The Amgen women’s bike race will impact parking on some South Shore streets.

There will be no parking on the following streets between May 7 at 5pm and May 10:

·        Pioneer Trail from the intersection of Highway 50 in the Stateline area to the city limits by Black Bart Avenue;

·        Keller Road from Pioneer Trail to Saddle Road;

·        Tamarack Avenue from Pioneer Trail to Blackwood Avenue;

·        Blackwood Avenue from Tamarack to Spruce Avenue;

·        Spruce Avenue from Blackwood to Glenwood Way;

·        Glenwood Way from Spruce Avenue to Pioneer Trail;

·        Al Tahoe Boulevard from Pioneer Trail to Highway 50;

·        Montreal Avenue from Heavenly Village Way to Chonokis Avenue;

·        Chonokis Avenue from Montreal  Avenue to Rocky Point Road;

·        Rocky Point Road from Chonokis Ave to Pine Hill Road;

·        Ski Run Boulevard from Pioneer Trail to Saddle Road;

·        Saddle Road from Ski Run Boulevard to Keller Road.

The third rabid skunk of the year has been found in El Dorado County. This time it was in Pleasant Valley.

An animal services officer was called April 24 by someone observing a skunk showing signs of rabies. Test results came back positive for rabies. The rabid skunk was found on Pleasant Valley Road near Grindstone Road and White Rose Lane.

There are no reports of human or pet contact with the rabid skunk.

A rabid skunk was found on Feb. 10 in Placerville and one on Feb. 27 in El Dorado. Animal Services is not aware of any human contact with the skunks. In 2014, 14 rabid skunks were found in various locations throughout El Dorado County.

“It is critical that pet owners keep their pets current on their rabies vaccinations and report all animal bites and possible rabies exposures,” Henry Brzezinski, chief of animal services, said in a statement. “Rabies is spread through the bite and saliva of an infected animal. Without a vaccination and prompt bite reporting, pets can acquire rabies and pass it on to people and pets. Left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal.”

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

An early morning fire displaced two South Lake Tahoe women.

Smoke was billowing from the single-family residence on Stockton Avenue when firefighters arrived about 3am April 30.

One woman was outside, uninjured, while the other was not home at the time. Two dogs died in the fire.

“The living room had some significant damage. Everything else had mild to moderate smoke damage,” fire Capt. Jon Anderson told Lake Tahoe News. The house is not livable, he added.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Upper Truckee Marsh, as seen in the 1950s, would have have been developed today. Photos/League to Save Lake Tahoe

Publisher’s note: This is one in a series of stories Lake Tahoe News will be running leading up to the 50th anniversary of South Lake Tahoe on Nov. 30.

By Darcie Goodman Collins

As the city of South Lake Tahoe turns 50 this year, I have been contemplating the League to Save Lake Tahoe’s relationship with the city. As many people are aware, we have not always had the strongest partnership.

To understand the legacy between the city and the League, we should consider the environmental challenges we inherited as our organizations grew during the 1960s. Unbridled development without any urban planning had already begun to impact the lake. The Tahoe Keys had destroyed hundreds of acres of valuable wetland. The region lacked any long-term vision. By the 1990s, however, the idea of redevelopment gave hope for revitalization on the South Shore. The League, the city and other interested parties ironed out a plan for Tahoe’s first redevelopment project, the Heavenly Village. The League worked to get as many old motels torn down as possible, and sought to gain as much wetland and shoreline restoration as possible from the project. The Heavenly Village now serves as a model for redevelopment around the lake.

Finding a redevelopment model to help Tahoe’s communities revitalize while also benefitting the lake is a bright spot from the past 50 years. In reflecting on my three-year tenure as the League’s executive director, I also found many positive points.

For example, the Tourist Core Area Plan passed in 2013 with relatively little controversy. We supported it after the city addressed our concerns on new zoning identified in the draft plan. Also in 2013, we were thrilled when the city passed a landmark plastic bag ban, the first community at the lake to do so. The ban will substantially reduce the amount of plastic waste in our streams and lake. And this past year, the League was very pleased to see the commercial service option dropped from the Airport Master Plan process. This will help keep airport noise in check, to the benefit of wildlife and community members, as well as eliminate any need to expand the airport’s footprint. The city is also making step-by-step progress toward achieving pollution-reduction targets set by the TMDL, an EPA program to reduce sediment flowing into the lake.

These encouraging examples remind us that we can protect the lake while also benefitting the community.

