The Senior Peer Counseling program of Konocti Senior Services Inc. is accepting applications for the Fall Volunteer Training to learn to help seniors talk through a discouraging time, cope with losses, access services and adapt to the challenges of older age.

Volunteers will share their experiences with other inspirational volunteers, engage in lively discussions, and receive weekly training in the gifts and challenges of aging.

Volunteers will learn skills such as compassionate listening, strategic coping, and clear communicating. You will learn the secrets of increasing peace of mind, reducing stress, recovering from a loss, building healthy relationships and exploring the spiritual advantages of later life.

As a volunteer, you will spend a total of about four hours a week with clients and attending a group consultation session in Lakeport or Clearlake, including a new evening session to accommodate working seniors.

The group is now accepting a limited number of applications for volunteers throughout Lake County for this free training facilitated by licensed psychotherapist Kim Baughan Young MFT, clinical supervisor; which includes experiential practice, movie clips, lively group discussion and even free lunches.

The training will be held on three Mondays beginning Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Konocti Senior Support’s Senior Peer Counseling program has helped hundreds of Lake County seniors and is rapidly expanding, so please call 707-995-1417 for your application today.

Included are Mendocino County projects that may impact Lake County commuters.

LAKE COUNTY

Highway 20

– Caltrans will perform routine maintenance from Bachelor Valley Road to the Middle Creek Bridge beginning Monday, Oct. 11. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays.

– The County of Lake has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility maintenance near Alpine Park. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns.

MENDOCINO COUNTY

Highway 1

– AT&T of Sacramento has been granted a Caltrans Encroachment Permit for utility maintenance from the Garcia River Bridge to 0.4 mile north of Stonebord Road Monday, Oct. 11, through Wednesday, Oct. 13. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays.

– Replacement of signal heads from the junction of Routes 1/20 to Manzanita Street will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate five-minute delays. Contractor – Republic ITS of Novato.

– Bridge deck repairs at the Union Landing Viaduct will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control will be in effect. Motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Peterson-Chase General Engineering Construction Inc. of Irvine.

Highway 101

– A metal beam guardrail repair project at various locations from 0.1 mile north of the Mendocino/ Sonoma County line to Ukiah will continue. Nighttime work hours are 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday evening through Friday morning. In four-lane sections traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel, and motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. In two-lane sections one-way traffic control will be in effect, and motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Wahlund Construction of Eureka.

– A metal beam guardrail repair project at various locations from the South Ukiah Overhead to 1.0 mile north of Reynolds Highway will continue. In four-lane sections work hours are 24 hours per day from 5 p.m. Sunday through 7 a.m. Friday. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel, and motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. In two-lane sections nighttime work hours are 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday evening through Friday morning. One-way traffic control will be in effect, and motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Wahlund Construction of Eureka.

– A pavement repair project from Lake Mendocino Drive to Moore Avenue will continue. Work hours are 8 p.m. to 3 p.m., Sunday evening through Friday afternoon. Northbound traffic will be restricted to one lane. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Ramps at Lake Mendocino Drive (Exit 552) will be intermittently closed. Motorists will be advised to use an alternate route and may experience minor delays. Contractor – Granite Construction Inc. of Ukiah.

– Culvert repairs just north of Reeves Canyon Road will continue. Work hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel. Motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. Contractor – Granite Construction Inc. of Ukiah.

– Pavement repairs from Steel Lane to 0.6 mile south of Rattlesnake Summit will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., weekdays. In four-lane sections traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel, and motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. In two-lane sections one-way traffic control will be in effect, and motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Mercer-Fraser Co. of Eureka.

– A metal beam guardrail repair project at various locations from the Rock reek Bridge to the Bridges Creek Bridge will continue. In four-lane sections work hours are 24 hours per day from 5 p.m. Sunday evening through 7 a.m. Friday morning. Traffic will be restricted to one lane in each direction of travel, and motorists may experience minor traffic slowdowns. In two-lane sections nighttime work hours are 5 p.m. to 7 a.m., Sunday evening through Friday morning. One-way traffic control will be in effect, and motorists should anticipate 10-minute delays. Contractor – Wahlund Construction of Eureka.

Highway 222

– Replacement of the Russian River Bridge will continue. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., weekdays. One-way traffic control with a temporary signal will be in effect 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Motorists should anticipate 15-minute delays during work hours and five-minute delays at other times. Contractor – CC Myers of Rancho Cordova.

For information pertaining to emergency roadwork or for updates to scheduled roadwork, please contact the California Highway Information Network (CHIN) at 1-800-GAS-ROAD (1-800-427-7623).

Library director Susan Clayton will introduce the program, then library technician Amy Patton and teen volunteer Christie Zurcher will present activities to acquaint teens with some of the library’s electronic resources and with what’s new in teen literature.

During the Lakeport program, a pod cast from the American Library Association will reveal the Teens’ Top 10 Most Popular Books for 2010.

Teen book groups across the country read and reviewed new young adult books, then nominated their favorites, which teens then voted on. The Web site for the Young Adult Services Library Association www.ala.org/yalsa has more information about the Teens’ Top 10 Books.

For teens who like to read but are too busy to read, downloadable audio books might be a solution. Listeners can enjoy the books at their convenience while doing other things.

The library presentation will demonstrate how to download free audio books to portable electronic devices. Accessible through the library Web site, the Overdrive Audiobook catalog owns more than 2300 titles, a collection that grows all the time.

