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CHARM Phase 1: Lake County project publishes a resilience 'Roadmap' and wins four-year NIH funding for phase 2
Summary
Tracking California and Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians presented Phase 1 findings for the CHARM Lake County program and unveiled a web-based Roadmap; NIH awarded a four-year continuation grant for Phase 2 intervention work.
Tracking California and Big Valley Band of Pomo Indians briefed the Lake County Board of Supervisors on July 22 about Phase 1 results of the CHARM (Community Health Adaptation and Resilience Mobilization) Lake County program and previewed Phase 2, supported by a four-year NIH continuation grant.
Phase 1 centered on community engagement, interviews, and a public survey (more than 200 responses) focused on extreme heat and harmful algal blooms (HABs) on Clear Lake. Project staff said they held 13 working-group meetings and produced a web-based Roadmap intended as a living, navigable resource for local agencies and communities; the Roadmap organizes content by hazard, vulnerable community, and strategies and includes community quotes and local data.
Key findings included: (1) certain groups — seniors, unhoused people, tribal members and outdoor workers — are especially vulnerable to heat and HAB-related impacts; (2) trust and preexisting relationships are essential for effective emergency communication and use of resilience hubs; and (3) local monitoring and tribal sampling (Big Valley EPA) are critical to early warning and public messaging about cyanotoxins.
Phase 2 will be an intervention study that partners with resilience centers and focuses on seniors, unhoused persons, tribal communities and outdoor workers. Project leads said Phase 2 will test interventions at trusted community sites, connect people to resources such as cooling centers and LakeCoAlerts, and expand data collection and monitoring.
Boardmembers raised a specific framing concern about language in the Roadmap that described "exposure to Clear Lake"; Supervisor Sabatier said the text should say "exposure to HABs/cyanotoxins" to avoid a broad negative framing of the lake. Tracking California staff said the Roadmap is a living document and welcomed revisions and feedback. Big Valley staff emphasized the tribe’s ongoing toxin-monitoring work, noted the variability of year-to-year blooms, and urged continued coordination among local agencies.
Ending: Board members thanked the CHARM team and encouraged staff to continue to refine messaging and provide the board with a plan for Phase 2 work and funding needs.
