A bill to rescue California’s world-renowned state parks jointly authored by Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) and Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) cleared its first hurdle today, garnering unanimous bipartisan support from the Assembly’s Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.

Chesbro and Huffman presented the bill, AB 1589, at a hearing of the committee Tuesday.

“The California State Parks Stewardship Act of 2012 is ground-breaking legislation that will reform how California funds and manages its state parks,” Chesbro said. “There is no more important resource to the North Coast than its state parks. They are essential to the economies of local communities throughout the First Assembly District. AB 1589 will create lasting security for the California State Parks system and it will save the state money in the long-term.”

Key provisions of AB 1589 include:

• Encourages formation of a state compact that guarantees an ongoing level of state funding for operations and maintenance of state parks.
• Creates a State Park Enterprise Fund to be used for construction and installation of modern revenue and fee collection equipment and technologies to increase park visitation and revenues.
• Produces a California State Park environmental license plate that individual vehicle owners could purchase and have the fees go towards support of state parks.
• Provides the option for taxpayers to voluntarily purchase an annual state park access pass when they file their state tax returns.
• Requires the Department of Parks and Recreation to be more transparent on how it evaluates and selects specific parks for closure, and places a cap of 25 state park units on the number of park closures allowed from 2012 to 2016 without legislative approval.

“The enthusiastic bipartisan support AB 1589 received in today’s committee hearing is very encouraging,” Chesbro said. “We can’t allow our state parks to go feral and leave them vulnerable to vandalism, illegal marijuana grows and homeless encampments.”

AB 1589 is also jointly authored by Assemblymembers Roger Dickinson, Mike Gatto and Kevin Jeffries.

The bill now goes to the Assembly’s Committee on Revenue and Taxation.

Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) will host an Internet town hall Wednesday, March 21, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Those wishing to submit questions prior or during the show can do so through her Web site at www.sd02.senate.ca.gov/townhall .

Evans is author of SB 974 (Park Closure Audit) and SB 1078 (Parks Revenue Generation Act).

Along with Evans, the call will feature Caryl Hart, chair of the California Parks & Recreation Commission, and executive director of the Sonoma County Regional Park System.

Evans and Hart will provide an overview of the state park closures proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown – which go into effect July 1,  2012 – as well as discuss the roles of nonprofits and local governments, privatization and concession agreements and what people can do to keep state parks from closing.

Evans represents the Second Senatorial District, including all or portions of the counties of Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano and Sonoma.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The 18th annual Heron Festival, presented by the Redbud Audubon Society, will be held Saturday, May 5.

This year the popular festival will be held at Redbud Park in Clearlake, and will take place on one day rather than two.

The event is a fun, family-oriented event that features pontoon boat tours, birding and nature speakers, exhibit booths, and children’s activities.

Pontoon boat excursions will take visitors into the Anderson Marsh area of Clear Lake to view nesting herons, egrets, grebes and other shorebirds.

The 90-minute boat trips will be offered from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Experienced Audubon birding guides will accompany each boat to share information about the birds and wildlife seen on each trip. The excursions depart from the Redbud Park marina.

Cost is $20 per person for the pontoon boat trips. Advance reservations are required and may be made online by visiting www.heronfestival.org .

The festival features speaker presentations, slide shows and videos on local birds and wildlife. Topics include the nesting herons and egrets, Clear Lake’s “dancing” grebes, and other birds likely to be seen during the festival.

The keynote speaker at this year’s festival is internationally-honored nature photographer Philip L. Greene from Point Reyes, Calif.

Greene has studied and photographed herons and egrets for over two decades. His spectacular photos and engaging lecture focus on the nesting cycle of herons and egrets, with special emphasis on mating behaviors, nest-building, and fledging.

A major highlight, especially for children, is “Raptor Speak,” where live owls and other birds of prey join Curator Jenny Papka from Native Bird Connections to offer an opportunity to see raptor behavior up close.

Learn about these lively non-releasable raptors in a fun and informative talk and bird demonstration, offered twice on Saturday afternoon because of its popularity.

A nature fair with numerous outdoor exhibit booths presents conservation and nature displays, and educational materials. Nature-related arts and crafts also are featured.

