July 30, 2009 ... Reno Gazette-Journal
Low water levels will force closure of one of the more popular boat launches at Lake Tahoe, officials said today.
The launch at Sand Harbor will be closed to motorized vessels on Aug. 5, said Bob Conrad, spokesman for the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.
The launch will remain open to kayaks and other carry-in boats, Conrad said. Inspectors will remain at Sand Harbor to inspect those vessels for invasive mussels, with those inspections free of charge, Conrad said.
Monday, August 3, 2009
PR -- High Meadows restoration
Date: July 30, 2009
FOREST SERVICE ISSUES DECISION ON TRAILS AND RESTORATION FOR HIGH MEADOW South Lake Tahoe, Calif.-- The Forest Supervisor for the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has issued a decision memo for the High Meadow Restoration Project area near South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Alternative 3 addressed public comment that wanted the unclassified (user-created) Upper Cold Creek trail (ford up to the meadow) location rather than the proposed action trail location. In order to meet the purpose and need of establishing a sustainable trail system that included water quality and resource protection measures, the unclassified Upper Cold Creek trail will be re-routed in seven locations with six of these in the general area of the existing user trail. This will address water quality effects and still provide an experience for multiple users including hikers and mountain bikers. A decision regarding options for the lower portion of Forest Road 12N21 will be delayed due to ongoing discussions with a private land owner who shares a road easement with the Forest Service.
This decision will provide for dispersed recreation, maintain current camping, OHV and over-the-snow vehicle closures, provide access for forest management and restoration activities, access to the main power line to South Lake Tahoe and protection of restored resources. Trail work for hikers and mountain bikers will maintain a high quality experience while addressing water quality concerns.
The decision will implement watershed and ecosystem restoration activities. Vegetation treatments include removal of encroaching lodgepole pine through mechanical treatment of 113 acres and hand treatment of 165 acres. This includes removal of conifers to encourage regeneration of aspen stands. These treatments would be followed by a prescribed underburn in the meadow complex (approximately 350 acres). Watershed restoration work will address over a century of land uses including grazing in the meadow, constructing approximately 8,700 linear feet of new channels and floodplain along the East Fork, and North Fork of Cold Creek within High Meadow. This work will use existing on-site materials and will include re-vegetation of restored streambanks. Beginning this fall, a short-term forest order will close a portion of the project area. The extent of the closure will depend on visitor use and the timing of fuels treatment. This decision is subject to administrative review (appeal) pursuant to 36 CFR Part 215. Individuals or organizations who provided comments or otherwise expressed interest in the proposal by the close of the comment period are eligible to appeal the decision pursuant to 36 CFR part 215 regulations. The notice of appeal must meet the appeal content requirements at 36 CFR 215.14. More information including the full decision memo can be found at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/projects/ or at the Forest Supervisor's Office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
FOREST SERVICE ISSUES DECISION ON TRAILS AND RESTORATION FOR HIGH MEADOW South Lake Tahoe, Calif.-- The Forest Supervisor for the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has issued a decision memo for the High Meadow Restoration Project area near South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Alternative 3 addressed public comment that wanted the unclassified (user-created) Upper Cold Creek trail (ford up to the meadow) location rather than the proposed action trail location. In order to meet the purpose and need of establishing a sustainable trail system that included water quality and resource protection measures, the unclassified Upper Cold Creek trail will be re-routed in seven locations with six of these in the general area of the existing user trail. This will address water quality effects and still provide an experience for multiple users including hikers and mountain bikers. A decision regarding options for the lower portion of Forest Road 12N21 will be delayed due to ongoing discussions with a private land owner who shares a road easement with the Forest Service.
This decision will provide for dispersed recreation, maintain current camping, OHV and over-the-snow vehicle closures, provide access for forest management and restoration activities, access to the main power line to South Lake Tahoe and protection of restored resources. Trail work for hikers and mountain bikers will maintain a high quality experience while addressing water quality concerns.
