U.S. Forest Service

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will host a public tour to announce the proposed action and public comment period for the Meeks Bay Restoration Project on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. The public tour will take place from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Meeks Bay Resort, 7941 Emerald Bay Road (Highway 89), Meeks Bay, CA 96142. The 45-day comment period begins with the publication of the Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in the Federal Register on Tuesday, Sep. 11, 2018. Comments are most helpful if received by Friday, Oct. 26, 2018.

Over the last several months there has been a great deal of wildland fire activity around the region. Sadly, most fires are human-caused and completely preventable if the public would take the time to better understand conditions that are favorable for fire starts. Fire prevention is the key to keeping our communities and forests safe from wildfire.

Although fire season is now considered a year-round event, wildfires mostly occur in the late summer and early fall when temperatures are still high, humidity is low and vegetation that can feed a wildfire is extremely dry.

Fire restrictions on National Forest System lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin began Friday, August 17, 2018, and will remain in effect through November 15. Warm temperatures and dry vegetation combined with numerous wildfires burning in our region prompted the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) to implement restrictions intended to safeguard our communities across the Tahoe Basin.

A Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreement between the California Tahoe Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service is in the works that would allow the Conservancy to begin maintaining and restoring USFS urban lots in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

There are less than 2,200 urban lots that can fall into this agreement, most of which are less than one-acre and located near lots the Conservancy already owns and maintains.

South Tahoe Now will be publishing a series over the next few weeks, The Keepers of Tahoe History. We will be highlighting groups, locations and events around Lake Tahoe that are preserving the historic past of the area.

Over 50 possible major forest firest have been prevented in the Lake Tahoe Basin since the AlertTahoe camera system was installed around the lake over the last four years. The combination of technology, human observation and firefighters on the ground kept those small fires contained to a space of less than one acre.

U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) will host the 22nd Annual Lake Tahoe Summit at Sand Harbor State Park in Incline Village, Nevada on Tuesday, August 7th, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. Beach and park operations will be closed until 1:00 p.m. that day.

Lawmakers from Nevada and California will meet on the shores of Lake Tahoe to discuss how to protect a national treasure as it faces continued threats to water clarity, invasive species, wildfire and drought.

The U.S. Forest Service held a grand opening ceremony at the newly remodeled and reconfigured Round Hill Pines Resort on Monday, officially welcoming the public to their new beachside facilities.

The U.S. Forest Service ordered Fire Restrictions across the Tahoe National Forest starting Monday, July 16, 2018. The decision to order fire restrictions came after an analysis of current fuel conditions and weather observations. This analysis revealed the potential to support large fire growth across the Tahoe National Forest.

Tahoe National Forest covers land from the Sierra foothills to the California/Nevada state line, except for the Lake Tahoe basin.

Construction is now underway on Forest Service Road 1202, known as Fountain Place Road, to replace the existing six foot culvert with a 30-foot bridge nd improve access by removing trees, patching asphalt, constructing infiltration basins and installing an 18-inch culvert.

The road is closed to vehicle traffic at Saxon Creek. There is a detour available for bicycles and pedestrians but no vehicles are allowed until the project is finished. The upper section of the road may be accessed from Powerline Road (12N08) to Saxon Tie Road (12N17).

Try something new this summer as you're enjoying Lake Tahoe and the National Forest lands - Hike with a ranger!

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and Heavenly Mountain Resort invigte everyone to Hike with a Ranger this summer. The one-hour long hikes will take place every Friday and Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. at the top of the Heavenly Gondola.

Hikes will continue will continue every weekend through September 2, 2018, weather permitting.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will host the eighth Wild Tahoe Weekend 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., on Saturday and Sunday, June 23-24, 2018 at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89. The weekend event consists of the Native Species Festival on Saturday and the Lake Tahoe Bird Festival on Sunday.