Dr. Harry Lyons, Professor of Biology and Ecology at the Clear Lake Campus of Yuba College, offers an entertaining program on Saturday morning that mixes biology, music and humor to tell the story of Clear Lake.

In “Myths and Music of Clear Lake,” Dr. Lyons gives the history and biology of the lake’s more than two million years of existence and the importance of its ecosystem to the birds, fish, and wildlife of Lake County.

Except for the boat tours, all other festival activities are free, as is park entry and parking.

Redbud Park is located at 14655 Lakeshore Boulevard, Clearlake.

For festival information, visit www.heronfestival.org or call the Redbud Audubon Society at 707-263-8030.

Local resort, motel, and bed-and-breakfast reservations are available by calling the Lake County Visitor Information Center at 800-525-3743 or visiting www.lakecounty.com .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Officials with the city of Clearlake are investigating a suspicious device brought to the police department.

City Administrator Joan Phillipe said in an email that on Tuesday morning a suspicious device was brought “in a non-threatening manner” to the Clearlake Police station, which is located in Clearlake City Hall at 14050 Olympic Drive.

“As a precaution while a determination is being made as to exactly what the device is, a portion of the City Hall parking lot and access to the building has been taped off to public access,” Phillipe wrote.

She said police will offer more information to the community as soon as it's available.

A Humboldt County attorney has been convicted of violating his felony probation, resulting from prior land use violations in 2011.

Last week Kenneth Bareilles was sentenced in the the case, which was prosecuted in two days by Deputy District Attorney Christa McKimmy of the Consumer and Environmental Protection unit, according to the California Department of Fish and Game.   

He was convicted on Feb. 15, the agency reported.

"This is a significant victory for California’s natural resources,” said Department of Fish and Game Warden Jackie Krug. “As illegal rural development increases each year, so do sediment pollution, stream barriers and the clearing of timber and riparian vegetation. The impacts to our forests and our salmon and steelhead populations are now on a scale not seen in decades.”

The case broke open in the summer of 2011 when DFG Warden Joshua Zulliger responded to a complaint of illegal grading activity on a subdivision owned by Bareilles.

Upon inspection, Zulliger found numerous land-use violations impacting fish and wildlife, including a tributary to Redwood Creek that is designated as critical habitat for steelhead trout.

From there, DFG launched an investigation with Zulliger, Environmental Scientist Jane Arnold and Krug.

Arnold prepared an analysis of the risk to aquatic resources which documented the impact of road construction, soil stock piled next to or in the stream channels, removal of riparian vegetation and poorly installed stream crossings.

DFG then filed a formal complaint against Bareilles and he was convicted.

During a storm this past January, the team then returned and witnessed sediment entering streams and flowing downstream toward Redwood Creek during the salmon and trout spawning and rearing season.

As the rain continued, video was taken of an estimated 10 cubic yards of sediment becoming saturated and flowing like lava into one of four affected streams on site.

At a sentencing hearing last Thursday, March 15, Bareilles submitted a signed streambed alteration agreement with DFG, as ordered by the court.

Judge Schafer denied Bareilles’ request to reduce his felony probation to a misdemeanor. He also was ordered to comply with the streambed alteration agreement to help restore the site.

A neutron star is the closest thing to a black hole that astronomers can observe directly, crushing half a million times more mass than Earth into a sphere no larger than a city.

In October 2010, a neutron star near the center of our galaxy erupted with hundreds of X-ray bursts that were powered by a barrage of thermonuclear explosions on the star's surface.

NASA's Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) captured the month-long fusillade in extreme detail.

Using this data, an international team of astronomers has been able to bridge a long-standing gap between theory and observation.

"In a single month from this unique system, we have identified behavior not seen in observations of nearly 100 bursting neutron stars during the past 30 years," said Manuel Linares, a postdoctoral researcher at the Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

He led a study of the RXTE data that will be published in the March 20 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

This graph based on RXTE data provides an overview of the changing character of T5X2's Xray emission during outbursts from Oct. 13 to Nov. 19, 2010.

On Oct. 10, 2010, the European Space Agency's INTEGRAL satellite detected a transient X-ray source in the direction of Terzan 5, a globular star cluster about 25,000 light-years away toward the constellation Sagittarius.

