NICE, Calif. – The public and Lake County Community Co-op members alike are invited to meet at Ceago Vinegarden in Nice to get a firsthand look at their natural methods of food production and viticulture – known as biodynamics – used there.

The tour will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 14, at Ceago, 5115 E. Highway 20, Nice.

At Ceago, they recognize the basic principles at work in nature to create and maintain unique, self-sustaining farm ecosystems.

The co-op will be given a tour and firsthand look at what’s being put into practice at this forward thinking, community-minded establishment.

This educational and fun, show-and-tell event is free. No reservations required.

Biodynamic farming techniques utilize the vineyard’s natural resources to cultivate the highest quality grapes by building and maintaining soil fertility through composting and crop rotation as well as non-use of pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or genetically modified organisms.

On the tour visitors will learn about Ceago’s lavender harvest, its plant diversity and take a walk on the pier to learn about the use of the lake water.

They'll observe the bat house, the sheep and chickens and learn about their role in the production of compost, and also visit and learn about the “tea tower” and the homeopathic sprays produced there.

One of the LCCC’s goals is to educate Lake County residents on how to live more healthfully and sustainably by keeping it local.

Don’t miss this unique chance to learn from these local experts on biodynamics and see how the principles Ceago is using on its land can be learned and used in other parts of the county far and wide. Carpooling with friends and neighbors is encouraged for this one-of-a-kind opportunity.

For more information, contact Lori Patotzka at 707-994-1618.

Celebrating over three years in community, the Lake County Community Co-op (LCCC) envisions cultivating an evolving community by nurturing values of social, economic and environmental responsibility.

Member input and participation is encouraged for the continued success of its co-creation.

The LCCC supports and enhances the local food system while providing a forum for community activities.

For more information about the co-op or to become a member of the LCCC, follow the links at http://lakeco-op.org or call 707-993-4270.

Handcrafters from all around the lake are invited to rent a space at the show.

A total of 30 tables are available and the fee is $25 per table.

Food will be available at the show, and entertainment from local groups.

The art students at the center will provide a show of their creations.

The garden and playground will be open for playing horseshoes and lounging in the shade.

Anyone interested should contact event co-chair, Pam Plank, at 707-272-3665.

Applications can be picked up at the senior center or the Meals-on-Wheels Thrift Store at 560 Lakeport Blvd in Lakeport.

The deadline for registering is June 24 with both the application and fee.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. – The American Red Cross is helping thousands of people as tornadoes, flooding and wildfires continue to wreak havoc across a large part of the United States.

Almost 900 people sought refuge Monday night in Red Cross shelters as new storms forced people from their homes in Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois.

These latest storms come on the heels of two weeks of deadly weather from North Dakota to the East Coast.

Red Cross disaster teams are working around the clock in the affected areas, providing people with shelter, meals, emotional support and supplies to help with cleanup efforts.

“Red Cross disaster teams are making sure people have a safe place to stay and food to eat,” said Tim Miller, CEO, of the local Red Cross, serving Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake counties. “We are very pleased about three of our local volunteers who are in Mississippi and North Carolina, helping those in need.”

Red Cross volunteer, Mary Ellen Taylor, is providing emotional support for those affected in North Carolina. “The clients are all very thankful for the food, water, everything we do for them. When they find out I'm from California, they're amazed someone would come so far to help them.”

Those who want to help the people affected by these disasters, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief.

Their gift will enable the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other disaster assistance.

To make a donation, people can visit www.redcross.org or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Contributions may also be sent to or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

The Red Cross is responding to disasters across more than half of the country as the severe and deadly weather continues. In the past two weeks, the Red Cross has opened nearly 50 shelters and provided more than 3,000 overnight stays.

In addition, with community partners, the Red Cross has served more than 233,000 meals and snacks and distributed more than 20,000 items like cleanup supplies and comfort kits to people affected by the severe spring weather.

Red Cross mental health and health services workers have provided thousands of consultations to

people coping with the aftermath of these disasters.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies nearly half of the nation's blood; teaches lifesaving skills; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families.

The Red Cross is a charitable organization – not a government agency – and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.

For more information, please visit www.redcross.org or join the organization's blog at http://blog.redcross.org.

