Latest news with #ShastaCounty
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
UPDATE: Rancho Fire in Cottonwood grows to over 150 acres. Evacuation orders in place
A vegetation fire in Cottonwood on Thursday afternoon has burned more than 150 acres and prompted evacuation orders as structures are threatened. The Rancho Fire was reported around 1:30 p.m. in the area of Rancho Estates Road north of Gas Point Road in Cottonwood. It had quickly grown to nearly 50 acres around 2 p.m. as it was burning in grass and oak woodlands, according to Cal Fire. But by 3 p.m., Cal Fire had estimated the blaze had burned 157 acres with zero containment. The cause of the fire is under investigation. There are evacuation orders in place for zones COT-9660 and AND-9750. Residents living just to the north and southeast of where the fire is burning are under evacuation warnings. The zones are AND-1800, AND-9590, COT-9710, COT-9720, COT-9730, and COT-9740, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. Rancho Estates Road at Gas Point is closed to northbound traffic; Rhonda Road at Lynhart and Rhonda Road at Gas Point were closed, but Rhonda Road was reopened to traffic just after 3:30 p.m., according to dispatch reports. Firefighters have relayed to dispatchers that winds in the area are causing spot fires to break out. Wind was gusting up to 20 mph on Thursday afternoon with the temperature hovering in the mid-90s, the National Weather Service. The forecast for Friday and the weekend calls for cooler temperatures, but wind will continue to gust between 20 and 30 mph in Shasta County. The National Weather Service issued a fire weather watch for the North State on Saturday. The high Friday will be 79 degrees. Saturday's high is expected to be 81 degrees. A red flag warning alerts people that there is an increased risk of fire danger brought on by warm temperatures, low humidities and stronger winds, according to a NWS office in Michigan. A new fire can grow rapidly under a red flag warning, according to the International Association of Fire Chiefs. People can help prevent fires from starting by removing dead shrubbery around their homes and avoiding using power equipment that creates sparks, NPR reported. Other tips from the IAFC include not driving your vehicle on dry grass as the heat from the underside of your vehicle can start a fire and never throwing cigarettes or matches out of a car. This is a developing story. Check back for updates. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Rancho Fire prompts evacuations in Cottonwood area
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
After stranded kayaker on Battle Creek rescued, Cal Fire warns not to light signal fires
A stranded 24-year-old kayaker was rescued at Battle Creek, and her 'signal' fire snuffed by firefighters, after she went missing Sunday night, according to the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. A man who told deputies he was the woman's friend reported he last saw her floating in the kayak on a stretch of the creek near Coleman Fish Hatchery Road. He told deputies he waited for her to meet him at the bridge at Gover Road in Anderson. When she didn't show, he searched for her for her with no luck, then called law enforcement for help, according to sheriff's spokesperson Tim Mapes in a news release. Deputies heard a woman calling for help when they arrived at the creek just before 9:30 p.m., Mapes said in the announcement, but they couldn't immediately find her in the rugged terrain around the creek. Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know. They eventually used a drone to find the stranded kayaker, who was on land, according to Mapes, and the Sheriff's Swift Water Rescue Team picked her up. The woman had ignited a fire to show rescuers her location, according to the announcement. 'With Shasta County currently experiencing high fire danger, thankfully that fire was extinguished by fire crews,' Mapes said. 'We're in wildfire season. Lighting an un-permitted fire — even for signaling — can be considered dangerous, reckless or unlawful, particularly during fire restrictions, red flag warnings or designated wildfire seasons.' said Jas Shaw with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection's Shasta-Trinity Unit. While the kayaker was lost for five hours, according to Shaw, and was likely frightened, people who get lost in Shasta County shouldn't rely on signal fires. Starting one could cause a wildfire, and possibly injure or kill the lost person and others, she said. Instead, Shaw recommends hikers, kayakers and people recreating in the wilderness use 'modern signaling methods like a whistle, strobe light" or other safe signaling method. The rescued kayaker wasn't injured, Mapes said. The sheriff's office didn't release the woman's name or town of residence, or report if she was unfamiliar with the area. Cal Fire crews helped deputies with the rescue, according to Mapes. Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: After kayaker rescued, Cal Fire cautions not to light signal fires
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Yahoo