The object, dubbed IGR J17480–2446, is classed as a low-mass X-ray binary system, in which the neutron star orbits a star much like the sun and draws a stream of matter from it.

As only the second bright X-ray source to be found in the cluster, Linares and his colleagues shortened its moniker to T5X2.

Three days after the source's discovery, RXTE targeted T5X2 and detected regular pulses in its emission, indicating that the object was a pulsar – a type of neutron star that emits electromagnetic energy at periodic intervals.

The object's powerful magnetic field directs infalling gas onto the star's magnetic poles, producing hot spots that rotate with the neutron star and give rise to X-ray pulses.

At NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., RXTE scientists Tod Strohmayer and Craig Markwardt showed that T5X2 spins at a sedate – for neutron stars – rate of 11 times a second.

And because the pulsar's orbital motion imparts small but regular changes in the pulse frequency, they showed that the pulsar and its sun-like companion revolve around each other every 21 hours.

That same day, RXTE observed its first burst from the system: an intense spike in X-rays lasting nearly three minutes and caused by a thermonuclear explosion on the neutron star's surface.

Ultimately, RXTE cataloged some 400 events like this between Oct. 13 and Nov. 19, with additional bursts observed by INTEGRAL and NASA's Swift and Chandra observatories. NASA decommissioned RXTE on Jan. 5, 2012.

In the T5X2 system, matter streams from the sun-like star to the neutron star, a process called accretion.

Because a neutron star packs more than the sun's mass into a sphere between 10 and 15 miles across – about the size of Manhattan or the District of Columbia – its surface gravity is extremely high.

The gas rains onto the pulsar's surface with incredible force and ultimately coats the neutron star in a layer of hydrogen and helium fuel.

When the layer builds to a certain depth, the fuel undergoes a runaway thermonuclear reaction and explodes, creating intense X-ray spikes detected by RXTE and other spacecraft. The bigger the blast, the more intense its X-ray emission.

Models designed to explain these processes made one prediction that had never been confirmed by observation.

At the highest rates of accretion, they said, the flow of fuel onto the neutron star can support continuous and stable thermonuclear reactions without building up and triggering episodic explosions.

At low rates of accretion, T5X2 displays the familiar X-ray pattern of fuel build-up and explosion: a strong spike of emission followed by a long lull as the fuel layer reforms.

At higher accretion rates, where a greater volume of gas is falling onto the star, the character of the pattern changes: the emission spikes are smaller and occur more often.

But at the highest rates, the strong spikes disappeared and the pattern transformed into gentle waves of emission.

Linares and his colleagues interpret this as a sign of marginally stable nuclear fusion, where the reactions take place evenly throughout the fuel layer, just as theory predicted.

"We see T5X2 as a 'model burster,' the one that's doing everything expected of it," said Diego Altamirano, an astrophysicist at the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands and a co-author on the paper describing the findings.

The question now before the team is why this system is so different from all others studied in previous decades.

inares suspects that T5X2's slow rotation may hold the key. Faster rotation would introduce friction between the neutron star’s surface and its fuel layers, and this frictional heat may be sufficient to alter the rate of nuclear burning in all other bursting neutron stars previously studied.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains information that is not appropriate for young readers.

THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH NEW INFORMATION FROM THE DISTRICT, WHICH NOW HAS OFFERED COMMENT ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – A young girl’s allegations that she was sexually abused by fellow students at a local elementary school will go to trial at year’s end.

Last May, a lawsuit on behalf of the girl and her guardian was filed against the Middletown Unified School District in civil court, according to court documents.

The girl and her guardian allege that in April 2010, while she was attending Minnie Cannon Elementary School – which educates students from grades kindergarten through sixth – she was sexually assaulted by several fellow students.

At the time of the alleged assaults the girl was 6 years old. Case documents indicated that the girl – who is now 8 years old – now lives with her guardian outside of Lake County.

Both sides had agreed to mediation, however, during a case management conference on Feb. 14, Lake County Superior Court Judge David Herrick scheduled the case for a nine-day trial beginning Dec. 5.

