Tuolumne County can take a clear look at itself with the publication of the second edition of the Tuolumne County Profile.

More than 100 volunteers from all sectors of Tuolumne County have been working for months to update and expand the report, which was released to the public last week.

The second edition - now available online, as a CD and as a 68-page booklet - is jam-packed with updated information on the state of the community, including more than 100 different measurements from jobs statistics and crime rates to housing costs and available parks. Information is divided in broad headings: Health and Safety, Education, Natural Resources and Recreation, Economy and Infrastructure, and a new chapter focused on Arts and Heritage.

Originally published in early 2006, the report is an ongoing community project led by the Sonora Area Foundation. Community teams completed a review of the original report, updated the data and offered brief recaps about the status of each issue, from school performance and crime rates to water quality and wildlife counts.

"I think people will be interested to see the changes that show up from the first report," said project planner Patricia Jones. "And people should know this isn't a public relations piece. It defines what's going on in our community - the good and the bad."

More than 90 percent of the original research team returned to work on the update, Jones noted. "It's a tremendous amount of work, but just about everyone involved has been using the report in their own work, and sees the value in keeping this project going."

The 2005 edition was widely used, Jones said, with an average of more than 500 people visiting the Web site each month.

Among the findings in the second edition highlighted by the team:

- Injury and fatality rates on Highway 108 are among the highest in the state, and CHP has received a significant grant to address this issue.

- Suicide is still a major concern, but a strong coalition is addressing the issue.

- Health care access is a growing issue. Few physicians accept MediCal, and the county has limited primary care available.

- Based on current water quality tests from our two largest water suppliers, the county's drinking water is essentially safe and pollutant free, however, stream water quality diminishes significantly as the water flows downhill through populated areas.

- Rates of elder, dependent and child abuse are considerably higher than the overall state rates of abuse.

- Substance abuse continues to be a problem.

- Housing prices decreased and the amount of time a home is on the market increased.

- More students are taking the SATs and the percent of local 10th grade students passing the California High School Exit Exam is higher than the state average.

- Child care availability increased.

- Tuolumne County has three times more public land than private land.

- While travel spending increased in the county, its impacts are significantly less than shown in Calaveras and Amador counties.

- Tuolumne County's median age is significantly higher than California's with 45% of our residents being 50 years old and older, and our kindergarten enrollment dropping from 509 in 2005 to 402 in 2007.

- Tuolumne County ranks in the lower half of the state for median income (32 out of 58 counties).

The new report, Tuolumne County Profile - 2008, is available online with expanded links to data sources at www.TuolumneCountyProfile.org. Booklets and CD versions of the report are available from the Sonora Area Foundation at 533-2596.

Established in 1990, the Sonora Area Foundation is a community foundation that channels donors' contributions to projects in Tuolumne County. The foundation, along with two supporting organizations, The Irving J. Symons Foundation and the Symons Family Fund, now have assets of more than $28 million. The governing boards have awarded more than $10 million in grants since inception.

The Sonora Area Foundation also administers more than 180 charitable funds set up for scholarships and other charitable causes. For more information on grant applications or the establishment of a donor fund, contact the foundation at 533-2596 or visit www.sonora-area.org.