Rehabilitation of Clear Lake (AB 707)
Under the program established for the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake (AB 707), researchers from UC Davis Center for Regional Change (CRC) and UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) propose to conduct applied research to guide the Committee in improving the environmental quality and economic outcomes for the communities surrounding Clear Lake in Lake County, California. This is a multi-year project (2018-2020) funded by the California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
The CRC objectives are to inform social and economic decision-making activities, by conducting applied research to guide the Blue Ribbon Committee in improving outcomes for the communities surrounding Clear Lake in Lake County. The CRC will focus on developing a baseline socioeconomic analysis of the region, and community and tribal engagement around strategies to improve community vitality.
The TERC objectives are to understand those processes in the Clear Lake watershed and in the lake itself that are preventing rehabilitation of the lake water quality and ecosystem health. Using this knowledge, the California Department of Fish & Wildlife aims to create a set of numerical models that can be used to inform local and State decision-making. The data gathering will enable a long-term monitoring strategy to measure status and trends in the future. Click here to learn more about TERC's monitoring program and visualize real-time meteorological and water quality data from the Clear Lake watershed.
Reports:
California’s Clear Lake Region: Introduction
This report presents research by the UC Davis Center for Regional Change (CRC) commissioned as part of the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake (BRC). The BRC is funded by the State of California's Natural Resources Agency through Assembly Bill 707 (AB 707), a visionary bill authored by Assembly member Cecilia Aguilar-Curry that directs state funding to promote applied research to inform the development of strategies to rehabilitate the water quality and health of the Clear Lake environment and to promote the well-being of the Lake region's residents and communities. The BRC is the local leadership organization responsible for developing these funding proposals, consisting of leaders from the environmental, economic, and civic sectors, including representatives of the seven Tribal governments of the Lake region.
California’s Clear Lake Region: A Socioeconomic Profile
The objective of this report is to provide an in-depth statistical portrait of the Clear Lake region. A quantitative assessment of the region's socioeconomic indicators can be used to identify current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The data provided in this document can also establish a baseline against which to measure future socioeconomic change.
Promising Practices for Rural Economic Development After Disasters in Lake County, California
The Clear Lake region has experienced thirteen natural disasters since 2014, with more than 60% of Lake County having been burned by wildfires. Utilizing a community development approach to identify best practices for economic recovery in the Clear Lake region, the project team reviewed the latest research literature on major themes related to disaster recovery to identify promising practices for economic recovery post-disaster. The intent of this report is to inform members of the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake and the Socioeconomic Subcommittee to guide community strategies on recovery and rehabilitation of the Lake County region.
Five Core Areas to Support and Promote Recovery to Natural Disasters: Insights from Tribal Communities in the Clear Lake Region
The objective of this report is to provide an overview of practices to support natural disaster recovery in Lake County, with a focus on the experience of Tribal communities. This report can be used to identify current opportunities and challenges to disaster recovery in the Lake County region for multiple stakeholder communities.
Linking Youth Education and Workforce Development with a Healthy Lake Environment in Lake County, California
Youth education should consider the career pathways from K-12 and post-secondary education into businesses that bolster the economy of the Clear Lake region (e.g. lake-based tourism, hospitality, natural resource and agricultural industries) and understand that the educational outcomes and well-being of young people is a crucial investment in long-term lake health.
Strategies for Growing Environmental Education in Lake County, California
Educating students, as well as community members and visitors, about the world around them provides a sense of connection to a community, understanding on how to be a good steward to the Earth, and the ability to consider actions one can take to protect nature for today's generation as well as for future generations. Environmental education can also be an important part of achieving equitable outcomes for all members of society. This report reviews what work in being done in the area of environmental education in Lake County, what opportunities and challenges exist, and recommendations for moving forward.
Improving Rural Broadband Access in Lake County, California
The Socioeconomic Subcommittee of the Blue Ribbon Committee for the Rehabilitation of Clear Lake identified universal access to broadband as one important area affecting communities and economic vitality of the Clear Lake region. This report reviews what work is being done in this area, what opportunities and challenges exist, and recommendations for moving forward.
Building Opportunities for Enhancing Agritourism and Ecotourism in Lake County, California
Agritourism and ecotourism are both priorities in Lake County for community revitalization. However, it is important to look at these tourism sectors within the larger context of amenity development - the cultivation of amenities as assets for economic growth, utilizing strategies to promote tourism and recreational housing, supporting existing residents, and attracting in-migration. This report reviews what work is being done in this area, what opportunities and challenges exist, and recommendations for moving forward to successfully support this sector of the economy.
* Photo credit: Dav Yaginuma, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0