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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.

LAKE TAHOE - In a game of numbers, model and golfer Blair O'Neal has several associated with her golfing career:

2 NCAA Long Drive Championships
160 yards is her average 7-iron distance
308 yards is her longest drive
270 yards is her average driving distance
1 hole-in-one

And 2 is the number of American Century Golf Championships she'll be in as of next month.

After a challenging winter and spring in the Lake Tahoe Basin, the summer season is upon us. Agencies around Lake Tahoe (U.S. Forest Service, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, California State Parks, California and Nevada Departments of Wildlife) are reminding residents and visitors to practice proper food storage and trash disposal when living in, or visiting, bear country.

The watercraft inspection spots around Lake Tahoe once again proved their valuable service when a boat at the Alpine Meadows station was found to have quagga mussels on board May 14.

The boat was quarantined for several days and Tahoe Resource Conservation District staff performed multiple decontaminations to ensure all invasive species were removed before the boat was released to the owner.

Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board voted to increase prevention methods by requiring motorists towing boats to remove drain plugs from their watercraft after leaving the lake.

With increased water in the area from recent winter and spring storms that brought record-breaking precipitation into the area, Douglas County Emergency Management and Mosquito Abatement General Improvement District is expecting more mosquitos in Douglas County this season.

Typically mosquito breeding sites in Douglas County are monitored starting April 1. The long winter has not allowed for this process. Standing water creates opportunities for mosquitoes to develop and bites from mosquitoes can transmit diseases to people and animals.

Imagine a world with no frogs. No longer would you hear frog melodies in the evening, algae would flourish, and entire ecosystems could change dramatically. This is a possibility in the Sierra Nevada because 90 percent of the Mountain yellow-legged frogs have been disappearing due to an amphibian pathogen and loss of habitat from fish introductions in our lakes.

Leave No Trace is a national program that teaches and inspires people to enjoy the outdoors while also helping to protect it.

While protecting the outdoor environment and keeping it clear and free of trash and debris should be commonplace, it isn't.

The Leave No Trace team was recently in South Lake Tahoe on a vacation but stopped by South Tahoe High to talk to members of Generation Green. Many may remember the team as community members who left last year to travel the country and teach and train along the way.

In their ongoing battle with aquatic invasive plants in the Tahoe Keys, the area's property owners association has applied for a permit to test herbicides in the lagoon in 2018.

Two Markleville, Calif., men were arrested on December 17 after a Department of Fish Wildlife warden caught them near Diamond Valley Road and Airport Road (Alpine County) as they attempted to "spotlight" deer.

According to Lt. Chris Stoots of California Fish & Wildlife, Ramsey Gene Horse, 29, and William Eugene Berreman, 26, were allegedly driving a Ford sedan with an artificial light in an attempt to spot and kill deer, an illegal action called spotlighting. They also had two loaded rifles in the back seat.

Mono County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) has suspended the search for three men who have been missing in June Lake since their boat capsized on Saturday.

At about 10:00 a.m., a boat carrying five male passengers overtuned. Two of the men were able to swim to shore but the other men have not been found.

The men were vacationing at June Lake, and went out to fish Saturday morning. It is reported that they are from the town of Tehachapi, Calif.

Our world is rapidly changing, including the coastal and inland waters. Conservation is essential in order to preserve these areas and the fish that live there but water conservation is a complex subject. Find out what is being done and the issues California's coast and inland waters are confronted with at the UC Davis Tahoe Science Center on Thursday, November 3.

Join Dr. Nann Fangue to learn how we can conserve our imperiled fishes and find solutions by understanding physiological specializations that allow animals to survive and thrive in complex environments.

5:15 p.m. update: Weather is helping fire fighters on the fire burning south of Gardnerville.

Recommended evacuations have been lifted and residents can return to their homes in the Ruhenstroth area. The area on the west side of Highway 395, including Stone’s Throw, Frontage Road and the Riverview Mobile Home Park remain closed to the residents.

Highway 395 north and southbound will be opening soon, single lane only with a pilot vehicle.

“The conditions are improving due the light rain, decrease in the winds and cooler temperatures,” said Deputy Chief Dave Fogerson.

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The 22nd annual Oktoberfest at Lake Tahoe will be held October 1 and 2 at the historic Camp Richardson Resort.

Oktoberfest Activities include German food and desserts, an owner and dog dress up contest, craft booths, face painting, pumpkin patch, balloon art, bouncy house, bungee platform, climbing wall, live music featuring the polka styling’s of the “Gruber Family Band,” and the event’s ever popular beer and wine garden.

