public lands

UPDATE 8:15PM: The Mountain View Fire is currently burning around the community of Walker. Due to the fast moving nature of the fire, an Evacuation Order has been issued for the Walker, Coleville and Topaz areas, and US 395 is still closed from Bridgeport to the Nevada state line. There is 0 percent containment and 5,000 acres burned according to Inci-web. Liberty Utilities has de-energized the communities of Walker and Coleville up to Topaz at the state line for safety precautions. Liberty is working with all emergency agencies and will safely restore power when possible.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Tahoe Conservancy has temporarily closed multiple high-use Conservancy properties for public safety. The Conservancy intends these closures to complement similar temporary closures of National Forest Lands to protect the public and firefighters during this time of unprecedented and historic fire conditions.

Temporarily closed sites include:

- Van Sickle Bi-State Park (includes both California and Nevada sides of the park)
- Upper Truckee Marsh (except for Cove East area, accessed by Venice Drive)
- Eagle Rock

In South Lake Tahoe, Truckee, and Mammoth Lakes, our public lands are woven into the fabric of life. These lands are symbols of our strength and keepers of serenity in these turbulent times. As we've seen locally, our parks and public lands are a beloved resource and one that is essential for our collective recovery. If we want our parks and public lands to be there for us for the long haul we need to invest in them now.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - On June 12, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) concessionaires will begin opening developed campgrounds in the Lake Tahoe Basin. They are joined by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest who is opening all of its campgrounds in California.

Nevada group campsites and day-use areas that hold less than 50 people will also reopen. Visitor centers and California group campsites remain closed. Both the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and LTBMU offices remain closed.

At the request of Alpine County in California, all Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest lands within the boundaries of the county will be temporarily closed to overnight camping starting on Saturday, April 25, 2020.

“We recognize that this overnight camping restriction comes at a time when many are seeking respite in natural areas,” said Forest Supervisor Bill Dunkelberger. “However, this temporary closure is to support state, county, and local authorities in controlling COVID-19 pandemic.”

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - When the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) revised their Forest Plan over 10 years ago, many wanted them to include changes to snowmobile and other winter travel access to public lands at the same time. With the amount of public comment and the recognized need to have its own plan, they separated the two.

In 2011, LTBMU started a collaborative group to develop a proposed action plan for Winter Recreation and Over Snow Vehicle (OSV) use in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is on Saturday, September 28 and in the Lake Tahoe Basin it will be celebrated by the parking fee being waived for the day at the Eagle Falls Trailhead.

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) manages approximately 78 percent of the public land in the Tahoe Basin. They will continue to the celebration of NPLD through the weekend of October 5-6 when they host a booth at the Fall Fish Festival at Taylor Creek in South Lake Tahoe. This time is also the 50th anniversary of Desolation Wilderness.

El Dorado County, Calif. - Currently, homeowners in fire-prone areas of California and El Dorado County are starting to see skyrocketing insurance premiums, canceled policies canceled and notices of non-renewal within weeks of a policy's expiration.

Due to the alarming rates at which this is happening, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors reached out to the California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to explain the dire situation in the county.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After illegally digging at prehistoric Native American archaeological sites on federal lands in Alpine and El Dorado counties, 50-year-old Timothy Brian Harrison of South Lake Tahoe was sentenced today to one year and one day in prison and ordered to pay $113,000 in restitution.

He was found guilty on two counts of excavation and removal of archaeological resources from public lands and one misdemeanor count of unlawful possession of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

The public is invited to celebrate National Public Lands Day (NPLD) with the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and our partners at Nevada Beach Pavilion on Saturday, September 22, 2018, from 9:00 a.m. until noon. The LTBMU and Tahoe Recreation will host this free community event, which provides an opportunity for the public to connect and engage with volunteers and organizations to learn how to best enjoy and protect our public lands.

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.

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First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with the communities and forests affected by the destructive and tragic wildfires across California, Nevada, and the West. Our Lake Tahoe Basin firefighters are responding to both local and national wildfires and providing assistance to those in need. I am very proud of each one and know their families go through added stress during their absence.

This time of year, wildfire suppression can overtake our thoughts and activities, however, a great amount of work is occurring around the Lake Tahoe Basin to create more resilient forests.

