Lake Berryessa News

********

20 for 21 Lake Berryessa News Donation Program Continues

Thanks to those of you who have sent in donations to support the continued publication of the Lake Berryessa News. I will restart the print edition of the paper in April. But I continue to need your support to make it happen. I again make a personal appeal for your financial support.

As with all news organizations, including small ones like mine, costs are pushing higher and revenue is trending lower. Your financial support is vital so that the Lake Berryessa News can continue to publish. Sorry to say, we barely break even. Experience shows that without THE LAKE BERRYESSA NEWS, there would be no Lake Berryessa news!

(See the excellent editorial below by Sean Scully, Editor of the Napa Valley Register, that speaks to the serious issues facing local news sources, including the Lake Berryessa News. He convinced me to subscribe for the good of the community. I hope you'll again consider donating to the future of The Lake Berreyssa News and the Lake Berryessa community.)

Any regular news about Lake Berryessa simply comes from my website (www.LakeBerryessaNews.com), my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Lake-Berryessa-News-114810958535085/), the print version of the paper, and the regular email newsletter you are now reading.

If you like the Lake Berryessa News in all it’s forms please send a donation check of $20 (or more if you feel so inclined) made out to Peter Kilkus (not the Lake Berryessa News) and mail it to Peter Kilkus, 1515 Headlands Drive, Napa, CA 94558. If you trust the US Postal Service you can stick a crinkly old $20 bill in an envelope with your information and send it to the same address. If you wish to contact me directly call 415-307-6906 or email me at pkilkus@gmail.com. (Note: Your donation is NOT tax deductible)

I have both a Paypal and a Venmo Account if that is more convenient for you. They are in my name - Peter Kilkus. The username is pkilkus@gmail.com.

A simple $20 for 2021, a revitalization year for the lake if all goes well. Thanks for your consideration. The Lake Berryessa News is a one-person operation. I do it all - writing, editing, ads, graphics, distribution. I’ll do my best to keep you informed about every detail affecting the lake community. Peter

**********

Journalism, readers come to terms with a new subscriber-based business model

Sean Scully, Editor, Napa Valley Register

https://napavalleyregister.com/opinion/columnists/from-the-editor-journalism-readers-come-to-terms-with-a-new-subscriber-based-business-model/article_0193ddd5-5c43-5ce7-a657-1611e91059d4.html

Over the course of the last century, newspapers developed a business model that most business owners would find puzzling. Ad revenue — particularly classified ad revenue — just kept booming and publishers were making plenty of money, far more than they needed to run the paper. News publishers responded by doing two things that would otherwise seem counter-intuitive.

First, they made the physical newspapers cheap, or even sometimes free. The daily paper might sell for a nickel or a quarter on the street, even though the physical cost of getting it to your door was many times that. Second, they increasingly separated the newsroom from the advertising department. That meant that an editor or reporter would be less likely to ignore an important story for fear of offending some deep-pocketed advertiser. So seriously did newspapers take this separation that it’s usually known as “the wall” between advertising and news.

Pretty much everyone who’s worked as a journalist since the early 20th century has been trained not to deal with advertising issues in any way. In many cases, editors and reporters made it a point of pride not to know anything about the newspaper’s finances at all. This worked out great for a long time. At least until suddenly it didn’t.

There are two other side effects of the changes, however, that are a little less obvious. First, we had to convince you, the reader, that the news we were bringing you had value. Quite by accident, we had trained the reader to assume that the newspaper was worth the pittance that we charged. Second, we had to convince ourselves, the journalists, that we needed to worry about where the paper’s revenue comes from. Again quite by accident, we had trained the reporters and editors to think that money didn’t matter and the paychecks would just keep clearing the bank forever.

It is as if you were running a hardware store by giving away merchandise for pennies on the dollar and forbidding half or more of your staff from doing any activity that might generate any revenue to make up for it. Anyone who runs a business will understand how preposterous this situation sounds, but that’s where newspapers found themselves in the early 2000s as the ad market on which we had counted transformed beyond recognition. The answer has been a slow process of transformation for journalists. We have had to learn to become entrepreneurial after decades of avoiding that kind of behavior with a near-religious zeal.

If you own or work in a normal business, you know you have to constantly engage the customer, to explain why your product or service is worth the price, and is maybe a little bit better than the next guy’s version. In marketing and fundraising, it’s called the “big ask,” where you convince the customer that it is worth dropping some hard-earned money on your project or business.

It took about 10 years, but we’re finally getting pretty good at explaining why what we do is worth some real money and reminding the public that “local journalism matters.”

And over that time, it seems that the public is getting the message that journalism is worth real money. The turmoil of the last five or six years has helped elevate the importance of fact-based news, but even without that, I think the public was beginning to understand that news organizations need money. Since the late 1990s, newspapers and broadcast outlets have consolidated, cut staff, and reduced their offerings. In far too many cases, they have gone out of business entirely.

At first, I suspect, readers and viewers assumed these cuts were just penny-pinching greed by owners. As we got better at explaining the real costs of gathering and presenting news, and explaining the fundamental transformation of the ad market, however, I sense that the public began to understand that they needed to step up to preserve their trusted news outlets.

So here we are: we’re finally willing to ask for your support, and an increasing number of our readers are willing to underwrite the real cost of providing this important public service. I have asked before, but I will ask again: If you are not a subscriber but you see value in what we do, please consider visiting napavalleyregister.com/members and becoming a member at whatever level you can afford.

********

Sad news for the Lake Berryessa family, Bob Migliore has left us...

Bob was a stalwart supporter of Lake Berryessa revitalization and a long-time Steele Park resident. Robert "Bob" T. Migliore (1945 – 2021) passed away peacefully Monday surrounded by family in his Vallejo home. A devote Catholic, he was born in Petaluma and grew up fishing San Rafael Bay as a young boy. Growing up in an Italian family known for making bricks, he was not shy to hard work. After graduating from San Rafael High, he continued working at McNear's Brickyard with his father; the brickyard Foreman. Vietnam took him away from Marin and to West Texas for boot camp.

Serving in the Army his father served, forged his character and emblazoned his dedication and love for our country. After the war, he returned to the brickyard. Dabbling in hot rods, motorcycles, and fast times, he looked for something to feed his fire. From sleeping in his car to management in 6 short months. "Closing the deal" came naturally. He quickly rose to the top in his auto sales market while working at Boas Pontiac in San Francisco. In 1976, he was recruited for a management position at Bill Lang Cadillac Pontiac in Vallejo. In 1980, he moved his family from Marin County to Solano County to reside in Benicia.

He started taking his family to Lake Berryessa in the mid 1980s. From the campgrounds, to a tent site, to a "I don't know how we got that in there" trailer, to a poor man's paradise on pavement, "The Lake" was the family's solace. His grandson's first fish! His kids getting up on skis! Parties beyond parties to include one with Elvis. Good times were had and he provided. The Lake was taken from him in 2009 and he moved to Vallejo.

********

Summer Jobs at Lake Berryessa

Solano County Water Agency: Watercraft Inspection Intern ($19/hour)

HOW TO APPLY: Please submit your online application, cover letter, resume, and a list of 3 references. Full details are at this link:

https://secure.onehcm.com/ta/SCWA.careers?CareersSearch

From April 19, 2021 to October 11, 2021. Mandatory virtual training sessions on: 4/21/21, 4/22/21, 4/23/21.

Paid temporary position screening and inspecting watercraft at Lake Berryessa. Staff conduct boat screenings, biological inspections for invasive species (including but not limited to quagga and zebra mussels), provide water quality and invasive species education to Lake Berryessa users, and write weekly and a seasonal final report. Staff are expected to work all holidays and holiday weekends including: Memorial Day, Mothers day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, and Father's Day.

Required hours are primarily Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from approximately 6:00AM to 2:00PM and/or 10:00AM to 6:00PM, as well as additionally scheduled weekday shifts, meetings, and trainings.

Minimum Requirements:

Excellent communication and organizational skills as well as the ability to work under pressure.

Must be comfortable working alone, with a partner, and on a team.

Must be able to work in extreme heat and inclement weather.

Reliable transportation and valid CA Driver’s license.

Good driving record as evidenced by freedom from multiple or serious traffic violations or accidents for at least two (2) years duration.

Willingness to have a relatively consistent schedule (minimum of 12 hours per week, maximum of 40 hours per week) and perform other tasks as assigned by SCWA staff.

Preferred but not required:

Current student in the process of an undergraduate degree or a recent graduate student that graduated within the last year.

Focus of study or declared major in: environmental science, environmental planning, engineering, watershed science, biology, ecology, horticulture, soil and water science, landscape design, architecture, public relations or similar field.

Prior experience in customer service such as service industry, retail, or other.

Environmental education and outreach experience.

********

Lake Berryessa Revitalization Moves Forward

Napa County Request for Proposals

The Lake Berryessa RFP project is in its final days. March 2nd is the bid submittal date.

