Reports from the scene indicated that a tractor trailer and a pickup truck collided, leaving one person trapped.
Shortly before 12:30 p.m., radio reports confirmed that one person had died and the second person involved was uninjured.
Cortez said he expected more information would become available over the weekend.
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.
I’m a macroeconomistwho’s interested in understanding how these space-related innovations and the growing role of private industry have affected the economy. Recently, the U.S. government started tracking the space economy’s size. These data can tell us the size of the space-related industry, whether its outputs come mainly from government or private enterprise, and how they have been growing relative to the economy at large.
The broad definition comprises four parts: things used in space, like rocket ships; items supporting space travel, like launch pads; things getting direct input from space, like cell phone GPS chips; and space education, like planetariums and college astrophysics departments.
In 2021, the broad definition showed that total space-related sales, or what the government calls gross output, was over US$210 billion, before adjusting for inflation. That number represents about 0.5% of the whole U.S. economy’s total gross output.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis also has a narrow definition that excludes satellite television, satellite radio and space education. The difference in definitions is important because back in 2012 these three categories represented one-quarter of all space spending. However, by 2021, they only represented one-eighth of spending because many people had switched from watching satellite TV to streaming movies and shows over the internet.
Using the broad definition and adjusting for inflation, the relative size of the space economy fell by about one-fifth from 2012 to 2021. This is because sales of space-related items – everything from rockets to satellite TV – have barely changed since 2015.
Using the narrow definition also shows the space economy is getting relatively smaller. From 2012 to 2021, the space sector’s inflation-adjusted gross output grew on average 3% a year, compared with 5% for the overall economy. This suggests space is not growing as fast as other economic sectors.
Space jobs
The number of jobs created by the space economy has also declined. In 2021, 360,000 people worked full- or part-time space-related jobs in the private sector, down from 372,000 about a decade earlier, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis could not track all space-related government jobs since spy agencies and parts of the military don’t provide much information. Nevertheless, it has tracked some since 2018. The military’s Space Force, which is the smallest branch, adds about 9,000 workers. NASA has about 18,000 employees, which is half of its 1960s peak.
Combining these government workers plus all private workers results in just under 400,000 people. To give some perspective, Amazon’s U.S. workforce is over twice as big and Walmart’s is four times bigger than reported U.S. space-related employment.
Growing competition in space
The U.S. has long dominated the space economy, especially in terms of government spending.
The U.S. government spent a little more than $40 billion in 2017, compared with about $3.5 billion spent by Japan and less than $2 billion by Russia.
Moreover, most of the top private space companies are based in the U.S., led by Boeing, SpaceX and Raytheon, which gives the U.S. a leg up in continuing to play a leading role with the rockets, satellites and other stuff needed to operate in space.
The U.S. has a strong foothold in space. But whether it can maintain its lead – as the space race moves into a new frontier of space mining and missions to Mars – remains to be seen.