Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Counts begins in January
South Lake Tahoe, Calif.--- The US Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is coordinating the annual mid-winter bald eagle count on Friday, January 09, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 1200 Noon, and the public is invited to participate. The purpose of the Midwinter Bald Eagle survey is to monitor the status of Bald Eagle wintering populations in the contiguous United States by estimating national and regional count trends, overall and by age class.
This year there will be an additional bald eagle count on Friday, January 16, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. to 1200 Noon to participate in. There are 26 stations located around the lake and the Forest Service would like to get these completely filled on both dates. A possible third survey may be conducted at a later date to be determined.
The count is part of the National Midwinter Bald Eagle Survey that was initiated by the National Wildlife Federation in 1979 in the U.S. This year the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is coordinating efforts in our part of the country this winter. The results of the count will be combined with those from elsewhere in the state and across the nation to generate an index (an indirect measure) of bald eagle populations across the U. S. Please visit the following website to learn more about the history and results of these annual surveys for several routes in the National migration flyway at http://ocid.nacse.org/nbii/eagles/.
Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group is using satellite transmitter technology to investigate the life history of bald eagles wintering and breeding in California in cooperation with the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Water and Power. A summary of the results can be found at http://www2.ucsc.edu/scpbrg/baea.htm.
A total of 10 bald eagles (8 adults and 2 immatures) were observed at 25 locations within the Lake Tahoe Basin in January of 2008.
If you would like to participate, please RSVP no later than December 19, 2008 to Rena Escobedo at 530.543.2733 or rescobedo@fs.fed.us to be included in the bald eagle mid-winter count. Volunteers will receive complete instructions.
You must be able to positively identify bald eagles and determine their age (adult or year of juvenile based on plumage) from a distance. Binoculars, the survey form and map, warm clothing, and a good field guide are essential for the survey. If you have a spotting scope or can borrow one, please bring it to your survey location.
If you have any questions, please contact Rena Escobedo at 530.543.2733 or rescobedo@fs.fed.us
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Free bus rides in Tahoe New Year's Eve
FREE RIDES ON NEW YEARS EVE AND MINOR REROUTES DUE TO INCREASED TRAFFIC CONGESTION
Lake Tahoe, Stateline, NV –- The South Tahoe Area Transit Authority will provide free shuttle service, free transportation and reroute several bus routes on Wednesday, December 31, 2008.
Starting at 7 p.m., the Stateline Transit Center will be closed. All passengers should make their transfers between routes on Heavenly Village Way next to Heavenly Village Cinemas and Raleys until 2 a.m. New Year’s Day. This will affect Routes 20X, 21X, 23, 50 and 53. In addition, Routes 20X and 23 will not serve the casinos directly due to increased traffic congestion. Please walk to Heavenly Village Way to board buses.
Free shuttle service will be provided between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. along Red Route 10 from the Visitor Center , to the Blue Lake Parking Lot on Ski Run Boulevard and Shops at Heavenly Village via US Highway 50 every 30 minutes.
Starting at 10:00 PM until end of service – BlueGO Routes 20X, 23, 50 and 53 will provide FREE rides to all passengers. BlueGO OnCall will charge normal fares with reservations 60 in advance. The routes on which free rides will be offered are Kingsbury Express service to Carson Valley , the U.S. 50 line, the Bijou line and Ridge Resorts service.
For additional BlueGO Transit Information call 530.541.7149. You can also visit the BlueGO website at www.bluego.org. Helpful representatives will be able to help you plan your trip on BlueGO.
BlueGO is a service of the South Tahoe Area Transit Authority which consists of members representing the City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, Douglas County, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, The Ridge Resorts, Harrah’s, Harveys, Lakeside Inn, MontBleu, Horizon and Heavenly Mountain Resort. Collectively, these partner agencies provide a coordinated transit system to reduce vehicle miles traveled on the south shore of Lake Tahoe and to improve the quality of life through the implementation and management of innovative transit solutions.
