forest service

Firefighters responded to two small fires on Sunday, one at Round Hill and the other in the meadow behind the Ross store.

A person walking behind the US Forest Service building and Ross/Rite Aid building saw a fire and rushed into Ross to call 911. Firefighters responded quickly and the small fire was quickly extinguished. The fire was only able to burn a 5 ft x 5 ft square. The cause is under investigation.

Beginning today, July 11, and going until October 14, the Truckee River will be closed near the South Lake Tahoe airport in order for the Upper Truckee River Reach 5 Restoration Project to be completed.

The City of South Lake Tahoe hosted its first annual 4th of July parade on Monday, July 4, 2016. There were a total of 78 vehicles and approximately 200 people on foot either walking, biking, or dancing. American Legion Post 795 served as the parade marshals.

The City of South Lake Tahoe would like to say "Thank You" to all the parade participants, businesses and volunteers for making the 4th of July parade a fantastic community event!

The following current and former US armed forces members participated in the 4th of July parade;

Join Tahoe Heritage Foundation and the US Forest Service for the Friday Evening Program Summer series. This Friday July 8, Tracy Salcedo-Chourre, author of Best Easy Day Hikes Lake Tahoe, as she shares her knowledge of the amazing hiking trails around Lake Tahoe. This event will be held at Taylor Creek Visitor Center at 8:30 p.m. and is open to the public. There is a $5.00 donation to the Tahoe Heritage Foundation.

Thinning of trees for fuels reduction and forest health will resume on Thursday, July 7 on approximately 178 acres of National Forest System lands on the northeast side of Highway 267, north of Lake Vista Road above Kings Beach and Tahoe Vista. Mechanical whole tree removal will take place off Forest Road 16N52 over the next several months and the area will be closed for public safety.

The Fourth of July holiday period is the busiest time of year in the Lake Tahoe Basin. For those visiting during the holiday and attending one of the firework displays over the lake, expect extremely crowded conditions and excess traffic. Because of the Basin’s high elevation, expect intense sunlight during the day and much lower temperatures at night. Bring sunscreen, a jacket, and carry a flashlight. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated.

9:30 a.m. update 6/26: Firefighters have gained some control of the Marina Fire burning near Mono Lake and the town of Lee Vining. The 758 acre fire is 30 percent contained.

Highway 395 is closed at the town of Lee Vining on the south at the turnoff for Hawthorne, NV (Highway 167) on the north. However, California Highway Patrol is conducting one-way traffic escorts as conditions allow. Mono County Sheriff and Caltrans District 9 have worked tirelessly with CHP to implement this escort.

Fallen Leaf Campground will be closed starting Monday, June 27 so county and state public health and vector control officials can start pesticide treatments to minimize the risk of plague.

The treatments are a public safety precaution after tests on 15 rodents resulted in one positive case of plague on June 20, 2016. There is minimal risk to the public at this time.

The campground will close at 7:00 p.m. Monday but all campers will need to check out by noon. The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit expects it to reopen by Friday, July 1 in time for the holiday weekend.

The U.S. Forest Service is planning a project to restore the Taylor and Tallac creek ecosystems, an area that provides habitat for numerous protected wildlife speciesfas well as being an important hydrological connection to Lake Tahoe.

Named the Taylor and Tallac Restoration Project, the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will restore the large wetland complex where the two creeks were once connected through a series of four swales.

Public comment is sought on the Environmental Assessment, Initial Study and Initial Environmental Checklist.

Major components:

The 3rd annual Wildfire Safety Expo will be held in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, June 11 from noon to 3:00 p.m. at the TJ Maxx parking lot at the "Y" where Highways 50 and 89 meet.

On May 31, 2016, Liberty Utilities began helicopter tree removal for the portion of the 650 Electrical Line Upgrade Project on National Forest System lands north of Highway 267 from Brockway Summit to Kings Beach. Public access to the area will be limited during the helicopter operations for public safety.

A prescribed fire by the Lake Valley Fire Department in the trees and brush surrounding the Upper Truckee River caused some concern by area residents on Thursday afternoon.

Large plumes of smoke could be seen from miles away, and with the burn not on the normal U.S. Forest Service weekly list of prescribed burning, many calls were made from concerned citizens. According to the USFS office in South Lake Tahoe, they alone had dozens of phone calls.

Prescribed burns are slated to continue this week, weather permitting. The Nevada Division of State Lands, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service are scheduled to begin fire operations on Monday, May 23, 2016 on both the Northeast and South shores of Lake Tahoe.

