science

The AAUW – South Lake Tahoe Branch is a branch of the American Association of University Women, a national organization of more than 170,000 members and supporters. Founded in 1881, the AAUW has been the voice heard at the national level promoting education equity for girls and women.

The AAUW today seeks to continue to unite graduates of educational institutions and be a powerful advocate and visible leader in equity and education through research, philanthropy, and measurable change in critical areas impacting the lives of women and girls.

NCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — A record number of Bald Eagles were counted at Lake Tahoe during the recent annual survey conducted by the Tahoe Institute of Natural Science (TINS) and its team of 200 volunteers.

This year 42 Bald Eagles were found, surpassing the previous record of 27 set in 2017.

The record number of volunteers are double the number who turned out for last year's event, part of why TINS believes this was the most accurate count to date. TINS took over local coordination of the national tracking effort nine years ago.

Al Roker of NBC’s Today Show fame, will discuss his passion, interest and concerns about climate change, as well as his storied career as keynote speaker at Operation Sierra Storm, the annual television meteorologists’ conference at Lake Tahoe. The public is invited to tune in via Facebook to watch Roker on Monday, January 25.

Operation Sierra Storm (OSS) in an annual weather conference held on the South Shore. Due to health and safety restrictions, the public is unable to attend Monday's event in person, but they are welcome to participate via Facebook.

It’s a mid-winter's day dream for birders. The Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS) is hosting its annual Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey on Friday, Jan. 8, 2021. TINS took over local coordination of the national tracking operation nine years ago. The Lake Tahoe effort is part of a nationwide, single-day census of the country’s bald eagle populations. Spotters are stationed at 26 vantage points throughout the Tahoe basin, mostly on Tahoe’s lakeshore beaches, to get an accurate snapshot of eagle numbers.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Barton Health has begun the process of inoculating its frontline healthcare workers at the South Lake Tahoe hospital. The first 500 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were received from the State of California Thursday.

Doses received during the vaccine rollout in Phase 1a have been specifically allocated for healthcare workers and hospital Skilled Nursing Facility residents, under California’s tiered vaccination plan.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School (LTESMS) has started taking names for the Fall '21 roster of kindergarteners. If you have a child that will be turning five on or before Sept 1, 2021 and want to fill an open seat at LTESMS, please email the "Kindergarten Enrollment Request Form" found on the school's website to mtruszewski@ltusd.org between Jan 4 and March 26, 2021.

Barton Health has welcomed Alexander Manteghi, DO, to the team of providers as its new Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) physician in South Lake Tahoe. Dr. Manteghi
is treating children and adults, delivering a full array of surgical and non-surgical ENT medical services; including allergy therapy, treatments for ear and throat infections, sinus and nasal issues, head and neck illnesses, snoring, voice, and hearing problems.

The Tahoe Institute for Natural Science (TINS) is celebrating 10 years of connecting people to nature and inspiring new generations of stewards for the wonders of Lake Tahoe. Since 2010, the organization has engaged with over 56,000 students through in-school natural history programs, field trips, and nature camps. They offer programs for people of all ages - hosting hundreds of presentations and guided nature outings for thousands of participants. All of their programs are supported by a foundation of important, ongoing biological research.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - In search of something positive to do while staying at home during the pandemic, South Lake Tahoe parent Gantt Miller and his daughter Mackenzie started brainstorming. They couldn't sew, so making masks were out of the question. What could they do?

They could tell a story.

The nine-year-old Mackenzie and her dad, who wrote the book under a pen name, M.C. Behm, started to explore what messages they could convey between the front and back covers.

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) in Incline Village is presenting another virtual seminar as part of their Fall Speaker Series on Thursday, November 12 at 12:00 p.m. The seminar will feature UC Davis researchers Katie Senft and Dr. Jenessa Gjeltema who will update participants on the latest science behind microplastics and present the research underway at Lake Tahoe to study the fate of microplastics in our freshwater system.

