yosemite

Good morning Lake Tahoe skiers and riders! If you are visiting, welcome to Lake Tahoe!

Shaping up to be a great day for early season turns. Cold temps are allowing resorts to continue to make snow and open more lifts and runs. Ski and ride with care!

TODAY’S WEATHER: Expect Partly Cloudy Skies with Highs 32F-37F (22F-27F on the Slopes) with East Winds around 10mph & possible Ridge Gusts up to 60mph.
TONIGHT: Partly Cloudy then Clearing with overnight Lows 8F to 18F. East winds around 10 mph shifting to SW up to 10mph after midnight.

Nevada is one of the few states that celebrate its Admission Day, and boy do we throw a party. A parade, competitions of strength and facial hair, hot air balloons, bloody marys, a carnival, pow wow, and free chili are just a few of the festivities awaiting the capital city on Saturday.

The party begins Friday this year with a ribbon cutting celebration of the 'new' downtown. The Nevada State Museum hits its 75th Anniversary this year and will have a day full of fun and surprises. Keep reading to see where you need to take advantage of all the best this holiday weekend has to offer.

There are 59 national parks in the United States and they are all celebrating the 100th birthday of the National Park Service. On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act of Congress, the National Park Service Organic Act, which created the agency that now watches over 84.4 million acres of land, 4.5 million acres of oceans, reservoirs and lakes, 85,000 miles of rivers and streams, and 43,000 miles of shoreline.

Don Baldwin will portray John Muir, at the Dangberg Home Ranch Historic Park on Wednesday, August 24, at 6:30 pm.

Known as "John of the Mountains", Muir was a Scottish-American naturalist, author, environmental philosopher and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada of California, have been read by millions. Muir’s activism helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness areas.

Location

The beach at Lakeland Village will be the scene of the next FNCTN fundraiser to benefit Keep Tahoe Blue on Wednesday, July 20 at 7:00 p.m., and people nearby won't hear a thing!

There will be two movie screenings and a concert on the beach, all through special silent disco headphones. Guests receive a pair of Bluetooth headphones for the evening that have three separate channels. Each channel will be broadcasting movies and music at the same time, you choose your entertainment.

A flea from a Yellow pine chipmunk in the Tahoe area has tested positive for plague according to El Dorado County health officials. The flea was sampled from one of three rodents trapped in the Fallen Leaf Campground area during routine plague surveillance May 18, 2016.

It's been almost two-and-a-half years since South Lake Tahoe native Mitch Underhill died unexpectedly at the age of 34. The firefighter/paramedic with Lake Valley Fire Protection District was passionate not only about his family and career, but for the mountains and community he left behind.

In his memory, the Mitch Underhill Mountain Fund has been created at Lake Tahoe Community College.

"He was so loved in the community," said his widow Sarah. "He was an inspiration."

On Course Events has teamed up with Sushi Pier Tahoe again to produce the 5th Annual Shred for Sushi Rail Jam on Tuesday, December 15, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

One of the state’s greatest athletic challenges returns for a sixth year September 11-13 in a competition that’s as tough as granite.

The Graniteman Challenge, sponsored by the High Sierra Triathlon Club, is a unique three-day combination of the Granite to Granite Swim, a 2.4-mile swim in June Lake on Friday, September 11, the Mammoth Gran Fondo, a 102-mile bike ride on Saturday, September 12 and the Tioga Pass Run, a 12.4-mile run up Tioga Pass on Sunday, September 13.

8 p.m. update 8/18/15:

The Walker Fire has now burned 3,715 acres and is now 35% contained. It has been determined that the fire is human caused and is under investigation.

There are 484 firefighters working on the fire along with 4 helicopters, 2 Air tankers, 34 Engines, 10 Crews, 6 Water Tenders, and 4 Dozers.

235 structures remain threatened but none have burned so far.

Two fires, starting within minutes of each other on Saturday, are currently burning out of control in the Sierra Nevada.

9:30 p.m. update 7/26/15:

The Lowell Fire burning near the town of Alta off of I-80 in the Sierras has burned 1,500 acres and is now 15% contained.

Early this evening, two CAL FIRE and two U.S. Forest Service firefighters suffered burn injuries while battling the Lowell Fire in Nevada County. The firefighters were airlifted from the fire and transported to UC Davis Burn Center in Sacramento.

Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against a Tuolumne County man accused of starting a massive 2013 wildfire that burned for more than two months and eventually charred more than 257,000 acres in the Stanislaus National Forest and Yosemite National Park.

The students at South Tahoe High produce a weekly television show. This week's episode includes the famous Russian Roulegg, a creative Senior Project, an interview with Sports Medicine Director Isaiah Tannaci, and an incredible time-lapse video of Yosemite by Junior Cameron Daniels and Senior AJ Marino.

