By Associated Press

California lawmakers are proposing a nearly $3 billion November bond measure to pay for improvements at state and local parks.

Supporters say many local agencies cannot afford to maintain their outdoor spaces.

The Assembly approved the measure Thursday on a 55-14 vote, with six Republicans joining Democrats in favor. The Senate must also approve it before June 30 for it to appear on the statewide ballot.

It would join a crowded ballot that is expected to include dozens of measures.

The state Department of Parks and Recreation would oversee nearly $2 billion of the fund. The department came under fire in 2012 for hiding nearly $54 million during a budget crisis that threatened to close parks.

Democratic Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia of Coachella says he’s confident in the changes made since then.

The North Shore has more than two dozen events planned to celebrate July 4.

Tahoe City’s 71st annual Funky Beach Bash and Fireworks party is on Independence Day. It’s an all-day family affair on Commons Beach and throughout Tahoe City, culminating with the fireworks show at 9:30pm.

Kings Beach’s 37th annual July 3 Fireworks and Beach Party is from 4-10pm. Activities include a beer, wine and mixed drink garden, sandcastle building contest and watermelon eating contest. The fireworks are at 9:30pm. Admission is free, with preferred fireworks seating available on a first-come first-serve basis for $15.

This will be the 10th anniversary of the Red, White and Tahoe Blue celebration in Incline Village. More than 20 events will take place July 1-4, including a parade, ice cream eating contest, and live music. Fireworks start at 9:30pm.

Squaw Valley will host the annual two-day Art, Wine and Music Festival in July.

The event celebrating artists, craftsmen, performers and musicians is July 9-10, 11am-5pm. It features wine tasting from California wineries, three stages with live music, and restaurants, shops, and walkways lined with fine art booths and exhibits.

All proceeds from the event benefit Achieve Tahoe whose mission is to provide affordable inclusive physical and recreational activities that build health and confidence. Last year’s festival raised more than $15,000 for Achieve Tahoe.

Wine tasting will take place Saturday and Sunday from 2-5pm.

For more details, go online.

By Ken Sofer, Slate
 
Despite the arrival of increased rain and snow from El Niño this winter, California enters the fifth straight year of its worst drought in 1,200 years. The drought has been especially acute in the state’s Central Valley, which ranges from extreme to exceptional drought.

With its fertile soil, moderate climate, and unparalleled irrigation system, the Central Valley is one of the most productive agricultural regions on the planet, producing nearly all of America’s almonds, olives, walnuts, and pistachios; the vast majority of its grapes, strawberries, avocados, carrots, tomatoes, and lettuce; and $13.1 billion worth of milk and cattle. As a result of the drought, California’s 39 million residents are competing for fewer available water resources. Water prices have spiked,increasing tenfold in some areas.

The drought and the subsequent increased cost of water have led to declines in agricultural production across the state.

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·       Vessel Assist located on Lake Tahoe is now called TowBoatUS. TowBoatUS is North America’s largest provider of on water assistance with more than 300 locations and 600 towing response vessels.

·       TravelNevada was awarded the Silver Anvil – the public relations industry’s most distinguished honor from the Public Relations Society of America – for its “Don’t Fence Me In” millennial marketing campaign.

·       89 Bar & Grill, a new restaurant located in Homewood Mountain Resort’s North Lodge, is open Thursday through Monday from 3-11pm.

·       Volunteers are needed for the July 14, 9am-1pm workday at Emerald Bay State Park. Tools, training and lunch are provided. To register, go online.

·       The Douglas County Public Library continues its Summer Saturday Family Movie series with  “Zootopia” (rated PG) on July 2 at 2pm in the Minden Library meeting room. The movie and popcorn are free.

To the community,

Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless would like to thank the many volunteers who participated in our litter pick up day around the 981 Silver Dollar neighborhood this month.  We also appreciate Clean Tahoe for contributing supplies and League to Save Lake Tahoe for providing lunch to our volunteers.

Participants included Ivan Aguilar, Lea Albright, Lyric Albright, Winzer Albright, Sara Anderson, Miles Anderson, Joan Cox, Erin Kambenja, Shaylie Rippet, Marshall Triggs, Catherine Womack, and Dismus Womack.  We appreciate their help in being good neighbors and keeping the area free of trash.  TCH will be hosting another clean-up at 981 Silver Dollar on July 9 from 10am to noon. Email Bruce Cox at bruce.cox58@yahoo.com if you would like to participate or if you have any questions.

