tahoe basin

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team is reminding the public that fire danger in the Lake Tahoe Basin remains high due to the ongoing drought and lack of precipitation. Illegal campfires and warming fires continue to be a concern for fire officials and are the major cause of wildfires in the basin. Fire restrictions are still in effect on National Forest land and will remain in effect until the official end of fire season.

Low temperatures Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings could easily dip below freezing around the Lake Tahoe basin and in the Sierra Nevada. Bundle up for Sunday night's fireworks show on the South Shore as temps are forecast to be 48-52 degrees when the show starts at 8:30 p.m.

Keep in mind that temperatures at ground level where plants are located tend to be a few degrees colder than the forecast low air temperature – you may want to cover sensitive garden vegetation.

From the National Weather Service in Reno:

The focus of the 20th Anniversary of the Tahoe Summit is on the environment. And there is much to celebrate as lake clarity has improved; collaboration among agencies is strong and numerous restoration projects have been completed. But 20-20 hindsight also means that if only we had thought more about the impacts that focusing solely on the environment would have on our economy and community, we could have accomplished much more. Now, twenty years later, we find ourselves trying to play “catch up” on these other two areas.

With President Barack Obama visiting Lake Tahoe for a landmark 20th annual Lake Tahoe Summit this month, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has published a special summit edition of Tahoe in Depth.

This special edition of the award-winning newspaper tells the story of 20 years of summits at Lake Tahoe—from the organization and importance of the first-ever summit and the successful work it sparked, to major issues such as climate change that will confront the Tahoe Region in the decades to come.

An appreciation of all of the law enforcement agencies that are assigned to protect the South Shore of the Lake Tahoe Basin will be the focus of Law Enforcement Day at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe on Thurday, September 15 at 5:00 p.m.

The public is invited to show support of the the men and women of the California Highway Patrol, Douglas County Sheriff's Office, El Dorado County Probation, El Dorado County Sheriff including STAR and SAR, the FBI (South Lake Tahoe Division), SLEDNET, South Lake Tahoe Police Department and USFS Law Enforcement.

It was an overflowing crowd at the Tahoe Beach Retreat on Wednesday evening at the housing forum hosted by the Tahoe Regional Young Professionals. A well informed panel of experts in the field of affordable housing answered a slew of questions from both the in-house crowd, and those able to ask from home via a live-stream telecast.

What was evident after two hours of discussion is that there is no one single answer to the issue of affordable housing and it will take much more than a wave of a magic wand to bring about a solution.

The Village in Squaw Valley, a proposed redevelopment proponents say will reestablish the resort as a premier mountain resort destination and ensure its sustainable future, in on the agenda of the Placer County Planning Commission on Thursday, August 11.

Clear skies in western Nevada and the Lake Tahoe basin will provide for some great viewing of the Perseid metero shower this week.

NASA says if you see one meteor shower this year, make it the Perseid meteor shower.

According to the National Weather Service in Reno, the weather forecast during the peak of the shower calls for mostly clear and cool conditions Thursday night into early Friday morning. Low temperatures in the Sierra will be in the mid 30’s to mid 40’s with lows in the 50 to 60 range for the western Nevada.

The fires responsible for sending smoke into the Lake Tahoe Basin and Northern Nevada have burned 47,876 acres since being started by lightning strikes on Friday morning.

Known as the Virginia Mountains Complex, the five separate wildland fires include the Anderson (13,196 acres), Sage (4,238 acres), Seven Lakes (3,063 acres), Rock (2,293 acres) and Tule (27,379 acres) Fires. All are burning on mostly BLM land within about 20 miles of each other in an arc about 35 miles north of Reno.

Four separate fires are burning north of Reno, sending smoke throughout Northern Nevada and the Lake Tahoe basin.

The Virginia Mountains Complex is made up currently of four separate wildland fires, including the Anderson (5626 acres), Sage (4239 acres), Seven Lakes (3063 acres) and Tule (7267 acres) Fires. All of these lightning-caused fires are burning within about 20-miles of each other in an arc about 35-miles north of Reno.

The vast majority of the public lands burning are administered by the Bureau of Land Management-Carson City District.

The UC Davis Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences in Incline Village holds monthly lectures and other special events throughout the year. Here is a list of upcoming lectures open to the public:

If you like heat, then you're sure to love the weather in South Lake Tahoe Thursday and Friday when records are expected to drop from Reno to Mammoth. South Lake Tahoe is forecast to hit 91 degrees both days, beating records previously set in 2009.

The National Weather Service in Reno is also telling people in all areas of the Sierra and western Nevada, except for the Lake Tahoe basin, to expect very isolated areas of thunderstorms with an increased threat of lightning fires.

