MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Christmas tree permits are now available from the Mendocino National Forest for the 2012 holiday season.

Permits are available for purchase in person or by mail from Mendocino National Forest offices, as well as at area vendors. Vendors are listed below with contact information for the Forest Service.

Permits are $10 per tree at Forest Service offices. Customers are advised to call vendors to verify permit price and availability.

The permits will be sold at Forest Service offices through Saturday, Dec. 22.

Trees may be cut and removed any day of the week in authorized areas of the Mendocino National Forest. Please check current Forest fire closure areas in case your annual tree cutting spot is within the closure.

There is a limit of one permit per household, with each permit using a valid name and address. Up to four additional permits may be purchased for additional households, using separate names and addresses. Individuals must be 18 or older to purchase a permit.

The Mendocino National Forest only accepts cash or check as payment for Christmas tree permits and sales are final, with no refunds. Permittees will receive a tree tag and Forest map.

To purchase a permit by mail, send a printed name and mailing address for each permit purchased, a daytime telephone number, and a check or money order made out to “USDA Forest Service” for $10 for each permit to either the Willows, Stonyford, Upper Lake or Covelo offices with “Christmas Tree Permit” written on the outside of the envelope. Mail-in requests received after Dec. 14 will not be filled.

A form can be found online at www.fs.usda.gov/main/mendocino/passes-permits/forestproducts under “Christmas Tree Permits.”

If you are planning on cutting a Christmas tree for someone who isn’t present, a Third Party Authorization must be in the possession of the cutter. This form is also available on the Forest website and should be completed prior to leaving for the forest.

Permit holders should be aware that federal and state quarantines to prevent the spread of sudden oak death (SOD) are in effect for Lake and Mendocino Counties.

Any Christmas tree cut in these counties can only be transported into other SOD quarantine counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Marin, San Francisco, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma.

All Mendocino National Forest offices will be closed Thursday, Nov. 22 in observance of Thanksgiving.

Christmas tree permits can be purchased from the following forest offices for $10:

Mendocino National Forest Supervisor’s Office
825 N. Humboldt Ave.
Willows, CA 95988
530-934-3316
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Stonyford Work Center
5171 Stonyford-Elk Creek Road
P.O. Box 160
Stonyford, CA, 95979
530-963-3128
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 8 a.m.-noon, 1- 4:30 p.m.

Paskenta Work Station
13280 Paskenta Road
Paskenta, CA 96074
530-833-5544
Hours: Saturday, Dec. 8 and Dec. 15 ONLY 9 a.m.-noon, 12:30-3 p.m.

Covelo Ranger Station
78150 Covelo Road
Covelo, CA 95428
707-983-6118
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-noon, 12:30-4:30 p.m.

Upper Lake Ranger Station
10025 Elk Mountain Road
Upper Lake, CA 95485
707-275-2361
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-noon, 1-4:30 p.m.

Christmas tree permits are available from the following vendors. Please call for prices and availability:

Sacramento River Discovery Center
(Only 50 permits available)
1000 Sale Lane, Red Bluff
530-527-1196
Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Hi-Way Grocery
160 E. Hwy 20, Upper Lake
707-275-2380
Hours: Seven days a week 8 a.m.-8 p.m.

M&M Feed and Supply
74540 Hill Road, Covelo
707-983-6273
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Keith’s Family Foods
76201 Covelo Road, Covelo
707-983-6633
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday 8 a.m.-10 p.m.

Cutting a Christmas tree on the National Forest is a great holiday tradition for many families and also helps with hazardous fuels reduction by removing smaller trees from the Forest. Following are some tips to make your experience more enjoyable.

