Saturday, 08 February 2025

Regional

Pronghorn antelope. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife, or CDFW, and the Modoc County District Attorney’s Office have announced the settlement of a pronghorn antelope poaching investigation and prosecution resulting in the loss of hunting privileges, the forfeiture of the game, a $3,000 restitution payment and other penalties.

CDFW’s investigation began in August 2024 when its Law Enforcement Division, Northern Enforcement District received a tip via CALTIP of an individual observed illegally shooting and taking a pronghorn with a bow on private property in Modoc County.

CDFW wildlife officers responded to the location and determined that a male pronghorn had been illegally taken and initiated a poaching investigation. The investigation involved field interviews with witnesses, canvassing of the kill site, online records and other investigatory databases.

CDFW’s investigation pointed to Earnest Davis, 53, of Clayton as a person of interest. Wildlife officers contacted Davis at his residence and determined it was Davis who illegally poached the pronghorn with a compound bow and arrow. A formal complaint was submitted to the Modoc County District Attorney’s Office, which initiated the prosecution of Davis for poaching crimes.

A settlement agreement was reached at Davis’ Jan. 30 arraignment. Davis pleaded no-contest to violating California Fish and Game Code Section 2016 involving the illegal take of the pronghorn on private property with other violations being dismissed.

The terms of the settlement resulted in a one-year summary probation term for Davis; the loss of hunting privileges while on probation; the forfeiture of the pronghorn’s meat; the requirement to complete a hunter education course; and payment of $3,000 in restitution.

“The Modoc County District Attorney’s Office takes all criminal matters very seriously. We understand the importance of individuals following CDFW regulations. Our office will continue to do our part in prosecuting and raising awareness on illegal hunting, ensuring public safety and assisting in big game population management,” said Modoc County District Attorney Nina Salarno.

“We have zero tolerance for poaching and those who would cheat the system and undermine the opportunities Californians have to legally hunt pronghorn antelope in this state,” said CDFW Chief of Law Enforcement Nathanial Arnold. “We’re grateful for the collaboration and support from Modoc County District Attorney Salarno, who shares our values of protecting one of California’s iconic big game species.”

The hunting of pronghorn antelope in California is a highly coveted big game opportunity but also one that is tightly regulated to protect limited populations found mostly in the northeastern corner of the state, primarily in Modoc and Lassen counties.

Only 137 pronghorn hunting tags were offered by CDFW in 2024. It can take many years, sometimes decades of applying each year through CDFW’s Big Game Drawing before a hunter is awarded a tag to legally hunt pronghorn.

CALTIP, which led to the successful outcome of this case, stands for Californians Turn In Poachers and Polluters, a confidential secret witness program that encourages the public to provide CDFW with factual information leading to the arrest of poachers and polluters.

Anyone witnessing a poaching or polluting incident or any fish and wildlife violation or who has information about such a violation should immediately dial the toll-free CALTIP number, 1-888 334-CALTIP (888-334-2258), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If the information supplied by the caller results in an arrest, the caller becomes eligible for a reward. (Up to $3,500 rewards have been granted.) The case is then reviewed by a volunteer citizen's group known as the "CALTIP Rewards Committee" to determine the amount of the reward. Visit the CALTIP web page for details.

The Department of the Interior on Wednesday announced a $514 million investment as part of President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda that will bring clean, reliable drinking water to communities across the West through five water storage and conveyance projects.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda has allowed us to begin work on long overdue water storage projects, providing clean, reliable drinking water to families, farmers and Tribes throughout the West,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The investments we’re announcing today will continue to fund these important efforts, expediting essential water storage projects and providing increased water security to Western communities.”

Among the projects receiving funds is the Sites Reservoir in neighboring Colusa and Glenn counties.

The project will receive $129 million for an off-stream storage project that will develop up to 1.5 million acre-feet of new water storage on the Sacramento River system located west of Maxwell, California.

The reservoir will deliver multiple benefits including cold water for salmon by using new and existing facilities to move water in and out of the reservoir, with ultimate release to the Sacramento River system via existing canals, a new pipeline near Dunnigan, and the Colusa Basin Drain. 

This Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding builds upon previous year allocations to fully announce all of the storage and conveyance funding provided by the law.

President Biden’s Investing in America agenda represents the largest investment in climate resilience in the nation’s history and is providing much-needed resources to enhance Western communities’ resilience to drought and climate change.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Reclamation is investing a total of $8.3 billion over five years for water infrastructure projects, including rural water, water storage, conservation and conveyance, nature-based solutions, dam safety, water purification and reuse, and desalination.

Since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was signed three years ago, Reclamation has announced almost $5.3 billion for more than 670 projects.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Department of the Interior on Tuesday announced a $849 million investment from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to revitalize aging water delivery systems across the West.

The funding supports 77 projects in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah and Washington to improve water conveyance and storage, increase safety, improve hydropower generation, and provide water treatment. This includes 14 projects totaling $118.3 million in the Colorado River Basin.

In California, the funded projects include the Lake Berryessa Wastewater Treatment and Collection System in Napa County, which will receive Reclamation funding totaling $4,044,500.

The funds will be used to repair the main lift station, repair wastewater ponds and equipment, replace air relief/vacuum valves, replace lift station pumps, replace 1-½ inch black wastewater lines, and rehabilitate/replace septic tanks. Funding is for planning, design and subsequently implementation.

The Tuesday announcement follows the release of five alternatives earlier this month that will be analyzed as part of the Post-2026 Operations for the Colorado River Basin.

Since day one of the Biden-Harris administration, the department has led critical discussions over how to bring the Colorado River back from the brink of crisis in the face of an unprecedented 24-year drought.

Having achieved overwhelming success in 2023 on interim operation plans to guide operations through 2026 with a historic consensus agreement, and following more than a year of collaboration with the states and tribes who call the Colorado River Basin home, the release of alternatives is the next step in a responsible path to guide post-2026 operations for the Colorado River.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda provides transformational resources to safeguard clean, reliable water for families, farmers and Tribes,” said Acting Deputy Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis. “As we work to address record drought and changing climate conditions in the Colorado River Basin and throughout the West, these investments in our aging water infrastructure will conserve community water supplies and revitalize water delivery systems.”

“Reclamation is committed to utilizing these historic investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to revitalize our infrastructure for continued reliability and sustainability for the next generation,” said Bureau of Reclamation Deputy Commissioner Roque Sanchez. “These facilities are essential to the West as they provide water for families, farms and tribal communities, while also producing hydropower and recreation opportunities for communities throughout the Basin.”

Deputy Commissioner Sanchez visited the Lower San Acacia Reach Improvements project in New Mexico on Tuesday, which will receive $143 million to realign the Rio Grande for improved water conveyance and to provide a long-term strategy to better manage sediment.

Senior Advisor John Watts also visited the Delta Mendota Canal Subsidence Correction project in California today, which is receiving $204 million to address structural impacts to the canal from dropping groundwater levels.

The projects selected for funding today are found in all the major river basins and regions where Reclamation operates. Among the 77 projects selected for funding are efforts to restore canal capacity, sustain water treatment for Tribes, replace equipment for hydropower production and provide necessary maintenance to aging project buildings.

The Biden-Harris administration has led a comprehensive effort to make Western communities more resilient to climate change and address the ongoing megadrought across the region by harnessing the full resources of President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda.

As climate change has accelerated over the past two decades, the Colorado River Basin experienced the driest period in the region in over one thousand years.

Together, the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law provide the largest investment in climate resilience in our nation’s history, including $15.4 billion for western water across federal agencies to enhance the West’s resilience to drought and deliver unprecedented resources to protect the Colorado River System for all whose lives and livelihoods depend on it. This includes $5.35 billion for over 577 projects in the Colorado River Basin states alone.

WILLOWS, Calif. — Caltrans reported that the Willows Broadband project will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 14, with construction on State Route 162 in and near Willows in Glenn County to install new broadband infrastructure.

This project will lay the groundwork to provide better internet access for communities that currently have limited or no high-speed internet. Work will include installing underground conduits, placing fiber optic cables, and adding vaults and markers along the highway to support the network.

