Discover dabblers, divers, and other feathered friends on an early morning walk with Jim Woods, local birder and member of the Lahontan Audubon Society.

See what species are coming and going during the annual spring migration, and what birds stick around all year. Sign upfor this educational and fun workshop. For reservations and lodging, call Sorensen’s Resort in Hope Valley at 800.423.9949.

When: May 14, May 31 (8–11am)

Cost: $40 guests/$55 non-lodging guests (includes brunch at Sorensen’s).

By Kathryn Reed

How many times has mom made breakfast for you? Maybe she is still doing it. Sunday is Mother’s Day – breakfast in bed or even in the kitchen would be a nice way to start the day for her.

The egg dish below was inspired by the cookbook “Best of the Best from Arizona.” I followed the directions in the book and didn’t like the end result so I refined it, made it again and came up with something worth sharing.

Sometimes I wonder how recipes get published. Do the editors try them? I have given the cookbook away, so if you picked it up at the recent El Dorado County library book sale, be warned that I wasn’t completely impressed with the cookbook.

The original recipe calls for corn tortillas. I thought they overpowered the other flavors. I’m also partial to flour and use those in everything – so it could be my taste buds.

I like salsa with many egg dishes. This one originally didn’t call for it, but I would put it as a condiment on the table to let mom or whomever else decide for themselves.

Any cheese could be used.

Definitely grease the pan; I forgot one time. Set the timer for 45 minutes and stick a fork in it to see if any egg comes off. Cook longer at five-minute segments until the egg doesn’t stick to the fork.

To make a full meal, include some fruit on the side – not a whole apple or banana – more like a fruit salad. For meat eaters out there, diced ham, crumbled sausage or small pieces of bacon could easily be added to the egg dish.

Southwestern Egg Bake

8 corn tortillas or 4 medium size flour tortillas

¾ pound grated Co-Jack cheese or combination of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses

8 ounces diced green chiles (a can is just fine)

Sliced black olives

8 eggs

1 cup milk

¾ teaspoon chili powder

¾ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

Crushed corn chips

Sour cream, cilantro, salsa (optional)

Break tortillas into greased 9 x 13 pan. Mix together grated cheese, chiles, olives, eggs, milk and seasonings. Poor over tortillas and top with crushed corn chips. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Top with sour cream and cilantro, if desired. Makes 8-10 servings.

Blood drives at Lake Tahoe Airport are a thing of the past.

The “why” behind the decision to not have them there is not a consistent message, but the outcome is the same.

Some South Lake Tahoe officials are saying with a new restaurant opening this month it won’t be convenient. However, a restaurant has been in the building for years.

Other officials say the Barton Auxiliary blood drives outgrew the space.

Others point to FAA regulations.

The Parks and Recreation Department is now in the mix trying to come up with a solution and location.

Contact Dan Kerr, president of the Barton Auxiliary, at (775) 588.2376 if you can help find a permanent place in case the city doesn’t come through.

By Kathryn Reed

Retirement is not a place Dennis Crabb wants to rush to. Instead, the long-time municipal attorney is easing into it.

In June he will have given up all his lawyerly responsibilities except for attorney for Truckee and Happy Homestead Cemetery District.

Dennis Crabb

He is phasing out his job as counsel for Sutter Creek, Clean Tahoe, Tahoe Resource Conservation District, and Tahoe Transportation District. A request for proposal for an attorney for TTD will go out May 14.

Crabb is also wrapping up work for his private clients.

The 62-year-old moved to South Lake Tahoe in 1978 after spending the first five years out of law school as a deputy city attorney in Monterey. He was city attorney for South Lake Tahoe from 1979-95.

“I’ve been trying to cutback for the last two years,” Crabb said. “No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get below 30 hours a week. You get to the point in your career where you’ve been doing this long enough that it’s time to go have some fun.”

He and his wife, Pat, are ready to explore the world some more. She retired from the South Lake Tahoe branch of the El Dorado County Library two years ago. In September they will be spending three weeks in China.

“We have a whole list of things on the bucket list we both want to do,” Crabb said.

Now they split their time between South Lake Tahoe and Reno. Their home in the Del Webb community makes winters more tolerable. There they have joined the symphony and museum. Pilates and Zumba are regular activities.

“I don’t see ever leaving Tahoe permanently. The community has been very good to me,” Crabb said. “I love a lot of things about it. It would be hard to not be there.”

He along with a handful of other people was instrumental in forming the Tahoe Tallac Association. Crabb was on the board for 20 years, serving as president twice.

He also served a term as president of the former South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce.

Crabb was attorney for South Tahoe when redevelopment was in its infancy – when the Ski Run Boulevard parcel was in bankruptcy and Heavenly Village was initially being talked about.

“I’m proud when I drive around South Lake Tahoe and recognize a lot of good things in South Lake Tahoe that would not have happened without all of my battle scars,” Crabb said.

He calls Truckee, where he has been the town attorney since 1994 when it incorporated, a special place with a philosophy that reflects that uniqueness.

Crabb has also been an integral player in the Sierra Business Council, though not in recent years. He credits SBC for instilling in other agencies the belief that “the environment and economics in the Sierra are not mutually exclusive, they are the same thing.”

