New colonel takes charge of Beale refueling wing

Base on Sunday during a change of command ceremony on the flight line.

Col. Stephanie Williams will lead the reserve airmen working at Beale. Her last post was Travis Air Force Base. An Air Force Academy graduate, Williams has more then 4,000 hours logged, piloting primarily a C-130. The 940th is a reservist wing on the primarily active duty base.

“Standing in formation today, you remind all of us about the sacred duty of the profession of arms,” Williams was to have said, according to prepared remarks. “You stand apart to fly, fight and win. The different uniforms you are wearing today also tells a story. An effective team takes many different kinds of people with different skills and different talents to succeed.”

like shads and spotted bass really come down to the individual person.

“Generally speaking, the fish in the area should be good to eat. If you catch a fish, it’s good to eat,” Stone said.

Stone said water temperatures can determine how healthy a fish is – warm water can affect the health of a fish, as opposed to colder water.

But even if a fish is caught in warm water, he said, it is most likely healthy to eat, though there are a few things someone should look for when preparing a fish for consumption.

“If you open a fish up and see worms or parasites, throw the fish away. If there aren’t any signs of an invasive species inside the carcass of the fish, I’d say they are fine to eat,” Stone said.

Recent studies The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment – under the California Environmental Protection Agency – released an updated advisory on July 6 regarding the safety of fish in New Bullards Bar Reservoir.

“There is a common misconception when we put out a fish advisory, people tend to think we are warning them of something, but really we are trying to just balance advice on what to look for and the different species you can safely eat,” said OEHHA Deputy Director Sam Delson.

Delson said the state entity doesn’t release any advisory unless it has gathered sufficient data on different species in a body of water.

When it comes to safely consuming fish in Northern California, Delson said it just depends on the species.

“Many fish have nutrients that may reduce the risk of heart disease and are an excellent source of protein,” said Lauren Zeise, director of OEHHA, in a press release.

Assessments are based on the levels of mercury measured in fish.

According to OEHHA, “Mercury is a naturally occurring metal that is released into the environment from mining and burning coal. It accumulates in fish in the form of methylmercury, which can damage the brain and nervous system, especially in developing children and fetuses.”

In its July 6 advisory, OEHHA suggested that people should not eat black bass species or carp out of New Bullards Bar Reservoir.

Other fish like Kokanee salmon, rainbow trout and sunfish species are OK to consume, according to OEHHA. How much a person can safely consume depends on factors like a person’s age, if they are pregnant, or their general health.

For example, OEHHA advises women ages 18-45 and children ages 1-17 may eat two servings per week – one serving is eight ounces, or roughly the size and thickness of a person’s hand – of salmon, trout and sunfish out of the reservoir. Women age 46 and older and men age 18 and older can safely eat six servings per week for trout, or five servings of salmon or sunfish.

Zeise said if OEHHA’s guidelines are followed, the public can safely eat fish low in chemical contaminants that provide health benefits.

The state entity has conducted assessments on 90 bodies of water throughout California, and are continuing to do so roughly once per month, Delson said.

Fish advisories for specific bodies of water and advice on how to safely consume certain fish species can be found at www.oehha.ca.gov/fish/ advisories.