Lake Tahoe, Stateline, NV –- The South Tahoe Area Transit Authority will provide free shuttle service, free transportation and reroute several bus routes on Wednesday, December 31, 2008.
Starting at 7 p.m., the Stateline Transit Center will be closed. All passengers should make their transfers between routes on Heavenly Village Way next to Heavenly Village Cinemas and Raleys until 2 a.m. New Year’s Day. This will affect Routes 20X, 21X, 23, 50 and 53. In addition, Routes 20X and 23 will not serve the casinos directly due to increased traffic congestion. Please walk to Heavenly Village Way to board buses.
Free shuttle service will be provided between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. along Red Route 10 from the Visitor Center , to the Blue Lake Parking Lot on Ski Run Boulevard and Shops at Heavenly Village via US Highway 50 every 30 minutes.
Starting at 10:00 PM until end of service – BlueGO Routes 20X, 23, 50 and 53 will provide FREE rides to all passengers. BlueGO OnCall will charge normal fares with reservations 60 in advance. The routes on which free rides will be offered are Kingsbury Express service to Carson Valley , the U.S. 50 line, the Bijou line and Ridge Resorts service.
For additional BlueGO Transit Information call 530.541.7149. You can also visit the BlueGO website at www.bluego.org. Helpful representatives will be able to help you plan your trip on BlueGO.
BlueGO is a service of the South Tahoe Area Transit Authority which consists of members representing the City of South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, Douglas County, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, The Ridge Resorts, Harrah’s, Harveys, Lakeside Inn, MontBleu, Horizon and Heavenly Mountain Resort. Collectively, these partner agencies provide a coordinated transit system to reduce vehicle miles traveled on the south shore of Lake Tahoe and to improve the quality of life through the implementation and management of innovative transit solutions.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
South Lake Tahoe's gay mayor
Birdwell, state’s 1st gay judge, now mayor of S. Lake Tahoe
by Tammye Nash
The Dallas Voice
Sunday Dec 21, 2008
When Texas Gov. Ann Richards appointed him as judge for Dallas County’s 195th Judicial District Court early in 1992, Dallas lawyer Jerry Birdwell suddenly found himself in the eye of a storm of controversy.
The appointment made Birdwell the first openly gay judge in the state. And Dallas County Republicans wanted to make sure people in Dallas County knew it.
"They held press conferences practically every day asking that I resign because they said I was committing a crime every night when I went home," Birdwell recalled this week. "They were talking about sodomy, of course."
Birdwell didn’t resign. But the Republicans got their wish that November when their candidate defeated Birdwell in his bid for re-election, as part of a Republican sweep in Dallas County.
Now, 16 years later, the situation is much, much different: Democrats are the ones sweeping elections in Dallas County, and when Birdwell was elected mayor of South Lake Tahoe on Dec. 9, no one there cared one bit about his sexual orientation.
"I’m living in California now, where it doesn’t make any difference if you’re gay," Birdwell said in a telephone interview on Wednesday, Dec. 17. "It’s just not an issue like it was in Dallas when we were there. Nobody cares.
"The state voted yes on Prop 8, and I tell you, any of us out here were certainly startled to see it," he acknowledged. "It did wake us up, I can assure you, just like it did everyone across the nation. But really, most people don’t really care if someone is gay."
And, Birdwell added, he’s happy with the way Dallas County is trending, too.
"It feels good to see it, I tell you for sure," he said. "It’s like the old days when I started practicing law in Dallas, when the Democrats controlled the courthouse. It’s nice to see a lot of my old Democratic friends on the benches there now."
But Birdwell isn’t tempted to return to Dallas. He’s satisfied with his career and life in South Lake Tahoe, where he and his partner, Kevin Chandler, own and operate the Black Bear Inn bed and breakfast.
"I have always wanted to live in snow country, and I’ve always enjoyed skiing. And yes, in the back of my mind, I have always wanted to own a bed and breakfast," he said.
When Gov. Ann Richards appointed him to the bench in 1992, Jerry Birdwell became the first openly gay sitting judge in Texas. Local Republicans, he said, held daily press conferences calling for his resignation, on the grounds that he committed the crime of sodomy every night.
