NORTH COAST, Calif. – As part of Cal Fire's Forest Legacy Program 15,620 acres are now protected from development under the Eel River Peninsula Conservation Project.

Three separate properties Summer Camp Ranch, Garcia Creek Ranch and Foster Mountain Ranch collectively make up the conservation easement.

Landowners are encouraged to continue to manage their natural resources for sustainable timber production harvesting, hunting, fishing, grazing, and recreation.
 
Conditions of the easement require sustained yield forestry which allows more time for trees to grow before harvesting, maintenance of the habitat for wildlife, especially the tule elk and Pacific fisher, and grazing plans that reduce flammable grasses while maintaining valuable grasslands.
 
These lands are home to the tule elk, which are found only in California, and their survival is paramount.

They are the most specialized elk in North America and inhabit oak woodlands and grasslands.

From an estimated historic population of 500 thousand, there were less than 50 by 1875. Today there are approximately 4,000 tule elk in 22 different herds.
 
Funding for this project was provided by and in partnership with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Cal Fire's Forest Legacy Program and the Wildlife Conservation Board.

The purchase of these working forest conservation easements was completed utilizing grant funding from the US Forest Service ($7 million), the Wildlife Conservation Board ($3.5 million) and a significant donation from the landowners.
 
Cal Fire has many years of experience with managing working forests conservation easements under its Forest Legacy Program and with the latest acquisition has now protected more than 100,000 acres.

Working forest conservation easements encourage active forest management, which can generate revenue needed to maintain intact forest tracts and prevent conversion to non-forest uses, increase growth, resilience, and health and protect wildlife while promoting carbon sequestration and mitigating climate change.

The California Community Colleges Board of Governors on Monday announced the unanimous selection of Long Beach Community College District Superintendent-President Eloy Ortiz Oakley, a nationally known innovator in public education, as the next chancellor to lead the largest and most diverse system of public higher education in the nation.

Oakley will become the first Latino to lead the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation, composed of 72 districts and 113 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year.

Lake County's residents are served by two colleges that are part of that system, Mendocino College and Woodland Community College.

“Today the Board of Governors continues the tradition of selecting great chancellors to lead the California Community Colleges,’’ said Board President Geoffrey L. Baum. “Eloy Ortiz Oakley is an innovative and tested leader who understands how to operate successfully in a large, complex system of public higher education. In Oakley we see a change agent – someone whose relentless focus on student success will help more students obtain certificates and degrees or transfer to four-year institutions on time. As a member of the UC Board of Regents and with his close ties with California State University, he is well positioned to foster greater collaboration that will benefit all students.”

Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. said, “Eloy Oakley knows California’s community colleges inside and out and has served at every level in the system – from teaching in the classroom to running a campus as superintendent. California’s 113 community colleges – and the 2.1 million students they serve – are in good hands.”

“The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges has made a spectacular choice. Eloy Oakley is a proven leader of national stature.  He has been a valued partner in the President’s effort to provide free Community College to qualified students.  I look forward to working with him in his new role,” said Ted Mitchell, under secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

Oakley was named superintendent-president of the Long Beach Community College District (LBCCD) in 2007.

During his tenure, Oakley helped form the nationally recognized Long Beach College Promise, which engages high school administrators and teachers to work with college faculty and staff to create structured pathways for students to follow as they progress from one educational institution to the next.

Long Beach College Promise students are guaranteed a tuition-free year at Long Beach City College and preferred admission status to California State University, Long Beach after completing transfer requirements.

The Long Beach College Promise has inspired similar programs across the country. America’s College Promise, an initiative introduced by President Barack Obama in 2015, was modeled in part on the Long Beach College Promise.

“The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges has made a spectacular choice,’’ said Ted Mitchell, under secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. “Eloy Oakley is a proven leader of national stature. He has been a valued partner in the President’s effort to provide free community college to qualified students. I look forward to working with him in his new role.”

"As a California native and a product of a California community college, I am honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to lead the largest and most diverse system of higher education in the nation,” Oakley said. “I wish to thank the Board of Governors, Governor Brown and the people of California for expressing their faith in me. I recognize that I would not have this opportunity but for the amazing faculty and staff that make up our community college system. As chancellor I look forward to working with our 113 colleges, public education advocates, civil rights organizations, education policy experts and business and civic leaders to better serve our students and to create value for our great state."