Tahoe Coalition for the Homeless is seeking space for the 2016-17 winter season.  Minimum requirements include 2,000 square feet of space, restrooms, parking, and storage areas. We are also looking for businesses to run supply drives in the fall and for volunteers for the 2016-17 winter season. We can be contacted at tahoewarmroom@gmail.com or 775.573.0822.

Donations are welcome. Checks can be made payable to Live Violence Free (our fiscal sponsor), note “Warm Room” in the memo line and mail to PO Box 13514, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151.

Sincerely,

Marissa Muscat, executive director

Learn to control annoying mosquitoes. Photo/James Gathany/CDC

By Melinda Myers

Don’t let disease-carrying mosquitoes keep you indoors this summer. Instead, employ these eight tips to protect yourself and manage these pests in your yard.

• Do a bit of yard and garden clean up. Remove weeds, manage neglected gardens and keep the lawn properly mowed to reduce resting spaces for adult mosquitoes.
• Eliminate standing water where mosquitoes breed. Drain water that collects in buckets, kids toys, tarps, pool covers, clogged gutters and downspouts. Clear the gutters and downspouts so water can drain freely. Store items that tend to collect water in a shed or garage.
• Evaluate drainage patterns in your landscape. Improve drainage by amending the soil with organic matter. Install French drains, drain tiles and other drainage systems if needed. Or turn it into a water feature. Consult your municipality first for any relevant guidelines and restrictions.
• Manage water in birdbaths, fountains, ponds and rain barrels. Change water weekly in birdbaths and wading pools. Add a pump to keep water moving and prevent breeding. Or use an organic mosquito control in rain barrels and water features.
• Add a fan to your outdoor décor. The gentle breeze keeps these weak flying insects away. Consider taking one to the garden when weeding.
• Provide short-term relief when entertaining outdoors with the help of citronella oil or scented candles. Scatter lots of these throughout the area and within a few feet of your guests.
• Cover as much of your skin as possible with loose fitting, light colored clothing. Mosquitoes are less attracted to the lighter colors and can’t readily reach your skin through loose clothing.
• Further protect yourself from disease-carrying mosquitoes by using a personal repellent. For those looking to avoid DEET, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has also approved products with the active ingredient picaridin, IR3535, and the synthetic oil of lemon and eucalyptus. Avoid products that contain both sunscreen and insect repellents as you need to apply the sunscreen more often than the repellent.

Implement some of these strategies and then get ready to enjoy the outdoors mosquito-free all season.

Gardening expert Melinda Myers has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written more than 20 gardening books, including “Small Space Gardening” and the “Midwest Gardener’s Handbook”. 

Publisher’s note: This is one in a series of stories about the National Park Service, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016. All articles may be found via the Home Page, select Special Projects, then National Park Service 100th.

Mount Rushmore illuminates the night sky of South Dakota. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. – I’ve never lived in South Dakota, but it’s still my home. And nothing will ever change that fact.

My parents were high school sweethearts living in Rapid City. My three sisters were born there. Even though no one on my mom’s side still resides in the state, this hasn’t stopped us from having regular family reunions in the Black Hills.

Those hills are also home to an incredibly famous rock – Mount Rushmore.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen The Faces – that’s what locals call Rushmore. (My lineage makes me a local, at least in my heart.) I don’t recall a time of ever not seeing The Faces when I’ve been in the state. It’s almost like a calling; I have to go there.

A friend asked me “why?” before I went back there earlier this month. I didn’t have an answer. Now I do. It’s about family, it’s about patriotism, it’s about tradition.

So many memorials are erected out of tragedy, or are about war and death.

Mount Rushmore is about celebrating the accomplishment of four iconic presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. It’s a message of inspiration, fortitude and solidarity. It’s about being proud of their life’s work and what it meant for the greater good of the United States.

It’s also about a sculptor – Gutzon Borglum – creating a masterpiece one chisel at a time, one precisely placed stick of dynamite at a time. (Ninety percent of the rock was removed with dynamite.) Borglum died before his creation was completed. His son, Lincoln, finished the work. This marks the 75th anniversary of Mount Rushmore National Memorial’s completion.

It has grown into a destination for travelers throughout the world; with more than 3 million visitors a year.

A path allows visitors to see The Faces at different angles. Photo/Kathryn Reed

One of my favorite memories is 10 years ago when the reunion was over Fourth of July. To see the fireworks light up The Faces, well, it was emotional. It sent chills through my body.

Our family tradition is to go in the early evening to see the transition from day to night. The lighting ceremony keeps evolving, but the awe of the event never fades. The spotlight on those four faces is breathtaking, just as it is to walk in through the Avenue of Flags and have them make a frame of sorts around The Faces.

