Lake Tahoe area aspen trees have been defoliated due to an influx of invasive white satin moths.

The white satin moth is a non-native defoliator of aspen, cottonwoods, willows and other deciduous species. Continued defoliation can threaten aspen stands, which provide important habitat for a variety of native species.

The Nevada Tahoe Resource Team – which consists of representatives from several divisions within the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (the Nevada Division of Forestry, the Nevada Division of State Parks, and the Nevada Division of State Lands) and the Nevada Department of Wildlife recently engaged UNR and the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science to perform in-depth research studies and data analysis. They are conducting two multi-year studies that will be used to guide future management decisions in support of a thriving natural environment.

Anyone who see a white satin moths or areas damaged by these insects, is asked to call 775.849.2500, ext. 241. This is so scientists may track and monitor their locations. 

The Village at Squaw Valley will host the 17th annual Brews, Jazz and Funk Fest on Aug. 11-12.

This is open to all ages. Festival guests over the age of 21 can enjoy craft beers from more than 35 breweries.

All proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe.

The event will take place from 2-8pm each day. Cost is $10 each day. Tickets for 16 ounce beers will be $5 each.

For more details, go online.

By Amy Graff, San Francisco Chronicle

Drought has crept back into Northern California.

Despite a flurry of late storms in spring, precipitation for the winter season was below normal and the region is facing moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions once again, according to the federal government’s U.S. Drought Monitor. What’s more, temperatures were above normal throughout winter.

The Drought Monitor’s weekly map, released Thursday, shows a large swath extending north of San Francisco through the Sacramento Valley to the Oregon border in moderate drought. The Bay Area and the North Coast went from normal to abnormally dry; parts of the northern Sierra remain normal. It’s a dramatic change from just last week when the figure didn’t depict any drought conditions in Northern California.

Read the whole story

By Amy Fish

Multi-use trails connect our communities to the forest, and the nonprofit Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) and its public partners are working on trail projects that benefit public recreation and the environment at Lake Tahoe, harnessing the power of hundreds of volunteers.

TAMBA has formal partnerships with local land management agencies including the U.S. Forest Service, Nevada State Parks, California State Parks, and the City of South Lake Tahoe.

Through these partnerships and the nonprofit’s dedicated volunteers, TAMBA is focused on improving outdoor recreation opportunities at Tahoe, connecting trails to communities, and ensuring Tahoe’s trails are sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Last year, TAMBA hosted 180 volunteer trail days with 8,700 volunteer hours of trail building and maintenance around Lake Tahoe.

South/West Shore projects

Valley View Trail: Volunteers rebuilt the lower section of the trail on Tahoe Mountain last spring after erosion from the massive winter swept out much of the trail. The new route contours the landscape, providing a more sustainable trail alignment.

Corral Trail: More jumps and berms were built on one of the most popular trails at Tahoe.

Angora Ridge/Fallen Leaf Lake Trail System: Volunteers built 5 miles of new trail in partnership with the Forest Service. This trail system is in the Angora Fire burn area and links the North Upper Truckee neighborhood to Angora Lake and Fallen Leaf Lake.

Bijou Bike Park: The jump lines and pump tracks were upgraded keeping the 5-acre bike park in top shape. The bike park is owned and operated by the City of South Lake Tahoe and open to the public for free.

North Shore projects

Incline Flume Trail: TAMBA adopted and upgraded the trail in partnership with the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, Friends of Incline Trails, and the Tahoe Fund. This historic trail, known as “The Other Flume Trail,” connects Mount Rose Highway to Tunnel Creek Road with amazing Lake Tahoe views.

Elevator Shaft: The Tahoe City trail was rerouted and a new section of trail built to fix a 25-year-old erosion problem. The reroute allows bikers, hikers, and trail runners to access the Tahoe Rim Trail from the Tahoe City Nordic Center via a fun new single-track trail with panoramic views of Lake Tahoe.

Burton Creek State Park: TAMBA and state park crews worked together to build a new trail.

