wilderness

The Eldorado National Forest is consolidating Visitor Information Services (VIS) on the Highway 50 corridor. All visitor services currently located at the Pacific Ranger District three miles east of Pollock Pines will move to the Placerville Ranger District in Camino on October 15. The Placerville Ranger District location at 4260 Eight Mile road, Camino (take Highway 50 exit 54) will handle Desolation Wilderness permits, the Pacific District recreation information and rental cabins in addition to their regular visitor information services at that point.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South and West Shore, including Meyers, South Lake Tahoe, Meeks Bay, Tahoma and the Echo Summit area. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

8/15

A number of fires across northern and eastern California continue to bring hazy conditions and degraded air quality to northeast California, the Sierra, and western Nevada. According to the National Weather Service in Reno, areas at greatest risk for unhealthy to very unhealthy air quality are from Sonora Pass to South Lake Tahoe and Carson City.

A collaboration of 17 agencies and organizations are working on what is being called the 'SR 89 Recreation Management Plan,' which covers the stretch from 15th street in South Lake Tahoe to the Placer County line at Sugar Pine Point State Park. Along the plan area are popular areas to view scenery, hike, bike and visit beaches along a 12 mile stretch of undeveloped shoreline. Some residential neighborhoods also rest along this area.

The Fourth of July holiday period is upon us and signifies the busiest time of year in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) asks residents and visitors to keep the following tips in mind to help everyone enjoy a safe and fun holiday.

To promote public safety, the annual alcohol ban will be in effect at the following locations:

· Nevada Beach on July 4, from 6 a.m. until midnight.

The Lions Fire actively burning just west of Mammoth Mountain has burned 1,000 acres and is affecting air quality and visibility tonight as smoke settles into valleys.

Started by a lightning strike around noon on June 1 in the Sierra National Forest, the fire is burning near the Lion Point area in the Ansel Adams Wilderness. It crossed onto the Inyo National Forest on June 22 and is now being co-managed by both the Sierra and the Inyo National Forests.

Author Peter Goin will be presenting a slideshow ahighlighting his latest book, Emerald Bay and Desolation Wilderness, in the Baldwin Museum at the Pope Baldwin Estates in South Lake Tahoe.

The Tahoe Heritage Foundation and Lake Tahoe Historical Society are presenting the evening's activities on Saturday, June 20 at 5:00 p.m.

Goin is the recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships and is currently a Foundation Professor of Art in Photography and Videography at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Sale of his book and a book signing will follow.

This is a free event.

Imagine you live in the year 1860 with vast wilderness and wide-open plains between Missouri and California. You're one of the chosen riders on top of a horse with a mochila strapped on your saddle, navigating along the trail where unknown dangers lay ahead.

You're not on leisure trip, you're one of a team of young men traveling 1,966 miles in ten days on horseback, delivering mail to and from the West.

The community of South Lake Tahoe lost a beloved member when Jean Gurney passed away on April 24, 2018. Like Lake Tahoe, Jean made people feel relaxed, elevated, and happy.

Jean was born on May 31, 1945 in Longview, Texas, to Viola and Frank Gurney. She spent her formative years in Massachusetts with her parents and sister Ann, and graduated from Minnechaug Regional High School in 1963.

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New members were added to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue team this week after completing a 48-hour academy where they were certified as a Nevada Wilderness Search and Rescue Technician (NWSRT), a nationally recognized credential.

The graduation for the 13 community members was held on April 17, 2018 in Minden, Nev.

The 20th annual Earth Day Restoration and Cleanup is taking place at 40 parks up and down the state of California on Saturday, April 21 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The closest park with a project the public can work on is Grover Hot Springs.

Work there will be to continue maintenance of, and improvements to, the Native Plant Demonstration Garden including irrigation and weed removal, Grover Meadow invasive weed removal and landscape enhancements such as trash pickup, raking, clearing fire rings.

A weekend hike in Yosemite turned into a six-day long ordeal for a Bay Area man this week.

Oakland resident Alan Chow, 36, had his backpacking gear and wilderness permit when he set out on a solo hike Saturday, February 17 on the loop trail in Yosemite's northern wilderness area above Hetch Hetchy, about a mile from O'Shaughnessy Dam.