2 men, 1 dog survive drive into Whiskeytown Lake near dam; Kennedy Memorial Drive reopens
Kennedy Memorial Drive reopened just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, after Whiskeytown National Recreation Area staff and local law enforcement pulled a vehicle out of Whiskeytown Lake. The park closed the road between East Beach and Glory Hole Spillway at 1:15 p.m., park staff posted on social media. The road stayed closed for almost four hours while a dive team located, then towed "a private vehicle out of the bottom of the lake," according to the announcement. Note to readers: If you appreciate the work we do here at the Redding Record Searchlight, please consider subscribing yourself or giving the gift of a subscription to someone you know. The vehicle crashed into the reservoir at about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, the announcement said. Two young men and a dog, who were inside the vehicle when it went into the water, all survived, according to the park. Shasta County Sheriff's Office and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection helped park staff get the vehicle safely out of the lake. "The public is reminded to obey posted speed limits, drive defensively, and to never drive under the influence of alcohol or other substances. At least one fatal vehicle accident occurs inside the national recreation area annually; we do not want that fatality to be you," the park posted on Facebook. (This story was updated with new information.) Jessica Skropanic is a features reporter for the Record Searchlight/USA Today Network. She covers science, arts, social issues and news stories. Follow her on Twitter @RS_JSkropanic and on Facebook. Join Jessica in the Get Out! Nor Cal recreation Facebook group. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today. Thank you. This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: 2 men, 1 dog survive drive into lake near Whiskeytown Dam
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Three more wolf packs confirmed in California as ranchers call for relief
It was bright and early and Axel Hunnicutt was howling. He was looking for wolves. Sometimes they howl back, providing a sense of their location. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife this week reported there were three new wolf packs in the state's far north. Hunnicutt, gray wolf coordinator for the agency, was trying to track down one of them — the freshly minted Ashpan pack that consists of at least two wolves roaming eastern Shasta County. There's also the Ishi pack in eastern Tehama County and the Tunnison pack in central Lassen County. Some experts say there could now be more than 70 wolves living in California. 'I don't want to boast, but I think my howl is pretty good,' Hunnicutt said by phone while heading to the town of Burney, north of Lassen Volcanic National Park. He was taking a break from a day of searching that began at 5 a.m. in an effort to add to the limited information state wildlife officials know about the packs. The goal is to capture and outfit one of the wolves with a GPS collar. That would allow them to share information about the animal's whereabouts with owners of livestock that could become a meal for the apex predators. And it would make it easier to track them down again and collar more wolves if necessary. The trio of new packs brings the state total to 10, marking a continued resurgence for the canids protected under state and federal endangered species laws. There were seven packs by the end of last year and just one at this time five years ago. All of the latest packs were confirmed by what Hunnicutt described as "persistence" — documenting at least two wolves together at least four times in an area over six months. At least three wolves comprise the Ishi pack; it's not clear if one is the offspring of the other two. It's welcome news for conservationists, who want to see the state's native animals thrive. Many ranchers, however, see the rise of wolves as a threat to their livelihood. Read more: A dozen wolves collared in California as officials seek to track the growing population California's wolves were killed off by humans about a century ago, and they only began to recolonize the state about 14 years ago. In recent years, the population has started to take off. There were about 50 by the end of last year, wildlife officials said. The population fluctuates throughout the year as pups are born and die off, and it's likely higher at the moment. As the number of wolves increases, so does the number of cattle they attack. Between January and March of this year, 26 instances of livestock depredation were being investigated with wolves confirmed as the culprit in 16 of them, according to state data. Kirk Wilbur, vice president of government affairs for the California Cattlemen's Assn., a trade association representing ranchers and beef producers, said wolves in at least two of the new packs are known to have preyed on livestock. "There's been a real emotional impact, a real fear impact, in the north state," Wilbur said. "Folks who perhaps have never had a wolf depredation