landscape

It's that time of year again. The county fair, full of funnel cakes, carnival rides, animals, music, exhibits, wheelbarrow races, wine and beer competition and good old fashioned fun.

The El Dorado County Fair opened on Thursday and runs through Sunday, Father's Day at the fairgrounds in Placerville. The theme this year is "Photos, Fathers and Fairs."

The County Sheriff's Office invites community members to stop by their booth and see the brand new state of art patrol vehicles. They'll have a new SUV and sedan on display so people can see inside and check out their new features.

The competitive landscape of the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe will dramatically alter in 2014 with the addition of LPGA great Annika Sorenstam.

The legendary golf superstar, winner of 89 international tournaments and over $22 million, is among the most successful players in history. A part-time resident of Lake Tahoe and mother of two, Sorenstam will play on even terms with pro athletes in the nationally televised, 54-hole, $600,000 competition at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.

Free Drop Off of Combustibles For Nevada Residents

Clear out the combustibles from your yard and drop them off for free at the kickoff event being held for “Compost Your Combustibles 2014” at
Heavenly Boulder parking lot this Saturday, May 24th in recognition of Wildfire Awareness Month.” Drop off days will be held through the first Saturday in August.

Rake and remove pine needles and yard combustible waste to prepare your home in the case of wildfire.

California Governor Jerry Brown has called for a 20% reduction in water usage state wide in order to prepare for the anticipated water shortage not only for 2014, but also in coming years.

A presentation was made by South Tahoe Public Utility District at Tuesday's City Council Meeting on just how everyone can cut back, from private homes to city projects.

Long range planning is important for communities to survive cutbacks to water supplies. The District outlined their response to conservation:

With the holiday season just weeks away, THE POLAR EXPRESS train is cannonballing down the fast track, with nearly all tickets aboard the historic Virginia and Truckee Railroad sold out.

Even professionals can find it difficult to comprehend the speed at which a wildfire can move, so for the public it can be tough to understand it unless you have witnessed it firsthand. With any luck you may never have such a life changing experience. Trying to predict what causes a small wildland fire in the neighborhood to grow to one of the largest wildland fires in the state's history is challenging. The Rim Fire is burning in terrain similar to what we find in Amador and El Dorado Counties, so it is a short leap to think, it could happen here.

Sandboxes have come a long way. A new interactive, augmented-reality exhibit brings watersheds to life at the University of California, Davis' Tahoe Science Center in Incline Village, Nev.

Participants run their hands through real sand, forming mountains, lakes and rivers, while a 3-D camera and digital projector allowusers to create virtual topography in real time, make it "rain" and watch where the water flows.

Beginning Tuesday, June 25, The UC Davis Lake Tahoe Environmental Research Center will kick off the Green Thumb Workshop Series with a talk about "Food Gardening 101" featuring Christy Daugherty, formerly from the U.S. Forest Service and now part of the Lake Tahoe Master Gardeners.

Dear Community Members, 

In recent months, Barton Memorial Hospital’s Skilled Nursing Facility has been challenged with keeping patients, staff and the facility in its entirety, safe from the effects of the California senate bill, AB97.

If passed, this bill would create devastating cuts to reimbursement for Medi-Cal services provided by distinct part skilled nursing facilities (DP/SNFs) throughout the state, including South Lake Tahoe’s only long- term-care-facility located at Barton Memorial.

Nevada son and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid addressed a joint session of the Nevada State Legislature today in Carson City. Here is the text of his speech:

Early-bird rates have been extended for a unique Lake Tahoe conference packed with information on social media, digital marketing and how it ties to the ski and snowboard industry.

If your New Year’s resolution includes gleaning knowledge to become an expert at social media and being able to successfully apply it to your business, the fifth annual Tahoe Snowcial Feb. 27- March 2, is where to be.
Organizers of this year's Tahoe Snowcial are offering their early bird rates through Jan. 15 starting at $500.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has partnered with federal, state and local agencies to launch "Tahoe in Depth" a new Lake Tahoe Basin environmental newspaper.

Mailed to every Lake Tahoe Basin property owner this week, the free publication is designed to keep Lake Tahoe homeowners, residents and visitors abreast of the wide variety of activities taking place to protect and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin.

With Nov. 16 as its opening day, the countdown is on at Heavenly Mountain Resort. From intense competitions and events to the return of the halfpipe, excitement is stirring at Lake Tahoe’s largest winter playground.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of August 29 to Sept. 4.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams for Northern California, the Sierra and across Nevada. This report is for the week of August 16.

The famed 3,000-acre Royal Gorge property on Donner Summit in the Sierra Nevada will be bought and protected from development under an agreement announced today by The Trust for Public Land, the Truckee Donner Land Trust (TDLT), and the Northern Sierra Partnership (NSP).
The agreement is a big change for a property that, as recently as 2007, had been slated for major resort development. That proposal stalled in the face of overwhelming opposition and an unfavorable economic climate – opening the way for conservationists to buy the land when the bank foreclosed on the loan.

Training for a Lake Tahoe Master Gardener program will begin this September in South Lake Tahoe.
The program is a partnership between the University of California Cooperative Extension Central Sierra and the Tahoe Resource Conservation District.
Participants who complete the 50-hour training course will be certified Lake Tahoe Master Gardeners who then can provide the community with research-based information about home horticulture and gardening.

Learn how to garden and landscape sustainably in our Tahoe watershed in this FREE workshop series! These weekly, interactive classes with Tahoe-area experts are your chance to plant veggies, compost, manage invasive weeds, irrigate efficiently, raise chicken...and more, like a pro, all while helping to keep our Lake blue and clean.

For a full schedule, visit www.TahoeRCD, our Tahoe RCD Facebook page, or check out the attached file. You can also contact Jennifer, Master Gardener, at (530) 543-1501 x 107 or jcressy@tahoercd.org for more details.

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Lake Tahoe South steps into high endurance overdrive this summer with two new outdoor adventure events that celebrate speed, agility and skill — one with feet to the ground and the other rubber to the road.

Sierra Recon, a high-energy, multi-distance obstacle race screaming the amped premise, “Everyone loves carnage” is set for July 14 at Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort, while the Lake Tahoe Adventure Motorcycle Ride and Rendezvous celebrates the freedom of the wide open road, Aug. 23-26.

Lake Tahoe Chocolate Shop opened a new retail store inside MontBleu Resort, Casino and Spa over Memorial Day Weekend. The retail store sells all of Lake Tahoe Chocolate Shop’s popular hand-crafted chocolates such as its signature Dark Chocolate Dipped Bacon from Overland Meat Co.

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The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has released the draft Decision Memo for 2012 Capital Improvement Projects at Heavenly Mountain Resort. Improvements would include trail upgrades, a new surface tow lift, a new Kids Adventure Zone, an outdoor event facility, summer four-wheel drive tours and a new summer hiking trail. These projects are consistent with the improvements identified in Heavenly's Master Plan Amendment and are intended to improve the overall quality of the visitor experience.

Lake Tahoe Community College’s Haldan Art Gallery is the next stop for the Nevada Arts Council’s traveling exhibition program. There will be an artists’ reception April 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Great Basin Exteriors: A Photographic Survey.”

It's been a weird ski and riding season, for sure. One indication is that Heavenly Mountain Resort is only operating the Boulder base lodge and the Boulder and North Bowl lifts on weekends. In all the years I taught at Boulder never has had a shutdown like this. Too bad because lots of locals liked Boulder as out-of-towners didn't go there very often. Thus, parking was close and runs not crowded.