LOWER LAKE, Calif. – On Thursday, March 17, Redbud Audubon will welcome wildlife biologist Mike Cardwell, M.S., a nationally recognized expert on venomous animals and the injuries they produce.

The program will take place at the Lower Lake Methodist Church Social Hall, 16255 Second St. The hall is across the parking lot from the Methodist Church. If you are coming through Lower Lake, turn left on Lake Street and then right on Second St.

Refreshments will be served at 7 p.m. with the program at 7:15 p.m.

Cardwell served on the panel of subject matter experts who revised treatment guidelines for North American pit viper bites in 2015, co-authored the chapter on North American venomous reptile bites for the seventh edition of “Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine” and is co-editor of “The Biology of Rattlesnakes,” a 600-page compilation of the work of 98 researchers.

He has been invited to speak at multiple annual meetings of organizations like the Wilderness Medical Society and the National Association for Search & Rescue.

Cardwell has authored numerous articles for both scientific and non-technical publications and his long-term radiotelemetry field study of Mohave rattlesnakes was the first for this species and was prominently featured in Animal Planet’s “Venom ER” television series.

This should be a fascinating program and of great interest to those who live in Lake County, where rattlesnakes are quite at home.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – At the six-month mark of the Valley fire, United Policyholders is asking Valley fire survivors to take a short online survey about their experiences regarding the insurance claims process and the status of their recovery.

The identity of those who participate will be kept confidential when the survey results are analyzed.

Please take the survey today at www.uphelp.org/Vsurvey .

The specific purpose of this survey is to gather information about insurance-related recovery progress and problems from the Valley fire.

The valuable results will help United Policyholders serve Lake County's recovering community and identify coverage issues, individual and common problems and solutions, assess the pace of recovery and the claims handling performance of the various insurers in the region.
 
As a thank you for completing this survey, all email addresses will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 Amazon gift card. The winner will be notified by email.

You can view the survey results when it is completed at www.uphelp.org/surveyresults .

The survey will be open throughout March.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about this project, please feel free to call United Policyholders Program Coordinator Emily Rogan at 800-286-5631.

United Policyholders is a nonprofit organization that does not take any money from insurance companies. United Policyholders started after the 1991 Oakland/Berkeley firestorm.

The organization's mission is to be a trustworthy and useful information resource and an effective voice for insurance consumers.

It provides free tips, tools and resources to make it easier for disaster survivors to get fair and timely settlements.

For more information visit www.uphelp.org .

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Tickets are now on sale for Fashion Festival 2016, a fundraising event for the Lower Lake Historical School Preservation Committee.

The show begins at noon on Saturday, April 2, in the Weaver auditorium, 16435 Main St., Lower Lake.

The cost is $20 per person, and reservations are required.

The event will feature fashions from Lisa’s Sizes 3 to 60 in Clearlake and Anna’s Boutique in the Clearlake Riviera.

This year’s theme is “In the Good Ol’ Summertime.”

Everyone attending is encouraged to wear a summer bonnet and awards will be given for the best themed, most beautiful and most original hats.

Celebrity waiters will be serving a delicious luncheon prepared by Chic Le Chef, and a wonderful array of prizes will be raffled off, with a $100 money hat as the top prize.

Seating is limited; reserve your tickets now by calling the museum at 707-995-3565.

Groups may reserve a table for 10. Only half of the available seats remain so call now.

The Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The American Red Cross and thousands of Home Fire Campaign partners have helped save at least 77 lives and installed more than a quarter of a million smoke alarms in homes all across the country since the campaign launched in October of 2014.

Here in the California Northwest, Red Cross workers and partners have taught 329 youth to be safer in emergencies and installed 812 smoke alarms in 317 Households across 7 neighborhoods.

“Every day seven people die in a home fire somewhere in the United States. Working with our partners, we are changing that by making people safer with each new smoke alarm we install,” said Jeff Baumgartner, American Red Cross of the California Northwest Chapter executive. “The campaign has already helped to save the lives of dozens of people and we know that number will only grow as more alarms are installed and more people take action to prevent home fires.”