The U.S. Forest Service held a grand opening ceremony at the newly remodeled and reconfigured Round Hill Pines Resort on Monday, officially welcoming the public to their new beachside facilities.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – As we’ve learned from the recent Fire Season Outlook, year-round fire season is the new normal in the Lake Tahoe Basin and throughout the country. Now is the perfect time to learn what to do to prepare your home and family to survive wildfire, and to take action. To help you with this, the collaborative members of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team are once again conducting Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Month throughout the month of June. We encourage you to “Prepare Now! Wildfire Knows No Season.”

A 31-year-old man from Michoacán, Mexico was sentenced Monday to two years and two months in prison and ordered to pay $32,712 in restitution to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for the damage to public land and natural resources.

Like many communities across the country, the Tahoe Basin is facing an affordable housing crisis. The high cost to buy or rent a home is simply unaffordable for most Tahoe residents. It’s a problem for people of many economic backgrounds, including middle-income teachers, nurses, police, and firefighters.

During their meeting Thursday, the California Tahoe Conservancy Board elected South Lake Tahoe City Councilwoman Brooke Laine as their chair. She is the City’s appointee to the Board and will be replacing longtime Chair Larry Sevison.

The Board also elected Lynn Suter as Vice Chair, filling a post vacated by former Conservancy Board Member John Hooper earlier this year.

Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows formally announced its plan to install a base-to-base gondola connecting The Village at Squaw Valley and the base area at Alpine Meadows today. The freshly branded “California Express” gondola is targeted to open ahead of the 2019-20 winter season. The connection of these two mountains will realize the long-held dream of the pioneers who brought the sport of skiing and the 1960 Winter Olympics to Squaw Valley nearly 60 years ago.

The 2017 pine nut harvest season kicks off on lands managed by the Nevada Bureau of Land Management and Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Both agencies are working together to ensure the public is safely harvesting pine nuts and aware of the regulations.

The length of the pine nut harvest season varies depending on crop quality and seasonal weather conditions. It is generally September to late October when pine nuts are available for harvest.

The discharge of firearms on public lands has been determined the cause of Mariposa County's Detwiler Fire which has destroyed 63 homes, 67 minor structures and 1 commercial building since starting July 16, 2017.

21 other homes and buildings were damaged.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) investigators said specifics are still under investigation.

The Detwiler Fire has burned 81,826 acres and was 97 percent contained as of 7:00 a.m. Saturday, August 5.

Learn about four wheel driving around the Lake Tahoe Basin during the Lake Tahoe Hi-Lo’s 4WD Club meet and greet membership drive on Saturday, June 3 in the TJMax parking lot at the Y in South Lake Tahoe from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The non-profit club has been in Lake Tahoe for 50 years. They promote family recreation, social activities, enjoyment and protection of natural resources. The club has been a member for 50 years of California Four Wheel Association which is a state wide organization of California four wheel drive clubs and Gary Lefler is the local club's current president

Daniel Deemer is biking across America on his "Bike for the Homeless" tour from Big Sur, California to Ocean City, Maryland to bring awareness to a social issue he is deeply passionate about.

In partnership with Tahoe Youth and Family Services, Dan is using the trip in an effort to raise funds for the agency and increase awareness of homelessness.

Dan will be leaving Big Sur on May 22, 2017. He has no predetermined route, but will be passing through the Sierra Nevada on SR-88, and through South Lake Tahoe.

What has become an out-of-control, unsightly and all too common practice at Lake Tahoe snow play areas now has a champion to control abandoned sleds.

Tahoe Fund Executive Director Amy Berry brought several organizations together to discuss potential solutions to resolve this issue. It had been on their radar for some time, but with the rapid growth of discarded sleds covering the landscape, Berry and the Tahoe Care Team of the agency knew something had to be done immediately.

Leave No Trace is a national program that teaches and inspires people to enjoy the outdoors while also helping to protect it.

While protecting the outdoor environment and keeping it clear and free of trash and debris should be commonplace, it isn't.

The Leave No Trace team was recently in South Lake Tahoe on a vacation but stopped by South Tahoe High to talk to members of Generation Green. Many may remember the team as community members who left last year to travel the country and teach and train along the way.