Despite improvements over the past 10 years that have lifted more than 350 million rural people out of extreme poverty, global poverty remains a massive and predominantly rural phenomenon – with 70 percent of the developing world’s 1.4 billion extremely poor people living in rural areas – according to a report released by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

IFAD’s Rural Poverty Report 2011 says that, during the past decade, the overall rate of extreme poverty in rural areas of developing countries – people living on less than US$1.25 a day – has dropped from 48 per cent to 34 per cent. Dramatic gains in East Asia, particularly China, account for much of the decline.

The report points to an alarming increase in the numbers of extremely poor people in rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, although the percentage living on less than the equivalent of US$1.25 a day – at 62 per cent – has actually dropped slightly since IFAD last issued a Rural Poverty Report in 2001.

It also notes the persistence of rural poverty on the South Asian subcontinent, which is home to half of the world’s 1 billion extremely poor rural people.

Increasingly volatile food prices, the uncertainties and effects of climate change, and a range of natural resource constraints will complicate further efforts to reduce rural poverty, the report says.

But the report also emphasizes that profound changes in agricultural markets are giving rise to new and promising opportunities for the developing world’s smallholder farmers to significantly boost their productivity, which will be necessary to ensure enough food for an increasingly urbanized global population estimated to reach at least 9 billion by 2050.

Accordingly, “there remains an urgent need … to invest more and better in agriculture and rural areas” based on “a new approach to smallholder agriculture that is both market-oriented and sustainable,” the report says.

“The report makes clear that it is time to look at poor smallholder farmers and rural entrepreneurs in a completely new way – not as charity cases but as people whose innovation, dynamism and hard work will bring prosperity to their communities and greater food security to the world in the decades ahead,” said Kanayo F. Nwanze, IFAD’s President.

“We need to focus on creating an enabling environment for rural women and men to overcome the risks and challenges they face as they work to make their farms and other businesses successful,” he said.

Significant gains in many areas

In addition to the overall decline of extreme poverty in rural areas of developing countries, the Rural Poverty Report 2011 points to other significant gains, most notably:

• A drop in the overall poverty rate of US$2 a day in rural areas, from 79 per cent to 61 per cent over the past decade.

• Remarkable progress in rural areas of East Asia – primarily China – where the number of extreme poor fell by about two-thirds over the past decade, from 365 million to 117 million, as did the rate of extreme poverty, which fell from 44 to 15 percent.

• Improvements in other regions, with the extreme rural poverty rate falling by more than half in Latin America and by nearly half in the Middle East and North Africa. in both regions, the percentage of rural people who live in extreme poverty dropped significantly, as well.

Notwithstanding these gains, the report makes clear that rural poverty continues to be a massive phenomenon throughout much of the developing world, and that it is particularly acute in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia:

• Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nearly a third of the world’s extremely poor rural people, whose numbers swelled from 268 million to 306 million over the past decade. While Sub-Saharan Africa’s rate of extreme poverty in rural areas declined from 65 to 62 per cent, it remains by far the highest of any region.

• Rural poverty rates have dropped only slightly in the last decade in South Asia, which now has the largest number of poor rural people – about 500 million – of any region or sub-region. Four-fifths of all extremely poor people in South Asia live in rural areas.

The report cites the consequences of climate change – which will make agricultural production more difficult in many places – as complicating the challenges of addressing rural poverty in these regions and globally.

It also points to the key role of women farmers, who produce most of the food that is consumed locally in rural areas, and the need to address their inadequate access to land tenure, credit, equipment and market opportunities.

In addition, the report says “low levels of investment in agriculture, weak rural infrastructure, inadequate production and financial services, and a deteriorating natural resource base” – particularly land and water and growing competition for their use – are creating an environment which makes it too risky and unprofitable for most of the developing world’s smallholder farmers to participate in agricultural markets.

Opportunities for accelerating progress

Yet the report also indicates that momentous ongoing changes in agricultural markets, as well as emerging opportunities in the rural non-farm economy, offer new hope that major progress can be made in combating rural poverty. These include the rapid growth of urban centres and the accompanying rise in demand for higher value food, as well as the fact that agricultural markets are growing and becoming better organized in order to meet that demand.

“The world that rural people live in is changing very fast, and that is bringing a range of new opportunities,” said IFAD’s Ed Heinemann, who led the team that wrote the report. “In order to enable them to address the problems they face and make the most of the opportunities, governments and the donors who work with them have got to do much more to support rural areas, to invest in rural areas, to improve their infrastructure and governance, and to make rural areas better places to live and to do business.”

