Conservation

With Tahoe South’s two annual fireworks celebrations meeting all state and federal standards throughout their 30-year history, area tourism officials strongly denounced a lawsuit that could threaten the annual July Fourth and Labor Day events as totally unnecessary.

In November, Joseph and Joan Truxler, of Zephyr Cove, Nev., filed a federal lawsuit against the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and Pyro Spectaculars North alleging the twice-annual fireworks shows violated the Clean Water Act.

The first snow survey of the season found more bare ground than snow throughout the higher elevations of the state. The survey, conducted by the Department of Water Resources on Friday, found the 9.3" of snowpack at Phillips Station to be 20% of the long term average. A dismal 2.3" of water content was found.

The popular South Lake Tahoe winter education program for fifth graders, Winter Trek Conservation Education, begins a new series of classes in January.

Local teachers may reserve a spot for their class beginning on Monday, December 16 by calling the Forest Service at 530-543-2694, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Winter Trek begins Tuesday, January 7, 2014, and continues through March 27, 2014, weather permitting. Field trips are generally three hours long and are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is currently reviewing the opening brief filed by regional plan litigants who, according to the Agency, are continuing their misinformation campaign about the updated environmental plan that is supported widely by environmental advocates, business groups, and state and local leaders.

Tahoe Yellow Cress is small native plant that grows on the beaches of Lake Tahoe and nowhere else in the world. Currently, the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District (NTCD) is working with lakefront property owners on a stewardship project to educate homeowners on Tahoe Yellow Cress and offer opportunities to steward it on their property.

On October 1, boat inspections will move to select launch ramps and winter hours will begin. Tahoe RCD (Resource Conservation District) inspectors will be stationed at Cave Rock and Lake Forest boat launches from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week, weather permitting. Boats with attached Lake Tahoe wire inspection seals and valid Tahoe inspection stickers will be permitted to launch during these times, but any unsealed boats are required to get an inspection during daylight hours.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Tahoe Heritage Foundation will host the Fall Fish Festival Oct. 5-6, offering a variety of free, fun events with the beautiful backdrop of Taylor Creek in the fall.

Formerly the Kokanee Salmon Festival, the Fall Fish Festival will focus on the variety of fish species that live in Lake Tahoe and its rivers. In addition to the Kokanee, these species include the federally threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout and little-known smaller fish, such as speckled dace.

From September 5 – 15th the Ruffwear pack will be on the road visiting fans and retailers in California and Nevada as well as stopping at the Surf Dog Surf-A-Thon in Del Mar Beach to benefit the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

If you see the Ruffwear van, swing by and say hi or better yet, snap a shot of you or your dog photo bombing the van, share and tag #DogGoneRoadTrip on Instagram and we’ll reward our favorites with some nice schwag.

LOCAL RETAILER EVENTS

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) introduced Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak and noted that this was the first time, ever, a Russian Ambassador has visited Lake Tahoe. Senator Reid described Russia's Lake Baikal as the most voluminous freshwater lake in the world, containing roughly 20% of the world's unfrozen surface fresh water, conservation efforts, and compared both Lake Baikal and Lake Tahoe as "two of the fairest places in all of the earth".

Lake Tahoe organizations whose collaborative work over the past 15 years has been a driving force for advancing Lake Tahoe restoration efforts applauded congressional leaders Thursday for introducing a $415 million reauthorization of the federal Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.

The Tahoe Fund is kicking off its 2013 fundraising season with the announcement of four 2013 Signature Projects that will help restore Lake Tahoe clarity and improve recreation in the Basin.

The projects include beach improvements at Sand Harbor State Park, Asian Clam control in Emerald Bay, a mile of bike trail along the West Shore, and a new bridge across Angora Creek in the Washoe Meadows State Park. Interested donors can learn more about these projects on the Tahoe Fund website here.

The Lake Tahoe Outreach Collaborative is launching a survey to find out what the public thinks are the most important things people can do to help protect Lake Tahoe. The survey results will be used to inform the creation of a new Environmental Stewardship Messaging campaign for the Tahoe region. The survey takes five minutes to complete and can be found online here.

Tahoe Keepers will hold an appreciation event with complimentary food and drink for registered Tahoe Keepers at the Live at Lakeview summer music series from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. on June 27, 2013.

The first 75 Lake Tahoe Keepers to check in will receive a voucher to Lakeview Café.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science will host the fourth annual Lake Tahoe Bird Festival on Saturday, June 8, followed by the third annual Native Species Festival on Sunday, June 9.

Residents and visitors are invited to attend these free family events from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89.

June 8 event:

The governors of California and Nevada have agreed to renew a bi-state partnership to preserve, protect and enhance Lake Tahoe through the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Compact.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Calif. Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced Tuesday an agreement that renews the partnership, which has been under threat of repeal.

Roadside stations for Lake Tahoe boat inspections and watercraft decontamination are officially open at three locations — Meyers, Spooner Summit and Alpine Meadows — with stations at Northstar and Homewood to open May 23.

The League to Save Lake Tahoe received a grant Monday from Wells Fargo and Company as part of a $3 million Wells Fargo Environmental Solutions for Communities grant program across 64 community-based nonprofits nationwide to help support land and water conservation, energy efficiency, infrastructure and educational outreach.

California and Nevada residents can take advantage of the 35 inches of new Tahoe snow with two free lift tickets through the popular “Plates for Powder” program offered through the Tahoe Fund. Purchase a new California or Nevada Tahoe license plate and you are eligible for two free Alpine or Nordic lift tickets. Tickets are available at 11 participating Tahoe resorts.

The Nevada Land Bank currently has funds available to purchase land coverage in all five Hydrozones on the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe. There is also land coverage available for sale in the Incline Village, South Stateline and Agate Bay areas, as well as one Development Right available in Washoe County.

Please join us to hear the Conservation Director of the Friends of the River, Steve Evans. Steve will share his photographs of wild places and rivers and share his insights on potential designation of wild and scenic status for the high reaches of the Upper Truckee River and other wild places in the Tahoe Basin.

Join us, bring a friend and share refreshments at our comfortable Unity gathering place.

Unity of the Lake Center
Rufus Allen Blvd
7:00pm
All members of the public are invited.
Free

Two Tahoe conservation groups, the Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore, filed a federal lawsuit on Monday challenging new rules for Lake Tahoe that seriously reduce protections for the treasured mountain lake. The new Tahoe Regional Plan Update, approved in December by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), shifts authority over future development decisions to local jurisdictions. The plan also allows those towns and counties to adopt weakened pollution controls that do not meet the minimum environmental requirements established by TRPA.

A dedication ceremony of the new Genoa Vista Trail will be 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 26 at at the north end of the trail on Foothill Road across from Carson Street. The event is open to the public and participants are encouraged to walk or bike the 1.3 mile trail to 1862 David Walley’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa where refreshments will be served.

HOMEWOOD, Calif. - Regional conservation groups are celebrating a federal judge's ruling to send a proposed Sierra ski resort expansion back to the drawing board, a decision viewed by local gove...

Take part in the National Winter Trails Day Celebration on Saturday, January 12, 2013 from 10am-3pm. This is an authentic Lake Tahoe winter experience featuring guided snowshoe hikes at Camp Richardson.

Guided snowshoe hikes featuring wildlife habitat and forest health, the watershed and water quality impacts, and historic aspects of Camp Richardson and the surrounding area.