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There are nine small lightning caused fires currently burning in or around the Lake Tahoe Basin, the largest one is one-half acre in size.

Staff from the U.S. Forest Service is at each scene with firefighters from the Tahoe-Douglas and North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection Districts, working to extinguish them. Most of the fires are single-tree fires with some ground fire.

Winds are calm, and the Lake Tahoe Basin received substantial rainfall in the area of the fire starts, so the rate of spread is low.

Rebecca Bryson and Joy Barney of the South Shore were honored for their work in local schools that resulted in progress and environmental improvements in the Lake Tahoe region.

During Wednesday's Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's Governing Board meeting, the two South Shore women were given the Lake Spirit award along with a family and person from the North Shore. The award has been given to "real people making real progress" at restoring Lake Tahoe since 2011.

Fire pits. The outdoor means to a perfect s'more and good conversation around a fire on a cool summer evening. But, in the midst of a drought are they safe? Are they legal when fire restrictions are in place?

There are three fire district jurisdictions just in South Lake Tahoe, along with the U.S. Forest Service, and they all have different rules concerning the backyard fire pit. One thing they all do share is for residents and visitors to be smart about fire and to not be careless.

6/21/15 4:45 p.m. update:

More details of Saturday's arrest have been released by the South Lake Tahoe Police Department.

As the pursuit of a car driven by 35-year-old Cory Pearson of Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe ended at the Tahoe Keys Marina, officers were able to establish a perimeter around his vehicle which had been reported stolen in Lakeland Village. Pearson yelled to officers that he was armed with a gun and threatened to use it if anyone approached. The South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) SWAT Team and Crisis Response Team were called to assist.

Safety for cyclists and pedestrians is a big concern for the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD), cycling groups and those enjoying these activities.

In the last six years, 12 people have died in South Lake Tahoe while cycling or walking. In that same time, 42 people were injured while riding bikes on the road while 37 pedestrians were hurt.

Winds hampered firefighting efforts at the lightening caused Saddle Fire on Saturday. As of 6 p.m., the fire has burned 1,480 acres in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, halfway between Redding and Eureka, California.

866 personnel are fighting the fire which is now 15% contained.

Firefighters have been protecting the homes along County Road 311, and as of June 13, no structures have been burned.

Challenges to firefighters include a heavy component of dead and down vegetation (from previous fires), hot, dry conditions, steep terrain, and ongoing drought.

A lightning-sparked wildfire has grown to 1,000 acres and led to a handful of evacuations in rural Northern California.

The blaze is burning for the third day Thursday in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest about halfway between Eureka and Redding.

The U.S. Forest Service says 17 helicopter and two air tankers are helping 160 firefighters take on the wildfire.

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Those of us living in the Sierra Nevada are well aware of the drought and of the growing threat of wildfires caused by dry conditions. Due to the threat of catastrophic wildfires in the West, three major players at the government level have called for reforms in the way the federal government funds wildfire suppression efforts.

The Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee (LTFAC) is scheduled to meet from 9 a.m. to noon, June 22, 2015, at the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Forest Supervisor’s office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif., 96150. LTFAC will address issues related to federal activities at Lake Tahoe.

Items on the agenda include an overview of committee history, review of committee charter, update on status of Lake Tahoe Restoration Act and Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act, and discussion of Committee’s future strategy.

Chautauqua performer Steve Hale will present “George Whittell, Jr." who lived off the interest generated by the millions he inherited from his parents. His enormous assets allowed him to purchase the Nevada side of Lake Tahoe where he built the Thunderbird Lodge in the 1930s. The house was designed by prominent Reno architect Frederick DeLongchamps. This included a six-hundred-foot tunnel connected to a boat house to berth the “Thunderbird”, his fifty-five-foot mahogany yacht.

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The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board on Wednesday unanimously approved the Tahoe Transportation District’s State Route 89/Fanny Bridge Community Revitalization Project to realign State Route 89 through Tahoe City.

The project realigns State Route 89 to route through traffic over roundabouts and a new two-lane bridge across the Truckee River to reduce transportation conflicts among drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians at the congested pinch point at the Tahoe City “Wye.”

The Sixth Annual Native Species Festival will be held at the Taylor Creek visitor Center in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This free family event is hosted by the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and is a great way to spend the day outdoors and learn about the native species of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Visitor's Center is located three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on Highway 89.

