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A young buck is seen entering the Sequoia National Forest Friday north of Kernville.
Michael Batelaan Kern River Courier
Just as the County of Kern was resolved to take control of new drone program joysticks, the Federal Aviation Administration selected six other states and related areas for civilian drone reserch, leaving Kern County and the State of Californa out of the national test site selection. Kern political representitives Rep. Kevin M c C a r t h y , Assemblywoman Shannon Grove, State Senator Jean Fuller, Repulicans all of Bakersfield and 1st District Supervisor Mick Gleason had hoped that Eastern Kern and more spacifically our neighbors just to the east of the
Kern River Valley at Inyokern Airport would become a center for unmaned airial drone research, especially in light of the economic and potential job creation an FAA selection could bring. The County Board of Supervisors had also recently expessed interest in the purchase of a drone to be use by the roads department for survey and tranportation planning. According to the Bakersfield Californian and Cal Unmaned Aerial Systems, CalUAS, there are already four tenents at Inyokern Airport involved in unmanned systems technogies for commercial applications as well as others expressing interest in setting up operations. Remotely piloted air-
craft could be used for wildfire spotting and management, surveying and inspecting power transmission grids and pipelines Despite the setback, supporters believe that an Inyokern Airportbased effort can still be a part of unmaned technology and development. Inyokern “will still become a center of commercial development,” CalUAS director of Robotic Farming Jeff Parisse said in a news release. It is estimated by the FAA that 7,500 small drones could be aloft within five years. Currently, drones are not allowed to fly in the U.S. except with special permission from the FAA. The first test site is expected to begin operating within 180 days.
The New Year
A resolution to resolve Wikipedia.com Courier FYI A New Year’s resolution is a secular tradition, most common in the West but found around the world, in which a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement starting on New Year’s Day. The ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their
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debts. The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the Medieval era, the knights took the “peacock vow’ at the end of the Christmas season
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each year to reaffirm their commitment to chivalry. At watchnight services, many Christians prepare for the year ahead by praying and making these resolutions. There are other religious parallels to this tradition. During Judaism’s New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the High Holidays and culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), one is to See New, page 12 nature
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Friday high 67° Mostly sunny Friday low 43° Mostly clear Saturday high 63° Sunny Saturday low 40° Mostly clear Sunday high 64° Sunny Sunday low 40° Mostly clear National Weather Service
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County drones, groans Michael Batelaan Courier Just In
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www.kernrivercourier.com Vol. 10 No. 48
Michael Batelaan Courier Extra
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Not to be taken for granted, Kern Valley efforts to bolster the local visitor industry received a significant boost this month, when the Kern County Board of Supervisors approved $100,000 worth of financial assistance through its Tourism Promotion Grant Program. It is anticipated that awards for the 2014 grant cycle will be dispersed to recipients by the Kern County Board of Trade in January. The focus of this year’s grant was once again direct marketing aimed at out-ofcounty visitors. The Board of Trade received 16 grant applications, of which 14 received either full or partial funding. Eligibility was limited to non-profit organizations with marketing projects designed to increase the number of tourists coming to Kern County or lengthen their stay. Grants awarded for valley general visitor awareness programs included: $9,800 to the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce for cinema and print advertising; $9,000 to the Kernville Chamber of Commerce to attend trade shows and to support radio, internet and direct mail marketing. Awards were capped at $10,000 per project or organization. According to the last statewide economic impact report for tourism, the value of visitor spending within Kern County was close to $1.3 billion annually, sustaining almost 13,000 Kern County jobs.
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Kern River Courier P.O. Box 1145 Wofford Heights, CA 93285
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Association at home on the gun range.
Old Christmas Tree How green are your branches? Michael Batelaan Courier Extra Don’t forget to recycle your Christmas tree. First remove all the ornaments and the tree stand. ■ You can take it to the Kern Valley Transfer Station, 6092 Wulstein Way, four miles south of Kernville off Sierra Way. ■ Or take it to Kissack Cove Boat Launch, on the beach, on Highway 178 near Mountain Mesa. At Kissack Cove, the folks from the Kern River Valley Fish and Game Habitat Club, all volunteers, will recycle your Christmas tree into Isabella Lake to provide cover for spawning and survivable fish habitat for newly hatched fry, so the lake can be kept ready for fishermen.
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This week Bodfish Bob’s recipes are worth dipping into.
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kern river water data: Wednesday noon Storage, Isabella Reservoir 59,456 acre-feet 2013 Reservoir peak 106,783 acre-feet Pool maximum 568,075 acre-feet Pool safety limit 360,000 acre-feet Upper Kern Inflow 139 cfs* Lower Kern Outflow 33 cfs Borel Canal Outflow 0 cfs (stopped) Data from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cfs=cubic feet per second 1 cu.ft. = 7.48 U.S. gallons 1 ac.ft.= 325,851 U.S. gal. *(5-hr average Kernville)
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