• Californians with questions about the state’s fire prevention fee billings may contact CalFire at 888.310.6447.

• Nicole Zaborsky has launched a certified mediator business in Lake Tahoe. More info in online.

• The Sugar Pine Foundation collected 27 bags of resistant sugar pine cones this season. That’s more than 40,000 seeds.

• Genoa’s 92nd annual Candy Dance is Sept. 29-30 from 9am-5pm.

• Kirkwood Mountain Resort is having a job fair Oct. 13 from 9am-3pm at the Red Cliffs building.

Join Unity at the Lake for a weekly study of Gloria Karpinski’s book “Barefoot on Holy Ground”.

This is a practical book full of numerous effective exercises and meditations that will help manifest your spiritual intentions in the nitty-gritty reality of everyday life.

All are invited whether you’ve read the book or not.

A donation will be gratefully accepted at each meeting.

For more info, call (530) 544.2266.

The event is Oct. 3 from 6:30-8pm Unity, 1195 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

Unused or expired medications are unsafe to have in the medicine cabinet or drawer. The old advice of flushing them down the toilet or putting them down the drain is no longer environmentally correct.

The best and safest way to dispose of drugs properly is to take the medication to a drug drop off location such as the one that’s taking place Sept. 29 on the North Shore.

No Drugs Down the Drain is from 9am-1pm in Tahoe City at the North Tahoe Fire Protection District Offices and in Truckee at the Nevada County sheriff’s substation.

These practices will help protect aquatic life and preserve water quality and will reduce the amount of pharmaceutical products flowing into the nation’s waterways.

The University of California is hosting a two-part workshop series on succession planning to help forest landowners learn simple techniques to pass their land and its legacy on to the next generation.

The first workshop is being offered at seven locations throughout California. In the central Sierra Nevada, workshops will be in Auburn on Oct. 30, Jackson on Nov. 13, and Sacramento on Nov. 15. All workshops will be from 6-8pm.

During this first workshop, participants will learn the steps needed to plan for passing land along to their heirs. An important first step in this process is clarifying the current owners’ goals and values for their family forest or ranch. This allows landowners to start the discussion with heirs about their long term vision for the property.

Participants will also learn about the financial impacts of ownership transfers across generations.

The second workshop will be after the holidays and will cover the financial and legal approaches and tools such as trusts, limited liability companies, and easements used in succession planning as well as specific planning approaches used to manage land and resources.

Dates and times of the second workshop will be announced later.

Registration for the workshop is $25 per family to cover costs of the family workbook and DVD. Multiple members of each family are encouraged to attend both workshops. For information on registration, locations of the central Sierra workshops or the entire workshop series, go online  or contact Susie Kocher at (530) 542.2571 or sdkocher@ucanr.edu.

Celebrate Teen Read Week at the Douglas County Public Library by taking part in a short story/poetry writing contest about your best Halloween experience.

Stories should be between 500 and 2,500 words. Entrants must be in grades 6-12.

Contest entries will be accepted Oct. 1-13.

The prize is a Halloween pumpkin filled with candy.

Email entries to mpearson@douglas.lib.nv.us.

There will be a Harvest Festival Oct. 27 from 10am to 5pm at the South Lake Tahoe recreation complex.

There will be games, free stuff for kids and families, chili cook-off, cake walk, checkers tournament and more.

The center is at 1082 Rufus Allen Blvd.

For more information, go online.

The six-week Aging and Caregiving Series begins Oct. 8.

Classes are designed to assist caregivers of all stages, while providing professional knowledge on aging related topics.

The Monday classes will be at Embassy Suites in South Lake Tahoe.

For more information, click on the flyer.

Your dog could be the next cover girl (or boy) of the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe 2013 calendar.

Entries are due Oct. 15. Photos must have been taken in and around the Truckee-Tahoe area.

If you have adopted or rescued a dog and would like to show off their happy smiling face, enter your best photos of them enjoying their new lifestyle in the Truckee-Tahoe area in HSTT’s 2013 Calendar Photo Contest.

The theme of the calendar is Rescued dogs of Truckee-Tahoe.

You may submit up to five of your favorite dog photos for the entry fee of $10. You must also submit an official entry form attached with your email submission to dale@hstt.org. Your entry must include a short story (150 words maximum) about your rescued pet(s) for us to include in the calendar if your photo is chosen.

Unity at the Lake invites all interested movie-goers to a special showing of “Peace One Day” on Sept. 28 at 7pm.

This documentary poses the question, “Can one individual really make a difference?” For filmmaker Jeremy Gilley the answer is a resounding yes. After five years, he persuaded the United Nations – and the world – to officially sanction a global ceasefire day.

Donation will be gratefully accepted. For more info, call (530) 544.2266.

Unity is at 1195 Rufus Allen Blvd., South Lake Tahoe.

• Heavenly Mountain Resort expects to fire up its snowmaking guns Nov. 1.

• Expect the highways around Lake Tahoe to be impacted by the Lake Tahoe Marathon Sept. 28-30. This website provides details.

• Truckee is making changes to its transit system starting Oct. 12.

• Sierra Avalanche Center has hired Jenny Hatch as program director.

• Deer hunting season (rifle) began Sept. 22 for the west side of the Tahoe National Forest and it starts Oct. 6 for the east side. Use caution and wear bright colors.