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• Bookkeeper convicted of fraud, theft

• Habitat helpers

• Lodi may get senior housing along Railroad Avenue

• Lodi's Keys' Kitchen deep in debt to city

• Lodi chamber honors Lewis as Lodi's Citizen of the Year

• Smart and Final store has quiet opening on East Lodi Avenue

• Galt school district weighs options for new, old campuses

• Regional Roundup

• Logbook

November 21st, 2009

• Logbook

• Holiday drive spreads cheer to U.S. troops

• Galt High students want board to approve open-campus policy

• Poisoning victims remain hospitalized

• Expert: Half a mushroom cap can be deadly

• Tokay grad files claim over Lodi's Grape Bowl

• Lodi Middle School holds annual Turkey Trot

• Regional Roundup

• No motive or suspect in shooting

• Sacramento cop arrested for alleged kidnapping

November 20th, 2009

• Acampo woman killed

• Salvation Army Kettle Kickoff

• Advocacy groups sue East Bay Municipal Utility District over Pardee expansion

• Regional Roundup

• Galt plans to help residents with energy-efficient projects

• Stable southeast of Lodi approved

• One year after a heart attack, Lodi's Judy Mims thanks rescuers

• National Guard troops return home in time for the holidays

• Real estate market gets on more solid ground

November 19th, 2009

• Operation: Christmas

• Logbook

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Chase ends in crash

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Corrections

November 18th, 2009

• Regional Roundup

• Paranormal group conducts second investigation of building

• Congress allocates money for local water projects

• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react

• Lodi man finds wife's ashes during police display of stolen property

• Galt City Council rejects study on rent stabilization

November 17th, 2009

• Paying tribute to a Lodian

• Lodi Budget and Finance Committee to look into ways to save money on employee benefits

• Regional Roundup

• Decision on summer school expected at tonight's Lodi Unified School District meeting

• Clements gets free water rescue boat

• Redevelopment to be discussed by Lodi City Council again

• Court reinstates death penalty for killer of Lodi grad

• Clarification

November 16th, 2009

• Correction

• Public Meetings

• City Council 'triple-dog dared' to ditch cars, use Lodi buses

• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi

• Lodi's First Sip event showcases area wineries' latest vintages

• Three members of Lodi-area family fall ill after eating poisonous mushrooms they reportedly found at Lodi Lake

• Regional Roundup

November 14th, 2009

• Galt school district narrows superintendent search to one

• Regional Roundup

• Despite budget cuts, some Lodi Unified School District salaries continue to rise

• Watchful neighbor in Lodi helped bust suspected burglars

• New Galt city manager juggles job, family

• Despite an increase in homeless students, school districts look to bolster enrollment, raise revenue

• A first look at 2009 vintages at Lodi's First Sip wine-tasting event

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• The country's mess is our fault (170)
• Obama is not a moderate (130)
• Public health care is a Christian option (79)
• Sarah Palin's book hits the shelves: Locals react (73)
• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22 (52)
• The haves should help the have-nots (31)
• Tokay in, traveling to unbeaten No. 3 Grant for football playoffs (25)
• Government-run health care is a bad idea (25)
• Young woman fatally shot at Acampo home (18)
• Sierra Adventure store to close after four years in Downtown Lodi (17)

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Habitat helpers

Area students work to save elderberry beetle at El Rio Farms

One day.

Eight acres.

Thirty students.

And 300 plants.

That's what it takes to help the valley elderberry longhorn beetle from becoming endangered.

Tuesday morning, sophomores from Middle College High School gathered at El Rio Farms north of Lockeford to plant native vegetation along the farm's Mokelumne River border in an ongoing effort to restore habitat for the beetle.

The beetle, which measures less than an inch long, lays its eggs in the bark of elderberry trees. It grows to an adult within the tree's limbs and burrows out when it has reached full size. In many parts of the Central Valley, the holes left by the beetles are the only sign they are living in the area.

To teach students about conservation and give them practical experience in field work, teacher Aleathea Langone gave all of her biology students an opportunity to volunteer for the project.

The high school, located on the Delta College campus, has about 260 students, with about 60 students per grade level.

Some, like Lacresha Mason, grew up surrounded by pavement and shopping centers instead of spending time outdoors working with the dirt.

"At first I didn't want to do it because I didn't want to get dirty. Oh, and the worms," Mason said as she began digging another hole. "But now that I'm out here I'm really glad I decided to do it."

Mason was one of many students who had created their own sort of ritual to go with the tree planting. Mason would sing a rendition of "Old McDonald" for every new species she planted, inserting the new plant's name in place of an animal. Other students would pat the trees and wish them luck to grow.

The elderberry longhorn beetle. (Courtesy photo)

The conservation effort at El Rio Farms is one of several projects in San Joaquin County to preserve the beetle's natural habitat. The Center for Land-Based Learning, the San Joaquin County of Governments, East Bay Municipal Utilities District and the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission all have specialists working with landowners and high schools to conserve and restore as much natural habitat as possible.

The El Rio Farms land was purchased by SJCOG as part of a development easement. Once restored to riparian habitat the land can never be used for development or agriculture.

Habitat restoration drives the project but the organizers also hope it encourages some of the participating students to pursue careers in conservation or environmental science, said Susan Douglas, who coordinates the Student and Landowner Education and Watershed Stewardship program at the Center for Land-Based Learning.

Douglas said encouraging students to get out of the class and use their hands is an important step in creating future environmentalists. At the very least, she hopes they will be more aware of how humans affect the environment.

In a previous SLEWS program, high school students helped remove a dam from Murphy Creek to help salmon get upriver for spawning. Douglas said salmon spawned in the creek this season for the first time in about 15 years.

"I like planting and getting dirty," said Shelby Cruz. "We're helping the elderberry longhorn beetle because it thrives in area where native plants live."

Cruz said the experience at El Rio Farms has been rewarding and she looks forward to coming back in a few weeks to check on the plants planted Tuesday.

For the next four weeks Middle College High School will alternate Tuesdays at El Rio Farms with Bear Creek High School.

Contact reporter Rebecca Adler at rebeccaa@lodinews.com.

First published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007