forest service

A 30-day public comment period began Thursday on plans associated with upgrades at the Camp Richardson Resort campground along Highway 89 near South Lake Tahoe.
Plans include upgrades and enhancements to the campground day use facilities as well as BMPs and road improvements to ease traffic congestion around the campground and along Highway 89 at the popular Lake Tahoe resort.

The U.S. Forest Service has a two-acre prescribed fire plan for the north shore of Lake Tahoe set for Tuesday. The area planned is Regency Way in Kings Beach. Below is a news release on the details as well as the overall multi-jurisdictional fuel reduction plan outline.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Feb. 6-12.

Prescribed fires on Spooner Summit east of Lake Tahoe are planned for Tuesday through the end of next week, U.S. Forest Service officials said Friday.
Fuel management crews will burn about 10 acres each day, weather permitting with smoke visible along Highway 50.
Below is a news release and 10-year fire reduction plan from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. Forest Service.

A dedication ceremony of the new Genoa Vista Trail will be 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 26 at at the north end of the trail on Foothill Road across from Carson Street. The event is open to the public and participants are encouraged to walk or bike the 1.3 mile trail to 1862 David Walley’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa where refreshments will be served.

A tree thinning and fuels reduction project on about 100 acres in the Upper Echo Lakes area and portions of a roadless area could begin this year, according to a decision by the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.

The project would take up to six years to complete and includes the removal of trees up to 16 inches in diameter, which would be collected, put into piles and either burned or made available for firewood. There is a possibility of brief closures of areas adjacent to the Pacific Crest Trail, according to the Forest Service.

The recently approved Tahoe Regional Plan Update and a Forest Plan Revision status update are among a host issues related to federal activities to be discussed at the Jan. 10 meeting of the Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee. The meeting will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is soliciting proposals to reconstruct, operate and maintain Round Hill Pines Resort. Round Hill Pines is a family-oriented lakeside resort located on the LTBMU in Douglas County, Nevada, near the communities of Stateline, Nev., and South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

The Placer County Supervisors this week gave their support to efforts to name an unnamed peak in Eastern Placer County in honor of three Tahoe-area servicemen who were killed in action in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The peak, located in the Lake Tahoe Basin on United States Forest Service land in Placer County, will be called Gold Star Peak.

The three fallen men include two soldiers and one Marine:

PFC Phillip Brandon Williams, USMC, 21, died October 9, 2006 in Iraq;
Sergeant Timothy M. Smith, USA, 25, died April 7, 2008 in Iraq; and

Expect smokey skies Tuesday ahead of a storm system as the U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will hold prescribed fire operations in the High Meadow area near South Lake Tahoe and above State Route 28 near Skunk Harbor Tuesday, Dec. 11. Crews expect to burn two acres at each location, weather permitting. Operations will continue as weather and conditions allow.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Christmas tree permits are sold out but tree cutting permits remain available on BLM lands in the Pinenut Mountains between Carson City and Yerington, the Clan Alpine and Desatoya mountains east of Fallon, and the Excelsior Mountains southeast of Hawthorne.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin accepting reservations for the 2013 Winter Trek Express program on Monday, December 17, 2012.

Teachers may reserve a spot by calling the Forest Service front desk at (530) 543-2694, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Winter Trek Express is a 5th-grade environmental education program that takes place at Heavenly Mountain Resort via the gondola. Forest Service rangers lead the class through the wilderness to learn snowshoe skills and discover winter adapting animals.

Prescribed fire operations on Lake Tahoe's west shore near Tahoma and in Ward Canyon will resume Monday, Dec, 10. U.S. Forest Service crews expect to burn 50 acres in both locations, weather permitting. Operations are expected to continue through the week.

The environmental non-profit Tahoe Fund presented a $12,850 check today to the Tahoe Transportation District for the Rabe Meadow Bike Path, a key segment of the proposed new bike and pedestrian route around Lake Tahoe called the Lake Tahoe Bikeway. The Bikeway will link communities around the lake, improve air quality, and provide a breathtaking recreational amenity for Tahoe residents and visitors.

The Tahoe Sierra Snowmobile Club will have its first meeting of the season at 6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 6 at Tep's Villa Roma in South Lake Tahoe.

Four new zip lines, a climbing wall, a forest canopy tour and ropes courses are among the additions planned for Heavenly Mountain Resort this summer.The U.S. Forest Service is asking for public com...

A prescribed fire is planned for upper Kingsbury Grade near North Benjamin Drive at Lake Tahoe South Shore Thursday, Nov. 15.
U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will burn around a quarter acre, conditions permitting. Across the lake, prescribed burning is also slated for the Bunker Road area near Tahoe City. Both operations are scheduled to last through the day.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of holiday tree permits the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 23. Permits cost $10 each (cash or check only, no credit cards) with a limit of two permits per family. Permit holders may choose from a variety of pine, fir or cedar in designated cutting areas and must abide by specific permit conditions for proper and responsible collection. Harvesting smaller diameter trees offers residents and visitors a traditional holiday experience while helping to thin the forest.

So far all signs point to reopen for June Mountain's 2013-14 season. Plans to reopen the Mammoth-operated ski resort were recently submitted to the forest service for approval. The plans are fully ...

After attending the State of the South Shore Economy Public Forum held on October 23rd, 2012 I was inspired to draft a response to the questions about economic revitalization that were asked at the meeting. I feel like our group had many salient ideas that were not properly represented. Also, I have noticed that people are quick to offer ideas like “reduce unemployment”, “beautify the city”, and “improve recreation”, but they are typically unable to offer suggestions on how to make those ideas a reality.

The Tahoe Transportation District will host its second public workshop to discuss the US 50, Lake Tahoe South Shore Community Revitalization project, Wednesday, November 7, at Embassy Suites from 1-3 p.m.

The Lake Tahoe workshop will provide background on the project, outline goals and solicit input from individuals throughout the community. The open house format allows for members of the community to participant in the workshop anytime between workshop hours.

Prescribed fire operations in the Spring Creek area near the south end of Lake Tahoe will begin Thursday, Nov. 1. The Forest Service says crews expect to burn three acres Thursday and three acres on Friday, conditions permitting.
Residents and visitors can expect to see smoke from this prescribed fire project area.

The Forest Service strives to minimize the impacts of smoke on local communities. Smoke-sensitive residents should consider staying indoors and keeping doors, windows and outside vents closed. To directly receive prescribed fire updates, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

The El Dorado County Department of Environmental Health was notified this week by the California Department of Public Health that two additional chipmunks in the South Lake Tahoe area have tested positive for plague. One of the chipmunks was found in the Tallac Historic Site area and one was near the U.S. Forest Service Taylor Creek Visitor Center.