While at LBCCD, Oakley also helped establish Promise Pathways, a program that uses high school performance grades and transcripts to ensure students are placed in appropriate class levels. Promise Pathways also uses improved advising and enrollment practices to help students select the right classes to maximize their success.

To jumpstart the region’s economy, Oakley partnered with Goldman Sachs to launch the 10,000 Small Businesses Program to help small businesses grow and create jobs. This successful endeavor has taught more than 600 local business owners how to expand operations, increase profits and create more jobs in the region.

“No one is as uniquely qualified and prepared to deal with contemporary issues facing our community colleges today as Eloy Oakley,” said Walter G. Bumphus, president and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). “As a member of the AACC board of directors, I have seen first-hand his passion for the mission of the community colleges as well as a great understanding of the politics and policies that govern our institutions. I look forward to working with Eloy in this new role.”

Oakley is himself a community college success story. After serving four years in the U.S. Army, he enrolled at Golden West College. He then transferred to the University of California, Irvine where he received his degrees of Bachelor of Arts in environmental analysis and design and Master of Business Administration.

Oakley joined LBCCD in 2002, serving as the assistant superintendent/executive vice president of administrative services.

Previously, he served as the vice president of college services at Oxnard College; the assistant vice president of the Property & Casualty Division of Keenan & Associates and the manager of risk services at the Coast Community College District. Oakley also served as an adjunct faculty member for the Environmental Technology Certificate Program at Golden West College.

In 2014, Gov. Brown appointed Oakley to the University of California Board of Regents.

“I’ve enjoyed working with Eloy on UC’s Board of Regents where he has distinguished himself by always asking the right questions and his unwavering commitment to expanding access to higher education in California,” said University of California President Janet Napolitano. “As chancellor of the California Community Colleges, I know he’ll continue to do so. I look forward to working with him, especially on further improving the pathway to UC for California transfer students.”

“Eloy is an outstanding leader and partner in California public higher education,” said Timothy P. White, chancellor of California State University. He has dedicated himself to building pathways for students from K-12 to a college degree, university degree and beyond. Eloy challenges and empowers all of us to think deeply about higher education’s role in our society and act accordingly. He understands the needs of California’s communities and is dedicated to our shared success.”

Oakley serves on the boards and committees of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the California Forward Leadership Council, the College Futures Foundation, the American Association of Community Colleges, the YMCA of Greater Long Beach and the Long Beach Rotary Club. He also sits on the advisory board for the California State University, Long Beach Ed.D. Program in Educational Leadership.

Oakley will begin his duties on Dec. 19, and replaces Chancellor Brice W. Harris, who retired in April after leading the community college system for nearly four years. Erik E. Skinner will continue to serve as interim chancellor until Oakley takes office.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST – Authorities have eradicated thousands of marijuana plants and half a ton of trash from an illegal grow site in the Mendocino National Forest.

During an aerial overflight of the Mendocino National Forest, a large complex of marijuana gardens were located in the Brisco Creek drainage approximately five miles south of Elk Creek, according to the  Glenn Interagency Narcotics Task Force.

On Monday, task force agents along with the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office, US Forest Service and Fish and Game responded to the area to locate the plants. The agents were assisted by the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting.

During the operation, a total of 7,868 marijuana plants were found growing and eradicated from the drainage, officials reported.

In addition, the task force reported that it located and removed approximately 1,000 pounds of trash from the site. Agents also located one firearm.

The task force reported that it appeared that those responsible had been living in the drainage for the last couple months.

The growers were using a local creek to irrigate the illegal garden, had made small dams to contain the water, and removed trees and brush to plant the marijuana in, the task force said. The grow area covered about five to six acres.

Fertilizer also was being used in the garden which always has the potential to pollute the waterway, the task force said.

No arrests were made. The investigation into those responsible is continuing, the task force said.

In an ongoing effort to monitor and improve the services provided by the California Highway Patrol, the department is inviting the public to participate in a brief, online community service survey.

