Clear Lake is without a doubt one of the most fascinating lakes in North America. Not only is it the oldest lake in the Western Hemisphere, but it is also one of the richest. What is even more fascinating is that during its 2-million-year-old history the lake itself has changed very little.
Sure, there are several species of new fish in the lake, but for the most part the other creatures that swim below the surface remain pretty much the same. The lake is home to thousands of microscopic animals such as daphnia or other plankton. Blackfish, hitch and other native fish have been in the lake for eons. In other words, many species of life have been in the lake long before humans walked on this planet.
On Thursday evening, Lake County Vector Control will conduct a seminar on the creatures that live in Clear Lake. The seminar is open to the public and is free. It starts at 6:30 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors Chambers at the courthouse in Lakeport. The primary speakers are Norm Anderson and Bonnie Ryan. Anderson is a biologist who has studied Clear Lake for more than 30 years. He knows the lake from the surface to the bottom and all the creatures that swim it. Mention an obscure microbe and you can bet he has studied it. Ryan currently works at Vector Control and is also a biologist. She has been doing studies on the various plankton in the lake, including phytoplankton and zoo plankton the fish eat. She is also an expert on the lake.
Also present will be Jamesina Scott, Ph.D. Scott is the director of Vector Control and has a doctorate degree in entomology. She is an expert on gnats, mosquitoes and other insects in the county. One subject she will discuss is West Nile Virus and how it affects Lake County.
Others in attendance include algae and Clear Lake expert Dr. Harry Lyons, who will be available to answer questions on the current state of the lake. Lyons is always popular as a speaker and draws large crowds at his lectures. Dr. Robert Lane, who is a University of California professor and researcher, is another guest speaker. Lane is a medical entomologist and is known around the world for his research on ticks and Lyme disease.
I had a preview of the seminar last week and to me it was like watching a National Geographic special. Little creatures that can”t be seen with the naked eye will be enlarged on a big screen and you will get to see them swimming. For example, the daphnia looks just like a sea horse and is one of the primary food sources for many of the lake”s small fish. The lecture will cover the entire food chain in Clear Lake. For example, the small fish eat the various species of plankton. They are in turn are eaten by the larger fish. Residing at the top of the food chain are the birds that frequent the lake. If one part of the food chain is broken, one or two species of fish and birds can be affected.
The biologists also will talk about the different species of mosquitoes living in the county. This year there has been an explosion of mosquitoes and the scientists will explain why. Did you know that one species of mosquito is solely responsible for heartworms in dogs and this year there is an epidemic of heartworm cases in the county? That some mosquitoes live in trees and others live in the mud banks? How about gnats? Clouds of gnats have pestered us all but we know very little about them. The seminar offers all the information you will need about the gnats in the county.
The Lake County Fish and Wildlife Advisory Committee is sponsoring the seminar. This should be an extremely informative evening and I urge everyone to attend. Be sure and bring any questions about the lake because there never may be another time when so many experts will be assembled in one room.
