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The following work- shops are scheduled in March at the Chico State Herbarium. • Introduction to Lichen Identification by Tom Carl- berg is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. March 7. For most people lichens are only colorful blotches on rocks or just moss-like stuff on tree branches. But lichens are a unique associ- ation between a fungus and an algae. This workshop will ex- plore the basics of lichens in the lab in Holt Hall 129 and also in the field at CSU Chico. Registration is $100 in advance. • A Mushroom Foraging and Identification Work- shop is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 14. This workshop will be useful for beginners as well as for people with some knowledge of mushrooms and is co-sponsored by the CSU Chico Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. This workshop starts with an introduction to mushrooms, then collect- ing in the field and finally identifying the mush- rooms that are found. The instructor, Philip Carpen- ter, has extensive knowl- edge of mushrooms and has been a member of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz since it was or- ganized in 1984. This workshop will meet at the Forest Ranch Com- munity Center and the Big Chico Creek Ecolog- ical Reserve. Meet at the east end of the Park-And- Ride lots at the intersec- tion of state routes 99 and 32 at 8:30 a.m. to travel to the Forest Ranch Commu- nity Center first at 15807 Forest Ranch Road, For- est Ranch. After an intro- duction to mushrooms at the community center the group will travel to the re- serve. The registration fee is $100 in advance. Workshop will be canceled if no rain and thus no mushrooms. • Container Gardening is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 28. With an emphasis on drought tolerant and other low water use plants, learn what your plants need and want from their environ- ment. Learn to better un- derstand how the quality and the amount of tem- perature, light, soil, wa- ter, oxygen and nutrients affect how plants grow, es- pecially in the Sacramento Valley. Ernesto Sandoval, the director of the UC Botani- cal Conservatory, will share his knowledge of growing plants in containers and in the ground. He will lead this workshop to help peo- ple understand the work- ings of plants to help peo- ple better understand how to and why our plants do what they do. This workshop will be in Holt 129 at CSU Chico. Registration is $45 in ad- vance. For more information about workshop registra- tion call the Biology Office at (530) 898-5356 or send an email to epurvis@csuchico. edu. Detailed workshop de- scriptions and registra- tion forms are available on www.csuchico.edu/biol/ Herb/Events.html. CHICOSTATEHERBARIUM Wo rk sh op s to i nc lu de l ic he ns, m us hr oo ms Many people pay to have their taxes prepared. You need to be careful when you pick a preparer to do your taxes. You are legally responsible for all the information on the tax return even if some- one else prepares it. Here are 10 IRS tax tips to help you choose a tax preparer: 1. Check the prepar- er's qualifications: All paid tax preparers are required to have a Pre- parer Tax Identification Number or PTIN. The IRS will soon offer a new Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers with Credentials and Select Qualifications on IRS. gov. You will be able to use this tool to help you find a tax return preparer with the qualifications that you prefer. The Di- rectory will be a search- able and sortable listing of certain preparers with a valid PTIN for 2015. It will include the name, city, state and zip code of attorneys, CPAs, Enrolled Agents, Enrolled Retire- ment Plan Agents, En- rolled Actuaries and An- nual Filing Season Pro- gram participants. 2. Check the preparer's history: You can check with the Better Business Bureau to find out if a preparer has a question- able history. Check for disciplinary actions and the license status for cre- dentialed preparers. For CPAs, check with the State Board of Accountancy. For attorneys, check with the State Bar Association. For Enrolled Agents, go to IRS.gov and search for "verify enrolled agent sta- tus." 3. Ask about service fees: Avoid preparers who base their fee on a percentage of your re- fund or those who say they can get larger re- funds than others can. Always make sure any re- fund due is sent to you or deposited into your bank account. You should not have your refund depos- ited into a preparer's bank account. 4. Ask to e-file your re- turn: Make sure your pre- parer offers IRS e-file. Any paid preparer who pre- pares and files more than 10 returns generally must e-file their clients' returns. The IRS has safely pro- cessed more than 1.3 bil- lion e-filed tax returns. 5. Make sure the pre- parer is available: You need to ensure that you can contact the tax pre- parer after you file your return. That's true even after the April 15 due date. You may need to contact the preparer if questions come up about your tax return at a later time. 6. Provide tax records: A good preparer will ask to see your records and re- ceipts. They ask you ques- tions to report your total income and the tax ben- efits you're entitled to claim. These may include tax deductions, tax cred- its and other items. Do not use a preparer who is willing to e-file your re- turn using your last pay stub instead of your Form W-2. This is against IRS e- file rules. 7. Never sign a blank tax return: Do not use a tax preparer who asks you to sign a blank tax form. 8. Review your return before signing: Before you sign your tax return, review it thoroughly. Ask questions if something is not clear to you. Make sure you're comfortable with the information on the return before you sign it. 9. Preparer must sign and include their PTIN: Paid preparers must sign returns and include their PTIN as required by law. The preparer must also give you a copy of the re- turn. 10. Report abusive tax preparers to the IRS: You can report abusive tax preparers and suspected tax fraud to the IRS. Use Form 14157, Complaint: Tax Return Preparer. If you suspect a return pre- parer filed or changed the return without your consent, you should also file Form 14157-A, Return Preparer Fraud or Mis- conduct Affidavit. You can download and print these forms on IRS.gov. If you need a paper form by mail go to IRS.gov/or- derforms to place an or- der. TAX TIPS 10 IRS tips to help you choose a tax preparer Need a last-minute gift for an office party, birth- day your trusty mail car- rier, a be- loved teacher, co- worker or any gift-giv- ing need? Here are six great ideas that won't take much time and certainly won't break the bank. PHOTO EXPLOSION BOX. Imagine a small photo album "box" made from scrapbooking card stock, which folds out to reveal special photos when the lid is removed. What a perfect gift for parents, grandparents, children — anyone who loves photos. You can make this in just a few hours. In fact, while you're at it make several. 10-MINUTE HOME- MADE CANDY. Even if you are not a cook, if you have 10 minutes, you can make Oreo Truffles. Put three sleeves of regular Oreo cookies in the food processor. Add 8 ounces of cream cheese at room tem- perature. Process until in- corporated. Form small balls with a 2-teaspoon scoop or roll in your clean hands. Place on sheet pan and chill. Dip in melted dark chocolate and drizzle with white chocolate. GIVE A TREASURE. Consider passing on an heirloom or family trea- sure to the next genera- tion as a gift. Write a para- graph or two explaining the history or significance of the heirloom to go along with the gift. You will be preserving family history but not spending a dime. But here is the tricky part: Unless a person has ex- pressed a particular love or desire for said heirloom and special treasure, do not assume your gesture will be appreciated. GIVE AN EXPERI- ENCE. Think about fun activities you could do with different people on your list: dinner for a friend; reading night and snacks with the grandkids, and movie night with the grandparents, complete with snacks. How about tickets to a local zoo, a day-trip on Amtrak? Write a description of the experi- ence your recipient will re- ceive, noting the day, time and all the details. THE GIFT OF COMPAS- SION. If you want your gift to say how much you care, then find a way to show you care about what mat- ters most to your recipi- ent. Is he or she passionate about medical research? Become a bone marrow donor to honor this per- son. An environmental- ist? Donate to an organi- zation that reforests, and plant a tree in his name. Honor your recipient by gifting a third-world fam- ily with a flock of geese ($20) or a share in a goat ($10) to help them become self-reliant through either Heifer.org or WorldVision. org. In just minutes, you can place your order on- line and print the gift card describing what you gave in his or her name. GIVE WHAT YOU DO BEST. Often the most meaningful gifts are those that cost no money at all. A gift from the heart is a gift of time and talent. Do you cook, clean, baby- sit, garden, sew, drive or shop? Create a gift certif- icate and make what you do the gift that you give. Hint: Follow up within a few days to set the exact time your certificate will be redeemed. Your recip- ient may be too embar- rassed to remind you to make good on your gift. Wouldyouliketosend a tip to Mary? You can email her at mary@eve- rydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheap- skate, P.O. Box 2099, Cy- press, CA 90630. EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE Six fabulous last-minute gi ideas Mary Hunt Eve Ensler's award-win- ning play "The Vagina Monologues" will be pre- sented Feb. 21 in Red Bluff and Feb. 28 in Redding by V-Day Tehama-Shasta, a lo- cal non-profit that is part of an international mission to end violence against women and girls. Both shows will raise money to benefit Girls In- corporated of the Northern Sacramento Valley. All pro- ceeds stay local to benefit Girls Inc., which provides empowerment programs and workshops to Shasta and Tehama county girls ages 6 to 18. The shows are scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Feb. 21 at the State Theatre, 333 Oak St. in Red Bluff, and 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the First United Methodist Church in Redding, 1825 East St. in Redding. Performed by a talented local cast, "The Vagina Monologues" is a collec- tion of moving, often hilar- ious, heart-wrenching sto- ries that share a common theme. Attendees will hear stories from many aspects of the female experience as the performers give voice to women and girls from all walks of life. The play delves into wom- en's sexuality, strengths, sis- terhood and humor. A few monologues share the pain of rape, abuse and intoler- ance. The performance in- cludes adult language and content and is intended for mature audiences; paren- tal guidance is strongly ad- vised. Attendees will be sup- porting ongoing Girls Inc. NSV programs for lo- cal girls, including group classes that teach girls to nurture their own self-es- teem, respect their bodies and each other and to rec- ognize and defend them- selves against harmful rela- tionships. The wide range of programs also teach girls fi- nancial literacy, encourage participation in sports and community leadership and mentor girls as they seek ca- reers in science, math, tech- nology and engineering. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at VDay-Tehama.eventbrite. com for the Red Bluff show and VDay-Shasta.event- brite.com for the Redding show. Or, purchase tickets in person at Wink Fashion and Salon, 629 Main St. in Red Bluff. Tickets will also be sold at the door. For more information, send an e-mail to VDayRed- Bluff@yahoo.com or call Talia Shirer at 690-5529. GIRLS INC. Play to raise money for local girls DAILYNEWSFILEPHOTO "The Vagina Monologues" will be presented Saturday at the State Theatre in Red Bluff and Feb. 28in Redding. Holdingsign-upsfor the 2015 Season 15u & 17u Teams Sunday, February 22 nd 11AM – 1PM Vet's Hall $175 player registration deposit required For information contact Dave Gamboa 529-2589 Red Bluff Bulls American Legion Baseball Saturday,February28th 10:00am – 8 : 0 0 p m Carlino'sRoomatRollingHil Casino Tickets $10 Includesacommemorativetastingglassand$5freeslotplay $1 Tasting Fee at Each Booth Tickets available at the Rolling Hil Casino Box Office by calling 530.528.3500, AmericanWest Bank, Rabobank, and at the door! Locallyowned business offering high value, low cost energy for decades. Call Liam at 526-1551 or visit www.sacriversolar.com Lic# 996900 40ChestnutAvenue Red Bluff 530-330-1096 BRING BALANCE TO YOUR BODY Bring balance to your LIFE LeBarre startinginMarch! Balance, Agility, Resistance, Recovery & Eloquence! LIFESTYLES » redbluffdailynews.com Friday, February 20, 2015 » MORE ATFACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A5