Lassen National Forest Lifts Fire Restrictions/Lassen National Forest Lifts Fire Restrictions
 
SUSANVILLE, Calif. -- Lassen National Forest officials will lift fire restrictions forest-wide, effective Friday, October 5, 2018.
 
Forest visitors may once again have campfires outside of developed campgrounds and recreation sites, although California Campfire permits are still required. The free permit may be obtained online at http://www.preventwildfireca.org/Campfire-Permit/ or from Forest Service offices during regular business hours (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.). Visitors are reminded to keep campfires small and ensure they are completely extinguished and cold to the touch before leaving.
 
It remains the responsibility of woodcutters to obtain the "woodcutting status" by calling (530) 257-9553 each day before heading out to cut wood.  The recorded message will be updated to notify potential woodcutters if there are restrictions such as 1 o'clock shut-down, open all day (no restrictions), or no woodcutting allowed that day.
 
As a reminder, woodcutters must assure chainsaws are equipped with spark arresters, possess valid woodcutting permits and attach tags to their loads, so they are easily visible as they transport the wood.
 
For more information, contact any Lassen National Forest office.
 
Almanor Ranger District Office                 (530) 258-2141
Eagle Lake Ranger District Office            (530) 257-4188
Hat Creek Ranger District Office               (530) 336-5521
Forest Headquarters                                   (530) 257-2151
 
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SUSANVILLE, Calif. -- Although fire season is still here, fire managers on the Lassen National Forest are beginning to plan for prescribed burn operations. Prescribed burning will begin when weather conditions allow for safe and effective burning conditions.
 
The Lassen National Forest uses prescribed fire to meet a multitude of objectives, including reducing natural fuel accumulations and fuels generated by activities such as timber sales and hand thinning projects. An additional purpose for using prescribed fire is to reintroduce fire to ecosystems that evolved with frequent fire. Prescribed fire mimics this essential component of western ecosystems by increasing the vigor of understory productivity, improving forage for wildlife and releasing nutrients into soils by consumed fuels. Prescribed fire also improves the resilience of forested lands to the threats by uncharacteristically severe wildfire as well as impacts by insects and disease.
 
The Eagle Lake Ranger District will be implementing prescribed burns in several project areas. Approximately 1,388 acres of understory burning could occur in the following locations: Bailey Defensible Fuel Profile Zone (DFPZ) on the northwest side of Campbell Mountain (311 acres), Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest (412 acres); Summit DFPZ on the east side of Logan Mountain (465 acres), and Houseman and Signal DFPZs around Dow Butte (200 acres), located approximately 6 miles north of the community of Spalding. Depending on weather conditions during the prescribed burning, smoke could be visible from Susanville, the Eagle Lake Basin, Westwood, Spalding, and while traveling on Highways 44 and 139, and County Roads A1 and A21. In addition to these treatments, approximately 178 acres of landing piles and 73 acres of hand piles will be burned throughout the district, once significant rain or snowfall has occurred.
 
The Almanor Ranger District will focus efforts on the Minnow Project, where up to 295 acres of understory burning will take place. The Minnow Project is an oak and pine enhancement project located in Butte County, approximately two miles east of the community of Inskip. Smoke from this burn may be visible from Chico and other communities in the Sacramento Valley. In the Philbrook Lake area, about 15 acres of landing piles will be burned as well as 40 acres of machine piles and 55 acres of hand piles. North of the community of Mineral, an additional 15 acres of landing piles will be burned. Hand piles from an aspen enhancement project will be burned in the Domingo Springs area, north of Chester for about four acres.
 
The Hat Creek District will be conducting up to 500 acres of underburning in and around the community of Old Station. Smoke may be visible to those traveling through the area on Highways 44 and 89. In the areas of Halls Flat and Blacks Ridge, an additional 1,500 acres of underburning is scheduled. And, once wetter weather sets in, district fire management personnel are planning to burn 700 acres of piles spread across the District.
 
Smoke is a natural byproduct of prescribed burn operations, and fire managers take precautions to manage it. First, burning only takes place on permissive burn days identified by local air pollution control districts. Second, many treatment areas have been mechanically thinned, resulting in reduced smoke emissions. Finally, fire managers coordinate with other public agencies and industrial landowners in northeastern California on burn days, which limits the amount of smoke in the air at any one time.
 
