The meeting will open with a presentation on Western Pond Turtles by Professor Nick Geist of Sonoma State University.

Geist has done studies for the past two years on Clear Lake Western Pond Turtles. This species resides in Kelsey Slough and is watched by park visitors throughout the warmer times of the year.

This presentation will be followed by a review of CLSPIA accomplishments during 2009 and a look forward into 2010.

For inquiries regarding the membership meeting, please phone 707-277-7713.

Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road in Kelseyville.

The group raises funds to provide safe and fun graduation activities for seniors.

A bingo fundraiser will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Greenview Restaurant in Hidden Valley Lake.

On March 27, Sober Grad will host a golf tournament at the Hidden Valley Golf Course.

For more information, call Melinda Clouse, 707-928-4088 or cell 707-529-2051.

Do you have a passion for the theater and performing arts? Have you ever wanted to be part of a performing arts center and join the team, but would prefer to work “behind the scenes” instead of on the stage? The first step to involvement is becoming a volunteer!

The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is busy these days: upcoming performances, trees and shrubs to be planted in the new outdoor courtyard, planning for the dressing and restrooms for the performers and fundraising ideas galore.

With such a full agenda, they’re looking for volunteers to be part of this fulfilling and worthy adventure. If you enjoy working with a dedicated and fun-loving organization, now is the time to step forward.

If you would like to get involved, email the theater at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with your interests and experience or send your resume along with your contact information to Soper Reese Theatre,
 P.O. Box 756, 
Lakeport, CA 95453.

For further details and volunteer positions available, feel free to contact Nina Marino at 707-279-4082 (evenings). They look forward to hearing from anyone who wants to help keep the performing arts theater alive and thriving. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is a project of the Lake County Arts Council, a 501 (c) 3 organization. Volunteers staff all theater positions.

THE DATES FOR CANDIDATES FORUMS HAVE BEEN REVISED.

MIDDLETOWN – This month’s Middletown Luncheon Club meeting is on Wednesday, Feb. 17, and the speaker is Dr. Korby Olson, superintendent of the Middletown Unified School District.

The Middletown Luncheon Club is hosting three candidate forums prior to the June election.

The first event on March 17 features the two candidates for Lake County Superintendent of Schools, Judy Luchsinger and Wally Holbrook.

On April 21 it will be the candidates for district attorney: Jon Hopkins (incumbent), Don Anderson and Doug Rhoades.

On May 19 sheriff candidates Rod Mitchell (incumbent), Francisco Rivero and Jack Baxter have been invited to speak. A fourth candidate, Martin McCarthy, also will be invited.

Keep in mind that the list of candidates could change since the actual filing period for the June election doesn’t close until March 12.

The club meets on the third Wednesday of each month at noon at the Middletown Methodist Church social hall. Cost for lunch is $5.

Everyone is welcome, but please RSVP for the candidate forums if you do not regularly attend Luncheon Club meetings. Call 707-928-9812 and leave a message. Only the first 50 people can be accommodated for lunch.

Cash and other prizes will be given in three categories: elementary school age; middle school and high school age; and adult.

In addition, a grand prize winning entry will be chosen and then reproduced as next year’s Kelseyville Olive Festival Poster. All poster entries should represent a Kelseyville Olive Festival theme.

Select entries will be on display at the Kelseyville Olive Festival and reproductions of the winning posters will be available for sale.

To be eligible, all entries must be submitted on paper with minimum dimensions of 8.5 inches by 11 inches and maximum dimensions of 11 inches by 17 inches.

Each entry must include the entrant’s name, age, and phone number printed legibly on the back. All printable media will be accepted. All entries become the property of the Kelseyville Olive Festival for future publication and promotion.

Deadline is March 1.

Entries must be delivered to one of the following locations: Lake County Arts Council/Main Street Gallery, 325 N. Main St., Lakeport; Lake Family Resource Center, 5350 Main St., Kelseyville; or Rosa d’Oro Vineyards, 3915 Main St., Kelseyville.

Presented by Rosa d’Oro Vineyards and the Kelseyville Olive Mill & Wine Co, and a benefit for Lake Family Resource Center, the inaugural Kelseyville Olive Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to

5 p.m. Sunday, March 21, at the Kelseyville Olive Mill located at 5625 Gaddy Lane in Kelseyville.

For contest details or for information about the Kelseyville Olive Festival, contact Livia Kurtz, Rosa d’Oro Vineyards, at 707-279-0483 or visit www.kelseyvilleolivefestival.com .

The state still owns the spectacular vistas, historic sites, and world-class beaches, but roofs and sewage systems leak, trails are washed out regularly (but not restrooms!), and campgrounds and visitor centers are shuttered.

The repair backlog tops $1 billion, and it keeps on growing.

If that weren't enough, twice in the past two years the parks were held hostage in the budget process, with systemwide shut downs threatened.

Last minute reprieves have kept them open, but many are now operating with reduced hours or calendars, and more reductions are expected next year, while user fees go up and up.

Here in Lake County, both Clear Lake State Park and Anderson Marsh State Historic Park were threatened with closure in 2008, and Anderson Marsh went back on the chopping block again last year. We simply can't afford to lose these precious community assets, which besides providing wonderful recreational opportunities for residents and visitors alike, preserve significant natural resources and offer invaluable educational resources for our young people.

It’s time to fix this mess, which is why park supporters want to place a statewide initiative on the November 2010 ballot.

The “California State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010” will provide the permanent, stable, long-term funding our parks need by establishing a trust fund to be spent only on state parks, wildlife and marine conservation, and state conservancies.

Funding will come from an $18 surcharge on the registration fee for California vehicles, including motorcycles and recreational vehicles but not larger commercial vehicles, mobile homes, and permanent trailers. Surcharged vehicles will receive free admission to all state parks.

In comparison, park visitors currently pay up to $125 for an annual pass or $10 to 15 per day at most parks. There will still be charges for camping and other special services.

Spending from the trust fund will be subject to oversight by a citizen’s board, full public disclosure, and independent annual audits. Money from the general fund currently spent on parks will be available for other vital needs, including schools, health care, social services, and public safety.

Here’s how we can help.

This initiative proposal has been endorsed by the California State Parks Foundation, Audubon California and the Sierra Club.

Volunteers are helping to gather the 700,000 signatures needed to get the measure on the ballot by tabling outside stores and other places of public assembly, circulating petitions among their neighbors, and so forth.

The campaign kicked off in January and will last until April 17.

If you could donate a little time to this effort please get in touch with Victoria Brandon at 707-994-1931 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

The campaign will provide petition forms, tabling signs, full instructions, and try to connect partners so that volunteers don't have to work alone.