Eighteen hundred participants representing 402 land trusts, including Lake County, attended the annual event sponsored by the Land Trust Alliance ( www.landtrustalliance.org ).

“To successfully conserve and protect important areas of Lake County, we must stay abreast of conservation trends, cutting-edge practices of land conservation, and best professional standards,” said Susanne Scholz, Land County Land Trust executive director.

She noted that America’s land trusts have markedly enhanced their professionalism and increased their ranks to 1,667 in 2005 from 1,263 in 2000.

Conference topics included fundamentals of real estate law, conservation project appraisals and tax benefits, integrating multiple strategic land preservation objectives, and legal and ethical aspects of managing land trusts.

“Knowledge and resources gained in Portland benefit our work preserving Clear Lake’s shoreline, between Clear Lake State Park and Lakeport, and Rodman Slough area,” said Scholz. “These are high priority projects based on known development and land conservation pressures.”

Important legislation discussed at the conference is HR 1831sponsored by US Representative Mike Thompson. HR 1831 will amend the 1986 Internal Revenue Code making permanent the special rule for contributions of qualified conservation contributions.

Representative Thompson and supporters pledge to make conservation easement tax incentive permanent in 111th Congress. This is indeed good news to conservationists everywhere, including Lake County.

The Lake County Land Trust is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting the county’s important land resources.

Its stewardship includes Rodman Slough Preserve on Clear Lake and Rabbit Hill in Middletown.

The Land Trust spearheaded the preservation of Black Forest on Mt. Konocti and participated in the acquisition of Mt. Konocti by Lake County.

To support Lake County Land Trust, see www.lakecountylandtrust.org or call 707-994-2024.

“California’s first responders protect our lives and defend our property from fires and other natural disasters that strike our state without notice,” said Schwarzenegger. “This bill will ensure that these brave men and women – who often work long hours and find themselves far from home – will be able to cast their vote in an election from the front lines of any emergency.”

AB 1440 authorizes emergency workers to cast their ballots outside of their home precincts, upon the Governor’s declaration of a state of emergency. Affected counties would have to issue provisional ballots.

In August, the governor issued an executive order ensuring that eligible firefighters and emergency personnel were able to vote in California’s 10th Congressional District and its 51st Assembly District special election on Sept. 1.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – This October marked the 20 years since the Bay Area was rocked by the Loma Prieta earthquake and the risk of another big jolt remains as high as ever.

AAA Northern California reminds state residents that the best way to successfully ride out a quake is to prepare for it in advance.

“One of the most important steps homeowners can take is to document their belongings before tragedy strikes,” advised AAA Northern California spokesperson Matt Skryja. “Take the time to do an inventory of your home, either with photographs or a video camera. Then, store those records in an off-site location like a safe deposit box.”

Earthquake safety tips

• Create an earthquake survival kit. This is one of the most important steps you can take. The kit should include canned goods, two to four quarts of water per person per day, sanitary supplies, a camp stove, portable radio, flashlight and spare batteries.

• Know how to shut off your home’s gas, water and electricity. You should also make sure your water heater is securely fastened to a wall or post with two metal straps.

• Conduct family earthquake drills. Make sure everyone knows which areas in a room are the safest. This may be underneath a table or against a wall. Stay away from windows, fireplaces and tall furniture.

• Decide where your family will reunite if you're separated. Choose a friend or relative you can call after an earthquake to let them know your location and condition. Phone lines are often overloaded or damaged in an earthquake and specifying one point of contact for your entire family will help avoid a strain on the system.

• Childproof your cabinet doors. It may seem like an annoyance initially, but installing latches on your cabinet doors can prevent them from flying open in an earthquake. By properly securing the doors you can keep precious belongings from spilling out and breaking.

• Check your insurance for earthquake coverage. Knowing what coverage you have can help speed up your recovery after a big quake. Most homeowner’s policies do NOT cover damage resulting from an earthquake and in most cases a separate earthquake policy is needed.

The meeting will be on Thursday, Oct. 29, at the HHSA Big Sur Conference Room at 747 S. State Street, Ukiah.

The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. with a panel discussion on access to health care, featuring Jerry Chaney, vice president of patient care, Ukiah Valley Medical Center; Tammi Silva, director of public relations, Sutter Lakeside Hospital; Douglas Lewis, DDS, Mendocino County Health Center; Cathy Fry, executive director, Alliance for Rural Community Health; and Geoffrey Rice, MD, ophthalmologist.

The General Meeting of the AAA Governing Board and Advisory Council will follow from 2 to 3:30 p.m. All are welcome to attend.

LAKE COUNTY – Catholic Charities is seeking assistance from the community in putting together Thanksgiving dinners for family members in need.

An anonymous donor has generously given Catholic Charities Rural Food Project 100 turkeys to give to families that are currently signed up for the group's monthly food box distribution.

Catholic Charities is asking for the following items in order to make up food boxes for Thanksgiving dinner for those in our area who are in need:

• 100 packets of Turkey gravy mix;

• 100 cans of cranberry sauce;

• 200 boxes of dressing;

• 200 boxes of mashed potatoes;

• 200 cans of corn;

• 200 cans of green beans;

• 200 cans of yams;

• 200 boxes of dressing.

If you can assist please bring your donation to the Catholic Charities Lake County Programs office at 21257 Calistoga St., Middletown (between the library and the car wash). Your donation will assist help make Thanksgiving a joy for many people who are in need.

For inquiries please contact Hedy Montoya, regional director of Catholic Charities Lake County Programs, at 707-987-8139.