Collection of greenwaste was reduced from weekly to monthly during December, January and February because the amount of greenwaste collected during those months is traditionally lower than other quarters.

Improvements this year included direct mailed notices to all curbside customers and provisions for customers with large lots and/or gardens to either rent additional 90-gallon greenwaste containers for $5 per month or fill three 30-gallon containers for monthly collection at no additional charge.

Only two dozen calls were received this winter compared to 150 calls received last year. Most of this winter’s callers complained that December was too early to start the program because they still had leaves on the ground.

Public Services Department staff is committed to keeping curbside collection rates low to attract new customers because there is a direct connection between curbside recycling and significant increases in the County’s diversion rate.

As was done last year, a report containing information about cost savings and community response related to the Winter Greenwaste Program will be forwarded to the Board of Supervisors later this year to determine program parameters in future years.

If you have questions or comments about the Winter Greenwaste Program, please call 263-1980.

For information about other recycling and disposal programs, please visit the County’s waste management Web site at www.recycling.co.lake.ca.us.

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This grant, administered by the California Department of Water Resources must be completed by the beginning of summer of 2010.

The purpose of the grant is “To understand current and potential threats to our watershed, and provide a comprehensive watershed assessment that will address a myriad of ecological, economical, cultural, and social issues as they relate to our watershed.”

The stewardship is forming a Technical Advisor Committee whose purpose is to review currently available data and determine strengths and weaknesses in the data and possible needed remedies.

From this basis the public will be informed of the course of the assessment through articles in local publicatiions and several planned workshops. This will give the public an overview of what is planned and also offer an opportunity to comment on the process and add in items that they feel should be included in the assessment.

Timely announcements of these meetings will be published in local publications and on the group's upcoming Web site.

For further information or to voice input to this process call Chris Simon UPCS Chair at 987-1109 or Dwight Holford, watershed coordinator, at 987-0663.

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The awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, March 30, at Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa, Kelseyville beginning with a reception at 4 p.m.

Currently, only nominees may purchase tickets to the event. General public ticket sales will begin on Monday, March 3.

Any questions concerning the Stars of Lake County Awards Program may be addressed to the chamber at 263-5092.

Man of the Year

Dave Fesmire, Lucerne (Posthumously)

Robert L. DeWitt, Jr., Kelseyville

Dr. Janus Madej, Lakeport

Scott Fergusson, Hidden Valley Lake

Woman of the Year

Elizabeth Larson, Lucerne

Lori Peters, Clearlake

Georgina Lehne, Clearlake

Valerie Duncan, Upper Lake

Large Business of the Year

Wal-Mart, Clearlake

Lakeport Grocery Outlet, Lakeport

Shannon Ridge Winery & Vineyard, Clear Lake Oaks

Orchard Park Assisted Living & Memory Care, Clearlake

Umpqua Bank

Small Business of the Year

Main Street Café (Sam Polo), Clearlake

Mugshots Expresso, Middletown

Kelseyville Drug, Kelseyville

Kerrie’s Quilting, Lakeport

Sylvie’s and The Bunk House, Middletown

Touch of Class Hair Salon (Charlene Munoz), Lakeport

Main Street Bakery, Kelseyville

Wilson Repair & Agricultural Equipment

Skin Fitness, Lakeport

Freedom Heating & Air Conditioning, Clearlake

Moore Family Winery, Cobb

Youth Advocate, Volunteer

Helen Finch, Kelseyville

Jill Robbins, Lakeport

Upper Lake High School Booster Club, Upper Lake

Rich Swaney, Lucerne

Floyd Surber, Lakeport

Youth Advocate, Professional

Adam Garcia, Kelseyville

Brian Sumpter, Cloverdale

Student of the Year, Male

Daniel Gildea, Lakeport

Erik Jameson, Lakeport

Student of the Year, Female

Kacey Tallman, Hidden Valley Lake

Ashley Crawford, Lower Lake

Krista Collins, Upper Lake

Stephanie Tregea, Upper Lake

Agriculture Award of the Year

California Women for Agriculture, Kelseyville

Arts Award of the Year, Amateur

Lorna Sue Sides

Shelby Posada, Lakeport

Lois McCoy, Glenhaven

Arts Award of the Year, Professional

Ronald Keas, Lucerne

Expressive Motion Dance Studio, Middletown

Sandra Wade, Lower Lake

Konocti Dance Academy, Clearlake

Raymond Farrow, Kelseyville

Volunteer of the Year

Bob Sola, Lucerne

Dennis Locke, Clearlake Oaks

Eells Family, Lucerne

William Barrows & Connie Miller, Hidden Valley Lake

Norma Wright, Nice

Roth Shilts, Middletown

B.J. Woods, Lakeport

Eldena Russell, Hidden Valley Lake

Mae Nahmais, Clearlake Oaks

Marla Ruzicka Humanitarian of the Year

Julie Kelly, Lakeport

Susie Wiloth, Lower Lake

Eva Johnson, Kelseyville

Senior of the Year

William Edwards, Lower Lake

Best Idea of the Year

Lake Family Resource Center Wine and Chocolate Fundraiser, Lakeport

Lake County Screen Saver, Lucerne

Hot Spot Youth Center, Clearlake

A Discovery Center at Anderson Marsh State Park, Lower Lake

Team DUI, Clearlake

Organization of the Year, Nonprofit

Lakeside Dental Clinic,Lakeport

Lake County Farm Bureau, Lakeport

Sutter Lakeside Hospital, Lakeport

Channel Cats of Lake County, Lakeport

Organization of the Year, Volunteer

Operation Tango Mike, Kelseyville

Clear Lake CHP Senior Volunteer Program, Kelseyville

Sponsoring Survivorship, Lakeport

Soroptimist International of Clear Lake

Lakeport Rotary Club, Lakeport

Trowel & Trellis Garden Club, Lakeport

Lifetime Achievement, Male

Barry Loflin, Lakeport (Posthumously)