"We built the lodge out here and opened up on March 5, 1999.
We’re just about to have our 10th anniversary," he continued. "And we have thoroughly enjoyed running the inn and living in a small mountain community." But Birdwell also found time in his new life to be active civically - and politically - in his new community. He is in his third year of a four-year term on the South Lake Tahoe City Council, and is just starting his one-year term as mayor of the city of 25,000.
Birdwell also points out that things in South Lake Tahoe work a little bit differently than they do in Dallas.
"The way it works here in California, we have general law cities and charter cities, and most of them are general law cities," he said. "In the charter cities it works the way it does in Dallas: City council members are elected to represent specific districts, and the mayor is elected at large by the citizens of the city.
"But South Lake Tahoe is a general law city. And in general law cities, they have five to seven city council members elected at large to represent the community, and then the council members elect one of their number as mayor."
Birdwell has also been involved in redevelopment in the community and with the business improvement communities. And he was president of the local lodging association.
"It’s a lot different than city life," he laughed. "Here, you tend to wear several hats at once."
Bu regardless of his commitments to public life, the lodge is always Birdwell’s top priority. And he is very proud of the successful business he and Chandler have built together.
"We’ve been listed as one of the 10 best B-and-Bs in California, and we’ve been featured on ’Vacation Living’ on Home and Garden TV. They filmed a segment for the first episode of ABC’s ’The Bachelor,’ and in the spring of 07, they filmed another ’Bachelor’ here," he said. "It’s a good life here."
by Tammye Nash
The Dallas Voice
Sunday Dec 21, 2008
When Texas Gov. Ann Richards appointed him as judge for Dallas County’s 195th Judicial District Court early in 1992, Dallas lawyer Jerry Birdwell suddenly found himself in the eye of a storm of controversy.
The appointment made Birdwell the first openly gay judge in the state. And Dallas County Republicans wanted to make sure people in Dallas County knew it.
"They held press conferences practically every day asking that I resign because they said I was committing a crime every night when I went home," Birdwell recalled this week. "They were talking about sodomy, of course."
Birdwell didn’t resign. But the Republicans got their wish that November when their candidate defeated Birdwell in his bid for re-election, as part of a Republican sweep in Dallas County.
Now, 16 years later, the situation is much, much different: Democrats are the ones sweeping elections in Dallas County, and when Birdwell was elected mayor of South Lake Tahoe on Dec. 9, no one there cared one bit about his sexual orientation.
"I’m living in California now, where it doesn’t make any difference if you’re gay," Birdwell said in a telephone interview on Wednesday, Dec. 17. "It’s just not an issue like it was in Dallas when we were there. Nobody cares.
"The state voted yes on Prop 8, and I tell you, any of us out here were certainly startled to see it," he acknowledged. "It did wake us up, I can assure you, just like it did everyone across the nation. But really, most people don’t really care if someone is gay."
And, Birdwell added, he’s happy with the way Dallas County is trending, too.
"It feels good to see it, I tell you for sure," he said. "It’s like the old days when I started practicing law in Dallas, when the Democrats controlled the courthouse. It’s nice to see a lot of my old Democratic friends on the benches there now."
But Birdwell isn’t tempted to return to Dallas. He’s satisfied with his career and life in South Lake Tahoe, where he and his partner, Kevin Chandler, own and operate the Black Bear Inn bed and breakfast.
"I have always wanted to live in snow country, and I’ve always enjoyed skiing. And yes, in the back of my mind, I have always wanted to own a bed and breakfast," he said.
When Gov. Ann Richards appointed him to the bench in 1992, Jerry Birdwell became the first openly gay sitting judge in Texas. Local Republicans, he said, held daily press conferences calling for his resignation, on the grounds that he committed the crime of sodomy every night.
"We built the lodge out here and opened up on March 5, 1999.