• Plan your trip – check the weather, bring plenty of warm clothes, water, emergency food, tire chains, shovel, a saw or axe to cut your tree, and a tarp and rope to bring it home. Make sure you have a full tank of gas when you leave and are prepared for changing conditions in the mountains! Also, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back.
• Keep vehicles on designated roads and be aware of changing weather and road conditions. Wet dirt roads can quickly turn to mud, making it possible to get stuck and causing damage to road, soil and water resources. If there are puddles in the road, mud flipping off the tires or you can see your ruts in the rearview mirror, consider pulling over and taking a hike to look for a tree, or turning around and finding a different area to cut your tree.
• Cut your tree early in the season before favorite cutting areas can’t be reached because of snow.
• Make sure you are cutting a tree on approved areas on the Mendocino National Forest and not from other federal, state or private lands.
• Cut the tree as close as possible to the ground and leave as little of a stump as possible.
• Attach the permit on the tree where it will be easily visible with the tree packed or tied on your vehicle for transport home.
• To help keep your tree fresh, cut at least one inch off the base when you get home and stand the tree in a container of water in a cool, shaded area, checking the water level daily.

For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Triple S Institute, aka Senior Support Services Inc., a nonprofit public benefit corporation of Upper Lake, has provided services for seniors since 1985 at the Upper Lake Senior Center at 9470 Mendenhall and First Street.

The office is open on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

They have the following programs available:

• Exercise, health and nutrition: Every Wednesday, 11 a.m. to noon. This includes information about  proper exercise, health practices and good nutrition.  
• Art classes: Monthly on Tuesday. Call for information. Introduction to art: Form, shapes, color and composition.
• Computer class: By appointment. Call for information. Basic, individual help – Internet/e-mail etc.
• Travel and book club: Monthly; call for dates and time. Sharing travel and book experiences.
• Food distribution: Tuesday-Wednesday.
• Information/outreach: Tuesday-Wednesday.

They also offer friendly visitors in coordination with Konocti Senior Support; money management in coordination with Community Care Management (basically help balancing check book); transportation to medical appointments, shopping, etc., with volunteer drivers – client pays the cost of fuel.

They are there to help the seniors stay in their homes. The programs are offered for the their benefit. The group is mostly volunteers – seniors helping seniors.

For information about these programs and services, call 707-275-3513.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Community Care Management Corp., a nonprofit health and social support agency operates from three geographically distinct locations serving Lake and Mendocino counties (Ukiah, Ft Bragg and Lower Lake).

The group’s mission is to support frail, ill and disabled people to live at home at the highest possible level of independence, health and dignity.

During the holidays, Community Care is providing food baskets to a number of our clients in the Lake and Mendocino Counties.

This service is provided through the generous contributions of the Ukiah Seventh-day Adventist Church/School and Ukiah Food Bank.

In Lake County, the Community Care HIV/AIDS Program partners with an number of community partners including North Coast Opportunities to provide this extra support to its clients. In addition, they have received a generous private donation to support this cause in the Willits area.

Community Care relies largely on state funding to operate our health and social support programs. State funding is not sufficient to support the Holiday Food Program, so they are grateful to their community partners to provide this little “extra” support.

“This valuable and uplifting program would not be possible without our community colleagues and private donors,” said Dennis Fay, executive director of Community Care. “As state resources dwindle, it never ceases to amaze me how people and agencies can come together to find creative ways to serve our citizens and clients in both counties.”

For more information on Community Care, please visit www.communitycare707.com .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Are you interested in learning about Soroptimists, who they are, what they do and why you as a woman in Lake County should join them?  

Then please come to a fun evening on Thursday to find the answers to these questions.

Soroptimist International Clear Lake is having a membership/networking meeting from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 15, in Clearlake.

If you have a small business you would like to promote to other women please join them. There will be space for you to display your product or information about your business.

They will have a short presentation about Soroptimist and how you can be a part of the good works they do here in Lake County.

The group holds a twice monthly luncheon meeting at Howard's Grotto in Clearlake; on the second Thursday they hold a business meeting and on the fourth Thursday a program meeting.

Lunch is $12 and open to any woman interested in learning more about Soroptimist and the projects they undertake.
 
Please contact President Wanda Harris at 707-987-9027 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the location of the meeting and more information.