The Home Fire Campaign is supported by more than 2,500 local community partners and more than 40 national partner organizations.

Key local partners include: 7-11 Lions Club, Arcata Fire Protection District, American Canyon Fire Protection District, Fieldbrook Fire Department, Fortuna Fire Department, Fortuna Fire Department Explorer Program, Iglesia Cristiana Shalom-Elohoime, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Petaluma Fire Department and Tzu Chi Foundation.

Turn and test

Daylight Saving Time occurs at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning, March 13, and the Red Cross reminds everyone to “turn and test” –  turn their clocks ahead one hour and test their smoke alarms.

If someone’s home is lacking smoke alarms, residents should install smoke alarms on every level of the home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas.

The alarms should be tested every month and the batteries replaced at least once a year, or according to the alarm manufacturer’s instructions.

“With clocks around the country springing forward this weekend, it’s a perfect time for families to test their smoke alarms and practice escaping,” said Baumgartner. “While testing your smoke alarm, practice your fire drill at home until everyone can escape in less than two minutes.”

Every household should develop a fire escape plan and practice it several times a year and at different times of the day.

The plan should include two ways to get out of every room and a place to meet outside. Consider escape ladders for sleeping areas or homes with two stories or more.

People can visit www.redcross.org to find out more about how to protect themselves and their loved ones from fire or visit www.redcross.org/local/ca/santa-rosa/local-programs-services/home-fire-campaign to learn about the location of local smoke alarm installation events.

They can also help by volunteering their time or making a donation today to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting www.redcross.org , calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

Donations to Disaster Relief will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The next meeting of the Green Party of Lake County is set for Sunday, March 20.

The meeting will take place from 4 to 7 p.m. at Round Table Pizza, 821 11th St. in Lakeport.

Guest speakers will be Tina Scott, candidate for District 4 supervisor, at 4:30 p.m., followed at 5:30 p.m. by Voris Brumfield, candidate for District 1 supervisor.

The elections are in June so get informed. Local officials affect you directly. 

Green Party meetings are free and open to the public regardless of politics.

The Lake County Green Party is part of the California Green Party and the Green Party of the US, the third largest political party in the United States.

Contact the Lake County Green Party at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , 707-263-3391, online at www.lakecountygreenparty.bravesites.com or on Facebook.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – Soroptimist International of Clear Lake is searching for the prettiest cocktail dresses and evening gowns, the most glamorous shoes, and the glitteriest accessories to accept as donations for their prom dress giveaway event taking place on March 18 and 19.

All Lake County high school girls are invited to “shop” for their prom ensembles, free-of-charge, at the prom dress giveaway from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 18, and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 19.

The event will take place at the Lower Lake High School Fitness Center at 9430 Lake St.

Prom dress giveaway shoppers are entered into a raffle to win high heels, as well as manicures, pedicures and hair styling gift certificates in preparation for prom.

“Every young woman should be able to attend the Prom. We know how expensive it can be, which is why we created the prom dress giveaway. If you have a dress hanging in your closet that you haven’t worn for a couple of years, we urge you to consider giving it new life by offering it to one of Lake County’s teens,” said Soroptimist President Olga Martin Steele.

Donations of dresses, shoes, accessories and beauty services may be delivered to The Harbor on Main at 16170 Main St., Suite F in Lower Lake or to The HUB at 750 Old Lucerne Road in Upper Lake.

If you would prefer to have your donation picked up, please contact Anna directly at 707-994-5486.

To get involved in the prom dress giveaway, please contact Mari at 707-994-6471, Extension 2725.

Look for the event on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PromProject2016/ and on Instagram at #promdressdriveLC2016.

The prom dress giveaway event is a collaboration of Soroptimist International of Clear Lake, Lake County Office of Education, Healthy Start and Redwood Children Services.