environment

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners will consider approval of a new area plan for Lake Tahoe’s South Shore on Thursday, June 2. The Douglas County Area Plan is the first to be proposed since the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency adopted the Regional Plan Update in December 2012.

Do you love Lake Tahoe and have an interest in learning more about the lake? Do you enjoy science, learning new information, and sharing your knowledge? Would you like to become a local expert on research taking place at Lake Tahoe?

Elizabeth Carmel, a former land use planner and advisor with extensive experience working in the Sierra, has joined the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board following her appointment by California Assembly Speaker John Perez (D-Los Angeles).

The seat is one of 14 voting positions on the environmental planning agency’s board - seven representing California and seven representing Nevada. One board seat, appointed by the President of the United States, is non-voting.

U.S. Representatives from California and Nevada have introduced legislation that would add quagga mussels to the national list of invasive species.

Considered one of the biggest threats to Lake Tahoe among other lakes and reservoirs, this listing would give federal agencies greater ability to prevent the spread of the invasive species.

The legislation, H.R. 1823, Protecting Lakes Against Quagga Act of 2013, was introduced Thursday by Reps. Mike Thompson, CA-5, Joe Heck, NV-3, and Mark Amodei, NV-02.

After an action-packed winter season at Lake Tahoe, Heavenly Mountain Resort is switching gears and opening with summer activities this Memorial Day weekend May 25-27. Heavenly will run the Heavenly Gondola for sightseeing, dining, family activities and hiking. Operating times will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

William “Bill” Yeates, a California attorney with 34 years of experience in environmental law, has joined the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board following an appointment by the California Senate Rules Committee.

The seat is one of 14 voting positions on the Lake Tahoe environmental planning agency’s board - seven representing California and seven representing Nevada. One board seat, appointed by the President of the United States, is non-voting.

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.

The Tahoe Fund, Lake Tahoe’s non-profit dedicated to funding environmental improvement projects, received a $28,351 check from Vail Resorts atop Northstar Resort on Friday.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Executive Director, Joanne S. Marchetta, was named Public Servant of the Year earlier this week at the 59th annual Community Awards dinner hosted by the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association and Chamber of Commerce.

“I just carry the baton, I carry it for all of you,” she told the audience upon receiving the award to a standing ovation Wednesday night at the Ritz-Carlton, Northstar, California.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on Thursday announced the 2012 Best in the Basin award winners and will recognize the recipients March 27 at the TRPA governing board meeting.

This is the 23rd year for the program that recognizes Lake Tahoe area projects for demonstrating exceptional planning, design, and compatibility with the Lake Tahoe environment. Local professionals in the fields of landscaping, planning, engineering, water quality, and resource management judged each category. A reception for all Best in Basin winners and judges will follow the awards ceremony.

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 corporation that owns Embassy Suites Lake Tahoe – Hotel & Ski Resort announced today that as of April 1 the hotel will be operating as an independent property with a new management company. PHR Management, Inc., an affiliate of Ken Corporation, LTD., the Japan-based ownership group, will assume management of the hotel. Max Saito, vice president of PHR, said the company will retain the hotel’s 220 employees.

The Tahoe Fund, an environmental non-profit raising funds for environmental improvement projects in the Tahoe Basin, today announced it has received an “Every Day Capacity Building Grant” from the National Environmental Education Foundation.

The grant program is made possible through the generous support of Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. This grant will provide resources to help the Tahoe Fund expand its online fundraising capacity and donor management capabilities. The Tahoe Fund was one of 29 grantees selected from a competitive pool of 160 applicants. The grant is for $5,000.

Following years of public process and serious discussions to improve one of the strictest environmental plans in the nation, the Sierra Club recently filed suit on the update of Lake Tahoe’s Regional Plan, a blueprint for the region’s long-term sustainability.

A lawsuit was filed in federal district court today against the first significant update to environmental protection standards at Lake Tahoe since 1987, a move that rolls back the clock nearly that far on efforts to restore the Lake’s fragile ecosystem, according to the bi-state Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), the defendant in the case.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit released the Environmental Assessment and decision for the William Kent Best Management Practices (BMPs) Retrofit and Administrative Site Redevelopment project. The proposed project now enters a 45-day decision appeal period.

Quick: When you hear the phrase "Lake Tahoe," what's the first thing that comes to your mind? If you said "skiing" or "casinos," you'd respond as probably 99 percent of Bay Area residents do. If you said "geography," "sustainability" or "culture," you'd be among the minority, but you'd be onto a great new idea.

Boogie Nights, the ultimate ’70s and ’80s dance party that’s taken the nation by storm, is coming to MontBleu Casino Resort and Spa to launch the re-opening of Blu Nightclub beginning Saturday, Jan. 26.

Milky Way Incorporated dba The Coyote Grill has set Friday, January 25th for its long-awaited ‘Grand Re-Opening’ said Coyote Grill owner, Leland Faegre whose expansion has more than doubled the size of its current business model.

The Heavenly Ski and Snowboard Foundation will kick-off the 13th Lake Tahoe Kinder Kup Race Series at Heavenly Mountain Resort beginning Sunday, Jan. 27. Open to all skiers age six and under and snowboarders age eight and under, the Kinder Kup series is designed to introduce young athletes to competition in a friendly environment.

Youth Theatre Carson City is excited to announce our upcoming production of "Aladdin and His Wonderful, Magical Lamp," a magical adaptation of the classic tale, Friday through Sunday Jan. 11-13 at the Carson City Community Center and Jan. 18 at Piper’s Opera House in Virginia City.

The cast and crew are comprised of over 70 local children ages 5 to 18, who play all the classic characters including Aladdin, his pet monkey Alakazam, The Princess Jasmine and her handmaidens, the evil Jammal and his sister Halima, and not just one…but 3 Genies!

Getting to North Lake Tahoe’s snowy ski slopes just got a whole lot easier with the launch of the region's first area-wide free ski shuttle serving North Lake Tahoe, Truckee and Donner Summit.

The service runs between area lodging properties to 9 different ski resorts on weekends and holiday weeks now through March 31. It was formed through a collaboration of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association in partnership with the Truckee/North Tahoe Transportation Management Association and Placer County, the town of Truckee and several ski resorts.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is readying itself for the upcoming New Years Eve celebration at Lake Tahoe beginning Monday, Dec. 31. Each year upwards of 60,000 celebrants ring in the New Year in the casino core area of Stateline, Nev.

Due to the ordinarily high volume of celebrants within the Stateline casino core area during the event, U.S. Highway 50 may be closed to vehicle traffic in the evening if necessary for public safety. If that should occur, vehicle traffic will be diverted around the Stateline casino core area using upper and lower Lake Parkway Drive.