lake tahoe basin management

Fire fuel reduction plans and forest thinning projects amounting to about 10,000 acres around South Lake Tahoe have been approved by the Lahontan Regional Water Board. Plans will get underway this summer with efforts lasting anywhere between eight to 10 years, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The large-scale project has been in the works since the 2007 Angora fire where 254 homes burned.
The following is a joint news release from the U.S. Forest Service and the Lahontan Board.

Restoring the Upper Truckee River and the 2013 home building season allocations both received the green light Wednesday from the Governing Board of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will soon begin the annual process of opening recreational facilities around the Lake Tahoe Basin. Campgrounds, beaches, and forest roads generally open in mid-May, weather permitting. The Taylor Creek Visitor Center and the Tallac Historic Site open Memorial Day weekend.

Before recreation sites can open to the public, the Forest Service must hire crews to staff and manage the sites, clean up from winter, remove safety hazards and wait for the danger of a freeze to pass before turning on water systems.

Plans to restore around 300 acres of meadow, provide for wildlife habitat and re-establish natural fire breaks around the west shore of Lake Tahoe near Meeks Bay is up for public review.
A 30-day public comment begins Saturday, March 30 for the proposed Meeks Creek Meadow restoration project, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit announced.
Here is a news release:

U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit employees Katie Kuchenbecker and Jacob Quinn received regional engineering awards from the Regional Engineer, Earl Applekamp.
Kuchenbecker was selected as the Region 5 engineer of the year, and Quinn the Region 5 technician of the year at Tuesday's award ceremony at the Forest Service Regional Office in Vallejo, Calif.

Parking along Highway 89 by the Camp Richardson Resort could disappear under the Forest Service's proposal for the popular recreation area. The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Un...

About 135 acres on Lake Tahoe's east shore above Glenbrook is slated for prescribed burning that will begin Tuesday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Fire and fuel crews with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the Forest Service will continue the burn through next week as weather allows.

Prescribed fires on Spooner Summit east of Lake Tahoe are planned for Tuesday through the end of next week, U.S. Forest Service officials said Friday.
Fuel management crews will burn about 10 acres each day, weather permitting with smoke visible along Highway 50.
Below is a news release and 10-year fire reduction plan from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. Forest Service.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is putting on the Ski with a Ranger at Heavenly Mountain Resort Jan. 18-April 12.

Participants will learn about the mission and role of the Forest Service in ski area management, improve their understanding of natural resource issues, and learn about environmental stewardship.

A tree thinning and fuels reduction project on about 100 acres in the Upper Echo Lakes area and portions of a roadless area could begin this year, according to a decision by the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

The project would take up to six years to complete and includes the removal of trees up to 16 inches in diameter, which would be collected, put into piles and either burned or made available for firewood. There is a possibility of brief closures of areas adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail, according to the Forest Service.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has partnered with federal, state and local agencies to launch "Tahoe in Depth" a new Lake Tahoe Basin environmental newspaper.

Mailed to every Lake Tahoe Basin property owner this week, the free publication is designed to keep Lake Tahoe homeowners, residents and visitors abreast of the wide variety of activities taking place to protect and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Fifth-graders throughout the region will get the chance to snowshoe back in time during the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit's 2013 Winter Trek Express program that runs from Ja...

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit holiday tree permits are sold out, according to a Monday statement from the agency. No additional permits will be authorized for this season...

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin accepting reservations for the 2013 Winter Trek Express program on Monday, December 17, 2012.

Teachers may reserve a spot by calling the Forest Service front desk at (530) 543-2694, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Winter Trek Express is a 5th-grade environmental education program that takes place at Heavenly Mountain Resort via the gondola. Forest Service rangers lead the class through the wilderness to learn snowshoe skills and discover winter adapting animals.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is asking for public input on proposed summer projects at Heavenly Mountain Resort. These projects are consistent with the improvements identified in Heavenly's Master Plan Amendment and are intended to improve the overall quality of the visitor experience. In addition, these projects would provide for high-quality summer recreational uses of National Forest System land as directed by the Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of holiday tree permits the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 23. Permits cost $10 each (cash or check only, no credit cards) with a limit of two permits per family. Permit holders may choose from a variety of pine, fir or cedar in designated cutting areas and must abide by specific permit conditions for proper and responsible collection. Harvesting smaller diameter trees offers residents and visitors a traditional holiday experience while helping to thin the forest.

With the arrival of cooler, wetter weather, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will lift fire restrictions for Forest Service managed lands Wednesday, October 23, 2012. Additionally, Forest Service fire chief Kit Bailey, in conjunction with local fire chiefs, will open residential burning the same day.

Visitors to recreation sites around South Lake Tahoe should to take precautions against the bubonic plague after a chipmunk found at Taylor Creek Visitor Center tested positive for the disease, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit reports.
The California Department of Public Health has recommended the Forest Service and its concessionaire post warning signage in the area of Taylor Creek Visitor Center, the Tallac Historic Site, and Camp Richardson Resort explaining how the disease is transmitted, the symptoms and how to prevent infection. The Forest Service is advising its staff and visitors to report any sick or dead animals immediately.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit annual closure of recreational facilities around the Lake Tahoe Basin has begun. Campgrounds and day-use areas traditionally close around mid-October. While forest roads typically close around mid-November, you may consult the Motor Vehicle Use Map for specific dates by going here. The Taylor Creek Visitor Center will remain open through October.

Last week, South Tahoe High seniors Emily Barnett and Tyler Myers traveled to Russia to present their field research project, “The Effects of Fire and Forest Thinning on the Biodiversity of Understory Plants in the Lake Tahoe Basin,” at the Ninth Annual International Junior Foresters’ Competition.

Celebrate the annual fall migration of the Kokanee salmon of Lake Tahoe at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89. Join the fun and participate in this free family event which has become one of the most fascinating educational and wildlife viewing events in Northern California.
The festival encourages participation by children and their parents in a wide variety of educational and entertaining activities including:

A new road and an intersection reconfiguration, more parking spaces and BMP water improvements are among some of the changes being proposed by the U.S. Forest Service at the Tallac Historic Site near South Lake Tahoe. Public comments are being taken until Oct. 1 for the proposed changes, which could get off the ground next year.
Here is a Forest Service press release outlining the proposed changes and below is the attached 10-page plan.

South Tahoe High seniors Emily Barnett and Tyler Myers will travel to Russia to present their field research project, “The Effects of Fire and Forest Thinning on the Biodiversity of Understory Plants in the Lake Tahoe Basin,” at the 9th Annual International Junior Foresters’ Competition. Their project was selected by the U.S. Forest Service International Programs office in Washington DC to represent the U.S. in the upcoming competition.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will resume work on the Pope-Baldwin Bike Path the week of Sept. 17. The path is located near the south end of Lake Tahoe and runs along Highway 89 for about three miles.
The path will be seal-coated beginning on the west end near Spring Creek. For safety reasons, sections of the path will be closed at times to pedestrian/bike traffic. Work is expected to last about a week.
For more information, contact the Forest Service front desk at (530) 543-2694.