On Saturday February 9th, starting at 11 a.m. the village-spirited residents of Caspar will be gathering, bringing clippers, gloves, and pick-up trucks for a bit of early spring trimming and community clean-up. A crew will be needed to tackle the shrubbery around the old Caspar Schoolhouse as well as other clean-up chores. The Caspar Community organization has worked for many years to acquire the school and make it into a community center for the use and benefit of coastal residents. That goal is now within the organization's grasp.

Inveterate Caspar organizer Judy Tarbell notes, "If all goes well, the Schoolhouse will belong to the Caspar Community in two or three weeks." The clean-up around the schoolhouse is in preparation for the following Sunday, February 17th, at 3:00 p.m. when the future of the Caspar Community Center will be discussed. Tarbell adds, "It is time for us to get together, share our thoughts about what our center needs to do for us, and to enjoy our village spirit."

Details of the real estate transfer will be discussed at the meeting.

A second clean-up crew will be needed on Saturday, February 9th to work around the little house overlooking Caspar Creek which was acquired by the Mendocino Land Trust along with its purchase of the headlands last year. Patty Madigan, the Stewardship Coordinator of MLT for Caspar Projects, describes the structure as a fine example of a working-class house of its era. The structure, along with the headlands, will soon pass from MLT ownership to State Parks, a move that the Caspar Community has encouraged. "Meanwhile," explains Madigan, "the roses and vines have knotted the gate shut, and there's work for three or four folks wresting it back into useÖ and if there is any energy left over, there are gorse plants begging to be pulled up."

Volunteers are urged to bring a sack lunch so that a picnic can be held after the work is done.