Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/699531
Pacific Gas and Electric Company has begun daily aerial fire patrols across hundreds of miles of its ser- vice area to assist state and localfireagencieswithearly fire detection and response this summer, and for the first time Tehama County and surrounding counties will be patrolled this year. The patrols, which will continue through October, will take place over many fire-prone areas in PG&E's service area including the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Northern and Central California, in Mendocino County and along the Red- wood and Central Coasts. In 2015, the second year of the patrols, PG&E planes spotted 146 fires and, in 25 instances, PG&E was the first to report fires to CAL FIRE or the U.S. Forest Service. Early detection of smoke or fire allowed those agencies to respond more quickly and accurately and extinguish fires before they spread. PG&E funds the daily fire patrols as part of its comprehensive drought emergency response plan. Using fixed-wing aircraft, fire spotters will operate along five routes: Redding to Auburn in the Northern Sierra; Auburn to Auberry intheCentralSierra;Vacav- ille to Santa Maria near the coast; Mendocino County and, new this year, Shasta, Humboldt, Tehama, Glenn, Colusa and Lake counties, west of the Sacramento River. Patrols will fly seven daysaweekfrommid-after- noonuntildusk—thetimeof daywhenwildfiresaremost likely to ignite with hot, dry weatheratitspeak.Ondays when potential for wildfires is heightened and red-flag warnings are issued, PG&E will conduct special vegeta- tion-management ground patrols and add aerial pa- trols in the designated red- flag geographies. The patrols are coordi- nated through PG&E's aer- ial operations. Spotters re- port any smoke or fire they seetoPG&E,CALFIREand the U.S. Forest Service, if it is on federal land. "PG&E is committed to continue this very success- ful aerial fire-patrol pro- gram as we partner with federal, state and local agencies to mitigate the in- creased threat of wildfire as we're seeing record tree mortality caused by one of the most severe droughts in state history. We encour- age all of our customers to bepreparedandhaveaplan incaseofemergencies,"said Barry Anderson, vice presi- dent of electric distribution for PG&E. "The long-term impacts of the drought, combined with significant bark-beetle damage, con- tinue to be a major concern as we once again enter the peak of California's wildfire season.CalFirehasarobust aerial firefighting program supporting our ground forces in their efforts to keep95percentoffiresat10 acres or less. PG&E's proac- tivepatrolsservetoenhance our efforts. Reporting wild- fires is everybody's respon- sibility and no one should assume somebody else has. We appreciate the sur- vey work PG&E does from the air, looking for poten- tial fire starts, especially in those areas most impacted by the unprecedented tree mortality," said Chief Dave Teter, Cal Fire deputy direc- tor of fire protection. In ad- dition to its daily aerial fire patrols,PG&Eisconducting enhancedgroundpatrolson specific electrical circuits to inspect and remove dead or dying trees that could fall into lines and spark a fire. PG&E is also support- ing Cal Fire's "Prepare for Bark Beetle" public aware- nesscampaign.Thismonth, PG&E will carry the mes- sage to 4 million custom- ers on their paper billing envelopes. Another 1.7 mil- lion customers who re- ceive e-bills will receive it as a bill insert. Dead trees are an extreme fire danger because they allow wild- fires to spread rapidly. Re- cent reports have indicated thatCaliforniaishometoas many as 29 million dead or dyingtrees.Ifyouhavedead or dying trees on your prop- erty, theentire treeneeds to be removed. Contact PG&E before removing dead trees near power lines. You can learn more about bark bee- tle and how to remove dead trees on your property through Cal Fire's public education effort Ready for Wildfire. WILDFIRES Sp ot te r pla ne s to patrol the North State We would like to thank Barbara O'Keeffe and the Tehama County Transpor- tation Tran- sit Com- mission for h o n o r i n g our Tehama County vet- erans