wildlife

At the Lake Tahoe Summit last month, we saw the power of what we can accomplish when we work together. Progress over the last two decades was showcased when President Obama made his first-ever visit to Tahoe and said conservation and restoration efforts like ours are more important than ever as the nation works to adapt to a changing climate and create a more resilient environment.

Its not every day one sees a pelican in the back seat of a California Highway Patrol vehicle.

On Tuesday night, the CHP office in Truckee received reports of an injured pelican on I-80 westbound, west of Overland Trail. Upon arrival, CHP officers saw the troubled bird attempt to fly away, but instead landed directly next to the travel lanes of the freeway.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care opens their doors to the public just once a year, and that special day is coming up on Sunday, August 7 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Their annual Open House gives people a chance to see what happens behind the doors and fences with a tour of their facility.

Learn about the animals they rehabilitate.

This is a free event, wonderful for the whole family! Donations are accepted for the continued care of the bears, foxes and all animals they care for year-round.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is located at 1485 Cherry Hills Circle in South Lake Tahoe.

Magic Fusion at the Loft Theatre & Lounge. A perfect blend of intimate Magic & Comedy. (530) 523-8024. The Loft Theatre & Lounge at the Heavenly Village, 1021 Heavenly Village Way

Pope House Tour at the Tallac Historic Site - The Pope House Tour is the perfect way to see how the rich and famous lived while at Lake Tahoe, from the separate kitchen to the elegantly restored formal dining room. This docent guided tour takes approximately an hour and is filled with stories of early times. (530) 541-5227, Pope House at Tallac Historic Site, Heritage Way

On July 12, 2016 at 2:56 p.m., with his family by his side, John Setnor passed peacefully into the Lord's Kingdom. He was born December 31st 1945 and was raised in Chicago, Illinois and spent 32 incredible years in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., with the love of his life, his Lynnie.

John's passion for fishing and extraordinary sense of humor were only surpassed by the love he showed for his family and friends. When he wasn't on his boat fishing, he loved spending time at home with his family sitting out by his pond enjoying the wildlife that he so loved.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) resumed a project to eradicate, control, and contain known infestations of invasive plants in the Lake Tahoe Basin using chemical treatment. The work will continue at approximately 70 infestation sites through September, 2016.

Three bear cubs arrived in South Lake Tahoe Tuesday, after their mother was killed in a car accident in Yosemite on July 4.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care Co-Founder Tom Milham drove to Lee Vining this morning, to meet people from Yosemite and transferred the cubs to his car.

As is the norm with LTWC, bears are named by the region they come from, so these cubs, about four-five months old, are named Yosemite 1, Yosemite 2 and Yosemite 3.

During Tuesday's El Dorado County Board of Supervisors meeting they quietly voted to change the ordinances regulating vacation homes in the Lake Tahoe portion of the county (Meyers and all unincorporated areas on the South Shore). Missing was the heated public comments from the Vacation Home Rental owners as seen at South Lake Tahoe City Council meetings.

The changes for VHRs in the Tahoe side of the County (the Board of Supervisors at a duly noticed meeting shall have the authority to impose additional standard conditions applicable to vacation home rentals as necessary):

"Swim Smart, Swim Safe: know the dangers of cold water" is the message coming from agencies responsible for boating and water safety on Lake Tahoe, especially after the recent deaths in the lake of two healthy men.

Drowning incidents from boating, paddling and swimming often share the same cause, "cold water shock," an involuntary gasp reflex caused by sudden immersion in cold water. Swimmers and boaters suddenly exposed to the cold waters of Lake Tahoe may experience rapid breathing, gasping, fainting, muscle failure and immediate risk of drowning.

The Fourth of July holiday period is the busiest time of year in the Lake Tahoe Basin. For those visiting during the holiday and attending one of the firework displays over the lake, expect extremely crowded conditions and excess traffic. Because of the Basin’s high elevation, expect intense sunlight during the day and much lower temperatures at night. Bring sunscreen, a jacket, and carry a flashlight. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day to stay hydrated.

After the July 4th festivities, our beaches are thrashed with trash. This trash can hurt wildlife and lake clarity. Be a part of the solution and help us this day to keep our beaches clean.

Join the League to Save Lake Tahoe and clean a beach. They will provide refreshments, cleanup bags, gloves, and hand sanitizer. Please bring your reusable water bottle, gloves if you have them, sunscreen, your friends and family, and a smile!