“I’m not going to comment on it,” said Dr. Korby Olson, Middletown Unified’s superintendent, explaining that it is a case of pending litigation.

He added, “The claim was there. We denied the claim and so it went into the court.”

The school district’s attorney and the attorney for the plaintiff, Grace Chang of the Cifarelli Law Firm in Santa Ana, have not responded to Lake County News’ requests for comment on the case.

The suit alleges that the girl was “sexually molested, assaulted, battered, inappropriately fondled and forced to give oral sex” to as many as 50 unnamed defendants who she alleges were fellow students. However, the district said only three students were alleged to have been involved and the large number of defendants – 50 – was named because the discovery process is not yet finished.

The assaults are alleged to have taken place during school hours behind a shed near the school’s basketball courts, case documents explain.

In a letter sent out to parents last year, school Principal Dan Morgan said it was brought to his attention on April 26, 2010, that “several students in our lower grade levels had engaged in and/or witnessed inappropriate sexual contact between students during school hours.” Specific details of the allegations, he added, had to be kept confidential.

In the suit it’s alleged that Middletown Unified was negligent in supervising its students, as well as the staff members who it’s alleged should have prevented the assaults. Fifty unnamed district employees also are listed as defendants.

The shed behind which the assaults are alleged to have taken place is called a “reasonably foreseeable risk” to students in the case documents.

The suit seeks general damages; special damages such as the loss of future earnings, and costs to cover medical and psychological care for the girl; legals costs; and other damages that the court deems appropriate.

Middletown Unified filed a subpoena for the report made about the alleged assaults to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

The County Counsel’s Office, on behalf of the sheriff’s office, entered a motion to quash that subpoena.

County Counsel Anita Grant told Lake County News that the motion to quash was based on the sheriff’s office’s obligation to maintain reports of abuse as confidential unless ordered by a court to disclose them.

She said those confidentiality requirements are imposed as a result of the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, which can be found in California Penal Code Sections 11164 through 11174.3.

At the Feb. 14 hearing, Judge Herrick ordered the sheriff’s office to produce the documents within 10 days of the hearing.

Grant said the records were produced in a timely manner in accordance with Herrick’s ruling.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Four cats this week are presented for your consideration for new companions.

Siamese, tabbies and a handsome gray cat are available at the county’s animal shelter, where adopted animals now can be spayed or neutered to reduce adoption-related costs.

Cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed and microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake .

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).

‘Flower’

“Flower” is an 8-year-old female domestic short hair mix.

She is a brown tabby with white markings, and has lovely green eyes.

Flower is residing in cat room kennel No. 17, ID No. 31965. She also can be seen in the video above.

Seal point Siamese

This male seal point Siamese is 1 year old.

He has a short white coat and blue eyes. He is not yet altered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 20, ID No. 32050.

Male tabby

This male gray and black tabby is 3 years old.

He has a short coat and a docked tail.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 52, ID No. 32041.

Gray domestic short hair

This gray male domestic short hair mix is 3 years old.

He is not yet altered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 96, ID No. 32059.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – Mendocino County officials seized more than two dozen firearms, some of them stolen, and arrested two men during a Friday investigation.

Vince Allan Ballew, 45, of Boonville and 40-year-old Patrick Dino Mariani of Philo were arrested in the case, according to Sgt. Greg Van Patten of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

Van Patten reported that at 4 p.m. Friday Anderson Valley Resident Deputy Sheriff Craig Walker responded to a residence located on Hutsell Road in Boonville to serve a search warrant.

Deputy Walker was assisted by sheriff's office detectives and special agents with the Mendocino Major Crimes Task Force, Van Patten said.

In recent months Deputy Walker had received confidential information about the presence of several firearms at the residence, one of which being reported as stolen during a burglary to a Ukiah area residence in October 2011, according to Van Patten.

Upon arriving at the location Walker, the detectives and special agents contacted Ballew and Mariani, who were inside the living room area of the residence, Van Patten said. Based upon previous law enforcement contacts the residence was known to be Ballew's primary residence with Mariani apparently being a guest.

Upon contact the pair were in close proximity of several loaded and unloaded firearms. Van Patten said some of the firearms where determined to be assault weapons illegal for a private person to possess in California.