on their herd are nevertheless fearful of the possibility, and the folks who have suffered repeat depredations from wolves, this gets really stressful and taxing and depressing for those producers." This month, Shasta County joined four other Northern California counties in declaring states of emergency due to wolves. The county's Board of Supervisors also penned a letter to the state wildlife department calling for "immediate assistance and regulatory changes to better equip counties to address this growing concern," according to a news release. The state has taken steps to address ranchers' concerns. About two weeks ago, the state wildlife department announced the release of an online map that shows the approximate location of GPS-collard wolves. Anyone can check it out, but it's geared toward cluing in ranchers in an effort to prevent wolf-livestock conflict. California wildlife officials plan to complete a status review of the wolf population and are exploring the possibility of allowing harsher methods to haze the animals, including firing nonlethal ammunition at them. The state agency also offers reimbursement to ranchers for livestock killed by wolves. At one point, the state also provided money to cover nonlethal tools and indirect losses, but Hunnicutt said the program no longer has enough funding to do so. Wilbur said the new packs underscore a long-held belief by his group that gray wolves don't need to be on California's endangered species list, where they were added in 2014. Some ranchers want to be able to shoot the broad-muzzled canids, something their protected status precludes. Read more: Two new wolf packs confirmed in California amid population boom Hunnicutt said it's not so cut and dried. 'With wolves, if allowed the protections that they have, they do really well, and they recover quickly,' he said. 'On the flip side, it would not take very much to completely topple these 10 packs.' He pointed out that the hundreds of thousands — and potentially millions — of wolves were eradicated from the Western U.S. within decades. Roughly 50 animals is generally not considered a "viable population," according to Hunnicutt. If the population reaches about 150, he said protections could probably be relaxed. Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group, sees the wolves' growth rate as typical. She said the state's 2016 wolf conservation plan identified about 23,000 square miles of suitable wolf habitat just in the region north of Interstate 80. The same plan estimated that that area could support roughly 370 to 500 wolves. Weiss said misunderstanding and misinformation is fueling backlash against the animals. 'Decades of research shows that conflicts between livestock, wolves and people are rare and preventable,' she said in a statement. 'These magnificent animals have immense value because they help keep nature wild and healthy, and that ultimately benefits humans as well.' Back in Shasta County, Hunnicutt was hot on the trail of the Ashpan pack. He picked up tracks, which led him to a fresh poop. He scooped it up. 'It's like, ah! I'm gonna figure out who it is,' he said. He believes the two wolves in the pack might be denning; it's currently the season. That means they bred and the female gave birth in a den, which could be a hollowed-out log or other safe haven. When wolves are denning, they're anchored to one spot — the den — upping the chances of finding them. It essentially entails trying to locate one square mile of activity in a 1,000-square-mile search area, Hunnicutt said. 'It's hard, but I love it,' he said. After lunch in Burney, he'd go back to scouting. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CBS News
19-05-2025
- CBS News
California county declares state of emergency over gray wolf activity
SHASTA COUNTY – A Northern California county has declared a local state of emergency as residents report more gray wolf incidents. Shasta County supervisors adopted the state of emergency declaration last week. The emergency declaration comes as rural Shasta County residents report more encounters with gray wolves – including attacks on livestock. "These wolves are showing no fear of people and are attacking livestock near family homes. We need better tools and immediate action to keep our rural communities safe," said Corkey Harmon, the Shasta County supervisor who sponsored the resolution, in a statement. Officials say, since late 2024, multiple cattle and other livestock deaths linked to wolves have been confirmed in eastern Shasta County. Supervisors also sent a letter to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife asking for help in protecting the public from wolves. Shasta County residents are being urged to report possible wolf sightings to Fish and Wildlife. Both Modoc and Lassen counties have also adopted similar emergency declarations against wolves in recent days. Wolves are an endangered species in California that, at one point, had disappeared from the state before returning in recent years. Fish and Wildlife has been closely monitoring the state's wolf population, with seven wolf packs having been confirmed.