Each attendee will receive a raffle ticket for great prizes from Keep Tahoe Blue and our partners.

Join us at one of the following sites:

The U.S. Forest Service is planning a project to restore the Taylor and Tallac creek ecosystems, an area that provides habitat for numerous protected wildlife speciesfas well as being an important hydrological connection to Lake Tahoe.

Named the Taylor and Tallac Restoration Project, the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will restore the large wetland complex where the two creeks were once connected through a series of four swales.

Public comment is sought on the Environmental Assessment, Initial Study and Initial Environmental Checklist.

Major components:

Community members gathered to restore and stabilize the banks of the Upper Truckee River in South Lake Tahoe as part of Restoration Day on June 4, a new annual day of environmental restoration organized by the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

The Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and its Subaru/Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers team are partnering with the Lake Tahoe Outreach Committee and other Lake Tahoe organizations to host community events and educational activities June 6-13. As visitors flock to the outdoor recreation wonderland that is Lake Tahoe the trails, beaches and forests are experiencing an increase in use and the associated impacts of trash, trail erosion and shoreline degradation.

There’s talk of expansion in South Lake Tahoe, but this town must be mindful of its beloved nature. However, it has the capability of evolving into a prosperous city through tactful ways of expanding and changing. The awareness of the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the city's plans for airport reconstruction, and the growing tourism industry in California show that expansion for South Lake Tahoe is beneficial, or at least manageable, for everyone.

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The Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra club (SITS) held their 2016 Youth Awards and Scholarships presentation Thursday, honoring students from Whittell High School, South Tahoe High, Mt. Tallac High and South Tahoe Middle School for their scholastic, community service and personal successes for the past school year.

The winners:

George Whittell High School Most Improved Eight Grade Student -- Sky Rosselle

South Tahoe Middle School Most Improved Eight Grade Students--Madison Dial Tuttle, Dylan Sanders

George Whittell High School Most Improved Senior--Hazel Darlucio

It's time again for the Upper Truckee Marsh to be closed to dogs in order to protect the critical breeding habitat for special, threatened and endangered species such as the Willow Flycatcher.

The marsh area will be closed through July 31, 2016. Leashed dogs may once again travel through the the Upper Truckee Marsh starting August 1.

The California Tahoe Conservancy-owned Cove East property, west of the river and marsh, remains open for year-round, leashed dog access.

The El Dorado County Sheriff enforces county and city ordinances and Conservancy staff monitors for compliance.

Investigators from the Department of Fish and Wildlife Warden's office were at the Tahoe Keys Marina again on Wednesday, trying to find the source of an oil leak that was discovered on Monday, April 11. They were joined by a press information officer and a biologist, all from the agency's pollution office.

They said was no wildlife impact found at the scene, and all fish in the shallow marina and birds in the area didn't appear to be harmed by the oil.

"These are always tough cases," said El Dorado County Judge Suzanne Kingsbury Friday as she handed down an unexpected sentence to the 78-year-old man who killed a bear near his South Lake Tahoe home on July 10, 2015.

Gilbert Alan Wetenkamp pleaded no contest on March 11, 2016 to the misdemeanor charge of unlawfully taking of a bear.

Restoring and conserving our environment at Lake Tahoe means setting our aspirations at the right scale. That’s what TRPA and many partners are working to do through strategic initiatives to ensure the health of our basin’s forests, streams, and lake, and to improve our communities and transportation infrastructure.

Mountain Resort Television reporter Nicole Marcel catches up with Tom Milham of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, and checks in on their released cubs.

Dr. Timothy Stoll died suddenly of galloping pneumonia on February 12, 2016 at the age of 77.

Dr. Stoll, an icon of the Tahoe area, practiced dentistry for over 50 years in both South Lake Tahoe and Minden.

In today's Mountain Resort Television segment, reporter Mikaila Bird checks in with Tom Millham of Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care to see how the black bears at the center are handling winter, and to see if they can help us out by deciding who is going to win the big game this weekend!

The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015, a bipartisan bill sponsored by Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, passed the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on Wednesday.

The legislation, created alongside senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Harry Reid, D-Nevada and Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., provides federal, state, and local partners important tools to reduce wildfire threats, improve water clarity, jumpstart innovative infrastructure projects, and combat invasive species.