LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The next meeting of the Lake County Sierra Club will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6, at the Lower Lake Methodist Church Social Hall, 16255 Second St.

Following up on the compelling talk given by Yuba College professor Dr. Harry Lyons last September, the event will feature a presentation by Chuck Lamb of Clearlake Oaks on the Satellite Imaging Project.

This innovative proposal recently received the unanimous approval of the Board of Supervisors.

The project, to be funded by money budgeted (but not spent) for last summer's ineffectual cyanobacteria (AKA “blue-green algae”) mitigation efforts, will analyze satellite photographs of Clear Lake and its watershed to pinpoint the sources of excessive nutrient loading that have adversely affected Clear Lake's ecological balance.

This information would give us a more comprehensive grasp of the factors compounding seasonal algae blooms, and may make it possible to intercept sediment inflows and combat water quality problems throughout the watershed in a more effective way than has hitherto been possible.

In addition, the detailed information provided by these satellite images will strengthen applications for outside funding support to address the issues affecting Clear Lake.

The meeting is free and the public is cordially invited.

For more information call Lake Group Chair Ed Robey at 707-994-8304 or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The sixth annual Six Sigma Pruning and Pastries event will be held on Saturday, March 2, at Six Sigma Ranch from 10 a.m. to noon.  

The event will kick off with a team of professional pruners vying for prizes in a race for speed and accuracy.

Professional judges will determine the winners.

Bring friends and family, watch the pros compete then join a hands-on demo of winter pruning techniques.

Just for fun, give the not-so-serious amateur pruning competition a try. Prizes will be awarded. Event fee of $15 per person includes a continental breakfast.    

Meet under the oak trees just inside the ranch gate at 13372 Spruce Grove Road in Lower Lake.  

Dress for the weather, sturdy shoes or boots recommended.  

To reserve your spot call 707-994-4068 or visit www.sixsigmaranch.com/events .

Rain cancels the event.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Due to being rained out, the University of California Master Gardeners of Lake County have rescheduled and relocated their rose pruning workshop to Wednesday, Jan. 30.

The workshop will begin at 10 a.m. at 10011 Sam Alley Ridge Road in Upper Lake – weather permitting.

If it is raining heavily on Jan. 30, the workshop will be canceled. Master Gardener Jim Harrell will discuss and demonstrate pruning and other cultural practices that help produce large, healthy rose displays.

Although not a planned portion of the workshop, participants should bring heavy gloves and pruning shears in case hands-on practice is available.

A $5 donation is encouraged to help defray expenses for handouts that will be available.

The meeting site is not wheelchair accessible, call the UC Cooperative Extension at 707-263-6838 for special accommodations.

Please RSVP for this workshop by calling 707-263-6838. For directions to the workshop site, please call 707-263-6838.

Master Gardeners are a group of selected, trained residents who work as volunteer staff for the U.C. Cooperative Extension.

Master Gardeners provide accurate horticultural information on vegetable gardening, trees, soils, lawns, ornamental horticulture, insects, diseases, use of pesticides, and other related topics based on research of the University of California and other recognized research institutions.

Information about the rose pruning workshop can be obtained by calling UC Cooperative Extension at 707-263-6838, or on the Web at http://celake.ucdavis.edu .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Learn about the health effects of art and creativity at the next Senior Peer Counseling Public Seminar to be held from 11:15 a.m. to noon Tuesday, Jan. 29, at St. John’s Lutheran Church conference center on Memory Lane in Clearlake.

This seminar is part of Senior Peer Counseling’s Public Seminars on Aging series, designed to explore the gifts and challenges of older age.

The monthly seminars will cover topics such as how to talk to an elder who drinks; the gifts of conscious aging; increasing peace of mind through meditation, and many more.

The seminar is presented by Program Director, Kim Baughan Young, MFT, psychotherapist; and funded by the Department of Mental Health.

All trainings and services offered are free of charge. Konocti Senior Support Inc.’s Senior Peer Counseling program provides seniors 55+ who need emotional support with home visits by trained volunteers.

Please call 707-995-1417 for more information or to become a volunteer. Memory Lane is a right turn from Olympic Drive, two blocks east of the police station and next to the yogurt shop.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Horse Council is hosting a “Save the Trails, Ride the Roads” Horseback Poker Run on the Old Toll Road at Highland Springs Recreation Area on Saturday, Feb. 23, with a rain date of Saturday, March 2.

This event is to promote and encourage riders to protect the lovely trails at Highland Springs by riding only on the county roads and fire roads at Highland Springs during the wet season.

The five mile ride is open to horseback riders and cart drivers with five stations along the route to collect cards to make up a poker hand at the end of the ride.  

Each station will also have a trail trial activity for riders and drivers to attempt before riding on down the road to the next station.

Entry fee will be $10 per rider for Horse Council members, $20 for non-Horse Council members which includes a one-year membership, and $5 for juniors (under 18).

Juniors are required to wear helmets, ride with an adult and arrive with a waiver signed by a parent or guardian – no exceptions.  

Entry fees include a catered lunch and live entertainment at the ride’s end. Prizes will be given to the top poker hands.

Raffle tickets will also be available for a $75 gravel donation from R.B. Peters.

Rig parking will be limited so carpooling is encouraged for this event. Registration limited to the first 30 rigs.  

For registration and more information go to www.lakecountyhorsecouncil.com and click on “Old Toll Road Horseback Poker Run” or call Kim Riley at 707-245-7468.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Entries will be accepted from Feb. 1, to May 1, 2013 for the inaugural Martha Webster Journalism Internship Award, offered by the Middletown Luncheon Club.

The competition is open to all previously unpublished writers living within the boundaries of the Middletown Unified School District.

Each entry should include pertinent personal data and an original column of 500-600 words written in journalistic style on a subject believed to be of general interest to readers in the Middletown area.

The winner will be paid $25 each for similar columns to be produced once each month for the following year and published in the Middletown Times Star.

The winning entry will be announced on May 28, in observance of the birthday of the late Martha Webster, whose contributions to the area – even beyond her journalism – were many.

Entries should be mailed to: Middletown Luncheon Club, P. O. Box 74, Middletown, CA 95461. The applicant’s name, address, phone number or email address, and age must be included with each entry. Extra credit will be given to students enrolled in Middletown High School or the Clearlake Campus of Yuba Community College.

Established in 1943, the Middletown Luncheon Club meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the community room at the Methodist Church.

Each meeting offers lunch at $ 5 per person with a speaker or presentation of importance to the Middletown area.

Thanks to interest-bearing bequests, the club has a long history of donating to service organizations for preparing the monthly meals offered and contributing to scholarships and various community projects.

The Feb. 20 meeting will feature poetry by local authors; the March 20 luncheon will feature a presentation on Middletown’s history.