UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The last youth nature education program of the season will be held this Saturday, Sept. 15, starting at 9 a.m. at the Lake County Land Trust’s Rodman Preserve near Upper Lake.

The program is free of charge and open to youth ages 7 to 12 or younger if parents want to accompany them.

Parents are welcome to enjoy the program with their children, or take the weekly walk at the preserve which also starts at 9 a.m.

Leading the program is well-known youth education specialist Elaine Mansell.

She will focus on young Rodman Explorers using their senses to discover that “every trail leads to a new adventure.”

Mansell will focus on the five senses using binoculars and microscopes and examining animal tracks, skat, trees, water, and insects. Hikers will open their ears to listen to and identify sounds.

They also will touch mammal skins look at nests, and feel leaves, bark, seed pods and more to discover there are many different surfaces and textures in nature.

“The purpose of this program is to direct children to be observant utilizing all of their senses rather than ambling through the woods aimlessly,” Mansell explained.

The program is sponsored by the Lake County Land Trust, which owns and operates the Rodman Preserve which is located at 6350 Westlake Road in Upper Lake.

Take the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff off of Highway 29, between Lakeport and Upper Lake. Turn east onto the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff, then left on to Westlake Road. The preserve entry is to the immediate right after turning on to Westlake.

Reservations are requested and this can be accomplished by calling Elaine Mansell at 707-263-1637.

Go to www.lakecountylandtrust.org for more information.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – In partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) Energy Training Center, the following free energy class is being hosted by Lake County Energy Watch.

In Middletown, “Insulation Options for New and Existing Homes” will be held on Thursday, Oct. 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  

This class will be held at the Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center, 15500 Central Park Road.  

This class is designed for architects, designers, contractors, home performance and HVAC/mechanical and insulation contractors, residential builders and residential remodelers; however everyone is encouraged to attend.  

Topics include rigid and spray foam insulation, vapor permeability, material and installation specifications, fire resistance and code requirements, safety and indoor air quality, and environmental impacts.

Registration is required for this class, and complimentary breakfast and lunch will be provided.  

You may find the registration link and more information on the Lake County Energy Watch Web page at www.energy.co.lake.ca.us , and select “Free Training Opportunities” on the left-hand side of the page, or you may register and find additional free training opportunities at www.pge.com/energyclasses .

Lake County Energy Watch is administered by PG&E using funding from California utility ratepayers under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission. Energy Watch partnerships are designed to help local governments and their communities lower their energy bills and enjoy a cleaner environment.

For more information about the Lake County Energy Watch program, contact Michalyn DelValle at 707-263-2221 or visit www.energy.co.lake.ca.us .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild proudly announces its 11th annual Falling Leaves Quilt Show, coming soon to the Lake County Fairgrounds, 401 Martin St. in Lakeport.

Show dates are Saturday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 7, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

About 250 quilts, on loan from guild members and from the community at large, will be on display in Lewis Hall.

The vendor mall will cater to quilters, selling books, patterns, notions and supplies. Vendors also will perform demonstrations during the show.

At the Country Store boutique, guild members will sell a variety of quilt and craft merchandise, a good place to get started on holiday shopping.

Show guests can take a chance at an opportunity quilt and a selection of gift baskets, and can bid on the silent auction items.

Angelina’s Bakery will serve lunch in the “Open-Air Café” adjacent to Lewis Hall each day.

This year’s featured quilter is Rami Kim who brings her elegant quilts and quilted garments to the show. Kim will be on hand throughout the weekend to meet and talk with quilt show guests.

Admission is $8 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under. Discount presale tickets priced at $6 are available until Oct. 5 at Kerrie’s Quilting, 1853 N. High St. in Lakeport, 707-263-8555, and Shelley’s Quilted Treasures, 5300 Second St., Kelseyville, 707-279-0324.

Presale tickets can also be purchased by sending a SASE and a check to Ladies of the Lake Quilt Guild, Box 875 Kelseyville CA 95451.

Mail orders must be received by Sept. 21.

More information is on the Web site at www.LLQG.org or by calling show chairman Marj Sweeney at 707-994-1186.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Families that benefit from Lake Family Resource Center got a little boost thanks to a bunch of folks with historic cars and wooden boats as the No Name Car Club donated $1,000 to the charity at their meeting on Aug. 14.

The proceeds came from the annual car show held in conjunction with the Wood & Glory boat show, this year at Konocti Vista Casino.

“This is a big help, especially in these times,” said Lake Family Resource Center Executive Director Gloria Flaherty.

This year’s show was quite an experiment according to its organizer, Neil Dolce. There was no charge for admission and no charge for entering a vehicle.

All monies raised were done so through raffle prizes, donations and several local pin-up models donating their time to have pictures taken with the cars.

Another factor in the success of this year’s show was Konocti Vista Casino, who donated their grounds, security and staff to help make the show a success.

