lake tahoe basin

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in South Lake Tahoe may not be opened yet, but they've been busy becoming a part of the community.

On Monday, November 24, their Executive Chef Jonathan Snyder delivered 48 turkeys to Sierra Community Church, who will serve them in their community kitchen and distribute the rest to local families in need for Thanksgiving.

Tahoe In Depth, the environmental newspaper that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency created two years ago to help improve awareness and understanding of lake issues, was recognized with a Silver Spike award at the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America annual awards ceremony on Thursday.
Silver Spike awards recognize the northern Sierra region’s best public relations and communications campaigns, according to Anne McMillin, President of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

Several key public service positions have been filled the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA).

Tom Lotshaw has been hired to work as TRPA’s Public Information Officer. He replaces Jeff Cowen, who worked for TRPA in that and other roles for eight years.

Lotshaw graduated from Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in public affairs journalism and has seven years of newspaper reporting experience. He worked most recently as a reporter for the Daily Inter Lake in Kalispell, Montana, and as a reporter and photographer for the Tahoe Daily Tribune.

Learn about prescribed burns at a South Lake Tahoe open house hosted by the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team. Team members will be on hand to answer questions about how the agencies plan and implement prescribed fire in the Lake Tahoe basin.

The Open House will be held on Wednesday, November 12, 2014, from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Forest Supervisor’s office at 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Participating agencies include the Forest Service, CAL FIRE, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and Tahoe Douglas and Lake Valley fire protection districts.

The last day to purchase a fuelwood permit from the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is Friday, November 14, 2014, and the last day to cut wood is Sunday, November 16, 2014. Fuelwood permits cost $20 per cord, with a two-cord minimum purchase and a limit of 10 cords per household.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will continue prescribed fire operations in the Pioneer Trail and Slaughterhouse Canyon areas on Tuesday, November 4, and continuing as conditions allow.

I’ve lived in South Lake Tahoe for 22 years, and I’m the Dean of Career & Technical Education and Instruction at Lake Tahoe Community College. I'd like to share a few stories about students I’ve known through my work at LTCC, and how Measure F will provide new pathways to create many more great stories like these – stories about young people whose lives were changed because of the programs and opportunities available through our local community college.

After witnessing the Tahoe Paradise Resort Improvement District (TPRID) meeting last week I starting thinking how the residents of Meyers and Tahoe Paradise could be better served.

What happened at the TPRID meeting was a sad display of a board in action. There was yelling, arguing and, what one person witnessing everything said, “don’t air your dirty laundry in a meeting like this.”

All of the major cell phone companies were in town last week, meeting with local agencies to determine the need for better cell phone coverage. As most locals are aware, there are several pockets of "no cell phone" coverage in town.

Since 80% of the Lake Tahoe basin is owned by the U.S. Forest Service, the choice on where to put new cell phone towers is limited. They are looking into new partnerships with local land owners to see what can be done.

A decision to approve the retrofit project to revitalize the Tallac Historic Site was announced today by the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU).

The project, in the works for a few years, will improve recreational facilities, implement water quality BMPs, as well as upgrade paths, restrooms, parking and picnic areas.

If you are a South Lake Tahoe area resident and want to be involved in your community, the City Council is looking for you!

They are now collecting applications for two-year appointments to the Airport Land Use Commission, Building/ADA Board of Appeals, Parks & Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission. Some of the openings are for City residents only while others just need to live in the Lake Tahoe basin portion of El Dorado County.

Wait, what? Safer? Yes! As a 20-plus-year South Lake Tahoe resident and a recently retired FBI agent, I have experienced Lake Tahoe Community College as a student, a guest speaker, and as an occasional criminal justice instructor. Over the years, these connections have proven to me just how essential LTCC is in giving our local youth a pathway towards a productive future.

The five month long grading season in Lake Tahoe ends on October 15 and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has made it easier for builders to request an extension.

TRPA now has an online system to handle the requests in order to improve customer service and eliminate the need to people to drive to their office.

