forest service

Sixteen local, state and federal agencies were recognized during Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Summit.

A proclamation signed by by Senators Dianne Feinstein, Dean Heller and Harry Reid, Representatives Mark Amodei and Tom McClintock and Governors Jerry Brown and Brian Sandoval honored the release of the Multi-Jurisdiciont Fuel Reduction and Wildfire Prevention Strategy.

The original strategy, finalized in 2007, has successfully guided wildfire risk reduction projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

A new three mile long trail has been completed that now connects High Meadows to the Tahoe Rim Trail. The new path, called the Monument Pass Trail, is located in the southeast end of South Lake Tahoe at the Cold Creek Trail at High Meadows. The trail is multi-use and will be enjoyed by cyclists and hikers.

The new trail is part of a larger group of trail projects known as the Trail Access and Travel Management Plan (Trail ATM), a process used by the Forest Service to plan, review, design and construct trail systems in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

A portion of National Forest closed for public safety near Kings Beach has been reopened. The area, about 340 acres east of Brockway Summit and north of Speckled Avenue, was closed for safety reasons due to heavy equipment operations and falling trees as part of the Carnelian Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Projects.

The project is treating 3,300 acres to reduce the risk of severe wildfire, improve forest health and provide defensible space to neighboring communities. Work in the area will resume in 2015.

Crews have been working on an underground stormwater system in the Bijou area of South Lake Tahoe. The work is causing both Fairway Drive and Bal Bijou Road to have detours during the week but open and no controls on weekends.

Work is wrapping up with the installation of a box culvert for Bijou Creek and work is now focused on new curbing and inlets. The Bal Bijou storm drain system will be connected at US 50 next week, with curb installation to follow.

Two miles of the Angora Creek area is getting post-fire restoration work by the U.S. Forest Service over the next two months.

The project is needed on the area after the 2007 Angora Fire to prevent future channel erosion and to improve the aquatic habitat for fish and amphibians. To accomplish this they will strategically place downed logs.

Children and their families are invited by U.C. Davis to visit their Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences on Saturday, August 9 for a day of hand's on activities.

The 15th annual event is free and sponsored by the Tahoe Environmental Research Center. Children's Environmental Science Day includes more than 30 interactive science activities hosted by local organizations, all aimed at children ages 6 and up.

Due to the rise in human - bear conflicts at Lake Tahoe campgrounds, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the Forest Service (LTBMU) has proposed an order to require visitors to properly store food and refuse in a container designed to prevent access by black bears and other wildlife.

Bears quickly learn to expect to find food at previously successful locations and have altered their behaviors in response to human sources of food. Bears habituated to human food will also forage preferentially on human food, even when wildland food is available.

Citations, warnings and medical assistance were given to 169 people during holiday celebrations on South Lake Tahoe beaches operated by the U.S. Forest Service on July 4th.

• 32 - Personal Possession of marijuana (Cites and Warnings)
• 31 - Minors in Possession of Alcohol (Cites)
• 8 – Combination of Arrests for Disorderly Conduct, Cocaine, Crystal Meth, LSD, Pills, Warrant, & Probation Violations
• 12 - 415 Incidents
• 72 – Alcohol Prohibition violations (Cites and Warnings)
• 14 – Medical Aids

Lake Tahoe fire officials, the U.S. Forest Service and Douglas County authorities are investigating a number of intentionally set brush fires lit near four hiking trails in the Stateline and Zephyr Cove areas.

In the past two weeks, four separate small brush fires have been started off of hiking trails, said Douglas County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Pat Brooks. Because of the nature of the fires, they are believed to have been started by the same person or persons, Brooks added.

The chemical treatment of invasive plants by the U.S. Forest Service in Lake Tahoe will continue through the summer at about 70 different locations totaling 12.5 acres. In South Lake Tahoe the treatment will take place at the Angora wildfire area, Baldwin Beach meadow, Burke Creek trail, Luther Pass campground, Heavenly Creek Meadow, Heavenly Ski Area, Rabe Meadow and the Spooner Summit fire station as well as at several urban lots that the Forest Service controls.

This year’s Independence and Labor Day fireworks display challenge has proved that Tahoe South is a team. As in other situations I recall over the years, we come together in times of crisis and demonstrate that we care deeply about this special place we call home. This summer, we as a community are forming a new team – Team Fireworks – and every member counts.

7:45 pm update: According to Eric Guevin, Tahoe Douglas Fire District's Fire Marshall, the cause of the fire by Kingsbury Middle School was human caused and is under investigation. Due to quick response by the Zephyr Fire Crew and Tahoe Douglas Firefighters, along with favorable weather, the fire only burned a 50' x 50' area. A resident in the area, Dr. Jeff Behar, rode his bike to the scene when he saw the smoke and found the crews distinguishing the fire and provided South Tahoe Now with photos.

