Scientists in the UNR Nevada Seismological Laboratory placed additional earthquake sensors in and around the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge. Photo/UNR 

The earthquake activity that began in July 2014 in the Sheldon Wildlife Refuge in far northwest Nevada is continuing to shake residents.

UNR seismologists are monitoring the on-going activity that includes three earthquakes larger than magnitude 4.0 since mid-July, including the largest of these, a magnitude 4.6 on July 16.

Since last July, scientists have located 5,610 earthquakes in the swarm.

“A temporary station installed in late November 2014 in the Coleman Canyon area has really helped improve locating events. We estimate that we can only pinpoint about 5 to10 percent of everything we can see on this closest station since the seismic network station coverage is very sparse in northwest Nevada. Sharing several stations with our partner network at the University of Washington has also helped in monitoring the activity,” Ken Smith, seismologist at the UNR’s Nevada Seismological Laboratory, said is a statement.

The swarm has now accounted for 209 magnitude 3 and larger earthquakes, 20 magnitude 4 and larger and five earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 and greater. The largest earthquake was a magnitude 4.7 on Nov. 6, 2014.

Scientists haven’t found direct evidence in the seismic data to indicate the swarm is driven by a volcanic process.

Nevada is the third most seismically active state in the country behind California and Alaska.

By Kelsey Ray, High Country News

When large wildfires blaze, the public counts on airplanes to put them out. Pilots fly air tankers over mountainous terrain and drop fire retardant — up to nearly 12,000 gallons per trip — onto the dense forests below.

The bursts of red slurry bring hope to those whose homes are imperiled. Politicians and the media thrill at the sight and clamor for more.

But is it safe? And is it effective enough to justify the high costs?

The U.S. Forest Service, which saw its large air tanker fleet shrink to just nine planes in 2012, has 20 air tankers on exclusive-use and call-when-needed contracts for the 2015 season, plus one under Forest Service operation. Spokeswoman Jennifer Jones said the agency is working to bring up to 28 air tankers into service.

Read the whole story

The U.S. Forest Service and cooperating fire agencies will escort fallen U.S. Forest Service wildland firefighter Michael Hallenbeck from South Lake Tahoe to Green Valley Mortuary in Rescue on Aug. 13.

The 21-year-old was working for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit when died Aug. 8 after being struck by a falling tree while battling the Sierra Fire.

Michael Hallenbeck

The procession will start at the Y in South Lake Tahoe at approximately 10am and proceed westbound on Highway 50 up Echo Summit through Sierra-at-Tahoe  to Placerville, ending at approximately 2pm.

The public is invited to show support along the procession route, in particular at the Cordon of Honor at the intersection of highways 50 and 89 in Meyers. In the Cordon of Honor, people line both sides of the roadway as a show of respect as the procession passes. The procession will pass under American flags suspended from two ladder trucks.

California Highway Patrol advises motorists to be prepared for slow-moving traffic and brief delays along the route.

Private memorial services are planned for Aug. 15. The Hallenbeck family has set up a fund to receive donations on their son’s behalf for funeral services as well as to make contributions to organizations that have helped Michael (Bi Polar Insights, Green Valley Church, and Wildland Fire Fighters Foundation). Donations may be made in care of Hallenbeck – Mikey-Hallenbeck Memorial Fund Account No. 2099471902 by either going into a Wells Fargo Bank branch or mailing it to:  Wells Fargo Bank, Attn:  R. Bechtel, 1512 Eureka Road, Suite 300, Roseville, CA  95661

South Lake Tahoe along with other agencies in the basin have lowered their flags to half staff to honor Hallenbeck. Flags will remain at half staff until the services.

Sierra-at-Tahoe will be the site of a candlelight vigil for Hallenbeck tonight at 7.

Hallenbeck is survived by his parents, Toni and Kirby Hallenbeck, and sister Jessica Hallenbeck.

A Reno man has been arrested in connection with a series of pharmacy robberies in the region.