The decision will implement watershed and ecosystem restoration activities. Vegetation treatments include removal of encroaching lodgepole pine through mechanical treatment of 113 acres and hand treatment of 165 acres. This includes removal of conifers to encourage regeneration of aspen stands. These treatments would be followed by a prescribed underburn in the meadow complex (approximately 350 acres). Watershed restoration work will address over a century of land uses including grazing in the meadow, constructing approximately 8,700 linear feet of new channels and floodplain along the East Fork, and North Fork of Cold Creek within High Meadow. This work will use existing on-site materials and will include re-vegetation of restored streambanks. Beginning this fall, a short-term forest order will close a portion of the project area. The extent of the closure will depend on visitor use and the timing of fuels treatment. This decision is subject to administrative review (appeal) pursuant to 36 CFR Part 215. Individuals or organizations who provided comments or otherwise expressed interest in the proposal by the close of the comment period are eligible to appeal the decision pursuant to 36 CFR part 215 regulations. The notice of appeal must meet the appeal content requirements at 36 CFR 215.14. More information including the full decision memo can be found at: http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/projects/ or at the Forest Supervisor's Office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Column -- Defensible space stops spread of fire
Note: The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team is a partnership of federal, state and local agencies working to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire and promote fire defensible space at Lake Tahoe. On the team are fire organizations, representatives of the USDA Forest Service, the Nevada Fire Safe Council, agencies including the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and state organizations. This is part of a series of articles from the team advising residents and visitors on how we can learn to live with fire while still protecting property, public safety and Lake Tahoe ’s environment.
By Norb Szczurek , Incident Commander, Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team
The surge of defensible space work carried out in our communities following the Angora and Washoe fires in 2007 was relatively easy to sustain without encouragement. So fresh in our memories were the towering firestorm, showers of ash and evacuations that few of us needed prodding. Recently, the rush to thin trees and brush and to move stacks of cordwood has faded. Like a trendy health remedy, defensible space at Lake Tahoe is slowly moving to the back of the medicine cabinet.
Perhaps this is only human nature, but our communities and our renowned environment deserve more. This place deserves the sustained commitment of everyone to reduce the threat of wildfire—even if it takes a reminder citation to keep the momentum going.
Defensible space is more than good sense, it is also state law in California and was recently adopted into law in Nevada . In California neighborhoods this summer, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ( CAL Fire) is working with local fire agencies to carry out area-wide inspections and cite non-compliant properties. In Nevada communities this year, although a legal framework is available for the first time, fire districts are remaining focused on education and the steady volunteerism coming from property owners. In both states, the law requires that properties with structures on them have defensible space to 100 feet or the property line, whichever is nearest.
For fire fighters, defensible space around homes can never take a backseat. Good defensible space allows firefighters to protect your home safely without facing unacceptable risk to their lives. Research and experience have shown that fuel reduction around buildings increases the probability of it surviving a wildfire. Seventy-five percent of the homes that survived the Angora Wildfire had defensible space.
Perhaps some property owners are “on the fence” regarding defensible space. They see it as a good thing, but are unsure what to do. Well, now more than ever at Lake Tahoe , excuses for not doing defensible space are scarce. Agencies have worked together to make sure defensible space guidelines are seamless and supportive. The Living With Fire Guide for the Tahoe Basin is available on video and in print at any fire house and online at www.livingwithfire.info. This guide is all one needs to get started. Efforts to educate property owners and to offer free assistance continue all around the lake with free evaluations and tree permits, free curbside chipping, free dump days. The Nevada Fire Safe Council has brought important funding to Lake Tahoe and is again offering homeowners who complete their defensible space rebates of 50% of the cost of vegetation management up to $1,000. Please contact your local fire district to sign up for a Defensible Space Evaluation to get started. These are important tools for fire fighters, but no less important than enforcement of existing codes. What Lake Tahoe has right now is a great support system for full time residents and second homeowners to achieve defensible space. All we need is to keep moving people through that system at a pace that equals the threat.
Home improvement needs rarely come with good timing. In good economic times or bad, wildfire equally threatens us all. If you feel that you can’t afford the time or the expense, remember that you live in a high fire hazard area. Defensible space must be a high-priority use of your spare time. Many activities in the Living With Fire Guide require little or no money to complete. Moving forward now also ensures that you can implement defensible space on a schedule that works for you. Waiting for a citation from the fire district puts you on a more rigid schedule for completion. Please also remember that the objective of enforcement is not to collect fines. Firefighters would rather see homeowners putting their resources toward defensible space than paying fines and as long no one ignores the first citation, no one will pay a fine. Issuing violation notices is only a tool to keep momentum moving forward on defensible space.
Even though the wave of activity on private properties is subsiding, your fire agencies continue to encourage property owners to take action and to think beyond their property lines. There is more at stake than just one person’s home. The health of Tahoe’s forests is inescapably related to the health of the watershed and to the communities residing under the forest canopy.
