At the most recent Judge’s Breakfast in Clearlake, Will Evans, the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Clear Lake Environmental Research Center (CLERC), presented on the group’s current and future projects.
The CLERC began in 2014 having original intentions of studying Clear Lake and the surrounding watersheds, unlocking its many secrets. According to their website theclerc.org as the CLERC grew they began filling a void in the community stating, “Through our joint efforts in Fire Prevention and Forest Health, we’ve become a valuable support and guide for our community.” Evans elaborated on that stating, “We realized this was an opportunity for CLERC to make a difference and move us all forward in trying to mitigate fires.” He shared how successful their Fire and Forestry Program has been, which has already secured over $30 million in grant funds. Of those funds they have spent $10 million, while another $14 million is in pending requests. Evans noted “We should find out within the next two months if those will be funded.”
With that they have done over 3,500 acres of fuel reduction work by creating fire breaks, clearing hazardous trees and debris, and other mitigation efforts with another 2,600 acres planned. Thus far a lot of this work has been done in the Hogback Ridge area located between Clover Valley and Robinson Rancheria.
Much work has also been addressed in the Mendocino National Forest area under their North Shore Restoration Project. In 2019 CLERC received the Fire Prevention Grant allowing them to make a one-million-dollar investment into clearing hazardous trees and restore forest conditions to pre-fire conditions.
Beginning in 2022 with a completed National Environmental Policy Act Review, collaborative efforts have led to shared stewardship agreements for the forest. So far 40,000 acres have been cleaned with Evans sharing “Right after the fire you couldn’t get anywhere in the forest without a chainsaw, especially on a windy day. It’s a guarantee that you would go out and get trapped behind some dead trees fallen in the road.” Here you can see the 16-foot tee-pee style piles of wood and debris that are awaiting the second phase of processing.
In 2023 CLERC planted 23,000 conifers, which Evans explained “We were working with the Patriot Restoration Ops Program, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting veterans transitioning from military to civilian life.” This program not only offers another collaboration for CLERC but provides training and employment opportunities in the forestry sector for veterans.
The Lake County BioChar Project has been an ongoing program that was created to solve the problem of what to do with cleared lumber (mainly from PG&E efforts to combat tree mortality) so that it does not become a fire hazard? This program uses a Tigercat 6050, which is a mobile unit that incinerates cut trees and other woody biomass into BioChar, a carbon rich nutrient amendment used in agricultural practices.
Mark Cooper asked if this could be useful in a home garden, to which Evans responded it was, and is available at no cost for any of those desiring it. Evans noted “Shannon Wines came and got an entire flatbed, but even they couldn’t take it all.” Looking for active and innovative ways to use or even monetize the BioChar is one of the group’s main focuses as it could be a vessel for program sustainability.
CLERC also runs a no cost chipping program in order to help households reduce their property’s fire potential. The next chipping days are set for May 15 and May 29.
Next week at the Judge’s Breakfast in Clearlake Fire Marshall Autumn Lancaster will be speaking again regarding preparation efforts for this upcoming fire season.