This project is part of the statewide Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative, led by the California Department of Technology, or CDT.

Established by Senate Bill 156 in July 2021, the initiative focuses on building an open-access middle-mile network — high-capacity fiber optic lines that transmit large amounts of data over long distances.

This backbone infrastructure enables local internet service providers to deliver affordable, high-speed internet to homes, businesses, and community institutions, enhancing connectivity for unserved and underserved communities.

The project is funded by the California Department of Technology as part of the Middle-Mile Broadband Network program. Construction is scheduled to finish by May, with an estimated cost of $3.93 million.

Caltrans District 3 is responsible for maintaining and operating 4,385 lane miles in 11 Sacramento Valley and Northern Sierra counties. Caltrans reminds motorists to “Be Work Zone Alert” and slow in construction zones for the safety of travelers and crews performing these improvements.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland on Monday announced the designations of 19 new National Historic Landmarks, or NHLs, reflecting the importance of the sites in sharing America’s diverse history.

The new NHLs are nationally significant properties for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer Americans, African Americans, Asian American Pacific Islanders, and women’s history in addition to moments important in development of American technology, landscape design, and art.

“As America’s storyteller, it is our privilege at the Department of the Interior, through the National Park Service, to tell our nation’s history and honor the many historical chapters and heroic communities that brought us to where we all are today,” said Secretary Haaland. “These newly designated historic landmarks join a list of the nation’s premier historic and cultural places, all of which were nominated through voluntary and locally led stewardship.”

An NHL designation is the highest federal recognition of a property’s historical, architectural or archeological significance, and a testament to the dedicated stewardship of many private and public property owners who seek this designation. While the National Park Service (NPS) maintains NHL listings, most are privately owned.

The new NHLs join a select group of over 2,600 nationally significant places that have exceptional value in illustrating the history and culture of the United States. NHL theme studies supported many of these nominations and designations.

“The National Park Service is committed to helping preserve and share a fuller and more inclusive account of our nation's history, a history that is not complete until all stories are represented. These 19 newly designated landmarks help do just that,” National Park Service Director Chuck Sams said. “We are proud to recognize these nationally significant places representing the diversity of the American experience and our country’s collective heritage.”

In addition to the new designations, the NPS has updated documentation for 14 current NHLs and has withdrawn designation of three NHLs because of demolition or destruction.

The list of new national historic landmarks is listed below.

Alaska
Ladd Field (Updated Documentation and Boundary Change)
Fort Wainwright, Fairbanks North Star Borough, AK
Fort William H. Seward (Chilkoot Barracks) (Updated Documentation, Boundary Change, and Name Change)
Haines, Haines Borough, AK
Sitka Naval Operating Base and U.S. Army Coastal Defenses (Updated Documentation and Boundary Change)
Sitka, Sitka Borough, AK

California
Summit Camp
Tahoe National Forest, Nevada and Placer Counties, CA
Tor House (Robinson Jeffers Home)
Carmel, Monterey County, CA

Colorado
Boulder County Courthouse
Boulder, Boulder County, CO

District of Columbia
Furies Collective
Washington, DC
Lucy Diggs Slowe and Mary Burrill House
Washington, DC

Guam
Manenggon Concentration Camp
Yona Municipality, GU

Hawaii
Pu'ukoholā Heiau (Updated Documentation and Boundary Change)
Kawaihae, Hawaii County, HI

Iowa
Reeve REA Power Generating Plant
Franklin County, IA

Kentucky
Big Bone Lick Site
Union, Boone County, KY

Louisiana
Mr. Charlie Offshore Oil Rig
Morgan City, St. Mary Parish, LA

Maryland
Monocacy Battlefield (Updated Documentation and Boundary Change)
Frederick County, MD

Michigan
Calumet Historic District (Updated Documentation and Boundary Change)
Calumet, Houghton County, MI
Quincy Mining Company Historic District (Updated Documentation and Boundary Change)
Houghton County, MI

