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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.

Two days after clinching a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team, South Lake Tahoe's Jamie Anderson took the Sprint U.S. Grand Prix overall slopestyle title and a $10,000 cash prize with her win Saturday at Mammoth Mountain.

Anderson is looking forward to representing her country in Sochi, "It’s not just the local Tahoe community; it’s the entire U.S. and even my friends throughout that world that are supporting me. It’s really special to come together for the Olympics because of how much love you get from your country and representing your nation. It’s like nothing I’ve ever done before."

Last week’s winter storm dropped up to three feet of fresh natural snow on Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort, creating a winter wonderland and allowing the resorts to open more terrain for skiers and riders hoping for a white holiday season.

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.

Northern Nevada students and others are holding "Walk for Philippines Typhoon Victims" starting at University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) on November 24 in support of the victims of deadly super-typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), one of the most powerful ever recorded on land.

The City of South Lake Tahoe's vision to recreate a community that encourages revitalizing commercial and residential areas got one step closer today with the TRPA's adoption of the South Lake Tahoe Tourist Core Area Plan. The area involved is the Highway 50 corridor from Fairway Ave at Bijou, up and down Ski Run Boulevard, and up to the Stateline.

Outdated development and pollution in the core of South Lake Tahoe could be on their way out with the adoption today of the City of South Lake Tahoe Tourist Core Area Plan by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board.

Dubbed the "All Star Panel," a group of long time local residents shared stories of a South Lake Tahoe most of us never experienced. The seven panelists have lived in Lake Tahoe a combined 600 plus years and shared some great stories with the overflowing crowd at Camp Richardson Lodge on Tuesday evening. In fact, the number of long time locals in the audience was very evident since their combined years of living in Lake Tahoe was over 1880!

Dave Wakeman, South Lake Tahoe resident since 1947

Scientists today presented research findings and recommendations to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board that address Lake Tahoe’s aquatic nearshore environment and the heightened interest in understanding factors contributing to its apparent deterioration.

You may have noticed all of the blue snow plows at their home next to the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center, Ice Arena and Campground on Rufus Allen Boulevard. During the last city council meeting there was a unanimous vote to move the current Public Works Streets Division yard (that houses the snow plows) to a new home on the corner of D Street and Shop Street. The council voted to spend just under $400,000 on the purchase, thus paving the way to further expand the work on the 56 acre project.

On October 1, boat inspections will move to select launch ramps and winter hours will begin. Tahoe RCD (Resource Conservation District) inspectors will be stationed at Cave Rock and Lake Forest boat launches from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week, weather permitting. Boats with attached Lake Tahoe wire inspection seals and valid Tahoe inspection stickers will be permitted to launch during these times, but any unsealed boats are required to get an inspection during daylight hours.

The El Dorado COunty Habitat for Humanity and St. Joseph Community Land Trust are holding a "Hike for Housing" on Saturday, September 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the Lam Wa Tah Trail.

The hike will begin at Our Lady of Tahoe Catholic Church on Elks Point Road in the Round Hill area. Registration will be held the day of the event at the church. Cost is $25 per family or $15 for individuals.

The hike is to raise money to help locals have quality housing at Lake Tahoe.

Fire Fest is back! This year's event will be held on Saturday, September 28 at the South Lake Tahoe airport from 10 am to 3 pm. Fire Fest is a free annual event that highlights fire and life safety for children and families. Helicopters will star at Fire Fest as they land at the SLT Airport. Come sit in a fire truck, escape from the Smoke House, wear fire fighting equipment, squirt fire hoses, play in a bounce house, meet Smokey Bear and Sparky, watch fire departments compete, learn about fire resistant construction and enjoy a Kiwanis BBQ!

CAL FIRE PIO Berlant, @CALFIRE_PIO - California Statewide Fire Summary: Nearly 8,000 firefighters remain on the frontlines as nearly a dozen major wildfires continue to burn. Yesterday, CAL FIRE crews contained the Swedes Fire that burned in Butte County, just as a new fire ignited on the Fort Hunter Liggett Military Installation.

With the assistance of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and a determined committee, an unnamed peak on the North Shore of the Lake Tahoe Basin has been renamed “Gold Star Peak” in honor of soldiers from the area that paid the ultimate price in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and the War on Terrorism. A ceremony to dedicate Gold Star Peak will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, September 6, 2013, at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe.

Forest thinning on public land along the west side of Fallen Leaf Lake will begin Friday, Aug. 16, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit announced Thursday. Thinning will take place south of the dam and will move closer to the dam in a couple of weeks.

From Tahoe’s mountaintops to the lake’s sandy bottom, scientists from the University of Nevada, Reno continue to study and find solutions to the breadth of issues that face the entire Lake Tahoe Basin. Their research is making a tangible contribution to the decisions, policies and practices that guide the basin’s environmental health.

Lake Tahoe organizations whose collaborative work over the past 15 years has been a driving force for advancing Lake Tahoe restoration efforts applauded congressional leaders Thursday for introducing a $415 million reauthorization of the federal Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.

Acquisition and Relocation Process Community Meeting

Community Workshop:
July 25, 2013 5 P.M. to 7 P.M.
Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel
4130 Lake Tahoe Blvd., South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150
Spanish and Tagalog Interpreters will be present.

PURPOSE OF THE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP:

-Explain the Appraisal, Acquisition and Relocation Assistance process.

-Inform you of the rights you have as an owner or tenant of property impacted by the proposed road realignment.

Crews are responding to at least three lightning-sparked fires in Douglas County. The fires are located off Leviathan Mine Road and in the Pinenut Mountains at the Sunrise Pass and Mount Segal areas, according to U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Lisa Ross.
Go here for the latest updates.

Here is a news release from Douglas County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Pat Brooks regarding the fires:

UPDATE: Beginning Monday, July 1, fire restrictions will go into effect in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Campfires and charcoal barbecues will be restricted to designated recreation sites, and other fire-related activities will be prohibited until the end of fire season.

“Weather patterns this winter and spring are similar to conditions in 2007, the year of the Angora Fire,” said Fire Prevention Officer, Beth Brady. “Even with the rain we have received, at this point, it won’t alleviate this summer’s high risk of wildfires.”

A federal judge Monday dismissed a number of claims made by plaintiffs Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore challenging the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan Update recently approved by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and ordered the them to pay upfront TRPA’s costs associated with assembling the administrative record for the pending litigation.

The federal government settled two lawsuits Thursday seeking recovery against PG&E and its contractors for wildfires that scorched thousands of acres of national forest land in 2004 and 2008.

The fires — known as the “Power Fire” and the “Whiskey Fire” — collectively burned more than 18,000 acres of national forest. These settlements, totaling $50.5 million, are a significant step toward restoring the precious national resources destroyed by the fires, said U.S. Attorney Benjamin Wagner.

Cultivating a passion and appreciation for the outdoors is a year-round task, and Heavenly Mountain Resort is stepping up to the challenge by expanding its summer operations to include more interactive, family-friendly learning experiences.

“Lake Tahoe is a year-round destination, and there is a tremendous opportunity to offer more summer activities at the top of the Gondola,” said Pete Sonntag, Heavenly’s general manager. “Our hope is that visitors of all ages and backgrounds are able to create life-long connections to our National Forests through adventure, play and recreation.”