fuels reduction
Column: 2020 Highlights from your Water and Sewer District
Submitted by paula on Tue, 12/29/2020 - 4:17pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Back in the 1940s, before South Tahoe Public Utility
District existed, sewage flowed directly into beautiful Lake Tahoe. Citizens rallied to sign a petition to form the District and this year marks our 70th anniversary. From a single septic field to an award-winning 7.7 million gallon per day wastewater treatment facility, with 100% recycled water and biosolids, a lot
has changed over the years.
City Council candidates respond to 100% Renewable Energy Committee questions
Submitted by paula on Wed, 10/07/2020 - 8:12pm
On April 18, 2017 the South Lake Tahoe City Council unanimously passed a resolution to: 1) Power the South Lake Tahoe community with electricity provided from 100 percent renewable sources by 2032 and 2) Reduce community carbon emissions from baseline by at least 80 percent by 2040, and reduce municipal emissions by 50 percent by 2030.
Column: Wildfire threat still looms
Submitted by paula on Mon, 07/13/2020 - 10:44am
If the 4th of July weekend is any indication, Tahoe is under pressure. As coronavirus cases grow nearly everywhere, people naturally look to the mountains, fresh air, and clear water of Tahoe as a respite. Now residents and visitors alike are struggling to adjust to the confusion around re-opening, and visitation that is normally our lifeblood is suddenly a health risk.
Column: 2019 Highlights from South Tahoe Public Utility District
Submitted by paula on Thu, 01/02/2020 - 4:15pm
Every day we wash our dishes, fill our water glass, and flush the toilet, likely without thinking much about the systems required to make this all possible. I’d like to think we are doing our job so you don’t have to think too much about it.
City of South Lake Tahoe newsletter: At Lake Level
Submitted by paula on Fri, 12/13/2019 - 9:59pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The December edition of the City of South Lake Tahoe's "At Lake Level" has been released by City Manager Frank Rush. This month Rush covers SnowGlobe, the 56-acre site and a possible new Fire/EMS station for the community.
56-Acre Site
Prescribed fire operations continue in Tahoe Basin, weather and staffing permitting
Submitted by paula on Sun, 11/24/2019 - 10:50pm
North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, along with California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy and the USDA Forest Service are scheduled to continue prescribed fire operations over the next few weeks in the Tahoe Basin, weather, conditions, and staffing permitted.
Scheduled Prescribed Burns:
Tahoe Pines Campground
Prescribed fire operations continue in Lake Tahoe Basin
Submitted by paula on Thu, 11/07/2019 - 10:09pm
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - If weather and conditions permit, North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, along with California State Parks are scheduled to continue prescribed fire operations over the next several weeks in the Tahoe Basin.
The planned burn areas:
Governor Newsom signs slew of bills including wildfire protection and defensible space
Submitted by paula on Mon, 10/14/2019 - 4:06pm
The 2019 legislative year for California has come to an end and Gov. Gavin Newsom wrapped u the session with signing several bills. His first year of office saw 870 new laws and 172 vetoed proposals.
Wildfire weather is here. Are you prepared for power shutoffs?
Submitted by paula on Mon, 08/05/2019 - 5:00pm
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – As we move into the warmest and driest days of summer and early fall, the threat of catastrophic wildfire increases throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin. High winds, low relative humidity, and dry vegetation are a dangerous combination. When dangerous fire weather is forecasted, the National Weather Service may issue a Red Flag Warning.
Small late night fire in Van Sickle Bi-State Park in South Lake Tahoe
Submitted by paula on Fri, 08/02/2019 - 8:42am
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - An observant Harrah's Tahoe hotel guest helped firefighters attack a South Lake Tahoe fire late Thursday night, allowing them to catch it early and keep it small.
At 11:45 p.m., South Lake Tahoe emergency dispatch received a call about a fire in the area of the gondola. A guest on the hotel's 19th floor had seen fire and called it in.
Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) went to the hotel to get the height advantage and better pinpoint where the fire had been seen while South Lake Tahoe Fire Department (SLTFD) headed to Van Sickle Bi-State Park.
Forest Service to address 90 of 723 invasive plant populations at Lake Tahoe
Submitted by paula on Thu, 05/09/2019 - 11:30pm
The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will continue a project to eradicate, control, and contain known infestations of invasive plants in the Lake Tahoe Basin using chemical treatment. Work will take place at approximately 90 infestations sites (105 acres) beginning in late May and continuing through September 2019.