The Tahoe Art League is pleased to invite the public to observe a demonstration in watercolor techniques by Lady Jill Mueller, to be held as part of its monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 11th, at 6:00 p.m. at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center. This event is free.

Lady Jill’s landscapes of the High Sierra/Great Basin region beautifully depict our mountainous high desert terrain with skill that leads the viewer to the sensation that they are part of the scene, admiring nature.

The El Dorado Chapter of the California Native Plant Society presents Before and After the Flames: Fire, Forest and Climate Change in the Sierra Nevada, a talk by Dr. Hugh D. Safford, Senior Vegetation Ecologist for the US Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region (including California, Hawaii and Pacific Islands) and Dr. Becky Estes, ecologist with the the US Forest Service, Tuesday, January 27th, 7pm at the Planning Commission Meeting Room, Building C of the County Office Buildings, 2850 Fairlane Court in Placerville. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Many thought the smoke filling the Lake Tahoe basin on Tuesday was from Yosemite's Meadow Fire, but because of the way winds were flowing the basin smoke was actually from the Happy Fire in Northern California.

As of 6 a.m. Wednesday morning, the Happy Fire had burned over 105,000 acres and is 30% contained. The lightning caused fire started on August 12 and is burning west of Yreka and I-5 along Hwy 96 in the Klamath National Forest.

Author and Sierra Nevada Native, Gary D. Noy, returns with his newest book, "Sierra Stories: Tales of Dreamers, Schemers, Bigots, and Rogues." This interesting collection highlights unusual or lesser-known stories of the Sierra Nevada experience with the focus of this presentation being the Yosemite Valley Grant Act of 1864, which brought the valley under government control and is considered the beginning of the California State Park system.  This year is the 150th anniversary of that event. The legislation was introduced by an El Dorado County resident, John Conness.

Location

8/5/14 9:15 a.m. update: Rains in Northern California on Monday did little to penetrate the canopy of the raging fires according to Bald Fire Inicident Command, but the fire did burn less actively. As of Tuesday morning, the lightening caused fire has consumed 39,850 acres and is 30% contained. Nearly 1,000 fire fighters are on the fire.

The other large fire near the town of Burney, the Eiler Fire, is now 20% contained and it has burned 28,600 acres. The estimate date for full containment is August 20th and for the Bald Fire, August 17th.

7/29/14 11:30 p.m. update: The El Portal Fire burning near Yosemite is now 34% contained. Firefighters gained good ground on all sides of the fire except for the northern portion which has caused concern for fire officials. Steep, rugged terrain continues to challenge the efforts of firefighters but progress is being made. The weather forecast calls for continued high temperatures reaching as high as 100 degrees near El Portal.

At this point in time 3,545 acres have burned. The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.

Lake Tahoe is one of California’s greatest natural treasures. It is a beauty to behold, with forested mountains surrounding the deep blue shimmering surface. It is famous for many recreational activities- snowboarding, skiing, hiking, mountain biking, boating, fishing, and sunbathing. But the clear blue waters of Tahoe are in trouble. Invasive species, climate change, and sedimentation all threaten the unique ecosystems of the lake.

Dubbed the "All Star Panel," a group of long time local residents shared stories of a South Lake Tahoe most of us never experienced. The seven panelists have lived in Lake Tahoe a combined 600 plus years and shared some great stories with the overflowing crowd at Camp Richardson Lodge on Tuesday evening. In fact, the number of long time locals in the audience was very evident since their combined years of living in Lake Tahoe was over 1880!

Dave Wakeman, South Lake Tahoe resident since 1947

The 402 square mile Rim Fire is now 100% contained, 69 days after it was started by an illegal campfire near Yosemite. The cost to put out this fire has cost $127.35 million to date, has destroyed 98 outbuildings, 11 homes and 3 businesses.

There are still 42 fire personnel on the scene to continue efforts to put out the fire. The potential for more growth is low and there is a 1000 acre pocket that still has the potential to burn.

Lake Tahoe Community College English instructor Michael O’Laughlin and Sociology/Anthropology instructor Dr. Scott Lukas have both been honored for their outstanding work in the classroom. O’Laughlin was selected by LTCC students as their Teacher of the Year, and Dr. Lukas was chosen by his fellow faculty members as the Distinguished Faculty Award recipient. The winners will each personally receive $500 thanks to a generous donation by the LTCC Foundation. They’ll also each get to direct another $500 towards the LTCC program or scholarship or classroom materials of their choice.

Farmer's Almanac released it's 2014 edition recently and it calls for a cool winter with "near normal precipitation." With the recent fires in Yosemite and the rest of California, many feel that anything above the precipitation of the last 2 years would be very welcome.