Soroptimist Clear Lake is an international organization whose main purpose is to improve the lives of women and girls, locally, nationally and internationally.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Redbud Audubon Society will hold its monthly program meeting on Thursday, Nov. 15, starting at 7 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church Social Hall, 5430 Third St. in Kelseyville.

The program will feature naturalist David Lukas with a slide presentation of “The Mystery of Birdsong.”

Lukas will share his insights into the magical world of birdsong – from the ways we study birdsong, to the anatomy of how birds produce sounds, to some of their social behaviors.

Lukas’s presentation includes images of birds, visual representations of their songs and recordings of birdsongs that exemplify his talking points.

His talk focuses not on how to identify birds by their sounds, but how to understand different types of bird calls we hear and the social behaviors behind those calls.

Lukas is a naturalist and author and has been leading bird trips in California for 20 years, explained Redbud Audubon Society President Marilyn Waits.

Lukas has traveled widely throughout California and internationally. He has conducted several research projects for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory and currently lives near Yosemite National Park.

The monthly Redbud Audubon programs are free and open to the public.

For more information about the society, go to www.redbudaudubon.org .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On the night of Friday, Nov. 2, the atmosphere at Color Organix on South Main Street was expectant as a small crowd gathered to join together with Regina Aponte as she sat down in the stylist’s chair.  

Generally when a woman sits down in a salon her expectation is to have her hair cut and styled. Aponte’s was to have all of her hair shaved as an act of love and support for a young friend battling breast cancer.  

Her gesture came from a place of love, as she had decided to shave her head as a gesture of solidarity with Rachel Mitchell, a young mother who had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of Stage II breast cancer in her 24th year and while she was 14 weeks pregnant.  

Aponte’s friendship with the family has been longstanding and her heart ached with all the struggles the young family is dealing with. Mitchell also has recently been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy as well.  Bell’s palsy is a form of temporary facial paralysis resulting from damage or trauma to the facial nerves. It generally affects only one side of the face, but may in rare cases affect both sides.   

“The atmosphere was magical,” said Aponte. “A mixture of almost holy purpose, joy and a bit of trepidation. Everyone was so completely supportive, from the youngest grandchild or student, to the oldest and of course, wisest! We were blessed at every turn.”

Color Organix was filled with family, friends, supporters and a lot of kids, most of them students from Konocti Christian Academy (KCA) and grandchildren. Clear Lake High School junior Ryan Call, whose mother Kerri is also a teacher at KCA also joined in and had his shaved to add his support to Aponte and Mitchell.  

After shaving Aponte’s head, Marin Alexander, owner of Color Organix, and Aponte prepared the hair to be donated to Locks of Love. Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss.  

“In bringing the needs of Rachel Mitchell to the forefront, my desire is to highlight the need for pregnant women to pay attention to their changing bodies during pregnancy, with the knowledge that being pregnant doesn’t exempt them from breast cancer,” said Aponte. “My desire is to raise as much money for this young family as possible. My original goal was $10,000 because that was the amount of their financial need due to medical bills and bills associated with the treatment. That is a high goal but we are just grateful for any and all donations that can help the family during her ongoing medical needs and surgeries.

Rachel Mitchell just had her ovaries removed last Wednesday morning as part of the ongoing medical treatment program designed to reduce any further risk of cancer.

The response has humbled and awed the Aponte and Mitchell families. The students at KCA where Aponte is a teaching assistant have taken this family to heart and have collected money for the family and continue to do so.  

Donations continue daily from students who told Aponte that they don’t want any attention drawn to their contributions, because they don’t want anyone to feel badly if they are unable to donate.  

First grader Noah Schlange is collecting donations for the Mitchells and will be shaving his little head soon as well.

“I can hardly believe the children and their precious, precious hearts! I am humbled by the responses,” Aponte said.

If anyone would like to join, taking a stand against breast cancer, and help this young family with their medical expenses, please call Aponte at 707-972-0980.  

More information, and an opportunity to donate to the financial needs of Rachel Mitchell and her family, visit www.iwillshavemyhead.com/ .