We’re just about to have our 10th anniversary," he continued. "And we have thoroughly enjoyed running the inn and living in a small mountain community." But Birdwell also found time in his new life to be active civically - and politically - in his new community. He is in his third year of a four-year term on the South Lake Tahoe City Council, and is just starting his one-year term as mayor of the city of 25,000.
Birdwell also points out that things in South Lake Tahoe work a little bit differently than they do in Dallas.
"The way it works here in California, we have general law cities and charter cities, and most of them are general law cities," he said. "In the charter cities it works the way it does in Dallas: City council members are elected to represent specific districts, and the mayor is elected at large by the citizens of the city.
"But South Lake Tahoe is a general law city. And in general law cities, they have five to seven city council members elected at large to represent the community, and then the council members elect one of their number as mayor."
Birdwell has also been involved in redevelopment in the community and with the business improvement communities. And he was president of the local lodging association.
"It’s a lot different than city life," he laughed. "Here, you tend to wear several hats at once."
Bu regardless of his commitments to public life, the lodge is always Birdwell’s top priority. And he is very proud of the successful business he and Chandler have built together.
"We’ve been listed as one of the 10 best B-and-Bs in California, and we’ve been featured on ’Vacation Living’ on Home and Garden TV. They filmed a segment for the first episode of ABC’s ’The Bachelor,’ and in the spring of 07, they filmed another ’Bachelor’ here," he said. "It’s a good life here."
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Comment on Tahoe's bus service
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) wants your comments on how we can make bus service better (BlueGO, Tahoe Area Regional Transit/TART and Tahoe Transportation District/TTD shuttles) better in the Tahoe Basin . You can provide your comments in many ways – by mail, phone, fax, internet, e-mail – even in person.
Join us at the Transit Forum in South Lake Tahoe ( South Shore ):
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 3:00 p.m.
El Dorado County Library
1000 Rufus Allen Boulevard
South Lake Tahoe, CA
BlueGO Routes 40, 50, 52 and 53 along with BlueGO OnCall provide service to the workshop location. Call (530) 541-7149 or go to www.bluego.org for schedule info.
Join us at the Transit Forum in Sunnyside ( West Shore ):
Monday, January 12, 2009 - 1:30 p.m.
Rideout Community Center
740 Timberland Lane
Tahoe City, CA
Tahoe Area Regional Transit (TART) (Tahoma to Incline Village provide service to the workshop location. Call (800) 736-6365 or go to www.placer.ca.gov/tart for schedule info.
If you can’t attend any of the above workshops, submit your comments in any of the following ways:
By Mail: John Andoh, TRPA, PO BOX 5310 , Stateline , NV 89449 By Phone: (775) 589-5284 By Fax: (775) 588-4527
By E-mail: jandoh@trpa.org
Comments are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 16, 2009 to TRPA for inclusion in the public record.
Join us at the Transit Forum in South Lake Tahoe ( South Shore ):
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 3:00 p.m.
El Dorado County Library
1000 Rufus Allen Boulevard
South Lake Tahoe, CA
BlueGO Routes 40, 50, 52 and 53 along with BlueGO OnCall provide service to the workshop location. Call (530) 541-7149 or go to www.bluego.org for schedule info.
Join us at the Transit Forum in Sunnyside ( West Shore ):
Monday, January 12, 2009 - 1:30 p.m.
Rideout Community Center
740 Timberland Lane
Tahoe City, CA
Tahoe Area Regional Transit (TART) (Tahoma to Incline Village provide service to the workshop location. Call (800) 736-6365 or go to www.placer.ca.gov/tart for schedule info.
If you can’t attend any of the above workshops, submit your comments in any of the following ways:
By Mail: John Andoh, TRPA, PO BOX 5310 , Stateline , NV 89449 By Phone: (775) 589-5284 By Fax: (775) 588-4527
By E-mail: jandoh@trpa.org
Comments are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 16, 2009 to TRPA for inclusion in the public record.
