With all due respect to Mr. Kennedy, his column (Record-Bee, July 1) on the mussel sticker program reflects his total lack of understanding and involvement with the program and I dare say, it reflects a lack of responsible journalism.
This chamber has been a part of the program since it”s inception. In fact, it was this CEO who originally requested that the Board of Supervisors form a County Quagga Mussel Task Force and I have served along with many others for some months now to create a viable program which will protect our Lake County waters.
It is not a perfect program, but counties all over the State have been contacting us as Lake County has been leading the way on protection against the mussel threat. The Lake County Board of Supervisors, at the urging of the task force has contacted the State, requesting various actions to support our efforts and those of others in California.
I realize that the Record-Bee has a shortage of reporters/staff, but that is no reason to publish a obviously under-researched editorial. Yes, some of us have run out of stickers at times, but we know who to call and how to get them. It”s sometimes difficult to forecast how long our supply will last as the demand ebbs and flows, pardon the pun.
Yes at times, the program is a ?pain in the butt”, especially when you”re tasked with it and you still have your ?regular business” to conduct. The visitor count in April 2007 in the Lakeport Regional Chamber office was 490 persons, the visitor count in April 2008 was 990, just to provide some insight as to the impact on this one location. I”m sure the Clear Lake Chamber and all of the merchants who are a part of the program have had the same experience.
Yes, much of what we are doing is based upon the honor system and if Rick Kennedy has some suggestions on how to improve that system, we are all ready to listen. I”m sorry that the location which ran out of the local ?red/white” stickers chose to issue the visitor stickers because now those residents will have to renew on January 1 and pay the fee which became effective July 1. Had that location sent the applicant to another location, they would have received their ?free” sticker and not had to reapply. But, the truth is, we are all doing the best we can.
It can be a time-consuming process, however we have found that the average length of time for the process is under 5 minutes per applicant. The merchants who heeded our call to arms have been very cooperative overall, understanding that the outreach and education is the most effective method for protecting Lake County waters. The applicants, both visitors and residents, have been equally cooperative with the program, many hundreds of them stating: we”re so glad the County is doing this to protect our lakes!
The plan to have check points at the entrances to Lake County is still under discussion. The task force has agreed that the most likely access to Lake County, by an infected vessel, might come from Highway 5 at Williams, over Highway 20. The Moose Lodge on Hwy 20 in Clearlake Oaks has stepped up and offered their property as a logical check point for all vessels entering the County from that direction.
Pam Francis can address the progress of that action, as she is Director of Water Resources for Lake County, the person who has responsibility for oversight of the entire program. Francis has worked diligently on this program for over one and one-half years, along with scores of people. It is not an easy task and she has had very few days off since before we formed the task force, taking this program very seriously and being very dedicated to its success.
I invite Rick Kennedy to meet with the task force, discuss all that has gone on with the people who are intimately knowledgeable about the program. After that, I would ask that he write another editorial based upon first hand knowledge.
I am now and have been a long-time supporter of the Record-Bee. I believe and tell people they need to read the paper everyday. If you are serious about caring for your community, wanting to know ?what”s happening”, reading the paper or viewing the news on-line is important.
I do not always agree with the stance of any of our local news sources but they provide me with information I cannot obtain anywhere else. I do think all of us have the responsibility to share our thoughts, good or bad, with those news sources to let them know when we disagree. It”s a learning process from both sides.
Melissa Fulton is CEO of the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce.