UPDATE 11:09PM: A voluntary evacuation order was placed Tuesday night for the Carson Colony area off of Curry Street in South Carson City. The Voltaire Canyon area is also voluntary evacuation. Plans are in the works to open a shelter for those displaced.
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UPDATE 10:54PM: Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong said Tuesday night's fire at Voltaire Canyon was started by campers who were burning excrement and toilet paper.

There were two campers detained and were cooperative, said Furlong. There were up to eight individuals who were camping in the area who were taken off the hill.

We've all seen the discarded sleds and other trash spread over popular roadside sledding areas around Lake Tahoe, and a recent cleanup got rid of the trash at Spooner Summit.

The Tahoe Fund organized the clean up day with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Starbucks of Incline Village.

Found during their morning cleanup efforts were lots of broken sled pieces, beer bottles, soda cans, gloves, wrappers and plastic utensils.

Several Lake Tahoe agencies have joined together to remind residents and visitors to practice proper food storage and trash disposal at all times while in bear country. Intentional or unintentional feeding of bears can result in the bear being killed, fines and/or jail time for violators. Every year law enforcement and state wildlife officers respond to hundreds of calls in which bears may pose a public safety threat and/or are damaging property. In some cases, the animals are euthanized.

Become part of the solution and help save our Tahoe bears!

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Fuels on 3,737 acres of South Lake Tahoe area National Forest lands will be reduced by thinning forest stands and removing forest biomass vegetation, prescribed burning, and reforestation.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) announced the the final decision on the project last week. This project helps decrease the risk of wildland fires and complements defensible space treatments implemented by local municipal fire districts on adjacent non-federal lands.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will soon begin the process of opening recreational facilities in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Weather and snow conditions permitting, Inspiration Point will be the first site to open on Saturday, April 14, 2018. Baldwin and Nevada beaches open April 28. The Taylor Creek Visitor Center opens Friday, May 25. The Tallac Historic Site parking area opens Tuesday, May 15, and will be staffed beginning Saturday, May 26.

The following is a list of opening/service dates, weather and snow conditions permitting:

Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team has announced continued prescribed fire operations by the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team at several locations in the Lake Tahoe Basin this week, weather and conditions permitting. Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy and the U.S.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is looking for hard-working, dedicated volunteers that are interested in helping to preserve one of our nation’s most beautiful wilderness areas, Desolation Wilderness. Interested and committed individuals are invited to attend an informational open house on Thursday, March 15, 2018, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. and/or Saturday, March 17 from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. at the Forest Supervisor’s office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, California 96150.

Members of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes local, state and federal agencies, will continue prescribed fire operations this week in multiple locations around the Tahoe Basin, weather permitting. North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, California Tahoe Conservancy and U.S.

Smoke from prescribed fire operations can be seen above South Lake Tahoe from points all around the lake.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes local, state and federal agencies, has numerous locations around Lake Tahoe where they will be burning overgrown vegetation.

Snowmobilers are being asked to move to areas with adequate snow coverage for their activities and to stay away from bare dirt and patchy snow areas.

With the snowpack in the Sierra at very low levels, and in anticipation of a busy holiday weekend, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) are informing snowmobile operators to also not ride across streams or over small trees or brush. Operating snowmobiles on too little snow creates ruts in the soil and crushes vegetation.

Visible smoke at several areas around Lake Tahoe Wednesday are from scheduled prescribed burns.

On the South Shore, smoke can be seen for miles from Oneidas Street where the U.S. Forest Service is burning 100 acres, a project they began on January 17. They do not burn all 100 acres at the same and do small amounts each day, then put the fires out before moving to the next area.

Besides Oneidas, other burn areas drawing a lot of smoke are 70 acres being burned near Thunderbird Lodge near Incline Village and 70 acres near Brockway.

The popular program from the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Ski with a Ranger, resumes at Heavenly Mountain Resort on Friday, January 26. Every Monday and Friday, the tours will start at 1:00 p.m. at Tamarack Lodge at the top of the gondola.

The tours last approximately one-hour and continue through April 6, 2018, weather permitting.