Outdoors

Chautauquan Tom Lorentzen will portray American author John Steinbeck at 6:30 pm, followed by stargazing with the Astronomical Society of Nevada at 9:00 pm, on Wednesday, June 13 at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park.

John Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1962. Among his classic works are The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden and Of Mice and Men. The year 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of his death. Although most recognized for his fiction, Steinbeck also wrote non-fiction.

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The Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA) and partners, the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association and US Forest Service, are organizing a morning community trailhead cleanup on Saturday, June 2 at 9:00 a.m.

Celebrate National Trails Day, the nation’s largest gathering of trails by volunteering cleaning up the South Shore. Volunteers are needed to help remove graffiti off of massive granite boulders and remove garbage on a trail connector into Van Sickle Bi-State Park.

The morning event will wrap up by noon. Register at: tahoerimtrail.org/national-trails-day

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Every year for two weeks, instead of driving, Lake Tahoe residents and visitors ride their bikes to work, school, and for fun. Schools, offices, neighbors, friends and individuals can all join in the challenge by logging all trips done on a bike, no matter the distance.

Just by participating in the Tahoe Bike Challenge people will be automatically eligible to win fabulous prizes and cool swag! Two categories to win: Most Total Trips & Most Trips (from June 1-14) and top riders will receive a limited-edition Tahoe Bike Challenge T-shirt.

Something in the Wind, a free kite flying event, will take place at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Saturday and Sunday, May 19 and 20, 2018.

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The historic Tahoe Trout Farm in South Lake Tahoe will open for the 2018 season on May 1.

For over 70 years the trout farm has been providing families with the experience of fishing in their ponds and catching their dinner, or lots of dinners, as there is no limit to the number of fish caught.

Join the fun as we capture the water quality of the Tahoe Truckee Watershed through this hands-on monitoring event. Meet at Lake Tahoe Community College Aspen Room Saturday, May 19 at 9 am. Teams led by trained team leaders will then go out to local streams and rivers throughout South Tahoe to collect data to create a snapshot in time of water quality. The data collected can be used for restoration projects and overall watershed protection.

Wear layers, sunglasses, sun hat and sunscreen. Be prepared to possibly wade in the water. Bring a reusable water bottle.

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With 12 to 18 feet of snow received at Lake Tahoe ski resorts in March, many area ski resorts are announcing a change in their closing dates.

Heavenly Mountain Resort announced today that their ski season will extend through April 22, offering daily skiing and riding. They have a lot of Spring Break planned activities through April 7.

The 20th annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup is taking place at 40 parks up and down the state of California on Saturday, April 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The closest park with a project the public can work on is Grover Hot Springs.

Work there will be to continue maintenance of, and improvements to, the Native Plant Demonstration Garden including irrigation and weed removal, Grover Meadow invasive weed removal and landscape enhancements such as trash pickup, raking, clearing fire rings.

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.

Friends of Snowshoe Thompson are holding their annual event to celebrate the life of the legend, who, between 1856 and 1876, delivered mail between Placerville, California and Genoa, Nevada on long skis. From 1868 to 1872, Thompson also served on the Board of Supervisors of Alpine County.

The 18th annual Snowshoe Thompson Ski and Snowshoe Celebration is moving to Lake Tahoe this year and will be held on February 24 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Lake Tahoe Golf Course.

How many steps can you take in 97 days? Almost a million?

Join El Dorado County's team in the 1 Billion Steps Challenge which tracks participant's steps through apps from January 1 to April 8, 2018.

The challenge is through the American Public Health's Associations (APHA) who are encouraging Americans to get out and walk, roll and get moving. Register at https://stridekick.com/tc/apha18 and have your steps logged. You don't even have to do anything once registered (except walk, run and move, of course)...your phone or other fitness tracker will communicate with the challenge.

Hello fellow anglers. I am happy to say, the winter solstice has come and gone. Meaning, each day now brings one minute longer of daylight. But as we all know, that does not mean it will get any warmer soon. Down here in the Minden and Carson Valleys we've experienced an average of 7 to 10 degree mornings.

Most would think that the higher lakes would be frozen and iced over. I received a report from fellow angler Josh Otto last week. As Josh told me, Caples Lake had high winds and was down right cold and had waves blowing across the lake.

The 2018 Winter Trek conservation program for fifth-grade students will run from January 9 to March 29, and sign-ups with U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) for the popular program begin December 18.

Fifth-grade teachers may reserve a spot by calling the Forest Supervisor’s office at 530-543-2789, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Field trips are generally three hours long and are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, weather permitting.

