Clear Lake Environmental Research Center:

May Newsletter

We serve as a steward for environmental and economic sustainability of Clear Lake, its neighboring lands and waters, local communities, and beyond.

Celebrating our 10 Year Anniversary!

As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are truly amazed by CLERC's incredible journey and the significant milestones that have shaped our organization into what it is today.

Established in 2014 as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, CLERC initially focused on studying Clear Lake and its surrounding watersheds. However, amidst severe droughts and devastating wildfires, CLERC recognized an opportunity to enact change in a new way. Thus, our Fire and Forestry Program was born, with the aim of promoting wildfire resilience within Lake County and its surrounding areas. This initiative not only benefitted local residents but also contributed to the conservation of our invaluable local habitats.

In addition to the establishment of our highly successful Fire and Forestry Program, we also inaugurated our Water Quality Lab. This lab allows agencies and residents to conveniently submit water samples for testing within Lake County, eliminating the need to send samples out of the county. While our journey has had its share of challenges and obstacles, we take immense pride in what CLERC has evolved into today.

Our year began with the impactful Hometown Wildfire Safety Collaborative event at Library Park in Lakeport. This event marked the inception of a partnership with seven industry leaders, a collaboration we eagerly anticipate sharing more about soon. 

Executive Director Will Evans speaking at the Hometown Wildfire safety Collaborative event.

We're also very happy to restart our Free Community Chipping program for Lake County residents without existing programs. This program had such a community wide impact during the pilot phase, we were very anxious to get that started again. We're also committed to supporting initiatives by Hidden Valley HOA, South Lake Fire Safe Council, and Konocti Fire Safe Council as they chip in their communities.

As we grow, we've hired three new staff, a new Fire and Forestry Project Coordinator, Biologist, and Research Assistant! We plan to hire at least four more team members this year. This shows our commitment to serving our community better.

We're pleased to announce that we're beginning our plans for the Lakeport Carnegie Library! Our first step involved the city of Lakeport cleaning up and remodeling the upstairs portion, while downstairs houses our water quality testing laboratory. It's an exciting new phase for Lakeport's Historic Library, and we're eager to embark on this journey of transformation!

Exciting News from the US Forest Service

We are incredibly excited to share this article "A Blueprint for Fire Prevention" that was recently released by the US Forest Service about CLERC's Community Wildlife Defense Grant Program (CWDG) and the community partnerships that came to together to make this critical fire resiliency work possible. 

CLERC's Team Member Updates

We're thrilled to introduce the latest additions to our CLERC team. Marcus Brown joins us as our new Fire and Forestry Project Coordinator, tasked with managing and coordinating various stakeholders and contractors across multiple projects. Julia Clickard, our new Biologist, will be conducting comprehensive biological surveys, including plant and bird nesting assessments, on our project sites. Additionally, we welcome Rebekah Shane as our Research Assistant, who will play a vital role in designing systematic scientific monitoring methods to enhance our understanding of the effectiveness of our projects (more information to come on this exciting subject).

 Recruiting More Team Members

CLERC has received an influx of projects in our community, opening up opportunities to fill several professional positions. We're currently seeking candidates for Full-Time Forester, Operations Director, Seasonal Biological Technician, and another Project Coordinator. These roles offer exciting prospects for the right individuals. Please help us spread the word far and wide!

CLERC is making a positive impact in our community find out how you can make a difference too! Stay tuned....

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