March 2, 2021 RFP Submittals Due by 12:00 pm PST

March/April, 2021 Concessionaire Selection and Negotiations

May, 2021 County and USBR Approval of Concession Award(s)

The County released a final Addendum to the RFP: Addendum No. 5. The County wishes to clarify three issues that have come to the County’s attention:

1. The Managing Agreement between Napa County and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation requires that visitor services be “provided in accordance with the 2006 VSP ROD” a copy of which has been made accessible through the Dropbox link on page 35 of the Request for Proposals. Neither the VSP ROD (Visitor Services Plan - Record of Decision) nor the Managing Agreement specifically limits the number of accommodation units that may be built or developed in any of the concession areas.

2. The Bureau of Reclamation requires that “Rates charged by concessionaires for services, food, lodging and merchandise will be based on charges for comparable facilities, services and merchandise provided by the private sector in similar situations.” Napa County, as the Managing Partner, must approve the rates requested by concessionaires.

3. It is believed that the Napa Berryessa Resort Improvement District has adequate system capacity to provide potable water to the Steele Canyon concession area. However, it is unlikely that the District’s sanitary waste collection system will have adequate capacity to treat the entire sanitary flows expected from the concession area. Standby (Immediate Availability) charges for sewer and water were last adopted in 2020 by the District’s Governing Board at a rate not to exceed $30.00 per month per acre. Connection Charges and User Rates have been in effect since 2011, without change, and these are set out in the 5-page schedule that is appended hereto as Attachment A. However, as a result of more than 100 service connections that were lost in last year’s wildfires in the area, the District will likely have to consider, in the near future, revised rates consistent with the provisions of California’s Proposition 218.

Bidders Names to Be Released, Eventually

Napa County has stated that the names of the bidders who submit proposals on March 2 will become public information eventually. Once the review committee initially evaluates the proposals and goes through the bid check list, the names of the bidders should be released. It may take a week or so depending on the complexity of what is submitted. Of course, none of the details of the bids such as financial information or proposed facilities will become public during the review period. Detailed financials will probably never become public. When the final contracts are signed, the contracts themselves will become public information.

The Lake Berryessa News used the Freedom of Information Act process to acquire the original Pensus bid (with all cost and financial information redacted) that was accepted by the Bureau of Reclamation - an interesting read. That bid is available on this website at: Pensus Bid Redacted.pdf

********

116 Parkview Lane

https://www.corcoran.com/northern-california-real-estate/for-sale/napa/116-parkview-lane-napa-ca-94558/53962937

********

Lake Berryessa Level and Temperature as of 2/28/21

Lake level has stubbornly remained just below 418 feet, 22 feet below Glory Hole, since December, 2020. Rainfall has reached 7.62 inches at Monticello Dam and 6.42 inches in the Berryessa Highlands so far this season (July 1 to June 30). Last year at this time the lake was at 433.2 feet, 6.8 feet below Glory Hole. Rainfall stood at 8.4 inches at Monticello Dam. Glory Hole did not overflow last year. Lake temperature has risen slightly by about 1 degree.

Last year at this time the lake was at 433.2 feet, 6.8 feet below Glory Hole. Rainfall stood at 8.4 inches at Monticello Dam. Glory Hole did not overflow last year.

********

********

Lake Berryessa Fishing: Catch Bass, Salmon and Trout

New Website Does Fishing Right

www.bestfishinginamerica.com/california-berryessa-lake-fishing.html

A bass angler’s paradise that also harbors abundant populations of trout and salmon, Lake Berryessa ranks among California’s finest fishing lakes. Nestled in the heart of Napa County, Lake Berryessa is a very large reservoir encompassing 20,700 acres at full pool, with a shoreline that stretches over 160 miles. Its waters harbor some of the most diverse and abundant fish populations in California. Yet, compared to many other lakes in the state, it receives relatively little fishing pressure at times.

With being this close to the Bay Area, you can bet that nice weekends will bring out hordes of pleasure boaters. Still, there are times all year long when you can find plenty of quiet water, especially when you strike out during the week and head off away from the major access points. Lake Berryessa’s shoreline is home to a handful of resorts and marinas and several more modest boat access sites.

It may lack some of the grand facilities that would be conducive to major fishing tournaments but nonetheless holds dozens of regional tournaments spread across the year, especially in the cooler months. Whether you fish tournaments or not, make no mistake—there are big fish here, and lots of them.

See full article here...

********

The Napa County Fire Chipping Program 2021

The 2021 program starts this Monday Feb. 22nd. Please see the link below for the Napa County website for online sign-ups.

Chipping Program Request: https://services.countyofnapa.org/chippingForm/

********

Go to the website

http://www.lakeberryessalots.com/

to see the details and multiple photos of the lots available.