Calmness washes over me when I see Mount Rushmore. I’m home, I’m with family and the future seems bright when looking at our past.

Publisher’s note: This letter was sent to Placer County and is reprinted with permission.

To Placer County:

The citizens of North Lake Tahoe, along with environmental groups in Tahoe and surrounding region and local government agencies, are asking for your support for a fair public process.

We have been besieged with thousands of pages of environmental documentation and have responded in kind. We have asked that Placer slow down the approval process to no avail and give each project its due respect. Final and draft environmental reports on three major projects that will affect the next 20 years in the Tahoe region have been released within a span of 70 days.

The Placer County public process for responding to environmental documents is being abused by releasing several documents of several thousands of pages (EIR document, reference materials, studies, etc. add up to thousands of pages) each for local government agencies, environmental groups, the public-at-large, etc., to respond with comprehensive comments to inform the local elected officials.

I do not require a lot of sleep and can pass up a few meals, but it’s been hard to get a breath of fresh air trying to read all the documents. There are only 24 hours in a day.

Yes, the county is adhering to minimum requirements for response time but not taking into consideration the volume of information we are required to consume to provide comments.

What’s the hurry? To get these projects approved (the three majors projects listed below) have been in the queue with one environmental consultant. The consultant completes their efforts and we get slammed.

The process is not allowing for a sufficient amount of time between each project. They are being overlapped with several meetings each month that we must attend or send in written comments to build an accurate record.

Furthermore, there are many other smaller, but just as important, projects in the pipeline for public comment and meeting attendance (Placer and Nevada County):

1). The Railyard Mixed-Use Development Master Plan in Truckee.
2). The Crown Motel (Laulima) redevelopment of 4.5 acres on lake and mountain sides of Highway 28 includes 117 lodging rooms, 34 residential units, and 5,500 square feet of commercial space in Kings Beach.
3). The Alpine-Squaw Gondola project: a new 8-person gondola (a design capacity of approximately 1,400 persons per hour in both directions) connecting the Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley ski resorts.
4). And on-hold but will be released: The Brockway Campground — a 550-unit luxury camping experience with swimming pool, commercial, etc. atop a Tahoe ridgeline at Brockway Summit abutting the Martis Valley West parcel Specific Plan, just to name a few.

Info on the three major projects can be found below. It’s not too late to participate before the projects are approved, but beware it’s a time consuming process just to address one project, let alone all three.

Meetings we know of:
July 7: Placer Planning Commission, subject TBD (Squaw or Martis Valley West).
July 13: TRPA Advisory Planning Commission will hear Tahoe Basin Area Plan.
July 26: Placer Board of Supervisors Martis Valley West, tentative.
July 27: TRPA Governing Board and Regional Plan Implementation Committee (two presentations same day) on the Tahoe Basin Area Plan.
July 28: Placer County Planning Commission, Tahoe Basin Area Plan.
Aug. 9: Placer County Planning Commission, Squaw, tentative.
Aug. 11: North Tahoe Regional Advisory Council, Tahoe Basin Area Plan
Stay Tuned: Squaw and Martis Valley West will have meetings actually scheduled.

Below are shortened URLs to the environmental reports and more information on the three major aforementioned projects:

• Tahoe Basin Area Plan (20+ year up date of community plans and a 120 unit hotel in Tahoe City) released June 15, 2016, Draft Environmental Impact Report: bit.ly/28NfL9T
• Martis Valley West Parcel Specific Plan Final Environmental Impact Report, released May 3, 2016: bit.ly/28R5QPl
• Village at Squaw Valley Specific Plan Final Environmental Impact Report, released April 7, 2016: bit.ly/28LywvL

Ellie Waller, Tahoe Vista

By Mark Glover, Sacramento Bee

Back in 2007, the nation was sliding into recession and a seismic shift was occurring in the beer-distribution business.

Big-name brewers that once depended on a wide network of relatively small, local distributors were shifting gears and turning to so-called mega-distributors who could handle millions of cases of beer on a grand scale.

Jason Mussetter, barely out of his 20s and a second-generation employee of family-owned Mussetter Distributing in Auburn, studied the Northern California beer industry and decided that the local company needed to do some shifting of its own. He convinced the family that future success could be found in craft beers.

The distributorship serves a swath of Northern California craft purveyors stretching from the Bay Area to Lake Tahoe.  Clients include Hoppy Brewing Co. in Sacramento, Grand Teton Brewing in Victor, Idaho and Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co., which has a brewpub in Tahoe City and a brewery in Truckee.

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