forest

Smoke from local prescribed burns can be seen, and smelled, through much of South Lake Tahoe today. A cool night and low inversion layer have trapped the smoke closer to the ground than normal.

What most residents are experiencing is coming from a 69-acre prescribed burn area near Trout Creek that was ignited Friday. The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department said there are no vegetative fires in the basin.

Smoke was especially heavy Friday night and looked much like fog while navigating many streets in the area.

Heavenly is proposing improvement to their existing skiing and snowboarding terrain near the top of the gondola, and the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit wants input from the public.

Improvements would include construction of a permanent ticket sales kiosk, relocation of the Red Fir handle tow lift, installation of a Magic Carpet surface lift, obstacle removal and widening of the Tamarack Return Trail and tree removal under the Blue Streak Zipline.

Joy Barney was recently honored for her dedication to the U.S. Forest Service's educational programs in the Lake Tahoe basin.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) Conservation Education Program Specialist was awarded the Gifford Pinchot Pacific Southwest Region Interpreter and Conservation Educator of the Year Award. Named in honor of the first Chief of the Forest Service, the annual award is a national honor given to Forest Service employees for achievement in environmental interpretation and conservation education.

Who were the first residents of the Lake Tahoe basin? How do you convey the word "SOS" in Morse Code? What is the 1930's cabin tour? If you don't know the answers to these questions, ask a third grader.

In the month of October, 220 students from third grade classes in Lake Tahoe Unified School District took field trips to the Lake Tahoe History Museum where they spent a morning with hands on displays, singing and docent led museum tours.

The school tours started in 2010 when Jackie Dumin, the Tallac Site Director for the U.S. Forest Service, developed the program.

"Every Kid in a Park" is a program offered by the U.S. Forest Service to all fourth grade students in the country.

It is very easy to be part of the free program. First step is to log onto www.everykidinapark.gov and get a free pass.

President Barack Obama created Every Kid in a Park so fourth graders and their families could discover our wildlife, resources, and history for free!

All participants are also eligible to cut down a free Christmas Tree in Lake Tahoe.

All six vehicles pulled out of Kiowa Ponds by volunteers from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office HASTY Team on Make A Difference Day, October 24 were reported as stolen according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.

Five of the cars were reported stolen between 1996 and 1998, the sixth in 2007. Three of the vehicles were reported stolen in Reno, two from Sparks and one from Sacramento, CA. All agencies involved have been notified of the recovery.

North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts and the U.S. Forest Service will continue prescribed fire operations over the next few weeks in various locations around the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Depending on daily weather forecasts, operations are planned in the following areas:

East Side of Second Creek Drainage - 3 acres
East Side of Third Creek Drainage - 10 acres
Douglas County - Zephyr Cove Park near Warrior Way - 8 acres
Hwy 89/ Grass Lake Rd - 122 acres
Meeks Bay/Meeks Meadow - 285 acres

Lake Tahoe has been recognized for another important conservation success. Our region’s proactive, collaborative strategy to protect Tahoe yellow cress, begun almost 15 years ago, is working so well that the plant does not need additional protections under the federal Endangered Species Act.

While rain last week may have caused the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association (TAMBA) to reschedule their annual Corral Night, an unplanned work party turned a dampened event into a chance to fix up the Corral Trail with the California Conservation Corps.

Over 60 people joined in and the result of their labors will be shown off on Saturday, October 24 when bicycle enthusiasts will enjoy the trail at night, an annual tradition.

With more than 4,000 acres of land in the Lake Tahoe basin being burned by the U.S. Forest Service annually, prescribed burns have become an important part of keeping forests healthy.

On Thursday, I followed the Tallac Hotshots as well as Engines 41 and 42 from the U.S. Forest Service as they burned an eight acre parcel off Grass Lake Road in Christmas Valley.

Exciting news for South Lake Tahoe, the cycling community and local tourism today when it was announced that the Amgen Tour of California will be returning to the South Shore for both men's and women's events.

Professional cyclists will return to the lake for the men's Stage 5 finish and the women's Stage 1 start on Thursday, May 19, 2016. The men will take off in Lodi, Calif. and finish at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s California Base Lodge in South Lake Tahoe. The women will also start/finish at Heavenly Mountain Resort on May 19.

The annual salmon run up South Lake Tahoe's Taylor Creek has seen far fewer numbers of kokanee than in years past, and not only have the crowds noticed, but so have the bears.

Speculation for the cause is the warmer water at the mouth of Taylor Creek.

"The spawn relies heavily on the presence of high water flow, which under normal conditions would be due to precipitation that comes with colder temperatures," said Lisa Heron, Public Affairs Specialist with the U.S. Forest Service.