Next up, the League will be keeping a close watch on the Tahoe Valley Area Plan and the Loop Road project to ensure they maximize benefits for the lake. The League supports the Tahoe Valley Area Plan, which will be brought forward for adoption within the next few months, for its open space and environmental benefits.

In the 1960s when the Tahoe Keys was built environmental concerns were not a major concern for most people.

The second phase of the TMDL will be more challenging, and the city will have to identify several new water quality improvement projects to meet pollution reduction requirements. We are also encouraging the city to improve public transportation and winter road sanding operations, a huge source of sediment flowing into the lake. As the city moves forward with more redevelopment, we’re hoping to see the city create targets for coverage reduction and restoration on sensitive lands. We are committed to productive dialogue with city staff and policy makers to identify solutions to these current challenges.

The League’s purpose has always been to act as a strong watchdog for the lake. However, we can’t Keep Tahoe Blue without community involvement. I was born and raised in South Lake Tahoe and care deeply about its future. Since coming on board, I’ve built a robust community engagement program because I believe the more residents gain hands-on experience tackling the lake’s environmental challenges, the more they’ll understand what solutions are needed and stand up for them.

For example, in addition to our two new volunteer programs, Eyes on the Lake and Pipe Keepers, which call on community members to help with scientific monitoring, we are now partnering with Lake Tahoe Unified School District to develop a Tahoe-based environmental curriculum. Students will use the lake itself as a laboratory to study geography, biology, public policy and other subjects.

The environmental movement is evolving, and finding more productive ways of achieving results. We are encouraged that the city is also growing and responding more to the concerns of its citizens.

Environmental progress is slow without true partnerships. With the League, the city and the community working together, we can achieve so much, for much less money and in a quicker, more efficient way. We wish the city a very happy 50^th anniversary and look forward to collaborating to improve our environment and benefit our community.

Darcie Goodman Collins is a native of South Lake Tahoe and serves as executive director for the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

By Rebecca Bryson

I don’t know if you’ve felt it lately, but there is a lot of positive energy in Tahoe lately. Locals are saying “we want this” and then taking the steps to make it happen. It’s coming from the leadership, but even more important, it’s coming from the people who live here.

We have achieved much, from the proposed Bijou bike park, greenhouses, domes, gardens, and nutrition programs in our elementary schools, and the largely volunteer built, world-class Corral mountain bike trail project. These projects are important to the people of Tahoe and to our future as a strong, vibrant community.

This column – Locals Taking Action – will highlight examples of locals taking positive action in our community and offer steps – large and small – that all of us can also take to contribute to this transformation. Locals Taking Action allows us to tip our hats and learn from those in the basin who are actively making a difference in our community.

Our first set of articles will focus on water and energy saving initiatives. Why? Because water and energy work together. If you’ve been reading the news, you know that South Tahoe Public Utility District – which ultimately means us, as the community – will be required to cut its water use by the percentage identified in the state Water Resources Control Board conservation standard, currently listed at 28 percent.

Fortunately, STPUD already has some programs in place that we can take advantage of in short order. STPUD is once again offering the Turf Buy Back Program to eligible applicants. Do you have to eliminate all of your beautiful grass? No. The rebate just requires that a minimum of 400 square feet of lawn be replaced. With our dry winter, some of your grass has probably already died. Now is the time to eliminate or downsize your lawn – t o not only save water, but also make your life easier, as native plants or nonliving groundcover require much less maintenance and water. Funds are limited, so contact STPUD as soon as possible to get on the program waiting list.

STPUD also offers rebates to upgrade residential and commercial appliances, including toilets, clothes washers, and water efficient fixtures. You can receive a rebate of up to $100 for the installation of a high efficiency toilet, and $200 for the installation of a new high efficiency clothes washer, significantly reducing the replacement cost. Isn’t it time you opted for a new toilet or washer that is easier on the environment? Contact Donielle Morse at dmorse@stpud.dst.ca.us or 530.543.6268 to sign up for a rebate and/or a free Water Wise House Call assessment. There will be a Turf Buy Back workshop on May 6 at 6pm at STPUD’s board room, 1275 Meadow Crest Drive in South Lake Tahoe.

In this time of drought, we need to be mindful of not only our water consumption, but our energy consumption as well. Using water also affects the amount of energy we burn. In Tahoe, we expend 15 million kilowatt-hours per year to transport our wastewater up over mountain passes and out of the basin. This costs almost $1.5 million per year. Any water savings you can achieve also saves our community from excess energy costs.