********

Darwin Gardner: A Celebration of His Life

Turtle Rock, Sunday, March 7, 2 P.M.

********

Kafka and the Doll: The Pervasiveness of Loss

Franz Kafka was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. Many of us have read some of Kafka’s weird but compelling stories, especially “The Trial” and “The Metapmorphosis”. There is also a touching story about Kafka and a little girl who lost her doll which I thought appropriate for this period of loss we all feel due to the Covid crisis.

There are many versions of the story of Kafka and the doll. Whether this story actually ever happened it seems so real and true and provides a template for the impact of human grief.

Kafka, the Lost Doll and the Little Girl

At 40, Franz Kafka (1883-1924), who never married and had no children, walked through the park in Berlin when he met a girl who was crying because she had lost her favorite doll. She and Kafka searched for the doll unsuccessfully. Kafka told her to meet him there the next day and they would come back to look for her.

The next day, when they had not yet found the doll, Kafka gave the girl a letter "written" by the doll saying "please don't cry. I took a trip to see the world. I will write to you about my adventures."

Thus began a story which continued until the end of Kafka's life. During their meetings, Kafka read the letters of the doll carefully written with adventures and conversations that the girl found adorable.

Finally, Kafka brought back the doll (he bought one) that had returned to Berlin. "It doesn't look like my doll at all," said the girl. Kafka handed her another letter in which the doll wrote: "my travels have changed me." The little girl hugged the new doll and brought the doll with her to her happy home. A year later Kafka died.

Many years later, the now-adult girl found a letter inside the doll. In the tiny letter signed by Kafka it was written:

"Everything you love will probably be lost, but in the end, love will return in another way."

********

Looking Forward to Summer?

Remember to Get Your Boater Safety Card.

Q: When will operators be required to have a Boater Card?

A: The new requirement will begin on Jan. 1, 2018 for all persons 20 years of age and younger who operate a

motorized vessel on state waterways. On that date these boaters will be required to carry a boater card issued

by DBW, unless they meet certain exemptions stated below.*

Each year after January 2018, a new age group will be added to those who are required to possess a valid

card. By 2025, all persons who operate a motorized vessel on California waters will be required to have one.

Once issued, the card remains valid for a boat operator’s lifetime. California Harbors and Navigation Code

Section 678.11(b) contains the following phase-in schedule based on operator age:

• January 1, 2018 Persons 20 years of age or younger

• January 1, 2019 Persons 25 years of age or younger

• January 1, 2020 Persons 35 years of age or younger

• January 1, 2021 Persons 40 years of age or younger

• January 1, 2022 Persons 45 years of age or younger

• January 1, 2023 Persons 50 years of age or younger

• January 1, 2024 Persons 60 years of age or younger

• January 1, 2025 All persons regardless of age

*California age restrictions for operating a motorized vessel: According to California Harbors and Navigation Code Section 658.5, NO person under 16 years of age may operate a boat with a motor of more than 15 horsepower, except for a sailboat that does not exceed 30 feet in length or a dinghy used directly between a moored boat and the shore (or between two moored boats). The law allows children 12-15 years of age to operate boats with a motor of more than 15 horsepower or sailboats over 30 feet if supervised on board by an adult at least 18 years of age. Violating these provisions constitutes and infraction.

********

Lake Berryessa Resort Management Services

A new resource is now available to potential bidders interested in creating innovative recreational facilities at Lake Berryessa. Lake Berryessa Resort Management Services is dedicated to assisting recreation companies and resort developers in creating practical, profitable, environmentally-sustainable programs for their properties.

Services Offered

Recreation Activities Development and Marketing

Recreation Facility Design and Construction

Environmental Management Programs

Event Management and Promotion

Landscape Design and Construction

Wildfire Safety Protection and Suppression Programs

Standard and Drone Video Production

Quality Assurance

Customer Service

Professional Qualifications

Peter Kilkus, President

Evan Kilkus, Vice-President

********

The definitive book about what happened at Lake Berryessa!

Policy and Politics Betray the People:

The Lake Berryessa Saga, 1958-2020

This KPIX Eye on the Bay interview I did in 2010 is a relevant introduction to the substance of the book. I did it after Pensus had been given the contract for 5 resorts. As we all know Pensus was subsequently kicked out in 2012.

https://youtu.be/nP9K8Ai0Lkc

********

Pat Monaghan: The Brains Behind the Operation!