Missouri
Watkins Mill (Updated Documentation)
Clay County, MO

Nebraska
Kregel Windmill Company Factory
Nebraska City, Otoe County, NE

New Hampshire
Lucknow
Moultonborough, Carroll County, NH

New York
Winged Foot Golf Club
Mamaroneck, Westchester County, NY

North Carolina
Blue Ridge Parkway (also in Virginia)
Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Mitchell, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties, NC
Amherst, Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Grayson, Nelson, Patrick, Roanoke, and Rockbridge Counties, VA
F.W. Woolworth Company Building
Greensboro, Guilford County, NC

Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Latte Quarry at As Nieves
Rota Municipality, MP

Pennsylvania
Carrie Blast Furnaces Number 6 and 7 (Updated Documentation and Boundary Change)
Swissvale, Rankin, Munhall, and Whitaker Boroughs, Allegheny County, PA

South Carolina
Charleston Cigar Factory
Charleston, Charleston County, SC

Texas
Fort Brown (Updated Documentation and Boundary Change)
Brownsville, Cameron County, TX

Virginia
Azurest South
Petersburg, Chesterfield County, VA

Blue Ridge Parkway (also in North Carolina)
Amherst, Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Carroll, Floyd, Franklin, Grayson, Nelson, Patrick, Roanoke, and Rockbridge Counties, VA
Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Mitchell, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties, NC

Cedar Creek Battlefield and Belle Grove Plantation (Updated Documentation, Boundary Change, and Name Change)
Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren Counties, VA
Fort Monroe (Updated Documentation)
Hampton (City), VA
Loudoun County Courthouse
Leesburg, Loudoun County, VA

Washington
Fort Worden (Updated Documentation)
Port Townsend, Jefferson County, WA

Wyoming
Wyoming State Capitol (Updated Documentation)
Cheyenne, Laramie County, WY

The Secretary of the Interior also approved three withdrawals of National Historic Landmark designation.

Daniels, Josephus, House (Withdrawal of Designation)
Raleigh, Wake County, NC

Clamagore (USS) (Withdrawal of Designation)
Mount Pleasant, Charleston County, SC

Falls Of Clyde (Four-Masted Oil Tanker) (Withdrawal of Designation)
Honolulu, HI

For more information about these landmarks and the National Historic Landmarks Program, please visit https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalhistoriclandmarks.

The scene of a crash that killed a U.S. Postal Service worker in Santa Rosa, California, on Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. Photo courtesy of the Santa Rosa Police Department.

NORTH COAST, Calif. — The Santa Rosa Police Department reported that it is investigating the circumstances that led to a U.S. Postal Service worker being struck and killed by a vehicle on Monday evening.

The crash victim was identified as Irvin Hernandez, 33, of Santa Rosa.

On Monday at approximately 5:05 p.m., Santa Rosa Police officers, fire, and medical personnel were dispatched to the intersection of Northpoint Parkway and Corrigan Street for a major collision involving a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and GMC Denali SUV.

Police said the SUV ended up in the front yard of a residence on Corrigan Street and the postal vehicle was in the middle of Northpoint Parkway, near the dead end.

Multiple 911 calls to Santa Rosa Police Dispatch reported that there was a male victim lying in the roadway, and he appeared to be deceased. Callers indicated that this male was the driver of the postal vehicle.

The driver of the SUV was conscious and appeared to be having a medical emergency. He had remained in the SUV after the collision, police said.

Police officers arrived on scene with medical personnel. Authorities said the male victim in the roadway was pronounced deceased immediately. The driver of the SUV was transported to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries.

Santa Rosa Police Department accident investigators and evidence technicians arrived and took over the investigation.

Based on witness statements and surveillance video from area residences, authorities said it appeared that the driver of the SUV was driving erratically prior to the collision and struck the postal vehicle and driver as he was standing outside the vehicle, sorting mail.

The preliminary investigation showed that the driver of the SUV suffered a medical emergency that caused him to lose control of the SUV, prior to the collision, police said.

The roadway was closed for several hours during the investigation. Santa Rosa Police worked in conjunction with representatives of the postal service throughout the investigation.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is encouraged to contact Officer John Fisher, telephone 707-543-3600, Extension 8550.
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