LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Parks and Recreation Commission will hold a regular meeting on Thursday, June 2.

The meeting will begin at 3 p.m. in the city hall conference room, 225 Park St.

Agenda items include a discussion of unisex restrooms for all park facilities and a presentation by Dennis Rollins on lease, development and grant information.

There also will be reports on Library Park, Westside Park and Westshore Pool.

Commissioners include Ann Blue, Suzanne Lyons, Adam Newall, Suzanne Russell and Cindy Ustrud.

Hunting with drones

Question: What laws apply to big game hunting with camera equipped, radio controlled, drone aircraft? (Terry B.)

Answer: The use of drones to hunt or pursue wildlife is prohibited in California.

“No person shall pursue, drive, herd, or take any bird or mammal from any type of motor-driven air or land vehicles, motorboat, airboat, sailboat, or snowmobile. Additionally, no person shall use any motorized, hot-air, or unpowered aircraft or other device capable of flight or any earth orbiting imaging device to locate or assist in locating big game mammals beginning 48 hours before and continuing until 48 hours after any big game hunting season in the same area” (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 251(a)).

The pursuit of birds and mammals by the use of any “motorized water, land or air vehicle” to “pursue, drive or herd any bird or mammal” is also prohibited, with limited exceptions that do not include hunting (Fish and Game Code, section 3003.5). (159)

Transporting legal black bass to my home?

Question: Is it permissible to catch a legal black bass, keep it alive while fishing, and then transport it alive to one's home? (Jim E.)

Answer: While on the water, you can keep the black bass alive either in your live well on the boat or on a stringer in the water from where it was taken.

However, you cannot then transport a live fish away from the waters where taken. Once you leave the water, all fish that you are taking with you must be dead (CCR Title 14, section 1.63).

Replacing abalone back to same rock?

Question: If an abalone diver takes a legal-sized abalone, is it legal for him to return it to the same rock if he does not remove more than three abalone during the day?

I know some divers that will dive for several hours and may “pop” one to three abalones without damaging them, and keep none of them, returning all of them to the rocks where they were removed.

I don’t think there is anything, technically, in the laws that prevents this, but maybe there should be. (Anonymous)

Answer: There is a law prohibiting this both for the health of the abalone and to prevent high-grading. All legal-sized abalone detached must be retained by the person who detaches it.

In addition, no undersize abalone may be retained in any person’s possession or under his control. Undersize abalone must be replaced immediately to the same surface of the rock from which detached. (FGC section 29.15[d]).

No person shall take more than 18 abalone during a calendar year (FGC section 29.15[c]). If the diver takes three legal-sized abalone and puts them back, those abalone still count toward both the diver’s daily and yearly limit.

This means that divers must still record those abalone on their report card so as to not exceed their yearly limit.

If a wildlife officer sees someone take a large abalone that is obviously larger than seven inches and the person puts the abalone back, this person has just violated section 29.15(d). If that person then doesn’t record the abalone, he is guilty of failing to complete the Abalone Report Card as required.

Wildlife officers on the North Coast have written several citations for this, usually to trophy hunters looking for that elusive 10-inch abalone.

Wildlife officers try to convince people hunting for trophy abalone to measure them before removing them from rocks.

Turtles from pet stores

Question: I know it’s against the law for pet stores to sell baby turtles, as they can carry salmonella and other dangerous bacteria, plus children can swallow and choke on them.

The other day I saw something in my local pet store that confused me. The store was offering a free baby turtle with the purchase of their turtle habitat setup – aquarium, gravel, filter, etc. Technically, they weren’t selling baby turtles, but doesn’t this circumvent the intent of the law, which is to protect public health? (Ed R.)

Answer: What you describe wouldn’t violate any California Fish and Game Code or its implementing regulations but would most likely violate federal and state laws designed to protect public health.

Turtles are required to have a carapace (shell) length of at least 4 inches to be imported, sold or distributed (CCR Title 17, section 2612.1).

This restriction was brought into effect under the Public Health Services Act by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1975 to address the problem of Salmonella infections in children. I have heard this size was determined to help prevent children from putting these small reptiles into their mouths.

Prior to the ban there were an estimated 250,000 cases of turtle Salmonellosis in children and infants that were associated with pet turtles in the United States (Source: http://exoticpets.about.com/od/reptilesturtles/a/turtlesales.htm ).

Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

South Lake County is fortunate to have four strong candidates for supervisor of District One.

But it sure makes deciding who to vote for difficult.

