Amidst all the agricultural and economic impacts of the drought, Dick Butler of the National Marine Fisheries Service pointed out the obvious--that it is also bad news for fish.

To help get a jump on the rationing that is almost certainly coming our way, here are the Sonoma County Water Agency's

Top 10 Water Conservation Tips:

• Reduce outdoor watering by one day a week
• Find and repair leaks now
• Inspect and tune-up your sprinkler system monthly
• Water between midnight and 6:00 a.m. to reduce water loss from evaporation and wind
• Use a broom, not a hose, to clean your driveway, deck or patio
• Use a bucket and a hose with an automatic shut-off nozzle when you wash the car, or take your car to a carwash that recycles
• Cover pools and hot-tubs to reduce evaporation
• Use front-load washing machines
• Run the dishwasher and clothes washer with full loads only
• Prevent and report water waste

The Sonoma County Economic Development Board hosted the 6^th annual State of the County breakfast Wednesday morning, with Supervisor Paul Kelley delivering the centerpiece address. KRCB was there to record and bring you his talk.

Supervisor Paul Kelley

Some people have questioned taking the eggs of an endangered species for a laboratory experiment, but Nick Geist says his students may actually have saved some eggs that would otherwise have perished.

Newly hatched turtles are small and vulnerable (above), until they grow and their shells harden. This may take two years or more in the wild, but the process is accelerated in laboratory conditions, where that state can be reached in about nine months.

Why invest so much effort into the lowly pond turtle? Geist suggests they are a surprisingly significant species.

Marilee Eckert, Executive Director of the newly renamed Conservation Corps North Bay, says it is well-positioned to grow into a regional service agency.

Eckert anticipates bringing many of the programs the organization has already established in Marin into Sonoma County under their new banner, such as their youth recycling crew, which is already at work at some Sonoma County parks and schools.