To contact the local American Red Cross chapter, serving Sonoma, Mendocino and Lake Counties, please visit www.arcsm.org, or call 707-577-7627 (Sonoma and Lake counties), 707-463-0112 (Mendocino County).

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – On Monday, May 2, the South Lake County Fire Sirens will hold their May general meeting.

Our speaker will be Jim Comisky, president of the South Lake County Fire Board.

After the meeting, the members went to the Middletown Senior Center for a delicious luncheon.

The Fire Sirens will hold another Saturday rummage sale on Saturday, May 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the House of Bargains-Second Hand But Grand Store next to the Middletown Fire Station on Highway 175. They also are open for business every Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Fire Sirens will sponsor a blood drive at the fire station in conjunction with the Blood Bank of the Redwoods on Saturday, May 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The Fire Sirens will participate in the Memorial Day Ceremony honoring veterans at the Middletown Cemetery on Monday, May 30, at 9 a.m.

Join the group for any or all of these May events. All money raised by the Fire Sirens is used to purchase emergency equipment for the South Lake County Fire Protection District.

Assembly Bill 1152 by Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata) would allow alternate monitoring techniques (ATM) in situations where traditional water well drilling is not feasible – because of geographic or geologic features or where a basin or subbasin is exclusively in state, federal or tribal ownership.

The bill is sponsored by the California Groundwater Coalition and supported by the Regional Council of Rural Counties (RCRC) as well as Lake and Trinity Counties and other local agencies.

Passed without opposition April 26 in the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife, AB 1152 would amend a law that established a statewide groundwater elevation monitoring program.

In a letter expressing appreciation to Chesbro for authoring the bill, RCRC noted that the “fundamental flaw” with the existing law was that “it is not always possible to physically or legally monitor a basis or subbasin” and to do so in areas that are “undeveloped, uninhabitated and undevelopable is of questionable value.”

Without these modified monitoring mechanisms in AB 1152, counties could face punitive financial penalties: Under the original law, SB7x 6 (2009), if a county and other eligible entities do not monitor groundwater elevations, the Department of Water Resources is required to step in and assume the monitoring functions – with none of the local entities then eligible for state water grants or loans.

“Two years ago, the legislature established a significant and long overdue ground monitoring programs,” said Chesbro. “But the legislation needs a few simple fixes in order to protect rural counties from being punished because of circumstances they can’t control. These proposed fixes do not in any way weaken or undermine the important water quality protections established by the original legislation.”

The types of alternative monitoring allowed under the bill would include, but are not limited to, aerial photographs, hydrologic records, well permits, and remote sensing data.

Prior to using an AMT, the monitoring entity would be required to submit a report to DWR signed by a professional geologist that sets forth facts on why alternative monitoring should apply, as well as supporting documentation. Continued eligibility to use alternative monitoring must be reestablished every three years.

RCRC is a 33 member services organization that champions policies on behalf of California’s small and rural counties. RCRC thirty counties represent more than half of the state’s 58 counties and nearly half of California’s land mass.

RCRC-member counties are Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Glenn, Imperial, Inyo, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Benito, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne and Yuba.

California rattlesnake species include the northern Pacific rattlesnake (in Northern California), and the Western Diamondback, Sidewinder, Speckled rattlesnake, Red Diamond rattlesnake, Southern Pacific, Great Basin rattlesnake and the Mojave rattlesnake (all found in Southern California).

Though rattlesnakes are dangerous if provoked, they also provide humans with a tremendous service – they eat rodents, other reptiles and insects, and are in turn eaten by other predators.

In California where rattlesnakes are found from sea level to the inland prairies and desert areas and to the mountains at elevations of more than 10,000 feet, enjoying the outdoors means learning how to avoid contact with rattlesnakes.

Generally not aggressive, rattlesnakes strike when threatened or deliberately provoked, but given room they will retreat. Most snake bites occur when a rattlesnake is handled or accidentally touched by someone walking or climbing. The majority of snakebites occur on the hands, feet and ankles.

Rattlesnakes can cause serious injury to humans on rare occasions. The California Poison Control Center notes that rattlesnakes account for more than 800 bites each year with one to two deaths.

