The California Department of Public Health is reporting increased West Nile virus activity across the state and is investigating numerous suspect cases in humans.

While the first human case has not been confirmed by CDPH, a resident of Los Angeles County has symptoms consistent with West Nile virus disease. Initial tests on that patient indicate a probable West Nile virus diagnosis, which requires further testing for confirmation.

“Californians should take every possible precaution to avoid mosquito bites,” said CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Karen Smith. “Simple steps, like applying repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants in the early morning and evening, and draining standing water near your home can help to prevent bites from infected mosquitos.”

To date in 2016, West Nile virus has been detected in mosquitoes and birds in 30 California counties, including Lake County.

Approximately 600 dead birds and 896 mosquitoes sampled in California this year have been found to harbor the virus. In Lake County, two dead birds and four mosquito samples have tested positive, as Lake County News has reported.

West Nile virus is transmitted to humans and animals by the bite of an infected mosquito. The risk of serious illness to most people is low.

However, some individuals – less than 1 percent – can develop a serious neurologic illness such as encephalitis or meningitis.

People 50 years of age and older have a higher chance of getting sick and are more likely to develop complications. Recent data also indicate that people with diabetes and/or hypertension are at greatest risk for serious illness.

CDPH recommends that individuals prevent exposure to mosquito bites and West Nile virus by practicing the “Three Ds”:
 
– DEET: Apply insect repellent containing DEET, picaradin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 according to label instructions. Repellents keep mosquitoes from biting. DEET can be used safely on infants and children two months of age and older.
 
– DAWN AND DUSK: Mosquitoes bite in the early morning and evening, so it is important to wear proper clothing and repellent if outside during these times. Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens to keep out mosquitoes. Repair or replace screens with tears or holes.

– DRAIN: Mosquitoes lay their eggs on standing water. Eliminate or drain all sources of standing water around homes and properties, including buckets, old car tires, rain gutters, birdbaths, and pet bowls. If a swimming pool is not being properly maintained, please contact the local mosquito and vector control agency.

California’s West Nile virus Web site, http://www.westnile.ca.gov/ , includes the latest information on West Nile virus activity in the state.

Californians are encouraged to report all dead birds on the Web site or by calling toll-free 1-877-WNV-BIRD (968-2473).

LUCERNE, Calif. – Firefighters on Wednesday continued their efforts to fully contain a wildland fire in Lucerne.

The Foothill fire has burned a total of 69 acres, with containment rising to 90 percent by Wednesday evening, according to Suzie Blankenship, a fire prevention specialist with Cal Fire.

The fire began shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Foothill and Country Club drives, burning up along the Robinson Road area.

The incident came close to several homes, which had led to a limited number of brief evacuations on Tuesday evening that were lifted later that night, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Blankenship's report said firefighters saved three homes, with a dollar saved estimate of $550,000.

On Wednesday evening, four Cal Fire crews, seven engines, three water tenders and 100 personnel – three of them overhead/command staff – remained committed to the fire, Blankenship reported.

The Cal Fire crews and engines, plus a bulldozer and a helicopter, were busy in the fire's charred footprint on Wednesday afternoon.

Working alongside of the Cal Fire crews were US Forest Service units including the Elk Mountain Hotshots.

Firefighters on the ground cut trees, worked on hot spots and strengthened containment line.

The helicopter made repeated trips between the lake and the hillside with a bucket, dropping water in an area of trees where there still appeared to be a small amount of white smoke.

By day's end, Blankenship said heavy mop up work had begun within the fire perimeter.

Blankenship said fire crews will remain working on the fire line throughout the night, with a day shift of firefighters assigned to the incident on Thursday.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, Blankenship said.

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.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – As part of Cal Fire's Forest Legacy Program 15,620 acres are now protected from development under the Eel River Peninsula Conservation Project.

Three separate properties Summer Camp Ranch, Garcia Creek Ranch and Foster Mountain Ranch collectively make up the conservation easement.

Landowners are encouraged to continue to manage their natural resources for sustainable timber production harvesting, hunting, fishing, grazing, and recreation.
 
Conditions of the easement require sustained yield forestry which allows more time for trees to grow before harvesting, maintenance of the habitat for wildlife, especially the tule elk and Pacific fisher, and grazing plans that reduce flammable grasses while maintaining valuable grasslands.
 
These lands are home to the tule elk, which are found only in California, and their survival is paramount.

They are the most specialized elk in North America and inhabit oak woodlands and grasslands.

From an estimated historic population of 500 thousand, there were less than 50 by 1875. Today there are approximately 4,000 tule elk in 22 different herds.
 
Funding for this project was provided by and in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Cal Fire's Forest Legacy Program and the Wildlife Conservation Board.

The purchase of these working forest conservation easements was completed utilizing grant funding from the US Forest Service ($7 million), the Wildlife Conservation Board ($3.5 million) and a significant donation from the landowners.
 
Cal Fire has many years of experience with managing working forests conservation easements under its Forest Legacy Program and with the latest acquisition has now protected more than 100,000 acres.

Working forest conservation easements encourage active forest management, which can generate revenue needed to maintain intact forest tracts and prevent conversion to non-forest uses, increase growth, resilience, and health and protect wildlife while promoting carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The California Community Colleges Board of Governors approved the proposed transfer of territory from Redwoods Community College District to the Mendocino-Lake Community College District at its meeting on Monday.

As a result of this action, the coastal communities of Fort Bragg and the town of Mendocino along with the surrounding areas will be incorporated into the Mendocino-Lake Community College District on July 1, 2017.
 