For more information visit www.fire.ca.gov or download the Living With Fire Guide at www.livingwithfire.info.
Norb Szczurek is Incident Commander for the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team and Fire Chief for the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District in Incline Village, NV.
By Norb Szczurek , Incident Commander, Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team
The surge of defensible space work carried out in our communities following the Angora and Washoe fires in 2007 was relatively easy to sustain without encouragement. So fresh in our memories were the towering firestorm, showers of ash and evacuations that few of us needed prodding. Recently, the rush to thin trees and brush and to move stacks of cordwood has faded. Like a trendy health remedy, defensible space at Lake Tahoe is slowly moving to the back of the medicine cabinet.
Perhaps this is only human nature, but our communities and our renowned environment deserve more. This place deserves the sustained commitment of everyone to reduce the threat of wildfire—even if it takes a reminder citation to keep the momentum going.
Defensible space is more than good sense, it is also state law in California and was recently adopted into law in Nevada . In California neighborhoods this summer, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection ( CAL Fire) is working with local fire agencies to carry out area-wide inspections and cite non-compliant properties. In Nevada communities this year, although a legal framework is available for the first time, fire districts are remaining focused on education and the steady volunteerism coming from property owners. In both states, the law requires that properties with structures on them have defensible space to 100 feet or the property line, whichever is nearest.
For fire fighters, defensible space around homes can never take a backseat. Good defensible space allows firefighters to protect your home safely without facing unacceptable risk to their lives. Research and experience have shown that fuel reduction around buildings increases the probability of it surviving a wildfire. Seventy-five percent of the homes that survived the Angora Wildfire had defensible space.
Perhaps some property owners are “on the fence” regarding defensible space. They see it as a good thing, but are unsure what to do. Well, now more than ever at Lake Tahoe , excuses for not doing defensible space are scarce. Agencies have worked together to make sure defensible space guidelines are seamless and supportive. The Living With Fire Guide for the Tahoe Basin is available on video and in print at any fire house and online at www.livingwithfire.info. This guide is all one needs to get started. Efforts to educate property owners and to offer free assistance continue all around the lake with free evaluations and tree permits, free curbside chipping, free dump days. The Nevada Fire Safe Council has brought important funding to Lake Tahoe and is again offering homeowners who complete their defensible space rebates of 50% of the cost of vegetation management up to $1,000. Please contact your local fire district to sign up for a Defensible Space Evaluation to get started. These are important tools for fire fighters, but no less important than enforcement of existing codes. What Lake Tahoe has right now is a great support system for full time residents and second homeowners to achieve defensible space. All we need is to keep moving people through that system at a pace that equals the threat.
Home improvement needs rarely come with good timing. In good economic times or bad, wildfire equally threatens us all. If you feel that you can’t afford the time or the expense, remember that you live in a high fire hazard area. Defensible space must be a high-priority use of your spare time. Many activities in the Living With Fire Guide require little or no money to complete. Moving forward now also ensures that you can implement defensible space on a schedule that works for you. Waiting for a citation from the fire district puts you on a more rigid schedule for completion. Please also remember that the objective of enforcement is not to collect fines. Firefighters would rather see homeowners putting their resources toward defensible space than paying fines and as long no one ignores the first citation, no one will pay a fine. Issuing violation notices is only a tool to keep momentum moving forward on defensible space.
Even though the wave of activity on private properties is subsiding, your fire agencies continue to encourage property owners to take action and to think beyond their property lines. There is more at stake than just one person’s home. The health of Tahoe’s forests is inescapably related to the health of the watershed and to the communities residing under the forest canopy.
For more information visit www.fire.ca.gov or download the Living With Fire Guide at www.livingwithfire.info.
Norb Szczurek is Incident Commander for the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team and Fire Chief for the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District in Incline Village, NV.
PR -- Hiking at Heavenly
Explore Heavenly with a Guided Eco-Walk
The Heavenly Gondola is your ticket to family adventure at Lake Tahoe this summer! It all starts with a 2.4-mile ride on the Heavenly Gondola and a stop at the Observation Deck for incredible views of Lake Tahoe, the Desolation Wilderness and the Carson Valley. Then, it's on to Adventure Peak where a world of high-alpine fun awaits! We've got the Spider Climber, a climbing wall, hiking trails, Adventure Peak Grill and, of course, the Heavenly Flyer ZipRider®! And debuting this season, you can take your experience to new heights with our new Summit Ticket and the Summit Ticket Eco Walk. There's a ton of summer action going on at Heavenly, so beat that summer heat at 9,100 feet!
