birds

Tahoe is a wonderland. Every season creates not only beautiful landscapes, but also new opportunities to get outside and play. For those of us that enjoy playing in the outdoors there are some simple practices we can all engage in to spread cheer all year and everywhere.

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In the show “The Crown” the queen educates Margaret Thatcher on proper behavior while stalking a stag. She mentions the importance of dressing properly, speaking quietly, and avoiding wearing perfumes. The same is true for spending time outside while visiting Tahoe.

After listening to some TedX speeches and my own observations and common knowledge of science, I have come to understand one of the major problems of renewable energy that I believe will make most of the wind mill and solar panel energy producing processes obsolete within a few years.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The annual closure of the Upper Truckee Marsh to dogs is underway and will last through July 31. Each year the California Tahoe Conservancy closes the marsh to dogs, both on and off-leash, to protect sensitive habitats for birds and other wildlife during breeding season.

The Conservancy-owned Cove East property, west of the Upper Truckee River, remains open for year-round leashed dog access. Beginning August 1, dogs will again be permitted access to the Upper Truckee Marsh, provided they are on leash.

The excitement is building for Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care’s upcoming transition as our location, look and procedures all expand. To help them finish up the project they area holding a special evening of food, fun and information in support of LTWC’s future operations and success.

Join them at Wild & Free - An Evening Fundraiser on Tuesday, October 29, 2019, at 6:00 p.m. at Valhalla Tahoe. Enjoy a great meal to help a wonderful cause. All funds raised will go directly to LTWC operations and their animal rehabilitation efforts.

The meal will be catered by The Lake House Restaurant.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) will limit public access and temporarily close portions of some south shore beaches starting Friday, June 28, 2019. They announced beaches they own near Lakeview Commons and the Upper Truckee Marsh will close for public safety and to protect sensitive wildlife habitat and areas prone to erosion.

An exciting selection of wild birds and animals is headed to the South Lake Tahoe Library on Friday, June 21 at 2:00 p.m.

Wild Things, Inc. shares the animals with children along with a message of conservation and appreciation for wild animals. The event is sponsored by the South Lake Tahoe Optimist Club.

The library is located at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd in South Lake Tahoe.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Officials found 300 neglected animals, including more than 100 dogs and numerous cats, birds, horses, pigeons, ducks, roosters, hens, and goats on a property in Shingle Springs on May 2, 2019.

With the extra demands on the animal shelters in transferring and caring for these animals, the shelters in South Lake Tahoe and Diamond Springs are closed through Tuesday, May 7. Over the past five days, El Dorado County Animal Services has been safely removing the animals from the Shingle Springs property.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Interested in volunteering for Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care? Now is your chance as the spring volunteer training session sign-ups start at 9:00 a.m. on March 1.

This year there will be training and education offered over two different weekends with a class on Saturday, May 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. covering general wildlife care information, and a separate hands-on training with their animal care team in early June for those who are interested in regularly volunteering at their South Lake Tahoe facility.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is widely regarded as the largest and oldest citizen science project in the world. Each year, from December 14 through January 5, tens of thousands of volunteers across the county head out into the winter to count birds for a day. This tradition goes back to 1900, and in the intervening years, these birders have built a database on bird populations that is unmatched by any other wildlife census.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) is holding their annual evening fundraiser Wild & Free on Thursday, October 18 at 6:00 p.m. at the Lake House Restaurant.

Enjoy a great meal and help LTWC care for injured and orphaned wild birds and animals. Your ticket includes culinary creations from the restaurant's Chef Jimi Nakamatsu, Sample the Sierra's 2018 Sierra Chef Challenge winner, in addition to fine wines and craft beers.

Entrees include Braised Short Ribs, Roasted Steelhead Trout, Chicken Marsala
and Mint-Crusted Tofu.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) is known for their loving care of wildlife from beavers and owls to bears, but an arrival this week is unusual even for the non-profit based in Meyers near South Lake Tahoe.

