The event will take place from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Weibel Family Vineyards & Winery, 13300 Buckman Drive, Hopland.

The cost is $10 a plate. There also will be a silent auction to raise funds to help with Stern's expenses and medical bills.

Stern owns Lustre Jewelry and Gem Co. in Ukiah. He has been off of work for several months as he's dealt with health issues that are the result of an autoimmune disease.

Stern recently was diagnosed at Stanford University's medical center and may not be able to get back to his business for a few more months.

Donations to the Steve Stern benefit account can be made at any Savings Bank of Mendocino branch.

For more information contact Rena Trimble, 707-744-1244.

KELSEYVILLE – The Lake County Community Co-op's April 11 general meeting will include an informative talk at Barber's Country Farm, 4680 Clark Drive in Kelseyville.

Rick Barber, owner, is generously contributing his time to show participants his organic plant nursery where we'll tour his prolific greenhouses and talk about building a good soil for gardens and planters.

This is a great no-cost opportunity to become more knowledgeable on how to build up soil for your own garden that could provide for a more productive local and sustainable harvest. The public is welcome.

Carpooling is available by meeting at the regular co-op location at 14773 Lakeshore Drive at 9:15 am.

For more information, contact Lori Patotzka at 707-994-1618.

Celebrating over one year in community, the Lake County Community Cooperative envisions cultivating an evolving community by nurturing values of social, economic and environmental responsibility.

The co-op wishes to support our local farmers and producers and provide a forum for community activities. For more information or to become a member of the LCCC, follow the links at http://lakeco-op.org or call 707-993-4270.

From left to right, Wanda Harris, Juliana Vidich, Anne Rubin, Luisa Acosta, Theresa Thurman, Kathleen Morgan and Becky Curry. Courtesy photo.

LAKEPORT –The National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) of Lake County has completed the certification requirements for the Lake County Caucus and held its first meeting on Saturday, March 21.

In addition to the approval of bylaws, the following officers were elected:

• President: Luisa Acosta;

• First Vice-President, Membership: Wanda Harris;

• Second Vice-President, Communications: Theresa Thurman;

• Treasurer: Anne Rubin;

• Recording and Corresponding Secretary: Juliana Vidich;

• State Director (California State Board Representative): Tedde McMillen;

• Political Action Committee Chair: Becky Curry;

• Fundraising Committee Chair: Kathleen Morgan.

The NWPC meets once a quarter. The next meeting will be held on June 20. All are welcome to attend.

The NWPC is the only national grassroots organization dedicated to increasing the number of women officials at all levels of government. NWPC was founded in 1971 as the political arm of the women’s movements, working to recruit, and train and support women for elected and appointed office, regardless of party affiliation.

The caucus reaches across party lines to maximize women’s political energy and make the system work for women. It is committed to serving all women who support bottom-line issues of reproductive freedom, improved child care/dependent care, and the Equal Rights Amendment.

For more information, please call (707) 774-5161 or see www.nwpcca.org.

Come stay a night at the historic Mendocino Woodlands Camp in the redwoods and help with restoration projects at Big River or join us for either day.

Complimentary lodging will be provided to volunteers in rustic private cabins nestled in the redwoods at the Mendocino Woodlands Camp, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression.

Lodging is limited to 25 participants. Funding for this event has been provided by the California State Parks Foundation.

On Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., volunteers will remove Ammophila (or European Beach Grass) and other invasive plants from scenic Big River Beach located between the Big River estuary and the historic village of Mendocino.

On Saturday night, a complimentary dinner will be served in the Woodlands historic Camp One dining hall.

On Sunday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., volunteers will work to remove invasive English Ivy from mature stands of redwoods bordering Big River.

For more information, or to RSVP, contact Stewards Coordinator Matt Coleman at 707-962-0470 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

In 2002, Mendocino Land Trust acquired the 7,334-acre former industrial logging property and turned it over to California State Parks. Big River, home to endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout, is also one of the longest undeveloped estuaries in Northern California.

Since 2004, Mendocino Land Trust’s Big River Stewards have been working to remove invasive plants, control erosion and monitor avian and aquatic resources.

For more information about the Big River Stewards program, visit the group's Web site at www.mendocinolandtrust.org.

Community members take part in a recent Lake County 2030 planning meeting. Courtesy photo.

LAKE COUNTY – “It was nice to have a say and actually be listened to!” was the remark of one enthusiastic participant following a community workshop in Kelseyville as part of the ongoing Lake County 2030 process.

During March, more than 140 area residents gathered in a series of five interactive workshops sponsored by the Lake County/City Area Planning Council (the Lake APC).

The Lake County 2030 process is intended to establish an integrated vision and plan for growth in the County, which is projected to increase by as much as 56 percent more residents by 2030.

During the workshops – held in Kelseyville, Lakeport, Clearlake, Lucerne and Middletown – small groups of eight to 10 participants were led by facilitators in a series of exercises.

One exercise was an innovative policy card game designed to spur discussion about the interaction of such issues as land use, housing, transportation, economic development and water.

For those who didn’t have a chance to attend a workshop, a questionnaire that duplicates the workshop exercises can be found at http://migshare.migcom.com/Content/10009/Lake_County_2030_Questionnaire.html, under the link for Lake County 2030.

All Lake County residents are encouraged to fill out this questionnaire online, which will be available through April 30. County libraries and senior centers feature free Internet access, for those who don’t have their own Internet. The questionnaire also is available in Spanish.

The Lake APC will be holding two follow-up workshops during April:

• April 21, Highland Senior Center, 3245 Bowers Ave., Clearlake;

• April 22, Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave., Lakeport.

Each workshop will run from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., with registration open at 5:45 p.m.

At these workshops, participants will be given a summary of the results of the first five workshops as well as the opportunity to weigh in on a preliminary draft 2030 vision for Lake County and preliminary draft principles for growth.

Later in 2010, the Lake APC will sponsor another set of workshops around the county that will invite participants to comment on the final draft vision and principles as well as a series of alternative growth scenarios for 2030.

Ultimately, there will be a final vision, growth principles and a preferred growth scenario that will be offered as guidance as the cities and the county develop into the future.

For more information, please see www.lakeapc.org, and click on the link for Lake County 2030. A summary of each of the five community workshops is available on this Web page, in addition to the Lake 2030 questionnaire.

For more information call Terri Persons, Lake County/City Area Planning Council, at 707-263-7799 or e-mail her at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..