forest

You may see smoke in three different locations around the Lake Tahoe basin this week as U.S. Forest Service fuel reduction operations continue. Starting Monday, April 7, they will be burning near Spooner Summit on the East Shore, in the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89 S near South Lake Tahoe, and on the west side of Highway 89 N near Tahoma on the West Shore.

Operations are ongoing and may continue through the week and next weekend if weather, staffing, and conditions allow.

Three Placerville 18 year olds have been arrested in connection with three auto thefts that took place in South Lake Tahoe between 7 p.m. March 31 and 11 a.m. April 1. The trio is also suspected in stealing contents from other cars as well.

Brian Barnes, Elija Kidwell and Sean Murphy were arrested and book into El Dorado County Jail on felony charges of auto theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy for at least one of the auto thefts and to some of the property thefts.

Prescribed fire operations will continue around Lake Tahoe this week. Fuels management crews from the U.S. Forest Service will be in various locations around the Lake Tahoe Basin the week of March 30, 2014. Possible locations include Slaughterhouse Canyon on the East Shore, the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89 near South Lake Tahoe, the west side of Highway 89 near Tahoma, and near D.L. Bliss State Park on the West Shore.

Operations are ongoing and depend on weather, staffing, and conditions. Locations could vary due to changing conditions.

Putting on the annual Valhalla Art, Music and Theatre Festival takes more than a village. It requires the skills, creativity and organization of a Festival Director. The Tahoe Tallac Association, which produces the Festival, is pleased to announce its new Festival Director, Evangeline Elston.

A measure to advance environmental restoration and forest management activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin yesterday passed out of the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The legislation would reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, originally passed in 2000, which has helped advance one of the most comprehensive watershed restoration programs in the nation-the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, or EIP.

Lake Tahoe doesn't have Punxsutawney Phil but we do have busy beavers who have been entertaining those lucky enough to come across their paths. South Lake Tahoe local John McDougall has been visiting the Taylor Creek area over the last two weeks, observing the beavers and capturing their actions on film. Even though beavers are nocturnal, the ones captured here are busy on their dam building during daylight hours.

A Wednesday night house fire in South Lake Tahoe has turned into a criminal investigation.

South Lake Tahoe Police officers and fire fighters responded to a residential fire in the 1100 block of Long Valley Avenue at 6:10 pm. They found the home fully engulfed in flames with fire starting to spread to nearby trees, though they were able to contain the fire to the area of the burning home. It appears the house is likely to be a total loss.

The house has received the attention of the police and fire department prior to Wednesday night's fire.

If predicted rain and snow arrives this week, U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will resume prescribed fire operations in several locations around the Lake Tahoe Basin beginning Tuesday, January 28, 2014.

Operations will take place on the South Shore in the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89 S, on the West Shore off of Bunker Drive near Tahoe City and off of Chalet Road near Alpine Meadows ski area, and on the East Shore off of Easy Street on Lower Kingsbury Grade.

Operations may continue through the weekend, weather, staffing, and conditions permitting.

South Lake Tahoe is home again to "Operation Sierra Storm," a cutting-edge meteorological forum and seminar for network television meteorologists from around that country.

New Way to Predict Weather Now Available

Long range weather forecasting is no longer a thing of the future due to recent developments in weather research. Speaking to participants in "Operation Sierra Storm (OSS)" Dr. Duane Waliser explained the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), a key phenomena for predicting weather around the world.

A webinar to explain the final Land Management Plan that will guide the management of National Forest System lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin over the next 15 years will be held by the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday, January 14 at 2 pm.

The hour long webinar will explain the plan, highlight changes from the draft, and outline the remainder of the plan revision process and include a brief presentation, followed by a question and answer period. The webinar will be archived on the LTBMU website for later viewing.

Heavenly Mountain Resort will open the California side of the resort on Saturday, December 21, expanding open terrain to include Ridge Run, Patsy’s, Maggie’s, Skyline Trail, Sky Chute, and the beginner areas of the Enchanted Forest and DMZ near the California Main Lodge. With the opening of Skyline Trail and California Trail, guests will be able to ski and ride to and from the California side to the Nevada side and access top-to-bottom skiing and riding on the Nevada side. With the California opening, the resort will operate 19 lifts, accessing 17 trails and 13.5 miles of skiable terrain.

The popular South Lake Tahoe winter education program for fifth graders, Winter Trek Conservation Education, begins a new series of classes in January.

