LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Green Knights will hold their next meeting on Thursday, Dec. 26.

The group will meet from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Round Table Pizza on 11th Street in Lakeport.

The Green Knights encourages local action to improve life in the community. The actions of individuals will be rewarded and recognized, it only takes one person to make a difference.

The meeting is open to the public at no cost. There will be no host food and drinks.

For more information call 707-263-3391 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – If you're looking for some Christmas cheer, check out how employees of a local store decked out the place for the holiday season.

Westgate Market is filled with dozens of handmade paper snowflakes.

Store customers have called the display “spectacular.”

Employee Susie Nelson made each of the snowflakes to decorate the store.

The store is located at 3740 Highland Springs Road in Lakeport.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Democratic Central Committee will hold its regular meeting on Thursday, Jan. 2.

The monthly meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the group's new south county location at the Lower Lake Methodist Church, 16255 Second St.: http://goo.gl/maps/A8oiW .

Guest speakers for the Jan. 2 meeting will be Bill Dodd, who is running for State Assembly District 4, www.billdodd.com ; and Mike McGuire, running for State Senate District 2, www.MikeMcGuireForSenate.com or www.Facebook.com/SupervisorMikeMcGuire .

Dodd is currently serving as District 4 Supervisor for Napa County and McGuire is currently the District 4 Supervisor in Sonoma County.

Please come and get to know these candidates, their positions on issues that you care about, let them know your concerns and ask questions.

Please visit the Web sites of all the candidates to make an informed decision.

Matt Pope, who currently works for State District 2 Senator Noreen Evans, is running for State Assembly District 4; www.pope2014.com .

Joe Krovoza, the mayor of Davis, is running for State Assembly District 4; www.joekrovoza.org .

Davis City Councilmember Dan Wolk is running for Assembly Dist, 4; www.danwolk.org .

Chris Lehman is running for State Senate District 2; www.ChrisLehman2014.com .

The group also will be finalizing plans for an Affordable Care Act workshop from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, at the Lakeport Senior Center, 527 Konocti Ave.

The agenda for the December meeting also includes reports from representatives for Congressmen Mike Thompson and John Garamendi, Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada and State Senator Noreen Evans, as well as reports from the Stonewall Democratic Club Chair Mark Wickhamshire and representative from the Lake County Democratic Club Paula Mune.

If you would like to get involved, please come to the meeting and they will find a way for you to participate in the Democratic process.

The group invites public participation. Meetings are open to the public and committee membership is open to all registered Democrats.

The Lake County Democratic Central Committee is the official governing body of the Democratic Party in Lake County.

For more information about the Democratic party in Lake County visit www.lakecountydemocrats.org .

Contact the Democratic Party of Lake County at 707-533-4885 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

NORTH COAST, Calif. – Ten science grants were announced this month to collect ecological and socioeconomic information on nearshore ecosystems inside and outside North Coast marine protected areas (MPAs), as the first step in launching a comprehensive baseline monitoring program for the region.

Scientists, fishermen, tribal governments and citizen groups from 31 organizations will work together to develop a baseline of ocean conditions and human uses.

An additional grant will be announced in early 2014.

Over the course of the next three years, projects will monitor habitats including kelp forests, rocky shores and beaches as well as commercially important fish populations and iconic seabirds.

Projects will also document human uses and the socioeconomic dimensions of MPAs, including changing patterns of fishing and recreational ocean use, and examine patterns of ocean currents across the whole region.

“We are committed to working with the North Coast community to expand our understanding of the region, and establish a baseline for evaluating the performance of the MPA network over time,” said Erin Meyer, an associate scientist from the California Ocean Science Trust, one of the collaborating partners launching this program.

The North Coast is the first MPA baseline program in the state to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge (TEK).

Through a collaboration among Smith River Rancheria, InterTribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council, Trinidad Rancheria, and the Wiyot Tribe, traditional knowledge will be gathered through interviews and archival research, and shared as an integral part of understanding historical and current ocean conditions in the region.

