bear

Litter. Dog poop. Unsafe fires. Bear safety. These are just some of the issues impacting our Region. Today, the Lake Tahoe Outreach Committee unveiled the Take Care™ campaign to help reduce these impacts and promote a more responsible use of our great outdoors.

The campaign was designed for use in outreach efforts by public agencies, private businesses and nonprofit organizations in the Region. Aimed at residents and visitors, the campaign is a series of reminders that poke fun at the mistakes we all make when we’re not paying attention.

Smokey Bear and U.S. Forest Service crew members visited Jubilee Kids' Academy in South Lake Tahoe this morning to teach preschool kids about campfire safety. Illegal and unattended campfires cause over 90 percent of wildfires in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Forest Service asks the public to be mindful of the current fire danger and help prevent human-caused wildfires by not building illegal campfires. Photo credit: Dave Marion, U.S. Forest Service.

An overflowing audience of South Lake Tahoe residents, home owners, vacation home owners, real estate agents, property managers, vacation rental companies, locals and city officials were on hand Tuesday night at the Vacation Home Rental (VHR) community workshop held in City Council chambers at the airport.

City Manager Nancy Kerry ran the meeting, giving everyone a chance to speak their opinion after a short presentation.

A Lake Tahoe woman is suing a longtime bear protection group after she says she got death threats for reporting an aggressive black bear to Nevada authorities, who then killed the animal.

Adrienne Evans, a professional mountain bike racer and high school science teacher, accuses the BEAR League of igniting an ugly social media campaign that turned into a vengeful attempt to run her and her husband out of town. She said she loves bears and wasn't trying to get the animal killed.

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.

2/8
8:55 a.m. - Marijuana Cultivation - Ojibwa Street - CONTACT MADE AT RESIDENCE REGARDING MARIJUANA CULTIVATION AND CHILD WELFARE. NO ARRESTS.

Can you recall a favorite nursery rhyme from childhood? How about a favorite book? Some of my early favorites were the “Incy Wincy Spider” song and “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?” picture book.

Early language development is intricately linked to a child’s exposure to reading, talking, and singing starting from infancy. Though infants may not talk back, research shows a child’s language exposure at an early age predicts his or her success in school.

As the incoming Chair of the 15-member Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board, this promises to be a hopeful and exciting year. 2015 will be full of opportunities, but also challenges, for the continued protection of Lake Tahoe.

The number one priority among our challenges is funding shortfalls. Federal and state funding that has paid for environmental restoration and protection efforts at Lake Tahoe for years is drying up and new approaches need to be pursued.

Experience some of the best South Lake Tahoe restaurants during the 2015 TahoeSouth Restaurant Week beginning on Friday.

Twenty-four restaurants will have special menus available from January 9 through January 16, giving diners the chance to enjoy meals at local favorites for a discounted price.

Just when Tom and Cheryl Millham of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care thought they could rest from the busy bear year they had in 2014, they received phone calls which brought new small cubs to live at their South Lake Tahoe facility.

Happy holidays from Lake Valley FPD! Here is the schedule for our Christmas engine to drive through our community neighborhoods. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call us!

December 11 – Echo View Estates, Tahoe Mountain Road, Mule Deer Circle

December 12 – Lake Tahoe Blvd from Boulder Mountain Drive to Grizzly Mountain Drive

December 13 – West side of North Upper Truckee from Zuni Street Highway 50, Chiapa Drive

December 14 – East side of North Upper Truckee from Grizzly Mountain to West San Bernardino Ave.

It didn't look good for a 39 pound bear cub after being caught in a 400 square mile fire in the state of Washington. Suffering from 3rd degree burns, the cub was found under a horse trailer in Methow Valley, WA.

A state Department of Fish and Wildlife officer captured her, and a volunteer pilot flew Cinder to California. When she arrived at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) on Aug. 4.

Food and fun for the entire family. Each child gets a goody bag and can enjoy crafts, the Teddy Bear Hospital, and a photo with Santa! Bring a favorite teddy bear from home to be pampered and dressed. Purchase tickets at: www.FestivalofTreesLakeTahoe.com or call (530) 543-5614. Get tickets early - this event sells out!

Price:Adults 13 and over: $30. Children 2-12: $25. Children under 2 years old are FREE!

Location

Stroll through a holiday wonderland with thousands of twinkling lights on decorated Christmas trees and holiday decor! Vote for your favorite tree in the Festival's "People's Choice Award" contest. Settle down to watch the entertainment, bid in the silent auction, enter the raffle, get a family photo with Santa, and take the kids to Teddy Bear Hospital. Kids can stop by the Gingerbread Junction, where they can write a letter to Santa and drop it in the giant mailbox for express delivery to the North Pole.