Lake Tahoe Basin fire suppression successes since the Angora Fire
Submitted by paula on Fri, 04/12/2019 - 7:00am
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Those of us living in Lake Tahoe know all too well the dangers of wildfire, but we also know the positive outcome a collaborative effort to be better prepared can do.
Residents across the West have been given their "wake up call" over the past few years as record-breaking fires have burned through communities, leaving devastation and death in their wake.
$2.3M headed to Lake Tahoe for fire prevention projects
Submitted by paula on Thu, 10/11/2018 - 9:38pm
In August, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) awarded $27.5 million to fund high-priority forest health projects designed to combat climate change and reduce the risk of wildfires.
During their board meeting Thursday the California Tahoe Conservancy Board accepted their portion, a $2.3 million grant, for fire prevention projects and related efforts as part of the Tahoe-Central Sierra Initiative.
National Forest Foundation receives nearly $13 million for forest restoration work in Tahoe/Truckee
Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 08/09/2018 - 9:27am
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The National Forest Foundation (NFF) has received a major grant from the California Climate Investments Forest Health Grant Program to conduct important forest health work on the Tahoe National Forest, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and State Responsibility Area (SRA) lands in the Truckee / Tahoe region.
Location
Fuel reduction plan released for over 3700 acres of National Forest lands
Submitted by paula on Mon, 04/23/2018 - 8:31pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Fuels on 3,737 acres of South Lake Tahoe area National Forest lands will be reduced by thinning forest stands and removing forest biomass vegetation, prescribed burning, and reforestation.
The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) announced the the final decision on the project last week. This project helps decrease the risk of wildland fires and complements defensible space treatments implemented by local municipal fire districts on adjacent non-federal lands.
Opinion: More fires mean less funds for local USDA Forest Service projects
Submitted by paula on Fri, 02/23/2018 - 10:49pm
Last year, more than 1,500 wildfires burned over 640,000 acres on National Forest System lands in California, including the Thomas Fire, the largest fire in California’s recorded history. The surrounding communities are still dealing with damage from debris flows caused by a charred and barren landscape that no longer has the protection of trees, grass and other vegetation. We see and empathize with those affected, and are working to reduce the potential for future loss by performing hazardous fuel reduction treatments which include thinning overstocked forests and prescribed burning.
Opinion: USDA Forest Service doesn’t leave when the fire is out
Submitted by paula on Sat, 01/13/2018 - 2:39pm
Natural disasters can occur at any given time and in any given area. The size, duration and damages are usually unpredictable. The devastation, destruction and cost of California wildfires are increasing annually.
Forest thinning project underway above Incline Village
Submitted by paula on Sun, 10/08/2017 - 12:55am
Almost 4,000 acres of forest on the North Shore are being treated to reduce the risk of wildfire in Lake Tahoe. Named the Incline Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project, U.S. Forest Service crews resumed work on the project last week now that summer is over. Mechanical cut-to-length (CTL) tree removal is taking place in an area off of State Highway 431, the Mt. Rose Highway, until winter weather sets in.
They thin out the trees to remove excess vegetation that can feed wildfires and improve forest health and provide defensible space to neighboring communities.
Pope Baldwin Bike Path to see closures as trees are thinned along trail
Submitted by paula on Wed, 08/16/2017 - 11:12pm
Trees will be thinned along the Pope Baldwin Bike Path off of State Route 89 north of South Lake Tahoe starting Monday, August 21. Recreationists can expect path closures for up to 30 minutes at a time as flaggers intermittently close the bike path for public safety as trees are falling.
This phase of the project will take place Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. and is expected to last several weeks. Bicyclists may use the bike lane on Highway 89 to detour around the traffic control areas.
Forest to be thinned along Pope-Baldwin Bike Path and State Route 89
Submitted by paula on Thu, 08/03/2017 - 7:06pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) will begin the mechanical removal of trees on 100 acres of forest lands along State Route 89 and the Pope-Baldwin Bike Path this week. The project should last until mid-October.
Forest thinning operations near Fallen Leaf Lake until July 1
Submitted by paula on Tue, 05/30/2017 - 9:43pm
Whole tree removal will take place near Fallen Leaf Campground for the next month as part of the U.S. Forest Service's healthy forest program in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
The public is being asked to avoid that area during operations due to hazardous conditions associated with heavy equipment, falling trees, limb removal and trees being cut into sections.