I am hugely impressed by the contributions to our community over the past years by Moke Simon, Monica Rosenthal and Voris Brumfield. I have not had the opportunity to become acquainted with Jim Ryan, but his credentials look good.

After serious consideration, I am falling back on a time-honored truth: An election should not be a popularity contest; it is a matter of hiring the employee who will be most productive on the job.

Monica Rosenthal’s long and active participation in promoting the welfare of Lake County – her tenure with the Lake County Planning Commission, her work with the Middletown Area Merchants Association, the Lower Lake Community Action Group, the Lake County Farm Bureau and at least a dozen other groups – has consistently shown the kind of approach I would prefer to see in our supervisor.

I appreciate that she looks for all the potential solutions to a problem and researches the probable outcome of each, before making an important decision.

I am especially enthused by how well she listens!

And I find truly heartening the number of her avowed supporters (see her Web site) who continually, steadfastly, quietly and productively work for the betterment of our community.

Nina Bouska lives in Middletown, Calif.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Republican Party will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, June 14.

The meeting will take place at Round Table Pizza, 821 11th St. in Lakeport.

Social time will start at 6 p.m. with no host food and beverages.

At 6:30 p.m. there will be a committee meeting and discussion of primary election results, filling of committee openings, the summer committee meeting schedule, candidate/member comments and other business.

Follow the local Republican Party on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Lake-County-CA-Republican-Party-401224996588222/?fref=ts or for more information contact Lake County Chair Dee Cuney at 707-235-2902.

California Attorney General Kamala Harris has issued the following tips to help California servicemembers and veterans protect themselves from scams.

Scammers target those serving our country, attempting to prey on their steady and hard-earned incomes.

The youngest men and women in uniform are particularly vulnerable as they are often living away from home for the first time and are only beginning to manage their finances independently.

“On Memorial Day, we honor the military veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our nation,” said Attorney General Harris. “While we remember the bravery, courage and sacrifice of our veterans, we are also reminded that too many men and women who serve our nation are targeted by scam artists and predators. My office remains vigilant in support of all veterans, will protect servicemembers from fraud, and will hold accountable those who prey upon members of our military.”

WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

There are many different scams targeting servicemembers and veterans, but scammers tend to follow similar patterns. Here are some of the most common scams of which to be aware:

– Predatory auto sales and financing. Car dealers located near military bases may try to lure servicemembers with false promises of special deals for military personnel. Often, these so-called deals conceal the terms of purchase for the vehicle and result in the servicemember drastically overpaying for both the vehicle and cost of financing. For example, dealers may insist that military personnel will not qualify for financing unless they purchase overpriced add-ons they do not need. Other times, the dealer may contact a servicemember who previously completed a transaction and drove a car off the lot to inform him that the initial financing fell through and insist on renegotiating for far worse terms. Servicemembers should not rely on oral promises nor feel pressured to enter into any purchase without first reading and understanding the contract.

– Storage units. Servicemembers may spend months or years away from their belongings and often must rely on storage services while they are gone. During deployment, stored possessions benefit from additional legal protections to prevent them from being sold at auction as a result of a default in rental payments. Unscrupulous storage complexes may claim ignorance of military status or induce servicemembers to sign away their rights in order to auction their property while they are away. Military personnel should notify storage companies of their military affiliation and should not agree to waive the rights designed to protect them.

– Rental scams. Because they may relocate frequently to unfamiliar places, servicemembers should be particularly vigilant about online scammers who use websites like Craigslist to lure would-be renters into paying deposits for non-existent rental properties. The online advertisements may appear legitimate on the surface, but rentals listed at abnormally low rates or landlords requiring a deposit prior to showing the property usually signal a scam. Particularly with peak Permanent Change of Station (PCS) season fast approaching, military renters should watch out for insistent demands that instill a false sense of urgency and should avoid wiring money to reserve apartments sight unseen. Using installation housing services offices or established property management companies to locate potential housing is advisable.

– Education rip-offs. Veterans Administration education benefits provide a unique and valuable opportunity for military personnel to pursue higher education. Too often, however, recipients become the targets of disreputable for-profit colleges that are happy to pocket hard-earned benefits but provide little education in return. Servicemembers and veterans should take great care to ensure that they use their benefits wisely by thoroughly researching educational opportunities before using their benefits. The G.I. Bill Comparison Tool may be helpful in determining how to best utilize these benefits. 