The Heavenly Gondola is your ticket to family adventure at Lake Tahoe this summer! It all starts with a 2.4-mile ride on the Heavenly Gondola and a stop at the Observation Deck for incredible views of Lake Tahoe, the Desolation Wilderness and the Carson Valley. Then, it's on to Adventure Peak where a world of high-alpine fun awaits! We've got the Spider Climber, a climbing wall, hiking trails, Adventure Peak Grill and, of course, the Heavenly Flyer ZipRider®! And debuting this season, you can take your experience to new heights with our new Summit Ticket and the Summit Ticket Eco Walk. There's a ton of summer action going on at Heavenly, so beat that summer heat at 9,100 feet!
PR -- Historic railroad reopening mid-August
HISTORIC VIRGINIA & TRUCKEE RAILROAD ROUTE RE-OPENS, AUG. 15-16 Multi-Million Dollar Project Connects Virginia City and Carson City Public Rides Saturdays Through October Railfest Weekend Kicks-Off Celebration July 30, 2009 (Carson City, Nev.) For the first time in more than 70 years, a magnificent steam train will make its way between Carson City and Virginia City on the historic Virginia & Truckee Railroad (www.VTRailway.org ), Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 15-16, 2009. The rumble of wheels steel on steel, the melodic tempo of a train highballing down the track, the steam whistle cutting through the air all signal the near completion of a project 17 years in the making. An inaugural run features a ceremonial ride for VIPs, dignitaries and politicians along a 12.8-mile reconstructed portion of the 16.7-mile original route between Nevada¹s sister cities, Friday, Aug. 14. Beginning Saturday, August 15 and Sunday, August 16 and every consecutive Saturday through Oct. 31, the public can ride the rails. Trains leave Carson City from Eastgate Siding on Flint Drive at 10 a.m. arriving in Virginia City at 11:30 a.m. Then depart the F Street station in Virginia City at 3:30 p.m. to return to Carson City at 4:30 p.m. Roundtrip tickets are $48 per adult, $36 for children 12 and under and $40 for seniors over 65. One way tickets will be available for $29 adults, $23 for children and $25 for seniors. To reserve tickets, call 800-NEVADA-1 or visit https://www.dynamicticketsolutions.com/cccvb/. The 60-90-minute train rides will include scenic vistas of the ³old west² countryside, views of the Carson River, two tunnels and occasional sightings of wild stallions.. Commemorative plaques with slices of historic track will be available to riders for $20 during the opening weekend with proceeds benefitting the Nevada Commission for the Reconstruction of the V&T Railway. The V&T Railway, the richest short-line in American history, originally operated during the raucous silver strike era of the infamous Comstock Lode from 1869 to 1938. When completed in 2011, the reconstructed track traces all 16.7 miles of the 19th century route between Carson City and Virginia City and is expected to serve as a major tourism attraction to the area. Train rides will be packaged with lodging stays and award-winning restaurants to link the area¹s fabled past to the present and shape its promising future as a prominent vacation destination. The Carson City Convention & Visitors Bureau and Carson City have pledged $21 million and Storey County has contributed $2 million to the $54.9 million project. The 1860¹s V&T was privately funded and featured the finest appointments with the most luxurious interiors money could buy, including gold-leaf and brass-adorned locomotives to wooden coaches. The line brought entrepreneurs, gamblers and aristocrats to the Comstock. Along with these characters, the train carried the Mother Lode¹s gold and silver to Carson City and lumber from Lake Tahoe to build the mines in Virginia City. The timing of the V&T route re-opening appropriately coincides with Railfest, an annual celebration of the V& T Railway observed that weekend in both cities with a plethora of railroad activities. In addition to the V&T¹s newly re-opened route, steam engines in both towns will also offer shorter rides along existing track. In Virginia City where the V&T has run for more than 30 years under the ownership of the Gray family, the popular 5-mile route to Gold Hill will also be in full operation. In Carson City, ³steam-ups² will take visitors along the 1-mile route that surrounds the Nevada State Railroad Museum, adjacent to Highway 50 downtown. The Gray family began to reconstruct the tracks between Virginia City and Gold Hill in 1972. Since then, they have run trains daily between the two cities, keeping the V&T alive. Without their help, the reconstruction project between Virginia City and Carson City would not have been possible, http://VirginiaTruckee.com/. Silver Line Express tickets, a city pass for savings on train and trolley rides, merchant discounts and local attractions around Virginia City and Gold Hill, are available at visitors center, 86 South C St. Various options are available, including trolley tours, admission to the Ponderosa Mine, Historic Radio Museum, the Mark Twain Museum at the Territorial Enterprise, The Way It Was Museum, the Fourth Ward School, Chollar Mine and Comstock Gold Mill. A 1914 Pullman car and a Railway President¹s 1907 gentlemen¹s car will be on display. Other activities include historic railroad memorabilia displays, free face painting, a balloon magician, bounce house, and children¹s games. Call 775-847-4386 or visit www.VisitVirginiaCityNV.com . Allll aboard! ###