Prescribed burning is a valuable tool that has been proven to limit subsequent wildfire severity as well as improve conditions for firefighters by decreasing fire behavior in areas that have experienced prescribed fire. The Lassen National Forest remains committed to using prescribed fire in combination with other land management techniques to return public lands to a more natural, fire resilient condition while protecting communities from the effects of wildfires.
 
 
Lassen National Forest lies at the Crossroads of California, where the granite of the Sierra Nevada, the lava of the Cascades and the Modoc Plateau, and the sagebrush of the Great Basin meet. The Forest is managed for recreational access as well as timber and firewood, forage for livestock, water, minerals, and other natural resources.
 
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Washington, DC – September 27, 2018 – This week, the owner of a biomass power facility located in rural northeastern California urged EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler to process applications from biomass power facilities to participate in the Renewable Fuel Standard. The letter, below, makes clear the urgency of processing eRIN applications for a biomass facility that is a key contributor to forest management in an area at high risk of forest fire.
 
“Denying biomass power producers their rightful participation in the RFS has had real world consequences, and we anticipate that these consequences will get worse,” said Bob Cleaves, president and CEO of Biomass Power Association. “Our industry has already seen shutdowns in recent years, and properly implementing the RFS could help avoid these problems. Most biomass power facilities, including Loyalton Cogen, are located in rural communities where they contribute significantly to the local economy.”
 
The EPA currently has applications from biomass power facilities across the country to generate RINs for renewably-produced electricity. Both Congress and the EPA have approved renewable electricity to participate in the program, but in the four years since it approved electricity the EPA has failed to implement the pathway.
 
This letter follows a letter sent earlier this month to the EPA by 111 biomass, biogas and waste-to-energy organizations urging action on eRINs, and a bipartisan letter sent in June by eight California members of Congress to the EPA.
 

 
SUSANVILLE, Calif. -- Although fire season is still here, fire managers on the Lassen National Forest are beginning to plan for prescribed burn operations. Prescribed burning will begin when weather conditions allow for safe and effective burning conditions.
 
The Lassen National Forest uses prescribed fire to meet a multitude of objectives, including reducing natural fuel accumulations and fuels generated by activities such as timber sales and hand thinning projects. An additional purpose for using prescribed fire is to reintroduce fire to ecosystems that evolved with frequent fire. Prescribed fire mimics this essential component of western ecosystems by increasing the vigor of understory productivity, improving forage for wildlife and releasing nutrients into soils by consumed fuels. Prescribed fire also improves the resilience of forested lands to the threats by uncharacteristically severe wildfire as well as impacts by insects and disease.
 
The Eagle Lake Ranger District will be implementing prescribed burns in several project areas. Approximately 1,388 acres of understory burning could occur in the following locations: Bailey Defensible Fuel Profile Zone (DFPZ) on the northwest side of Campbell Mountain (311 acres), Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest (412 acres); Summit DFPZ on the east side of Logan Mountain (465 acres), and Houseman and Signal DFPZs around Dow Butte (200 acres), located approximately 6 miles north of the community of Spalding. Depending on weather conditions during the prescribed burning, smoke could be visible from Susanville, the Eagle Lake Basin, Westwood, Spalding, and while traveling on Highways 44 and 139, and County Roads A1 and A21. In addition to these treatments, approximately 178 acres of landing piles and 73 acres of hand piles will be burned throughout the district, once significant rain or snowfall has occurred.
 
The Almanor Ranger District will focus efforts on the Minnow Project, where up to 295 acres of understory burning will take place. The Minnow Project is an oak and pine enhancement project located in Butte County, approximately two miles east of the community of Inskip. Smoke from this burn may be visible from Chico and other communities in the Sacramento Valley. In the Philbrook Lake area, about 15 acres of landing piles will be burned as well as 40 acres of machine piles and 55 acres of hand piles. North of the community of Mineral, an additional 15 acres of landing piles will be burned. Hand piles from an aspen enhancement project will be burned in the Domingo Springs area, north of Chester for about four acres.
 
The Hat Creek District will be conducting up to 500 acres of underburning in and around the community of Old Station. Smoke may be visible to those traveling through the area on Highways 44 and 89. In the areas of Halls Flat and Blacks Ridge, an additional 1,500 acres of underburning is scheduled. And, once wetter weather sets in, district fire management personnel are planning to burn 700 acres of piles spread across the District.
 
