North County activists who want to split off from Santa Barbara County have obtained more than enough petition signatures to put the issue on the ballot.

Joe Holland, the Santa Barbara County Registrar of Voters, announced Wednesday that his office has finished its review of the petition for the Formation of Mission County: 20,779 signatures were required to put the issue on the ballot, and 21,426 were verified out of the 32,212 submitted.

The next step is to submit the tally to the Board of Supervisors, probably at its Jan. 8 meeting. The Clerk of the Board will then forward the results to the Governor, who will appoint a Commission to study and report on the ballot proposal.

If the proposal is declared valid, it will be presented to Santa Barbara County voters at a general election, possibly in November 2004, but more likely in March 2006.

Mission County will be formed if it is approved by more than 50 percent of voters in the proposed county and a total of 50 percent in Santa Barbara County.

Condor matriarch takes charge

Xewe, a matriarch of the California Condor Recovery Program, has been placed in charge of four fledglings in preparation for their return to the wild.

Plans call for releasing the young birds into the wild in Baja California’s Sierra de San Pedro Martir National Park. But first, they will be tutored in condor survival by Xewe.

Previous efforts to release captive-born condor youngsters into the wild have not always been successful. The fledglings were confused and became objects of scorn and physical abuse by birds such as golden eagles and ravens.

The object of the mentoring program with the dominant matriarch is to teach the birds to survive in the wild. Eventually, scientists hope to create a blended population of condors in California and Mexico, according to wildlife specialist Mike Wallace.

Officials warn: give carefully

The Better Business Bureau and State Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer have warned people to give generously during the holidays, but to give cautiously.

The Tri-Counties Better Business Bureau issued a statement advising holiday shoppers to use caution in responding to product promotions that claim to benefit charities.

Information about fundraisers and charitable organizations can be found on the Attorney General’s Website, http://www.ag.ca.gov/charities.

Relief for caregivers available

Short term, temporary respite is available for caregivers that attend to the needs of someone 60 years old or older who also requires supervision and/or personal care. The caregiver relief is designed for those not eligible for respite through any other program, and for whom the cost of such help would be a hardship.

Visiting Nurse and Hospice Care of Santa Barbara, in partnership with the Area Agency on Aging, is currently able to offer a limited amount of relief for some caregivers. Help would be provided by a Home Health Aide, a Certified Nursing Assistant or a Personal Care Attendant and could include dressing, walking, feeding, bathing, laundry, meal preparation, light housekeeping and general supervision.

For more information, call Enid Pritikin at 690-6257.

UCSB reports on Himalayan erosion

Rates of erosion in the Himalayans are the same throughout, despite vast differences in precipitation between the mountain range’s north and south sides, a UCSB scientist has announced.

Douglas Burbank, professor of geology and director of the university’s Department of Crustal Studies, is the lead author of an article published this week in the scientific journal Nature.

The article, "Decoupling of erosion and precipitation in the Himalayas," reports that after four years of reports from 20 weather stations arrayed across the Asian range, the rate of erosion is the same, despite wide variations in rain and snowfall.

Bird deaths at windmill farm protested

A giant wind farm in the Altamont Pass east of San Francisco is being protested by some environmental groups, because of mass bird killings by the windmills.

Built 20 years ago, the turbines have, over time, been the cause of an estimated 22,000 bird deaths, according to the environmental groups. Birds killed when they flew into the windmill blades include golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, kestrels and other raptors.

Environmentalists usually favor wind power as a clean and renewable source of energy. However, the Altamont project is under protest by Californians for Renewable Energy and the Center for Biological Diversity.

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors has already renewed some permits, but the environmental groups are asking that the actions be rescinded. The groups hope for remediation efforts before the operating permits are renewed.