During a search of the residence approximately 26 firearms were seized to include different types of rifles, shotguns and handguns, Van Patten said.

Of the firearms seized five were assault rifles, one was an Uzi machine gun and two later were determined to be reported stolen during a burglary to a Ukiah area residence in October 2011, Van Patten reported. Various types and amounts of ammunition for the firearms were also located inside the residence.

Ballew was arrested for being in possession of assault weapons and for possessing a firearm with an altered serial number. Mariani was arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Both were transported to the Mendocino County Jail where Ballew was to be held in lieu of $15,000 bail and Mariani was to be held in lieu of $25,000 bail.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lake County Live! returns to the Soper-Reese Community Theatre for its third outing on Sunday, March 25.

The show begins at 6 p.m. and is broadcast live on Lake County Community Radio KPFZ 88.1 FM and streamed on the web as well.

Created and hosted by Doug Rhoades, Lake County Live! is a one-hour radio broadcast from the theater in front of a live audience.

The show was conceived as a venue for local musical talent and creative writers, with an audience beyond the walls of the theater.

“Our goal is to provide great music and humor and really showcase the variety of talents we have here in Lake County,” said Rhoades. “The show is dynamic in that we’re putting on a radio program in real-time, so we have to move right along with every program.”

Past shows have featured talents such as Polecat Rodeo, Three Deep, EarReverence, Travis Rinker, Michael Barrish with Scott Sommers and Vim Natura.

This third program for LCL! features the musical group “Uncorked” performing music influenced by Ireland and bluegrass. Group members are Dennis Hadley, Andi Skelton, Don Coffin, Eleanor Cook and Dan Harris.  

Andy Rossoff, will perform on the keyboard.  He said, “I grew up on rock’n’roll in the 60s and 70s but my tastes and song list cross many genres, from pop and soul ballads to blues to folk to an occasional country tune.”
 
Returning silliness includes the Dogs of Clear Lake, the Ladies of the Lake and a word from the American Society of Allied Procrastinators, plus some interesting surprises.

The show starts at 6 p.m. on the last Sunday of each month at the Soper-Reese, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m.

“We hope everyone will be in the theater and seated by 5:45 p.m., as we talk with the audience for a few minutes before the 6 p.m. start,” said Rhoades. “Because we’re live, that 6 p.m. start is vital. We don’t have 20 seconds leeway, we have to hit the mark coming in and going out.”

Tickets are available at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre box office on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and at the Lake County Travel Center, 1265 S. Main St. in Lakeport.

For the first time, ticket price will be $5.

The show is produced with the support of the theater, Lake County Community Radio KPFZ 88.1 FM and Lake County News, as www.lakeconews.com .
 
For more information and pictures of past performances, visit www.lakecountylive.com or www.facebook.com/LakeCountyLive , or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Launching a new program intended to “build capacity and effectiveness” of vineyard workers, the Lake County Winegrape Commission is sponsoring a series of training sessions for a select group of foremen and crew heads from Lake County vineyards.

The first group of “Master Vigneron Academy” participants is scheduled to meet once a month through August, then break for the harvest months of September and October before concluding the one year of coursework with a meeting in November.

Each session will cover one or more topics important to vineyard management and maintenance, including pruning, canopy management, vineyard layout, planting stock, equipment, health and safety of workers, conflict resolution, harvesting, winegrape quality and wine tasting.

The World English Dictionary defines the French word “vigneron” as “a person who grows grapes for winemaking.”

Wikipedia takes it a step further: “A vigneron is someone who cultivates a vineyard for winemaking. The word connotes or emphasizes the critical role that vineyard placement and maintenance has in the production of high-quality wine.”

The commission’s goal with its new project, the first of its kind in California, is two-fold: production of high quality wine and the development of some of the best vineyard workers to be found, according to Lake County Winegrape Commission President Shannon Gunier.

The commission will reward the individuals who successfully complete the academy with a “Master Vigneron” certificate.

“The end result is expected to be higher quality outputs in the vineyard with more efficient and skilled employees,” says Gunier. “Another key element is that better-trained workers will have greater confidence and develop into more valued employees. It is hoped that employers will recognize this, leading to better pay and enhanced advancement opportunities in the wine industry.”