TAMBA has more major trail projects happening all around Lake Tahoe this season. A combination of paid crews and community volunteers are building the collective vision of connecting all communities to the trails.

2018 projects will include a new trail near Mount Rose and Tamarack Lake, improvements to the Kingsbury Stinger Trail, new trails near Fallen Leaf Lake and Angora Ridge, improvements to the Stanford Rock Trail, and a multi-use trail near Kings Beach.

For more information and to get involved, go online.

Amy Fish is a TAMBA board member. This was first published in the summer 2018 issue of Tahoe In Depth.

Publisher’s note: This editorial is from the July 2, 2018, Sacramento Bee.

It has become a kind of July tradition: Counting the ways in which California’s fire season is now more dangerous.

Every summer around this time, the red flags grow redder: the dry air, the triple-digit heat, the dying trees in the wilderness, the chaparral rattling in the foothills. Every summer around this time, some fiery apocalypse erupts somewhere in the state as if to drive home the message.

It’s time to align California’s laws with the modern costs and benefits of celebrations that involve explosives. If we can’t bring ourselves to ban fireworks entirely during our now nearly year-round fire season, we should at least outlaw them during red-flag conditions.

Read the whole story

By Audrey Carlsen and Denise Lu, New York Times

A record number of women won Nevada’s primaries in June. And there is now a possibility for the Legislature to have more women than men, which would be a first in United States history. Of the states that have had primaries so far, at least eight more have a shot at reaching or surpassing the 50 percent mark in November.

To reach this milestone, however, a woman must win the general election in every district where at least one is running, a difficult feat. Some female candidates are running in districts favoring the other party, and many are challenging incumbents, who historically almost always win.

“The power of incumbency is so, so strong, particularly at the state level,” said Katie Ziegler, a program manager at the National Conference of State Legislatures. “It’s rare for an incumbent to lose their seat.”

Read the whole story

South Lake Tahoe’s annual 4th of July Parade will impact traffic on Highway 50 and select side streets.

The parade, which will run from 10-11am, will be staged on Ski Run Boulevard, go west on the highway, then turn up Al Tahoe Boulevard. It will conclude at Bijou Community Park.

The two westbound lanes on Highway 50 between Ski Run and Al Tahoe will have a rolling closure. Pioneer Trail will be the best alternative.

The Meadow View Place workforce housing development in Martis Valley will get a $16.25 million boost from California’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program.

The project is one of 19 statewide approved for a grant this year by the state’s Strategic Growth Council, and will be funded by proceeds from the Cap-and-Trade greenhouse gas auction.

Meadow View Place will provide 56 apartments to satisfy the nearby Schaffer’s Mill development’s workforce housing obligation. 

Schaffer’s Mill donated the site, Placer County and the Truckee committed key transportation matching funds and the Mountain Housing Council was instrumental in bringing together support.

Under the agreement the county will use $3.5 million of the funding to purchase four electric-powered buses to help expand transit services on Tahoe Truckee Area Regional Transit routes including the necessary electric vehicle-charging and maintenance infrastructure.

Other mobility improvements would also be funded, with $726,000 earmarked to build a portion of the Martis Valley multi-purpose trail and $1.5 million for transit and pedestrian facilities in Truckee. The balance would be used to provide gap financing for construction of the housing project.

Construction could start as early as 2019.

Smoke continues to fill the Lake Tahoe Basin.

It is coming from fires burning to the west and south of here. According to the National Weather Service in Reno it is coming from the County Fire near Sacramento and the Lions Fires west of Mammoth. 

The wind is supposed to pick up Tuesday afternoon, which could help blow the smoke out of the area.

“Dry and windy conditions are the main concern for most of this week, so be aware and avoid starting any potential fires,” the Weather Service said.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

A Bay Area man drowned at Fallen Leaf Lake on Monday.

Sudham Ahuja, 70, of San Jose was found in the water on July 1. However, El Dorado County sheriff’s officials have not released what part of the lake he was found in, what time, if he was swimming, if there was a medical condition or foul play.

All EDSO would say is the cause of death is under investigation.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report