Placer County sheriff’s detectives arrested Peter Joseph Terry, 48, on July 11 at 12:24pm after receiving a call that the Rite-Aid on North Lake Boulevard in Kings Beach had been robbed. This was the third time this pharmacy had been robbed.

Terry allegedly entered the store and demanded narcotics while displaying a firearm. When he fled the store citizens provided a vehicle description.

A pursuit ensued, but quickly ended when the suspect drove down a dead-end street.

Terry’s bail was set at $1 million. He is suspected of armed robbery at numerous pharmacies from Reno to the Bay Area over the past few months.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Guy Clifton, Reno Gazette-Journal

Coins and Carson City go together like cold milk and chocolate chip cookies.

“Coin collectors place a very special spot in their hearts for Carson City,” said John Frost of Worcester, Mass., director of education of the Liberty Seated Collectors Club. “It’s just a legendary mint and so much history is there.”

The Carson City Mint is now the Nevada State Museum and it’s the location of the annual Carson City Mint Coin Show and Fair on Aug. 21-22. The fair includes activities for children, prize drawings, lectures, coin sales and free appraisals with admission.

Read the whole story

The North Lake Tahoe Resort Association has $55,000 to distribute for special event grant funding.

It is available for events taking place in the North Lake Tahoe region of Placer County. Most individual grants will fall within the $500 to $2,500 range.

All grant money is slated for marketing and public relations efforts needed to promote events in the region. Preference will be given to events that encourage overnight stays.

All groups interested in receiving funds must fill out the application by Sept. 18 at 5pm. After initial review, select applicants will be asked to give the Grant Funding Task Force a five-minute presentation on Sept. 30. The grant recommendations are then presented to the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association Marketing Committee and then presented to the board of directors for approval Nov. 4.

For a copy of the application and more information contact Judy Laverty at 530.581.8702 or Judy@GoTahoeNorth.com.

·      On Aug. 14, the California Highway Patrol will be conducting a sobriety checkpoint in El Dorado County starting at about 8pm. The location has not been disclosed.

·       The Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project has been named the 2015 Project of the Year by the Sacramento chapter of the American Public Works Association.

·      Tahoe Art League is hosting a demonstration by Clark Mitchell in the use of soft (dry) pastels. The demo is Aug 12 at 6pm at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center.

·       Regional semi-professional comedians will be at the The Living Room at Casey’s on Aug. 21 at 7pm. Casey’s is next to Safeway at Round Hill.

By Melanie Mason, Los Angeles Times

Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Tuesday a measure that prohibits secret grand juries to weigh in on cases involving excessive or deadly force by law enforcement, and another affirming the public’s right to take audio or video recordings of police officers.

Both measures were part of a spate of proposals introduced by lawmakers earlier this year on police accountability; some of the more controversial bills dealing with body-worn cameras or reporting on use-of-force incidents have stalled in the Legislature.

Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, offered the grand juries measure in response to high-profile incidents in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City, where grand juries declined to indict police officers for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, respectively.

Read the whole story

Milfoil is is choking the canals of the Tahoe Keys and spreading to Lake Tahoe. Photo/LTN file

By Kathryn Reed

It’s time to do something different.

That was the overriding message delivered Tuesday night regarding invasive weeds that are taking over of the Tahoe Keys canals in South Lake Tahoe. Twenty-five years of various methods – most notably harvesting – have not solved the problem.

The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association has spent about $250,000 developing a multi-year plan to control Eurasian milfoil, curlyleaf pondweed and coontail – the three primary invasive weeds. Estimates are that treatment could cost as much as $1 million.

Today the association spends about $400,000 a year on the harvester, which essentially is mowing the milfoil. It also upends particles that drift into Lake Tahoe proper – 4,000 per acre. Boat propellers are another way the weed gets into the bigger body of water.

The plan is to use herbicides over the course of five years to get rid of the bulk of the invasive weeds. It would be applied in conjunction with continued harvesting and placing barrier mats in locations to suffocate plants.

