tahoe basin

To keep Tahoe cherished and known for its beauty, locals try in their best efforts to “keep Tahoe blue.” Sadly, negative effects in our ecosystems come from humans which could damage the clarity of the lake and the air quality. Bad air quality comes from numerous sources, such as car emissions, uncontained fires, and contributors to toxic runoff into the forest; these sources of pollution must be stopped.

Twelve of Tahoe's best bartenders will be competing in the 12th annual Tahoe Blue Vodka Blood Mary competition on Sunday, June 12 at Steamer's Bar from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

“This is the only Bloody Mary competition in the Lake Tahoe basin, and we have hand selected the 12 best bartenders from around the lake,” said Mike Peron of FNCTN, one of the event organizers. “From what they’ve shared with us so far about their recipes, our guests are going to be blown away!”

The California Tahoe Conservancy today announced that free firewood gathering permits and firewood locations are now available online. Permits are valid until December 31 of the year printed or downloaded.

“The new online system will make our program more accessible to people throughout the Tahoe Basin and will save people time because they will no longer need to come into our office to obtain a firewood permit. The rest of the program remains unchanged,” said Milan Yeates, the Conservancy’s Community Firewood Program Coordinator.

Need to clean out your yard, attic, or garage? Once you've reused or recycled all that you can, get rid of the rest at Clean Tahoe's annual Community Cleanup Day (aka $5 Dump Day) on Saturday, June 4, 2016. It's the one day of the year South Shore residents can bring unwanted items to South Tahoe Refuse at HUGE discounts.

There is a balancing act needed to provide quality transportation, protect Lake Tahoe, keep clean air and meet the needs of the communities around the lake, but that is what Tahoe Transportation District is trying to accomplish with a series of pubic outreach efforts.

On Tuesday night in South Lake Tahoe, staff from the TTD, Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO) and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) held an open house at the Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel to get a pulse on the feelings of the public about transportation.

WHO:
Spectators, volunteers, residents, visitors, businesses, sponsors, media, and cycling enthusiasts

WHAT:
Amgen Tour of California returns to Lake Tahoe, May 19:
Men’s Stage 5 races 132.4 miles from Lodi to South Lake Tahoe
Women’s Stage 1 start/finish in South Shore 72.7 mile circumnavigation of the lake

WHERE:
Race headquarters: Heavenly Mountain Resort California Base Lodge
3860 Saddle Rd, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

WHEN:
Thursday, May 19 from 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

A three-month long tree removal project off of Fallen Leaf Lake Road near the campground will start around May 15, 2016. Due to the heavy equipment needed, the Forest Service will issue a forest order closing the project area (units 1 and 148) to pedestrians from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. daily.

A free summit in South Lake Tahoe this weekend will bring biking enthusiasts together under one roof for seminars, movies, food and drink. There will also be rides and the showcasing of local trail renaissance during the event which begins on Friday, May 6 and ends with a breakfast and Mother's Day family ride.

The public is invited to attend any, or all, parts of the inaugural Tahoe Trails Summit "Trails of Tahoe Today and Tomorrow" which will be held at the Tahoe Beach Retreat.

It's time again for the Upper Truckee Marsh to be closed to dogs in order to protect the critical breeding habitat for special, threatened and endangered species such as the Willow Flycatcher.

The marsh area will be closed through July 31, 2016. Leashed dogs may once again travel through the the Upper Truckee Marsh starting August 1.

The California Tahoe Conservancy-owned Cove East property, west of the river and marsh, remains open for year-round, leashed dog access.

The El Dorado County Sheriff enforces county and city ordinances and Conservancy staff monitors for compliance.

El Dorado County Central Dispatch received a call about gunshots heard in the Meyers area on Monday, May 2 at 9:53 p.m. The caller, a passerby in the area of South Upper Truckee and the Old Meyers Grade said they heard 12-15 gunshots.

A Sheriff deputy responded at 10:08 p.m. and didn't hear or see any suspicious activity in the area.

A check of the area did not reveal anything of concern. No further shots were reported but the deputy remained in the area for an extended period of time just to make sure.

Six meadows in the southern portion of the Lake Tahoe Basin will be restored using a combination of tree removal, prescribed fire, stream channel repair, planting vegetation and rerouting trails starting in Spring 2017.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) made the announcement today of what is being called the Restoration of Fire Adapted Ecosystems Project.

Work on a new driveway and parking lot at Zephyr Cove Stables begins the week of May 1, 2016 when the first stage of the Zephyr Cove Stables Upgrade Project begins. Crews will be upgrading existing facilities, trails and utilities to meet current building code and accessibility standards and install Best Management Practices (BMPs) to improve water quality.

This is a joint project between the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU), Zephyr Cove Resort and Douglas County.

Officially Earth Day is over, but the spirit runs throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin all year long. One way that the public can help the environment is to join forces with the Sugar Pine Foundation.

Weather permitting, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service have scheduled prescribed fire operations again this week, starting April 25.

East Shore: Near Spooner Summit, Camp Galilee and on Kingsbury Grade near Edgewood Drive.

South Shore: Near Lake Tahoe Boulevard and Sawmill Road, Panther Lane near South Tahoe High School, off Highway 89 near Spring Creek, and off Santa Claus Drive and West River Parkway near Christmas Valley.

The opening dates for recreational facilities in the Lake Tahoe Basin have been announced, with the first ones set to e ready April 30, 2016.

Kiva Picnic area, Baldwin and Nevada beaches, Big Meadow trailhead, the McKinney Rubicon Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) area and Sawmill Pond, Eagle Falls, Chimney Beach and Secret Harbor parking areas will open April 30, 2016.

The Tallac Historic Site opens April 30, 2016, and will be staffed beginning Saturday, May 21, 2016 for Memorial Day weekend.

The Sandpit OHV area opens May 10, 2016.

A project designed to help protect environmentally sensitive resources while providing safer, adequate access the area south of Lakeshore Drive along State Route 28 is the focus of an upcoming public meeting on Tuesday, April 26 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m at The Chateau at Incline Village. A question and answer period will be at 5:30 p.m.

South Lake Tahoe has a new gallery, the Benko Art Gallery, and they'll be celebrating their grand opening on Sunday, April 17 from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with a celebration that will include beverages, hors d’oeuvres and live music.

Benko is located in the new Highland Village, located where the Highland Inn was once located at 3979 Lake Tahoe Blvd.

The 2016 construction season in the Tahoe Basin will get under way next week with work resuming on a multi-year State Highway 89 project, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced today.

The $70.1 million water-quality improvement project is building new drainage facilities to collect and treat stormwater runoff, adding curbs and gutters, widening the highway and repaving an eight-mile section of Highway 89 between Tahoma and Tahoe City. Work this season will focus on the remaining four miles of the project between Eagle Rock and Granlibakken Road.

A relatively weak Spring storm is headed to Lake Tahoe, bringing with it modest rain and snow amounts as it moves through the Sierra and western Nevada on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

Snow levels will be down to around 4500 - 5500 feet. Although it will be cold enough for widespread snow showers, there won't be much in the way of snow totals with this storm though the West Slope should see more than the Lake Tahoe Basin and Reno. On Wednesday, the NWS in Sacramento forecast 4"-8" for the higher elevations.

When people visit Tahoe for the first time, they marvel at the extraordinary natural landscape and fresh, clean air. At the same time, some are shocked at the dilapidated condition of the built environment: rundown buildings, crumbling infrastructure, and tired-looking development. The paradox is compelling. Despite TRPA’s mandate to harmonize the natural and human-made landscapes so that they blend together, outdated development that preceded environmental standards now serves as blight in our community.

The Lake Tahoe Historical Society invites the public to their next Fireside Chat and Spring General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the historic Camp Richardson.

Location

Weather permitting, California State Parks, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service are scheduled to continue prescribed fire operations beginning Monday, April 11, 2016.

On the North Shore - 10 acres at Burton Creek State Park.

On the East Shore - 32 acres at Sand Harbor, 28 acres at Spooner Summit and 200 acres at Camp Galilee.

In honor of April Fools Day, here is a reprint of our 2016 story.

Mike Bradford knew the April Fool's Day ad campaign was a hit when people started calling him to complain about Lakeside Inn's plans to turn Rabe Meadow into Lakeside Ranch. People took their rants to social media as well.

The headline read, "Lakeside Inn and Casino returns cattle grazing to historic Lake Shore Meadow." The story that followed outlined the casino's plans to raise prime Angus beef so their restaurant, Latin Soul, could put new meaning to the term, Farm-to-Table.

In the mix you have El Dorado County, the City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Valley Fire Protection and the Cal Tahoe JPA. More importantly, and most likely the reason for the passionate responses from all involved, the mix also contains the safety of the public.

On March 15, 2016, the City of South Lake Tahoe sent a letter to the JPA, stating their intent to pull out of the agency that was created in 2001 to supply ambulance service to the City and the County and a portion of Alpine County.