He became disoriented and lost his way.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - Do you love the wilderness? Are you committed to preserving its’ breathtaking beauty? Do you love working with people and spending time in the outdoors? Can you match your motive for volunteering to the mission and priorities of the Forest Service? Most importantly, do you have the time, willingness and dedication to volunteer and help preserve one of our most popular back-country natural areas near Lake Tahoe?

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.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CALIF. - El Dorado County Sheriff's Office responds to calls throughout the county. The following are calls that only pertain to the South Shore. There may be some missing calls due to sheriff's logs not being completed at time of story.

Some of those recently added to last week's log:

9/13

3:34 a.m. - Assault with a deadly weapon - Sierra Blvd - DEPUTIES ASSISTED SOUTH LAKE TAHOE POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH A SHOOTING IN THE AREA. 57-YEAR-OLD MALE ARRESTED.

Its not just a picnic basket bears have been after at the Bayview Trailhead this week. Some hikers have returned from the trail to find their cars not only broken into, but mauled.

Pictures on the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit Twitter page have shown windows torn from their frames and the foam from seats pulled apart.

Bears want food, and if food, not matter how small of trace, is left in a car, they will go after it.

These break-ins are a good reminder to not leave food in cars, no matter if the door is locked or not.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Three friends from the Sacramento area spent Sunday morning hiking in Desolation Wilderness along the Lyons Creek Trail with a goal of getting to Lake Sylvia, then Pyramid Peak.

They got to Lake Sylvia along a well marked trail, but were getting tired and decided to look for a shortcut to Pyramid Peak.

"We were going to hike the ridge and do a gradual decent," said one of the hikers, Sarah Pollo, 33. "We were pretty tired and looked for a short cut."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," she said. "But it was a miscalculation."

Have you ever wanted to be a fighter pilot, be inside an airplane doing acrobatics or take controls of your own airplane? These are all possible with Sky Combat Ace, a new South Lake Tahoe business based at the airport.

They call themselves a "unique aviation experience" that offers a level of adrenaline you may not have known possible in the skies above Lake Tahoe, complete with G-Forces experienced by fighter pilots.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit wilderness ranger scouting expeditions last week have brought back some updated trail conditions for those planning to venture into Desolation Wilderness.

Many hikers are turning around because of difficulty they have in finding the trail because of the large amount of snow at upper elevations, limited dry ground, frozen lakes, and high stream crossings.

Imagine the year 1860 with vast wilderness and wide-open plains between Missouri and California. You're one of the chosen riders on top of a horse with a mochila strapped on your saddle, navigating along the trail where unknown dangers lay ahead.

You're not on leisure trip, you're one of a team of young men traveling 1,966 miles in ten days on horseback, delivering mail to and from the West.

Arthur "Rocky" Heether has been identified as the man killed as he rode his bike across Highway 50 in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, May 13, 2017. The 64-year-old man was struck by a vehicle.

Arthur, or Rocky as he was better known, was born in Oakland, California on January 26, 1053. He moved to the South Shore in the early 70's and worked construction on many Tahoe projects.

Do you love Lake Tahoe and the outdoors? Come learn skills for exploring the natural world around you and how to capture your adventures in a nature journal. We’ll learn to see more when we’re out in the Tahoe wilderness, how to identify what we encounter, and practice drawing and writing about all of it! Some materials will be provided but bring a notebook and pen if you have them! Make sure to dress for the weather—we’ll be going out exploring! Free and open to all children over 10 years of age. Additional meetings will be held on various Saturdays. The next two are April 22nd and May 13th.

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Over 16 million people use the Pacific Southwest Region of the U.S. Forest Service (R5), and input is needed from those users on what they feel are nine to 15 priority areas for needed trail maintenance.

The region encompasses California and contains more than 16,000 miles of trails managed by USFS.

One the public helps them identify needs, the USFS effort will be with partners and volunteers to increase the pace of trail maintenance.

Carolyn Clark Goodenough (Callie) passed away peacefully from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on January 9, 2017 with her husband Ray by her side. Callie was born on August 27, 1938 in Albuquerque, New Mexico to John and Nell Graham. She was the oldest of three children, and, according to her sister, the most mischievous. This caused her poor father much consternation in the conservative ‘50’s.

The family moved around a bit, finally settling in Newport Beach, Calif. Callie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from San Diego State University.