– Pension scams. Organizations professing a sincere concern for veterans may approach a veteran or his/her family about helping them qualify for VA pension benefits under the Aid and Attendance Program. These organizations purport to employ financial wizardry to help veterans meet the program’s income and asset limitations. But the organizations often charge high fees and receive lucrative undisclosed commissions for the financial products they sell to unsuspecting veterans. Applicants who utilize this assistance may later discover that they no longer have access to their assets or that they are disqualified from other government programs, such as Medicaid. For additional information, see Attorney General Harris’ Consumer Alert on Veteran “Pension Poaching” Scams.

HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY

– Be vigilant in any consumer transaction in which your military affiliation is involved. While there are certainly many respectable businesses that offer special deals to servicemembers and veterans, there are also plenty of dishonest merchants who will try to use that information to take advantage of you.

– Be very careful when you encounter testimonials from your fellow servicemembers or from veterans working for merchants. Many scammers set up their businesses near military bases and hire veterans as salespeople, in an attempt to prey on the trust between military personnel. Sometimes they also offer special deals or discounts to servicemembers in exchange for promoting their goods and services to other members of the military. You should be aware of these practices and careful about relying on claims that seem too good to be true.

– Know all the terms of any installment purchase you make and look out for attempts to hide any terms from you. Salespeople will often focus a servicemember’s attention on the monthly payment for a particular purchase, which can distract attention from a sales price inflated well beyond what a buyer would ordinarily pay. Beware of bait and switch tactics and never sign incomplete documents or contracts you have not reviewed in detail.

– If you are a victim of consumer fraud, law enforcement is here to help. Contact your local district attorney, consumer affairs department, or the California Attorney General’s Office.

HELPFUL RESOURCES

– The Federal Trade Commission Web site at https://www.ftc.gov/ is full of resources for military consumers.

– Servicemembers in need of legal assistance should start by contacting their local JAG legal assistance office or the California National Guard legal assistance program.

– Veterans in need of legal assistance may want to start with http://lawhelpca.org/ , a Web site with veteran-specific resources and links to legal aid organizations that offer free legal help.

– Consumers can report predatory consumer activity targeting servicemembers, veterans, or anyone else, to the Office of the Attorney General. To submit a complaint, please use one of the following forms.

English: https://oag.ca.gov/contact/consumer-complaint-against-business-or-company

En Español: http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/contact/business_corpform_sp.pdf?

中文: http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/contact/business_corpform_chin.pdf?

Tiếng Việt: http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/contact/business_corpform_viet.pdf?

SACRAMENTO – Californians can help protect urban and wildland trees this summer by buying firewood local to where they will be using it and not moving it from one place to another.

Invasive insects and diseases can hitchhike on firewood, spreading to new locations where they can further damage trees and native environments.

“Time and time again we see invasive species spread long distances as a result of firewood movement. This is something we can all help stop. Keeping firewood local is such an easy way for all of us to help do our part to protect our trees and the forests we love,” said Katie Harrell, California Firewood Task Force chair.

Invasive species such as the goldspotted oak borer, shot hole borers, sudden oak death, and pitch canker are killing millions of trees in California, and all can move on firewood.

Over the past year alone, the goldspotted oak borer, Kuroshio shot hole borer, and polyphagous shot hole borer have spread to new counties in Southern California as a result of firewood and green waste movement.

Trees susceptible to one or more of these pests are found throughout most of the state, making it paramount that firewood not move outside of its local area.

Campers and homeowners looking for locally sourced wood can go to www.firewoodscout.org to identify where local firewood distributors are in a given area.

The site also offers information on invasive species of concern in California in addition to a set of questions consumers can ask firewood dealers to help assure the wood being purchased is low risk for invasive insects and diseases.

The California Firewood Task Force is a non-profit subcommittee of the California Forest Pest Council. It is a coalition of agencies, organizations, and other stakeholders working to protect the State’s urban and wildland forests as well as natural environment from invasive pests that can be moved on firewood.

For more information on invasive species in California’s forests or the risks of moving firewood and the California Firewood Task Force, go to http://www.firewood.ca.gov or contact Katie Harrell at 510-847-5482.

Research from North Carolina State University and Ohio University finds that having an “alcohol identity” puts college students at greater risk of having drinking problems – and that posting about alcohol use on social media sites is actually a stronger predictor of alcohol problems than having a drink.

“This work underscores the central role that social networking sites, or SNSs, play in helping students coordinate, advertise and facilitate their drinking experiences,” said Lynsey Romo, an assistant professor of communication at NC State and co-lead author of a paper on the work. “The study also indicates that students who are at risk of having drinking problems can be identified through SNSs.”