After listening to some TedX speeches and my own observations and common knowledge of science, I have come to understand one of the major problems of renewable energy that I believe will make most of the wind mill and solar panel energy producing processes obsolete within a few years.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - There are three open seats on the South Tahoe Public Utility Board of Directors this election season, two for a four-year term and one for a two-year term.

South Tahoe Now reached out to the candidates and below are their answers to a set of questions. For the two four-year terms, incumbent Kelly Sheehan is running for reelection, Duane Wallace is running after being appointed to fill Jim Jones's spot on the board until this election, and they are joined by David Peterson.

LAKE TAHOE - Volunteer citizen scientists working with the League to Save Lake Tahoe conducted surveys of Donner and Spooner Lakes to detect aquatic invasive species, and restored native wetland habitat in Johnson Meadow in September. Both efforts are aimed at preserving the Tahoe-Truckee region’s unique ecology.

The Tahoe Climate Change Action Network (TCCAN) is hosting a week of online events with opportunities to connect individual, community and regional efforts to the global movement to ensure we are counting down to a better, carbon neutral future.

Join Scott Fitzgerrell and UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center director Geoff Schladow as they kayak Lake Tahoe in support of the Citizen Science Tahoe project September 20-26, 2020. Using the app they will collect valuable water quality, algal growth, and microplastics data.

All participants are responsible for bringing their own watercraft, personal protective equipment (flotation device while on the water and a mask while on land), food, beverages, and planning their own transportation to/from the departure and arrival sites.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Busy summers come with lots of litter. Help the League to Save Lake Tahoe keep the Tahoe that we love clean by participating in Tahoe's Trash Pickup Challenge all September long. You can join them at in-person events, cleanup remotely or do both.

Every Saturday in September is a cleanup day. Join them by tidying up in your neighborhood, local happy place or one of the litter hot spots listed in the signup form. If Saturdays don’t jive with your calendar, don't let that stop you! You can clean up any day, any time.

A boulevardier, taken from Merriam-Webster, is a frequenter of the Parisian boulevards, or a person-about-town in more broad terms. So basically, to be a Parisian boulevard connoisseur, you must be fashionable, social, and energetic. Being wealthy helps, too. The new Hyundai Sonata is the attainable boulevardier for a new generation.

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe (SISLT) awarded scholarships to a group of local students from South Tahoe High, George Whittell High, the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy and Lake Tahoe Community College. The club, serving the community since 1959, has given out over one-million dollars to local graduates over the years.

By motor or by paddle, the experience of boating on Lake Tahoe is like none other. Hovering over its crystal clear shallows and unfathomable depths inspires awe, and the surrounding mountains and forests combine for a breathtaking experience. Given this, it is understandable that boating is both a major part of Tahoe’s culture and its regional economy.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue recently held ceremonies for the hiring of three new firefighter/paramedics and the promotion of three to the rank of captain. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, ceremonies were small and held at the fire station during their shifts.

Captain/Paramedic Mike Taormina

STATELINE, Nev. - Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) Chief Scott Baker has announced the promotion of two in his department - Brandon Brady and Mark Norwood.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - If they were flowers on the ground or money in trees, most would welcome them. But they aren't. And love them or hate them, they’re back!

Miller moths, or the army cutworm, have become a nuisance in many parts of Lake Tahoe over the last few weeks, but not all areas have been affected. Those who have them around their homes are seeing dozens each night, swarming around their lights both inside and outside.

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - There will be some very big shoes to fill when finding a replacement for retiring El Dorado County Undersheriff Randy Peshon. On Tuesday, June 30, Peshon will be putting his badge on for the very last time. For 43 years he's been in some level of law enforcement, the last 33 years in El Dorado County.

During his career in El Dorado County, Peshon has been at the forefront of change from implementing a change in culture at the jail in South Lake Tahoe to getting the new Public Safety Facility built under budget and ahead of schedule.

As temperatures at Lake Tahoe are heating up, so are discussions about wearing a face mask in public. While science continues to reveal new information about the coronavirus, one thing is clear: wearing a face mask slows the spread of COVID-19, if enough people wear them.