Work in this area will stop around July 1, 2017, and any unfinished work will resume after Labor Day.
The work area along Fallen Leaf Lake Road off of SR-89 could be hazardous even when work crews are not present so use caution.
USFS announces West Shore fuels reduction project
Submitted by paula on Wed, 05/03/2017 - 7:30am
The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) released the final decision to reduce hazardous fuels on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe. The West Shore Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) Fuels Reduction and Forest Health Project will treat approximately 4,875 acres extending from Emerald Bay to Burton Creek State Park.
Guest Columnist: Let’s keep Tahoe’s progress going
Submitted by paula on Thu, 01/19/2017 - 6:20pm
Twenty-five years ago, I finished my graduate work in Oregon and moved to Northern Nevada for a planning position at TRPA. Having spent a large part of my youth hiking and camping at Tahoe and in the Sierra, the move felt like coming home.
Basin fire operations to continue on North Shore next week
Submitted by paula on Thu, 12/29/2016 - 11:39pm
If conditions are favorable, the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service will continue prescribed fire operations on Tuesday, January 3, 2017. They will take place on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe near Tahoe City, Kings Beach, Carnelian Bay, and Incline Village.
A) Jennifer/Tyner Urban Fuels Reduction area near Incline Village will have 34 acres of hand piles scheduled to be burned.
B) Tahoe City along Fairway, across from NTFPD Station 51 - 8 acres to be burned.
C) Hwy 267 has 50 acres schedule for burning.
Late night vote in Washington brings $415 million to Lake Tahoe
Submitted by paula on Sat, 12/10/2016 - 10:28pm
Late Friday night, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the U.S. Senate in passing the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act of 2016, which will bring $415 million in future funding to Lake Tahoe over the next seven years. The decision brought cheers from many local agencies, including the League to Save lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
$415 million for environmental restoration projects at Lake Tahoe in jeopardy
Submitted by paula on Sun, 10/30/2016 - 12:25am
There was great news from Washington D.C. back on September 14 when the U.S. Senate passed their $415 million version of 2015's Lake Tahoe Restoration Act by a vote of 95-3. It was part of the $10 billion Water Resources Development Act of 2016.
Bijou Bike Park, Sawmill Pond Bike Trail and Angora Burn Area project among Best in Basin
Submitted by paula on Wed, 09/28/2016 - 4:07pm
2016 is the 26th year that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has handed out its "Best in the Basin" award for projects in the Lake Tahoe basin that demonstrate exceptional planning and implementation and compatibility with Lake Tahoe’s environment and communities.
During Wednesday's TRPA board meeting in Kings Beach, the nine winners for the year were honored.
The City of South Lake Tahoe was one of those recipients for the Bijou Bike Park project, a collaborative effort between the City and Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association.
Forest thinning resumes on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe
Submitted by paula on Mon, 09/12/2016 - 5:18pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE - To reduce fuels in the forest, as well as to promote forest health, the thinning of trees will resume between Fallen Leaf Lake and Camp Richardson Corral this week. Crews will also be working in the Spring Creek Homeowners Tract.
Whole tree and mechanical cut-to-length (CTL) tree removal will take place in these areas over the next several months, weather permitting and some areas will be closed for public safety as they do the cutting.
Harry Reid, the "all star lineup and clean up hitter Barack Obama"
Submitted by paula on Wed, 08/31/2016 - 8:17pm
"We're here to celebrate because we love Lake Tahoe," Nevada Senator Harry Reid said at the 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit on Wednesday. Reid, who started the focus on Lake Tahoe along with President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore with the first Summit in 1997.
"Like a World Series team who can't rest on their laurels," said Reid, "we need to build on progress."
Reid went on with his World Series antidote and introduced the "All Star Lineup" at the 20th Summit, his last in office as he won't be seeking reelection after serving the state in Washington since 1987.
Forest thinning project at Incline to close public access to some areas
Submitted by paula on Wed, 07/27/2016 - 11:34am
A 4,000 acres project in the North Lake Tahoe area is underway to thin trees in the forests to be both fire safe by reducing fuels, and to keep the forest healthy.
The latest project in the Incline Village area started last week on approximately 355 acres of National Forest System lands above Incline Village. Mechanical cut-to-length (CTL) tree removal will take place on USFS urban lots and in areas adjacent to communities over the next several months and some areas will be closed for public safety.