PR -- North Lake Tahoe happenings
August 3, 2009Clear, sunny skies in North Lake Tahoe are predicted for this week, with highs in the low 70s.Resorts and Towns’ Update: Only three more weeks left to enjoy the best in Shakespearean performances lakeside at Sand Harbor State Park under Tahoe’s starry nights. Or, catch the festival’s new Urban Village Music Series Monday nights, which features a different artist each week.The Tahoe Biltmore Lodge and Casino in Crystal Bay hosts the Hot Tahoe Cruizin’ Car Show (as well as trucks and motorcycles) Wednesday, August 5 through Sunday, August 9 along with a poker run.The Tahoe Environmental Research Center hosts the 10th Annual Children’s Environmental Science Day Friday, August 7, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., when kids ages 8 and older are invited to spend an interactive day with scientists learning about the unique ecology, function, restoration and preservation of Lake Tahoe.Stargazers unite! Tahoe Adventure Company is offering a sunset kayaking adventure followed by a brilliant tour of the night sky with astronomer Tony Berendsen Saturday, August 8 at the Tahoe Vista Recreation Area.Northstar-at-Tahoe in Truckee is the perfect venue for the tooth rattling, downhill challenge Mountain Bike Race Sunday, August 9, noon to 5 p.m., with more than 20 divisions for men, women and juniors, beginners through open class.As part of its free, outdoor movie nights, Tahoe City hosts “Journey to the Center of the Earth” Wednesday, August 12, 8:30 p.m., at Commons Beach. Bring low back chairs, blankets, sleeping bags and flashlights.Make your reservations now for the popular Thunderbird Lodge Winemaker Dinner Series, which features the Crystal Bay Club and Michael-David’s Wines Sunday, August 16. The historic property is located just outside of Incline Village. Cost is $195 per person.Save the date (the weekend of August 15-16) for the Brews, Jazz & Funk Fest at the Village at Squaw Valley. Dogs are welcome too as the event is an annual fundraiser for the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe.Work on hiking trails and enjoy the Tahoe outdoor lifestyle at the Tahoe Rim Trail Association’s Backcountry Camp scheduled for the weekend of August 15-16. Families are welcome, and children’s camping equipment is available upon request. Food will be provided.James Beard award-winning chef Traci Des Jardins, and owner of San Francisco’s renowned Jardinière, is among the celebrity chefs featured at this year’s Lake Tahoe Autumn Food and Wine Festival, September 11-13 in the Village at Northstar. Free cooking demonstrations, along with ticketed wine tastings and luncheons round out the three-day culinary extravaganza.The North Lake Tahoe Express daily airport shuttle service is available to and from North Lake Tahoe and the Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The shuttle runs from 3:30 a.m. until midnight. Fees are $35 per person, one-way, and $60 round trip. Discounts are available for groups of two or more. Reservations are required and can be made four hours in advance.For a snapshot of upcoming special events, as well as recreational activities of recent scenes, go to www.GoTahoeNorth.com and click on the web video for the North Tahoe Minute.North Lake Tahoe is a 45-minute drive from the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, two hours from the Sacramento International Airport and just over three hours from the San Francisco International Airport. For lodging reservations and event details, call North Lake Tahoe at 1-877-949-3286 or visit www.GoTahoeNorth.com. Visitor information centers are located at 380 North Lake Boulevard in Tahoe City and 969 Tahoe Boulevard in Incline Village.The North Lake Tahoe Recreation Update is part of a partnership between the North Lake Tahoe Visitors Bureaus, the Incline Village Crystal Bay Visitors Bureau and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association. The combined efforts of both entities are aimed to further promote North Lake Tahoe as a premier, year-round destination.
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