American Rivers released its yearly list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers, spotlighting ten rivers where human health and safety are at risk. The 2023 American River Project has named the Eel River the sixth most threatened river in the nation. The listing includes the threats to the river’s Chinook salmon and steelhead, as they get closer extinction. Organizations say the threats to the river are because of two obsolete dams that make up PG&E’s Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project. The utility says it has a multi-year plan in the works to decommission it.
A cold case from September of 2021 has been solved, thanks to DNA. A human body was found two years ago beneath Underpass Road at North Highway 101 in Willits. Sheriff’s Detectives and the coroner began investigating the identity of the man, and the cause of his death. Last week, the DNA from the body hit a match in a Richmond lab. The body belonged to Thaddeus Bradley, a homeless man who was reported missing months before his body was found. The cause of his death was a meth overdose.
The Round Valley Indian Tribal Council declared a state of emergency on the reservation during a special closed session meeting Sunday night, a day after the body of a 16-year-old was discovered. It was two weeks after a 20-year-old was found beaten and shot to death. Monday night, council members met to work through the declaration. A 10:00 pm curfew for people under 18 is in effect. The law is already a tribal ordinance. Currently, Public Law 280 is in effect in California, meaning that although tribes are sovereign, they are under the jurisdiction of county sheriffs.
The Savings Bank Willits Banking Center will be closed for one day as the second phase of their lobby transformation progresses. The bank will be closed on May 1st, but will reopen on Tuesday, May 2nd. The new lobby will feature a more open space to do business in. The only local charter, the Savings Bank of Mendocino County remains strong financially, and will continue to work for Mendocino and Lake Counties according to the bank.
Mendocino County has updated their Cannabis Grants Operations, with the Local Equity Entrepreneur Program, or LEEP. There are currently several grants available. For those that applied, but had not received funds, the review process has been delayed due to a labor shortage. For more information and for fee waivers, check with the Department of Ag and the Mendocino Cannabis Department.
As the 2023 High School Voter Education Week Sessions continues, a reminder that there will be an informational booth set up in the Clearlake Library today from 2-4pm. Registrations are also available at all Lake County Libraries.
The Redbud Audubon Society will have an avian ecologist with the Audubon Canyon Ranch in Marin County on Thursday, April 20th at 7pm. The group will have an update on the heron and egret nesting colonies in the northern part of the Bay area, including the use of GPS telemetry. Check with the Redbud Audubon Society for the Zoom link to the meeting.
There will be a Native Learning Symposium this Friday, hosted by Mendocino College’s Lake Center at 3pm. Representatives from the Hopland Band of Pomo Indians, the Round Valley Indian Tribe and Robinson Rancheria will be speaking. The leaders will discuss education among native students. To register, search EventBrite for the Native Learning Symposium.