Heavenly Mountain Resort has switched gears from winter to summer and they're kicking off summer in South Lake Tahoe over Memorial Day Weekend. The Heavenly Gondola will be running 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 23-25 for sightseeing, dining and hiking on the mountain.

This is just a peek into activities at the top of the mountain since they won't open for full summer operations until June 12 when they'll start seven-day-a-week Gondola rides, unveil their new four line Hot Shot Zip Line, and open two of of the ropes courses, Discovery Forest and Boulder Cove.

Families can visit with their Local Superheroes at South Lake Tahoe Library. Superheroes will include SLT Fire Department, SLT Police Department, South Tahoe Refuse, and US Forest Service Wildland Firefighters.

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It’s Wildfire Awareness Month at Tahoe, and with the summer tourist season around the corner, we must all remember that drought has left our Region with severely dry forest conditions and an extreme risk of wildfire. This summer we need to think about “when” not “if” another fire will happen. All of us have important roles to play in preventing the next wildfire, and in making sure our homes, families, and communities are prepared for it.

Jeff Marsolais, the new forest supervisor of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, will be speaking at the next meeting of the Tahoe Area Sierra.

Formerly LTBMU’s deputy supervisor, Marsolais, who now oversees the 154,000 acres around the Lake Tahoe Basin, will be speaking on a variety of issues including Recreation Sustainability and Landscape Collaboration.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions and comment in an open forum after the talk. This meeting is free of charge and open to the public.

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As South Lake Tahoe prepares to host Stages 1 & 2 of the AMGEN Tour of California Women's Race on May 8-9, people are working throughout the community, preparing for all of the events surrounding the world class cycling event.

There is a VIP reception and team presentation at Riva Grill on Thursday, May 7 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

A project to remove invasive plants from the Lake Tahoe Basin will continue this summer. The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will eradicate, control, and contain these plants using chemical treatment. Work will occur at approximately 70 infestation sites beginning May 15 and continuing through September, 2015.

Lake Tahoe SummerFest’s fourth season, “Passport to a World of Music,” will bring Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn to audiences July 31 – Aug. 16 (www.TahoeSummerFest.org). The three weekend series of nine different concerts will transport attendees through masterpieces translated by renowned artists and a nationally acclaimed orchestra of 40 players.

In South Lake Tahoe every year, many new species are brought in and out of the Lake. While some locals have boats, only some use them in other lakes. The city of South Lake Tahoe regulates wildlife brought in and out of the basin and lake by requiring boats to get inspected, but neglects the need to educate the future community about the harmful animals that can be brought into the lake. These are the new workers and people that will be living and giving to the community.

Tahoe Chamber, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, El Dorado County, South Tahoe Alliance of Resorts and Sacramento International Airport would like to thank all of the attendees of Tuesday’s Tourism Forum at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel. Over 100 people attended to get more information on upcoming recreation projects, hear lessons learned from Park City courtesy of keynote speakers Ken Fisher and Jonathan Weidenhamer, and to learn about the opportunities businesses may seize to target and accommodate the recreation guest.

You may have noticed hazy skies in Lake Tahoe this weekend, and again today, but they aren't from any fires in the Sierra. The smoke is from catastrophic grassland fires in Siberia which have burned almost 800 square miles.

The Siberian Times is reporting the wind whipped blazes in Siberia have killed 33 people after farmers burned dried grass that got out of control. The damage was especially acute in Khakassia republic where 1,328 homes were destroyed or badly damaged, leaving 4.694 people without shelter, but the area around the city of Chita was also badly hit.

Give Where You Live! is a 24-hour giving challenge coordinated by the El Dorado Community Foundation. This year's day long giving day is Thursday, April 23, 2015.

“We have approximately 70 nonprofits participating in the event this year. Each nonprofit will have its own website presence to highlight a particular need or needs for which it is focusing giving dollars, as well as more information about the organization in general,” said Megan Buchanan, donor services coordinator at the foundation.

"You have to adapt to changes in life or you won't survive," John Rice told a crowd at Wednesday's 'Tahoe Talks' held at LTCC.

"Change is happening, clearly we're in a drought, whether it's here for short term, or long term, time will tell," said Rice, the VP and General Manager of Sierra-at-Tahoe. "The ski industry has the most to lose in a drought."