LOWER LAKE
Anderson Marsh to hold New Year’s Day Hike
Anderson Marsh State Historic Park will again offer free, community hikes beginning at noon on New Year’s Day. The hikes are part of America’s State Parks First Day Hikes program. The nationwide First Day Hikes program offers individuals and families an opportunity to begin the New Year by taking a healthy hike on January 1 at a state park close to home.
Participants can choose between two routes this year. The first hike will be a leisurely trip to the end of the former McVicar trail. In order to honor the heritage of the indigenous peoples who have inhabited the land now known as Anderson Marsh State Historic Park, the McVicar Trail. This hike will go from the parking lot to the shores of Clear Lake across from Indian Island, a round-trip distance of about 7½ miles of mainly flat terrain, with the first about .3 miles being accessible. This hike should take between three and four hours, depending on how many times we stop to admire what we see along the way.
The second shorter hike covers a 3½-mile loop over the Cache Creek, Marsh and Ridge trails, with the first about .5 miles being accessible. This hike should take between two and two and a half hours.
The New Year’s Day hikes will be led by State Parks volunteers associated with the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association (AMIA).
Hikers will experience grasslands, oak woodlands, willow and cottonwood riparian habitats, and the tule marsh habitat of the Anderson Marsh Natural Preserve, and may encounter a variety of migrating and resident birds and other wildlife.
Both hikes begin at noon at the park off Hwy 53, between Lower Lake and Clearlake. Children of all ages are welcome. Hikers should bring water and snacks, binoculars if they have them, and a hat for protection against the weather. Sturdy shoes that can handle a little mud are recommended. Participants on both hikes are welcome to walk part way and make an early return at their own pace.
No dogs are allowed on these trails, which pass through the Anderson Marsh Natural Preserve. Heavy rain will cancel the walks. For further information, the public is asked to contact AMIA at (707) 995-2658 or info@andersonmarsh.org.
—Submitted
SACRAMENTO
Newsom highlights funding for Climate Change Resiliency Projects
“California is at the forefront of the devastating impacts of climate change that are wiping entire towns off the map, destroying property, and putting communities in danger. These projects fund critical evacuation roads, preserve access to a regional hospital, and safeguard railways along our coastline to protect life and property throughout the state, among other benefits.”
said Newsom.
To better prepare California for future volatile weather conditions, through the California Transportation Commission, the state is investing over $300 million in 15 projects to make our transportation infrastructure more resilient to the effects of climate change.
“Climate change is impacting communities across California,” said Commission Chair Lee Ann Eager. “The Commission is grateful to Gov. Newsom and the Legislature for making funding available for these critically needed improvements and ensuring our transportation system will be functional and safe for future generations.”
Since taking office, Gov. Newsom has led the state’s response to devastating floods, fires and other disasters driven by climate change. In August of this year, the Gov. met with communities across Southern California, including the Inland Empire and Desert communities as Tropical Storm Hilary made landfall, bringing damaging rain and winds – and highlighting the need to prioritize climate resiliency projects across the state.
For questions or clarification, please contact: Rebecca.Light@catc.ca.gov
—Submitted
SACRAMENTO
Plan to replumb Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta clears another hurdle
The controversial plan to replumb the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta cleared another hurdle Friday with the release of a final report detailing the environmental impacts of a tunnel that would bypass the Delta to pump more water from Northern California south.
The effort, a priority of Gov. Newsom, is aimed at shoring up a vital water supply for 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland against climate change and the havoc that an earthquake, rising seas, and storms could wreak on fragile Delta levees.
State officials estimate that the tunnel would allow the capture of about 500,000 acre-feet more water per year — enough to supply about 5.2 million people.
But environmental groups, nearby residents and the salmon industry have long opposed a tunnel, fearing that construction could drive away residents and tourists. They also argue that drawing freshwater away from the Delta will further jeopardize a region that California regulators have described as already experiencing an ecological crisis
State officials reported in 2022 that the tunnel project could harm endangered and threatened species, including the Delta smelt and winter-run chinook salmon — requiring thousands of acres of wetlands to be restored in an effort to reduce and offset the impacts. Critics have expressed skepticism that this would in fact protect salmon and other fish.
Others have warned that the project’s cost — which has not been updated since a 2020 estimate of $16 billion — could make water less affordable for Southern California customers.
Now, state agencies have until later this month to review the documents before the Department of Water Resources can certify the assessment and decide whether to move forward with the proposed route for the tunnel, an alternative, or no project at all.
Though this is a major step in moving the project forward, the tunnel still must also clear a federal environmental review and receive a number of additional permits, including under the state and federal Endangered Species Acts.
The goal is to complete permitting by the end of 2026, which is also the end of Gov. Newsom’s second and final term. Construction could begin around 2030, and the tunnel is not expected to be online until 2040
—Becker CALmatters
—Compiled by Cameron Wooldridge