He likes looking around and seeing that philosophy taking root throughout the Sierra.

Crabb expects to be fully retired in two years.

“What I have discovered is the people who successfully retire are the ones who transition into it. They gradually work less and gradually fill their time with other activities so when the move finally comes there is no gap,” Crabb said. “I’ve been blessed. I’ve had opportunities beyond my wildest imagination.”

By Denise Sloan Smart

When nearly 450 Latino community members showed up at the first Latino Family Health Day in 2009, organizers were excited, amazed and thrilled.

“We knew there was an enormous need for these free medical screenings for this population, all provided in Spanish, but we certainly didn’t expect this large of an enthusiastic turnout,” said Delicia Spees, executive eirector of the Family Resource Center, a nonprofit group dedicated to helping the Latino families in our community. “Needless to say, we were thrilled with the turnout and the eager participation in more than two dozen health screenings for the entire family. We know this year’s event is going to be even better.”

Sylvia Hurtado, right, Barton’s Occupational Health Services assistant, provided vision screening at last year’s Latino Family Health Day. Photo/Provided

The second annual Latino Family Health is May 26 at Bijou Community School from 3-7pm.

More than two dozen free medical screenings and health-related booths will be available, in Spanish for the Latinos, and in English for the entire community. This event will serve as one of Barton’s free health checks, which are offered as a community service to help keep all of locals healthy.

“We’re pleased to open Bijou School for this important health event,” said Karen Tinlin , principal of Bijou Community School. “We’re also impressed that, in this economy with all the nonprofits not receiving the usual support they receive, Barton Health is teaming up with so many other area non-profits to bring these many free health screenings to our community, when we all need them most.”

Barton Health spearheaded the event and is providing nearly a dozen of its departments that are working with the Latino Affairs Commission, Barton Foundation, Lake Tahoe Unified School District, South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center, Family Resource Center, El Dorado Public Health Department, Embassy Suites, physician Jenifer Norris of Alpine Family Practice, Soroptimist International of Tahoe Sierra, South Tahoe Public Utility District and South Lake Tahoe Optimist Club.

Barton gladly issues an invitation to other area non-profit organizations that would like to offer a health-related service at this event to call Sue McLaughlin at (530) 543.5615.

There will be lots of children’s fitness activities and crafts, more than 20 interactive health related booths and medical screenings, barbecue, food and fun for the entire family and plenty of Spanish speaking representatives. Everyone in the community is invited to participate.

Bijou Community School is at 3501 Spruce Ave., South Lake Tahoe.

Denise Sloan Smart is Barton Health’s communications specialist.

Baffled what to do for your mom this Mother’s Day? Help her relax or at least chill out at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena.

With a single paid admission mothers skate free Sunday from 12:30–5pm.

For more information, call (530) 542-6262, or come by the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena at 1176 Rufus Allen Blvd.

Construction kicked into gear this week at Lake Tahoe, marking the beginning of the grading season in the basin. To protect from erosion, open digging and grading projects are limited to dry months between May 1 and Oct. 15 at Lake Tahoe.

Regardless of the date, however, grading is limited to times that soil is the most stable and activity is likely to cause the least amount of potential polluted runoff.

With some residual snow on the ground this spring, each site should be examined carefully to make sure conditions are suitable for construction activity, said TRPA officials.

Grading is the cutting or moving of soil for construction of a driveway, parking area, utility line, building or other structure. Grading also includes filling, excavation and clearing of soil and is not permitted during periods of precipitation or when a building site is covered with snow.

Any project involving more than three cubic yards of soil disturbance requires a grading permit.

For additional information, call the TRPA front desk at (775) 588.4547.

By Lia Kvatum, National Geographic News

It flies in the face of conventional wisdom, but one solution to control nuisance black bears in the United States may be to offer them snacks, one biologist says.

Especially in the western United States, black bears will often break into cars, homes, and campsites in search of food. And as humans increasingly move into bears’ habitats, more bear-human interactions have been occurring, experts say.

Many scientists say feeding black bears makes the animals more aggressive, in part because the animals come to see people as food sources. But black bear biologist Lynn Rogers thinks 
it may not be so clear-cut. Instead, hunger is largely to
 blame for so-called nuisance behaviors, he said.

Read the whole story

Larry Brown, the former South Tahoe High School security guard accused of providing marijuana to a minor, pleaded not guilty Friday during his arraignment in El Dorado County Superior Court.

Brown, 63, was charged with one felony count and two misdemeanor counts related to his arrest in November involving marijuana and a 16-year-old female student.

Brown was arrested Nov. 6 during a routine traffic stop in South Lake Tahoe after El Dorado County sheriff’s deputies said they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle.

North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce’s 24th Annual Business Expo is June 2 from 5-7:30pm at the North Tahoe Event Center, 8318 North Tahoe Blvd., Kings Beach.

Prizes, raffles and merchandise values will be available at this festive and interactive community event.

For more information about the event, call Kym Fabel, North Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce manager, at (530) 581.8764 or kym@puretahoenorth.com.