LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Area Agency on Aging of Lake & Mendocino Counties (AAA) is currently in the process of updating its Resource Directory for Older Adults.

The AAA makes every effort to compile a useful guide for residents of Lake and Mendocino counties.

The 2015-16 edition is undergoing a renovation and will be a full-color directory of programs, services and agencies which assists older adults in their daily lives.

Organizations and resources will be much easier to find in the new version, with each section being color-coded renamed in more user-friendly language.

This free, invaluable, comprehensive guide can be picked up in multiple locations throughout Lake and Mendocino counties, and is also available on the AAA Web site at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Social+Services/AAA/Docs/Directory.pdf .

From social workers to family care providers, you will find a resource directory always within reach of those in search of local programs and services for older adults.

In addition to acting as a specialized “yellow pages,” the Resource Directory for Older Adults contains a wealth of information including tips on caring for caregivers, a health and medication management checklist, a widow/widower checklist, and other helpful hints for older adults and their caregivers.

The Area Agency on Aging of Lake & Mendocino Counties is soliciting sponsors and donors to help supplement the cost of printing and distribution of the Directory.

The 2015-16 Resource Directory for Older Adults will be available late spring this year.

For more information on advertising in or donating to the 2015-2016 Resource Directory for Older Adults, please contact the Area Agency on Aging of Lake & Mendocino Counties at 707-995-4680 or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

UPPER LAKE, Calif. – One hundred 50 years ago this month was one of the most momentous months in American history.

Robert E. Lee surrendered his army of Northern Virginia on April 9, which triggered the rapid collapse of the Confederate States of America. Five days later, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.

For most slaves, Confederate defeat in April 1865 finally meant freedom as the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation could finally be applied to designated areas where most slaves resided.

Hundreds of thousands of slaves in the United States remained in bondage and had to await the passing of the 13th Amendment before they would become free, eight months later.

These are the topics that will be discussed at this month's Redwood Empire Civil War Roundtable.

The meeting will be held at the Tallman Hotel in historic Upper Lake on Monday, April 6, at 6:15 p.m.

Zane Jensen and Phil Smoley, co-founders of the group, will lead the discussion through a multimedia presentation.

The roundtable began in January 2011 to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War.

The group has attempted to follow events of the war month by month, each month being the 150th anniversary of events during the war.

The roundtable has covered most every aspect of that tumultuous time period of our country's history. 

Sixteen different speakers have covered more than 100 topics ranging from secession and the start of the war, to the battles and locations, to technologies and advances in medicine, to people and leaders.  In the coming months, the discussion will focus on the Reconstruction period.

Attendance is free and open to everyone, from the novice to expert. Reservations are not necessary.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Lakeport Rotary Club will present its 90th annual Easter egg hunt on Sunday, April 5, at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Lakeport, 401 Martin St.

Families should gather at the main gate to the fairgrounds on Martin Street to participate in the hunt.  

The gates will open at 1:15 p.m. and Rotarians will direct children to the age-appropriate section to find their eggs.

Each year a different color is selected as a “pay egg” and children are paid $1 for every pay egg collected.

There also are silver eggs and gold eggs which reap much larger prizes when they are brought to the “pay table.”

Thanks to the courtesy and generosity of Clear Lake Redi-Mix for many years, Rotarians gather at their location in Lakeport on the Friday evening prior to Easter and color 2,880 eggs. Amazingly enough, the process takes only a couple of hours.

The Lakeport Rotary Club is proud to have brought this event to the community for 90 years.

MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. – Starting Monday, April 6, personal use firewood permits will be available for purchase from the Mendocino National Forest.

Permits are $5 per cord of wood, with a minimum purchase of four cords for $20. The permits are good through December 31, 2015.

The wood does not have to be cut at the same time. All firewood removed must be dead and down. It is illegal to remove firewood from the national forest without a valid permit.

Permits are available in person or by mail order from one of the Forest offices listed below. Mail order forms are available online at www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

If a person is unable to cut the wood themselves, they can obtain a third party authorization when they purchase their permit that will allow someone else to cut or gather the wood.

All firewood permit sales are final, with no refunds. Permittees will receive tags and a map of the Forest.

Permit holders should be aware that federal and state quarantines to prevent the spread of sudden oak death (SOD) are in effect for Lake and Mendocino counties.

Any firewood cut in these counties can only be transported into other SOD quarantine counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Humboldt, Marin, San Francisco, Monterey, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano and Sonoma.

Firewood permits can be purchased from the following offices:

Mendocino National Forest Supervisor’s Office/Grindstone Ranger District Office
825 N. Humboldt Ave., Willows, CA 95988
530-934-3316
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Stonyford Work Center
5171 Stonyford-Elk Creek Road, Stonyford, CA, 95979
530-963-3128
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 1- 4:30 p.m.

Covelo Ranger Station
78150 Covelo Road, Covelo, CA 95428
707-983-6118
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 1-4:30 p.m.

Upper Lake Ranger Station
10025 Elk Mountain Road, Upper Lake, CA 95485
707-275-2361
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., 1-4:30 p.m.

Gathering firewood is important to many individuals and families surrounding the Mendocino National Forest.

Following are some tips for a safer experience.

· Plan your trip. Check the weather, bring plenty of warm clothes for spring and fall through winter cutting, water, emergency food, and the appropriate gear for the season when you are gathering firewood. Make sure you have a full tank of gas when you leave and are prepared for changing conditions in the mountains! Also, let someone know where you are going and when you plan to be back.

· Keep vehicles on designated roads and be aware of changing weather and road conditions. Wet dirt roads can quickly turn to mud, making it possible to get stuck and causing damage to road, soil and water resources. If there are puddles in the road, mud flipping off the tires or you can see your ruts in the rearview mirror, consider pulling over and taking a hike to look for wood, or turning around and finding a different area to cut your firewood.

· As we enter fire season, be aware of fire restrictions or closure orders that may be in place restricting where you can go. Make sure you have a spark arrester on chainsaws and any other mechanical equipment being used.

· Make sure you are cutting firewood on the Mendocino National Forest and not from other federal, state or private lands.

For more information, please contact the Mendocino National Forest or visit www.fs.usda.gov/mendocino .

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Clear Lake High School Latino Club is holding its annual taco feed at the Terrace Middle School cafeteria in Lakeport from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 15.

For $6, diners will be served two tacos, beans, rice and a drink.

After the meal, stay for the Clear Lake High School Spring concert, next door at the MAC activity center.

Tickets are available from members of the Latino Club or at the door.

Funds from the taco feed are used to provide scholarships for Latino Club members.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County residents are urged to be on their guard against a scam using the Publisher's Clearing House name.

The Lake County Chamber of Commerce said that some people are receiving calls from someone claiming to be from Publisher’s Clearing House telling them they are an award recipient and are required to pay a fee of any amount.

The chamber said the caller is a scam artist; Publisher's Clearing House does not require a fee to award a prize.