NICE, Calif. – Come enjoy an Italian style dinner and dance Saturday, Sept. 11, at the Sons of Italy.

They will serve Chicken Parmesan, rigatoni, salad, French bread with dessert, at the club hall, 2817 E. Highway 20 in Nice.

The bar will be open for socializing at 5 p.m. then dinner will be served at 6 p.m.

Enjoy dancing to music of Jim Williams, right after the meal.

All tickets cost $15 at the door. Everyone is welcome.

For information about this event or renting the hall for your own, call 707-263-1606.

LAKEPORT – Peter Windrem, a local attorney and long-time Lake County resident, is guest speaker for Lake County Land Trust annual dinner, Saturday, Oct. 9, 5 p.m., at Moore Family Winery, 11990 Bottle Road, Kelseyville.

His presentation is “Chi and the Lake County Land Trust – A Fish Story.”

As consultant to the Lake County Land Trust, Windrem helped facilitate two Land Trust projects, Rodman Slough Preserve and the Black Forest.

A conservationist, Windrem grew up in Kelseyville and graduated from Kelseyville High School. His family still owns their home ranch near Finley.

Windrem’s conservation action includes preservation of Boggs Lake with the California Native Plant Society and the formation of the Lake County Energy Council, the first group to review local impacts of geothermal development.

He’s a founding member of the local chapter of the Sierra Club, and a founding member of Chi Council for the Clear Lake Hitch, a group dedicated to protection and preservation of Clear Lake’s most threatened native fish.

As a real estate attorney, Windrem helped the land trust negotiate a complicated purchase of Rodman Slough Ranch. The 1999 purchase required numerous documents and escrows because of interim financing and other aspects of the transaction. He donated his time and knowledge to facilitate the deal.

Windrem also served as the trust’s pro-bono attorney for the purchase of the Black Forest on the slopes of Mt. Konocti, another complicated transaction involving numerous parties, including the Bureau of Land Management, current Black Forest owners.

Most recently, Windrem spearheaded Lake County’s purchase of 1,700 acres on Mt. Konocti, soon to become a public park and hiking area.

Windrem and his wife, Kathy, live on their ranch in Kelseyville. They have two children and now enjoy their three grandchildren.

Event tickets are $60 per person for dinner by Ciao Thyme Catering, Lake County wines, live music, and silent auction.

Tickets are available by calling 707-262-0707 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Proceeds from the dinner support the Land Trust’s preservation of Lake County’s beautiful places, as well as operate Rodman Slough Preserve and Nature Education Center on Clear Lake’s north shore.

Lake County Land Trust is a nonprofit, 501(c)3, volunteer group working cooperatively with landowners, private groups and governmental agencies to protect important local land resources including lakeside areas, wetlands, wildlife habitats, parks, forests, watersheds, riparian stream corridors and trails.

For more information, see www.lakecountylandtrust.org. Follow Lake County Land Trust on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lower-Lake-CA/Lake-County-Land-Trust/137282176534?ref=ts&__a=10& and Twitter at http://twitter.com/lclandtrust.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Chef Christina Basor will teach you how to make your favorite Italian recipes, including pizza, using fresh, plant-based ingredients with no wheat, dairy or sugar in a course on Sunday, Sept. 19.

The class will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 375 N. Main St., Lakeport.

The cost is $35 per person, with lunch included.

The menu for the “Raw Italy” class includes almond pizza crust, fresh marinara, pine nut Parmesan and walnut “sausage” – all the ingredients of a delicious raw vegan pizza.

The class also includes Caesar salad with an amazing creamy Caesar dressing, a zucchini linguine marinara and crème caramel.

With the exception of the pizza crust all the recipes can be made in just minutes. The pine nut Parmesan can be made in a large batch and stored for months to use on salads, tacos and everything else on which you want that cheesy taste.

The walnut sausage can top the Caesar salad for a hearty Italian flavor. The crème caramel with the caramel sauce is just like grandma used to make and will quickly be a family favorite.

Come to the class, have fun with friends and enjoy a delicious lunch.

Please RSVP so they will know how many guests to expect. Call Basor at 707-489-3600 to RSVP.

For new class announcements and free recipes visit www.rawchefchristina.blogspot.com.

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The usual cornucopia of Lake County’s food harvest crests this time of year with the likes of tomatoes, cucumbers and squash.

A group of organic growers in the Kelseyville area, though, have expanded the variety of Lake County grown food crops and pushed the county’s locally consumed food production to new heights.

