LAKE COUNTY
Volunteers asked to help clean up hazardous vegetation
County officials are asking for around 500 volunteers to donate at least part of Saturday, August 17, to clean up hazardous vegetation along county roadside in the Soda Bay corridor, from the end of Highway 281 to Soda Bay, including areas of the Black Forest.
Most wildfires are caused by roadside vegetation, and this is one of the areas of the County at the greatest risk according to county leadership.
If you have one hour to give, two hours or four, your help is needed, and crews will be working from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Bring your hand tools: loppers, pruners, shovels and rakes. Bring your nylon-stringed weed eaters, as well.
Whether you live in the immediate area or not, please join Supervisor Rob Brown, the County’s Department of Public Works, Lake County Waste Solutions, California Highway Patrol, Kelseyville Fire Protection District, Kelseyville Unified School District, Kelseyville Sunrise Rotary and the Homeowners Associations of Riviera Heights, Riviera West, Clearlake Riviera and Buckingham, in acting to reduce the risk of a major wildfire event in Lake County.
One thousand hands can make a powerful difference for 12,000 County residents living along this corridor, the 65,000 residents of Lake County, and all of those in the region affected by air quality and other consequences whenever a major wildfire occurs.
Volunteers can sign up by completing the volunteer services agreement. Copies are available from the County Administrative Office, Human Resources Office and Department of Public Works, and the form is posted online, at: http://www.lakecountyca.gov/1000HandsAgreement/
Volunteers will meet at Riviera Elementary School, 10505 Fairway Dr., Kelseyville. Copies of the volunteer services agreement will also be available there. All volunteers are encouraged to dress appropriately, with hats, sunscreen, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and gloves that can be comfortably worn in warm weather. Water will be provided, and we are also expecting to provide gloves for those who do not own them.
Please also note, the southbound lane of Soda Bay Rd, from Riviera Heights Drive to Point Lakeview Road, will be closed for the hours of the project, in order to allow volunteers to safely work and park. We apologize for any inconvenience.
“I hope to see you Saturday, August 17,” noted Brown. “If you have any questions, my cell phone number is (707) 349-2628 and my email address is Rob.Brown@lakecountyca.gov.”
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PG&E power line testing in Lake, Mendocino and Humboldt Counties
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) will continue to inspect power lines in Lake, Mendocino and Humboldt Counties for the next couple of weeks, using helicopters equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. The inspections are part of PG&E’s expanded and enhanced vegetation management work, implemented following the 2017 and 2018 wildfires as one of many additional precautionary measures intended to further reduce wildfire risk.
In addition to ground inspections, the LiDAR helicopter inspections will help gather data to allow PG&E to identify hazardous trees that have the potential to fall into the lines. These inspections will take place across the approximately 25,200 miles of distribution lines in locations that have been designated as at elevated or extreme risk of wildfire based on the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) High Fire-Threat District Map. The data gathered will supplement PG&E’s ground inspections by capturing imagery that can be analyzed to take measurements, reveal patterns and identify any potential risks.
Helicopters will be flying along the power lines at an altitude of about 300 to 500 feet. PG&E will be making automated phone calls to notify residents ahead of the scheduled helicopter flight in their community. Flights will continue through mid-August.
For more information on the helicopter inspections, residents can visit pge.com/enhancedveg or email PG&E at wildfiresafety@pge.com with questions about this work.
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KELSEYVILLE
Cal Fire campfire program this Saturday, August 3
Join park aide Kitty Doherty and Cal-Fire Fire Prevention Specialist Bruce Lang on Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. for a fun and exciting campfire Pprogram by Bruce and a local Boy Scout Troop about fire awareness! S’mores will be provided by Cal-Fire.
The hour-long program will be held at the Education Pavilion at Clear Lake State Park. Visitors are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and maybe even some bug spray if desired. Rain will cancel the program.
Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville. Admission to the park is free to those attending the program.
Anyone having special needs should contact Clear Lake State Park staff Monday through Friday at (707) 279-4294. For further information on California State Parks go to www.parks.ca.gov.
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