Clear Lake Environmental Research Center

Fire and Forestry Program In 2023, CLERC completed hundreds of acres of wildfire fuel reduction, removal of dozens of hazard trees, and supported chipping services, which benefitted thousands of citizens living in the wildland-urban interface (WUI) in Lake County, California. CLERC secured funds through CalFire's Forest Health Program to conduct reforestation on over 1000 acres of fire-impacted areas of the Mendocino National Forest. CLERC worked with local stakeholders to address the large-scale tree mortality event that started in 2021 and continued through 2022 and 2023 due to ongoing drought conditions. CLERC participated in regional partnerships with conservation groups in neighboring counties to secure funding to implement forest health and wildfire resilience landowner assistance programs including the North Bay Forest Improvement Plan (NBFIP). In support of these activities, CLERC employed several staff members dedicated to this program. CLERC worked with partners across all sectors including federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as private citizens and nonprofit organizations.

The Clear Lake Environmental Research Center Lab (CLERC Lab) has continued to grow and serve clients, primarily local drinking water and wastewater agencies. Being the only accredited lab in Lake County, the CLERC Lab provides an opportunity for water agencies to invest utility ratepayer dollars in the locality. In order to maintain the CLERC Lab's accreditation certification, we successfully completed a third party assessment and the required proficiency tests for the standards methods being used. The CLERC Lab is currently accredited for microbiology of drinking water and wastewater.