With the drought of the last four years, its hard to know what "normal" is anymore.

While many may hike past Lily Lake to get to a myriad of trails going through Desolation Wilderness, I took the trail to go the historic Glen Alpine Springs. Even though my walk was mid-day on October 13, I passed many other hikers on the two-mile hike, all enjoying the warm, un-fall like weather.

Even though I've lived in South Lake Tahoe for 36 years, I'd never gone past Lily Lake. Wanting to get to the springs before winter, there was no time like the present to finally accomplish that task!

8:00 a.m. update 10/12/15: Authorities spent Sunday removing parts of the plane that remained in trees surrounding the crash site that claimed the lives of two people in South Lake Tahoe.

Investigators say the plane hit trees before crashing behind a home on Tionontati Street just before 5:36 p.m. Saturday, October 10. A fire started which scorched the home.

The force of the crash broke a large tree just feet away from the house.

Successful conservation actions from a collaborative Lake Tahoe partnership spanning the past 15 years have helped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decide today that Tahoe yellow cress (Rorippa subumbellata), a flowering perennial plant in the mustard family found only along the lake’s sandy shoreline, does not warrant federal protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

This is a new feature on South Tahoe Now. We will be posting the calls received each week by South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue. If an incident is serious we will continue to write a story as it happens.

September 23, 2015: 13 calls received by South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue: 8 EMS calls, 1 interfacility transfer, 1 no incident found, 1 malicious false alarm, 1 cooking fire confined to container, 1 forest/woods/wildland fire in 3700 block of Lucinda Ct.

September 24, 2015: 10 calls: 9 EMS calls, 1 no incident found upon arrival.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT), which includes numerous fire and land management agencies in the Lake Tahoe Basin, will begin fall prescribed fire operations as soon as weather conditions are favorable.

“Prescribed fire is an important tool used to maintain forest health and reduce the build-up of hazardous fuels,” said U.S. Forest Service Fire Management Officer, Kit Bailey. “Cooler, wetter fall weather is an ideal time to carry out these projects that help reduce the chance of wildfire and provide added protection to communities in the Lake Tahoe Basin.”

Several South Lake Tahoe projects were awarded this week by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) as being the "Best in the Basin" for demonstrating exceptional planning, design, and compatibility with Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities.

The projects that were recognized upgraded highways, built new bike trails, improved water quality, restored environmentally-sensitive areas, remodeled blighted commercial buildings, and created defensible space for better wildfire protection.

The Best in the Basin award winners are:

You'll soon be seeing red if all goes as planned.

The annual trek of the Kokanee salmon into Taylor Creek from Lake Tahoe should begin in the next week or so, but with the drought and a very active beaver population, the Forest Service had to step in and help.

"We didn't have a lot of fish last year," said Lindsay Gusses, the Taylor Creek Site Supervisor. "We are updating our strategies to have fish here during the festival."

Tallac Historic Site, Kiva Beach, Valhalla and the Taylor Creek Visitor Center will all be closed on Wednesday so the U.S. Forest Service can conduct pesticide treatments to reduce the risk of plague. The Pope-Baldwin Bike Trail will remain open, but signs will be posted where the trail crosses closed sites.

The gates to these areas will close on Tuesday evening, September 15 at 7 p.m. and likely reopen on Thursday morning, September 17.

6:15 p.m. update 9/15/15:

New evacuation advisories were put up at the scene of the large Butte Fire on Tuesday.

Due to unprecendented dry conditions, visitors on the Rubicon Trail are urged to be especially careful with campfires. Outside of hosted campgrounds, you must have a California Campfire Permit to have a campfire, charcoal barbeque, use a gas stove or gas lantern.

Remember that regulations governing campfires can change with weather conditions so always check with the U.S. Forest Service for current campfire restrictions.

Events include Sample the Sierra, The Sternwheeler Races, The +Ironman Triathlon in Lake Tahoe, The Reebook Spartan World championships, +TrailsAndVistas concert and hiking experience, and Oktoberfest 2015.

Notable Concerts
Skid Row and Sammy Hagar #LaborDay weekend in #LakeTahoe, plus Eric Burdon and the Animals, George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Andre Nikatina and Rappin 4Tay with The iinTerCepTerz and DeeDay the Scorpion, plus two big festivals in the area:

It is with the greatest joy, respect and admiration that I thank the 33
business owners/managers, South Tahoe Refuse, city council, service
organizations, fire department, forest service, community college, hospital
staff, district staff, news reporters and community members who attended the
Mt. Tallac High School community meet and greet!

The experience was amazing! Our students felt valued, excited and pleasantly
surprised by the community’s interest in their future plans and needs. We
can’t wait to work with each and everyone one of you who attended!