Thousands of shore and water birds from Virginia, Carson and Swan Lakes in Nevada were recently stricken by Avian Type C Botulism. Most of the ill birds are Avocets and Ibis, and over 100 of them were brought to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care for needed attention.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For 40 years, Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) has been serving the South Lake Tahoe Community, and on Saturday, August 4 they are holding their annual Open House and opening up their doors to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This is the one time a year the general public can walk the grounds where wild birds and animals are being rehabilitated prior to their release back into the wild.

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.

A South Lake Tahoe home suffered minor damage Thursday night after a bird nest on a roof vent caught on fire.

At 6:34 p.m. a call was made to 911 about a fire in the 1100 block of Tata Lane. Two nearby residents spotted a fire on the eaves of the home, broke ,down a back door and were able to get much of the fire out with a fire extinguisher according to Battalion Chief Tim Spencer of the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department.

UPDATE 5/10/18 10:30 a.m.: State Route 88 remains closed near Woodfords Thursday morning as crews work to remove the demolished tanker truck involved in Wednesday's fatal crash.

Gregory Brown, 46, of Oakland, California has been identified as the driver, whose body was found at the scene nine hours after the crash.

Emergency personnel responded to the 10:05 a.m. call on May 9, 2018 on State Route 88 near the Caltrans maintenance yard west of Woodfords and the SR-89 junction. Upon arrival they found an overturned tanker and detached cab off the roadway.

The following was sent to the South Lake Tahoe City Council and was shared with South Tahoe Now:

Join the Friends of the Library as they host a very informative Bird Talk on December 20, 2017 at 6:00 p.m.

Location

Help Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care raise funds to help them care for injured and orphaned wild birds and animals at their "Wild & Free: A Culinary Event" on Thursday, October 19, 2017 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Not only will attendees be helping a worthwhile cause, they will also be treated to a wonderful selection of fine wines, craft beers and culinary creations from The Lake House chef Jeff Sparrow.

On September 15, 2017 the annual Nevada bear hunt season opens, and this year 45 hunters have been issued tags to participate in the season that lasts until December 1, or until the quota of 20 black bears has been met. The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) calls this the "Black Bear Harvest."

In protest of the hunt, a "peaceful, educational" demonstration has been planned by NoBearHuntNV.org and Compassion Works International on September 16 in Reno. Participants will be meeting at the intersection of South Virginia and McCarran in front of Reno Star sculpture at 11:00 a.m.

Once a year the public has the opportunity to explore the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care facility. On Sunday, July 30 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., they will open their doors to where the wild birds and animals are rehabilitated.

For 40 years the non-profit has been serving wildlife in the Sierra and normally the only people allowed past the front door are the volunteers.

Get ready for a wild time as the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS) and the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) host Wild Tahoe Weekend.

Join them June 24-25, 2017 at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center, just three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89. Residents and visitors are invited to attend this free family event.

Work had recently resumed on the new rehabilitation facility for Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) on Al Tahoe Blvd. Thieves stopped by last week and helped themselves to several hundred feed of copper line from the South Lake Tahoe project.

A contractor was connecting the sewer line to the South Tahoe Public Utility District (STPUD) connection at Pioneer Village 900 fee away. In order to locate water, electrical and sewer lines in the future, contractors now bury a copper wire just above the line making the task easier should it be needed.

The arrival of mosquitoes in El Dorado County communities is delayed this year due to the long and wet winter, but health officials are taking Mosquito Awareness Week of April 16 through April 22, 2017 to remind the public to protect themselves. As warmer weather approaches residents should be aware of the serious risks mosquitoes present to their health, including West Nile, Saint Louis encephalitis, and potentially dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses.

On Saturday, June 10, 2017, runners will once again run counter-clockwise around Lake Tahoe during the 53rd annual DeCelle Memorial Lake Tahoe Relay. Considered to be the oldest relay race in the country, the Lake Tahoe Relay began as a New Year's gag by a group of college runners in 1959, grew into a tribute to a beloved son, and has evolved over decades as a family's labor of love. With altitudes up to 6,500 ft. on the 72-mile course around scenic Lake Tahoe, this race is as fun as it is challenging.