
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Land Trust is presenting its last children’s education program of the year on Saturday, Sept. 20, starting at 9 a.m. at the Rodman Preserve, at 6350 Westlake Road near Upper Lake.
The program will focus on insects and be presented by Brittany Nelms, an entomologist with the Lake County Vector Control District along with intern Broc Pasqual.
What are the differences between mosquitoes and gnats? How do you tell a mosquito larva from a gnat larva, and can you find them both in Clear Lake?
“Bring yourself and your child to the Rodman Preserve and interact with these and other important Lake County insects. Participants will be looking at live mosquitoes and gnats and you will be able to see firsthand how they look and survive in their aquatic habitats,” said Land Trust Board member Roberta Lyons.
Microscopes will be set up so you can see, up close, the various features of these important flies. The mosquito tower will be on display, showing the entire mosquito life cycle up close.
“Want to feed the fish? The kids will be able to pick out mosquito larva and feed them to our hungry mosquito fish!” said Nelms, who also is planning to show participants the different life stages of mosquitoes and their lookalikes (gnats, rice flies, and midges) and how to tell them apart.
She will explain what those “swarms of insects,” we see around the lake are, talk about where they live and their life cycles.
The public is invited to this free-of-charge event.
Reservations are encouraged, but not required. Call Roberta Lyons at 707-994-2024 for more information or to reserve your spot.
The Rodman Preserve Nature Education Center is located at 6350 Westlake Road near Upper Lake. Take the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff off of Highway 29, between Lakeport and Upper Lake. Turn east onto the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, then left on to Westlake Road. The preserve entry is to the immediate right after turning on to Westlake.
The preserve is owned and operated by the Lake County Land Trust, a local non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Lake County’s natural areas.
For more information about the Land Trust, go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org .