02/02/12 - MOUNTAIN LION ALERT
Mountain lion tracks have recently been observed around homes and on decks at two locations in Lake Almanor West.  These tracks are considerably larger than the more common bobcat tracks.  To minimize cat attractions, please keep edibles such as pet food inside at all times and keep the garbage can inside the garage until pickup day.  Keep an eye on pets, particularly during the hours of dim light or darkness when cats prefer to prowl.  If you actually see a lion, call the Department of Fish & Game at 283-6865 and alert your neighbors.
 

02/01/12 - PRECIPITATION UPDATE - CONTINUED DRY
January brought considerably more precipitation to the Lake Almanor basin than we received in December, but the amount was still well below average. The monitoring site at Prattville recorded 4.52 inches of total precipitation during the month, bringing our season total to 8.12 inches or 43% of average. By way of comparison, last year at this time we had accumulated over 20 inches of total precipitation.

Snowfall on the west shore amounted to 26 inches during the month. That brought the season snowfall total to 46 inches, or 60% of average. Unfortunately, the long dry pauses between snows allows much of the accumulation to disappear, leaving only a very light snowpack still on the ground.

The long term forecasters are tracking the trends of Pacific temperatures and Arctic pressures as they try to discern what might be coming our way. At the moment, the best guess is that conditions will remain on the dry side until at least mid February and perhaps later. However, the forecasters are whispering possibilities of heavy precipitation in the March and April timeframe, most likely in the form of rain. But as usual, we'll just have to wait and see.

01/29/12 -SCHOOL CLOSURE (7-11) COMMITTEE
Many of you will have been following the discussions regarding our schools, their budget problems and the possibility of school closures/mergers, etc. as carried in our local paper so I won't belabor the details. Many of you may also be thinking, "I don't have kids in school so this does not concern me." This could not be further from the truth.

As you may know, Plumas County Schools are not under the jurisdiction of Plumas County government and/or the Board of Supervisors but rather under the State of California directly. That being said, I am writing to ask you to become involved in these discussions. Decisions are going to be made that have far reaching implications for our communities.

As an example, would you want to buy a home or relocate to an area where your children had to ride a bus for more than an hour to school and another hour or more home each day? Add to the time factor a concern for safety when much of that ride is over icy, snowy roads. I can't help but think most of us would opt for a location that offered better opportunities than that! I am starting to hear it is possible that the outcome of school closure discussions could be only one High School remains open in Plumas County and it would be in Quincy. Imagine the effect that could have on our students, their families, our businesses, our real estate values (already in the tank) and our community. This is but one example of they type of discussions/decisions going on and their potential impacts.

Don't let these decisions be made without your input! We have a very capable and concerned 7-11 Committee here in the Almanor Basin but they need your help and support. The next meeting of the committee will be February 1, 2012 starting at 4:30 pm in Room 2 at Chester High School. Please consider attending - don't assume someone else will take care of things - I encourage you to learn what is going on and bring your opinions and support. Thank you - Sherrie

Sharon (Sherrie) Thrall, Plumas County Supervisor, District 3, P.O. Box 368, Chester, CA 96020, (530) 258-3656

 

01/24/12 - NEEDLES & PINS

Feb 07 - Fran Wilkins - 259-2459
Feb 14 - Judy Martin - 259-2667
Feb 21 - Carol Deurloo - 259-5851
Feb 28 -  Debbine Holdin - 259-5643

 

01/20/12 - VALENTINE'S DINNER

Tuesday Feb. 14, 2012 at the St. Bernard Lodge
5:30 pm -No Host Cocktails;  6:30 pm - Dinner
Menu: Includes choice of soup or salad, stuffed baked potato or rice pilaf, vegetable & bread - Prices include tax & tip

    Grilled Chicken Breast w/Mango Chutney      $20.50

    6 Jumbo Prawns deep fried or grilled             $26.50
    10 oz. NY Steak                                           $26.50,

    10 oz. NY Steak w/3 deep fried prawns        $36.50,

    16 oz. Rib Eye Steak                                     $36.50

Drinks and dessert can be paid for at time of service

St. Bernard Lodge needs final count by Monday, Feb. 6th, 2 pm.

