The third annual regional economic development summit in Ukiah is tomorrow and Friday. The group including the Greater Ukiah Business and Tourism Alliance, the Redwood Coast Region and more, are getting together at the Ukiah Valley Conference Center. The summit aims to include four counties via the State of the Redwood Coast Region. Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake and Mendocino Counties and tribal lands will be included in the regional opportunity to grow local economies. The agenda for tomorrow will include growing rural counties and attracting businesses with a speech from banking professionals. Ukiah plans to host a reception at 5:30 with food and craft vendors on Church Street. The group plans to focus on how smaller communities can work together to make themselves more resilient to natural disasters. Friday, the summit will discuss housing and industry.
If you are a hunter, you are certainly aware that general deer hunting season has now begun for the B zone in the Mendocino National Forest. Forest officials remind hunters that most public land within Mendocino National Forest is open to hunting. However, the Sheet Iron Mountain State Game Refuge is north of Snow Mountain Wilderness. Some of the trails and campgrounds are still closed due to that Slide Fire earlier this season. Information about the 2023 California Deer Hunt Zones is available on the CDFW website. The Mendocino National Forest falls within parts of the A, B1, B2, B3 and B5 deer zones. If you do hunt, remember to make sure you have the appropriate deer tag for the deer zone in which you are hunting.
Don’t forget that this Saturday is the annual Ukiah Valley Russian River Cleanup. It is held on Coastal Cleanup Day and runs from 8:30am to Noon. It’s a chance for you to make a difference by coming out to pick up trash in our tributaries before it enters the Russian River this winter. They will be handing out free T-shirts from Russian Riverkeeper. Bring a water bottle, sturdy shoes, and work gloves. They strongly discourage flip-flops! Meet at Low Gap Park at 8:30 AM to grab coffee from Black Oak Coffee Roasters and some snacks before dividing into groups and heading out to locations around Ukiah. The event is co-sponsored by the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District, Mendocino County Water Agency, and Redwood Waste Solutions, along with numerous local partners including the City of Ukiah and Black Oak Coffee Roasters.
The Lakeport City Council is meeting tonight at 6pm. The Assistant City Manager will ask the council for a grant administration for the Adams Asby Group to help the city with state and federal grants including the Community Development Block Grant. During the meeting, Lake County News reports there will be a resolution requested by the Public Works Director to revise parking zones. The council will also consider accepting and approving the Clear Lake Open Bass Tournament and the CLHS Homecoming Parade.
Today and tomorrow are the days for the annual Veterans Stand Down, hosted by the Lake County Vet Connect members. It’s an outreach event for local veterans and active military personnel who might benefit from Veterans’ resources. Both days, resources will include many Veterans services like VetWorks, disability services, DMV, housing and homeless assistance, behavioral health, substance abuse counseling, employment assistance, advance care planning, child support assistance and much more. The Stand Down runs from 9am to 4pm today and tomorrow. Everything will take place at the Lake County Fairgrounds on Martin Street in Lakeport.
October is just around the corner and early in the month, Ukiah Regional Airport will be closing for about one month. It’s all for the completion of a federally funded project to narrow its runway and install a new runway lighting system to improve safety conditions. According to the airport manager, the city-operated airport will close to all fixed-wing aircraft traffic from October 2nd to November 6th to complete the project, which by the way is mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA awarded the airport a $2.2 million grant to implement the project. In addition to narrowing the runway, the FAA grant will fund the upgrading of airfield lighting to provide better visibility for pilots, reducing the risk of accidents and improving overall efficiency.
