Despite rain as recent as this week, the grass and brush in many areas has begun to dry out and is becoming increasingly flammable.

Cal Fire crews have already seen an increase in the number of wildfires, even with the late rain.

“Many people don’t realize that most of the low lying grass only takes an hour to dry out,” said Chief Ken Pimlott, acting director of Cal Fire. “This weekend’s weather forecast appears to be great for outdoor activities, but people still need to be cautious this time of year, because the grass can burn.”

Wildfires are not the only danger posed by the outdoors; drownings also dramatically increase during the Memorial Day weekend.

“All the runoff from this winter’s storms has increased the amount of water and flow in our rivers and lakes,” said Chief Pimlott. In California, drowning is the leading cause of deaths among children under 14, and every year Cal Fire responds to water rescues across the state, many of which tragically claim the lives of both adults and children.

Cal Fire would like everyone to remember these important steps this holiday:

Camping:

• Obtain necessary permits needed for campfires.

• Clear away grass, leaves and other debris within a 10-foot perimeter of any campfire.

• Have a responsible person in attendance at all times.

• Ensure all campfires are completely extinguished before leaving.

• When barbecuing, never leave the grill unattended.

In the water:

• Always wear a life jacket!

• Children should always be supervised by a responsible adult.

• Never swim alone.

• Drinking and swimming is just as dangerous and drinking and driving.

For more ways to be safe during the Memorial Day Weekend visit the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov.

By providing tax benefits to landowners who choose conservation, the bill would help preserve our nation’s cherished farm lands and open spaces for future generations.

The bill has received broad bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, with 251 original co-sponsors.

Under Congressmen Thompson and Gerlach’s bill, landowners who donate a conservation easement would maintain ownership and management of the land, but forgo their rights to develop the land in the future.

The Conservation Easement Incentive Act would make permanent a tax incentive for donating development rights that will otherwise expire at the end of 2011.

Eliminating this ever-changing deadline will give more farmers, ranchers, and forest owners the assurance they need to choose land conservation over development.

“Tax incentives can be a powerful tool to help green our economy and protect our natural resources,” said Rep. Thompson. “Conservation easements have been particularly effective, encouraging landowners to conserve millions of acres of farm lands and scenic open spaces. By making this important conservation tool permanent, my bill would help preserve even more land for future generations.”

“Conservation easement incentives are a proven tool for conserving lands that would otherwise be sold for development,” said Land Trust Alliance President Rand Wentworth. “Congressman Thompson’s provision, first enacted in 2006, has helped our 1,200 member land trusts work with landowners to increase the pace of such donations by a third, to over a million acres a year.”

“The Conservation Easement Incentive Act has provided the incentive for preserving a national treasure, the vineyards of the Napa Valley, and helped keep family farmers on the land,” said Andy Beckstoffer, owner of the largest independent family-owned vineyard company on California's North Coast. “This movement has just begun and the Conservation Easement Incentive Act of 2011 will allow it to continue.”

Specifically, the Conservation Easement Incentive Act would help landowners of modest means choose conservation by:

• Raising the maximum deduction a donor can take for donating a conservation easement from 30 percent of their adjusted gross income (AGI) in any year to 50 percent;

• Allowing qualified farmers and ranchers to deduct up to 100 percent of their AGI; and

• Increasing the number of years over which a donor can take deductions from six to 16 years.

The Conservation Easement Incentive Act has been endorsed by the Land Trust Alliance, Ducks Unlimited, National Wildlife Federation, National Cattleman’s Beef Association, American Forest Foundation, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, and over fifty other groups.

Thompson represents California’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, and portions of Sonoma and Yolo counties. He is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He also is a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and Co-Chair of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Wine Caucus.

Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

Caltrans will suspend work on Northern California highways from Friday, May 27, through Monday, May 30, in observance of the Memorial Day weekend. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, it may be necessary for Caltrans Maintenance forces to respond to emergency situations.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20

– PG&E of Eureka has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for tree trimming at various locations from just east of Le Trianon Resort to Mitchell Road beginning Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from just west of Sayre Avenue to 0.2 mile east of Lakeshore Drive beginning Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Slide repairs west of Gravel Plant Road will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Figas Construction of Eureka.

Highway 29

– Metal beam guardrail repair at 0.2 mile north of Bar X Ranch will occur on Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Stewart Dirt and Aggregate of Fairfield.

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from the junction of Routes 29/53 to 0.2 mile south of Seigler Canyon Road on Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from 0.2 mile north of Diener Drive to 1.5 miles south of Konocti Forestry Camp on Wednesday, June 1. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Metal beam guardrail repair at various locations from the Lakeport Boulevard northbound onramp to the 11st Street Undercrossing will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. In two-lane sections, one-way traffic control will be in effect and motorists should anticipate 5-minute delays. In four-lane sections, traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel and motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Stewart Dirt and Aggregate of Fairfield.

Highway 281

– AT&T of Santa Rosa has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility pole replacement near Kit’s Corner beginning Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Comptche Road to the Hare Creek Bridge beginning Wednesday, June 1. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays.

– Storm damage repairs near the Union Landing Viaduct will continue. Work hours are 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Valentine Corporation of San Rafael.

– A maintenance project on the South Fork Eel River Bridge will begin on Friday, May 27. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – NY Blastco of Gardenia.

Highway 20

– Highway widening from 2.3 to 3.3 miles east of Gravel Pit Road will continue. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Contractor – Team Ghilotti Inc. of Petaluma.

Highway 101

– Slide repairs north of the Korean War Veterans War Memorial Bridge will resume on Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Argonaut Constructors of Santa Rosa.

– A pavement repair project from the Robinson Creek Bridge to Uva Drive will continue. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel 24 hours per day from 8 p.m. Sunday through 3 p.m. Friday. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Northbound ramps at Calpella (Exit 555A) and Route 20 (Exit 555B) as well as southbound ramps at Route 20 (Exit 555B) will be intermittently closed. Motorists will be advised to use an alternate route and may experience minor delays. Contractor – Granite Construction, Incorporated, of Ukiah.

– Repair of a slipout from Reeves Canyon Road to Ridgewood Ranch Road will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Granite Construction Inc. of Ukiah.

– Metal beam guardrail repair 0.5 mile south of the Haehl Overhead Bridge to Reynolds Highway will begin on Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Wahlund Construction of Eureka.

– Metal beam guardrail repair at various locations from Underpass Road to the Bear Pen Undercrossing will begin on Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Wahlund Construction of Eureka.

– Painting at the Arnold Bridge Overhead will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Certified Coatings Co. of Fairfield.

– Culvert repairs from Sherwood Road to Old Sherwood Road will resume on Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Granite Construction Inc. of Ukiah.

Highway 128

– Culvert repairs from the Beebe Creek Bridge to the Sonoma County Line will begin on Tuesday, May 31. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays. Contractor – Team Ghilotti of Petaluma.

– Slipout repairs 1.2 miles east of Big Oaks Drive will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Team Ghilotti of Petaluma.

Highway 222

– Replacement of the Russian River Bridge will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays during work hours and five-minute delays at other times. Contractor – CC Myers of Rancho Cordova.

All these projects are weather permitting and subject to change. Caltrans advises motorists to drive with caution when approaching work areas and to be prepared to stop at traffic control stations.

The Caltrans Traffic Operations Office has reviewed each project and determined that individual project delays are expected to be less than the statewide policy maximum of 30 minutes, unless noted otherwise above.

For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).

They will be serving pancakes, sausage, coffee and orange juice for $5.

Tickets can be purchased at the breakfast or they are available at Lakeport Tire & Auto Service at 1901 S. Main St. or from any of the Scouts from Troop 42.

This fundraiser is being sponsored by the Lakeport Lions Club who is the troop's charter organization. Please come and support a group of great young men of Troop 42 and view all the antique cars at the 20th annual car show sponsored by the No Name Car Club.

Troop 42 also will be selling sponsorships that morning for wreaths to be laid at Hartley Cemetery on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the ceremony for Wreaths Across America.

This will be the fifth year that wreaths will be laid at the Veterans Circle in a ceremony at Hartley Cemetery. It is the goal of Troop 42 to place wreaths on all of gravesites of veterans laid at rest at Hartley.

The motto for WAA is: Remember – the fallen, Honor – those that serve, Teach – our children the value of freedom.

Last year the Troop was able to lay 256 wreaths at the cemetery in remembrance of the veterans. This year the goal is to place 400 wreaths on gravesites at Hartley.

