CLEARLAKE – A meet the candidates event and barbecue will be held Friday, June 4, in Clearlake.

The event will begin at 6 p.m.

Come meet candidates for local offices and discuss your issues with them before you mark your ballots on June 8.

Live entertainment will be offered by “Off the Hook,” with wine poured courtesy of Tulip Hill Winery.

Donations will be accepted.

The event will be held at Sunset Fishing Resort, 13961 Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake.

RSVP by calling 707-994-6642.

LOWER LAKE – Can native plants coexist with non-natives? How land managers can use environmental heterogeneity to protect native species diversity in California grasslands will be the subject of a lecture on Saturday, June 5, at the McLaughlin Reserve.

The lecture will take place from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., with an optional mini field trip from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Angela Brandt, a Ph.D. student at Oregon State University, will present the lecture.

Brandt will discuss how environmental conditions, such as rainfall and soil characteristics, can vary dramatically across time and space.

Many plant species may take advantage of these heterogeneous conditions in the environment to coexist with their competitors. For example, one species might perform best in wet years, thus another species that competes with it for resources can do better in drier years.

Understanding how native and nonnative species could use this environmental heterogeneity to coexist is critical to both ecological understanding and management of invaded ecosystems, such as the California grasslands.

Over 9 million hectares of grasslands in California are currently dominated by Eurasian annual grasses and forbs that primarily invaded in the mid-1800s.

Are nonnative species outcompeting and displacing all native species, or do we see some plants coexisting by responding to environmental heterogeneity?

Brandt is conducting grassland community research at three University of California natural reserves – McLaughlin, Hastings and Sedgwick. She is interested in exploring spatio-temporal patterns of plant community diversity and how these patterns can inform our understanding of how species coexist.

The goal of her work is to tie these ideas in with biological invasions to determine whether native and nonnative species interact differently with the environment and whether native species can persist in areas that are heavily invaded with nonnatives.

After the talk, Brandt will lead a mini field trip to two of her plots for those interested in continuing discussion of the results and ideas she has presented. This will also be a great opportunity to see how different two areas of "grassland" can be, even when they are located near to each other.

Registration is required. Registration closes Friday, June 4.

Contact Cathy Koehler at telephone 707-995-9005 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to register.

The McLaughlin Reserve is located at 26775 Morgan Valley Road, Lower Lake.

LAKEPORT – The Lakeport Main Street Association is excited to bring Outdoor Movie and Dinner Night to Library Park on Sunday, May 30.

This event is a fundraiser for the 2010 Lakeport Fireworks show and artwork in Lakeport and this exciting evening is the association's way of assisting a win-win for the community.

Imagine being in your favorite spot at Library Park enjoying that great old movie “ET the Extra-Terrestrial” on a larger-than-life movie screen while you and your family lounge on your favorite blankets. We encourage you to bring your own lawn chairs for a more comfortable viewing.

Dinner will consist of a baked pasta provided by Park Place Restaurant, salad provided by Molly Brennan’s Pub, Garlic French Bread provided by Main Street Pizza and dessert will provided by Angelina’s Bakery. We also will have coffee by Kelsey Creek Coffee Co.

There will be a beer and wine reception at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. and the move will start at dusk, approximately 8:15 p.m.

The cost for this wonderful evening is $20 per person for adults, $10 each for children under 12.

The sponsors for this event are The Lakeport Main Street Association, Lake Event Designs, Park Place Restaurant, Molly Brennan’s Pub, Main Street Pizza, Angelina’s Bakery, Kelsey Creek Coffee Company, The Kitchen Gallery, Shari’s Secret Garden, Watershed Books, De Leon Engineering, Lakeport Tire and Auto, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, AGM Properties, Margaret Silveira, The Travel Center, Pieces Boutique, Strong Financial Network, Hillside Honda, and Peggy Campbell.

Marketing sponsors include the Lake County Record-Bee, Lake County News, BiCoastal Media and the Lake County Regional Chamber of Commerce.

We would like to thank each and every one of these businesses for all of their community support. We could not have events without the continued assistance from our local business community.

The community has always been very supportive of the fireworks in Lakeport and although everyone is facing challenges in the current economy, there seems to be a widespread desire to carry on this great American tradition.

Tickets may be purchased in advance from The Kitchen Gallery at 301 N. Main St. in Lakeport, Hillside Honda at 460 S. Main St. in Lakeport, the Lake County Regional Chamber of Commerce at Vista Point and Shari’s Secret Garden at 240 N. Main St, Lakeport.

For more information please call 707-263-8843.

LAKEPORT – A tool sale will be held rain or shine this Saturday, May 22, at Clear Lake High School.

The sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the school's Industrial Arts Wing of CLHS, 350 Lange St., toward the end of the high school in the back parking lot, in Lakeport.

There will be a large variety of tools for sale, mostly auto-related. All tools were in working condition when removed from service, unless obvious defects show otherwise.

Tools are sold “as is, where is” and no guarantees are offered. Tools may be plugged in and powered up for inspection.

Auto tools include hand tools as well as shop equipment. Highlights include jacks/jackstands, valve grinder, electrical test equipment, battery chargers, tire machines, alignment machines, tune up machines, Lincoln arc welder, portable air tanks, lubrication equipment, air/pneumatic arbor press, woodworking tools include a large radial arm saw and 15-inch planer.

Items will be priced to sell. A list of most of the tools is attached, some of the small hand tools may no longer be available.

If you have questions about a specific piece of equipment, contact John Moorhead at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Clear Lake High School Woodshop also will host a sale of student work as a fundraiser. Student projects include furniture, work benches, cutting boards, small boxes and more.

NICE – The newly chartered Northshore Lions Club is looking for new members.

Please come to find out more about their exciting new club on Thursday, May 20.

Meetings take place on the third Thursdays of the month, with a social hour beginning at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. at the program at 7:30 p.m.

The group meets at the Marina Grill in Nice.

For more information call 707-274-9952.

The lucky winner of the Konocti Lioness Club's Mother's Day gift basket drawing on Saturday, May 8, 2010, was Val Nixon of Clearlake Riviera in Kelseyville, Calif. Courtesy photo.

The group's “Camperships for Kids” fund was increased by $525, enabling the club to sponsor additional Lake County youngsters with special needs to special summer camp.

This fundraiser could not have been successful without the support of community members.

The winning ticket was drawn on Saturday, May 8.

Val Nixon of Clear Lake Riviera was the lucky winner.