Full Moon Farm, Love Farm, Bio Farm and Leonardis Organics, some of Lake County’s newest and innovative organic growers, are offering a unique variety of some old favorites, such as Leonardis’ heirloom varieties of tomatoes that present themselves as Rembrandts in color, texture and flavor; Bio Farm’s cherry-sized tomato mix that blends Sun Gold, Sweet Million and Red Pear; and Love Farm’s Sun Gold, Red Cherry and Black Cherry medley, that add a sweet splash to any summer salad.

The long-enjoyed summer favorites of cucumbers, such as lemon, are offered by Full Moon Farm and Leonardis Organics, but these growers also grow distinctive cucumber varieties such as the Chinese Suyo Long, Italian Heirloom Tortarello Abruzzese, Striped Armenian and the Japanese Satsuki Midori, which reminds the connoisseur that cucumbers are part of the melon family.

Melon season is upon these growers, too.

Bio Farm features Charentais, a French heirloom that is smaller and sweeter than the American cantaloupe and considered to be the most flavorful in the world.

Full Moon Farm offers the succulent Bella Dulce melon and Eden’s Gem, a spicy, softball-sized heirloom melon. Heirloom varieties are a favorite of all these growers as they retain complex flavors over modern day varieties and contribute to biodiversity in our food crops. Full Moon Farm saves seeds from those plants that perform well in our climate, creating a future of varieties well-suited for Lake County soils and climate.

Along with spicing up the seasonal favorites, the growers are experimenting with great success other culinary delights such as Bio Farm’s Bintje and Pink Pearl potatoes, Full Moon Farm’s Inca Gold potatoes, and Love Farm’s Russian Fingerling potatoes.

Leonardis Organics offers several Italian varieties of eggplants, Italian sweet peppers, such as Nardellos and Ruffled Pimiento, and heirloom varieties of summer squash, including the smooth tasting and tender French Ronde de Nice, which grow in variegated green, round balls.

Love Farms is becoming well known for tender and sweet lettuces long beyond the normal growing season, and the melt-in-your-mouth, sweet and juicy peach varieties that Love has planted strategically to ripen over extended periods, lengthening their availability, are reaching their peak ripeness.

Leonardis features Genovese basil, the favored basil for pesto, as well as buttery edamame (fresh soy beans) and Blue Lake and Palermo green beans. Bio Farm has an early stock of winter squash and pumpkins ripening in their fields.

All of the farms are certified organic, save Love Farm which farms organically but is not certified, and all are working together to increase local variety, extend the growing season and to find the varieties that are most prolific in Lake County, while increasing availability to local food consumers and decreasing duplication of production.

Residents and visitors can enjoy the broad variety offered by these pioneering producers through a variety of local food venues such as the weekly farmers’ markets, the Lake County Community Co-op’s online ordering system, local retail stores and featured at local restaurants.

Farmers’ market locations include Kelseyville’s Steele Winery (Saturdays, 8:30 a.m. to noon through October), Lakeport’s Library Park (Wednesdays, 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and Clearlake’s Redbud Park (Fridays, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. through September).

On a weekly basis, residents can purchase from these producers through the Lake County Community Co-op’s (www.lakeco-op.org) newly released FOODS (facilitated online ordering and distribution system).

These farmers supply the co-op’s CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes, and now, members of the Co-op can pick and choose from the weekly plentifulness of offerings by these producers and have the products delivered to any one of 10 convenient drop points throughout the county on Thursdays.

Local stores now carrying these producers are Nature's Food Center in Lakeport and the Market at Harbin Hot Springs. Local restaurants now featuring their products include the Saw Shop in Kelseyville, Zino’s Ristorante in Soda Bay, Twin Pines Manzanita Restaurant in Middletown, and the Blue Wing in Upper Lake.

These growers welcome visitors to their farms and most will prepare orders in advance of pick up. To contact the farmers directly:

Bio Farm – Judith and Leonard Diggs, 707-695-7705, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

Full Moon Farm – Doug and Sean Mooney, 707-245-5770, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

Leonardis Organics – Jim Leonardis, 707-483-4004, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;

Love Farm – Teale Love 707-349-7880, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proclaimed September 2010 as Disaster Preparedness Month in California and has urged all Californians to take action now to prepare their families and communities for disasters.

“It is vital that citizens take the proper steps to prepare for a disaster,” said Schwarzenegger. “When Californians take important precautions such as making sure our homes are fire-ready or equipped to handle earthquakes, we can all be more prepared for the real harm a disaster can bring.”

Many Californians have taken initial steps toward earthquake preparedness, but more than 60 percent of Californians have not done enough to make their homes safer and guard their personal finances in preparation for an inevitable, large-scale earthquake, according to a recent California Earthquake Preparedness Survey.