Forest thinning project resumes at the North Shore of Lake Tahoe
Submitted by admin on Tue, 07/05/2016 - 7:44pm
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.
TRPA recognizes contributions of Coe Swobe
Submitted by paula on Sun, 06/26/2016 - 12:39am
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board on Wednesday recognized the extraordinary, lifelong contributions of Coe Swobe. Swobe is considered the “father of TRPA” for his bipartisan work to create the agency and its mission to conserve and restore Lake Tahoe’s environment. Swobe died on May 26, 2016 at age 87.
As a Nevada State Senator, Swobe brokered the landmark 1969 agreement between then Nevada Gov. Paul Laxalt and then California Gov. Ronald Reagan and the two state legislatures to create TRPA and the nation’s first environmental bi-state compact.
Forest thinning project resumes near Fallen Leaf Lake
Submitted by paula on Fri, 06/03/2016 - 5:14pm
The South Shore Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration project on 10,000 acres near Fallen Leaf Lake has resumed.
Crews with the U.S. Forest Service will be mechanically removing whole trees off Fallen Leaf Road near the campground over the next several months and the area will be closed for public safety.
The goal of the project is to reduce the risk of severe wildfire and create healthier forests.
Forest thinning project to be continued near Fallen Leaf Lake
Submitted by paula on Mon, 05/09/2016 - 4:25pm
A three-month long tree removal project off of Fallen Leaf Lake Road near the campground will start around May 15, 2016. Due to the heavy equipment needed, the Forest Service will issue a forest order closing the project area (units 1 and 148) to pedestrians from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily.
Federal funds aiding wildfire preparedness at Tahoe
Submitted by paula on Wed, 01/20/2016 - 4:24pm
The latest round of funding through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) includes more than $3 million for projects to help reduce wildfire risk in Lake Tahoe communities.
The funding award for Lake Tahoe is part of nearly $40 million going to projects around Nevada to reduce wildfire risk, conserve landscapes, restore wildlife habitat, and improve public recreation. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the funding awards this January.
2015 Lake Tahoe Basin fire season update
Submitted by paula on Wed, 09/09/2015 - 11:03pm
Early in 2015, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), as well as our partners at the National Weather Service, predicted 2015 to be a significant year for wildland fires throughout the Western States. A combination of a sustained period of drought, coupled with weather that is conducive to nearly perfect burning conditions, have challenged local firefighting resources. Those predictions have rang very true as we continue to hear about new fires occurring almost daily all over the Western States. This year will go down as one of the most hazardous years for wildland fire.
Two forest thinning projects underway in South Lake Tahoe
Submitted by paula on Wed, 09/02/2015 - 12:28pm
Thinning of trees for fuels reduction and forest health is underway on approximately 50 acres of National Forest System lands adjacent to Gardner Street near Panther and Tata lanes in South Lake Tahoe, and on approximately 30 acres on the southwest end of the Spring Creek Tract off Highway 89.
Protection of Lake Tahoe taken to new heights
Submitted by paula on Mon, 08/24/2015 - 5:00pm
Lawmakers from Nevada and California met Monday on the shores of Lake Tahoe to discuss how to protect a national treasure as it faces continued threats to water clarity, invasive species, wildfire and drought.
Ever since President Bill Clinton held the first meeting in South Lake Tahoe in 1997, the annual focus of the Lake Tahoe Summit is to protect what Mark Twain called "the fairest picture the whole world affords."
Updated fire plan to be presented at Lake Tahoe Summit
Submitted by paula on Thu, 08/06/2015 - 9:43pm
An updated Lake Tahoe Basin Community Wildfire Protection Plan will be presented to the public during the Lake Tahoe Environmental Summit on Monday, August 24, 2015. This new Community Wildfire Protection Plan was collaboratively developed by the 18 member organizations of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) and is the culmination of a three-year planning effort.
Zephyr Fire Crew gets a permanent home
Submitted by paula on Sat, 08/01/2015 - 6:46pm
The Zephyr Fire Crew no longer has to call the old landfill on Upper Kingsbury Grade's Logging Road Lane as their home. The Tahoe Douglas Fire Department's wildland fire/fuels reduction team was officially welcomed into new digs with an open house this week. The Tahoe Chamber was on hand for the ribbon cutting ceremony, but it wasn't any normal ribbon. Zephyr Fire crew members cut through a wooden ribbon with a chainsaw.