Local teachers may reserve a spot for their class beginning on Monday, December 16 by calling the Forest Service at 530-543-2694, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Winter Trek begins Tuesday, January 7, 2014, and continues through March 27, 2014, weather permitting. Field trips are generally three hours long and are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Sometimes surprises come at the right time. Megan Kasden spoke through tears this week when she answered the phone and found out she had won the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund Super Bowl raffle. The prize is an all-expense paid trip for two to Super Bowl XLVIII at the Met Life Stadium. The raffle raised $30,000 for traumatic brain injury research and programs and services for cancer patients and families at the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center. The same center where Kasden’s husband, Gary had just completed a long series of chemotherapy treatments.

The Christmas tree permits sold by the U.S. Forest Service in Lake Tahoe are officially sold out as of today! Between the north and the south shores of the lake there were 2,500 permits to sell to those people wanted to cut down their tree on Forest Service land.

During the week of November 19 through November 26, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department responded to 171 Calls.

Calls Resulting in Arrests:

11/19
Burglary in the 1300 block of Glenwood Avenue

11/20
Unlicensed driver at Midway and Pentagon

11/21
Contributing in the 1700 block of Venice Drive
Drunk in Public in the 1000 block of Emerald Bay Road
DUI in the 2400 block of Venice Drive
Driving on a suspended or revoked license at Blackwood and Herbert
Spousal Abuse in the 1000 block of Long Valley Ave

11/22

Charlee Simons from K-Tahoe gets his U.S. Forest Service permits to cut down his own Christmas Trees on U.S. Forest Service land, and gets all giddy about it!

Bob and Tammy Hassett, current operators of Camp Richardson and Meeks Bay Resort have been selected to run the concession at Round Hill Pines Resort according to Cheva Heck of the U.S. Forest Service. The current lease is held by the Forvilly family and is set to expire on December 31, 2013. Frank Forvilly has operated Round Hill Pines since 1971 and just found out yesterday that they weren't awarded the new contract.

Prescribed fire operations by the U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will focus on Lake Tahoe’s South and West Shores on Tuesday, November 12, 2013. Weather and conditions permitting, operations will take place near Glenridge Parkway at Meeks Bay and near Taylor Creek on Highway 89 across from the Sno-Park. The Meeks Bay unit total is 42 acres and crews may burn as much of the unit as possible. At the Taylor Creek unit, crews will burn 10 acres and both operations are likely to continue through the end of the week and possibly through the weekend.

Just 300 tickets are being sold for a chance at winning an all-expenses paid trip for 2 to Superbowl XLVIII. Excellent odds to win this football lover's dream valued at over $7,500!

The top prize was donated by the National Football League. All funds raised for the raffle will go to support the Gene Upshaw Memorial Fund.Only 300 tickets at $100 each will be sold.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will begin prescribed fire operations in Slaughterhouse Canyon, north of Spooner Summit tomorrow, Wednesday, October 30, 2013. The total unit size is 30 acres. Fuels management crews may burn as much of the unit as possible, weather and conditions permitting. “Because of the recent snowfall, conditions allow our crews to carry out operations on larger units,” said Kit Bailey, Fire Management Officer with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. Operations are likely to continue through the end of the week.

The 402 square mile Rim Fire is now 100% contained, 69 days after it was started by an illegal campfire near Yosemite. The cost to put out this fire has cost $127.35 million to date, has destroyed 98 outbuildings, 11 homes and 3 businesses.

There are still 42 fire personnel on the scene to continue efforts to put out the fire. The potential for more growth is low and there is a 1000 acre pocket that still has the potential to burn.

Due to a lack of approved burn days by the California Air Resource Board, the US Forest Service has moves their planned burn operations from the Al Tahoe/Pioneer Trail side in South Lake Tahoe over to an area north of Zephyr Cove. Smoke will be visible from Highway 50.

Crews may begin prescribed fire operations this weekend, October 26 and 27, 2013 across U.S. Highway 50 from the Skyland subdivision. Weather and conditions permitting, crews will burn approximately one to five acres per day and expect to continue operations through the weekend and into next week.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will begin prescribed fire operations in several locations around the Lake Tahoe Basin tomorrow, Wednesday, October 23, 2013. Weather and conditions permitting, operations will take place on the South Shore near Pioneer Trail and Al Tahoe Boulevard, Blackwood Canyon on the West Shore, Spooner Summit on the East Shore, and Bunker Drive near Tahoe City. Crews will burn approximately one to two acres per day in these locations and expect to continue operations through the weekend and into next week.

Expect to see smoke in the area of Pioneer Trail and Al Tahoe Boulevard starting Friday, October 18 due to prescribed burns being conducted by the U.S. Forest Service fuel management crews. They expect to burn one acre a day for about a week, depending on weather and conditions.