Since water and energy are linked together, use of one affects the other. Massive amounts of water are used to cool the power plants that generate our electricity. So every time you turn on your computer, television or lights, water is being used. According to research, one light bulb left on 12 hours a day for a year uses 3,000 to 6,000 gallons of water at the power plant. Based on these calculations, replacing one frequently used incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb can save not only 60 to 70 percent in energy costs, but also between 2,000 to 4,000 gallons of water a year. LEDs can save even more.

Think about how many places in businesses, schools, and even in your own house where lights are being left on all day – even in these long days of sunlight. Turn off all lights and equipment when you are not using them. And sign up for one of Liberty Utilities free home energy audits. As part of the audit, they provide free LED and CFL lights as well as water conserving showerheads. Contact Liberty Utilities at 800.782.2506 Monday-Friday, 8am to 5pm.

Rebecca Bryson wrote this in collaboration with members of the Energy Water and Waste Workgroup of the Lake Tahoe Sustainability Collaborative. The Collaborative is a group of more than 100 community members, business owners, agency representatives and nonprofit employees committed to supporting and accelerating the changes necessary to create a thriving, vibrant future for Lake Tahoe.

Next article: Illuminating changes at Lake Tahoe Environmental Science Magnet School.

·      Zephyr Cove Tennis Club’s season starts May 1. Membership is $80. Register
online

·       Edgewood Tahoe gave $9,274 to the Tahoe Fund to help preserve Tahoe’s environment. The donation was a result of cash added to rounds of golf during the 2014 season by Edgewood Tahoe and its guests through a program called Green Bucks.

·       Lake Tahoe Historical Society is forgoing its traditional garden tour this year.

·       The Bicycle Advisory Committee of the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Facilities Joint Powers Authority will meet May 1 from 9-11am at Lake Tahoe Airport.

·      Tahoe Paradise Resort Improvement District’s board meets April 30 from 6-8pm at the clubhouse.

Seventeen people on the South Shore are accused of violating state construction laws.

The Contractors State License Board in California and Nevada State Contractors Board conducted a simultaneous sting operation April 27.

Seventeen individuals received citations for illegal contracting. Five unlicensed contractors were cited at a home near Pioneer Trail, while 12 were found at a Stateline condominium, including one contractor who has a California license, and two who had a suspended California contractor license.

At each sting location, investigators for the state agencies posed as homeowners seeking bids for construction improvements.

Investigators aid they developed leads from Craigslist and local bulletin board ads. They contacted the suspected illegal contractors and asked for bids on exterior painting, paver installation, demolition, and decking in South Lake Tahoe, while bids were taken for interior painting at the Stateline condo.

The five California suspects submitted bids that exceeded $500, the legal limit for any project’s combined material and labor costs before a contractor license is required in California. Each suspect was issued a notice to appear in El Dorado County Superior Court on misdemeanor charges. The top bid was $3,000 to replace a deck.

At the Nevada site, the high bid was $4,800 to paint the interior of the two-story condo. Nevada’s cost threshold for needing a contractor license is $1,000. Electricians, HVAC, and plumbing contractors must be licensed in Nevada, regardless of the project’s cost.

The California suspects were cited for contracting without a license and three face an additional charge of illegal advertising. One man was allegedly using a relative’s contractor license.

Names of those cited in Nevada have not been released.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Timothy Gardner, Reuters

The West Coast could see power brownouts in coming months as hydro power stations struggle with the four-year drought, and in the longer term climate change could cause additional problems for power plants, the U.S. energy secretary said on Monday.

“That is certainly a risk,” Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast on Monday, when asked whether the region could see a summer of power brownouts, or reductions in availability of electricity supply.

“Hydro power is a renewable (form of energy) but if you look historically there is actually quite a bit of fluctuation from year to year, depending upon what happens over the winter,” he said.

Read the whole story

Casinos on both ends of Lake Tahoe posted revenue from March that was well below 2014 numbers.

Statewide the gains were also down. The Nevada Gaming Control Board on April 29 said casinos won $951.2 million last month. This is a drop of 3.2 percent from last year.

South Shore casinos collected $13.9 million, a decrease of 6.8 percent from 2014. North Shore clubs brought in $1.5 million, a 15.3 percent year-over-year decline.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Bill Theobald, USA Today

WASHINGTON – Nevada is in the running for a federal geothermal research laboratory that could be located in Fallon, Sen. Harry Reid said Monday.

The Energy Department announced grants to five western states, including Nevada, to develop research for a national lab, called the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE).

Next year, DOE will choose three finalists for the project, said Lynn Orr, energy undersecretary for science.

Read the whole story