SACRAMENTO – The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture’s 39th annual Fisheries Forum is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 4202 in the State Capitol in Sacramento.

“The Fisheries Forum is the primary opportunity in California for those involved in fishing and aquaculture to come together and speak directly to the Legislature about issues of critical importance to them,” said Assemblymember Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast), who chairs the Fisheries Committee. “California’s fisheries and aquaculture industry are vital to the state’s economy and serve as an indicator of the health of our entire aquatic environment.”

Former Senate Majority Leader Barry Keene started the annual hearing, formerly known as the Fishermen’s Forum, in 1973. Initially established to address issues confronting North Coast commercial fishermen, the Forum has since expanded to cover issues statewide concerning commercial and sport fisheries, aquaculture and fisheries research.

Since 1981 the Forum has been hosted by the Legislature's Joint Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture. Many laws protecting fisheries, aquaculture and marine interests were developed as a result of information gathered at past Forums.

The public is welcome to attend the Forum. There is no cost.

After opening remarks by Chesbro and other legislators who serve on the committee, the agenda includes presentations from Charlton Bonham, director of the state Department of Fish and Game; Sonke Mastrup, executive director of the California Fish and Game Commission and Rod McInnis, regional administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The forum also will feature reports from the California Advisory Committee on Salmon and Steelhead Trout, the California Salmon Stamp program, the California Dungeness Crab Task Force, the Sea Urchin Commission and the Aquaculture Development Committee.

“We will also hear from many of our hardworking fishing men and women, members of the aquaculture community, and conservation groups,” Chesbro said.

There will also be time for public comments.

The final forum agenda will be released on Monday.

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The local band “Without A Net” invites the community to come out and dance for a good cause on Saturday, Feb. 18.

The band will perform beginning at 7 p.m. at Silk's Bar and Grill, 14825 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake.

Proceeds from the evening will go toward the medical fund for Nova Fox, injured in December in a car crash on Cobb Mountain.

LUCERNE, Calif. – North Lake Garden Club will present a workshop on Tuesday, Feb. 28, titled “Do the Rot Thing and Support Global Worming.”

It will be an informative hands-on presentation by Gabriele O'Neill, University of California Cooperative Extension Lake County Master Gardener.

She will share how and why you can become part of the solution to the garbage crisis, plus do your garden a world of good in the process.

The workshop is all about the magical transformation of garbage into gardeners' gold, also called composting.

Attendees will get to see and feel the many possible ingredients that make a great recipe for our creepy crawly friends, worms.

Participants will see what it takes to produce great compost in a relatively short time and how to make your own simple worm bin.

There will be discussion on what to do with all that compost that can be made and why its benefits reach far beyond a personal garden.

The club had a great class last month on getting gardening tools maintained for the spring by Don Smith.

This composting class will now get members and guests ready for their gardens.

The meeting will be held at Lucerne Community Church, 5870 E. Highway 20.

It begins at 6:30 p.m. with sharing plants and refreshments. The meeting and workshop will follow.

If you are interested in joining please come. You can check other activities coming up on the group's Facebook page at North Lake Garden Club.

The club is a member of California Garden Clubs Inc., National Garden Clubs Inc. and Mendo-Lake District, with meetings held on the fourth Tuesday September through May.

If you have a public place where a tree should be planted or need more information about the garden club call President Kimberly Marsh at 707-274-8775.

NICE, Calif. – The Sons of Italy club has announced that it is canceling its dance on Saturday, Feb. 25, in order to conduct building maintenance.

The group's regular dance schedule of second and fourth Saturday dances will resume March 10 and March 24.

For more information call 707-274-2244.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Jim Dempsey, environmental scientist from California State Parks, Northern Buttes District will guide volunteers in planting valley oak seedlings at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park on Saturday, Feb. 25.

Teams of two to four people each are needed to carry tools and materials to the planting sites and to dig holes to transplant the young trees. All ages are welcome.

After almost 100 years of ranching and grazing from the mid-19th to mid-20th century, the park has had little or no regeneration of valley oak trees in the broad field visible from Highway 53.

Whatever happens during the current state budget crisis, State Parks will continue to own the park.

In addition to recreation, the park department’s mission is to protect and enhance the park’s natural resource values.

New oak trees will benefit wildlife and birds and help further self-regulation of future oaks.

The work will begin at 9 a.m. and the gates close by 4 p.m.

Bring lunch, water, work gloves and lots of enthusiasm. And for the next 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or even 60 years you can visit your tree and watch it grow.

Contact Jim Dempsey at 707-990-2448 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

SACRAMENTO – Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) today introduced SB 1078, a bill that would create a plan to develop long-term funding for all California state parks.

SB 1078, the State Parks Revenue Generation Act would utilize money already owed to the state through the State Lands Commission (SLC) from delinquent rents and undervalued state land leases.

“Our state parks are of vital importance to our environment and our communities,” said Evans whose district currently includes eleven 20 parks slated for closure July 1. “Collecting money owed is a first step towards generating funds to keep our parks open. We need lasting funding solutions to make park closures ancient history.”

In August 2011, the California State Auditor released a report on the SLC indicating a failure to collect rent or renegotiate undervalued leases worth millions of dollars.

This bill would fund the SLC to collect past due monies protecting the lands from closure through a general fund loan that would be paid back via the overdue collections.

“The state is owed millions of dollars,” continued Evans. “My legislation will enable the state to collect money taxpayers are owed and reinvest those funds in parks so they are never again on the chopping block.”

SB 1078 provides a loan of $1million from the general fund to develop and implement a collection plan. The loan would be repaid with the first $1 million collected.

The bill would also require additional revenues collected by the SLC be deposited into a new Delinquent Rent Collection Account in the general fund.

From that account, the second $1 million collected would be allocated to the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to study ways to increase park revenues.

An additional $1.5 million and any remaining moneys in the account would be allocated to implement the DPR’s newly identified revenue generating programs.

Excess funds collected would be transferred to the general fund. Delinquent rents obligated by law for schools would not be affected by this bill.

Evans represents the Second Senatorial District, including all or portions of the Counties of Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma. Senator Evans Chairs the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Committee on Judiciary.