Reservations after Feb. 6th please call Sharon at the St. Bernard Lodge 258-3382.

No shows pay full price, no refunds.
RSVP by placing your check payable to LAWCC AUX, in the firehouse mailbox by Feb. 6th.

Please include your dinner selection on your check - for information call Judy Martin 259-2667
 

01/17/12 - BOOK GROUP

Next meeting: Monday February 13, 2012
At the home of Debbie Holden
Book: Undomestic Goddess by Sophia Kinsella
Time: 10:00 AM - Noon

 

01/08/12 - FIRE DEPT. OPERATIONS SUMMARY

The West Almanor Fire Department (WAFD) responded to a total of 71 emergency calls during calendar 2011. Some 45% of those dispatched calls were for medical aid and another 7% were for nearby motor vehicle accidents where medical issues are common. Happily, there was only 1 actual fire within Lake Almanor West this year, an escaped debris burn that was quickly dealt with. However, WAFD did respond to a structure fire in Prattville and provided mutual aid to Chester for a structure fire as well. Our fire/rescue boat was on the water on 3 occasions in response to emergency call-outs, there were a few alarm calls which turned out to be false alarms, and there was an assortment of "other" responses dealing with nearby illegal campfires, water main breaks, smoke checks, public assist calls and such. The WAFD team is on call winter and summer, 24/7, providing fire protection and initial emergency medical aid services. If you should ever have a need, you can expedite the response by immediately calling the emergency Dispatcher at 9 1 1.
 

12/29/11 -Update - FERC 2015
     The State Water Resources Control Board has finally moved a step forward in the analysis of temperature control alternatives designed to meet their requirements for enhancing the cold water fish habitat along the North Fork Feather River as part of their Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification for FERC 2105. Last week they released the Level 3 screening report which is one of the steps in the process of issuing the draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the project. (Note: The previous FERC license expired in 2004 and due to lack of a new license PG&E has continued to operate under the terms of the old license.)
     This report was completed in September 2009 and we thought it would be released shortly after that date. However, the Water Board decided to keep it confidential and would not make the information available. Since the Sept 09 time the Water Board has been examining the alternatives mentioned in this Level 3 report to determine alternatives that will make it into the final EIR. All this is done in secret with no clue being offered as to what the final alternatives might be.
     With the release of this report (even though very late in the process) we will finally be at least able to gain some clues about what alternatives went forward into the final analysis. County staff and our consultants are studying the report and based on further analysis we will be formulating our next plan of action.
     At first glance it seems the Prattville thermal curtain remains alive and well. If you would like to review this report please follow the link below. After your review, should you have suggestions/comments please feel free to email them to me. We have various ideas as to why the Water Board decided to release this information at this time however we are thankful for at least some movement in the process.
     Please remember that the Level 3 report is not the final step in this process. At some future date the Board will release the draft EIR for public review. That draft will contain information on the alternatives that were examined and make final recommendations. Public review period is usually 30 days; due to the complexity of the issues Plumas County requested an extension of that time to 120 days. Based on previous correspondence it would appear that the time for public comment upon release of the draft EIR will be 90 days.
      I will keep you posted as we continue through this very long and extremely complicated process.
     The Level 3 Report is available for review here:
http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/water_quality_cert/docs/upper_feather_ferc2105/level3rpt.pdf

 

Sharon (Sherrie) Thrall,  Plumas County Supervisor, District 3,  P.O. Box 368,  Chester, CA 96020,  (530) 258-3656
 

12/06/11 - WACC OFFICE HOURS

WACC office hours are now Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday from 9am to 2 pm.

11/14/11 - SUNSHINE CHAIR

The new Sunshine Chair for the Auxiliary is Sherry Neth.  If you know of someone who is in need of some "sunshine" (ie. cards, meals, etc) please contact Sherry  at 259-5996.