Most bites occur between the months of April and October when snakes and humans are most active outdoors.

About 25 percent of the bites are “dry,” meaning no venom was injected, but the bites still require medical treatment.

The potential of running into a rattlesnake should not deter anyone from venturing outdoors, but there are precautions that can be taken to lessen the chance of being bitten when out in snake country — which is just about anywhere in California.

The dos and don’ts in snake country

First, know that rattlesnakes are not confined to rural areas. They have been found near urban areas, in river or lakeside parks and at golf courses.

Be aware that startled rattlesnakes may not rattle before striking defensively. The California

Department of Fish and Game (DFG) recommends the following safety precautions be followed to reduce the likelihood of startling a rattlesnake:

• Wear hiking boots and loose-fitting long pants. Never go barefoot or wear sandals when walking through wild areas.

• When hiking, stick to well-used trails. Avoid tall grass, weeds and heavy underbrush where snakes may hide during the day.

• Do not step or put your hands where you cannot see, and avoid wandering around in the dark. Step ON logs and rocks, never over them, and be especially careful when climbing rocks or gathering firewood. Check out stumps or logs before sitting down, and shake out sleeping bags before use.

• Never grab “sticks” or “branches” while swimming in lakes and rivers. Rattlesnakes can swim.

• Be careful when stepping over doorsteps as well. Snakes like to crawl along the edge of buildings where they are protected on one side.

• Never hike alone. Always have someone with you who can assist in an emergency.

• Do not handle a freshly killed snake, as it can still inject venom.

• Teach children early to respect snakes and to leave them alone.

Is it a rattlesnake?

Many a useful and non-threatening snake has suffered a quick death from a frantic human who has mistakenly identified a gopher snake, garter, racer or other as a rattlesnake. This usually happens when a snake assumes an instinctual defensive position used to bluff adversaries. A gopher snake has the added unfortunate trait of imitating a rattlesnake by flattening its head and body, vibrating its tail, hissing and actually striking if approached too closely.

A rattlesnake is a heavy-bodied, blunt-tailed snake with one or more rattles on the tail. It has a triangular-shaped head, much broader at the back than at the front, and a distinct “neck” region. The rattlesnake also has openings between the nostrils and eyes, which is a heat-sensing pit. The eyes are hooded with elliptical pupils.

Additional identifying characteristics include a series of dark and light bands near the tail, just before the rattles which are different from the markings on the rest of the body. Also note that rattles may not always be present, as they are often lost through breakage and are not always developed on the young.

Keeping snakes out of the yard

The best protection against rattlesnakes in the yard is a “rattlesnake proof” fence. It can be expensive and requires maintenance, however. The fence should either be solid or with mesh no larger than one-quarter inch. It should be at least three feet high with the bottom buried a few inches in the ground. Slanting your snake fence outward about a 30-degree angle will help.

Vegetation should be kept away from the fence since the snake could crawl to the top of an adjacent tree or shrub.

Discourage snakes by removing piles of boards or rocks around the home. Use caution when removing those piles – there may already be a snake there.

Encouraging and protecting natural competitors like gopher snakes, kingsnakes and racers will reduce the rattlesnake population in the immediate area. And, kingsnakes actually kill and eat rattlesnakes.

What to do in the event of a snake bite

Though uncommon, rattlesnake bites do occur, so have a plan in place for responding to any situation.

Carry a portable phone, hike with a companion who can assist in an emergency, and make sure that family or friends know where you are going and when you will be checking in.

The first thing to do if bitten is to stay calm. Generally, the most serious effect of a rattlesnake bite to an adult is local tissue damage which needs to be treated. Children, because they are smaller, are in more danger if they are bitten.

Get to a doctor as soon as possible, but stay calm. Frenetic, high-speed driving places the victim at greater risk of an accident and increased heart rate. If the doctor is more than 30 minutes away, keep the bite below the heart, and then try to get to the doctor as quickly as possible.

The California Poison Control Center advises:

• Stay calm.

• Wash the bite area gently with soap and water.

• Remove watches, rings, etc, which may constrict swelling.

• Immobilize the affected area.

• Transport safely to the nearest medical facility.

For more first aid information please visit California Poison Control at www.calpoison.com.