Don Emerson, Cobb

Dr. Morton Levine, Clearlake

Lifetime Achievement, Couple

Robert and Nadine Strauss, Lucerne

Lifetime Achievement, Female

Joan Steele Holman, Lakeport

Verna Wicks-Demartino, Lakeport

Local Hero of the Year

Dominic Cardinale, Kelseyville

Ginny Craven, Kelseyville

Javier Batres, Lakeport

New Business of the Year

Main Street Bakery, Kelseyville

Wild About Books, Clearlake

The Kitchen Gallery, Lakeport

Bigg’s 155 Diner, Lakeport

Konocti Dance Academy, Clearlake

Olivia’s Organics, Upper Lake

Zino’s Ristorante & Inn, Kelseyville

Holy Joe’s Café, Upper Lake

Environmental Award

Children’s Museum of Art & Sciences, Clearlake

Tom & Val Nixon, Kelseyville

Robert Lossius, Lakeport

Holly Harris & Chuck Lamb

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Titled the Shannon Ridge Showdown, the event will take place in Clearlake Oaks.

The Shannon Ridge Showdown Ultra-Endurance race will be a 16-hour competition and the course itself is approximately 7.5 miles in length with over 1,700 feet of climbing per lap. The course route is a combination of single track, double track, fire access roads and vineyard rows.

This is the first time that a USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Ultra Endurance Calendar series race course has included vineyards as part of the course route.

The race and course is designed, promoted and directed by endurance racers. Ultra-Endurance racing is one the fastest growing forms of mountain bike racing.

The race will begin in front of the Shannon Ridge tasting room on Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks at 4 p.m. on Oct. 18 and will end at 8 a.m. on Oct. 19 in the mountain vineyards directly across from the home of winery owners Clay and Margarita Shannon.

Rebecca Rush, who is the current 24-Hour Solo "World Champion" in Mountain Biking, will be making the trip to Lake County to compete in the Shannon Ridge Showdown, along with many of the top ranked male and female Ultra-Endurance racers.

Additionally, there will be a wine industry race category for mountain bikers that are involved in the wine industry. Participants in this category will be allowed to race solo or on a team of up to five riders. The wine industry race will run from 4 p.m. until midnight on Oct. 18.

“This event will prove to be strenuous and exciting for competitors. The varying terrain in Lake County provides for an invigorating mountain bike challenge,” said Chris Baker, Shannon Ridge’s southeast regional sales manager, and avid mountain biker, who helped design the course and the event.

On line registration will open March 1. A USA Cycling Mountain Bike race license is required to compete.

Registration closes Oct. 11 or when racer limit is reached (300 racers maximum).

More information about the race can be found at www.shannonridgeshowdown.com or by contacting Rick Gunier at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Members and prospective members are invited to come early and enjoy dinner together prior to the start of the meeting.

President Lori Adams will have several items on the agenda for the hour-long meeting. Up for discussion will be the second annual Poker Run, currently scheduled for Sunday, June 22. Proceeds from the poker run will benefit the ABATE of California Judicial Fund.

Plans also are in the making for the return of Local 28's Party in the Pines, a Northern California Regional Rally for ABATE. The date is July 18 and 19. It is anticipated that members from other ABATE Locals will be attending this family oriented motorcycle campout. Party in the Pines was held for several years on Cobb in the Loch Lomond area.

All motorcycle enthusiasts are invited to join Local 28 on March 6th at Carlos and Vinny's in Lakeport.

March 6 will be the last meeting on Thursday evenings. Beginning April 6, Local 28 will be meeting on Sunday mornings at 10 a.m., with a run following the breakfast meeting.

Membership in Local 28 is open to anyone who rides and all motorcyclists are welcome.

For more information call 277-7171.

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On Friday March 14 at 10:15 a.m. story reader Barbara will present Easter stories and an Easter craft project at the Lakeport Library. Barbara will present stories and a project for spring on Friday, March 28 at 10:15 a.m.

The Families for Literacy March story times will take place in Lakeport Library on the alternate Fridays, March 7 and March 21, at 10:15 a.m., and at the Redbud Branch Library in Clearlake on Thursday, March 13 and Thursday, March 27.

See the library Web site, www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/DepartmentDirectory/Library/Children__Teens_and_Students.htm, for the 2008 story time schedule.

Call your local branch if you have any questions.

Lakeport Library, located at 1425 N. High St., is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday from noon to 8 p.m.; telephone, 263-8817.

Redbud Library, 14785 Burns Valley Road, Clearlake, is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, from noon to 8 p.m.; telephone 994-5115.

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