Using the survey results, the CHP will be able to address the public’s concerns, develop solutions to potential problems, and better serve the needs of the community.

“All professional organizations self-assess in an effort to improve the way they do business and ensure they are providing the highest level of service to its customers. It is no different here at the CHP,” said CHP Commissioner Joe Farrow. “This community survey gives the public a voice and is an opportunity for the people we serve to evaluate us.”

To participate in the survey, the public is invited to visit the CHP’s Web site, www.chp.ca.gov .

Although the survey will be available on the Web site indefinitely, during the month of July, the link to the survey will be prominently featured on the CHP’s Home page.

Participation in the survey is anonymous.

“We hope the public will take the opportunity to participate in this important growth process,” added Commissioner Farrow. “Public surveys are an important resource, that give an organization a clear idea of what people think and the ability to pinpoint an issue that it may not even know exists.”

This is the first time the CHP has participated in an analytical, third-party online survey.

The CHP is committed to providing the highest level of safety, service and security to the people of California.

LUCERNE, Calif. – A wildland fire is burning actively in the hills above Lucerne, with state and local firefighters working to get it under control.

The Foothill fire was reported shortly after 5 p.m. Tuesday above Foothill Drive, according to radio reports.

Northshore Fire and Cal Fire have responded to the fire, with Cal Fire air attack, tankers and helicopters hitting the fire from the air.

Just before 7:30 p.m., Cal Fire said the fire was at 40 acres, with no containment.

It was reported to be moving further up into the hills and away from the town.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported that five homes have been evacuated, but said additional evacuations were not being ordered.

Authorities were asking people to stay out of the area while firefighters continued to work there. 

Additional details will be posted as they become available.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A spring overflight led to the eradication late last week of two large illicit marijuana grow sites on federal lands and the arrest of a Bakersfield man.

Lt. Steve Brooks of the Lake County Sheriff's Office said that on Thursday the Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit and law enforcement personnel from allied agencies eradicated 17,536 marijuana plants on Bureau of Land Management property.

Brooks said authorities also arrested Alvar Santis Alvarez, 32.

The Sheriff’s Narcotics Unit conducted overflight missions in early April to locate and identify illegal marijuana cultivation sites within Lake County, Brooks said.

During the overflight detectives located two large scale marijuana cultivation operations on public land near Indian Valley Reservoir. Brooks said each site was estimated to contain several thousand marijuana plants.

On Thursday, after months of surveillance, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Detectives along with law enforcement personnel from the Bureau of Land Management, United States Forest Service and the California Department of Justice, conducted an early morning arrest operation, Brooks said.

Brooks said the law enforcement personnel were split into two teams, which conducted their operations on both cultivation sites simultaneously. 

During the arrest operation on the northern cultivation site, detectives encountered Santis Alvarez tending to the marijuana plants, Brooks said.

Once Santis Alvarez noticed law enforcement was inside the cultivation site, he attempted to flee on foot. Brooks said Santis Alvarez was apprehended moments later by a law enforcement canine.

A second unidentified Hispanic male also fled the site and, after an extensive search, could not be located, Brooks said.

Brooks said the grow site was located on Bureau of Land Management public land.

The detectives noticed that the grow site was set up with a sophisticated gravity fed irrigation system, which was fed from a creek. Brooks said they also located a cooking area with a camp set up for two occupants.

The grow site contained 11,523 marijuana plants which were eradicated, Brooks said.

Brooks said the second cultivation site located on the east side of Indian Valley Reservoir also contained two Hispanic male suspects who fled on foot during the operation. Detectives searched the area and were unable to locate the suspects. 

The cultivation site also was located on Bureau of Land Management public land and was set up with a sophisticated gravity fed irrigation system, Brooks said.

Detectives said the suspects were pulling the water out of a natural spring. Brooks said the detectives also located a cooking area with a camp which was set up for two occupants.

Brooks said a total of 6,013 marijuana plants were located and eradicated from the site. 

Alvar Santis Alvarez was arrested for the cultivation of marijuana, possession of marijuana for sale and resisting arrest, Brooks said.

Alvarez was transported to the Lake County Hill Road Correctional Facility and booked, with bail set at $35,000. He remained in custody on Monday evening, according to booking records.

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