with free annual TRAX bus passes. This is a pilot program for Fiscal Year 2016/2017. The Red Bluff VSO office, please call for appoint- ment, and the Corning Sat- ellite appointments on a walk in basis will have the veteran bus passes avail- able beginning July 6. As with the Tehama County IDs and DMV forms, we will need to ver- ity the veteran's DD-214 or VA health care card before issuing the TRAX passes. Michele Fox with the Redding Veterans Re- source Center will be at the Red Bluff VSO office 1:30-4 p.m. July 14 and 21. The VRC assists qualified homeless veterans with transitional housing. There are many state and federal benefits and programs available to vet- erans and their depen- dents. To find out if you are eligible for any of these benefits, call the Tehama County Veterans Service Office at 529-3664. The VSO address is the Bank of America Building, 955 Main St., Ste. C, in Red Bluff. Office appointment hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch. The Red Bluff office VSO is by appointment only. Corning VSO walk- ins are at the Veterans Me- morial Hall 9-11 a.m. the first three Tuesdays of the month. Friday's we are closed for administration and outreach. We are looking forward to meeting you or seeing you again on your return visit. KellyOsborne,retired U.S. Coast Guard, is the Veterans Service Officer for Tehama County. VSO NEWS Free TRAX passes issued to veterans Kelly Osborne The Sierra Club, Yahi Group, is hosting the fol- lowing events for July. Un- less otherwise noted, trips are free and open to the public and begin at the trailhead. If you have any questions or want further information about specific activities, call Wayland Au- gur at 519-4724 or write to wba@acm.org. Thursday, July 7 through Sunday, July 10, Backpack Trinity Alps Wilderness Join a moderately stren- uous base camp trip into the beautiful Trinity Alps west of Redding. The group will drive up Thursday and hike in 1 mile and up 1,000' and camp. On Fri- day morning the group will hike 4 miles and up 2,800' to the base camp in scenic Siligo Meadows and then day hike in the after- noon 4-5 miles round trip to Stonewall Pass. Saturday the group will day hike the 5-6 mile spectacular Four Lakes Loop to enjoy the amazing views in the heart of the Trinity Alps. On Sun- day the group will hike out and drive home. Individual commissary. Bring stan- dard backpacking equip- ment and dress in layers. Call leader to reserve your spot. Leader: Alan, 891- 8789 or ajmendoza777@ comcast.net; Assistant leader: Bethany, 514-0558. Tuesday, July 12 through Friday, July 15, Car Camp at Juniper Lake, Lassen Na- tional Park The group will be in Group site B. Maximum limit of 12. There is an un- limited number of hikes, easy to difficult, all gor- geous, canoes and kay- aks welcome, a photogra- pher's dream. If you love campfires and have access to wood bring enough for one night or morning fire. There is no potable water at the campsite so bring your own or a filter for lake water. National Park entry fee of $20 per vehi- cle or possession of a se- nior or other pass. Camp- site cost between $3-5 per night, depending on total number of campers. Please bring your own tent, sleep- ing materials, food and wa- ter. Must call leader at John 872-8258. Wednesday, July 20 through Sunday, July 24, Backpack Young Lakes in Yosemite National Park Several crystal clear mountain lakes and the usual amazing granite to take in on this 7 mile and 1,800' semi-loop trip up to the Young Lakes at 10,000' in Yosemite National Park. Drive down Wednesday and camp east of the High- way 120 entrance to accli- matize. Thursday drive to the Glen Aulin trail and hike in to set up base camp. Friday the group will ex- plore the upper lake area and go above tree line to take in the incredible vis- tas and test the cool wa- ters. Saturday the group will hike cross country to Roosevelt Lake in the shadow of Mt. Conness. Sunday the group will hike out on the Dog Lake trail and enjoy the scenic views of Tuolumne Meadows be- fore driving home. Indi- vidual commissary. Bear canister required. Cost: $5 for permit and carpool money. Limited space. Call leader to reserve space and get