Location

The Forest Service may have to close the Taylor Creek Visitor Center area if visitors continue to disregard the warnings to keep away from the bears frequenting the area in search of salmon.

Visitors are being asked to keep their distance when encountering bears. The Visitor Center staff routinely encounter unsafe situations as guests ignore their instructions and get too close to bears to take photos and videos.

Law enforcement and police dogs have been searching an area near the Tahoe Keys for a knife used in last week's attempted murder of a South Lake Tahoe woman.

Thomas Payne is accused of cutting his wife's throat with a large knife on October 16. He took off after the incident and returned to the scene several hours later. The knife used in the attack has not been found.

Payne's wife was taken to the hospital with life threatening injures and he was arrested on October 17 for attempted murder.

A 22-year-old South Lake Tahoe woman remains jailed Tuesday evening on charges of hit and run, resisting, DUI and assault with a deadly weapon. Alejandra Lopez was driving westbound on Highway 50 in the vicinity of South Tahoe Middle School at 9:20 a.m. Tuesday morning when the series of events occurred that landed her in a cell at El Dorado County Jail. Lopez is accused of splitting the two westbound lanes with her car, hitting the cars in each lane. The drivers of the two cars which were hit got of their vehicles after the accident when Lopez tried to run one of them over.

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

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore.

10/5
1:21 a.m. - Golden Bear Trail - A MALE AND FEMALE WHO HAVE BEEN DATING FOR FOUR YEARS GOT INTO A VERBAL ARGUMENT. BOTH DENIED VIOLENCE. DOCUMENTATION ONLY.

5:43 p.m. - Jameson Beach Road - A 34 YEAR OLD WOMAN BELIEVED HER PURSE FELL OFF OF HER BICYCLE ON THE TRAIL BETWEEN CAMP RICHARDSON AND HER RESIDENCE. AREA CHECK CONDUCTED. DOCUMENTATION ONLY.

10/6

Improper storage of human food and other scented items, and improper disposal of refuse is a leading cause of human-bear conflict. Due to the fact that bears are attracted to food and things that smell good, proper handing of these items is required at Fallen Leaf and Meeks Bay campgrounds starting October 1.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has issued the final decision for Forest Order No. 19-14-14 that requires the proper storage of food and refuse.

The 7th Annual K9 Trials are being held in South Lake Tahoe all day Saturday. They started with Dog Patrol competition at Lakeview Commons this morning. More events will follow at the beach and the public is invited to attend.

9/28/14 10:00 p.m. update: 4,420 firefighters and support staff are still on the scene of the 97.099 acre King Fire which is now 89% contained.

After 4 days of precipitation with accumulations of 1-3 inches, fire spread has been halted, however heat remains in the heavier fuels and in the heavy duff sheltered from the rain under the dense timber canopy. As the weather turns warm and dry over the next several days, expect to see an increase in fire activity and smoke production; however spread potential is extremely low, doe to the successful suppression efforts.

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.

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

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore.

8/7
3:21 p.m. - South Avenue: A 62 YEAR OLD FEMALE WAS TRANSPORTED TO BARTON HOSPITAL AFTER SHE ENTERED A LOCAL PET STORE ASKING FOR PARAMEDICS AND THEN COLLAPSED. LIFE SAVING MEASURES WERE ATTEMPTED WITH NEGATIVE RESULT. DUE TO THE FEMALE'S
UNEXPLAINED INJURIES SOUTH LAKE TAHOE POLICE DETECTIVE'S RESPONDED AS WELL.

4:12 p.m. - Johnson Blvd: A 47 YEAR OLD WOMAN WAS ARRESTED FOR BEING UNDER THE INFLUENCE

8/8

Some people, when they first see Lake Tahoe, think how it'd be nice to boat on top of the glass like water. Others imagine fishing on the lake stocked with big fish, while yet others think about how nice it would be to sit at the quiet and scenic shore and enjoy the sun and the view.

To nine year old Erline Christopherson, all she thought when first saw the crystal blue waters was how she'd like to swim across it. The dream was born that day in 1955.

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

The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore.

7/11
1:22 a.m. - Prospector Trail: A 21 YEAR OLD WOMAN WAS ARRESTED FOR DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE.
12:10 p.m. - Cherry Hills Circle: SUSPECT, A 40 YEAR OLD WOMAN, ASSAULTED THE VICTIM, A 55 YEAR OLD MAN, WITH A "BALL CHUCKER", A PLASTIC DEVICE USED TO THROW A TENNIS BALL.

7/12
3:03 a.m. - Oaxaco Street: A REPORT OF NOISE DISTURBANCE FROM VACATION RENTAL.