The entertainment segment of the evening will bring the audience into Neal Shusterman’s young adult dystopian tale “Unwind.” What would life be like in a future world where teens can be “unwound’ to supply body parts for other people?

“Unwind” explores that question and provokes the reader to think about what matters in life. The evening will include refreshments, giveaways and prizes for the audience. The library staff invites all book-loving teens to attend this free program and to learn more about the library’s resources.

Visit the Lake County Library website at http://library.co.lake.ca.us or on Facebook.

With a library card, patrons have access to the collections of Lake, Sonoma and Mendocino counties, amounting to more than one million books.

From the library’s online catalog or from an in-library catalog computer, a patron can request books from anywhere in the system and have them delivered to any library branch.

Lakeport Library is located at 1524 N. High St. It's open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday, noon to 8 p.m.

The Lakeport Library can be reached at 707-263-8817.

Seven million young people across the United States participate in 4-H, learning leadership, citizenship and life skills.

In California 4-H claims 130,000 youth members and more than 20,000 adult volunteers, while in Lake County’s 4-H programs numbers more than 361 members and 134 adult volunteers in its 12 clubs.

The Lake County Board of Supervisors recognized 4-H as an official program of the University of California Cooperative Extension on June 6, 1925.

As part of the University of California Cooperative Extension, 4-H is a program where youth learn through opportunities that provide them hands-on experience in 4-H’s mission mandates of science, engineering and technology; healthy living and citizenship.

For more information on the Lake County 4-H Program or to join please contact the UC Cooperative Extension Office at 707-263-6838.

The Landfill and Public Services office will reopen Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Normal operating hours at the landfill are 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

The Public Services office is normally open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information about solid waste issues in Lake County, please call 707-262-1760.

Students make tule dolls at the third annual all-day art and science camp took place at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park and Taylor Observatory in Lake County, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. Photo by Carolynn Jarrett.

LOWER LAKE, Calif. – The third annual all-day art and science camp took place at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park and Taylor Observatory on Saturday, Oct. 2.

Fourth to sixth grade students from throughout the county heard noted archaeologist John Parker greet them with a welcoming chant as they came to his American Indian culture station.

He then talked about aspects of daily living like gathering food, demonstrated arrowhead making and displayed artifacts such as the carrying basket for infants and clay balls used for duck hunting.

Eugenie Steinman and Gus Slokum taught students to make authentic tule dolls which they then decorated with feathers and beads.

Archaeologist Dr. John Parker talks about American Indian life during the art and science camp at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in Lower Lake, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. Photo by Carolynn Jarrett.

Students took a nature walk with Billy Gear and Gayle Gura during which (if they were quiet enough) they saw birds and other wildlife and learned about native and non-native plants.

Tom Nixon and Gae Henry led tours of the Anderson ranch house. Students had a new-found appreciation for the conveniences of modern life when they saw the out house and chamber pots used by the pioneer families.

Don Coffin, Anna McAtee and Dennis Hadley gave students an opportunity to play various musical instruments including an old-fashioned gut bucket.

Coffin also told students about the science of sound, how musical instruments make sound and the basic rule of being in a band: you must be able to listen and play at the same time.

Students learn to play the gut bucket during the art and science camp at Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in Lower Lake, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. Photo by Carolynn Jarrett.

Students were bused to Taylor Observatory where Barbara McIntyre treated them to a planetarium show and set up solar telescopes to see sunspots.

Ginger Ingersoll and John Burke set up microscopes in the adjacent classroom. Students were given a short introduction to using the equipment and preparing a slide. Students were then turned loose to look at prepared slides of plant and animal tissue as well as create a slide of their own cheek cells for viewing.

Outside, Tess Long taught students about the importance of exercise and activity, stretching before exercising and the fun of learning new hip hop moves.

The Clearlake Kiwanis and Clearlake Elks joined forces to offer all students, teen helpers and adult volunteers a delicious pizza lunch.

As they have in the past two years, the Kiwanis went the extra mile once again to bring in the lunch, set up, serve and clean up. Over 100 people were happy recipients of their yummy generosity.

At Taylor Observatory in Kelseyville, Calif., students were shown how to use microscope and prepare slides, then they viewed the slides and drew what they saw. The activity was part of the annual art and science camp on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. Photo by Carolynn Jarrett.

At the end of the day, the students wrote postcards to themselves talking about their experiences. These postcards will be mailed home as a keepsake.

Leif from Middletown wrote, “I really liked all of the things. I enjoyed learning about arrowheads and making reed dolls. I also enjoyed the nature walk.”

Oscar from Clearlake wrote, “I saw a gopher snake and egrets and gulls and a tore up rabbit.”

Lauren from Hidden Valley wrote, “I learned that willow bark and leaves can stop headaches of you chew it. I made music and walked through Anderson Marsh and went to an observatory.”

Hannah from Lakeport wrote, “I enjoyed all of the things. I really did like making dolls and playing music. My favorite was going to the planetarium and learning hip hop dances. I'm planning on hopefully coming back soon and maybe learning more things about this wonderful place.”

This free camp was a collaborative effort of the Children's Museum of Art and Science (CMAS), the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association (AMIA), the Redbud Audubon Society, and the Lake County Office of Education (LCOE).

Students from Carlé High School, who assisted as group leaders and nature walk guides, were also an important part of the day's success.

Tess Long taught students hip hop with attitude at the Taylor Observatory in Kelseyville, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. Photo by Carolynn Jarrett.