wildlife

Was it the cakes, cupcakes or muffins that brought a mountain lion cub into a Pollock Pines bakery on Monday? A local baker found the 40-50-pound feline inside the shop after it walked through the doors.

Deputies from the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office (EDSO) arrived at the bakery after a passerby met the bakery employee outside the shop and called 911.

According to EDSO Sgt. Anthony Prencipe, about 10 people had gathered outside the bakery to watch the unlikely customer.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) is holding their annual evening fundraiser Wild & Free on Thursday, October 18 at 6:00 p.m. at the Lake House Restaurant.

Enjoy a great meal and help LTWC care for injured and orphaned wild birds and animals. Your ticket includes culinary creations from the restaurant's Chef Jimi Nakamatsu, Sample the Sierra's 2018 Sierra Chef Challenge winner, in addition to fine wines and craft beers.

Entrees include Braised Short Ribs, Roasted Steelhead Trout, Chicken Marsala
and Mint-Crusted Tofu.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Each of the nine candidates for City Council answered the same ten questions that were given to them by South Tahoe Now. For each of the next nine days the candidate's responses will be shared in the order received.

First up is Wendy David, the current mayor of South Lake Tahoe. She is seeking a second term on the Council.

Celebrate the annual fall migration of the Kokanee salmon of Lake Tahoe at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center during the two-day Fish Fest October 6/7 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day.

Join the fun and participate in this free family event which has become one of the most fascinating educational and wildlife viewing events in Northern California.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) is known for their loving care of wildlife from beavers and owls to bears, but an arrival this week is unusual even for the non-profit based in Meyers near South Lake Tahoe.

Thousands of shore and water birds from Virginia, Carson and Swan Lakes in Nevada were recently stricken by Avian Type C Botulism. Most of the ill birds are Avocets and Ibis, and over 100 of them were brought to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care for needed attention.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A first-year bear cub hit by a car on Pioneer Trail on August 21, 2018 is recuperating at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC).

The bear, named Pioneer by LTWC, was knocked out after being hit, so those tending to him were concerned at first, especially when he wasn't eating. "He is doing really well," said Denise Upton, LTWC animal care director. "He is acting like a bear and eating now."

The cub was 42 pounds when he arrived and is now healthy.

Greg Withrow passed away unexpectedly on July 30, 2018 in Napa, California.

Born in 1974 in Fresno, Greg moved with his family in 1977 to South Lake Tahoe. Greg graduated from South Tahoe High School in 1992 and worked for many years in the construction industry in South Lake Tahoe and the greater Bay Area, as a carpenter and craftsman.

Greg loved skiing, golf, RC cars, and placing a sports bet; he also had a passion for Vans, hoodies and baseball hats.

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.

Location

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For 40 years, Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care (LTWC) has been serving the South Lake Tahoe Community, and on Saturday, August 4 they are holding their annual Open House and opening up their doors to the public from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

This is the one time a year the general public can walk the grounds where wild birds and animals are being rehabilitated prior to their release back into the wild.

Tahoe local, Krissi Russell, has written a bilingual version of her original sing-along story, In The Meadow (Don’t Feed Our Bears).
"No Alimente a nuestros osos Don’t Feed Our Bears" features the same beautiful full color illustrations and the same toe tapping melody. The difference is there are now two musical versions of the same message: Don’t feed our Tahoe wildlife!

Nearly 25 years ago, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and dozens of partners embarked on an unprecedented mission to conserve and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin’s treasured natural resources through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP).

9:14 p.m. update: The James Loop Fire was reported at 12:45 p.m. at the James Canyon Development near Carson City, Nevada. Tonight, the fire was mapped at 260 acres and is currently 30 percent contained. The fire was caused by heavy equipment working on a new home under construction The fire burned 163 acres of private and 107 acres of Bureau of Indian Affairs lands, but threatened lands
managed by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The East Fork Fire Protection District was in unified command with the U.S. Forest Service.

Two hours after the Lights on the Lake fireworks show ended on July 4, one of three barges used in the show caught on fire.

The fireworks crews on board attempted to put out the fire with fire extinguishers but were unable to suppress the flames. Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) monitors the show each year and weren't far away. At 12:27 a.m. July 5, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District responded with their new fire boat, Marine 24, and doused the fire within six minutes.

There were no injuries.

Erosion from a high water level in Lake Tahoe has prompted closure of El Dorado Beach at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe.

