Remembering the 2007 Angora Fire 10 years after it destroyed 254 houses.

Video by Tahoe Production House for Lake Tahoe News.

By Chris Kudialis, Las Vegas Sun

In a Legislature in which the ratio of women to men was among the country’s highest, gender equality issues ranging from tampon taxes to equal pay were advanced.

Representing less than a quarter of the nation’s lawmakers, women held almost 40 percent of the seats across Nevada’s Senate and Assembly in the 2017 session. Ellen Spiegel, a Democratic assemblywoman from Henderson, said this year’s session demonstrated the difference more women can make.

“Having so many women legislators be interested in women’s issues and with there being enough of us, we were able to make our voices heard and make an impact,” said Spiegel, who sponsored Assembly Bill 113 on accommodations for working mothers.

Read the whole story

By Beth J. Harpaz and Emity Swanson, AP

Forget frequent flier miles, last-minute getaways and even road trips. Nearly half of Americans say they won’t be taking a vacation this summer, mostly because they can’t afford it, according to a poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

The new AP-NORC survey, conducted in May, said 43 percent of Americans won’t be taking a summer vacation. The top reason for skipping a trip was the cost, cited by 49 percent of non-vacationers. Another 11 percent said they can’t take the time off from work, while 3 percent said they don’t like to be away from work.

About half of Americans living in households making less than $50,000 a year don’t plan to take any summer vacation this year, and they’re especially likely to cite costs as a reason.

Read the whole story

There is some temporary rejiggering going on within the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit headquarters in South Lake Tahoe.

Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais is currently the acting deputy regional forester role for the Pacific Southwest Region.

He should be back in Tahoe in mid-August.

Teresa McClung, who came on board last fall as deputy forest supervisor for LTBMU, is the acting forest supervisor.

“She is already engaged in projects in the basin and this makes for a more seamless transition,” Lisa Herron with the LTBMU told Lake Tahoe News.

The acting deputy forest supervisor is Lesley Yen.

The changes have been necessary to accommodate the leadership transition within the USDA.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Review-Journal

Policies on how the legal use of marijuana will affect the gaming industry are expected to be aired next month as regulators grapple with the oncoming legalization of recreational pot.

Nevada Gaming Commission members took advantage of an unrelated company licensing Thursday to glean information about how Colorado gaming authorities address issues related to recreational pot as an unofficial preview of coming attractions.

While gaming regulators have drawn a line in the sand between gaming and marijuana, there are still dozens of unresolved questions they want to discuss as the date of the first sales of recreational marijuana nears.

Read the whole story

By Micah Madenberg, New York Times

The travel industry is voicing a common refrain: President Trump’s travel ban, terror attacks in Europe and a laptop ban represent a recipe for a potential sharp decline in visitors to and from the United States.

“When you hear words like ‘travel ban,’ it puts a big chill” on travel and tourism, James J. Murren, chairman and chief executive of MGM Resorts, said at an industry conference in New York.

Some data is backing up those concerns. Nearly 20 percent fewer people are visiting this summer from the Middle East, the focus of Trump’s travel ban, even though the policy has been blocked by American courts. As of early June, overall advance airline bookings to the United States were down 3.4 percent for this year’s summer travel season compared with the same time last year, according to ForwardKeys, a Spanish company that tracks air travel.

Read the whole story

·      Bijou Golf Course in South Lake Tahoe is finally open. It took a while because of all of the water on it.

·      El Dorado County has launched a new website.

·      South Lake Tahoe’s Fourth of July parade starts at the Y at 10am. So far there are 75 vehicle and float entries, and more than 200 walkers in the parade. Afterward, there will be a party at Bijou Community Park.

·      Here are the El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules from Caltrans for the week.

·      On June 21, the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to reduce sage-grouse hunting permits to zero for the 2017 season.

As seen on June 18, many lakes are still largely frozen, with surrounding campsites snow covered. Photo/Shannon Macguire/USFS

By U.S. Forest Service

The report and photos below are from Forest Service wilderness ranger scouting expeditions this last week in Desolation Wilderness. Many hikers are turning around because of difficulty finding the trail, a great deal of snow, limited dry ground, frozen lakes, and high stream crossings. Sturdy, waterproof hiking boots and proper clothing are recommended along with a map and compass and trekking poles. Travel with a buddy, never alone and keep in mind your mobile device may not work in some areas. Develop an emergency plan in the event you are unable to call for help.

Bayview trail
Trail clear to Granite Lake. Snow on trail to top of ridge (Maggie’s Peak), and solid from top of ridge on. Difficult to follow trail, with hazardous conditions. Large amounts of snow and water from Bayview/Eagle junction onward, with limited dry ground for camping. The upper lakes are beginning to thaw, but still holding ice and snow. High stream flow conditions, exercise caution if crossing.