South Shore: Burning may take place off Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Sawmill Road, off Panther Lane near the west end of Gardner Mountain and off Santa Claus Drive and West River Parkway near Christmas Valley.

Northeast Shore: Near Incline Village in the Rocky Point area along Tunnel Creek Road.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of personal use fuelwood permits at the Forest Supervisor’s Office at 35 College Drive in South Lake Tahoe on Monday, May 23, 2016, and at the North Shore office at 855 Alder Avenue in Incline Village on Wednesday, May 25, 2016. Permits cost $20 per cord, with a two-cord minimum purchase and a limit of 10 cords per household.

Permits should be purchased early and wood collected promptly as fire restrictions are likely to go into effect early and there may be days when no cutting is allowed.

Taking advantage of favorable burning conditions, the Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service have planned to conduct prescribed fire operations next week on the South Shore beginning Monday, May 16, 2016.

Burning operations are scheduled to take place in four locations:

Northeast of the Lake Tahoe Airport near Barbara Avenue
Off Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Sawmill Road
Off Panther Lane near the west end of Gardner Mountain
Off Santa Claus Drive and West River Parkway near Christmas Valley

Thanks to the U.S. Forest Service employees from the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the Bread & Broth diners on Monday night May 2nd enjoyed a festive Mexican dinner at St. Theresa Church Grace Hall. With funds from the Forest Service employee association’s Wellness, Recreation and Morale fund, the B&B cooks prepared beef tacos, Mexican black beans and Spanish rice to celebrate the upcoming Cino de Mayo holiday.

It once housed The Shiek, a boat named in honor of Rudolf Valentino, friend and frequent guest to the Pope Estate in South Lake Tahoe. The Shiek was the biggest and fastest boat of its time on Lake Tahoe.

In the late 1800's it housed the boats of William Tevis who owned the 75 acre sprawling estate along the South Shore.

Prescribed fire operations are planned to continue this week on the east and south shores of Lake Tahoe.

The U.S. Forest Service, the Nevada Division of State Lands and the Nevada Division of Forestry will start the fire operations on Monday, May 2, weather permitting.

South Shore: Near Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Sawmill Road, Panther Lane near South Tahoe High School, off Highway 89 near Spring Creek, and off Santa Claus Drive and West River Parkway near Christmas Valley.

Work on a new driveway and parking lot at Zephyr Cove Stables begins the week of May 1, 2016 when the first stage of the Zephyr Cove Stables Upgrade Project begins. Crews will be upgrading existing facilities, trails and utilities to meet current building code and accessibility standards and install Best Management Practices (BMPs) to improve water quality.

This is a joint project between the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU), Zephyr Cove Resort and Douglas County.

The U.S. Forest Service and California Tahoe Conservancy will be finishing their fourth and final year of creating a new channel for the Upper Truckee River near the South Lake Tahoe airport. To accomplish their final tasks, the meadow and river will be closed to the public for much of the summer in order to divert the water into the new channel, relocate fish and mussels, and finish up vegetation projects.

El Dorado Arts Council has inaugurated a Poet Laureate program for El Dorado County. This post, officially appointed by a conferring institution, is bestowed on a noted poet to honor his or her body of work and to celebrate poetry as an art form.

Taylor Graham was chosen by a panel of literary experts because of the caliber of her work, her engagement with poets and writers in the community, and the critical acclaim her work has garnered.

The opening dates for recreational facilities in the Lake Tahoe Basin have been announced, with the first ones set to e ready April 30, 2016.

Kiva Picnic area, Baldwin and Nevada beaches, Big Meadow trailhead, the McKinney Rubicon Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) area and Sawmill Pond, Eagle Falls, Chimney Beach and Secret Harbor parking areas will open April 30, 2016.

The Tallac Historic Site opens April 30, 2016, and will be staffed beginning Saturday, May 21, 2016 for Memorial Day weekend.

The Sandpit OHV area opens May 10, 2016.

A project designed to help protect environmentally sensitive resources while providing safer, adequate access the area south of Lakeshore Drive along State Route 28 is the focus of an upcoming public meeting on Tuesday, April 26 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m at The Chateau at Incline Village. A question and answer period will be at 5:30 p.m.

Weather permitting, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service are schedule to continue prescribed fire operations starting Monday, April 18, 2016.

East Shore: Burning planned on the north side of Spooner Lake off Highway 28, Spooner Summit, Camp Galilee and on Kingsbury Grade near Edgewood Drive.

South Shore: Burning planned near Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Sawmill Road, Panther Lane near South Tahoe High School, off Highway 89 near Spring Creek, and off Santa Claus Drive and West River Parkway near Christmas Valley.