climate

Like Will Rogers, I'm not a member of any organized political party. I'm an OLTACer, as in Old Lake Tahoe Athletic Club, "Old" being the operative word. Yes, we are 10 members strong, and our good-natured motto is, "I don't give a (fill in the blank with your own inappropriate word) what you think."

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Back in the 1940s, before South Tahoe Public Utility
District existed, sewage flowed directly into beautiful Lake Tahoe. Citizens rallied to sign a petition to form the District and this year marks our 70th anniversary. From a single septic field to an award-winning 7.7 million gallon per day wastewater treatment facility, with 100% recycled water and biosolids, a lot
has changed over the years.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Electric vehicle owners can now charge their cars for free at Bank of America’s South Lake Tahoe branch. Three new charging stations have been installed at the bank, located at 3344 Lake Tahoe Boulevard.

They have a range in power from 150 kilowatt (kW) to 350kW and were installed through the bank's partnership with Electrify America.

"Bank of America is committed to helping accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy and is working to reduce its own operational footprint," a bank representative said in a press release.

We are ready for some glad tidings this holiday season. While we look forward to the spirit of generosity and warmth the season brings, many are also hoping the New Year will deliver a meaningful reset. Propelling ourselves forward and out of crisis will require fortitude and drive. The pending vaccine is a bright spot on the horizon, but there are other positive indicators for better days to come.

For more than half a century, collaboration and partnership have been the bedrock of Lake Tahoe’s preservation. I speak often of the epic collaboration needed to restore our environment and lift up our communities. The creation of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) 50 years ago challenged us to bring people together to pull this majestic lake back from the brink. Today, TRPA is the backbone for 80 organizations and thousands of property owners working toward the common goals of clean water, a healthy watershed, and resilient communities

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) has started a series of virtual field trips for teachers that have been designed with flexibility in mind during this ever-changing school year.

Using a variety of technologies, the TERC Education Team has converted some of their most popular field trips to a virtual format:

Aquatic Food Web (Grades 3–4)
Formation of Lake Tahoe (Grades 4–6)
Geology of Tahoe (Grades 4–5)
Trees of Tahoe (Grades 3–5)
Tahoe Forest Health (Grades 5–6)
Climate Change (Grades 6–8)

There are those that would say 2020 is hands down the scariest Halloween movie ever and yeah, I wouldn’t argue with that. The script for this year has certainly freaked everybody out. Add to that an election year and the advent of modern day zombies who’ve been quarantined a little too long and you have the ultimate scary flick that appears to have no ending. Are you wearing your mask? Yeah, I’d rather be scared by a movie and not real life if that’s okay?

Autumn’s reflections have begun and Lake Tahoe’s forests and wildlife are preparing for the winter. While fall is generally a treasured time of year at the lake, a sense of uneasiness hangs in the crisp air as we brace for the next phase of the COVID crisis.

Summer was record breaking on many fronts. Businesses and agencies with major staff and budget shortages were suddenly required to manage the pandemic, following strict protocols. Trash overflowed on our pristine beaches and roadways. Follow that with more than 8,300 wildfires and 4 million acres burned in California alone.

The free virtual screening of the Wilder Than Wild film has been extended through October 25.

If you missed the first presentation, you're in luck!

The award-winning documentary Wilder Than Wild: Fire, Forests, and the Future reveals how fire suppression and climate change have exposed Western landscapes to large, high-intensity wildfires. The sixty-minute film explores strategies that are being developed to help mitigate the impact of these fires.

At this point in time, the intersection between equity and climate change has never been clearer. The Sunrise Movement is a national youth climate group that is seeking a future that’s not only sustainable, but also just. With only 11 years left to transform our economy away from fossil fuels to avoid the worst effects of climate change, we need to elect officials now who will defend our future. The remedies for unsustainable practices must work for everyone in this city. That’s why we’re endorsing John Friedrich and Scott Robbins for the city council of South Lake Tahoe.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Years of planning for the future of transportation around Lake Tahoe has led to the creation of a Regional Transportation Plan. Join the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) on Monday, October 12 during a one-hour webinar on the draft plan starting at noon to learn more (register here).

Former Climate Crew Co-president, Anthony Pedigo, introduced Resolution No. 2020/21-07 in Support of School District Climate Literacy to the LTUSD School Board on September 22, 2020. It was the culmination of a year of passionate student organizing, writing and mobilizing. The resolution passed unanimously.

The Tahoe Climate Change Action Network (TCCAN) is hosting a week of online events with opportunities to connect individual, community and regional efforts to the global movement to ensure we are counting down to a better, carbon neutral future.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless (TCH) will be receiving $9,576,000 to help their goal of ending homelessness in South Lake Tahoe. The community was one of seven California cities and counties to receive the first wave of Project Homekey grants totaling $76.5 million.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The community is invited to a webinar to review the City of South Lake Tahoe's draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) on Wednesday, September 9 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The City has completed its draft CAP and is in the midst of the public review period. This CAP is critical for reducing emissions in the region and will also provide benefits to the community through supporting local economic development, improving wildfire resilience, reducing air pollution, improving traffic conditions, and improving public health and quality of life.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The resiliency of Lake Tahoe was the focus of the 24th annual Lake Tahoe Summit Tuesday, held virtually instead of on the shores of the pristine lake in the Sierra Nevada many call home and even thousands more visit.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. - The 24th annual Lake Tahoe Summit has moved to a virtual format this year. U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada will be hosting the event that will feature Olympian David Wise as the keynote speaker.

Since the first Lake Tahoe Summit in 1997, the area’s congressional representatives have pledged to keep working together and with local, state, and private sector partners to restore Tahoe’s environment, improve forest health, and confront climate change.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - If you've been able to catch the coverage of the 31st American Century Championship from Lake Tahoe you may have seen the shoes Steph Curry has been wearing.

On Friday, his shoes showed an image of Breonna Taylor, the 26-year-old African-American emergency medical technician who was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police Department officers on March 13, 2020.

Curry, who has been outspoken and active with social injustice matters, said the shoes were to "shine a light on Breonna Taylor, demanding and praying and
wishing for justice for her and her family."

The California Tahoe Conservancy Board will meet online on Thursday, June 25 at 9:30 a.m. to consider authorization for awarding grants related to public access improvements, climate change adaptation, and forest restoration. The Board will consider approving a combined $1.3 million in recreation and public access improvement grants and $676,000 in forest health grants

Some of those grants:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The local community is invited to participate in an online survey to give input on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction strategies that have been brainstormed for the City of South Lake Tahoe's Climate Action Plan (CAP).

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Scientists and researchers have been watching the clarity of Lake Tahoe for decades, rejoicing when one can see almost 100 feet down into the iconic body of water, sadness when clarity drops to record levels.

The clarity of the lake is an important indicator of the changing conditions of Lake Tahoe.

In 2019, Lake Tahoe's clarity decreased nearly eight feet from the previous year's dramatic 10-foot improvement. The average clarity in 2019 was 62.7 feet, the second-lowest on record. In 2017, the recorded clarity was 60 feet. In 1968, it was 102 feet.

The Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities (Tahoe Network), with generous support from the Tahoe Fund, is hosting a free virtual screening of the award-winning documentary Wilder than Wild: Fire, Forests, and the Future through the Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema from June 5 - June 11, 2020.

Wilder than Wild is a one-hour documentary that reveals how fire suppressioand climate change have exposed Western landscapes to large, high-intensity wildfires. The film goes on to explore strategies that are being developed to help mitigate the impact of these fires.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - This week's Drought Monitor shows much of the West in some level of drought. Lake Tahoe, the Sierra, and Western Nevada are all in a "moderate drought" stage with no end in the immediate future.

The 90-day outlook shows higher than average temperatures and lower than average precipitation, neither of which is good to break out of a drought.

Following below-average precipitation most of the winter, May storms delivered 181 percent of average in the Northern Sierra for this time of year, but the results aren't showing enough to remove the area from drought.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Rotary Interact Club at South Tahoe High recently donated $800 to the Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

Co-Presidents Dean Kallas and Serena Palaroan sent the check and a letter to the nonprofit tasked with providing temporary care for wildlife, with an explanation of the student-run club and the funds.