The draft plan was released Aug. 11, with comments on it being taken until Sept. 15. The plan has been vetted by a panel of five scientists, three who were at the meeting in person, with the other two participating remotely.

Joe DiTomaso, Joel Trumbo, Sudeep Chandra

They are:

·      Joe DiTomaso, non-crop weed specialist at UC Davis.

·      Joel Trumbo, senior environmental scientist for the Lands Program for California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

·      Kurt Getsinger, chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation, member of the USDA’s IR-4 Project Aquatics Committee, and expert to the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs.

·      Sudeep Chandra, at UNR does limnological studies related to the restoration or conservation of aquatic ecosystems.

·      Pat Akers.

Collectively, they agree the plan is solid, especially liking that it is science based, there will be monitoring, and adaptive management will be used. That latter means if things aren’t going as planned, changes will be made mid-course. Using herbicides in the spring and not everywhere were also praised.

“The plan is well-thought out and researched. We feel the problems in the Keys are significant and some action has to be taken, and quickly,” DiTomaso said.

It was noted that these plants are invading waterways throughout the United States and that chemical applications have been used elsewhere. While each body of water is different, the Keys is not starting from scratch in terms of finding solutions.

Ultimately it will be up to the Lahontan Water Quality Control Board to issue a permit for the use of any herbicides, so it is not definitive this will happen. However, TKPOA would like to implement the plan in 2017. Environmental analysis would take place between now and then.

Many questions came up from the more than 80 people who attended Tuesday’s meeting regarding the safety of applying chemicals to the lagoons in terms of drinking water, and other plant and aquatic life.

John Larson, president of the TKPOA board, said if contaminants are found in the drinking water, one of the three wells the self-contained water company uses could be taken off-line. In a worst-case scenario, the Keys water system could get its water from South Tahoe Public Utility District.

As for killing native plants, it was noted the more than a dozen EPA approved herbicides that could possibly be used have particular attributes. It would be like applying a chemical to kill dandelions on a yard, but not killing the grass at the same time.

“Herbicides are toxic to plants. The converse is they are less risky to things that aren’t plants,” Trumbo said.

Killing the non-natives should also allow the natives to be healthier. These invasives are habitat for warm water fish, so eliminating their food source could help curtail their population.

No one expects the plants to be eradicated, but instead reduced to a level they can be controlled.

Still needing to be worked out is getting all the property owners on the same page. Within the Keys, besides the TKPOA, the Tahoe Keys Beach and Harbor Association, Tahoe Keys Marina, California Tahoe Conservancy, Tahoe Keys Village and lawyers who own the lagoon all have a say. And not all back the TKPOA plan.

—–

Notes:

·      The plan is online, as is the ability to comment.

To the community,

The Jonathan Hetherton Farmers Insurance Agency was the Adopt A Day of Nourishment host for Bread & Broth’s dinner on Aug. 3. Their sponsorship helped provide a nourishing dinner for those who deal with the challenges of hunger in our community, which include the working poor, families in need, elderly on a fixed income, as well as those living outdoors.

Being a business committed to serving the community through service, Jonathan Hetherton chose to sponsor a B&B dinner and brought his agency team members Tiffany Hetherton Grimes, Bill Hetherton, Maria Sandorff and Nancy Macias to cheerfully prepare giveaway bags, man the serving line, clean tables, and even dry dishes.

“Thank you Bread & Broth and your amazing team of volunteers for allowing the Hetherton Agency to assist today,” said Jonathan Hetherton. “Our family business has been in Lake Tahoe since 1968 and we truly love being a member of this community.  Its organizations like yours which make Lake Tahoe a true community in which I’m proud to live.”

An a nonprofit organization, B&B is truly grateful for businesses like the Hetherton Farmer’s Insurance Agency that in addition to providing insurance protection for their clients, also helps to protect and support those who for many reasons need help in their daily lives to deal with the hardships of hunger.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth