wildlife

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Valhalla Tahoe will be hosting three week-long sessions of Outdoor Painting Art Camps with local art teacher Gina Stowell. The camps will be held on the Grand Lawn and are designed to allow students to play through painting.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Firefighters from the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) responded to the report of another illegal campfire in Lake Tahoe, this time at the Tallac Historic Site on June 17.

LTBMU Engine 341 responded and after a careful inspection, the campfire was declared a wildfire named "The Heritage Fire."

The illegal campfire was constructed on top of a dry stump within the foundation of a historic feature at Tallac Point near Kiva Beach.

On June 10 the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center released findings from its annual Lake Tahoe Clarity Report, which showed average Lake clarity for 2019 was 62.7 feet, the second-smallest annual average depth recorded since systematic annual measurements began in 1968.

Following a successful three-day operation in October, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week released more than 4,600 Lahontan cutthroat trout into Lake Tahoe, helping to restore the iconic species to its native waters.

Lahontan cutthroat trout are the largest inland cutthroat trout in the world and the only trout native to Lake Tahoe.

The 4,645 fish from the Pilot Peak strain, originated at the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery Complex in Gardnerville and were released into the Nevada side of the lake this week.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Spring is in full swing in the Tahoe Basin and Tahoe black bears are searching for food. Intentional or unintentional feeding of bears results in unwanted bear behaviors, increased human-bear conflicts, and public safety issues as well as fines and possible jail time for violators. Each year, local law enforcement and state wildlife officers respond to hundreds of calls in which bears may pose a public safety threat or are damaging property. In some cases, the bear must be euthanized.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The annual closure of the Upper Truckee Marsh to dogs is underway and will last through July 31. Each year the California Tahoe Conservancy closes the marsh to dogs, both on and off-leash, to protect sensitive habitats for birds and other wildlife during breeding season.

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

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District (TDFPD) and California State Parks will conduct understory burns at Lake Tahoe in the coming days.

TDFPD is planning on burning in Glenbrook on May 12 and in Zephyr Cove on May 20, 2020. State Paks is planning on burning at Sugar Pine Point State Park on the West Shore on May 11 and May 18. Both are weather permitting and smoke be visible.

Glenbrook - Burn Type: Hand Piles, Total Acreage: 3.00
Zephyr Cove - Warrior Way, Burn Type: Understory, Total Acreage: 2.00

MEYERS, Calif. - An old campground at the base of Echo Summit in Meyers is undergoing a major transformation that will not only create new wetlands and restore habitat along the Upper Truckee River, it will also create public access.

Work gets underway this week at the old Tahoe Pines Campground on a $1.63M project that will include new accessible-to-all trails, bridge and parking lot, and other features along the river which is Lake Tahoe's largest tributary.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The largest wetland restoration project in the history of the Lake Tahoe Basin is now underway in the Upper Truckee River Marsh. The major project to restore the marsh in South Lake Tahoe has been years in the making to fix the environmental damage done by the creation of the Tahoe Keys.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The proposed Lake Tahoe West Restoration Project is in the final planning stages and the three agencies involved, USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, California Tahoe Conservancy, and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, are inviting the public to provide their input. The project is a big one, covering 59,000 acres, and will provide a science-based, all-lands approach to guide restoration approaches on the West Shore over the next two decades to increase the resilience of ecosystems and human communities.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Another event casualty due to the coronavirus is the 29th annual America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride. Originally set for Sunday, June 7, it has been rescheduled to combine with the 18th annual Tour de Tahoe, set for Sunday, September 13, 2020. This due to the uncertainty of current and changing CDC coronavirus COVID-19 restrictions and mandates by national, state and county health agencies.

After a gangbuster start to the winter season, a lot of us in Tahoe are wondering where all the snow has gone. Sitting here at the end of February with snowpack numbers dwindling, snow lovers are chomping at the bit, waiting to see the storm track shift back our way.

Still, the mountains have been buzzing with activity as skiers and snowboarders race to the mountains to enjoy what natural snow we’ve received and are ever thankful for the assist from local resorts’ snowmaking operations.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Sierra-at-Tahoe is once again holding their annual fundraiser for local nonprofits. "Sierra For Tahoe" will be February 10-13, 2020, and funds raised by these special ticket sales will support Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, Lake Tahoe Community College Foundation, Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation, and Sierra-at-Tahoe Education Foundation.

Instead of the normal $110-$125 life tickets, participants can purchase their daily passes for only $75.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - New plans have been released on the State Route 28 corridor from Sand Harbor to Spooner Summit on the east shore of Lake Tahoe. After the success of the East Shore Trail from Incline Village to Sand Harbor, the plan is to continue the shared-use trail with other improvements to highway safety and infrastructure; summer recreational access; water, air and scenic quality; and increase non-motorized access to the corridor.

The USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has issued a draft decision for the proposed improvements to this area.

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Weather permitting, the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) will continue prescribed fire operations over the next several weeks in the Tahoe Basin. They may not be able to continue prescribed fire operations at some sites because of increased snow loads, but some units are able to continue burning.

Members of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, which includes local, state and federal fire and land management agencies, are scheduled to continue prescribed fire operations in the Lake Tahoe Basin over the next few weeks, weather permitting.

The 13 areas currently on the planned operations:

The old Tahoe Pines Campground near the intersection of US Hwy 50 and South Upper Truckee Rd. by the California Tahoe Conservancy. 8 acres of Machine Piles.

Upper Kinsbury, Valley Side by the Tahoe Douglas Fire District. 40 acres of Hand Piles.

New laws will be going into effect in California in the new year, putting into place California legislature action during 2019. There are many changes including road safety and distracted driving penalties, roadkill rules, minimum wage, independent workers and rent caps.

Except where noted, these laws are effective January 1, 2020:

Traffic Safety

The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is highlighting several new laws passed this year:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The California Tahoe Conservancy (CTC) Board has authorized spending $1,036,750 to implement three high-priority projects to reduce fire risk and improve forest health in South Lake Tahoe and on the west shore.

During their meeting on Thursday, the CTC Board approved funding for projects that include:

- Spending up to $211,250 on forest thinning on Conservancy land in the South Lake Tahoe Ski Run and Bijou neighborhoods,

- A grant to the South Tahoe Public Utility District for up to $338,000 for forest thinning on the grounds of its treatment plant, and

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - What do you get when you mix two angels with a comic on morning radio in Lake Tahoe? Daily cash giveaways that can turn an ordinary day into something magical.

It started on November 7, 2018. Ricky Reich, a local man who has become known as "The Angel of Tahoe's Guardian," walked into the studios of KRLT-FM on Kingsbury Grade in Stateline, Nevada. He had been listening to Howie Nave's Morning Rush shown on the station and wanted to pay homage to Lisa Maloff, the Angel of Tahoe.

North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, along with California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy and the USDA Forest Service are scheduled to continue prescribed fire operations over the next few weeks in the Tahoe Basin, weather, conditions, and staffing permitted.

Scheduled Prescribed Burns:

Tahoe Pines Campground

Pet food and pet supplies are being collected for those displaced and affected by the fires in Sonoma County.

There are several local drop-off locations but make sure items aren't left outside a closed business. Things left out would attract bears and other wildlife. Below is a list of times and locations:

South Lake Tahoe Fire Department
Station 1 on Ski Run & Station 3 on Lake Tahoe Blvd.
Monday thru Friday 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Lake Valley Fire Department on Keetak St in Meyers
Monday thru Thursday 9L00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

There was minimal fire activity on the Caples Fire last night due to near freezing nighttime temperatures, high relative humidity, and very light winds. The natural wind patterns from the west/southwest will continue to be good for suppression actions. Temperatures are moderate during the day and the relative humidity is low, and those nighttime conditions help with light winds and high relative humidity recovery.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - For the first time ever, the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery will release 5,000 large Pilot Peak Lahontan cutthroat trout into their home waters of Lake Tahoe.

Over three days, the 12"-14" sized trout will be placed in the water, and the public is invited to two of those historic, interpretive stocking events during the Fall Fish Festival at Taylor Creek.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The annual Fall Fish Festival returns to the South Shore on Saturday and Sunday, October 5 and 6, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Celebrate the annual fall migration of the Kokanee salmon at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center on SR-89.

The Fall Fish Festival focuses on a variety of fish species that live in Lake Tahoe and its rivers. In addition to the Kokanee, these species include the federally threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout and little-known smaller fish, such as speckled dace.