The forecasted storm hit the Lake Tahoe area starting Sunday evening, and is now moving on. A Winter Storm Advisory is in place until 10:00 a.m. Monday. The week ahead should be clear and sunny and cold with a new storm coming in next Saturday.

As of 8:30 a.m. the following chain controls are in place. For up to the minute reports, visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ in California and http://nvroads.com/ in Nevada.

Twin Bridges to Meyers on Highway 50

Kirkwood Mountain Resort kicked off their 2017-2018 ski season Friday. They have opened four of their 15 lifts (1,5,6,11), giving access to 250 acres of skiing on 15 percent of their terrain.

Operating hours at this time are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Heavenly is open in South Lake Tahoe, with Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows and Mt. Rose open on the North Shore. Northstar was originally planning on opening Friday but instead will announce their opening day on November 27.

New at "The Wood" this year:

Red Cliffs Family Lodge

Heavenly Mountain Resort will open for the 2017-2018 season on Friday, Nov. 17, just as a winter storm passes by Lake Tahoe.

“We’re thrilled to begin the ski season at Heavenly this Friday,” said Mike Goar, senior vice president of mountain division and chief operating officer of Heavenly Mountain Resort. “We’ve been hard at work making snow at every opportunity, and current forecasts are calling for snow. We’re excited to begin another terrific ski season.”

The kickoff events are now in the record books, and racers are now preparing for the rest of Lake Tahoe Marathon week to get started. Please note, State Route 89 will be closed to vehicle traffic in each direction around Emerald Bay from approximately 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 15 during the Lake Tahoe Marathon. Motorists should be aware of runners along the highway from Homewood to South Lake Tahoe.

Saturday, October 14

9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. - Tahoe Sport & Fitness Expo - Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel

Tahoe Mountain Milers are holding their annual Kokanee Trail Runs during the Fall Fish Fest on October 8. Participants can choose to participate in the 5K, 10K 1/2 Marathon or the Tadpole Trot at the Sno-Park on Highway 89 north of Camp Richarson.

Race day registration begins at 6:00 a.m. or those wanting to join in can sign up
on October 7 at Oktoberfest at Camp Richardson. Online registration is at
tahoemtnmilers.org.

The long-distance run will start at 7:00 a.m., the Tadpole Trot at 8:00 a.m.

The 5th Annual Tahoe Mountain Bike and Brew Festival will be held on August 26-27 in Meyers and celebrates the "perfect pairing" of mountain biking and beer, all headquartered at the The Divided Sky, Meyers.

Try out the latest bikes from Ibis, Specialized, Trek, Norco, Pivot, YT Industries, Intense, and Rocky Mtn, and sample craft brews from local breweries including South Lake Brewing Company, Lake Tahoe Aleworx, Coldwater Brewery and 50/50 Brewing.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The sun is out and the snow is melting - now is the time to get out and enjoy summer on your National Forest lands! The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and Heavenly Mountain Resort invite you to Hike with a Ranger this summer. 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. The duration of the guided hike is approximately one hour and will continue every weekend through September 2, 2017, weather permitting.

A free Western Heritage Celebration returns to the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Saturday, July 22, beginning at 11:00 am.

The event’s second year will include a heritage quilting presentation, a Victorian dressing presentation, songs about local history and cowboy poetry, as well as gold panning and other children’s activities.

The Carson Valley Quilt Guild returns for its second year and will give a demonstration on a variety of quilting methods including the “Crazy Quilt”. This demonstration is from 11:00 am until Noon.

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A new Lake Tahoe bike map has been released by the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition that details the latest trails and points of interest all around the lake with separated bike trails, on-road bike lanes and designated bicycle routes.

The paper map will be available for free at Lake Tahoe area visitor centers and bike shops or can be viewed and downloaded on line www.tahoebike.org/where-to-ride/bike-map/.

Equestrienne Samantha Szeciorka will speak on her latest “Nevada Discovery Ride” on Sunday, July 9, at 10:00 am at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park. This presentation is free.

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Staff with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the League to Save Lake Tahoe (Keep Tahoe Blue) took the top prizes in the 2017 Tahoe Bike Challenge, while hundreds of Tahoe youth rode in increasingly large bike-to-school events.

Each year, for the first two weeks of June, hundreds of Tahoe residents and visitors participate in the Tahoe Bike Challenge. In teams or as individuals, participants join a friendly competition to see who can replace the most car trips with trips by bicycle.