Essential to any rural poverty reduction strategy, said Heinemann, is understanding how to help poor rural people avoid and manage the risks they face – from longstanding risks related to ill-health and natural disasters to new and emerging challenges related to natural resource degradation, the effects of climate change, growing insecurity of access to land, and greater volatility of food prices.

“The food price shocks a few years ago were a wake up call that, with global population growth and the movement of more people into cities, higher and more uncertain food prices could become a fact of life,” said Nwanze. “But this also means that smallholder agriculture – if it is productive, commercially oriented and well linked to modern markets – can offer the developing world’s rural people a route out of poverty as they become part of the solution to global food security challenges.”

The Rural Poverty Report 2011 was made possible with funding from the Governments of Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, and the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands.

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curbside trash carts.

Some electronics waste, or “e-waste” contain hazardous and toxic materials including lead, cadmium, beryllium, mercury, and brominated flame retardants – all of which cannot be put in the landfill or curbside carts and must be disposed of as hazardous materials. An older computer monitor can contain up to 5 pounds of lead alone.

Today, very few electronics products can be recycled or repaired and many become obsolete within a few years, making proper disposal of every item extremely important to protect the Lake County environment.

Lake County residents can easily dispose of their e-waste properly – at no cost – by taking it to Lake County Waste Solutions, South Lake Refuse and Recycling or the monthly e-waste event sponsored by Goodwill.

E-waste includes electronics that are replaced frequently such as cell phones and chargers, PDAs, computer systems and peripherals including accessories (printer, mouse, monitors, speakers, scanner, keyboard, cables, modems, etc.), as well as stereo equipment, radios, tape players, CD players, headphones VCR/VHS, DVD players, camcorders, fax machines, scanners, copiers, telephones, answering machines, microwave ovens, televisions, hair dryers, irons and blenders.

However, not all electronics are considered e-waste. Regular ovens, vacuum cleaners, coffee pots, toasters, batteries, stoves, refrigerators, and small engines are not e-waste, but can be taken to Lake County Waste Solutions or South Lake Refuse and Recycling to dispose of for a small fee.

Residents with curbside service in the unincorporated areas and in the city of Lakeport can contact their hauler to schedule a bulky item pickup for large appliances, televisions, air conditioners, etc. Fees for this service range from no-cost up to $20, depending on location and what needs to be picked up.

If the older electronic equipment is still in good working order, Goodwill will accept the items at the monthly e-waste drive as a donation for resale in one of their stores. Local thrift stores also will accept donations of items in good working order.

For more information on reducing, reusing, and recycling, please visit the Lake County Recycling Website at www.recycling.co.lake.ca.com, or call the Recycling Hotline at 707-263-1980.

No Charge E-Waste Drop-Off Locations:

Lake County Waste Solutions

230 Soda Bay Road, Lakeport

707-234-6400 or 1-888-718-4888

Open Monday to Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

South Lake Refuse & Recycling

16015 Davis St., Clearlake

707-994-8614

Open daily, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Goodwill Industries

Bruno’s Shop Smart

355 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport

First Saturday of each month, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Thrift Stores That Accept Donations of Working Electronics:

Hospice Services

14290 Lakeshore Dr., Clearlake

Hospice Services

1701 S. Main St., Lakeport

People Services

395 N. Main St., Lakeport

St. Vincent DePaul

16125 Orchard, Lower Lake

Methodist Church

21216 Washington St., Middletown

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The ceremony will begin at 8:45 a.m. at Veterans Circle.

This is the fourth year that wreaths have been laid on the graves of local veterans as part of the commemoration.

In 2006, in response to thousands of e-mails and letters, Wreaths Across America was born out of a desire to honor and respect American servicemen and women for their significant contributions in preserving our Nation’s freedom.

Originally started by Morrill Worcester and Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington Maine back in Arlington Cemetery, it has become an annual tradition to lay holiday wreaths at the grave-markers of our fallen veterans during the holidays, as a way to express appreciation and to pay tribute for the past, present, and future sacrifice made for our Country.

The effort's motto is “Remember – the fallen; Honor – those that service; Teach – our children the value of freedom.”

Lakeport resident Slick Hultquist made sure from the beginning to register Hartley Cemetery as a site for laying the Ceremonial Wreaths so that we could honor our local Veterans.