The transfer of territory will allow the Mendocino-Lake Community College District to formally take charge of the programs and facilities in the service area and assure local residents the opportunity to attain a first rate education with exceptional support services close to their home.

“This is an incredibly exciting time for our district and the entire county,” said District Superintendent/President Arturo Reyes. “Our trustees had the vision and courage to believe in this idea and the strong support of our staff and faculty brought it to fruition. Now, we must partner with the coastal communities to ensure the Mendocino Coast Center becomes a thriving educational hub for the region.”
 
Mendocino College began offering courses at the instructional center on Del Mar Drive in Fort Bragg in the fall of 2014 under an agreement with the Redwood Community College District. Since then many new course offerings have been added and the class schedule continues to grow. 

With this transfer, Mendocino College will extend its high-quality and innovative instruction with individual attention to student needs in an inclusive and accessible learning environment to the coast.

As stated in its mission statement, Mendocino College truly “embraces its role as an intellectual, economic and cultural anchor” for the entire region.
 
Such a significant community college district transfer of territory has not taken place in California for over a quarter of a century.

This multifaceted and lengthy process required the complete support, attention, and collaboration of Mendocino College administrators, trustees, staff and faculty; the Mendocino County Office of Education; the Mendocino County Board of Education; the California Department of Education; the California Community College Chancellor’s Office staff; legal counsel; bond counsel; the Mendocino County Committee on School District Organization; Tom Henry and the College of the Redwoods team; and the Community College Board of Governors.

The district thanked these individuals for their participation, thoughtfulness and excitement in this endeavor.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST – Authorities have eradicated thousands of marijuana plants and half a ton of trash from an illegal grow site in the Mendocino National Forest.

During an aerial overflight of the Mendocino National Forest, a large complex of marijuana gardens were located in the Brisco Creek drainage approximately five miles south of Elk Creek, according to the  Glenn Interagency Narcotics Task Force.

On Monday, task force agents along with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office, US Forest Service and Fish and Game responded to the area to locate the plants. The agents were assisted by the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting.

During the operation, a total of 7,868 marijuana plants were found growing and eradicated from the drainage, officials reported.

In addition, the task force reported that it located and removed approximately 1,000 pounds of trash from the site. Agents also located one firearm.

The task force reported that it appeared that those responsible had been living in the drainage for the last couple months.

The growers were using a local creek to irrigate the illegal garden, had made small dams to contain the water, and removed trees and brush to plant the marijuana in, the task force said. The grow area covered about five to six acres.

Fertilizer also was being used in the garden which always has the potential to pollute the waterway, the task force said.

No arrests were made. The investigation into those responsible is continuing, the task force said.

LUCERNE, Calif. – Firefighters late Tuesday reached the halfway point in the effort to contain a wildland fire burning in the hills above Lucerne.

The Foothill fire was first reported at approximately 5:17 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Foothill and Country Club drives, according to Fire Captain Specialist Russell West of Cal Fire.

Agencies responding to the fire included Cal Fire, Northshore Fire, the United States Forest Service and the Lake County Sheriff Office, West said.

The fire extended up into the area's hillsides, where Cal Fire's air resources – including six air tankers and three helicopters – worked aggressively on it throughout the evening, according to reports from the scene.

Two helicopters, including Cal Fire's Copter 104, dropped water on the ground at the Marymount California University Lakeside Campus, known as “The Castle,” located on Country Club Drive, so they could land and stage at the building early Tuesday evening.

By nightfall, West said the fire had burned 60 acres of grass and brush, with forward progress stopped.

West reported late Tuesday that the incident was 50-percent contained.

Early in the incident, the sheriff's office had reported evacuating five homes. By the time of West's nighttime report, he said the structure threat had been mitigated and no evacuations or road closures were in place.

He said no structures were damaged in the fire.

Resources committed to the incident Tuesday night included 130 fire personnel, eight overhead/command personnel, 17 engine companies, four fire crews, two volunteer companies and two water tenders, according to West.

West said the fire's cause has not yet been determined.

The incident is the largest so far in the 2016 fire season.

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. – Mendo Lake Credit Union, in partnership with the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco WISH and IDEA programs, has announced the availability of down payment assistance opportunities aimed at helping first-time homebuyers.
 
The Workforce Initiative Subsidy for Homeownership Program, or WISH, and the Individual Development and Empowerment Account Program, or IDEA, incorporate matching grant provisions for lower-income individuals and families who are looking to make the move from renting to owning homes. 

“MLCU knows that accumulating the required down payment is one of the biggest roadblocks to homeownership for first time buyers. We are pleased to be offering funding that will help individuals and families become home owners for the first time,” said MLCU President and CEO Richard Cooper.
 
The programs include matching grants of up to $15,000 that are “forgivable loans.”

Once a five-year ownership period is reached, the loan (grant) is forgiven. If the home is sold or refinanced prior to the five-year retention period of the grant, a pro rata portion of the loan must be repaid.

Once enrolled in the WISH Program, members are required to close escrow within a year. Members enrolled in the IDEA Program have up to five years to close escrow but are also required to make saving deposits for 10 months throughout the length of the program into an IDA savings account.
 
To qualify for either program, individuals must meet eligibility requirements. Details about the grants and eligibility are available on the MLCU Website, www.mlcu.org , or from representatives at any of the four MLCU branches.

Additionally, interested individuals may call MLCU Mortgage Loan Manager Beth Brown at 707-467-4811.
 
Mendo Lake Credit Union is a member-owned community development financial cooperative and has been serving members’ financial needs since 1959. MLCU branches are located in Lakeport, Clearlake, Fort Bragg and Ukiah.

For more information on membership, contact the Mendo Lake Credit Union Member Service Center at 707-468-0161.