The South Lake Tahoe Library will host a free outdoor show, Wild Things, Inc.. on Friday, June 22 at 2:00 p.m.

Wild Things Inc. will bring an exciting mix of wild animals and share with children a message of conservation and appreciation for wild animals. This event is sponsored by South Lake Tahoe Optimist Club.

The South Lake Tahoe Library is located at 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd in South Lake Tahoe.

The public is invited to the next meeting of the City of South Lake Tahoe Planning Commission where a draft Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) will be unveiled, outlining anticipated and orderly growth at the airport for the next 20 years.

They will be meeting at the City Council Chambers on Thursday, June 21 at 3:00 p.m.

Several Lake Tahoe agencies have joined together to remind residents and visitors to practice proper food storage and trash disposal at all times while in bear country. Intentional or unintentional feeding of bears can result in the bear being killed, fines and/or jail time for violators. Every year law enforcement and state wildlife officers respond to hundreds of calls in which bears may pose a public safety threat and/or are damaging property. In some cases, the animals are euthanized.

Become part of the solution and help save our Tahoe bears!

About the Event

After Tahoe's celebrated July Fourth festivities, our beaches are thrashed with trash, which can hurt wildlife and lake clarity. Each year, hundreds of Tahoe residents and visitors turn out for our largest cleanup of the year to remove litter from our beaches. Help Keep Tahoe Blue by joining a beach cleanup site!

We will provide cleanup materials, refreshments and raffle prizes.

Be sure to bring:
Reusable water bottle, sunscreen, cleanup gloves (if you have them), hat, sunglasses and wear comfortable clothing and shoes, as well as any snacks that you would like.

There are four people running for El Dorado County Supervisor for the 5th District on June 5: Incumbent Sue Novasel and challengers Kenny Curtzwiler, Norma Santiago and Jeffrey Spencer. The 5th District covers Pollock Pines to South Lake Tahoe and Tahoma.

South Tahoe Now asked each candidate the same questions, and here are all of their answers, exactly as they were presented to us.

Sue Novasel
Occupation: El Dorado County Supervisor – District V
Past political history:
2015 – Present: County Supervisor, District V

UPDATE 5/10/18 10:30 a.m.: State Route 88 remains closed near Woodfords Thursday morning as crews work to remove the demolished tanker truck involved in Wednesday's fatal crash.

Gregory Brown, 46, of Oakland, California has been identified as the driver, whose body was found at the scene nine hours after the crash.

Emergency personnel responded to the 10:05 a.m. call on May 9, 2018 on State Route 88 near the Caltrans maintenance yard west of Woodfords and the SR-89 junction. Upon arrival they found an overturned tanker and detached cab off the roadway.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.- Dogs will be banned from the Upper Truckee Marsh area starting Mary 1 due to protection of a critical breeding habitat for special, threatened and endangered species such as the Willow Flycatcher.

This is the California Tahoe Conservancy's annual seasonal dog closure and it will end July 31.

Beginning August 1, dogs will again be permitted access to the Upper Truckee Marsh, if they are on leash. The Conservancy-owned Cove East property, west of the river, remains open for year-round, leashed dog access.

In an attempt to keep trash contained and not easy for wildlife to access, the El Dorado County Board of Supervisors approved a new ordinance Tuesday that has rules for single family residents, multi-unit complexes, businesses and vacation home rentals (VHRs).

The ordinance affects those living in the unincorporated area of the Lake Tahoe Basin, including Meyers and Tahoma.

There will be progressive enforcement by the El Dorado County Environmental Management Department:

Many people donate both money and auction items to the Soroptimist of Tahoe Sierra club for their annual Elegant Evening which occurs on Saturday, April 21. What many don't know is where those donations go. There was question recently in the community about donations, so the club wanted to clear up any misunderstandings.

The club recently created a diagram to better explain where each penny goes as they don't have must left over funds after they issue scholarships, grants and other forms of financial support.

Last year’s Elegant Evening funds went to provide:

South Lake Tahoe joins at least 114 other entities in California in banning polystyrene, a type of plastic manufactured from non-renewable fossil fuels and synthetic chemicals that is not biodegradable and becoming a concern across the country.

Starting October 1, 2018, certain single use expanded polystyrene and plastic products will be banned in the City limits "in order to reduce and prevent the presence of this type of litter in the environment and to promote environmentally sustainable practices."

Included in the ban: