tahoe conservancy

If the long line at the entrance to the cafeteria at Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School on Wednesday evening was any indication, the Meyers Area Plan (MAP) meeting was going to be another contentious event.

The meeting was one of several that has been hosted by El Dorado County concerning the future plan for the community of Meyers. As one can imagine, there is not a single plan that all who live there can agree upon.

An Open House for the Meyers Area Plan (MAP) will be held on Wednesday, May 6 at the Lake Tahoe Environmental Magnet School located at 1095 East Bernardino Avenue from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Upper Truckee Marsh will be closed to dogs from May 1 through July 31 because it is a critical breeding habitat for special, threatened and endangered species such as Yellow Headed Blackbirds.

The Tahoe Conservancy announced the annual seasonal closure today but wanted to remind dog owners that their Cove East property just west of the river remains open for year-round, leashed dog access.

South Lake Tahoe may soon be one less aging motel along the main stretch in town. On Tuesday, the Placer County supervisors gave staff the go ahead to purchase the A & A Lake Tahoe Inn for $1.425 million. The county wants to have the motel's 34 tourist accommodation units (TAUs) so they can add hotel rooms at the north end of Lake Tahoe.

The south shore motel rests in a stream sensitive zone. If the purchase goes through, Placer County would give the motel to the California Conservancy for demolition and restoration while keeping the TAUs.

The California Tahoe Conservancy Board unanimously voted today to award Sierra Business Council (SBC) $50,000 to expand and enhance the Lake Tahoe Water Trail.

The Lake Tahoe Water Trail is the 72-mile scenic paddling route around the shore of Lake Tahoe. SBC plans to improve trail maps; increase wayfinding, trailhead signage, and outreach and education; launch a Lodge-to-Lodge Network; and establish a new Oversight Committee to develop a business plan to create a more sustainable program.

The South Lake Tahoe area of El Dorado County now has a new supervisor, officially. Sue Novasel won the election for Area 5 County Supervisor back in November and has jumped right into the job of representing her constituents which cover the area from Pollock Pines to Tahoma to South Lake Tahoe.

She was officially sworn in on Monday in Placerville, then again at their first Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, then again in South Lake Tahoe on Thursday.

The New Year brings big changes both for me personally and for the Forest Service in Lake Tahoe. After 37 years with the agency, I’m looking forward to retirement and handing over the reins at the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit to a new Forest Supervisor.

I’m grateful for steady Basin leadership that has enhanced relationships making them stronger. Days of past tensions between conflicting interests have passed. Today, local agencies work closely together on solutions that protect our communities and our environment.

Tahoe In Depth, the environmental newspaper that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency created two years ago to help improve awareness and understanding of lake issues, was recognized with a Silver Spike award at the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America annual awards ceremony on Thursday.
Silver Spike awards recognize the northern Sierra region’s best public relations and communications campaigns, according to Anne McMillin, President of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - You've walked by them, biked past them, and maybe even seen them on empty lots - what are those random piles of wood? The piles are the first half of a two-step process used by Lake Tahoe Basin agencies to reduce hazardous fuels, provide community protection, and improve forest health.

Most of us moved to Meyers because it's a rural community, away from the City & tourist congestion. I am pro-growth, most locals are, as long as it's appropriately sized growth for our community. The proposed Meyer's Plan however, opens the door to a Mega Resort, with incentives for large development and in my mind, lacks long range planning.

I started going to planning meetings last summer, just to listen, but it wasn't until December that I got really concerned. Here's a timeline of events, from my perspective:

TahoeChamber has endorsed seven candidates for the upcoming election that best portray the values and abilities necessary to serve the South Shore business community. As directed by the TahoeChamber Board of Directors, the TahoeChamber Candidate Endorsement Committee (TC-CEC) used the pillars of the Chamber’s adopted Tahoe Future A South Shore Community Vision 2020 as the foundational criteria for evaluating candidates. The pillars include Economic Vitality, Quality of Life, Sustainability, Infrastructure and Intellectual Capital.

Quagga mussels have been getting all the press lately but today it was the river mussel's turn for notoriety.

Native to the western U.S., the river mussel is now a protected species due to their population being threatened by dams, habitat modification due to the disappearance of Lahontan Cutthroat Trout from the Upper Truckee and other river habitat changing occurrences.

Crews have been working on an underground stormwater system in the Bijou area of South Lake Tahoe. The work is causing both Fairway Drive and Bal Bijou Road to have detours during the week but open and no controls on weekends.

Work is wrapping up with the installation of a box culvert for Bijou Creek and work is now focused on new curbing and inlets. The Bal Bijou storm drain system will be connected at US 50 next week, with curb installation to follow.

The Tahoe Keys Marina is possibly facing charges for illegally grading a plot of land next to Venice Drive in order to create a temporary parking lot for the Wooden Boat Show this past weekend.

The California Tahoe Conservancy, who owns the land, will be installing temporary Best Management Practices (BMPs)in order to stabilize the approximately one acre of land where dirt was moved and vegetation cleared. The Conservancy had already spent funds on stabilizing the land.

Several agencies are coming together on Saturday, June 21st for the first Wildfire Safety Expo in South Lake Tahoe.

The threat of wildfire is extremely high this fire season due to record drought conditions in the West. To provide information on creating home evacuation plans, preparing for fire, creating defensible space, the expo has been created.

The expo will be held in the TJ Maxx parking lot from noon to 3 p.m.

South Tahoe Now sent a questionnaire out to all of the candidates for El Dorado County Supervisor and Douglas County Sheriff. This is the last of the submitted responses. Candidates Sue Novasel, Kenny Curtzwiler and Angela Swanson were the only County Supervisor candidates to respond, and Douglas County Sheriff candidates Ron Pierini and Dave Brady were the only Sheriff candidates to respond. We thank those that took the time to reply.

1) What do you see as the Number 1 issue facing residents of District 5?

You've seen ads to buy or sell belongings, but the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has now developed a way to buy or sell development rights of property.

There is now an online marketplace for property owners, realtors and land banks to use to increase the environmental improvements that come from transferring commonly-traded development rights in the Lake Tahoe Region.

As 2013 draws to a close, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of many this year. It was just a few short years ago, in the midst of the Great Recession, both public agencies and private companies throughout the basin were in the middle of layoffs, service reductions and unemployment hovering above 17%. Concerns regarding economic recovery were significant. Rather than buckling under, we buckled down, got things done and prepared for recovery.

The reauthorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act was introduced yesterday in the U.S. House of Representatives, following the Senate’s introduction of the bill in August.

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 Forest Service will hold a meeting Thursday, May 30, to answer questions and provide information about its Upper Truckee River restoration project.

The project area is located east of the Lake Tahoe Airport runway and west of the Washoan subdivision in the Tahoe Paradise residential area. The meeting will provide an overview of the activities that will occur this summer, and how these will limit public access during construction due to safety concerns associated with heavy equipment operation.

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.

The City of South Lake Tahoe received an Award of Excellence from the California Park and Recreation Society for Lakeview Commons at El Dorado Beach. The City’s recognition in the category of Park Planning will be honored at the 2013 California and Pacific Southwest Recreation and Park Training Conference, held in San Jose March 6-8.

The South Lake Tahoe City Council made appointments to various Boards and Commissions for 2013 at Tuesday's meeting. Mayor Tom Davis will serve on the following boards: California Tahoe Conservancy, City Selection Committee, TahoeChamber.org, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, and South Tahoe Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Pro Tem Hal Cole will serve on El Dorado County LAFCO, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Abandoned Vehicle Abatement JPA, and South Tahoe Redevelopment Successor Agency boards.