LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Robinson Rancheria Education Center will conduct its second annual medication emancipation – or pill drop – beginning on Wednesday, June 13.

The center's goal is to educate youth on the dangers of prescription drugs and to let the community know they can dispose of them with no questions asked, rather than flushing them into the sewer system or throwing them in the landfill.

Last year the center collected 44,550 pills and is aiming for 50,000 this year.

They ask that all pills be bagged up and dropped off; no prescription bottles, please. Veterinary medications also will be accepted.

The first collection center will be held from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. June 13 at Lakeport Fire Protection District, 445 N. Main St.

Kelseyville Fire will host a collection from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 20. Other collection sites will be set up on Wednesdays around the county.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Lake County Historical Society will hold its membership picnic on Sunday, June 24.

The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum, 9921 Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road), Kelseyville.

The society will supply hamburgers, hot dogs, buns and light refreshments. Please bring a dish to share, a plate, utensils and a chair for each person with you. Please, if your dish needs to be cold keep it on ice.

Speakers will be announced.

There is a $5 donation for guests 18 and older to defray expenses. The $5 will go toward membership if you join at the picnic.
 
Come, relax and enjoy. Bring your friends. If you have any questions please call Bonnie Skee at 707-262-1432 or Jackie Ridgel at 707-279-4062.

Directions: Going north on Highway 29 towards Kelseyville; turn right on Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road at Kit's Corner); go about one mile and turn left into driveway to the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum. Follow the driveway to the parking area.

Going South on Highway 29 towards Lower Lake; turn left on Highway 281 (Soda Bay Road at Kit's Corner); go about one mile and turn left into driveway to the Ely Stage Stop & Country Museum. Follow the driveway to the parking area.

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – Calpine Corp. will hold the next public informational meeting to report progress on construction of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geysers Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) Project on Saturday, June 16.

The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. at the Calpine Geothermal Visitors Center, 15500 Central Park Road, Middletown.

The EGS Demonstration Project currently is under way at The Geysers.

A tour to the EGS site will follow the meeting.

Please call for tour reservations.

For more information about the public meetings call 707-987-4270 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

For more information on the EGS program visit www.geothermal.energy.gov .

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – The prescribed fire that was planned for Tuesday, June 12, on the Grindstone Ranger District of the Mendocino National Forest, has been canceled due to weather conditions.

Visitors are encouraged to contact the Mendocino National Forest at 530-934-3316 for more information or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

Confirmation and updates on forest and fire activities can also be found on Twitter, @MendocinoNF.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Flotilla 88 of Lake County once again hosted the annual “tie out” Friday, June 1, and Saturday, June 2, which was held at the Konocti Bay Sailing Club building at Braito’s Marina on the Buckingham peninsula in Kelseyville.  

Attending were flotilla members from Ft. Bragg, McKinleyville, Crescent City, North Lake Tahoe, Redding and Silicon Valley.  

Auxiliary Commodores Angelo Perata and Gail Ramsey from District 11 of Northern California were in attendance and U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Curtis Bartel from Group Humboldt Bay Coast Guard Station.  

The purpose of the tie out is to test flotilla members who have been in training for boat crew and for coxswain qualifications.

Current active members who have previously obtained their crew and/or coxswain positions were also re-tested for their three and five year re-qualification.  

Ten members were involved in the qualification testing.

The qualification examiners (QE) were CWO Bartel, Ramsey and Perata. The testing was performed during the day on the water as well as night maneuvers. Oral exams completed the testing.

One  members qualified for coxswain status and one for boat crew with eight member passing their re-qualifications.

On Friday night, the group enjoyed a barbecue ribs and chicken dinner and the following night a barbecued steak and chicken dinner.

The meals were prepared by Flotilla 88 members Gary Dromi and Rich Thomas who had previously completed the Auxiliary Chefs (AuxChef) program. The flotilla has six AuxChefs who are qualified to serve aboard a USCG vessel as cooks.  

In 2011, Flotilla 88 volunteered 3,367 hours toward training, safety patrols, public education, vessel exams and recruiting new members.  

Now that the 2012 boating season is  in full swing, the flotilla is ready once again to help make recreational boating safer for individuals and their families.

Lake County can be proud of its flotilla whose members are known nationwide as America's volunteer life savers.

Dorothy De Lope is public affairs officer for Flotilla 88 of Lake County, Calif.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – In the year determined by the United Nations to be the International Year of the Co-op, Lake County's own local food co-op, the Lake County Community Co-op, continues expansion efforts including the launch of a new website and freshened logo, new online shopping software, owner-share purchasing, sales to the public and subscription sales.

Shopping through the co-op will not be interrupted during the launch.
 
The first phase of recent expansion included home/office delivery, telephone ordering, expanded product offerings and extended shopping hours.
 
Started in 2008 as a grassroots effort by local citizens to acquire fresh, affordable organic and local food, the co-op started an online ordering and distribution system (FOODS) which has expanded to include ten pick up sites (drop points) throughout Lake County.
 
The new Web site and ordering software, due to launch in June, offer a more user friendly ordering system and nonmember purchasing opportunities.

In addition, a subscription option where customers can order any item, such as a fruit and veggie box, and automatically receive it on a weekly basis will be available.
 
In conjunction with the new launch, the co-op will begin offering owner shares, a distinctive feature of cooperative enterprises.

Rather than be charged an annual user fee to shop through the co-op, customers will now be able to choose between three levels of membership: non-owner, owner and owner-worker.
 
Non-owners will be able to enjoy the vast array of local, regional and distributed products offered through the co-op on a weekly basis. Owners will be those who work towards the purchase of 12 shares over time at $25 per share, totaling a $300 investment.

Owners will receive a discount on purchases made through the co-op, as well as be eligible to receive patronage refunds when the co-op generates surpluses.

Owner-workers, those owners that work a minimum number of hours throughout the year at the co-op, will be eligible to receive additional discounts.
 
While readying for the launch, the co-op continues to offer their weekly online ordering and distribution services and encourages residents to visit the co-op Web site at www.lakeco-op.org or call 707-993-4270 for more information.