2016 is the 26th year that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has handed out its "Best in the Basin" award for projects in the Lake Tahoe basin that demonstrate exceptional planning and implementation and compatibility with Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities.

During Wednesday's TRPA board meeting in Kings Beach, the nine winners for the year were honored.

The City of South Lake Tahoe was one of those recipients for the Bijou Bike Park project, a collaborative effort between the City and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association.

There were tears, smiles and applause as a Golden Eagle was released Sunday over Red Lake after being rehabilitated by Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care for the past month.

"Loyalton" was found by a Fish and Wildlife warden near the town of Loyalton with no real injuries, but was emaciated. LTWC volunteers call Loyalton a "he" but they don't really know as they don't test the sex on their eagles.

Almost 200 children participated in the 15th annual South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge Kids' Fishing Derby on Sunday at Lake Baron.

Travis Bank reeled in a 3.5 pound trout to win the derby, and took home a $100 Savings Certificate from El Dorado Savings. 2nd place winner Chance Rice won second place and a $50 Savings Certificate with his 3.2 lb trout. Third place winner Dillon Switzer also won a $50 Savings Certificate for his 2.5 lb catch.

Over 140 raffle prizes given out to the children.

Lake Baron in Tahoe Paradise Park will be closed to the public from 2:00 p.m. Friday to 2:00 p.m. Sunday as final preparations are made for the 15th annual Kid's Fishing Derby. They will be stocking the lake with almost 1,000 pounds of catchable and trophy sized trout.

The annual event, for kids up to the age of 16, is provided free of charge by the Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge on Sunday, September 18 from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Free food and prizes for kids as well as a chance to take home prize money for the largest fish caught.

El Dorado County health officials have received confirmation from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that a dead bird found in the Placerville area has tested positive for West Nile virus, the first for 2016. The bird, a Western Scrub Jay, was found on August 23, 2016. There have been no reported cases of human infection with West Nile virus this year in El Dorado County.

We welcome President Obama to Lake Tahoe, which is admired for its great depth and clarity and beautiful alpine surroundings. As Tahoe’s public water agencies, we are hard at work on a water infrastructure initiative to enhance critical preparedness needs and hazard mitigation in the wildland-urban interface against the threat of catastrophic wildfire.

A new boardwalk on the Taylor Creek Rainbow Trail was officially opened on Friday as Generation Green celebrated the results of their labor with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The 100 foot boardwalk replaces an often flooded path around the popular stream profile chamber, a path further weakened by beavers boring underneath what used to be full of asphalt.

A Placer County Search and Rescue volunteer was shot in the hip on Tuesday evening while out with a team searching for a 75-year-old missing hiker.

Steven Wolf was part of a three-person team searching between Brown and Fish Creek for the hiker who was last seen near the town of Washington on the South Yuba River. The other two members of Wolf's team found cover and radioed for help.

Catching a glimpse and photo of favorite celebrities weren't the only things being caught over at Edgewood Tahoe this weekend, large Mackinaw were also in on the action.

Capt. Paul Mueller and customers on board his Tahoe Sport Fishing charter were fishing in the water offshore from the American Century Golf Championship on Friday, July 22. Fish weren't biting so Mueller was planning on relocating when he decided, at the last minute, to take another pass at the same spot and go at it differently and alter his technique.

The action at Edgewood Tahoe on Sunday gets underway at 7:35 a.m. when the ladies playing in the 27th annual American Century Championship, Heather LeMaster, Lisa Cornwell and Blair O'Neil, tee off from the first tee. They will be followed by Steve Young, Herm Edwards and Marvin Lewis who start from the tenth tee at 7:40 a.m.

Perhaps the most popular threesome in the final round, Justin Timberlake, Steph Curry and Alfonso Ribeiro, will be teeing off at 9:05 a.m.

Mardy Fish, Jack Wagner and Mike Modano, the leaders, start their found of 18 holes at 9:45 a.m.

During the first round of the 27th annual American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe, actor Jack Wagner is ahead by three points over NHL Hall of Famer Mike Modano. Last year's winner, and former baseball pitcher Mark Mulder is four points off the lead.

"This weekend is dedicated to Jim Powers," said Wagner. "He was my best friend for 46 years, personal assistant for 34 years, and he passed June 4. He's been up here all 26 years, just handling my stuff."