At 8:45 a.m. the Patriot Guard Motorcycle Team along with the Vietnam Legacy Vets Motorcycle Club and guests will escort the wreaths from the front gate to the transfer point and the ceremony will begin above Veterans Circle.

Scouts from around the county will be laying the wreaths.

Boy Scout Troop 42 would like to thank those in the community that have sponsored wreaths which the Boy Scouts will place on veterans' grave sites.

Attendees are urged to dress warm.

Hartley Cemetery is located at 2552 Hill Road East, Lakeport.

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Soil work takes place at Westside Community Park in Lakeport, Calif. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Construction and other activities were highlights of the past year at Westside Community Park.

Receipt of a major grant, the inaugural Grillin’ on the Green, and completion of earthmoving and stockpiling donated grindings from the Highway 29 repaving project were among the major accomplishments.

The Westside Community Park Committee is the recipient of a grant from the Pacific Forest & Watershed Lands Stewardship Council.

This infrastructure grant for $200,000 over two years is funding the final grading, installation of an irrigation system, provision of electricity, planting of grass and construction of two sets of backstops and dugouts.

When completed this five-acre portion of the park will contain a baseball field, a Little League field and three soccer fields.

As a donation to the park, Ruzicka Associates of Lakeport developed a grading plan and then surveyed and staked the site for the final earthwork. Funded by grant money, the final grade was completed.

Grading work was completed on a portion of the park in 2010. Courtesy photo.

Following a soils analysis, amendments were purchased and added to enrich the soil. Longtime park supporter RB Peters of Lakeport donated time and equipment and, utilizing additional equipment donated by the Wooldridge Ranch, worked the amendments into the soil and landplaned the field to its final form.

Wyatt Irrigation in Ukiah created an irrigation plan and the committee purchased the needed materials to install that system. The company donated the sprinkler heads for the system.

The rains began before installation could occur. The materials are being stored and installation will be the first activity to take place in the spring.

The last activity to occur on site this season was the placing of erosion control measures for the winter.

Under California law, these measures must be in place by Oct. 15 and remain until at least April 15.

In August the committee held its first onsite fundraising event. Grillin’ on the Green was a barbecue cookoff featuring service clubs and individuals. The People’s Choice Competition was won by the Irwin family from Kelseyville.

The goal of the Committee in hosting an event at the park was to get people out there for a fun day.

Many in attendance said it was their first visit. Music by the LC Diamonds and activities for children added to the fun.

With the assistance of many sponsors, especially the Keeling-Barnes Family Foundation and the Priest Family Trust, the event cleared more than $16,000.

The committee plans to make this an annual event. The second Grillin’ on the Green is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 6, 2011.

Granite Construction Company agreed to donate more than 20,000 tons of asphalt grindings generated from the repaving of Highway 29. These grindings are being stored on site and will be processed and used as road base under roads, driveways, parking lots and trails.

Others in the community came forward to assist with moving the grindings on site. RB Peters offered the use of a dozer. Larry Wise of Scotts Valley volunteered as the equipment operator of this seven-day project. Westgate Petroleum of Lakeport donated 450 gallons of diesel fuel.

The value of this donated material is $350,000. This was accomplished at no cost to the committee as a result of those making donations.

Planning for the 2011 construction season is currently under way. The committee’s goal for next year is to have five acres of athletic fields planted and a baseball field and a Little League field completed.

Rollins recently announced that interested individuals will soon be able to track progress and obtain information about the park online.

A Web site is under development by Bit Sculptors of Lakeport. Owner Eric Schlange has offered to create the site as a donation to the park. The address will be westsidecommunitypark.org.

The Westside Community Park is located at 1401 Westside Community Park Road, Lakeport. Westside Community Park Road is accessed from Parallel Drive between the Kathy Fowler Auto Dealerships and Mendocino College.

Dennis Rollins is chair of the Westside Community Park Committee.

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An inmate crew from the Lake County Jail works at Westside Community Park in Lakeport. Courtesy photo.

Irrigation materials are offloaded at the park. Courtesy photo.

More than 60 people crowded into the council chambers at Lakeport City Hall, where the commission considered concerns about noise, and a high number of calls and incidents at the tavern, located at 650 S. Main St.

At the start of the meeting, Commissioner Ross Kauper recused himself because he owns property within 500 feet of the tavern. That left fellow commissioners Marc Spillman, Harold Taylor, Suzette Russell and Chair Tom Gayner to sort through the 2-inch-thick staff report and the myriad public comments.