V-Day 2009 in South Lake Tahoe
V-Day South Lake Tahoe will hold an open casting call for the 2009 production of Eve Ensler’s “A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer” on Monday December 8th from 6:30-8pm. This is the sixth year we have been granted the privilege of producing a benefit production of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. New this year we have the wonderful opportunity of producing something different. A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant, and A Prayer: Writings To Stop Violence Against Women and Girls is a groundbreaking collection of monologues by world-renowned authors and playwrights, edited by Eve Ensler and Mollie Doyle. Please be prepared to do a cold reading of one of the monologues we will provide for you. The performance date will be March 21, and rehearsals will take place Friday evenings in February. V-Day SLT has raised more than $15,000 to end violence against women in this community through benefit productions of "The Vagina Monologues." Join us this year as we debut another exciting play by Eve Ensler, with all proceeds benefiting Tahoe Youth and Family Services and the South Lake Tahoe Women's Center. For more information, please contact Debra Scolnick at debzdoodle@gmail.com.
TRPA budget woes
For Release Immediately December 4, 2008
TRPA CUTS COSTS, STREAMLINES OPERATIONS IN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
Lake Tahoe, Stateline , NV – Because of declining revenue and deepening budget constraints, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is taking a number of measures to cut costs and streamline its operations, Agency officials said today.
Additional belt-tightening measures may be taken in coming months, depending on how the continuing economic downturn unfolds. Because of project application fee decreases and other budget impacts, the Agency is taking a hard look at all expenses and overall operations.
“We are certainly not immune from the effects of the current economic crisis and are facing some of the same dire circumstances as our local government partners,” said John Singlaub , Executive Director. “We are committed to weathering these tough times with minimal impact on our efforts to protect and restore Lake Tahoe .”
The following measures have already been implemented by TRPA:
Beginning in January 2009, all public meetings will be re-scheduled to the Stateline office to reduce meeting location costs.
Hiring freezes and internal job restructuring.
Operational efficiencies and cost reductions in information technology and office expenditures.
Training, travel and salary increase freezes.
The Agency is also considering more difficult choices:
Staff furloughs and associated office closures one day each month for the foreseeable future.
Job sharing and work reduction.
Closure of the north shore satellite office in Tahoe City .
“We hope the community will understand that public service is an integral component of our mission and we regret any impacts to this area,” Singlaub said. “By moving board and planning commission meetings to our main office, we recognize the additional distance imposed on community members who participate but we simply can’t afford the extra facilities costs unless budget conditions improve,” he said.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency cooperatively leads the effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region now and in the future. For additional information, call Dennis Oliver at 775-589-5235, or email doliver@trpa.org .
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TRPA CUTS COSTS, STREAMLINES OPERATIONS IN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN
Lake Tahoe, Stateline , NV – Because of declining revenue and deepening budget constraints, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is taking a number of measures to cut costs and streamline its operations, Agency officials said today.
Additional belt-tightening measures may be taken in coming months, depending on how the continuing economic downturn unfolds. Because of project application fee decreases and other budget impacts, the Agency is taking a hard look at all expenses and overall operations.
“We are certainly not immune from the effects of the current economic crisis and are facing some of the same dire circumstances as our local government partners,” said John Singlaub , Executive Director. “We are committed to weathering these tough times with minimal impact on our efforts to protect and restore Lake Tahoe .”
The following measures have already been implemented by TRPA:
Beginning in January 2009, all public meetings will be re-scheduled to the Stateline office to reduce meeting location costs.
Hiring freezes and internal job restructuring.
Operational efficiencies and cost reductions in information technology and office expenditures.
Training, travel and salary increase freezes.
The Agency is also considering more difficult choices:
Staff furloughs and associated office closures one day each month for the foreseeable future.
Job sharing and work reduction.
Closure of the north shore satellite office in Tahoe City .
“We hope the community will understand that public service is an integral component of our mission and we regret any impacts to this area,” Singlaub said. “By moving board and planning commission meetings to our main office, we recognize the additional distance imposed on community members who participate but we simply can’t afford the extra facilities costs unless budget conditions improve,” he said.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency cooperatively leads the effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region now and in the future. For additional information, call Dennis Oliver at 775-589-5235, or email doliver@trpa.org .
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