Smoke is a natural byproduct of prescribed burn operations, and fire managers take precautions to manage it. First, burning only takes place on permissive burn days identified by local air pollution control districts. Second, many treatment areas have been mechanically thinned, resulting in reduced smoke emissions. Finally, fire managers coordinate with other public agencies and industrial landowners in northeastern California on burn days, which limits the amount of smoke in the air at any one time.
 
Prescribed burning is a valuable tool that has been proven to limit subsequent wildfire severity as well as improve conditions for firefighters by decreasing fire behavior in areas that have experienced prescribed fire. The Lassen National Forest remains committed to using prescribed fire in combination with other land management techniques to return public lands to a more natural, fire resilient condition while protecting communities from the effects of wildfires.
 
 
Lassen National Forest lies at the Crossroads of California, where the granite of the Sierra Nevada, the lava of the Cascades and the Modoc Plateau, and the sagebrush of the Great Basin meet. The Forest is managed for recreational access as well as timber and firewood, forage for livestock, water, minerals, and other natural resources.
 
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(Richvale, CA) – Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after sending a letter to Agriculture Committee Conferees requesting they include strong forest management provisions in the final Conference Report of the Farm Bill. The letter was sent along with other members of the Congressional Western Caucus.
 
LaMalfa said: “Wildfire season is at its worst in California. The Carr Fire quickly became one of the most devastating fires in the history of the North State, and we have decades of poorly managed federal forests to blame. We shouldn’t view worsening wildfires as simply inevitable, and instead focus on actionable solutions. As dead trees pile up and fires become increasingly severe, responsibly thinning our forests is now more important than ever. It’s imperative that any final conference report on the Farm Bill contains strong provisions to strengthen forest management practices. The House has approved a selection of reasonable and uncontroversial recommendations, and we expect the committee to seriously consider these provisions in the final report.”
 
A signed copy of the letter is attached. The letter recommended the following policy adjustments be included in the forestry title of the final Farm Bill of 2018:
 

• Allow existing and any new Healthy Forests Restoration Act authorities to be used within Fire Regimes IV and V. See Section 8321 of H.R. 2. 
•  Facilitate the use of Good Neighbor Authority by expanding it to counties and tribes and codifying existing practices concerning the flow of contributions and receipts associated with these projects. See Section 8331 of H.R. 2 and Section 8624 of H.R. 2 EAS.
• Accelerate post-fire restoration and reforestation projects through either a new categorical exclusion or, at the very least, by applying Sections 104 and 106 of HFRA to post-fire projects carried out under the Forest Service’s existing Emergency Situation Determination authority. See Sections 8312 and 8334 of H.R. 2.
• Establish an Action, No-Action authority for Environmental Impact Statements and Environmental Assessments to reward, incentivize, and protect projects that are developed through a collaborative process with diverse stakeholders. See Section 8335 of H.R. 2.
• Apply Section 106 of HFRA (“balance of harms” and other policies related to injunctions) to all forest management projects, and expressly clarify that courts must find that plaintiffs are “likely to succeed on the merits” before enjoining a forest management project. See Section 8336 of H.R. 2.
• Establish and expand categorical exclusions for projects that restore watersheds, protect water quality, improve forest health, allow for critical response, address insect and diseases, and reduce the risk of wildfire. See Section 8107 and Sections 8311-8321 of H.R. 2 as well as Section 8611 of H.R. 2 EAS.
• Streamline approval of, and afford tribes greater authority in, implementing projects under the Tribal Forest Protection Act. See Section 8401 and 8402 of H.R. 2.
• Establish pilot arbitration authority and include litigation reform to more swiftly resolve disputes over important forest management projects. See Sections 301, 311, 811 and 812 of H.R. 2936 and (g) of Section 8339 of H.R. 2.
• Update extraordinary circumstances regulations in order to allow expedited response. See Section 8503 of H.R. 2.
• Improve consultation under the Endangered Species Act. See Section 8303 of H.R. 2.
• Establish a voluntary pilot program that would allow a participating utility to conduct limited, proactive vegetation management work outside of its right-of-way on federal lands. This mitigation work should be conducted at the expense of the participating utility in order to better protect critical energy infrastructure from passing wildfires that start outside of the right of way. See Section 8502 of H.R. 2.
• Fully remove what the Obama Administration called the potentially “crippling” impacts of the Cottonwood decision by applying to the “new information” trigger under the Endangered Species Act the same reforms that recent appropriations legislation established for the listing of species and designation of critical habitat. See H.R. 6567.
•   Fully Empower states to have a greater role in cross boundary management and codify the Landscape Scale Restoration program. See S. 962 as well as Sections 8104 and 8509 of H.R. 2.
• Exempt Alaska from the 2001 'Roadless Rule' and thereby boost forestry in several National Forest System units in which it has been artificially suppressed.  See Section 8337 of H.R. 2.
• Allow new opportunities to conduct hazardous fuel removal on landscapes that cross federal, state, county and private property. See Section 8332 of H.R. 2.

