A black bear cub. Photo courtesy of the California Department of Fish and Game.

The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is seeking talented teen filmmakers for its first-ever “Bear Aware” Youth Film Contest.

Cash prizes will be awarded for the top three short films that most effectively educate the public about the importance of keeping black bears wild and preventing them from becoming habituated to humans, with a focus on bears in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

“Human carelessness with food and garbage is attracting bears to populated areas and putting them at risk,” said DFG Bear Program Coordinator Marc Kenyon. “People who live in or visit bear habitat have a responsibility to the wildlife whose habitat they are sharing. We hope that by recruiting young, talented filmmakers, we can get the message out about what the public can do to help keep bears in the wild.”

High school students are asked to create 90-second films using specific messaging provided by DFG. The top three films (as selected by DFG) will win $500 for first place, $300 for second place and $200 for third place.

The general public will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite entry online.

The People’s Choice Award will receive a $100 gift card donated by REI.

In addition, the first-place winners will have the opportunity to accompany DFG staff on a rehabilitated bear cub release in spring 2012.

DFG will use the videos as part of a “Bear Aware” campaign to educate residents and visitors to the Tahoe area.

Because of the focus on the Tahoe Basin, the contest is open to high school students in DFG’s North Central Region, which includes the following counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba.

The deadline for entries is Jan. 31, 2012.

Full contest details, stock bear footage available to the entrants and approved “Bear Aware” messages are provided on the film contest website at www.dfg.ca.gov/BearFilmContest.

The closure will allow the replacement of culverts.

Area residents will be allowed access to and from their property.

Please drive with caution in the area.

For more information call the Lake County Department of Public Works, 707-263-2341.

Lakeport Boulevard will be open to traffic, however traffic control will be in place, and minor delays are possible.

Other construction activities in the days following paving will consist primarily of adjusting utility vaults and traffic stripe installation.

Those activities will not require a road closure but will cause minor delays and inconvenience for traffic in the area.

For more information call the city of Lakeport, 707-263-5615.

The group will meet from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Clear Lake Riviera Community Association building, 9689 Soda Bay Road.

All meetings are light potluck and coffee is provided.

Joan Moss, community activist and musician, will make a presentation concerning her run for the Lake County Board of Supervisors District Five position.

District Five covers Kelseyville, the Rivieras, Buckingham, Loch Lomond and parts of Cobb.

There will be a question and answer period after her presentation.

The Green Party meets on the third Sunday of every month. All meetings are free and open to the public, party membership is not required. The Green Party is an international party.

More information is available on www.cagreens.org and www.gpus.org.

The party can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 707-263-3391.

The tally will begin at 9 a.m.

The selection of the precinct(s) to be included in the manual tally will be randomly chosen on the same date prior to the manual tally.

Community members are invited to view the manual tally of the ballots, but shall not interfere with the election process.

The Lake County Registrar of Voters Office is located in Room 209 on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

The ceremony will begin at 4:45 p.m.

This year's tree is a 40-foot tall white fir tree donated by the U.S. Forest Service’s Institute of Forest Genetics in Camino, El Dorado County. It will be placed on the west lawn of the Capitol.

The tree will be decorated with 900 hand-crafted ornaments created by children and adults with developmental disabilities who receive services and support from the state’s development centers and 21 nonprofit regional centers. It will be illuminated by 10,000 ultra-low wattage LED lights.