By Associated Press

LOVELOCK — A drought-fueled algae explosion may have killed off all the fish at Rye Patch Reservoir and state wildlife officials say it could take years to rebuild the popular northern Nevada fishery known for its trophy-sized walleye and giant catfish.

Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist Brad Bauman says he won’t know for sure until spring whether any of the fish are still alive in frozen lake about 100 miles northeast of Reno.

He told the Lovelock Review-Miner the area’s first known golden algae bloom apparently occurred primarily because the reservoir between Lovelock and Winnemucca has been largely stagnant for three years with no fresh water flowing in from the Humboldt River.

He says the lack of inflow combined with elevated minerals, low nutrients and cold temperatures apparently trigged the bloom.

By Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee

Northern California’s twin wildfires last fall caused an estimated $1 billion in insurance losses, state regulators said Monday.

The estimate by the state Department of Insurance makes clear that the Butte and Valley fires last September were among the costliest in California history.

The department said the Valley fire, which destroyed 1,958 homes and other buildings in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties, caused $700 million in covered losses. The Butte fire, which claimed 818 buildings in Amador and Calaveras counties, caused $300 million in insurance losses.

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By Laurel Rosenhall, CalMatters

Is it safe for children to play on fields made of ground up old tires?

That’s a question California scientists are studying in the wake of alarming media reports that featured cancer-stricken soccer players describing years of diving into artificial turf made of recycled tires.

The substance known as “crumb rubber” has made its way onto thousands of California schools and parks, where it helps cushion falls and conserve water. It’s formed into mats on playgrounds and ground up into granules that cover fields of synthetic grass.

One reason so many play spaces are made of crumb rubber is that the state gives away money to encourage its use. To keep some tires out of landfills, California’s recycling department has given $42 million in grants since 2005 to communities that use materials made from old tires.

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South Lake Tahoe is looking for input as it prepares design guidelines to complement the adopted design standards.

An online survey is available now through Jan. 29. The survey includes character images that will be used to help understand the community’s vision for South Lake Tahoe’s aesthetic quality.

The next public meeting will be Feb. 17th from 5-7pm at Lake Tahoe Airport to review the draft design guidelines.

To the community,

Bread & Broth would like to express our sincerest thanks to all of the members of the Heavenly Ski Patrol for sponsoring an Adopt A Day of Nourishment on Jan. 18. The ski patrol has been sponsoring two Adopt a Days annually for the past several years, and sending great sponsor crews to help at their sponsorship dinners. Their continuing support is greatly appreciated and a very special thanks goes to Tom Burkart for his efforts to coordinate the Heavenly ski patrol’s sponsorships.

For their Jan. 18 AAD sponsorship, Burkart recruited Heavenly ski patrol members Nick Aguilar, Michelle Loubet, Craig Smith and Kyle Hannah to help the B&B volunteers with the dinner. According to Dana Tucker, the evening’s AAD coordinator, these four sponsor crew members were a lot of fun to work with and they pitched right in to make the evening special for the dinner guests.

“It was so great for us to come together to give back to the community that we live and work in,” Loubet commented after helping to serve a meat and vegetable casserole dinner.

Through their fundraising efforts, the Heavenly ski patrol donated $250 to Bread & Broth for the purchase of food for the full course dinner and fruits and vegetables for filling giveaway bags. As a nonprofit, all volunteer organization, B&B depends on generous donors and sponsors like Heavenly Ski Patrol to help the low-income population in our community. But then helping people is what the Heavenly ski patrol is all about.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth

With the event center in Kings Beach being underutilized and the cost of maintenance an ongoing issue, the board operating the facility is entertaining all inquiries about how to make it more financially viable.

The North Tahoe Public Utility District operates the beachfront facility.

Earlier this month there was a closed session meeting between the district’s board of directors and a group contemplating building a hotel in Kings Beach. The group might be interested in tapping the event center for meeting space.

Those close to the discussion said the talks are very preliminary.

Laulima Development based in Menlo Park is the firm that met with the board.

“Laulima Development is a privately owned real estate company engaged in the acquisition, design and development of distinguished urban infill properties in the western United States. Laulima Development brings decades of experience to its office, residential, retail and mixed-use developments,” the company’s website says.

Any operational changes or capital improvements to the center would have to be approved by the board in open session.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal

The independently-owned Mt. Rose Ski Tahoe is officially up for sale.

Fritz Buser, majority owner of the Reno-area winter resort since 1971, “is looking to sell the resort,” according to a statement issued late Saturday afternoon.

“From a business perspective, the timing is right with the 2014-15 season proving highly successful despite enduring the leanest snow season in the history of the mountain,” the statement said. “In addition, the 2015-16 winter is currently on track to be one of the strongest in the last 10 years and prove exactly what the resort is capable of achieving in a typical or above average snow year.”

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·       North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection has rescheduled the Jan. 13 and Jan. 15 avalanche training to Jan. 26 and Jan. 27. There will be four 30-minute stations, beginning at 10am and 1pm. The stations will consist of transceiver and RECCO search, probe line organization, snow pit-snow sack information, and depending on availability, a search dog demonstration. The trainings will be on the back road into Mt. Rose Ski Area across from the summit restroom parking lot. The drill area is within a few minutes’ walk.

·       The current Leadership Lake Tahoe class is hosting a bowling tournament Feb. 5 from 6-8pm at Tahoe Bowl in South Lake Tahoe to support the group’s May summit called Make Tahoe Work by Working in Tahoe. For more info, email maketahoework@gmail.com.

·       Tickets for Amador County’s sixth annual Barbera Festival go on sale March 1. The event is June 11 from 11am-4pm at the Terra d’Oro Winery/Montevina Vineyards near Plymouth.

·       Lake Tahoe Community College and Lake Tahoe Unified School District will have a joint board meeting March 22 at 5pm at the college.

By Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle

The sudden resignation of the most adamant defender of hunting and fishing on the California Fish and Game Commission could put the finishing touches on a sweeping philosophical shift in the way the state views wildlife, sets rules for fishing and controls predators like mountain lions and wolves.

Commissioner Jim Kellogg retired in late December in frustration over what he termed a lack of consideration for the sportsmen and women he represents. The resignation — combined with the unrelated recent departures of commission President Jack Baylis and Sonke Mastrup, the commission’s executive director — sets the stage for Gov. Jerry Brown to appoint conservationists to the increasingly pivotal state board.

Such a move may, observers say, complete the transformation of the commission from an organization that advocates for fishing and hunting to one that safeguards endangered species, preserves habitat and protects California’s top predators from slaughter.

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Beaker

Beaker is a nice 1 year old female gray tiger and white domestic medium hair cat. She has very pretty fur, and is friendly and curious.

Beaker has been at the shelter since October, and would love to go home soon.

Beaker is spayed, microchipped, tested for FIV, and vaccinated. She is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes. Go to the Tahoe animal shelter’s Facebook page to see photos and descriptions of all pets at the shelter.

Call 530.573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz