Thank you for your service, Deputy Hopkins. The NorCal officer is the 4th officer in California to be shot dead in the last 2 weeks: https://goo.gl/AVbtZd Video courtesy: Record Searchlight | KCRA 3

Northern California Ranch | Roberts Ranch, Modoc County California

In 1873, Lava Beds National Monument in northern California was the site of the Modoc War, an armed conflict between members of the Modoc Tribe and the U.S. Army. The Modoc people wanted to live in their home territory, but troops tried to forcibly relocate them to a reservation. You can learn more about the Modoc people and the history of northern California on Aerial America: Northern California. Tune in tonight at 10PM. http://bit.ly/2z9pMee | Smithsonian Channel

Sagebrush ecosystems provide crucial habitat for many species of wildlife. But in some areas, like the often arid Modoc National Forest in northeastern California, an invasion of juniper trees and shrubs combined with decades of fire suppression not only choked out historic stretches of sagebrush but greatly inhibits the growth of perennial grasses and forbes. And that’s bad news for elk, mule deer, pronghorn and other forms of bird and mammal life. So in 2018, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation