LAKEPORT, Calif. – Mark E. Perkins will wheel into Lakeport Library on Saturday, May 31, to talk about bicycle history and bicycle books.

This free program begins at 2 p.m. and is open to the public. The library is located at 1425 N. High Street.

Perkins is a member of the Fresno Cycling Club and The Wheelmen.

Perkins says he intends to “talk about the history and development of the bicycle and their contributions to things which we all take for granted every day.”

He will share some of his own bicycle related books. Bicycle books from the library collection will be on display.

A rare treat for bike lovers will be Perkins’ 1889 Columbia “Light Roadster” bicycle that he is restoring.

This will be only the third time that Perkins has taken this bike out in public in the 30 years that he has owned it.

Perkins also will bring a modern carbon fiber racing bicycle so people can see how far bicycle technology has come.

The Friends of the Lake County Library will provide light refreshments.

For more information about the program call the library at 707-263-8817.

The library has an Internet presence at http://library.lakecountyca.gov or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lakecountylibrary .

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

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Caltrans reports that the following road projects will be taking place around the North Coast during the coming week.

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

Caltrans will suspend work on Northern California highways from Friday, May 23, through Monday, May 26, 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 29

– Lakeshore Lions Club and Lower Lake Community Action Group have been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for the Lower Lake Daze Parade near the junction of Routes 29/53 on Sunday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Turns onto Morgan Valley Road will be restricted.

Highway 53

– Lakeshore Lions Club and Lower Lake Community Action Group have been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for the Lower Lake Daze Parade near the junction of Routes 29/53 on Sunday, May 25, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Turns onto Morgan Valley Road will be restricted.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– PG&E of Eureka has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs near Iverson Road on Wednesday, May 28. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Replacement of the Greenwood Creek Bridge will continue. 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. LC#C1AA

– Sidewalk enhancements near the junction of Routes 1/20 will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

Highway 20

– Sidewalk enhancements from the junction of Routes 1/20 and Boatyard Drive will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays. A shoulder closure will be in effect. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

Highway 101

– Caltrans will perform slide repairs near the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge (near Frog Woman Rock). Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– Highway construction from 1.0 mile south of the Haehl Overhead Bridge to the Haehl Overhead Bridge will continue. Nighttime work hours are 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., weekdays. Intermittent full road closures will be in effect to allow trucks to enter and exit the highway. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Restriping just south of the junction of Routes 20/101 in Willits will continue Tuesday, May 27. Nighttime work hours are 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

– Highway construction from 0.8 to 1.5 miles south of the North Willits Railroad Crossing will continue. Nighttime work hours are 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., weekdays. Intermittent full road closures will be in effect to allow trucks to enter and exit the highway. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Paulson Excavation of Albion has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for minor spill cleanup and pavement repairs just north of the North Willits Railroad Crossing on Wednesday, May 28. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

Highway 128

– Guardrail repairs at the junction of Routes 1/128 will continue Thursday, May 29. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

Highway 175

– Bridge rehabilitation at the Russian River Bridge will continue. 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.

Highway 271

– Verizon of Weaverville has been issued a Caltrans Encroachment permit for utility repairs from just south of the Humboldt/Mendocino County line. 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.

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).

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Lakeport Public Works crews will be continuing road work on Second Street next week.

On Tuesday, May 27, from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m., crews will be closing Second Street between N. Main Street and N. Forbes Street as they continue road work on that area.

There will be no access or parking in that block.

Thank you for your continued patience and please be on the lookout for workers in the roadway.

If you have any questions, please call Cyndy at the Public Works office at 707-263-3578.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – An act as simple as transporting firewood can lead to widespread devastation.

Since 2008, the Pacific Southwest Region Forest Health Protection staff of the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has been cooperating with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to monitor the flow of firewood into the state.

CDFA records information on all loads of firewood inspected at their 16 agricultural border protection stations and also confiscates any wood that contains insects or signs of fungal disease. These data are sent to USFS ecologist Matthew Bokach for analysis and reporting.

