Each May we are given a day to honor those we have loved and lost. This year, the Barton Foundation along with volunteers from Barton Hospice will be assembling wreaths of ribbons to pay tribute to those dearly missed.

Ribbons from the South Lake Tahoe and Carson Valley communities have been received to remember those we have loved and lost. Two wreaths will be created using the ribbons; one for the Carson Valley Medical Center and the other for Barton Memorial Hospital. Both wreaths will be on display throughout the year.

A special wreath dedication ceremony will be at Barton Memorial Hospital and Carson Valley Medical Center on May 28 at 11am in the respective lobbies.

Refreshments and social time will follow at noon. For details, call (530) 543.5909.

By Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee

Alfred Villalobos, the former CalPERS board member accused of bribing pension fund officials, has squandered $68 million of his fortune and owes more money to one casino than he has in cash, the state said Wednesday.

In a court filing, the state revealed fresh allegations about Villalobos’ spending habits in an effort to maintain a court-ordered freeze on his assets. It is suing Villalobos for $70 million, saying he lavished gifts on three CalPERS officials to influence investment decisions.

If the freeze is lifted, as Villalobos has demanded, the state said he could waste his money on gambling or transfer it overseas before the state can pursue its lawsuit.

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South Lake Tahoe Moose Lodge No. 1632, along with Sierra at Tahoe and Harrah’s-Harveys Lake Tahoe are sponsoring the Fifth Annual Longest Day of Golf on June 24.

Tahoe Paradise Golf Course has committed to helping this community fundraiser by donating their course for the entire day. Golfers will start at sunup and play as many holes as they can before sundown.

Last year, the golfers played 119 holes and raised more $10,000 for the South Tahoe Cancer League. Every dollar raised stays in town to provide financial assistance to local cancer patients.

For the past several years, Tahoe Valley teacher Greg Kuntz and his students have raised more than $700 for this charity. They’ve already raised close to $400 this year.

If you know anyone who has cancer, or has survived cancer, or if you just care about local cancer patients, consider pledging on a per hole basis or a flat dollar amount – even if it’s just $1 – every dollar counts. Send tax-deductible donations to either Angie Keil or Greg Kuntz at SLT Moose Lodge No. 1632, 961 Eloise Ave., South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.

There will be a public meeting June 3 at 6pm at Hidatsa Court in Lake Valley Fire District to discuss the upcoming fuels reduction project that will be going on in the neighborhood.

Agencies will include CalFire, California Tahoe Conservancy, Lake Valley Fire District and Nevada Fire Safe Council.

Two-part training series for executive directors and board members on accounting as good governance will cover:

-What is accounting?

-What financial reports should you be looking at and what do they mean?

-Internal controls: What are they and why are they important?

For more information about the June 3 and June 10 event, click training.

Date: June 17

Time: 6:30pm no-host bar/door opens; 7pm program

Cost: $10. No-host bar

Location: Assembly Rooms 139 and 141 Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village.

When John Muir coined the phrase “Range of Light” in the late 1880s, few people had seen the spectacular Sierra Nevada. John Muir’s writings provided the world a window into this magnificent landscape. His writing and activism helped bring attention to the threats to the natural ecosystem of the Sierra Nevada. Due to the visionary actions of an earlier generation, many regions of the Sierra Nevada are now protected in National Parks and Wilderness Areas. The images of landscape photographer Ansel Adams also played an important role in the protection of important regions of the Sierra.

Photographers still gain inspiration and imagery from the beautiful landscapes of the Sierra Nevada. Elizabeth Carmel is a Truckee-based photographer who will present on her new book “The Changing Range of Light: Portraits of the Sierra Nevada”. The landscape photography book focuses on climate change issues in the Lake Tahoe and Sierra Nevada region of California.

Accompanying her presentation are prominent climate change scientists Geoff Schladow and Robert Coats. The scientists contributed insights in the book’s introduction and within the text that accompanies the photography, and will talk about the recent scientific results and ideas on climate change, particularly as it affects the Sierra Nevada.

Elizabeth Carmel

Elizabeth Carmel is a Sierra-based photographer specializing in unique, expressive landscapes and “waterscapes.” Her prints combine dramatic photography, vivid colors, and artistic touches to create new, captivating visions of the natural world. She has spent years exploring and photographing the diverse landscapes of the world, often traveling on foot or skis in wilderness terrain far from roads in order to capture her unique images. Her award winning images are in numerous galleries and private collections throughout the United States. Elizabeth and her husband, Olof Carmel, own and operate a photography gallery in Truckee.