The concept for the yearlong program was developed by the Commission’s Education Committee chair, Randy Krag of Beckstoffer Vineyards.

The commission has tapped its education director, Paul Zellman, to coordinate the program.

Zellman, who has 30 years of grape growing and winemaking experience, was selected to help the Commission accomplish the Master Vigneron Program goals.

The Ukiah viticulturalist will also assist with the continuing sustainable winegrape growing program, according to Gunier.

“We are excited to welcome Mr. Zellman to our team. His expertise will guide us through this brand new program,” said Gunier. “As it states in the mission statement for the Master Vigneron Academy, the commission directors believe ‘the vineyards are at the heart of producing world class wines and that experienced vineyard workers and foremen are the key to bring out the best of those vineyards.’ In developing this program, the commission directors sought to find the ideal teacher and coordinator. We have found a skilled, passionate and experienced individual in Paul.”

Zellman began his viticulture career as vineyard manager for MacGregor Vineyards, San Luis Obispo, in 1980, the same year he earned his bachelor of science degree in viticulture from the University of California, Davis.

He added a master of science degree in soil science from the University of California, Riverside, in 1995.

He has professional and personal ties to Lake County. “In 1998 I became the grower rep for Kendall-Jackson Winery for Lake, Mendocino and parts of Sonoma counties,” said Zellman. “At that time, Kendall-Jackson purchased about 60 percent of the total Lake County Sauvignon Blanc crop. During this period I met many Lake County growers and families.”

Zellman previously worked with the Lake County Winegrape Commission, from 2001 to 2003, directing a comprehensive wine quality assessment. He also developed maps and reports supporting the High Valley AVA application.

He is well-acquainted with Lake County, too, because of family. “I first become familiar with Lake County when visiting my wife’s family in Lakeport. My father-in-law is retired Superior Court Judge John Golden,” said Zellman. “My wife also has family in Ukiah where I now live and where we raised our two sons.”

Zellman has worked as a vineyard manager at San Pasqual Vineyards in Escondido, Calif., a grower relations representative with Kendall-Jackson in Santa Rosa, a cellar worker with Geyser Peak Winery in Geyserville, and an assistant winemaker with Brutocao Cellars in Hopland.

Speaking about anticipated outcomes of the Master Vigneron Program, Zellman said, “Growers will see crews that are supervised by graduates of the MV Program performing tasks correctly and at lower costs. Ultimately, wineries and wine drinkers will recognize these efforts by the production of better wines.

“Furthermore, as the word spreads of the professional training that we provide for our supervisors, Lake County will attract and retain more key vineyard supervisors. Also, other employees will see an opportunity to advance their own professional development and an enhanced livelihood.”

Meet the academy class

The first class of the Master Vigneron Program consists of 10 experienced Lake County vineyard workers.

They are Amador Duran of Obsidian Ridge Vineyards, Jaime Rosas of Lyon Vineyard, Gabriel Martinez and Felix Aguilar of Bella Vista Farming Co., Jeronimo Rico of Dorn Vineyards, Antonio Batres and Alonso Raygoza of Beckstoffer Vineyards, Tarciscio “Tacho” Corona of Stokes Vineyards, Federico Gonzalez of L & L Vineyards and Gerardo Mendoza of Red Hills Vineyard.
 
Amador Duran, Obsidian Ridge

Amador Duran is a vineyard foreman with Nissen Vineyard Services. He has worked on the Obsidian Ridge vineyard project since 1998.

His 15 years of vineyard experience, including many years on the Maxwell Ranch in Kelseyville, has given him the knowledge and skills to perform his current job as ranch foreman, he said.

He especially enjoys working with many people. Speaking about the range of tasks in his job, Duran said, “I love it.”

He looks forward to the Master Vigneron Academy courses, noting that he hopes to gain additional information about roots and plant stock.

Duran has lived in Lake County for more than 20 years and currently resides in the Clearlake area with his wife Alejadra.

The couple has four children: a son who is in college, a daughter in high school, a son in elementary school, and a 2-year-old daughter.