City Planning Manager Andrew Britton said the proposal to revoke the tavern's planning permit was based on noncompliance with permit requirements and the level of calls to the Lakeport Police Department.

He cited 34 noise complains from April 1 through Nov. 12 and the generation of 80 percent more service calls than come from any of the other bars in Lakeport. Britton said the police department's work with with the tavern management was unsuccessful in resolving the issues, thus the request for revocation.

Acting Lakeport Police Chief Brad Rasmussen told the commission that from the police department's standpoint, the primary issue is the affect on the neighbors “due to the loud and unreasonable noise we'd encountered on the premises.”

Rasmussen said they believe that the live entertainment activities were the primary contributor and the cause for the calls.

Sean Lyon, the bar's manager as well as the president and chief executive officer of the limited liability company that owns the business, pointed out that a bar has been located in the building for more than 50 years.

He said he's done soundproofing work, is planning to install a new door and has implemented police suggestions, including floodlights in the front of the building.

Lyon said he also had asked Building Official Tom Carlton about enclosing a back patio for a smoker's area. He said it took two months to get Carlton to tell him how he should approach the project, with Carlton telling him about the middle of November to get an engineer or architect to draw up plans. A day later, Lyon got the city's letter about the permit revocation hearing.

He told the commission that one of the business' neighbors, Joey Brodnick, has made harassing calls to the bar and made repeated unfounded complaints about the business itself. Although Lyon said he had tried to work it out, “I don't know what I can do.”

Lyon said he had tried to work with neighbors to address their issues. “I feel it's unjustified to take our music permit away.”

He said there are not a lot of live entertainment options for people in Lakeport. “There's not much for people to do.”

Lyon also suggested that his bar was being singled out by the Lakeport Police Department. “We just want to be able to operate on an even playing field, that's all we're asking.”

Since the bar opened under new ownership earlier this year, there has only been one fight incident in the bar, Lyon said. As for complaints about sex in public, Lyon said, “That's off my premises, that's something that should not be held against my bar.”

Taylor said he had done some investigation of his own, parking down on Lily Cove, where he said, “You can hear your music clearly.”

Taylor said he'd visited the bar on Halloween when he said it was packed with about 80 people, more than the 49-person occupancy. “I think you've got a little work to do.”

Russell questioned how many security staffers were on scene. She said she felt just one wasn't enough. Lyon said there were sometimes two plus himself.

Gayner referenced the permit requirement that calls for limiting the sounds to the premises, and asked what is the guarantee that the bar will begin to adhere to that.

“That condition, I'll be honest with you, is very tough,” said Lyon, noting that it's an old building. However, he guaranteed that after renovations are complete, it will be as soundproof as possible.

Community Development and Redevelopment Director Richard Knoll told the commission that the focus of the discussion was specific.

“Our zoning permit is fairly narrow in terms of what we're addressing here tonight,” he said. “It is the live entertainment aspect of this operation, not other aspects of the operation,” although he said there may be relationships between the issues.

Commissioners hear complaints, support

Over the next hour, approximately 22 people spoke to the commission. Of those, 17 were employees, customers, fellow business owners or neighbors showing their support. The remainder were people with concerns about noise and other problems.

Supporters said they felt the bar had worked hard to deal with neighbors' concerns. One of the neighbors, Thomas Rendel of Oak Knoll, said he had complaints when the bar first opened, but he called Lyon and Lyon took care of them.

Another neighbor, Carrie White, had another experience. She said her two children – one of them, a young son, was with her at the meeting – had been awakened numerous times this year due to the noise. There had been incidents involving people have sex outside her children's bedroom windows.

She found her son in the living room with a baseball bat one night, because he thought someone was going to come into their home.

She said she'd spoke to Lyon, and told the commission that she didn't want to see Lyon lose his business. But she added, “We can't live like this.”

White said she had noticed improvements in recent weeks, noting that from May until about a month ago, she couldn't sleep in her own bedroom due to the noise.

Jay Holden, a psychologist and a musician, said he spoke with Lyon about the situation after reading about it. He said some noise is to be expected from bars, and he was concerned about the “slippery slope” of letting the complaints override decibel requirements that might exist in ordinances.

Holden, who lives near the Elks club, questioned if he should be able to have that group shut down because of noise generated at events.

“I believe this business deserves our support, not our punishment,” said Holden, asking them to give Lyon a chance to complete his planned mitigations.