“This project is not only important because tribal perspectives and knowledge will be, perhaps for the first time ever, integrated into the state’s resource management scheme. It is also important because it is completely tribally-driven and relies on an approach that respects the cultural and political sovereignty of each participating Tribe,” said Megan Rocha, project lead on behalf of Smith River Rancheria.

These initial awards are the culmination of 18 months of collaborative planning, informed by extensive input from the North Coast community and tribal governments.

Many local organizations and institutions, tribal governments (eight projects), and commercial and recreational fishermen (five projects) will participate in the program.

“I’ve invested many years of my life supporting community partnership-building during the MPA creation process for the North Coast region. I look forward to volunteering with the collaborative fisheries project to help contribute data that will show the benefits, or not, of the MPAs. The ocean is my church; I want to see that it stays healthy,” said Brandi Easter, member of the North Coast Regional Stakeholder Group and North Coast Community Liaison.

“The importance of long and short-term monitoring is extremely valuable to the overall management of our marine resources. Throughout the entire scoping and RFP process, the focus has been on what's best for our coastal environment. With the research projects now funded we can begin the work necessary to take the pulse of the habitats and species that are invaluable to people and, ultimately, the planet,” said Bill Lemos, member of the North Coast Regional Stakeholder Group and North Coast Community Liaison.

Baseline MPA monitoring provides a benchmark against which future MPA performance can be measured, and a more thorough understanding of the condition of ocean ecosystems and ocean-based human activities.

This information is vital to help inform adaptive management and guide long-term MPA monitoring. It provides a foundation for science-informed decision making on ocean issues including fisheries management and climate adaptation.

The North Coast region encompasses approximately 1,027 square miles of state waters from the California/Oregon border south to Alder Creek near Point Arena (Mendocino County).

A regional network of 20 MPAs and seven Special Closures went into effect on Dec. 19, 2012, completing California’s redesigned statewide network.

The North Coast MPA Baseline Program is overseen by a partnership among the California Ocean Protection Council, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Ocean Science Trust and California Sea Grant. The announced projects were solicited through a public call for proposals and selected through a competitive peer-review process.

Visit www.oceanspaces.org to view descriptions of the awarded projects, receive news and updates about the baseline program and learn more about California’s statewide network of MPAs.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – This year’s Big Read in Lake County featured the reading selection, “The Joy Luck Club” by author Amy Tan.

In the novel, the Joy Luck Club is a group of four women who come together to share joy and hope for good luck in their lives through the game of mah jong.

During the Big Read program month of October, volunteers Alan and Margaret “Mac” Mathison of Cobb graciously donated their time and expertise for the beginning mah jong activity, which was offered at the Lakeport branch of the public library.

Through their instruction and explanations, those who attended were inspired to make the night a regular one.

The Big Read not only encourages and supports the reading of literature in America; the community building developed through partnerships and collaborations aspire to bring the public together to enhance individual lives and the local society.

The continuance of the mah jong program at the library provides a positive example of this objective.

Encouraging this community spirit, Lake County Big Read program director Robin Fogel-Shrive chose to designate a tile mah jong set purchased through program funds, to the library, for future recreational enjoyment.

The mah jong group, which plays the Chinese version, meets twice a month at the library on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and is open to beginner and experienced players.

The Lakeport branch is located at 1425 N. High St., Lakeport.

For more information, contact the library at 707-263-8817.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The first Chi Council for the Clear Lake Hitch meeting of the new year will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

The meeting will take place beginning at 3:30 p.m. at the Lake County Agriculture Center, 883 Lakeport Blvd., Lakeport.

The council also is planning a public forum and volunteer training session in advance of the spawning season, tentatively scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday Feb. 12, in the Board of Supervisors chambers in the Lake County Courthouse, 255 N. Forbes in Lakeport.

They are looking to recruit as many new volunteers to observe this year's migration as possible.

For more information about the group visit http://www.lakelive.info/chicouncil .