Starting in the upcoming Fall 2016 quarter, Lake Tahoe Community College will once again be offering reduced tuition to residents of certain nearby Nevada communities in the Tahoe Basin. Up to 100 Nevada residents living in specific communities who meet the parameters established in the new partnership between California and Nevada can tap into the new, lower cost, which is three times the California resident rate, or $93 per unit. This equates to a savings of $88 per unit from the $181 per-unit rate established for all other non-residents attending LTCC.

Hot and dry weather will continue in the region according to the National Weather Service, but with the warm temperatures and low humidity comes a "Fire Weather Warning."

NWS is forecasting gusty winds and high fire danger on Sunday and Monday and they are urging extreme caution, especially near dry grass and brush.

Gusty winds and waves up to 3 feet will produce hazardous conditions for boating, kayaking and paddle boarding. Calm lake conditions in the morning can quickly turn dangerous once the winds kick up, so remember to always wear your personal flotation device.

Now that the 4th of July holiday has passed, construction on the Caltrans Hwy 89 project along the West Shore of Lake Tahoe is now on an overnight schedule and will remain so for the next several weeks during the peak summer season, the department announced today.

Contractor Road and Highway Builders now works a 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. shift during the week and 10:00 p.m. Sunday to 6:00 a.m. Monday. That schedule is expected to continue until August 15. Completion of the project was originally targeted for the end of this season, but some work now will extend into 2017.

Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada are not alone this weekend as a combination of hot and dry conditions with gusty winds will bring dangerous fire weather conditions to a large portion of the western U.S. Any fire in this region will have the potential to grow rapidly out of control so extreme caution is urged near dry grass and brush. Numerous Red Flag Warnings are in effect from the Sierra Nevada to the High Plains of South Dakota.

Pier 1 is out of their location in South Lake Tahoe, and Goodwill Industries is heading in now that escrow has closed on the building at 1069 Emerald Bay Road. Goodwill will be celebrating the opening their 27th Northern Nevada/Sacramento area location with a four-day grand opening starting July 21 at 8:00 a.m.

Karen McClaflin, the Chief Development Officer for Goodwill Sacramento Valley & Northern Nevada, told South Tahoe Now that that the company has been actively engaged for the past seven years looking for a store and community training center in the Tahoe Basin.

Mountain Resort Television reporter Nicole Marsel checks out backpacking tips, how to be safe in the Lake Tahoe basin, and how to prepare for high altitude hiking. They also check in with the Truckee Bike Park.

Fire and law enforcement officers across the State are working together to confiscate illegal fireworks and get them off the street. In Placer County, an announced inspection of all vehicles going through the Truckee agricultural station netted 1,882 pounds of illegal fireworks, resulting in 20 misdemeanor citations and seven felony arrests.

In another operation, CAL FIRE joined a multi-agency fireworks seizure operation in San Bernardino County that resulted in the confiscation of 25,406 pounds of illegal fireworks, 51 misdemeanor citations issued, as well as two felony arrests.

When the American Century Champsionship comes to South Lake Tahoe July 19-24, Korbel California Champagne® will be joining them for the fifth year by hosting a $250,000 Closest to the Pin competition in addition to the favorite annual “Celebrity Spray-Off,” which encourages players to show off their champagne-spraying skills.

Along with having their tent offering cocktails between holes 17 and 18, Korbel will offer fans and celebrities numerous opportunities to participate in the fun such as:

Two homeowners associations rose to the challenge when Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval challenged Nevadans to think like a bear as he proclaimed July as Bear Logic Month.

“That is what Bear Logic is all about, thinking like a bear,” said Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) black bear biologist Carl Lackey.

On the South Shore, Tahoe Village Homeowners Association on Upper Kingsbury, and in Reno, the Caughlin Ranch Homeowners Association, have both been recognized by NDOW for their bear logic awareness efforts.

Mountain Resort Television covers the story of Fallen Leaf Lake Campground closing this week to spray for plague. Reporter Nicole Marsel also brings us the City in 60 report on the 4th of July parade.

Fallen Leaf Campground will be closed starting Monday, June 27 so county and state public health and vector control officials can start pesticide treatments to minimize the risk of plague.

Fallen Leaf Campground will be closed starting Monday, June 27 so county and state public health and vector control officials can start pesticide treatments to minimize the risk of plague.

The treatments are a public safety precaution after tests on 15 rodents resulted in one positive case of plague on June 20, 2016. There is minimal risk to the public at this time.

The campground will close at 7:00 p.m. Monday but all campers will need to check out by noon. The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit expects it to reopen by Friday, July 1 in time for the holiday weekend.

The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) invites adults interested in helping others learn about gardening and landscaping to apply to train as a Master Gardener volunteer. UCCE Master Gardener volunteers learn University-based scientific information and then share that knowledge with the gardening community. Master Gardener volunteers are people of all ages and from all walks of life with a common desire to help others learn about gardening and landscaping.