“Konocti Vista has been an incredible partner,” said No Name Car President Tony Barthel. “They’ve pulled out all the stops and really allowed us to focus our attention on the car show while they handle most of the logistics.”

The annual gathering of beautifully-restored wooden boats and historic vehicles, hot rods and classics is a popular event for spectators as well as vehicle and boat owners.

Open to all vehicles built before 1973, the show highlights vehicular Americana and the talents of restoration and craftsmanship of hot rodding. On the water, the Antique and Classic Boat Society holds a showcase of wooden boats.

There also was a display of vintage speed boats this year. There also was music, barbecue and a large number of raffle prizes that offered an opportunity to win something special while making a donation that helps others.

Lake Family Resource Center serves Lake County in achieving safe, sustainable, healthy families and community. The center is committed to serving the needs of all families in Lake County.

Most services are provided at no-cost which is why the No Name Car Club voted to donate all the show’s proceeds to this worthy cause.

Information about the show including participant applications, maps and more can be had via the No Name Car Club Web site at http://www.thenonamecarclub.com .

SACRAMENTO – The California Emergency Management Agency (Cal EMA) announced Wednesday that it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Wells Fargo, building on a continuing effort to boost emergency response capabilities and the availability of critical resources in times of disaster.

“Our private partners play a critical role in emergency response,” said Cal EMA Secretary Mark Ghillarducci. “Having organizations such as Wells Fargo who are willing and able to help provide emergency assistance and resources to affected communities in times of need is a benefit to all Californians. These partnerships increase our resources, help us better coordinate and deliver the services our residents will need during times of emergency, and they help our local communities get back on their feet.”

“Well Fargo and Enterprise Incident Management Team recognize the importance of public and private sector relationships with the state of California,” said Wells Fargo Regional Emergency Manager A.J. Balkiz. “Wells Fargo takes a proactive leadership approach and supports Cal EMA, which builds and fosters partnerships while sharing critical resources, expertise and best practices. The MOU reinforces Wells Fargo’s commitment to Cal EMA and to emergency preparedness and response. Shared efforts between the private and public sectors will ultimately help mitigate issues during a critical event and support affected residents through recovery efforts.”

The MOU makes Wells Fargo a partner in emergency response, enabling them to better monitor disaster events and effectively provide necessary resources as a component of the state’s Standardized Emergency Management System.  

Under the agreement, Wells Fargo will work with other business partners to ensure resources are most efficiently provided under the direction of Cal EMA.  

Wells Fargo also will have representation at the State Operations Center at Cal EMA Headquarters during emergency activations to allow for direct coordination with Cal EMA and other private business partners.

In an effort to enhance the role that the private sector plays in California’s ability to respond and recover from emergencies, Cal EMA has worked to incorporate the private sector into the state’s disaster response system. As part of these efforts, Cal EMA has actively pursued key partnerships with private industry.

To date, Cal EMA has signed MOUs with private sector partners such as Wells Fargo; Bank of America; Target Corp.; Home Depot; Time Warner Cable; Wal Mart Stores, Inc.; Gap, Inc.; California Grocer’s Association; California Utilities Emergency Association; and several others.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Data collection will begin this week for the Green Communities program which will assist local jurisdictions in Mendocino and Lake Counties in conducting greenhouse gas emissions inventories for local government operations, within Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) service areas.

The Green Communities program is being implemented through an approximately $135,000 grant received by the Community Development Commission of Mendocino County (CDC).

The Green Communities GHGE inventory services are available at no cost to participating Lake and Mendocino County jurisdictions.

Jurisdictions participating in the Green Communities program include the county of Lake, county of Mendocino, city of Clearlake, city of Lakeport, city of Point Arena and the city of Willits.

Final reports will be delivered to each jurisdiction in December 2012.

The information collected will serve as the jurisdictions’ baseline inventories of greenhouse gas(GHG) emissions, per state recommendations under Assembly Bill (AB) 32.

Through this program jurisdictions will benefit from the work of four Green Communities interns who have been hired by the Community Development Commission of Mendocino County (CDC) to complete the data-collection, calculation, and reporting of emissions from local government activity.

Interns will be paired with local governments in the Mendocino and Lake County areas and provided with support and training on data-collection strategies, emissions calculations and reporting guidelines.

These interns will be exposed to a wide range of topics, including: hands-on experience conducting data analysis, applied research methodologies, working with local government staff, working with non-profit organization staff, comprehensive report writing, exposure to state and local public policy, etc.

A GHG emissions inventory can be viewed as an energy audit tool, pointing out where utility usage is highest; therefore a GHG emissions inventory is directly related to outflow of government funds.

Jurisdictions can use this information to analyze and understand operational inefficiencies, providing a metric for gaining efficiency and lowering energy related costs across the board.

The Green Communities program is being implemented through a collaboration between PG&E, ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability and the Community Development Commission of Mendocino County (CDC).

The program is funded by California utility customers and administered by PG&E under the auspices of the California Public Utilities Commission.