Brodnick also spoke to the commission, admitting that he gets upset about the noise. But he said it wasn't just the noise – it's also the crowd. Early in the morning “they come outside and they go nuts,” he said, describing screaming people, revving Harley Davidsons and taking part in fights.

“This establishment is what's drawing the crowd to start the fights,” he said.

Racheal Ferguson, one of the bar's owners, told the commission that she feels like she and Lyon were wasting their time, as they've already done a lot to solve the issues.

Pointing to the thick commission packet, she said a number of issues cited in it had nothing to do with the bar, there were duplicate reports and numerous complaints from a single person – a reference to Brodnick.

“We are on top of this,” she said, noting the work they're doing and continuing to do.

Another neighbor, Pat Skoog, also complained about the noise, but said she wanted to see Lyon and Ferguson succeed, as they are young, innovative and really trying. “I hope they can work it out.”

Charlene Calvillo of Kelseyville said the tavern is a venue for local talent, and it also gives local people a place to enjoy themselves without going out of town.

Assessing reasons for pulling the permit

Britton, referencing city ordinances, explained that one of the required findings in the municipal code for granting zoning permits is that the proposed use be in the right district, be consistent with the general public and zoned commercially, and not create a detrimental impact.

As to that detrimental impact issue, “That's what we're talking about tonight,” he said, explaining that the evidence from the police department and the neighbors led to a finding that the bar was having that kind of affect on the community.

In response to some of the input from bar supporters, Spillman said that while residents around the establishment should acknowledge that a bar has been in the area for some time, he said the venue has also changed over the last year, and that residents there have noticed it.

“I think it's important to note that,” he said.

Taylor asked about the delay in the correspondence between Lyon and Carlton. Britton said a building permit application was not submitted, and Carlton was giving a courtesy-type inspection.

Knoll said the building official is not a consultant, and that it's the right of the property owner to prepare and submit plans. Lyon would later clarify that Carlton had told him to take no action until he heard from him.

Regarding Lyon's plans to enclose a smoking area, Knoll said state law prohibits that. “It just isn't going to work.”

While a lot of fingers were being pointed at one person making complaints, when a complaint is registered – whether it's one person or 10 – “the city has an obligation to respond to that complaint,” Knoll said.

A decibel level is not applied in this instance, Knoll said, but instead it depends on the criteria to which Lyon agreed, including keep the sound to the premises, a condition that “was very explicit.”

“That was agreed to by the business owner. That condition has not been complied with,” he said.

Lyon wanted to respond and Gayner told him the hearing had closed. Some of the audience members became angry – with someone yelling about railroading – before about a dozen people walked out.

Knoll said the city is concerned about small business and business in general. As part of his job, he spends a lot of time trying to encourage business activities, and is a small business owner himself.

“We're very concerned about it,” he said. “Our intention is to support small business, not to close small business.”

However, the city has an obligation to investigate complaints. Knoll said the commission had two options – revoking the permit or suspending it, which would give the city the option to work out a solution with the bar.

Britton said the suspension could be lifted after the city and police department work out additional conditions for operation.

Spillman moved to suspend the permit, which Taylor seconded and the commission approved 4-0.

After the crowd filled out, Lyon and Ferguson continued talking with city staff, voicing their frustration over the situation.

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Capt. James Bauman said a male subject told authorities on Oct. 12 that he was asked to remodel a home in Kelseyville some time previously.

When the man went to remodel the home, he found bullet holes in the walls and a bloodstained carpet, which led him to believe a murder had taken place, Bauman said.

The man said he went forward with the remodel, but kept the padding underneath the carpet, telling detectives he felt it was the right thing to do, according to Bauman.

Sheriff's detectives recovered the carpet pad from the man's Lower Lake home. Bauman said it did appear to contain a blood stain, and it was sent to the Department of Justice lab for testing.

Based on testing, “They're feeling it is in fact blood stain,” said Bauman, however, the tests have not been totally conclusive, in part due to the use of a cleaner on the carpet pad.

With the test results raising concerns, on Dec. 1 detectives served dual search warrants at the Kelseyville residence where the remodel took place, he said.

As the man had described, they found bullet holes in the walls of the hallway, with the holes patched up, Bauman said.

They followed up by executing another search warrant on a Clark Drive property in Kelseyville over the weekend, Bauman said.

Cadaver dogs were used to search the property, and Bauman said the dogs alerted on a certain area.

Because it was late, the search had to be suspended and sheriff's personnel ended up having to spend the night on scene to keep it secure, according to Bauman.

The next day, another set of cadaver dogs were brought in, but they didn't hit on the same area as the previous set of dogs did, he said.

Bauman said an excavation was carried out of the area where the first dogs had hit, but no body was found.

At this point, Bauman said they have a suspicious circumstances case that has been suspended due to leads.

As to the possible identity of the victim, Bauman said they have no clues thus far, and they're still assessing the witness' reliability.

Anyone with information on the case can call the sheriff's office at 707-262-4200. Bauman said callers don't have to identify themselves when passing along information on crimes.

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EUREKA, Calif. – As news came out this week that a state legislator is suing the state over a pay cut, the North Coast's representative in the state Assembly said that pay cuts for legislators were the right step to take last year

Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) said he accepted the 18 percent legislator pay cut in 2009 because it was the right thing – for him – to do and criticized an attempt by Assemblymember Gil Cedillo to undo it.

“My goal is to restore paychecks for my district, not for myself,” Chesbro said. “I accepted that pay cut in 2009. I accept it now. We should be leading by example. And that example should not include complaining about lost pay when so many of the people we represent are dealing with hard times.”

The California Citizens Compensation Commission sets the salaries of state legislators.

In December 2009 the Commission voted to cut legislators’ pay and benefits by 18 percent.

Cedillo, a Democrat from Los Angeles, represents the 45^th District in the state Assembly.

He has filed a claim with the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board alleging the cuts are illegal.

Cedillo wants the Claims Board to restore the 18 percent, retroactively, for all 120 legislators.

“We go into the new year with a new governor and the hope and commitment to finally resolve the budget mess,” said Chesbro. “We need to get off on the right foot. And thinking about our own paychecks is not the right way to do that.”

Cedillo is being roundly criticized statewide for taking the action, which critics point out is being taken at a time when the state is struggling financially.

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Lura Rockhold, 39, of Kelseyville, collided with another vehicle in which a male passenger was killed, according to Sgt. Kenny Park of the Vallejo Police Department.

Park said Rockhold was driving on Sonoma Boulevard in a Toyota Tacoma when she collided at an intersection with a silver Ford Focus traveling eastbound on Yolano Street, Park said.

Rockhold's pickup hit the driver's side of the Ford Focus, Park said.

The 43-year-old female driver – whose name Park didn't have but who Bay Area media reported to be Lisa Hernandez of Petaluma – sustained injuries including several broken bones, he said.

Park said a 39-year-old male subject riding in the front passenger side of the Focus sustained fatal injuries. Media reports identified the man as George Hernandez, Lisa Hernandez's husband.

The Vallejo Police Department's traffic division is still investigating the crash, Park said, adding it's too early to say if the crash – which was initially reported as the result of Rockhold running a red light – could result in charges against Rockhold.

“I don't think we've got that far yet,” Park said.

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With the October state budget expected to keep some park closures in effect and hit other parks with deep cuts, coupled with the failure last month of Proposition 21 – which would have added $18 to the state vehicle license fee in order to support state parks – the California State Parks Foundation had warned of closures and service reductions.

The nonprofit foundation, which lobbies for state parks, also warned that, with no new funding sources in sight, the damage that has been done to state parks system through decades of budget neglect will continue and take years to fix.

On the government side, California State Parks Department Sector Superintendent Bill Salata – who oversees Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in Lower Lake and Clear Lake State Park in Kelseyville – said he was told to save $38,000 in operating costs for Clear Lake State Park and $14,260 at Anderson March.

Accordingly, at Anderson Marsh, “We've closed the gates Monday through Friday,” with the park only open on weekends.

In addition, he said three of the park's four chemical toilets were removed and trash service was ended, so visitors must pack their garbage in and out.

Volunteers will continue to do occasional tours, but schools and civic organizations that held midweek events won't be able to do so, which will be one of the largest impacts, Salata said.

At Clear Lake State Park, Salata said several dumpsters have been pulled as they've taken cuts in garbage collections. They've also closed down the combination toilet/shower facility, and left just one campground loop open in Kelsey Creek at this time of year.

The upper and lower Bayview campgrounds will only be open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, he said. “ All those facilities up there are shut down for the off season.”

Also closed at this time are the swim beach and day use area, and the nearby restroom facility, he said, noting, “I need to evaluate when that will be reopened.”

Salata, who transferred to the area in June, said he's “definitely evaluating” future cuts, including closing Clear Lake State Park a few days a week, “which is something I don't want to do but I'm going to look at it.”

