usfs

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and U.S. Forest Service have scheduled prescribed fire operations around the South Shore from Spooner Summit to Meyers, weather and conditions permitting.

Starting Sunday, November 6, the agencies will start burning hand piles off Logan Creek Drive and on Kingsbury Grade on the East Shore, and on urban lots near Heavenly Mountain Resort and off North Upper Truckee Road on the South Shore.

Nevada (Locations and planned date of ignition):
Logan Creek - 10 acres of hand piles start November 6

It's that time of year again when the U.S. Forest Service resumes their prescribed burns in the Lake Tahoe basin to reduce fuels in sensitive areas.

Fire restrictions have not been lifted in the basin yet, but it is not uncommon for the Forest Service to conduct operations while those restrictions are still in effect according to Lisa Heron of the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

What is becoming almost a daily occurrence, firefighters in South Lake Tahoe have responded to another fire in the forested area in the outskirts of the city.

On Wednesday, at 2:11 p.m., an El Dorado County Sheriff's deputy spotted smoke and made the first call to 911. The fire started in the area between Lodi Avenue in the Sierra Tract and the Lake Tahoe Airport.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, .18 acre burned. As of 4:00 p.m., there is a full containment line and firefighters remain on the scene.

4:00 p.m. update - A fire that burned behind Motel 6 in South Lake Tahoe Monday consumed a 50 x 50 square patch of dry brush before being brought under control by the first responders.

1:53 p.m. the call came into dispatch, and immediately a full response headed to the scene. The fire is out and investigators from CalFire and USFS are looking into the cause.

The fires on the South Shore the past few months have not officially been labeled suspicious and most remain under investigation.

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If conditions are favorable, prescribed fire operations will return to the region on Tuesday, October 11 near Big Meadow off Highway 89 on Luther Pass.

There are 300 acres full of hand piles ready to burn. Christmas Valley residents may get some smoke as the flow will be in a north/northeast flow.

If you see smoke around Amador, Georgetown and Placerville it will most likely be from 12,671 acres of National Forest land being burned this fall by the U.S. Forest Service.

USFS will begin its fall prescribed burn program in the Eldorado National Forest as soon as weather conditions are favorable. Fire managers plan to burn approximately, 12,671 acres of National Forest land this fall, winter and spring using a combination of understory and pile burning techniques.

The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) of the U.S. Forest Service has a new deputy forest supervisor on board. Teresa McClung started the new job last week after being the District Ranger for the Stanislaus National Forest for the past seven years.

“We are excited that Teresa has joined our dedicated and experienced basin team,” said Forest Supervisor, Jeff Marsolais. “Her educational background and experience as a landscape architect will greatly complement the significant, large landscape work underway here in the Lake Tahoe Basin.”

During the 2014 Kokanee Salmon run at the U.S. Forest Service's Taylor Creek Visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe, many visitors attempted to get a "selfie" with the bears who frequent the area in search of Salmon. This disregard for both the bear's safety as well as the public's prompted USFS officials to issue warnings and threat to close the area.

The City of South Lake Tahoe organized a celebration to honor, not only the City's police officers, but all men and women who serve the South Shore. It was held at Lakeview Commons and El Dorado Beach on Thursday.

Members of the Nevada Highway Patrol, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, El Dorado County Sheriff's Office, Search and Rescue, STAR volunteers, Probation Department, SLEDNET, USFS and the FBI all joined in the celebration with the public who came to give their thanks.

Not only was there a free BBQ for the honorees, there was also a free concert on the beach.

Zephyr Cove Resort will remain open for business as soil impacted by a 2011 underground fuel release is removed from an area near the south beach volleyball courts starting Monday, September 12.

Even though those driving by and visiting the resort will see the activity, impact to operations is expected to be minimal. There may be some disruption to parking and the volleyball area but watercraft rentals and sightseeing boats will continue to operate during the excavation.

The eighth fire in ten days broke out early Wednesday morning in South Lake Tahoe, this time on Edna Street near Pioneer Trail. Just under one-half of an acre of National Forest Service land burned in the 12:30 a.m. fire which burned a short distance away from Friday's Ralph Drive fire.

Firefighters from US Forest Service, South Lake Tahoe, Lake Valley and Cal Fire all responded and got the fire under control quickly, and had the area contained with a wet line by 6:46 a.m.

Here is a breakdown of the recent fires:

5:00 p.m. update: A small fire that broke out west of the Heavenly Gondola Sunday afternoon has been contained. CalFire will remain at the scene for mop up operations.

An area about 40 feet by 25 feet burned before fire fighters responded and put it out. The original call came in at 3:56 p.m.

Montreal Road in South Lake Tahoe, previously closed to allow fire fighters to get into the area, has been reopened. The gondola had also been shut down for a short time as a safety measure.

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Protecting Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada is the job of many stakeholders. Its not just a local job, not just a California job, not just a Nevada job, not just a national job, and as witnessed through President Obama's visit to the Lake Tahoe Summit Wednesday, it can only be successful through partnerships of all of those entities along with agencies, local and private investment.

On Tuesday, August 29, the day before the Summit, California Senator Diane Feinstein hosted a lunch for local officials, agencies and federal counterparts, described as the "Lake Tahoe Stakeholders Luncheon".

An appreciation of all of the law enforcement agencies that are assigned to protect the South Shore of the Lake Tahoe Basin will be the focus of Law Enforcement Day at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe on Thurday, September 15 at 5:00 p.m.

The public is invited to show support of the the men and women of the California Highway Patrol, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, El Dorado County Probation, El Dorado County Sheriff including STAR and SAR, the FBI (South Lake Tahoe Division), SLEDNET, South Lake Tahoe Police Department and USFS Law Enforcement.

El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county.

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at press time and the story will be updated when provided.

7/31

1:15 a.m. - Vacation Rental Issue - Gentian Circle - VACATION RENTAL VIOLATION

6:45 p.m. - Runaway - South Lake Tahoe - 16-YEAR-OLD MALE RAN AWAY

8/1

Another spot fire from Tuesday's Montreal Fire in South Lake Tahoe flared up overnight, burning about .16 acre before being controlled by firefighters. This spot was under the Heavenly Gondola tower 7.

This was the third spot fire started from the original fire which started behind the electrical substation on Montreal Road. All are out at this time.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation though the area where the first fire ignited is known to be used as a transient encampment.

Last summer, South Lake Tahoe was one of the home bases for two Bombardier CL415 firefighting aircraft known as "Super Scoopers," and as of this weekend, they are back again.

The two planes are part of national firefighting efforts, so can be moved at any time depending on needs. They arrived from fighting fires in Alaska, and find the Lake Tahoe area a good base since close to areas susceptible to fire. They are prioritized on a daily basis by the National Interagency Fire Center.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) resumed a project to eradicate, control, and contain known infestations of invasive plants in the Lake Tahoe Basin using chemical treatment. The work will continue at approximately 70 infestation sites through September, 2016.

Nine years after the devastating Angora Fire in South Lake Tahoe, the AlertTahoe system of cameras around the Lake Tahoe basin is helping to prevent another such disaster.

June 6, 2016: The Sagehen Fire, north of Truckee, broke out and was quickly extinguished by the USFS, Northstar and Truckee Fire Departments.

June 9, 2016: The Truckee Meadows Fire Department quickly put out the Patrick Fire off Interstate 80, near Reno.

The number of dead trees in the Sierra Nevada are now at historic levels and have fueled the risk of catastrohpic wildfires according to the U.S. Forest Service.

They announced Wednesday that they have identified an additional 26 million dead trees in California since October 2015, bringing the total to at least 66 million dead trees in the state. The most recent additions are located in six counties across 760,000 acres in the Southern Nevada region.

The U.S. Forest Service is planning a project to restore the Taylor and Tallac creek ecosystems, an area that provides habitat for numerous protected wildlife speciesfas well as being an important hydrological connection to Lake Tahoe.

Named the Taylor and Tallac Restoration Project, the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will restore the large wetland complex where the two creeks were once connected through a series of four swales.

Public comment is sought on the Environmental Assessment, Initial Study and Initial Environmental Checklist.

Major components:

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is urging backcountry hikers and backpackers to use extra care when visiting upper elevation areas of the Lake Tahoe Basin over the next several weeks as there is still significant snow above 8,000 feet in many locations. This past winter saw a return to normal snow-pack conditions and many backcountry trails are still covered with snow and ice leaving trails slippery and difficult to find. In addition, current warm temperatures have caused streams to flow higher and faster, which can make crossing difficult.

The South Shore Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration project on 10,000 acres near Fallen Leaf Lake has resumed.

Crews with the U.S. Forest Service will be mechanically removing whole trees off Fallen Leaf Road near the campground over the next several months and the area will be closed for public safety.

The goal of the project is to reduce the risk of severe wildfire and create healthier forests.

Taking advantage of favorable burning conditions, the Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service have planned to conduct prescribed fire operations next week on the South Shore beginning Monday, May 16, 2016.

Burning operations are scheduled to take place in four locations:

Northeast of the Lake Tahoe Airport near Barbara Avenue
Off Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Sawmill Road
Off Panther Lane near the west end of Gardner Mountain
Off Santa Claus Drive and West River Parkway near Christmas Valley