Jaime Rosas, Lyon Vineyard

Jaime Rosas is veteran of vineyard work in the Kelseyville area for more than 30 years.

Managing all operations of winegrape production for Walt Lyon’s Vineyard, Rosas came to Lake County in the mid-1970s and spent a few years working “here and there, like everybody else” until Walt Lyon offered him full-time employment.

Rosas had made the trek from Mexico in about 1974. His part-time experience included Lyon’s ranch.

It was around 1978 that Rosas was “fortunate” to be asked by Lyon to work for him. “Walt and I have a trust in each other. We understand each other,” said Rosas.

He joked, “(Walt) trusts me enough to mess things up,” adding that his employer allows him to try out ideas and sometimes they work out.

Rosas looks forward to the Master Vigneron Program, saying he is continuing to learn new things about winegrape production.

He lives near the Lakeport/Kelseyville border with his wife of 30-plus years, Marcia. The couple reared three boys who attended Kelseyville schools from kindergarten through graduation from high school.

Gabriel Martinez, Bella Vista Farming Co.

Gabriel Martinez currently manages all field operations on the five Bartolucci properties of the Bella Vista Farming Co.

He joined Bella Vista’s management team in 2009 following a two-year stint as supervisor at Bartolucci Vineyards.

His work experience includes employment with Syd Stokes over 14 years during which he worked his way up to foreman/supervisor.

Born in La Nopalera de Ecuandureo, Michoacan, Mexico in 1963, Martinez immigrated to the United States in 1981 and settled in the Finley/Kelseyville area.

He has worked in vineyards and pear orchards since. He is familiar with all cultural practices for both crops, having worked in pruning, picking, machinery operation, pesticide and fertilizer application, frost protection, irrigation and labor supervision.

In 1996, Martinez became a U.S. citizen.

He is married and has two sons, two daughters, and a granddaughter.

Felix Aguilar, Bella Vista Farming Co.

Felix Aguilar has worked for Bella Vista Farming Co. and/or Quercus Ranch since 1995.

Originally hired for his mechanical and fabrication skills, he was moved into a supervisory role because of his ability to plan work and manage people.

He oversees most vineyard and orchard activities for a number of Bella Vista’s clients, as well as repair and maintenance activities for much of the farm equipment used in those operations.

Aguilar owns property in Texas and Mexico where he grows Milo. He also enjoys buying, rebuilding and selling used cars and pickups.

Aguilar was born in Progreso del Campecino Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico in 1952, and became a U.S. citizen in 1998.

He is married and has one daughter, four sons, and 14 grandchildren.

Jeronimo Rico, Dorn Vineyards

Jeronimo Rico has worked for Dorn Vineyards since the mid-1970s – “1974 or ’75,” he said – having previously been employed as a pear pruner in the Kelseyville area.

He is a supervisor for the Dorns, overseeing every aspect of the vineyard maintenance and winegrape production.

With his experience in all vineyard skills, Rico says he especially enjoys being a foreman and supervising other workers in the production process.

A resident of Kelseyville for nearly 40 years, Rico lives with his wife Adelina and daughter Esther.

Antonio Batres, Beckstoffer Vineyards

Antonio Batres has worked for Beckstoffer Vineyards for 11 years, mostly as vineyard supervisor but with experience in all vineyard skills.

He came to the company with a variety of experiences in California orchard crops.

Batres studied one year at CIANO (Centro de Investigaciones Agricolas del Noroeste) in Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico, research home of the “father of the green revolution” and Nobel laureate Norman Borlaug.

Batres and his wife live in Lakeport with their three children, ages 10 months to 16 years.

Alonso Raygoza, Beckstoffer Vineyards

Alonso Raygoza has worked for Beckstoffer Vineyards for over 12 years, learning vineyard skills from the ground up.

He is an experienced equipment operator extraordinaire. As harvest forklift operator, he loaded and unloaded most of the more than 2,200 valley bins that were dispatched from Beckstoffer’s operation last harvest.

Raygoza lives in Clearlake Riviera with his wife and 10-month-old daughter.

Tarciscio “Tacho” Corona, Stokes Vineyards

Tarciscio “Tacho” Corona is in his sixth year of employment with Stokes Vineyards. He has been picking grapes for Lake County growers for many more years, having been in the area for 14 years.

