By Danny Lloyd, Fish Sniffer

Kokanee salmon season at Lake Tahoe looks to be under way with some very nice fish being caught over the past couple of weeks.

“I got a call the other day from a friend saying he was catching some kokanee while fishing the South Shore area,” reported Rick Kennedy of Tight Lines Guide Service. “My last trip on Tahoe was a bit slow, but after spending a few months on stripers I am looking forward to getting on Tahoe in the next week or so.”

Reports from fellow guides indicated the kokanee were being caught trolling a dodger/spoon or fly combo tipped with corn in the 25-50 foot water depth. The fish are not congregated yet, so hooking multiple fish might take 20 seconds up to an hour.

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In recognition of Lyme disease awareness month, the Squaw Valley Institute is hosting Olympic freeskier Angeli Vanlaanen.

“Lymelight” is her story of living with Lyme disease.

She will be giving a talk May 31. Doors open at 5:30pm at the Resort at Squaw Creek.

Tickets are $15 or free for members.

Mondo

Mondo is a very sweet 5-year-old Chihuahua who came to the shelter with another little dog, Paris, when their owners divorced.

Paris has found her new home, now it’s Mondo’s turn. He is good with other dogs and cats, and is very playful. He loves to chase tennis balls and his own tail!

Mondo is neutered, microchipped, tested for heart worm, and vaccinated. He is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes.

Go online or to the Tahoe animal shelter’s Facebook page to see photos and descriptions of all pets at the shelter.

Call 530.573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz

Publisher’s note: Lake Tahoe News convened an editorial panel of six South Shore residents to decide on this endorsement for the June primary.

Paid parking at beaches on the South Shore has been the norm for decades. It’s about time South Lake Tahoe caught up.

We believe the city needs to find ways to increase revenues. Continuing with the paid parking program is a logical way to fill coffers because it is a user fee. Only people who are using that area to park have to pay. In other words, it’s a choice to park where it costs money.

Tourists have discretionary money for incidentals like parking. And locals know where to find free parking if they don’t want to pay for the premium spots that are closer to the venue.

Keep paid parking; vote “no” on Measure P on June 3. Photo/LTN

Voters in South Lake Tahoe on June 3 will be asked if they want to keep the kiosks at Lakeview Commons and Lakeside Beach. A “no” vote keeps the meters in place indefinitely. And that is exactly how Lake Tahoe News is recommending voters vote.

Since the parking program at these locations started last summer (June at Lakeside, July for Lakeview Commons), $190,000 has been collected in parking revenue through April.

The city is projecting all kiosks – this includes Bellamy Court and Transit Way – would bring in $300,000 per year.

Fines are in addition to those figures. There has been a 98.5 percent compliance rate at the kiosks, so relatively few tickets are handed out. And as people become more familiar with the program the city anticipates the number of citations to go down 10 percent each year.

The annual expenses are practically nil. The kiosks are $48,000 for the next four years – whether they are used or not. They are solar-powered. The only expense that could go away if the program vanishes is the costs associated with one-quarter of an employee. Even then, that person could be assigned to other work.

We like that the money generated is going back into the area where it’s collected. Maintenance and operation costs are seldom considered when projects are built. This is why so many entities end up with deferred maintenance expenses that are rolled over from one budget year to the next, and why facilities become dilapidated. If we can help prevent this, especially at someplace as new as the $65 million Lakeview Commons, we owe it to ourselves to do what we can. Supporting paid parking is one of the things we can and should do.

Once we lose a revenue source, it is near impossible to get it back again.

It is time to move beyond how poorly the whole program was sold to the public and then rolled out.

We like that the city is willing to make changes. It is good that there is a $40 locals’ pass, that hours have been changed and citations have been reduced to $35.

However, if people continue to get cited because signage is lacking and kiosks aren’t obvious, then shame on the entire city – electeds and staff. Aggressive behavior is not warranted, either. Citing someone when a kiosk ticket is placed upside down on a dashboard is inane. How hard is it to tell someone walking away from their vehicle that they need to pay instead of waiting until they are gone to write them a ticket?

We realize the city has a temporary permit from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency that allows for parking at Lakeside on the dirt. The caveat was that money raised from that area would fund the asphalt, other infrastructure improvements and realignment of the street. But the city has tabled the paving project until at least after the election.

This is wrong. The city and TRPA should be models for environmentally sound practices. It’s hard to believe fine sediment reaching Lake Tahoe is the primary source of the decline of lake clarity when parking on dirt – and paying to do so – is allowed. The duplicity of this policy is mindboggling.

For that reason, Lake Tahoe News puts an asterisk next to the “vote no on Measure P” endorsement. We also say “no to any parking on dirt.” Lakeside should be roped off until it is paved and not contributing to the degradation of Lake Tahoe.

Just as the city deserves to generate money from parking, the lake deserves to not be ruined because of it.

• FedEx Office Ship Center is open at 4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd. It offers packing and shipping, self- and full-service copying and printing, and large-format sign and banner production.

• Tahoe Parents Nursery School is having an open house for prospective families on May 19 at 4:30pm. For more info, call 530.541.8767.

• Lucky Beaver, which operates in Stateline, will be opening a second restaurant-bar in Reno this summer on South Virginia Street.

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

• Nevada Department of Agriculture is advising all horse owners to contact their veterinarians to update their animals’ West Nile Virus vaccinations. Since 2004, there have been 205 confirmed cases in Nevada of WNV in horses.

Updated May 12, 3:45pm:

A homeless man was found dead the afternoon of May 10 behind the Factory Stores at the Y.

A South Lake Tahoe police officer told Lake Tahoe News there was no sign of foul play and that the man had a history of medical conditions.