Interpretive associations assist in keeping parks vital

Providing important support and funding for park activities are the county's two interpretive associations, and representatives of those groups say they intend to continue their work in the face of the challenges.

Madelene Lyon, president of the Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association (CLSPIA), said the group has, for many years, paid the cost of having an interpretive specialist. That job currently is held by Val Nixon, a retired Clear Lake State Park ranger.

“It's just working out beautifully,” said Lyon, noting that without the CLSPIA's support there would be no interpretive programs.

“In that respect, we are doing just really quite a bit to help this whole situation,” said Lyon, who explained how hard CLSPIA works to raise the funds.

One of the group's projects, the park's new education pavilion – located near the park visitor center – has just been completed. Lyon is planning to do a walk through on Tuesday, with the state fire marshal needing to sign off to fully complete the project.

The group will then put the furnishings in place; Lyon said they're now in the process of buying tables and chairs. CLSPIA plans to continue raising funds for microscopes and other equipment for education groups.

She said CLSPIA is planning an early spring grand opening for the pavilion. “We are so proud of our building,” she said. “It just looks like that spot was waiting for that building.”

Roberta Lyons, president of the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association (AMIA), said the group plans to continue with its activities, which include offering monthly walks and tours of the property and the historic ranch house.

Support of the park is one of the AMIA's main functions, and Lyons said they're focusing on what they have – including the park's natural and cultural resources, and interpretive opportunities.

They're also trying to expand their volunteer base so they can do more things at the park, she said.

Lyons said the AMIA and its members are not totally discouraged. “We think we're going to be able to keep the park going, even if it's on the weekends.”

They recently invested $7,000 to have a professional do a bat exclusion and remediation project, which Lyons was careful to note didn't include killing the bats.

This past September, AMIA and the Children's Museum of Art and Science held their annual Old Time Bluegrass Festival, which brought in between $6,000 and $7,000 and is their largest fundraiser of the year, said Lyons.

That and other events allows the AMIA to invest several thousand dollars a year into the park, she said.

“As an organization, we feel we can make some good things happen there still,” she said. “We plan on doing what we can to keep it going.”

California State Parks Northern Buttes District Superintendent Marilyn Linkem told Lake County News that the agency is trying to stretch thin resources to serve the parks.

“What we're trying to do is keep as much open as we can with the limited staff that we have,” she said.

However, she pointed out of the parks, “We just won't be able to service them as well,” with visitors likely to see fewer rangers on patrol and fewer maintenance staff.

Linkem said the local parks wouldn't have their interpretive programs – such as tours or Junior Rangers – if it weren't for the work of the CLSPIA and AMIA. She said the parks can use more volunteers to help support the parks.

California's residents pay for the parks, said Linkem, adding that the goal is to keep the parklands open and accessible.

“The parks are for the people,” she said.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .

Overcoming the presumption has required either a certificate of independent review or clear and convincing evidence that shows the gift was not the product of duress, menace, fraud, or undue influence.

The presumption of invalidity is meant to protect vulnerable (and usually lonely) dependent adults from predatory persons going after the dependent person’s estate.

Such predation often takes the form of substantial gifts at death in the dependent person’s will or trust. Presently, gifts exceeding $3,000 are considered substantial and so subject to the statute.

The presumption has often raised major concern with respect to even legitimate gifts made to genuine friends (who stepped in when their dependent friend needed help) due to uncertainty over the definition of “care custodian.”

This issue was recognized in 2006 by Chief Justice Ronald George and he invited the Legislature to amend the law to, “protect society as a whole.”

As a result, the California Law Revision Committee recommended that friends who became volunteer caregivers be excluded from the definition of “care custodian.”

Effective Jan. 1, 2011, section 21350 is amended in significant ways intended to protect gifts made to genuine friends who presently might be treated as care custodians.

Let’s examine the major law changes.

Most importantly, “care custodians” will exclude those who provide services without pay provided the care giver has a personal relationship with the dependent adult that began at least 90 days prior to when the volunteer services were provided and at least six months prior to the dependent adult’s death.

In addition, if the dependent adult is admitted to hospice care, such personal relationship must also begin prior to hospice care. Any gift instrument executed during the 90-day time period would make the gift presumptively invalid.

Furthermore, the definition of “dependent adult” is amended. With respect to persons over 65, a dependent adult means someone with “difficulty managing his or her own financial resources or resisting undue influence.”