Congress Introduces Lake Tahoe Restoration Act
Submitted by paula on Sat, 07/11/2015 - 11:51pm
This week, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency voiced its strong support for legislation to reauthorize the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act that has been introduced in Congress by Tahoe’s Senate delegation.
Sponsored by U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-Nevada) along with Harry Reid (D-Nevada), Dianne Feinstein (D-California), and Barbara Boxer (D-California), the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act would authorize up to $415 million in federal funding over 10 years to help continue critical environmental restoration work at Lake Tahoe.
North Shore forest thinning to close off 340 acres during work hours
Submitted by paula on Wed, 06/17/2015 - 9:23pm
Thinning of trees for fuels reduction and forest health has resumed on approximately 340 acres of National Forest System lands on the east side of Highway 267 north of Speckled Avenue above Kings Beach.
Lake Tahoe residents can extend defensible space onto adjacent National Forest lands
Submitted by paula on Fri, 04/17/2015 - 9:25pm
Living in the midst of the fourth consecutive year of drought in the Sierra Nevada brings with it a responsibility to become fire adapted. While the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consistently thins forests, conducts prescribed burns and defensible space programs to reduce wildfire risk, they need the public's help to create Fire Adapted Communities at Lake Tahoe
'Tis the prescribed burn season; Wildfire protection a year-round effort
Submitted by paula on Wed, 11/05/2014 - 10:16pm
South Lake Tahoe, Calif. - You've walked by them, biked past them, and maybe even seen them on empty lots - what are those random piles of wood? The piles are the first half of a two-step process used by Lake Tahoe Basin agencies to reduce hazardous fuels, provide community protection, and improve forest health.
Basin agencies working together for wildfire protection
Submitted by paula on Wed, 10/22/2014 - 10:54pm
September brought the reality of wildfires to the forefront in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The King Fire came within eight air miles of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit boundary, and as we all anxiously awaited its containment, the Cascade Fire broke out in the Desolation Wilderness.
Op/Ed: Protecting our Communities, Forests, and Water
Submitted by paula on Fri, 10/17/2014 - 11:26pm
With California and Nevada grappling with a third year of drought, one of the largest and most complex challenges we face over the long run at Lake Tahoe is adapting to a changing climate.
Climate change will affect the protection and restoration of our beautiful mountain lake as well as the expansive forests around it. And the health of our lake, forests, and communities are all intertwined.
Lake Valley Fire Department gets $26,000 grant for forest health in Meyers
Submitted by paula on Sat, 09/13/2014 - 7:19pm
The Lake Valley Fire Department was given a $26,000 grant to clear brush and hazard trees from a 6.5 acre parcel in Meyers. The grant was given by the Forest Service to help reduce the risk of wildfire in Meyers.
The parcel is owned by the California Tahoe Conservancy across from the Tahoe Pine Campground.
Local fuel reduction efforts recognized
Submitted by paula on Wed, 08/20/2014 - 11:33pm
Sixteen local, state and federal agencies were recognized during Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Summit.
A proclamation signed by by Senators Dianne Feinstein, Dean Heller and Harry Reid, Representatives Mark Amodei and Tom McClintock and Governors Jerry Brown and Brian Sandoval honored the release of the Multi-Jurisdiciont Fuel Reduction and Wildfire Prevention Strategy.
The original strategy, finalized in 2007, has successfully guided wildfire risk reduction projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Forest near Kings Beach back open to the public
Submitted by paula on Thu, 08/14/2014 - 10:02pm
A portion of National Forest closed for public safety near Kings Beach has been reopened. The area, about 340 acres east of Brockway Summit and north of Speckled Avenue, was closed for safety reasons due to heavy equipment operations and falling trees as part of the Carnelian Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Projects.
The project is treating 3,300 acres to reduce the risk of severe wildfire, improve forest health and provide defensible space to neighboring communities. Work in the area will resume in 2015.
Forest fuels project in South Lake Tahoe to continue
Submitted by paula on Wed, 07/23/2014 - 6:24pm
Thinning of trees for fuels reduction and forest health will continue next week on approximately 170 acres of National Forest System lands on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.
Beginning Monday, July 28, 2014, thinning will take place off of North Upper Truckee Road near West San Bernardino Avenue, Pioneer Trail northwest of forest road 12N08 (Powerline), Pioneer Trail southwest of Columbine Trail and on some urban lots in the Tahoe Island Drive area near 15th Street. Thinning operations in these locations may vary over the next several weeks.