El Dorado County sheriff’s Lt. Pete Van Arnum told Lake Tahoe News that the man lived in that area and slept in a small camp in the bushes behind the factory stores.

“He was found deceased in his bed,” Van Arnum said.

The name of the man, who was in his late 50s, has yet to be released. An autopsy is pending.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Jeff Meston

The South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and Lake Valley Fire Protection District have joined in developing a Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for South Lake Tahoe.

A CWPP enables a community to plan how it will reduce the risk of wildfire. The plan identifies strategic sites and methods for fuel reduction projects across the landscape and jurisdictional boundaries.

We are asking the community to participate in a survey for developing the CWPP. Please complete the following survey.

A CWPP is a vehicle for incorporating the fire adapted community recommendations into community design and maintenance, and for taking communities to the next step in wildfire preparedness. CWPP planning assists communities in establishing priorities for protecting life, property and infrastructure. The plans can take a variety of forms, but at a minimum must:

• Be developed collaboratively.

• Identify and prioritize areas and methods for hazardous fuel-reduction treatments.

• Recommend measures to reduce the ignitability of structures throughout the community.

For more opportunities to learn about CWPP development, consider attending one of the following events:

• May 20 9am, South Lake Tahoe City Council meeting at 1901 Airport Road, South Lake Tahoe

• May 22 5-7pm,CWPP public input meeting at 1901 Airport Road, South Lake Tahoe, airport conference room.

In addition, South Lake Tahoe Fire Department will implement a program this year to help inform and educate citizens on when the weather adds to our existing fire danger. The 2014 fire season could be catastrophic with our drought conditions and we need our citizens’ help. Fire crews will monitor the National Weather Service and when the weather reaches a red flag warning, we will implement the following procedures.

We will raise a red flag at each fire station to inform the public.

We will add extra personnel to staff a Type 3 (brush) engine for an aggressive fire attack. The personnel assigned to the engine will patrol our highest fire danger areas. The staffed engine will have a red flag banner to help alert the community. The banner will say “Red Flag Day- Critical Fire Weather”.

When citizens see these indicators of the additional fire danger within our community they should be especially mindful of the following:

• Avoid outdoor burning, such as campfires, or any other open flame. Even grilling is not advised when red flag days exist.

• Dispose of cigarettes and other smoking materials into fire safe containers. Tossing smoldering cigarettes onto the ground should never occur.

• Properly store flammable materials such as gasoline, alcohol, paint, lighter, and matches. These materials may reach their critical points during hot weather and can possibly result in fire.

• Be extremely careful when using and fueling chain saws, lawn mowers, weed eaters and other lawn care equipment. High heat conditions make ignition of the fuel vapors more likely. Find shade if possible and allow the machinery to cool if it has been running. Also avoid welding in dangerously dry conditions, as the sparks can easily ignite the dry vegetation around you.

• Be careful where you park your vehicles. The hot underside of a car or truck filled with gasoline parked over dead grass or leaves is an explosion waiting to happen. Be sure to park on concrete or solid dirt or gravel, especially during red flag days. Do not park where vegetation touches the vehicle.

Jeff Meston is fire chief of South Lake Tahoe. Martin Goldberg, with Lake Valley Fire, contributed to this story.

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Granite Bay, on May 14 will present awards to high school students who earned the top spots in this year’s Congressional Art Competition.

The theme of this year’s competition is Proclaim Liberty.

The honorees are:

First place — Liberty In Music/Artist Meghan Bryd

South Tahoe High School/Teacher Candi Lincoln

Second place — On Wings of Liberty/Artist Lexi Haddad

Granite Bay High School/Teacher Myron Stephens

Third place — Freedom Soars/Artist Brittany Sanders

Granite Bay High School/Teacher Myron Stephens

Honorable mention:

Rachel Aronoff of South Tahoe High for The Freedom to DreamMary Jo Lonsdale of Granite Bay High for Coming For to Carry Me Home

Brianna Rettig of South Tahoe High for Pioneer Californians

Colleen Curry of Connections Visual & Performing Arts Academy for Heroes Among Us.

The winning entry from each congressional district across the United States is displayed for one year in the Cannon Tunnel of the Capitol. The winning student from each congressional district is invited, along with one guest, to the unveiling of the exhibit and a reception in Washington, D.C., and is provided two round-trip airline tickets for the occasion.

The reception Wednesday is 5pm at BI Design Studio, 1004 White Rock Road, Suite 200, El Dorado Hills.

South Tahoe High School’s drama department will be putting on Robert E. Sherwood’s 1936 Pulitzer Prize winning drama “Idiot’s Delight”.

A cast of eccentric and international guests – countesses, arms dealers, showgirls, revolutionaries, charlatans and lovers – spend a fateful weekend in a resort hotel in the Italian Alps. While songs are sung and dances danced and loves rekindled, the dark clouds of World War II come rolling in.

Performances will be at South Tahoe High School’s TADA Theater May 16, 17, 22 and 23 at 7pm and May 18 at 2pm. Tickets $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors.

Several South Lake Tahoe police officers will receive awards May 15.

The annual ceremony is at 2pm at the police department on Johnson Boulevard.

Receiving awards are:

Officer Andy Eissinger – Distinguished Service

Supervisor Kathy Bolinger – Distinguished Service

Dispatcher Jillian Broadfoot – Meritorius Service

Todd and Zetta Friedel – Citizen Award of Merit

Cory Escobar – Citizen Award of Merit

Explorer Daniel Loyola – Distinguished Explorer Award

MADD Awards:

Officer Jason Cheney

Officer Travis Cabral

Officer Cory Wilson.