Eagle Lake
Trail clear to Eagle Lake. Above Eagle Lake, trail is a mix of snow, flowing and standing water, and dry. Minor stream crossings to junction with Bayview Trail. Beyond junction, trail is primarily snow and water. Lakes higher in Desolation are thawing, but still surrounded by much snow and water. Water crossings are high and swift, many travelers are turning around at Velma crossing and Fontanillis crossing.

Echo Lake
Snow above Upper Echo Lake on the PCT, Tahoe Rim Trail before Haypress Meadow. Lake Aloha is thawing quickly. Exercise caution if crossing streams. Parking is available at the upper lot, but not in the lower lot. Chalet and boat taxi are currently closed. Anticipated opening, July 4.
From Tahoe Rim Trail Association: Echo Lakes to Barker Pass
(June 13) Lower Echo Lake is completely thawed and Upper Echo Lake is mostly cleared of ice. The trail around the lakes is partially cleared of snow. Closer to the wilderness boundary the snow increases covering the entire trail. Expect Desolation Wilderness to be completely covered in dozens of feet of snow. The higher passes, such as Dicks Pass, are likely to be corniced and hazardous.

Lake Aloha from all trails:
(June 22) Beautiful, but expect to find plenty of snow on your hike. The hike is 100 percent snow from the end of Upper Echo Lake on. Highly suggest a GPS unless you know the area well, the trail can be tough to find at times.

Meeks Bay trailhead
Trail is very wet through lower meadows, but mostly clear to Genevieve Lake, a few snow patches remain. Clear of downed trees to Genevieve Lake. Travel with waterproof boots to stay on the trail. Stream crossings are high and fast moving, use caution if crossing – many hikers are turning around at stream crossing just south of Crag Lake.

Mount Tallac trail
Trail clear of snow until Floating Island Lake. Snow on trail as it continues to Cathedral Lake. Seasonal stream crossings, exercise caution if crossing.

Glen Alpine trailhead
Trail is very wet. Stream crossings on all trails in the Glen Alpine drainage are currently swift and high, use caution if crossing. Expect snow beyond the Susie Lake-Gilmore Lake trail junction.

By Becky Bell

Paddlers on Lake Tahoe will have an easier time safely finding their way on the Lake Tahoe Water Trail this summer.

Sierra Business Council, with funding support from Placer County, Nevada Department of Wildlife, and the city of South Lake Tahoe, will oversee the installation of educational wayfinding interpretive signs at 10 trailheads along the 72-mile water trail.

In 2015, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Nevada State Parks, California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy, Tahoe City Public Utility District, and South Lake Tahoe agreed to develop the educational water trailhead system for 20 designated public launch and landing sites with facilities to address the needs of paddlers.

The signs being installed this summer are designed to help paddlers have a safe and enjoyable experience. The signs feature vital water safety and weather information, aquatic invasive species prevention tips, and a mapped paddle route with GPS coordinates, campgrounds, and public launch/landing sites.

“We are very proud to be part of this regional collaborative effort for the past decade, and to see the signage installed this summer,” said Jan Brisco, executive director of Tahoe Lakefront Owners’ Association. “We may never know, but it will be worth it if we can save even one life.”

Water trail signage has long been a priority for improved public lake access.

In 2011, public-private stakeholders expanded the signage purpose to enhance the user experience by improving water safety, wayfinding, reducing user conflicts, and encouraging resource stewardship and aquatic invasive species prevention.

Water trail users can embark on day trips or longer overnight trips.

The trail traces the perimeter of the lake and offers both campgrounds and shoreline lodging along its route.

Finding overnight parking at launch sites can be difficult, so paddlers are encouraged to make arrangements with operators at the various launch sites around the lake. The best time to take a multi-day trip is in late September and October, when the weather is still warm but crowds have thinned out at campgrounds and lodges.

Paddlers are asked to be the first line of defense to keep Lake Tahoe’s waters pristine and clear. Arrive at Lake Tahoe with crafts “clean, drained, and dry” in order to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Paddlers who have previously launched in infested waters should have their boats inspected free of charge at one of the four Tahoe boat inspection stations in Meyers, Alpine Meadows, Truckee, and Spooner Summit.

The easiest way to access the Lake Tahoe Water Trail is at developed public beaches with adequate parking and restrooms. Water safety tips and maps of public launch and landing sites are available online.

Becky Bell is the Sierra Business Council’s project manager for the Lake Tahoe Water Trail. This article is republished from the summer 2017 edition of Tahoe In Depth. 

Beaches are hard to find with all the water in Lake Tahoe. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Amy Graff, San Francisco Chronicle

The process of the Sierra Nevada spring snow melt sped up last week as a heat wave brought triple-digit temperatures to parts of the Western United States.

More than 12 billion gallons of water poured into Lake Tahoe over the past week. That staggering amount of water resulted in the lake level rising 4 inches since June 16.

With all this water, the lake is now only three inches from filling — and will likely reach full capacity in mid-July.

Read the whole story