Fewer than 20 percent have participated in neighborhood disaster planning or have received specific disaster trainings and fewer than 50 percent have participated in disaster trainings at work.

“Understanding your level of risk is important, but action is required to save lives and property,” said California Emergency Management Agency Secretary Matthew Bettenhausen. “Every Californian should be prepared to be self sufficient for at least 72 hours after a major disaster. Every Californian is an essential member of our state’s emergency response team. By taking a few simple steps now, each of us can make sure we are better prepared for the next emergency or disaster.”

The California Emergency Management Agency and CaliforniaVolunteers provide the following 10 disaster preparedness tips:

– Identify your risk: What are the hazards where you live or work? Find out what natural or human caused disasters pose a risk for you. Do you live near a flood plain, an earthquake fault, or in a high fire danger area? Are you prepared for an unexpected human-made disaster that can strike any time? Does your neighborhood or community have a disaster plan?

– Create a family disaster plan: Your family needs a plan that tells everyone: where to meet if you have to evacuate; who you’ve identified as an out-of-state family contact; how to get emergency information in your community; and how to take care of your family pets. The plan should include your children's school policies for emergencies and how you will reconnect in case of disaster. Also create an "I'm OK" contact list on your cell phone so you can quickly send updates via text or social media website and make calls to let your family know you are safe and where you are located. Keep contact numbers and emails of family member on electronic devices up to date. You can also register your family's emergency contact information with the National Next of Kin Registry.

– Practice your family disaster plan: After you have sat down with your family and written your plan, practice it. Start by having family members meet at a designated spot outside your home, as you would after a fire or after the shaking stops. Know how to respond in the event of any disaster and whether to stay put indoors or whether to evacuate your neighborhood by car. If your family needs to evacuate, know the proper evacuation procedures and routes as determined by your local emergency services office.

– Build a disaster kit for your home and car: In order to be self-sufficient until help arrives, you need to have a disaster supply kit. Have at least a three-day supply of food and water for all family members.

– Prepare your children: Talk to your kids about risks and what your family will do if disaster strikes.

– Keep in mind those with special needs: Prepare for those with unique needs such as small children, seniors or individuals with disabilities.

– Learn CPR and first aid: Contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross today and get trained on basic first aid and CPR. Your training could save the life of a loved one or neighbor following a disaster.

– Secure your space in your home and the workplace: You must secure the contents of your home or office to reduce hazards, especially during shaking from an earthquake or from an explosion.

– Understand post 9/11 risks: Disaster preparedness must account for man-made disasters as well as natural ones. Knowing what to do during an emergency is an important part of being prepared and may make all the difference when seconds count.

– Get involved and volunteer: Donate blood, join a local Community Emergency Response Team, educate your neighbor or volunteer with your local American Red Cross.

“We recently launched the CaliforniaVolunteers Disaster Corps to coordinate trained disaster volunteers statewide,” said Secretary of Service and Volunteering, Karen Baker. “We urge Californians to volunteer for local disaster preparedness efforts now before a disaster occurs. Trained disaster volunteers are a huge asset in helping neighbors and the community.”

A variety of free online disaster preparedness resources such as a customized family plan, personalized children’s book and disaster preparedness tips are available online at www.CaliforniaVolunteers.org/familyplan.

Additional disaster preparedness resources are available at www.calema.ca.gov.

The text of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Disaster Preparedness Month proclamation is available at http://gov.ca.gov/proclamation/15881/.

SACRAMENTO – Both houses of the Legislature have approved a resolution by Assemblyman Wesley Chesbro (D-North Coast) urging the United States Congress to establish a comprehensive framework to adapt the nation’s natural environment and ecosystems to the impacts of climate change.

Assembly Joint Resolution 26 is now on the governor’s desk.

“We know that climate change is already having a major impact on California’s environment,” Chesbro said. “Sea levels have risen as much as seven inches along the coast over the past century. These impacts are increasing erosion and degrading water quality and they threaten the food webs of fish and marine life in ways not yet fully understood.”

AJR 26 would request that Congress establish an all-inclusive framework, including dedicated funding, for adapting wildlife, habitats, coasts, watersheds, rivers and other natural resources and ecosystems to the impacts of climate change.

Currently, California lacks a dedicated funding source for programs to protect the state from climate change.

“It is imperative for Congress to support the states’ strategies to address climate change and provide funding for these strategies to protect the health of our precious natural resources and the communities that depend on them,” Chesbro said. “California understands the importance of addressing climate impacts today. The California Natural Resources Agency, in coordination with other state agencies, has recently developed the state’s first strategy to identify and prepare for impacts already occurring and expected future impacts.”