more info. Leader: Alan, 891-8789 or ajmen- doza777@comcast.net. SIERRA CLUB Julyactivities planned for Yahi Group Advocacy American Legion, Las- sen Post 0167 Red Bluff, 528-1026 American Legion, Rais- ner Post 45 Corning, 518-3152 Am Vets, Post 2002 Corning, 526-2883 VFW Los Molinos, 384-1301 Red Bluff, 528-1026 Corning Post 4218 Dis- trict 15 Auxiliary 4218, District 15 824-5957 DAV 529-4579 Marine Corps League, Detachment 1140 (888) MCL-1140 Military Family Support Group 529-1852 or 529-2416 Services Tehama County Veter- ans Service Office 529-3664 Tehama County Veter- ans Collaborative Tehama Together, 527- 2223 Veteran Resource Center Chico (530) 809-2831 Redding (530) 223-3211 VA Crisis Hotline (800) 273-8255 VA Homeless Outreach (530) 247-7917 Redding VA Outpatient Clinic (530) 226-7555 Chico VA Outpatient Clinic (530) 879-5000 Veterans Home, Red- ding (530) 224-3800 Faith Based Advocacy PATH — Poor And The Homeless 736-3959 Pastor Dave Lambers, VCF 736-3400 Serving veterans? If your local organiza- tion or government entity offers service specific to veterans, send contact in- formation to editor@red- bluffdailynews.com, fax to 527-9251 or drop it off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff during business hours to be added to this listing. RESOURCES Veterans services, advocacy groups listed SACRAMENTO Attention business owners, Califor- nia is making a change that could affect your tax or fee account when you make electronic payments to the State Board of Equalization. As of Friday, July 1, the bank that processes elec- tronic fund transfer pay- ments will change from Ci- tibank to Union Bank. If you make Automated Clearing House Debit pay- ments through the EFT pay- ment processor, visit the new bank and payment pro- cessor webpage at https:// www.boe.ca.gov/elecsrv/ new_eft_pay.htm for in- structions. If you pay by ACH Credit, you must notify your finan- cial institution of the new bank information to ensure the correct bank is credited. ACH Credit transactions with a settlement date on or after July 1 using incor- rect banking information will be returned and may be subject to penalty and interest charges. If you use the BOE's on- line payment system to make your payment, no change is required on your part. For more information on EFT payments, visit the BOE's Frequently Asked Questions webpage. If you have questions about Sales and Use Tax accounts, call the EFT helpline at 916 327-4229. For questions about Spe- cial Taxes and Fees ac- counts, call 1-800-400- 7115. Additional informa- tion is available at www. boe.ca.gov. BOARD OF EQUALIZATION State changing electronic payment process The Shingletown Volun- teerFireDepartmentishold- ing its 39th Annual Fun Day and Craft Faire on Saturday, Aug. 13 at the fire station on State Route 44 at Alward Way East of Shingletown. Admission is free and the event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Food will be sold byKahuna's MongolianBBQ and Famous Dave's barbe- cue. The snack shack will have nachos and ice cream. There will be a bake sale of goodies made by the best cooks on the ridge. There will be an arts and crafts faire with un- usual, hard-to-find items and a kid's zone with games and prizes. Entertainment will be provided by On the Fly and Bear Creek Revival bands throughout the day as well as drawings for prizes donated by local merchants. 39TH ANNUAL Shingletown Fire department plans fun day, cra fair PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. Thankyou! EVICTIONS Fast, Efficient & Affordable 530.527.2104 756 Rio St, Red Bluff www.atwellpropartners.com Round Up Saloon Round Up Saloon 610WashingtonSt. Red Bluff Supporting Farmers Market with live music on Wednesdaynites call for dates (530) 527-9901 LaCorona Garden Center 7769Hwy99E,LosMolinos 530-576-3118 General Hydroponics Fox Farm Soil Grow More Fertilizer YaraMila Fertilizer Chicken Feed Garden Plants ARetirementCommunity 750 David Avenue Red Bluff, CA. 96080 (530) 527-9193 www.tehamaestatesretirement.com Tours Provided Daily LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Saturday, July 2, 2016 MOREATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A7