“We started this project with a threshold question: what drives students to drink and post about alcohol on SNSs,” said Charee Thompson, an assistant professor of communication studies at Ohio University and co-lead author of the study.

To address that question, the researchers conducted an online survey of 364 undergraduate students at a Midwestern university.

The students were all over 18, reported having consumed at least one alcoholic drink in the past month, and had an active Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account.

Study participants were asked about their SNS use, alcohol consumption, alcohol problems and their alcohol-related use of SNSs, as well as a series of questions designed to measure their motivations for drinking.

“The strongest predictor of both drinking alcohol and posting about it on SNSs was espousing an alcohol identity – meaning that the individuals considered drinking a part of who they are,” Thompson said. “And those two behaviors were associated with alcohol problems – such as missing school or work, or getting into fights – because of drinking.”

In fact, the researchers found that posting about alcohol use on social media was actually a stronger predictor of alcohol problems than alcohol use was. In other words, having a drink was less strongly correlated with alcohol problems than posting about alcohol use was – though clearly students with alcohol problems were drinking alcohol.

“This might be because posting about alcohol use strengthens a student’s ties to a drinking culture, which encourages more drinking, which could lead to problems,” Thompson said.

“We’re hopeful that these findings can aid policymakers in developing interventions to target the most at-risk populations – particularly students with strong alcohol identities,” Romo said. “And social media may help identify those students. For example, colleges could train student leaders and others in administrative positions to scan SNSs for text and photos that may indicate alcohol problems.”

In addition, the researchers note that future research on student alcohol use may want to further consider how drinking occurs in tandem with other behaviors that could cause students problems.

The paper, “College Students’ Drinking and Posting About Alcohol: Forwarding a Model of Motivations, Behaviors, and Consequences,” is published in the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – This will be the last and final Carlé Chronicle of this school year so before we forget to tell you all enjoy your summer, have fun, and laugh all the time

Congratulations to the graduating class of 2016, you’ve earned it enjoy and live in the moment.

The class of 2016 includes Andrew Astorga, Gage Beck, Jose Bendana, Alicia Burgos, Desteny Cypert, Kayla Doyle, Rene Espinoza, Erik Fielden, Gage Fowler, Alyssa Garnett, Antonio Gelardi, Jasmine Heckard, Stevie Jones, Venesa Leon, Samuel Martinez Cachu, Robert McGraw, Nicholas McKay, Christopher Nuzzo, Cynthia Oakley, Maria De La Luz Pineda, Cedalia Schofield, Sierra Sell-McKay, Emily Simmons, Alexus Stickel, Isis Terrell, Kelonie Vandiver, Dustin Wilson and Orea Yiggins.

Graduation was Wednesday, May 25.

Mr. Strahl announced that Carlé’s Valedictorian is Jasmine Heckard. Congratulations, Jasmine, you’ve earned it.

Student of the week for the last week of school was Taylor Wellman, congratulations.

“She is a wonderful student and a joy to have in class,” said nominating teacher Alan Siegel. “She is a hard worker and she is truly focused on her graduation.”

A special thank you to the DJ queen, Ariana Ari, for everything you did for us on prom night. Carlé High School thanks you.

Thank you Gary Oakes for lending us your amazing blackjack table for our fantastic prom. Media student/designer Brianna E. Legg designed an amazing thank you plaque for Gary Oakes.

She also made magnificent thank you plaques for Olga Paselk and Dionicio Santana, classified workers at our school. Thank you Matt Stahl, Dan Maes and Alan Siegel for paying out of pocket to hire our DJ for prom.

Thank you Pat Knowles for the longterm subbing and everything you do for us. Media student/designer Samantha Miller designed an awesome towel and Candice Safreno, media student/designer, designed a pair of Stephan Curry socks.

Thank you everyone for your support of us. Though we don’t tell you as often as we would like to we do appreciate everything you did or continue to do for us. Thank you from W.C. Carlé High School

Media student and Designer Candice Safreno has designed a farewell plaque for our principal, Matt Strahl. Sadly, he will not be rejoining us next year, we will miss you deeply.

Brianna E. Legg and Candice Safreno are students at Carlé Continuation High School.

We strongly support Monica Rosenthal in her run for District 1 supervisor.

Monica will bring to the board a wealth of knowledge and experience from her years of service to the county and the community. 

She will continue to make fire recovery a priority, expedite the efforts to clean up Clear Lake, support our agricultural industry, and work on building tourism, all of which are vital to this County’s future success. 

We encourage you to vote for Monica on June 7.

Gregory and Marianne Graham live in Lower Lake, Calif.