Several agencies are coming together on Saturday, June 21st for the first Wildfire Safety Expo in South Lake Tahoe.

The threat of wildfire is extremely high this fire season due to record drought conditions in the West. To provide information on creating home evacuation plans, preparing for fire, creating defensible space, the expo has been created.

The expo will be held in the TJ Maxx parking lot from noon to 3 p.m.

UPDATE June 13, 2014 10:46 a.m. - The search for Vernon “Cody” Matthews over the last few days has not revealed any new information indicating his whereabouts. Sheriff D’Agostini is still dedicated to determining Cody’s location and search operations are continuing. Search and Rescue personnel from El Dorado, Solano, Placer and Contra Costa Counties are on scene along with personnel from the Bay Area Mountain Rescue team and the California Rescue Dog Association. A helicopter from the California Highway Patrol will also be assisting in todays search.

The official dedication of South Lake Tahoe's 1.2-mile shared-use bike path that connects Elks Point and Round Hill Pines and provides access to Rabe Meadow with Nevada Beach and Round Hill Pines Resort will be held on Thursday, June 19 at 12 p.m.

The second segment of the Stateline-to-Stateline Bikeway, South Shore Demonstration Project adds to the existing path for a total of 2.2 miles. Meanwhile, the North Demonstration Project is expected to begin construction in 2015 and the first phase will connect Incline Village to Sand Harbor State Park.

Paid Parking Is A User Fee

There are many people in this community that want to see more positive changes made. Those include bike paths, road repair or replacement, more public art, a BMX track, improvements at the Skate Park and other recreational areas. They want more events at Lakeview Commons, like the summer concert series, which the City helps support for the locals and visitors alike. They like the upgrades around Harrison Avenue and free parking lot being built next to the Tribune building. All of these pull millions from the City’s General Fund.

You hear about wild weekends in Lake Tahoe, most of them based at a nightclub of the casinos. Here is your opportunity for a truly wild time when the Lake Tahoe Bird and Native Species festivals are held at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

On Saturday, June 7, the Bird Festival will include bird walks, a falconer with live birds of prey, an art contest display, migratory bird info as well as food, crafts and games. Something for all ages! it will be held at the Visitor Center from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit began a mastication project last week on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe off of Fairway Drive near Tahoe City.

The project will eliminate material left behind after thinning for fuels reduction and involves using a masticator, which is a large lawn-mower type of heavy equipment that runs over debris and chops it up into smaller pieces.

Thinning of the forest areas near South Tahoe High and the Sand Pit OHV began last week. This is part of the South Shore Fuels Reductions and Healthy Forest Restoration Project which will thin out about 10,000 acres between Cascade Lake and Stateline, Nevada.

The thinning of trees is for fuels reduction and forest health.

The Forest Service has closed the areas in units 19 and 117 (marked by a red "X" on the map above, from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily through October 14, 2014, for public safety due to heavy equipment operations and falling trees.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is seeking public input on a proposal to remove the Incline Lake dam and restore the area impacted by it. The Forest Service purchased the 777-acre Incline Lake parcel, located off State Route 431 in Washoe County, Nev., on July 29, 2008, for its recreational, scenic and natural resource values. During the acquisition process, a site investigation and assessment determined that the Incline Lake dam and spillway do not meet federal, state or local standards for a high-hazard dam (designated as such due to downstream development).

There is a proposed "Forest Order" that would require proper storage of food and refuse at developed National Forest System recreation sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Bears are attracted to anything edible or scented. Improper storage of human food sources and refuse is a leading cause of human-bear conflict. Without a Forest Order in place, Forest Service law enforcement are unable to require visitors to employ proper food and refuse storage practices. The proposed Forest Order would require use of bear-resistant dumpsters and food lockers designed to prevent access by wildlife.

Over 460 acres of Forest Service latd in South Lake Tahoe will be thinned out this Spring to improve forest health and reduce the risk of sever wildiires on the South Shore.

Starting Monday, April 21, The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will resume work on the South Shore Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project.

Prescribed fire operations by the U.S. Forest Service will continue around the Lake Tahoe Basin during the week of April 14, 2014, and are likely to continue throughout the month of April, weather permitting.

During the next few weeks, burning may take place on Spooner Summit on the East Shore, in the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89 near South Lake Tahoe, and on the west side of Highway 89 near Tahoma on the West Shore. Operations are ongoing and may continue as weather, staffing, and conditions allow. Locations could vary due to changing conditions.

Proactive forest management activities can reduce high-severity fire by up to 75%, save up to three times the cost of fighting forest fires and bring added benefits to people, water and wildlife according to a study released today.