Lake Lure begins refilling namesake lake after Hurricane Helene recovery efforts; plus, a gray wolf tracked in Southern California for the first time in a century

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Well, a couple of stories of recovery on opposite sides of the country on the podcast today.

It's of hope that maybe soon things will return to the way they used to be for a lot

of folks.

After more than a year of recovery work following the devastation of Hurricane Helene back in

2024, Lake Lure in North Carolina officially began refilling its namesake lake earlier

this month, marking a major milestone in the community's long road to restoration.

The refilling effort is the first step toward returning Lake Lure to its full pond level

of just over 990 feet above mean sea level.

A process made possible by extensive collaboration with FEMA, the US Army Corps of Engineers, Ash

Brit Environmental, Rumbling Balled on Lake Lure and numerous contractors and local partners.

The lake is vital to the local economy and businesses have been eager to see it back

open for visitors.

Lake Lure Mayor Carol Pritchett said, thanks to the dedication of so many, we've witnessed

progress that many believe was impossible.

Our lake, our namesake, our refuge and our economic lifeline is coming back stronger

than ever.

Hurricane Helene brought historic flooding and heavy rainfall to Western North Carolina

in September of 2024, inundating Lake Lure with sediment, debris and flood water that

overwhelmed infrastructure and forced officials to drain much of the lake to facilitate cleanup

and repairs.

Town officials emphasized that the refilling process will be gradual and weather dependent.

The lake's level can only be increased by about a foot per day and substantial rainfall

will be critical in helping the lake reach higher levels safely.

In addition to rising water, comprehensive water quality tests indicate that conditions

remain within normal limits, confirming the lake is safe as it begins returning to active

use.

With no definitive reopening date just yet, local leaders are hopeful that Lake Lure could

be ready for public access, boating and swimming by Memorial Day weekend.

A key milestone for residents, small businesses, and the region's tourism economy.

A three-year-old gray wolf may be roaming in Los Angeles County in search of a mate, a

major milestone for a species that was wiped out in California a century ago.

The black-coded female was born in Plumas County in 2023 and was fitted with a GPS collar

by California Department of Fish and Wildlife teams in May of last year.

She traveled with a pack in Tulare County for about eight months last year before heading

out on her own.

Wildlife officials said the wolf was detected on remote cameras in Tulare County.

More recently GPS tracking data showed the wolf in Los Angeles County, though there

have been no confirmed physical sightings there.

On Tuesday, the state wolf tracker map showed a ping-in-curn county.

Now according to the state wolf coordinator, breeding season occurs in February and wolves

can travel hundreds, even thousands of miles in search of a mate.

The wolf coordinator said that this wolf would have traveled nearly the entire length of

the Sierra Nevada over the last year or so, and her journey is not over.

According to California's annual gray wolf report, wolves were wiped out in the state

by 1924 and naturally returned in 2011.

By the end of 2024, the population had grown to seven packs with at least 50 wolves.

Most gray wolf activity remains concentrated in Northern California.

In 2023, a pack in the southern Sierra in Tulare County became the first pack established

outside Northeastern California.

The three-year-old female is the farthest south a gray wolf has been tracked in California

since the return of the species back in 2011.

Wildlife officials say the greatest threat to wolves in California though is vehicle collisions

because wolves travel long distances and frequently cross major highways.

They face a heightened risk of being struck by cars.

That's all for now.

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Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Be safe.

I'll be back on Monday with more from Acuether.