Help them reach this worthwhile goal.If you can’t make it to the pancake feed and would like to know more about Wreaths Across America, stop by Lakeport Tire & Auto Service for details.

All are invited to this free event.

Cobb Mountain Community Garden – located on Bottle Rock Road near the corner of Rainbow Drive – is an open space for growing organic food with friends.

Most of the garden is composed of shared community beds demonstrating permaculture gardening techniques.

There also is space for individuals and families to plant their own beds and grow whatever they want. There is plenty of space for more folks to get involved.

Saturday schedule:

– 10 a.m. to noon – Work party. Help complete the fence, outline community beds, plant seeds and starts, and improve soil. Learn about permaculture, composting and more.

– Noon to 3 p.m. – Reskilling and fun fair. Free community-led workshops, activities and discussions, including natural building (making a cob bench), making compost tea, bee-keeping, brewing kombucha, colloidal silver, sheet-mulching, hot composting, plus yoga in the garden, face-painting, slack-lining and other activities for the whole family.

– 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Transition Lake County Fourth Saturday Potluck with a purpose. Free community meeting with some amazing people who are doing great work to co-create a healthier, happier, more resilient Lake County. More info: www.transitionlakecounty.org .

– 6 p.m. to late night – party, concert and community jam to benefit the garden. Join your neighbors for a celebration of life around the fire pit. Enjoy live music, standup comedy and spoken word, great food, local brew and the company of some amazing human beings. Free event. (They'll take donations for Cobb Mountain Community Garden.) Potluck barbecue, s'mores, good wine and kegs of locally made beer. Bring your instrument (and your band) for mega-jamming late into the night.

The party will be held at Nils Palsson's cabin, No. 22 in Pine Grove, 15965 Bottle Rock Road (first cabin on the left after the main entrance). For more information, call 707-928-0159.

The California Department of Fish and Game recommends people be careful around coyotes. Department of Fish and Game photo.

If you’re in the outdoors anywhere in California this spring, you might cross paths with one of the state’s most common predators – the coyote.

Clever, nimble and quick, the coyote may at first glance appear to be more of a nuisance than a direct threat. But don’t let your guard down, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) warns.

Coyotes – especially those who live in urban settings and have grown accustomed to humans – can become emboldened to the point where they become a public safety threat.

“Once coyotes become habituated to people, they begin to exhibit increased levels of aggression, which can lead to biting incidents,” explained Kevin Brennan, a DFG biologist who works out of Idyllwild (Riverside County). Brennan has responded to hundreds of coyote incidents and is familiar with the inevitably unhappy result when coyotes become accustomed to humans.

The coyote (Canis latrans) is a member of the dog family and is native to California. It closely resembles a small German shepherd with the exception of the long snout and bushy, black-tipped tail.

Because they are tolerant of human activities and rapidly adjust to changes in their environment, the highly adaptable coyote populates virtually the entire state.

Brennan notes that coyotes are actually the most populous in suburban neighborhoods, in part because there are so many food sources available to them in addition to their usual diet of rabbits, mice, birds and other small animals, young deer and sheep.

Those additional food sources include left-out pet food and left-out pets, as well as unsecured garbage in neighborhoods and the rodents such garbage attracts.

When coyotes are allowed access to human food and garbage, either deliberately or inadvertently, they can lose their fear of people and become a real danger.

The key to minimizing coyote-human contact is based on educating the public about coyote behavior and taking sensible precautions, Brennan said.

“Never allow coyotes to become accustomed to your surroundings, because familiarity can lead to contempt,” Brennan said.

While DFG does not collect statistics on coyote attacks, Brennan said, “There isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t receive calls concerning nuisance coyotes.”

To avoid problems with coyotes, people should follow these guidelines:

• Never feed or attempt to tame coyotes. The result may be deadly conflicts or serious injuries to pets, livestock and even small children.

• Do not leave small children or pets outside unattended.

• Be aware that coyotes are more active in the spring, when feeding and protecting their young.

• If followed by a coyote, make loud noises. If this fails, throw rocks in the animal’s direction.

• Put garbage in tightly closed containers that cannot be tipped over.

Most coyote sightings should be reported to local animal control districts. However, if a coyote acts aggressively or attacks people, call 911.

For more information, visit www.dfg.ca.gov/keepmewild/.