This week‚ I had the pleasure of meeting with members of the California Waterfowl Association. I was joined by Mark Hennelly‚ vice president of advocacy‚ retired Warden Jerry Karnow and others to discuss how the Legislature can support waterfowl and their habitats – a vital issue throughout the 1st Senate District.
During our conversation‚ the emerging crisis of avian botulism outbreaks in the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath national wildlife refuges quickly became the focal point. In the past few weeks‚ an avian botulism outbreak has started at the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge due to shallow‚ warm and stagnant water in the area. This sounds painfully familiar to those who love the refuges‚ as the same occurrence took place in 2024‚ killing thousands of birds.
While the water demands of the Klamath Basin are complex and tough to navigate‚ we cannot stand idly by while the waterfowl population gets decimated. Earlier this year‚ recognizing the threat‚ conservationists and water users alike proposed a flow‑through plan aiming to keep water on the refuges and promote healthy waterfowl habitat. Unfortunately‚ it has not happened – and the birds are falling victim.
This is not just a local problem‚ but truly affects the entire Pacific Flyway‚ where the Klamath Basin refuges are an important stopping point. The Bureau of Reclamation and other stakeholders urgently need to find a better way to steward this critical natural resource.
Yuba City Honors Purple Heart Trail
Team Dahle was very honored Friday morning to participate in a special commemoration of Purple Heart Day – observed every Aug. 7 – as the signage marking the Purple Heart Trail in Yuba City was unveiled.
Brock Bowen and fellow members of the American Legion Post 705 worked very hard to raise money and organize the Caltrans‑approved signs on Highways 20 and 99 in Yuba City. The Legislature authorized this project in 2024 through Assembly Concurrent Resolution 121‚ which was authored by then Assemblyman – now Congressman – James Gallagher.
As ACR 121 records‚ Yuba City deeply honors its servicemembers‚ including those wounded in combat. In the city the Purple Heart Trail passes the Sutter County Veterans Memorial Park‚ the Plumas Street Flagpole‚ the Yuba City Veterans Hall‚ and the historic Yuba City Cemetery – the final resting place for many Purple Heart recipients who served as far back in time as the Mexican‑American War.
Thank you to the American Legion post and all who contributed to making this honor a reality.
Keeping Seniors Safe at Home
This week my district coordinator‚ Alice Bennett‚ met with leaders at Dignity Connected Living in Redding – Joe Ayer and Kristina Devan – to learn about their Multipurpose Senior Services Program. This work helps seniors with complex medical needs who could easily end up in a nursing home to remain instead in their own homes – providing help with chores and minor home repairs‚ meal services‚ transportation and more.
Dignity Connected Living’s program serves nearly 250 low‑income seniors in Lassen‚ Modoc‚ Shasta‚ Siskiyou and Trinity counties through the Multipurpose Senior Services Program‚ and that is just a one piece of their work assisting older residents of the North State. Other major programs include Meals on Wheels and Senior Transportation‚ Adult Day Care‚ and more specialized work.
The good news is better healthcare is helping us live longer. As the population throughout California ages‚ the trend is even stronger in more rural counties. That means we need to be paying extra attention to the needs of our senior population‚ who in more far‑flung communities can often suffer from isolation as much as they do from the ailments of advanced age.
I appreciate the work of Dignity Connected Living in helping meet the full spectrum of need for our North State elders.
Mountain Valleys Dedicates New Clinic, Marks 45 Years
This week Mountain Valleys Health Center dedicated a new clinic to serve patients in the Siskiyou County city of Weed – and also celebrated its 45th year of meeting medical and dental needs in some of the most rural communities in Lassen‚ Shasta and Siskiyou counties.
Mountain Valleys was launched in 1981‚ in my hometown of Bieber‚ and in the years since has expanded to Burney‚ Fall River Mills‚ Dorris‚ Tulelake‚ Mount Shasta and Weed.
Providers remain scarce in these small towns‚ but the needs of their local families are no less important. I appreciate the years of dogged commitment to rural health care that Mountain Valleys exemplifies.