Persons under 65, however, are only dependent adults if they have “substantial difficulty” in such areas.

Moreover, come 2011 the attorney drafting the gift instrument in question may now issue the certificate of independent review if he or she is truly independent; that is, not conflicted by an interest in the beneficiary of the gift (i.e., disinterested).

These law changes apply to gifts made in legal instruments that become irrevocable on or after Jan. 1, 2011.

Thus, instruments drafted prior to 2011 which become irrevocable after 2010 will be covered by the new 2011 law. Otherwise, the existing 2010 law still applies to gifts made before 2011.

Lastly, section 21350 supplements but does not replace the common law. Common law protections on undue influence still apply. Thus, predators who insinuate themselves into the lives of the vulnerable and use undue influence to coerce a dependent adult into making a gift should still beware.

Dennis A. Fordham, attorney (LL.M. tax studies), is a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Law. His office is at 55 First St., Lakeport, California. Dennis can be reached by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 707-263-3235.

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LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Friday, Nov. 5, the county of Lake officially launched the “Lake County Energy Watch” program giving businesses, nonprofits, special districts, municipal facilities and residents new opportunities to achieve significant energy savings while saving money.

In addition to public education of energy efficiency measures available to all, Lake County Energy Watch is partnering with Richard Heath and Associates (RHA) to provide no- and low-cost lighting retrofits for government facilities – including city, state and federal facilities located in Lake County – as well as to nonprofit organizations and small businesses.

RHA oversees the Energy Fitness Program, an energy efficiency program available to all non-residential Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) customers in Lake County who use less than 200 kW of electricity per month.

The Energy Fitness Program offers lighting retrofits (remove and replace existing lighting for high energy efficient lighting) at no- or low-cost.

The retrofits include 4- and 8-foot linear fixtures, high bay fixtures, Energy Star compact fluorescent lamps, LED exit signs or retro kits, occupancy sensors, vending machine controllers, faucet aerators, as well as additional LED and other cost effective savings measures.

Most of these measures are at absolutely no cost – including removal and installation – with just a few of the options requiring a nominal surcharge.

Lake County Energy Watch was awarded $10,000 by PG&E to assist nonprofit organizations in Lake County with paying any applicable surcharge for lighting retrofits.

When nonprofits receive services from RHA through the Lake County Energy Watch program, RHA will invoice Lake County Energy Watch on behalf of the eligible organization.

Lake County Energy Watch is administered by PG&E using funding from California utility ratepayers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.

Energy Watch partnerships are designed to help local governments and their communities lower their energy bills and enjoy a cleaner environment.

Since July of 2008, District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing has worked with community volunteers on the Lake County Energy Policy Council and county staff to launch Lake County Energy Watch.

LCEW will help save the county thousands of dollars in energy costs, provide funding for staff time, make educational materials available to the community and provide outreach throughout the duration of this project, which will end Dec. 31, 2012.

Energy efficiency measures implemented during the contract period will continue to garner savings into the future for the county and the community.

Lake County Energy Watch will utilize the momentum and talent of the Energy Policy Council’s 52 members to continue developing the outreach plan for increasing participation in energy efficiency programs, receive specialized energy efficiency offerings, and will be responsible for informing the community about the wide variety of energy efficiency and demand response offerings available from PG&E.

Lake County Energy Watch will offer a range of energy efficiency options for commercial, small business and residential customers, as well as county-owned and municipal facilities.

Energy efficiency seminars also will be offered in Lake County, as well as making county staff available to speak to community and civic organizations about energy efficiency programs.

For more information about the Lake County Energy Watch program, contact Michalyn DelValle at 707-263-2221 or visit 

www.energy.co.lake.ca.us .

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The quake occurred at 5:57 a.m., according to the US Geological Survey.

The quake, which was recorded half a mile underground, was centered just northeast of The Geysers, five miles west southwest of Cobb and six miles west northwest of Anderson Springs.

The US Geological Survey received 16 shake reports from nine zip codes – including Clearlake, Lakeport, Middletown, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Cloverdale, San Rafael, Novato and Sacramento.

In the hour following the initial quake, four temblors measuring between 1.1 and 2.4 in magnitude occurred, based on seismic data.

The last time a moderate-sized earthquake was reported in the county was Nov. 15. It measured 3.0 in magnitude and occurred two miles north of The Geysers, as Lake County News has reported.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews , on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf and on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/LakeCoNews .