Remember to wear green today, or be prepared to be pinched. Here is the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

U.S. Forest Service Fuels Management Crews will be conducting prescribed fire operations in the upper Kingsbury Grade beginning March 17.

Operations will continue through the week. Approximately 21 acres will be treated in the Upper Kingsbury and North Benjamin areas.

Residents and travelers can expect to see smoke from prescribed fire project areas.

This and other prescribed fire projects are designed to reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical resources. Smoke management is part of every prescribed fire burn plan, and efforts will be taken to reduce actual or potential smoke impacts on community areas.

By Kathryn Reed

ZEPHYR COVE — Buy the cheap hamburger. The lean stuff produces about as much grease as the fatty kind.

That’s what Aubrey Felton discovered in his science experiment. The Zephyr Cove Elementary School sixth-grader took first place Tuesday night for his grade level.

Aubrey Felton's hamburger experiment was a winner. Photos/Kathryn Reed

He used raw and frozen meat of different grades to see which produced the most grease and if the cost difference was worth it.

Felton concluded, “I would buy the cheapest because all the different kinds of meats contain about the same amount of grease.”

The annual science fair is geared toward fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders, though some in the lower grades entered the contest. Samantha Fonvilly and Gigi Stetler took top honors for fifth-graders for their “Bacteria Among Us” project. Jonathan Duffy won at the fourth-grade level for his “Yeast” experiment.

The top four finishers in grades four to six go on to the next level of competition in Reno on March 26-27.

Judges were three Lake Tahoe Community College instructors and a parent. Millie Oleson, who

Carbon dioxide and yeast was one experiment.

teaches chemistry at LTCC and is a parent of a ZCES student, organized and helped judge the event.

“There were some really good original ideas. There are some really bright minds out there,” Oleson said. “They learned how to scientifically test something.”

Jordyn and Hannah Switzer, sixth-graders, created a mini solar vehicle.

“We would put another motor in the back next time,” Jordyn Switzer said. They tried it with both motors in back, but found with the two motors they had that one in front and one in back gave it the most power.

Solar panels on the wood body of the vehicle powered the engines. Alligator clips and Christmas lights are some of the tools they used to rig their hot rod. Next time they may need to add four-wheel drive because as Switzer said, “It doesn’t work on gravel.”

Kristen Oleson, a third-grader, spent her time indoors trying to find out what happens when you don’t follow a recipe. She made several cakes. One was missing the water, another had extra oil and one had five egg whites instead of three.

Kristen Oleson explains what to do and not do with a cake recipe.

Oleson said they all tasted good except for the one with the extra oil. Even though the waterless one was hard and crumbly, she said it had great flavor.

The experiments covered the spectrum of scientific intrigue. One student examined which types of oranges produce the most juice. The effectiveness of magnets at different temperatures was researched. A team studied what plays the biggest role in the speed of a skier or snowboarder. The conclusion was weight helped and pink wax is a bad thing.

The board of directors of Tahoe Turning Point Inc. is having an open house March 18 from 5:30-7:30pm.

The group is expanding its expertise to offer Outpatient Services (Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol) to the community of South Lake Tahoe. Tahoe Turning Point will be providing intense outpatient counseling which will include individual counseling weekly, group counseling weekly, and parenting classes. This also will include random drug testing. All ages are served. serving all ages. Counseling for mental health and substance abuse is available..

The location is 2494 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Suite B5, South Lake Tahoe.

For more information, call (530) 541.4594.

American Buddhist monk Venerable Sumati Marut returns to Mountain Yoga in South Lake Tahoe April 6 from 7-9pm with his talk “Aspiration and Acceptance: When to Work Hard and When to Relax in the Spiritual Life.”

Marut has been teaching in the Lake Tahoe area on a regular basis for more than five years. Marut will address the deeply intimate and often difficult relationship between discipline and relaxation in a spiritual practice.

Phone: (530) 542.5050

Contact: David Fishman at davidbfishman@gmail.com

Website: www.mountain-yoga.com.

Cost: By donation only

By Walt Cook, Union Democrat

Timber harvested this year in the Stanislaus National Forest is scheduled to exceed last year’s amount by several million board feet — or hundreds of extra logging truck loads.

Last year, around 23 million board feet were sold from the national forest. This year, U.S. Forest Service officials expect to sell 32 million board feet.

One board foot of wood is one foot long, one foot wide and one inch thick.

Read the whole story

By Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee

SACRAMENTO — Amid dense scrub oak and manzanita high above the Coloma Valley in El Dorado County, the marijuana growers were stocked to subsist in the steep, unforgiving terrain.

They had seedlings, fertilizer and drip irrigation for thousands of high-grade plants. They had solar power, cookware and months of food. And they had a tiny, protective figurine: Jesús Malverde, the patron saint of Mexican drug traffickers.

With a month to go in the growing season, California is shattering records for pot seizures stemming from raids on illicit marijuana gardens. And authorities blame intricate Mexican drug networks that seek remote growing sites, supply and arm workers, and harvest and traffic the product.

Read the whole story

California Highway Patrol is offering a Spanish version of the Winter Driving Safety & Survival Class. Winter Driving Safety & Survival is aimed at helping educate all drivers about the hazards of winter driving. The class was created in an effort to preemptively reduce the incidence of injuries and deaths resulting from winter-related motor vehicle collisions and incidents.

With the use of still photographs and videos, the officer in attendance will address drinking and driving, winter preparation, snow tires, speed limits, snow chain installation, anti-lock braking systems, stopping distances, restraint use and more. This class will be conducted in Spanish and does not offer any behind the wheel training.

The class will be March 22 at Bijou Elementary School in South Lake Tahoe and is free. Class is from 6-8pm.

This class is highly recommended for new drivers, drivers unfamiliar with winter driving conditions and drivers wishing to learn more about driving during the winter season.

Salomon Snowboards will host the Salomon Backyard Bang rail jam at Stateline’s MontBleu Casino on March 27.

The event will feature Tahoe’s elite local snowboarding athletes competing for $2,000.

The Salomon Backyard Bang will be in the MontBleu parking lot under the lights by the marquee.

The event is invite-only and limited to 30 competitors. There will be a 30foot triple rail feature.

There will also be a beer garden, tent village and disc jockey.

Practice will begin at 4:30pm, with the event kicking-off at 5pm. At 6:30pm 30 competitors will be cut to 10 and awards will begin at 7:15pm.

Immediately following the event Orange County based prog-emo band Thrice will perform at the MontBleu Showroom. Opening acts include Kandi Coded, featuring Jamie Lynn, and local metal band I.Dee.Kay. A special presentation of the “I AM SNOWBOARDING” art project in honor of Jeff Anderson will be displayed in the showroom for viewing featuring art by Mike Parillo, Jamie Lynn, Mark “Gonz” Gonzales, RYN o, Adam Haynes, Ben Brough, Michael Jager, Jeff Curtes and more.

Doors open at 8pm and tickets are available at the MontBleu box office in advance for $28. Ticket price includes access to the after party at Blu nightclub featuring DJ Greyboy.

The board of directors of Tahoe Turning Point Inc. is having an open house March 18 from 5:30-7:30pm.

The group is expanding its expertise to offer Outpatient Services (Mental Health and Drug & Alcohol) to the community of South Lake Tahoe. Tahoe Turning Point will be providing intense outpatient counseling which will include individual counseling weekly, group counseling weekly, and parenting classes. This also will include random drug testing. All ages are served. serving all ages. Counseling for mental health and substance abuse is available..

The location is 2494 Lake Tahoe Blvd., Suite B5, South Lake Tahoe.

For more information, call (530) 541.4594.