tahoe basin

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. - Had it not been for the quick response by first responders, a fire at a South Lake Tahoe home Wednesday could have been much worse due to the dry conditions and high winds.

Lake Valley Fire Protections District (LVFPD) crews responded to a structure fire off of Lodgepole Trail. Upon arrival crews found the home in flames and additional resources were called to the scene to prevent further spread of fire to neighboring homes and vegetation.

"The cause of the fire is under investigation but appears to be accidental," said Kileigh Labrado of LVFPD.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will host a public tour to announce the proposed action and public comment period for the Meeks Bay Restoration Project on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. The public tour will take place from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Meeks Bay Resort, 7941 Emerald Bay Road (Highway 89), Meeks Bay, CA 96142. The 45-day comment period begins with the publication of the Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement in the Federal Register on Tuesday, Sep. 11, 2018. Comments are most helpful if received by Friday, Oct. 26, 2018.

With dense vegetation spanning over 300 acres, the iconic Spooner Lake portion of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park is increasingly susceptible to environmental disturbances threatening the health of the Tahoe Basin. State officials from forestry, parks and lands announced Thursday the closure of the Spooner Lake portion of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park from Sept. 12 to Nov. 16 to address forest health issues.

Over the last several months there has been a great deal of wildland fire activity around the region. Sadly, most fires are human-caused and completely preventable if the public would take the time to better understand conditions that are favorable for fire starts. Fire prevention is the key to keeping our communities and forests safe from wildfire.

Although fire season is now considered a year-round event, wildfires mostly occur in the late summer and early fall when temperatures are still high, humidity is low and vegetation that can feed a wildfire is extremely dry.

Join the Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities to learn how to prepare your family and home for wildfire. In the Lake Tahoe Basin it's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when the next wildfire will occur, so now is the time to prepare.

They are holding a free workshop on September 13 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the North Tahoe Fire Protection District located at 222 Fairway Drive in Tahoe City. It is free and open to the public.

Local experts will be on hand to teach participants about:

Fire restrictions on National Forest System lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin began Friday, August 17, 2018, and will remain in effect through November 15. Warm temperatures and dry vegetation combined with numerous wildfires burning in our region prompted the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) to implement restrictions intended to safeguard our communities across the Tahoe Basin.

The Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition is distributing 215 free bicycle racks throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin, creating secure parking for 430 bicycles at key public destinations.

Supported by funding from the Tahoe Fund and the Nevada Commission on Tourism and in-kind support from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the nonprofit Bike Coalition is distributing the high-quality bike racks to Tahoe’s local jurisdictions and government agencies. Each of the two types of racks being

Smoke hasn't been as present in the Lake Tahoe Basin over the last few days as it has been, but fires are still burning in Northern California.

A Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreement between the California Tahoe Conservancy and U.S. Forest Service is in the works that would allow the Conservancy to begin maintaining and restoring USFS urban lots in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

There are less than 2,200 urban lots that can fall into this agreement, most of which are less than one-acre and located near lots the Conservancy already owns and maintains.

The annual Lake Tahoe Summit held this week at Sand Harbor State Park marked the 22nd time government officials, public agencies, non-profit environmental groups, the public and other groups came together to renew their focus and commitment on preserving the beauty of Lake Tahoe.

The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA) will be moving their corporation yard from a 2.21-acre parcel of environmentally sensitive land to a developable 0.99-acre parcel adjacent to the Tahoe Keys Marina.

On Wednesday, the California Tahoe Conservancy Board authorized their staff to move forward with an agreement with TKPOA. This move allows the Conservancy to restore the site as part of its Upper Truckee Marsh restoration project, one of the largest and most important restoration projects in the history of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Over 50 possible major forest firest have been prevented in the Lake Tahoe Basin since the AlertTahoe camera system was installed around the lake over the last four years. The combination of technology, human observation and firefighters on the ground kept those small fires contained to a space of less than one acre.

Everyone knows what goes downhill, but the South Tahoe Public Utility District knows how to recycle it into 381,000 kilowatts of electricity per year. A recent feature article by the Association of California Water Agencies pointed out that STPUD is one of only a handful of utility districts in the entire world that can claim 100% reuse of wastewater and bio solids. Here’s how. We use centrifuges instead of the usual pollution causing burners. That allows us to make fertilizer for ranch land.

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:

7/25

8:20 a.m. - Lost Property - Cornelian Dr - LOST CELL PHONE

First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers are with the communities and forests affected by the destructive and tragic wildfires across California, Nevada, and the West. Our Lake Tahoe Basin firefighters are responding to both local and national wildfires and providing assistance to those in need. I am very proud of each one and know their families go through added stress during their absence.

This time of year, wildfire suppression can overtake our thoughts and activities, however, a great amount of work is occurring around the Lake Tahoe Basin to create more resilient forests.

U.S. Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) will host the 22nd Annual Lake Tahoe Summit at Sand Harbor State Park in Incline Village, Nevada on Tuesday, August 7th, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. Beach and park operations will be closed until 1:00 p.m. that day.

Lawmakers from Nevada and California will meet on the shores of Lake Tahoe to discuss how to protect a national treasure as it faces continued threats to water clarity, invasive species, wildfire and drought.

The following is a list of the Caltrans roadwork projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin and El Dorado County for the week of July 29 - August 4, 2018.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

There are just two days left for the public to comment on a proposed restoration project of the Upper Truckee River that runs adjacent to the Lake Tahoe Golf Course and Washoe Meadows State Park.

Some smoke from the Fergason Fire burning west of Yosemite is still making its way into the Lake Tahoe Basin Thursday, and more of the same hazy conditions are expected Friday.

The fire grew by 1,723 acres overnight to a total of 43,299 acres and firefighters have been able to get a line around 27 percent of the fire. 3,686 personnel are currently engaged on the fire which includes 241 engines, 47 water tenders, 18 helicopters, 94 crews, and 63 dozers. South Lake Tahoe, Fallen Leaf Fire and North Tahoe Fire all have sent crews to help in the efforts.

Four firefighter/paramedics from South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue are part of the 3,000 firefighting personnel at the Ferguson Fire burning northeast of Mariposa in Western Yosemite. This is the fire responsible for sending smoke into the Lake Tahoe basin for a week.

One engine with Captain Tyler Jack, Engineers Kevin Van Kirk and Mike Taormina and Firefighter Danny Vallejo left the South Shore nine days ago for a 14-day assignment at the fire.

They are joined by crews from Fallen Leaf Fire Department, Northstar Fire and North Tahoe Fire Protection District.

The following is a list of the Caltrans roadwork projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin and El Dorado County for the week of July 22 - 28, 2018.

LONG-TERM PROJECTS

Harrah's Tahoe and Harveys will be putting into place a new year-round parking policy, much as the other properties in the Caesars Entertainment family, starting July 30, 2018. It will now cost to park when going to the casino for food and entertainment, gambling and events.

Last year the two casinos started charging for parking during special events and concerts at the outdoor arena, then this year Harrah's started to block parking for Heavenly Village and kept out those not utilizing the casino.

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).