 
Congressman Doug LaMalfa is a lifelong farmer representing California’s First Congressional District, including Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou and Tehama Counties.
 
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By Melinda Myers
The pantry is full of fall favorites like squash, onions and potatoes, but busy schedules may have you finding a few things growing in the back of your cupboard. With little effort and a pinch of creativity you can grow these into a very imaginative indoor garden.  
Kids and adults love to watch kitchen discards grow into new plants. According to KidsGardening.org, a national nonprofit, these types of activities improve nutritional knowledge, enhance social emotional learning, and environmental stewardship. Here are just a few projects to get you started:
Sweet Potatoes
Convert sprouted sweet potatoes into beautiful indoor houseplants. Set in a container of well-drained potting mix, so the growing point is just below the soil surface. Grow your new plant in a sunny window and water thoroughly as needed. Watch as the heart-shaped leaves appear, and the plant grows into a vine.
To see what goes on below ground, try growing your sweet potato in water.  Insert three or four toothpicks around the middle of the sweet potato.  Set the toothpicks on the lip of a water-filled glass.  Keep the water covering the bottom half of the sweet potato. Place it in a bright location, out of direct sun, and watch the roots and stems appear.
Pineapples
Grow dinner scraps headed to the compost pile into houseplants. Start a new plant from the top of a fresh pineapple. Use a sharp knife to separate the leafy top from the fruit.  Just leave the stem intact and scrape off any remaining fleshy fruit.
Remove a few of the lower leaves for easier rooting.  Set the base of the stem in a container filled with a well-drained potting mix and water thoroughly.
Place it in a bright location, out of direct sunlight, and keep the soil moist.  In a couple weeks, the plant should have formed roots and can be moved into a bright, sunny window for you to enjoy.
Avocados
Start your own avocado tree from the seed. Hard seeds like these need a little help sprouting. Nick the seed or soak it overnight to soften the hard covering, seed coat, so it can absorb water and start growing. 
Sprout your avocado seed in water by inserting three toothpicks into the seed about halfway down. Set the toothpicks on the lip of a glass with the pointed end of the seed facing up. Keep the bottom, the rounded portion, submerged in water to encourage rooting.
Or plant the seed in a container of well-drained potting mix with the top inch of the pointed end above the soil. Water thoroughly and often enough to keep the soil moist. Then watch your seed sprout and grow into a wonderful tree.
Visit KidsGardening.org for more fun and educational activities. Adults and children will enjoy learning more about plants, gardening and nature through a variety of age appropriate activities.  If your children are involved with gardening at their school, the national nonprofit offers a variety of grants and practical how-to information.

Melinda Myers is the author of more than 20 gardening books and hosts The Great Courses’ How to Grow Anything DVD series.  Myers’s website is www.MelindaMyers.com.

Misunderstanding and misuse of automated technology could lead to a crashWALNUT CREEK, Calif. Sept. 26, 2018. More drivers are using advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) available in today’s vehicles, but many motorists do not understand how to safely use these new, mostly automated technologies, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
Consumers recognize value in ADAS technologies — such as blind spot monitoring, collision warning and lane assistance — but many are unaware of safety limitations. For example, researchers found that nearly 80 percent of drivers with blind spot monitoring had incorrect assumptions about the accuracy of the technology, believing it could detect vehicles passing at very high speeds, or bicycles and pedestrians.
“In reality, the technology can only detect a vehicle traveling in the driver’s blind spot, and many systems today do not reliably detect people walking or riding bikes,” said Mike Blasky, spokesperson for AAA Northern California. “If a driver doesn’t understand how their technology functions, they might rely on that system to detect safety issues that the technology wasn’t designed to find.”
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety commissioned researchers from the University of Iowa to survey drivers who recently purchased a 2016 or 2017 model-year vehicle with ADAS technologies. Researchers evaluated drivers’ opinions, awareness and understanding of these technologies and found that most did not know or understand the limitations of the systems:

• Blind spot monitoring: 80 percent of drivers did not know the technology’s limitations or incorrectly believed that the systems could monitor the roadway behind the vehicle or reliably detect bicycles, pedestrians and vehicles passing at high speeds.
  
• Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking: nearly 40 percent of drivers did not know the system’s limitations, or confused the two technologies- incorrectly reporting that forward collision warning could apply the brakes in the case of an emergency when the technology is only designed to deliver a warning signal. Moreover, roughly one in six vehicle owners in the survey reported that they did not know whether or not their vehicle was equipped with automatic emergency braking.
  

“When properly utilized, ADAS technologies have the potential to prevent 40 percent of all vehicle crashes and nearly 30 percent of traffic deaths. However, driver understanding and proper use is crucial in reaping the full safety benefits of these systems,” said Dr. David Yang, executive director of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. “Findings from this new research show that there is still a lot of work to be done in educating drivers about proper use of ADAS technologies and their limitations.”

False expectations for ADAS systems can easily lead to misuse of the technology or an increase in driver distraction. In the survey:

• About 25 percent of drivers using blind spot monitoring or rear cross traffic alert systems report feeling comfortable relying solely on the systems and not performing visual checks or looking over their shoulder for oncoming traffic or pedestrians.
  
• About 25 percent of vehicle owners using forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems report feeling comfortable engaging in other tasks while driving.
  

“New vehicle safety technology is designed to make driving safer, but it does not replace the important role each of us plays behind the wheel,” Yang continued. “The prospect of self-driving cars is exciting, but we aren’t there yet.  Automakers have an ethical and important responsibility to accurately market, and to carefully educate consumers about the technologies we purchase in the vehicles we drive off the lot.”

As part of its ongoing traffic safety mission, new AAA Foundation research also evaluated the potential these popular advanced driver assistance technologies have in helping to reduce or prevent crashes. The findings show that if installed on all vehicles, ADAS technologies can potentially prevent more than 2.7 million crashes, 1.1 million injuries and nearly 9,500 deaths each year:
 ADAS Systems Crashes Injuries Deaths
 Forward Collision Warning/ Automatic Emergency  Braking 1,994,000 884,000 4,738
 Lane Departure Warning / Lane Keeping Assist 519,000 187,000 4,654
 Blind Spot Warning 318,000 89,000 274
 Total Potentially Preventable by all systems 2,748,000 1,128,000 9,496Despite the findings that show confusion about some ADAS technologies, at least 70 percent of vehicle owners report that they would recommend the technology to other drivers. The greatest proportion of drivers reported trusting blind spot monitoring systems (84 percent), followed by rear-cross traffic alert (82 percent), lane departure warning (77 percent), lane keeping assist (73 percent), forward collision warning (69 percent) and automatic emergency braking (66 percent).

These findings should prompt additional focus on the importance of educating new and used car buyers about how safety technologies work, according to AAA.
“Drivers need adequate training and effective educational resources that simply do not exist,” added Blasky. “AAA is sharing this new research with vehicle manufacturers and other stakeholders to help establish effective education tools that will benefit car buyers. If strong consumer education about vehicle technology was as much a priority as making the sale, we would all reap the benefits.”

Only about half of the drivers who report purchasing their vehicle from a car dealership recalled being offered a training on the ADAS technology. However, for those who were, nearly 90 percent took advantage of the opportunity and completed the training.

AAA encourages drivers to understand their technology’s features, functions and limitations before leaving the lot:

• Read your owner’s manual to learn what systems are installed in your vehicle.
  
• Be an informed buyer: Ask plenty of questions about the alerts, functions, capabilities and limitations of the vehicle’s safety technologies before leaving the dealership. Insist on an in-vehicle demonstration and test drive to better understand how the systems will engage on the roadway.
  

About AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: Established in 1947 by AAA, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a not-for-profit, publicly funded, 501(c)(3) charitable research and educational organization. The AAA Foundation’s mission is to prevent traffic deaths and injuries by conducting research into their causes and by educating the public about strategies to prevent crashes and reduce injuries when they do occur. This research is used to develop educational materials for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and other road users. Visit www.AAAFoundation.org.

About AAA Northern California
We have a proud, 117 history of serving over 4 million Californians. We are more than our legendary fleet of tow trucks, auto, home, life insurance and travel services. Our mission is to make a positive impact in the communities we serve, offering smarter solutions that improve traffic safety and helping the public adapt to a fast-changing mobility landscape. Learn more at AAA.com.
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• TVs and mattresses the most illegally dumped items.
• 1/4 leave their trash on a sidewalk.
• 25% would report a neighbor who illegally dumps trash.
• Interactive map reveals where most illegal dumping happens in America.