Grading season for construction projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin extends from May 1 to October 15. Soil disturbance during wet conditions can harm the lake’s water quality. Outside of the grading season, soil disturbance activities generally require an exception.

Last year, a government shut down caused the annual South Lake Tahoe festival that honors the Kokanee Salmon to be canceled, though nobody told the fish. Highway 89 was lined with cars since people had to walk in to view the fish spawning as well as enjoying fall foliage.

9/29/14 update: Heavy precipitation over the weekend allowed firefighters to achieve 90 percent containment of the Cascade Fire near Snow Lake in the Desolation Wilderness. Crews will begin repairing impacts from fire suppression activities and will monitor the fire to detect any renewed activity later this week due to drier, warmer and windier conditions.

Bayview Trailhead and Campground and TaylorCreek Sno-Park on Hwy. 89 have reopened. The cause of the 20-acre fire is under investigation, but it has been determined to be human-caused.

“A breakdown can pave the way for a breakthrough,” California Governor Jerry Brown said at the Lake Tahoe Summit on August 19.

The governor was speaking about the challenges people face in looking beyond their differences for common ground, whether that’s working to craft the $7.5 billion water bond California voters will consider in November or working across state lines to protect and restore Lake Tahoe.

9/28/14 10:00 p.m. update: 4,420 firefighters and support staff are still on the scene of the 97.099 acre King Fire which is now 89% contained.

After 4 days of precipitation with accumulations of 1-3 inches, fire spread has been halted, however heat remains in the heavier fuels and in the heavy duff sheltered from the rain under the dense timber canopy. As the weather turns warm and dry over the next several days, expect to see an increase in fire activity and smoke production; however spread potential is extremely low, doe to the successful suppression efforts.

Two more vacant lots in South Lake Tahoe have been added to the increasing cache of land the U.S. Forest Service has accumulated to preserve for public use.

These two lots are 3.13 acres each and located on Tahoe Mountain. They purchased one with great lake views for $135,000 and a second one for $100,000. This second lot is adjacent to the new hiking and mountain biking trail that begins on Deveron Way.

LTCC faculty member Lisa Berry will present photos of wildflowers taken in the lake Tahoe basin.

Everyone is invited to this free event on September 12 from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Board Room in the library building.

An environmental impact report on the Heavenly Epic Discovery Project is ready for public viewing. The new project, located at Heavenly Mountain Resort, will expand their summer activities to include more canopy tours, hiking and biking trails as well as interpretive activities.

Since 2011 the U.S. Forest Service has allowed more summer activities on national forest lands.

The following increase in activities are being proposed:

Attendees of the Valhalla Art, Music and Theater Festival learned how to use a cross-cut saw, the primary tool still used today to keep trails open and accessible in the Wilderness. The event celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 National Wilderness Preservation Act.

U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit staff provided saws, logs and gloves and guided over 50 participants of all ages as they cut through a 10-inch log and received the souvenir slice branded with the 50th Wilderness Anniversary logo.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center (TPC) wants to facilitate the expansion of high speed internet in the Lake Tahoe Basin, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. In order to see where the need is, a speed test of your current internet service and a survey is being conducted.

A new three mile long trail has been completed that now connects High Meadows to the Tahoe Rim Trail. The new path, called the Monument Pass Trail, is located in the southeast end of South Lake Tahoe at the Cold Creek Trail at High Meadows. The trail is multi-use and will be enjoyed by cyclists and hikers.

The new trail is part of a larger group of trail projects known as the Trail Access and Travel Management Plan (Trail ATM), a process used by the Forest Service to plan, review, design and construct trail systems in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

With the major forest fires burning throughout California, Oregon and Washington, it's a good time to remind everyone that there are fire restrictions in place in South Lake Tahoe.

The City of South Lake Tahoe and the U.S. Forest Service both have fire bans in place. Campfires and charcoal barbecues have been restricted to designated forest service recreation sites in the Lake Tahoe Basin since June 26, even if campers and back country hikers have a fire permit.