Geoffrey Schladow

Geoff Schladow has a doctorate in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Western Australia. His research at Lake Tahoe focuses on the physical processes that control water quality and the lake ecosystems. A changing climate, and its impacts on both the watershed and the lake, is currently at the forefront of his research. Dr Schladow is the founding director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

Robert Coats

Bob Coats has a doctorate in Wildland Resource Science from Cal. His recent research in the Tahoe basin, concentrates on the effects of land disturbance on water quality and on the regional trends and impacts of climate change in the Basin. He lives and works in Berkeley where maintains the consulting firm of Hydroikos Ltd. Coat’s work outdoors sometimes provides inspiration for his poetry; which has been published in arrange of anthologies.

Program is presented by Squaw Valley Institute and UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. For additional information, visit www.squawvalleyinstitute.org or terc.ucdavis.edu.

What: An insider’s view on submitting successful nominations followed by networking reception

Where: Granlibakken Conference Center & Lodge, Tahoe City

When: June 2, 3:30pm

The National Geographic Society has partnered with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Sierra Business Council to capture the history and heritage of the Sierra Nevada in order to create an interactive Web site and print map. The project partners are inviting the public to make nominations inspiring history buffs and adventurers, backpackers and foodies, birders and sightseers to discover unique destinations in the Sierra Nevada.

The Sierra Nevada Geotourism project is an effort designed to create consumer awareness of sustainable destinations in the region by engaging local communities in defining those places. The project aims to stimulate rural development, cultivate local pride and foster stewardship of the region’s unique natural and cultural assets by identifying, documenting and sharing them through print and online media.

Nominations can be made by attending a regional forum or by visiting the Sierra Nevada Geotourism website.

By Lenita Powers, Reno Gazette-Journal

Thousands of gallons of diesel fuel that threatened Donner Lake after a tanker truck overturned early Wednesday has been contained, and the spill will have no impact on Truckee Meadows Water Authority customers, Bill Hauck of TMWA said Wednesday.

“At this point, only a limited amount of diesel fuel actually entered the lake, and that small volume should have no impact on our water quality, especially since the point of entry was on the west side of the lake, and our dam is on the east side,” said Hauck, TMWA’s senior water supply coordinator.

The spill occurred about 6 a.m. Wednesday when a tanker truck headed east over Interstate 80 overturned on the snowy roadway, according to the California Highway Patrol.

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To the community,

Tuesday night at the Rec Center, a group of local citizens met to discuss the qualities they want to see in our next city manager. Here are some of the comments.

1. Most important, we need a city manager who can build positive working relationships with groups like TRPA, the county, the state, our neighboring counties, Nevada, Lahontan, the Forest Service, CTC, the public utilities, local businesses, non-local businesses and the local citizens. Once these constructive bonds are formed, it will be easier for Tahoe to grow and prosper. And we will have a more powerful voice. For example, we will be able to go to Washington, D.C., as a group and ask for the $100 million needed to fix our streets.

2. We need a city manager with vision. Someone who can see that Tahoe is not like any other city in the world. Hopefully, this new manager will come from a community with similar governmental and environmental demands, like a community on the California coast.

3. There was some discussion about the differences between people with corporate backgrounds verses civil service backgrounds. Corporate people thrive on reaching solutions that benefit all parties at the table. They know how to strike deals that satisfy people on both sides of an issue. And someone who knows how to promote the beauty of the lake and the High Sierra.

4. Someone who is enthusiastic about making Tahoe 100 percent  sustainable.

5. Someone who think “out of the box”.

6. Someone who is not afraid to be criticized.

Ernie Claudio, South Lake Tahoe

Downtown Truckee Thursdays 2010 will kick off June 17 and continue through Aug. 19 from 5-9pm.

The 10-week series was launched three years ago by the Truckee Downtown Merchants Association in an effort to highlight and revitalize the town and underscore a Think Local mentality. Offering a host of children’s activities, live music, art, the Foothills Farmers Market, a beer garden and vendors of all ilk, this lively weekly event is for locals and visitors.

“It’s something the community really responds to,” Andy Mond, Truckee Thursday’s event manager, said in a press release. “Truckee Thursdays is an event that truly brings alive the Think Local, Be Local, Buy Local premise in a low-key way that is fun and entertaining for the whole family.”

With free parking, folks stroll through the downtown district, popping into shops, sampling food and wine, listening to music at the train depot and catching up with friends and neighbors. Partnering with Kidzone Museum, kid-friendly activities abound including a bounce house, arts and crafts and much more.

Last year the 10-week event attracted more than 7,000 attendees and event organizers expect a 50 percent increase this year. The summer-long event is funded by the Truckee Downtown Merchants Association, the Town of Truckee, DBI Beverage and through sponsorships and participating vendor fees.

For more information about participating in Downtown Truckee Thursdays either as a vendor, entertainer, nonprofit or sponsor, contact info@truckeethursdays.com