The 33-year-old is a foreman/supervisor who has shown his skills in working with people. He handles crews very well, according to his employer.

He is also a very good equipment driver and an excellent mechanic. Corona says his favorite vineyard activitiy is pruning.

He lives in Lakeport with his wife Apolonia (“Polly”) and three children ages 3 ½, 8 and 9.

Federico Gonzalez, L & L Vineyards

Federico Gonzalez is a vineyard foreman for L&L Vineyards where he has worked for 13 years. His duties are extensive and involve every aspect of the winegrape growing process.

As foreman, he is responsible for crew training and supervision. He drives tractors for spraying, discing and other maintenance, and actively oversees L&L’s irrigation and harvesting tasks.

Originally from the state of Michoacán, Gonzalez lives in Lakeport with his wife Gloria.

The couple’s children, three daughters and a son, range in age from 6 years to 20 years old.

Gerardo Mendoza, Red Hills Vineyard

Bringing experience from three years of work in Santa Rosa for vineyard owner Bob Mount, Gerardo Mendoza is new to vineyard work.

He began working at Mount’s Lake County vineyard this year. As a rookie to winegrape growing, Mendoza is charged with learning everything there is to know about the process. He says he is dedicating the next years of his life to doing so.

Mendoza moved from Santa Rosa to make a new home in the Red Hills region of Lake County. He and his wife Maria del Rosario have a son and a daughter, ages 5 and 2 years old.
 
Course outline

The first class of Master Vigneron Academy was introduced in November at the Winegrape Commission’s 10th Annual Sustainable Winegrape Growing Seminar at Ceago Vinegarden.

The first “official” class meeting of the group followed in January when the participants attended the 2012 Unified Wine & Grape Symposium in Sacramento.

One of the highlights of this year’s trade show was the Spanish language seminar sessions.

Several coursework hours will take place in the Finley Grange hall and in Lake County vineyards, according to the Academy outline.

“Participants will also have the opportunity to learn about the broader wine industry itself. (They) will engage in wine education with the chance to taste the ‘finished product’ and make connections between their critical work in the vineyard and how that results in what ends up in the bottle,” said Gunier.

The Master Vigneron students are scheduled to visit Guillaume Nursery and University of California at Davis vineyards during one of the in-field course days in March and will take another trip in June to a Sonoma County winegrape grower’s operation in Healdsburg.

In a welcome letter to participants, Zellman told the group the areas to be covered in the course include vineyard cultural practices, vineyard development, nursery stock, winegrape varietals, and labor management.

“This is a hands-on course consisting of vineyard tours, classroom activities and seminar sessions. Practical labor management skills will be honed through specially arranged training assignments with role playing as a key component of the process,” he said.

The Master Vigneron Academy graduates will be able to use the knowledge they gain to enhance their work as “leaders, mentors and mediators” in their vineyard careers, said Zellman. The participants will get a glimpse of the entire California winegrape industry, he added.

Zellman said he looks forward to working with each of the students selected for the program. The course, as it progresses, will provide opportunities for the experienced group to expand their interactions with Lake County and Northern California winegrape producers, he noted.

Established in 1991 by the winegrape growers of Lake County, the Lake County Winegrape Commission is a local marketing order.

Its primary function is to provide marketing, education, and research programs to Lake County winegrape growers.

For more information about upcoming events and workshops, check the commission’s Web site, www.lakecountywinegrape.org , or call the commission office at 707-995-3421.

For information about the seminar or the Master Vigneron Program, email Zellman at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

COBB, Calif. – A moderate-sized earthquake was reported on Cobb Mountain Saturday afternoon.

The 3.1-magnitude quake occurred at 4:21 p.m., according to an initial report from U.S. Geological Survey.

The estimate of the temblor's magnitude could change later when reviewed by a seismologist.

The quake was recorded at a depth of a tenth of a mile two miles west of Cobb, three miles northeast of The Geysers and six miles northwest of Anderson Springs.

A 4.3-magnitude quake hit the Cobb area on Feb. 12, as Lake County News has reported.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at elarson@lakeconews.com .