 
We’ve all seen it as we stroll down the sidewalk, drive down the highway, or even if we head to the park: ugly, abandoned items, such as furniture, old mattresses or appliances like washing machines, just waiting to become someone else’s problem, rather than that of the person who left them there.
 
Illegal dumping of trash is becoming an increasing problem in towns and cities, whether it’s because people are just becoming lazier and more thoughtless, or because they genuinely believe there’s a service which will come and take away their unwanted trash. But while we can all agree it’s a blight on our neighborhoods and green spaces, not to mention a financial burden on the authorities who then have to dispose of it somehow, how many of us are actually guilty of behaving like this ourselves?
 
Leading mattress review site, Sleepopolis, wanted to find out, so they surveyed 2,250 Americans to see if any would own up to doing it. And, quite shockingly, a quarter of Californians admit to having done so! 25% of residents in towns and cities across The Golden State have done just this – left their old, no-longer-useful possessions somewhere, rather than taking the proper and correct course of action, which is to arrange collection by the local authorities, or taken their trash to official dumping grounds.
 
State by state, Sleepopolis found that the worst culprits reside in Kentucky, with 43% of respondents admitting to having dumped debris illegally. While the most law-abiding were those from the Last Frontier State, with only 5% of Alaskans having admitted to this – presumably they are loathe to spoil their wild and rugged scenery.
 
To find out how the rest of America compares, check out our interactive map, https://sleepopolis.com/blog/illegal-garbage-dumping/ (click on ‘embed’ to host on your site)
 

LINCOLN- CAL FIRE investigators arrested Kyle Jeptha Bridgman, 30, of Lincoln. Bridgman was booked into Placer County jail on five counts of arson. Bridgman confessed to deliberately setting five fires in the Lincoln area of Placer County between June 19th and August 3rd, 2017.
A team of CAL FIRE investigators, identified Bridgman following the fires in 2017 and again this year. While investigating Bridgman, the team identified another arsonist in August culminating in the arrest of Gregory Scott Courtney, 30, of Yuba City.
In both cases, CAL FIRE was assisted by the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office and the Placer County Probation Department in the investigation of Bridgman.
“I am so very thankful for the efforts of our investigators and assisting agencies.” said CAL FIRE NEU Unit Chief George Morris III. “The community is safer today because of their extraordinary efforts.”
Bridgman was arrested and booked into Placer County Jail. Bail is set at one hundred and sixty thousand dollars.
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Fun for Kids Big and Little Along the Sierra Valley Art + Ag Trail
Organizers are encouraging families to bring children to the Sierra Valley Art + Ag Trail on September 29.
“This is so much more than a typical art show,” said event organizer, Kristi Jamason. “There are games, activities and all manner of farm animals to see, occasionally pet, and some you can even feed.”
Farm Animal Fun
Friendly Sierra Valley Yaks really love their snacks. Owners Greg and Jenna Gatto of Calpine have trained their herd of yaks to come running at the sound of the treat bucket being shaken.  For the Art + Ag Trail, the yaks will be visiting the Lost Marbles Ranch, waiting for admirers to reach into the bucket and offer a snack.
At the Lemon Canyon Ranch outside Sierraville, organic Jersey cow Elsie loves to be fed green Sierra Valley apples, according to owners Kristina and Benoit de Korsak, who run the Sierraville Micro Dairy. Elsie will have her new calf, Léon, alongside her for the Art + Ag Trail, and a bucket of green apples nearby for help with snacking.
Local 4H clubs will have an “opportunity farm” set up at the Roberti Ranch site, offering visitors the chance to see and touch farm animals and ask questions of 4H members and their parents.
Harvey Farms & Forestry near Calpine will offer an opportunity to see alpacas, Pangora goats, several kinds of sheep, and their newest addition – Scottish Highland Cattle – while learning all about wool production, from animal to finished product. Visitors can try their hand at needle felting, spinning with a drop or support spindle, weaving, carding and picking fiber.
Autumn Produce Fun
If a trip through Lil’Megs Pumpkin Patch in Beckwourth doesn’t get you in the mood for fall, you are surely immune. Chock full of pumpkins, gourds and more, the diminutive Patch offers games, fun photo opportunities, fresh baked treats and a Lil’ corn maze for kids. Lil’Megs will also host artists, including Ingrid Burke of Elliptical Sunrise, who will have glass “gems” on hand for kids.
The Sierra Valley Grange knows how to leverage a mountain harvest of apples. In addition to selling homemade apple pie by the slice, the Grangers will have their apple press set up at the Grange Hall in Vinton and invite the public to try their hand at pressing apples into juice.
Kristina de Korsak, who runs the Sierraville Micro Kitchen, will have delicious pastries for sale and Fun with Fall Fruit activities at the historic Sierraville School site.
Trivia and Games
Also at the Sierraville School, Sierra County Historical Society member will be dressed in period costumes and will have “jumprope jingles,” museum artifacts to identify, and old-school classroom exams.
Stop on by the Feather River Land Trust’s Sierra Valley Preserve on County Road A-24 to test your bird brain with Plumas Audubon Society. Audubon members will have three games set up for feathered fun including a Grebe race track, a bird ID magnetic matching game and their “Jepbirdy” spinning wheel fun facts challenge. Audubon will also have species-specific nesting boxes for sale, so the fun and learning can continue back at home.

Art Activities and More
For kids wanting to express some artistic flare, Kristi Bell of Golden Poppy Goods will have mixed media art projects for kids at the Milton Gottardi Museum site in Loyalton. Also at the museum, volunteers will be running their 26’ x 8’ model train through a miniature replica of Loyalton’s 1940 Main Street area, with period dairy ranch, sawmill, box factory and timber cutting/logging camp scenes.
Passports for the Ages
The Sierra Valley Art + Ag Trail organizers expanded their passport activity last year to include a kids’ version. The event passport is a full-color booklet featuring beautiful photos from Sierra Valley. All exhibitors along the Trail have custom rubber stamps made just for them to stamp the passports, which are $20 and a fundraiser for the event.
“The first year of the event, kids were passing scraps of paper to the artists to get them stamped, so we decided to create a free ‘Junior passport’ with images to color and places for kids to collect stamps, too,” said Jamason. The Junior Passport features wildlife, farm scenes, quilt squares and more to color in the car ride between sites along the trail.
More Information
The Sierra Valley Art + Ag Trail is an event of the Sierra County Arts Council. The Art + Ag Trail will be taking place at 14 locations this year, with more than 60 artists and organizations participating. Visitors are encouraged to begin at one of three Trailhead locations – Sierra Valley Farms in Beckwourth, Sierra Valley Grange in Vinton and the Sierraville School – where printed maps will be available. Passports, dinner tickets and more are now on sale. Visit SierraValleyArtAgTrail.org for more information.
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Every day, thousands of parents and caregivers in California travel with children in their vehicle.    During Child Passenger Safety Week, September 23-29, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will work with its traffic safety partners throughout the state to make sure all children are riding safely.
 
In a nationwide study, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that two out of three car seats are misused.  Motor vehicle collisions are a leading killer of children, and NHTSA data shows that such fatalities are on the rise, with 2016 being the deadliest for children under the age of 13 riding in vehicles. 
 
Parents and caregivers can prevent such tragedies by learning the proper use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts.  For example, NHTSA has reported one-fourth of children age four to seven are using seat belts when they should still be riding in booster seats.  Child passenger safety experts and the CHP advise that children be kept in an appropriate child seat until they reach the upper height and weight allowed by the car seat manufacturer.
 
California law requires that all children under the age of two, weighing under 40 pounds and under 40 inches tall, to ride in a rear- facing car seat.  All children under the age of eight must ride in the back seat in an age-appropriate safety seat.  Safety experts recommend that all children ride in the back seat until the age of 13.  For more information about child passenger safety, visit https://www.chp.ca.gov/Programs-Services/Programs/Child-Safety-Seats.  
 
“Children rely on their parents and caregivers to keep them safe during every single trip,” CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley said.  “The CHP will help you make sure you are using the right car seat, installed correctly.  The consequences of misused or unused car seats can be disastrous.” 
 
At child safety seat events held statewide September 23-29, CHP Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians will provide safety seat inspections, education, and hands-on training for parents and caregivers.  September 29 is National Seat Check Saturday.  Free inspections by CPS technicians are also available year-round, by appointment, at any CHP Area office. 
 
The mission of the CHP is to provide the highest level of Safety, Service, and Security.
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