I want to give special thanks and recognition to Pat Monaghan who organized the resistance to the Bureau of Reclamation’s disastrous Visitor Services Plan (VSP). She co-founded Task Force 7 at Lake Berryessa (TF7) in July, 2001 and spearheaded the organization for many years. Her spirit and energy kept me going in the face of the concerted effort by the Bureau of Reclamation and their environmental exclusionist fellow travellers to force through the pre-determined outcome of their of their tragic VSP, the negative results of which are clearly visible at the lake.

Here's a 2007 TV interview with Pat, to give you some historical insight. Those of you who remember Pete Lucero, the government "hitman" imported from Washington, D.C., will recognize his description of what we still call "The Big Lie”.

https://youtu.be/MPsQ0W7qdK8

*********

The book is available on Amazon as a Kindle version and a paperback version.

www.amazon.com/Policy-Politics-Betray-People-Berryessa-ebook/dp/B08MFSQDBR/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=peter+kilkus&qid=1604774826&sr=8-1

Without THE LAKE BERRYESSA NEWS there would be no Lake Berryessa News…and finally there would be no definitive history of what happened at Lake Berryessa. Having participated directly for more than twenty years as an advocate for the lake in the fiasco that was the Bureau of Reclamation’s Visitor Services Plan, its farcical but tragic outcome, and the process of rebuilding, I have very strong views of the causes and results - supported by facts and data.

This book is a historical anthology, a raw, as-it-happened, unfiltered picture of what many of us lived through. The goal is to provide the history and the context within which such an incredibly destructive course of action took place. It is dedicated to documenting this tragedy, this final betrayal of Lake Berryessa by the federal government - and, hopefully, the promised revitalization by Napa County.

The City of Winters Fights Back

Table of Contents

The Kindle version has color photos and live links to videos and to pdf copies of all the primary documents used as resources for the book.

The paperback version is in black and white. For space rasons the paperback does not include the ection on the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. That section is available on the Lake Berryessa News website at:

The History of the Creation of the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument: The Ultimate Political Perversion of the Antiquities Act

The Twisted Ten-Year Political Path From a Modest Nature Area Partnership to a Local Blue Ridge Berryessa National Conservation Area to a Large Disjointed Berryessa Snow Mountain National Conservation Area to an Incoherent Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument.

Is it the “Dumbest National Monument in the United States”? An objective review of the process by which it was created and the final formal designation suggests the answer is YES. I personally support the creation of legitimate national monuments, but this is not that. Being part of the ten year political process that led to its creation convinced me that in many situations the Antiquities Act is being abused. The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument is a perfect case study of this abuse.

********

The Lake Berryessa Fire One Month Later…

What just happened, WHY, and Where do we go from here?

By Evan Kilkus

Volunteer Project Coordinator, Berryessa Highlands Fire Safe Council (BHFSC)

Read full article here…

********

LNU Lightning Complex Fire Coverage

News and Video Links

********

Special Reports

LAKE BERRYESSA: AN UNTAPPED RESORT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY

(Final Lake Berryessa Ragatz Report)

+++++

Ragatz Report Summary and Recommendations

**********

Napa County Request for Information & Interest

for Lake Berryessa Concessions

Managing Partner Agreement (MPA) between Napa County and the Bureau of Reclamation

Lake Berryessa Interview with Peter Kilkus

on KVON Radio with Larry Kramer

*********

Economics Book on Amazon

Amazon Kindle - $2.99

The last few months and years have brought economic issues to the forefront of our lives. They have also shown us how little most Americans understand about basic economics. One of the primary myths that has been debunked by the COVID 19 crisis is that the stock market plays some part in the basic economy. Other simple economic principles that most people don’t understand are explained in my book.

The Stock Market Is Not The Economy, Stupid!

Where Does Money Really Come From?

What is Interest and Why Do We Deserve It?

My previous book on Economics is still available on Kindle. Learn the basic facts for yourself!

**********

Conspiracy Theory or Automatic Pilot: The Economic Roots of Environmental Destruction. Available on Amazon in Kindle (above) or Paperback (below).

Classical economics is a mythology. Predatory capitalism is a fundamentalist religion based on this mythology. Environmental destruction and income inequality are results of the practice of this mythical religion. But is the present economic and environmental situation a conscious conspiracy or an unintended consequence of simplistic beliefs supported by basic human greed?

This book provides the basics of classical economic theory and the description of the intended or unintended consequences of predatory capitalism based on this theory. It contrasts these to sustainability principles underpinning modern environmental economic theory and the various movement towards corporate responsibility.

The book is not meant to be an academic or scientific exercise for economists or policy makers. The concepts discussed are easily accessible to thoughtful readers. My objective was to explain to myself the structure of economic influence that is at the heart of environmental degradation (including the welfare of individual human beings). Understanding is the foundation of action.