Almost 60 million pounds of firewood were recorded entering the state between 2008 and 2012. Just over half (54 percent) of this weight was in large commercial shipments of pre-packaged pieces, while the rest was in private vehicles and typically in much smaller loads. Over the same five-year period, at least 815 individual forest pests were prevented from being carried to over 200 named destinations within California.

Some of the notable species that were intercepted on firewood include emerald ash borer and gypsy moth, both of which were transported to California illegally in violation of nationwide Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service quarantines.

The most dramatic example occurred in July of 2010, when a couple from Michigan was stopped in their RV at the Topaz border station (south of Lake Tahoe).

Inside their vehicle was ash firewood containing adult and larval emerald ash borers. This is the furthest this invasive exotic species has been carried and detected from its federal quarantine area in the Northeast and Upper Midwest, where it has killed millions of urban trees and cost municipalities and homeowners billions of dollars in tree removal costs and lost property values.

Firewood has been brought to California in private vehicles from at least 46 other states (including Alaska), Canada, and Mexico; while potential forest pests have been transported to California from at least 42 other states, Canada, and Mexico.

Top destinations to which firewood bearing potential pests was being transported between 2008 and 2012 were the greater Los Angeles urban area (95 forest pests), the Sacramento urban area (63), Yosemite National Park (45), the Sacramento urban area (63) and the San Francisco-Oakland urban area (36).

Over a quarter (28 percent) of the forest pests were in vehicles with California license plates, bringing firewood back to the state from somewhere else.

Even insects native to the U.S. can become devastating pests if moved to an adjacent state.

Less than half (46.6 percent) of the wood borers native to Arizona also occur in California. The goldspotted oak borer is a wood borer native to southeastern Arizona that was introduced into San Diego County, California in the early-2000s, most likely from firewood.

In its new environment this beetle infests at least four new host species of oak that have no co-evolved defense mechanisms; the result has been tens of thousands of trees killed with no known mechanism for containing the insect’s spread.

Any one of the hundreds of firewood-borne pests intercepted at CDFA border stations every year could be the next goldspotted oak borer or emerald ash borer in its effects if successfully introduced into a new area.

This is particularly true in California, where non-native pests could have infested over 95 percent of the state had they reached their destinations.

It’s worth noting that almost the entire state of California is within 50 miles of a federal or state park or forest.

How you can help:

• Leave firewood at home – do not transport it to campgrounds or parks.
• Use firewood from local sources.
• If you have moved firewood, burn all of it before leaving your campsite.
• Don’t bring firewood from other states back into California.

For more information on the firewood issue in California, please visit the Web site of the CA Firewood Task Force: http://www.firewood.ca.gov/ .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lake County Tribal Health Family Garden Club will celebrate its third annual grand opening from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29.

The garden is located at the clinic site, 925 Bevins Court in Lakeport.

This program runs from May to October every year.

It’s an organic farming project for the local native community.

The goal of the Family Garden Club is to increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables by the means of utilizing the ability to raise our own food.

With the help of our Human Services program, Tribal Health was able to build raised beds and picnic tables out of redwood that beautifully adorn the garden.

Participants in the home repair and maintenance class are taught life and job skills in construction and leadership to give them confidence and the experience when entering the work world.  

The wood they source for the construction projects come from Mendo-Mill in Lakeport; they generously are displaying and selling the picnic tables from the program in their local store.     

LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday, May 22, the Lake County Registrar of Voters Office will conduct a logic and accuracy test for the ballot tabulation computer and software to be used for the June 3 Statewide Direct Primary Election.

The test will take place beginning at 11 a.m. in the Registrar of Voters Office, located in Room 209 on the second floor of the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes St., Lakeport.

All interested persons are invited to observe this test.

The testing is done pursuant to regulations of the California State Commission on Voting Machines and Vote Tabulating Devices.