An artist’s reception for Mark Vollmer, an award-winning outdoor photographer, instructor and freelance writer based in Reno, will be March 19 at the Starlight Lodge in Woodfords. (530) 694.9691

6pm Artist’s Reception.

7pm Slide show and photo display.

By USSA

PARK CITY, Utah – Five-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller, who captured a historic full complement of medals in Vancouver, is auctioning his signed Olympic helmet on eBay to help raise money for Pam Warman, a former U.S. Ski Team technician, who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Warman works for Sierra-at-Tahoe.

The helmet, which was worn by Miller in the Olympic slalom, can be found on eBay. The auction ends March 10 at 7:15pm.

Pam Warman works on a ski. Photo/Provided

Warman, originally from Portillo, Chile, tuned skis for the U.S. Ski Team from 2001-06, including Steven Nyman and Bryon Friedman. She now calls South Lake Tahoe. She spends her summers landscaping with Pete Lavin (aka Baby Huey), the long-time start house hype-man for the men’s World Cup team.

“I started with the Development Team then moved up to the Europa Cup program,” said Warman, who received her cancer diagnosis seven weeks ago following a routine mammogram. “I was working with Steven Nyman and Bryon Friedman when they got their first World Cup starts. I kind of became the mom for all these guys when they were younger.

“Bode has always been an extremely generous guy. I remember him buying U.S. Ski Team jackets for the Development Team a while ago,” she recounted. “No one knew where they came from. Bode didn’t want the credit, he just wanted to help out.”

Along with Miller, Warman struck a particular friendship with Jake Zamansky of Aspen, who began spearheading the auctions, which will also include items from Nyman, Friedman and three-time Olympic medalist Julia Mancuso of Olympic Valley.

“Pam is such a friend to so many members of our team,” said Zamansky, a 2010 Olympian along with Miller and Nyman. “It was really easy for us to get moving on this. We are putting together what we can, but Bode’s helmet was such a big item, we wanted to get that up right away. There will be more items that we’ll auction down the line.”

A separate fund raiser is planed for Warman at Sierra-at-Tahoe on April 13. The event will feature a dual giant slalom with current and former members of the U.S. Ski Team, plus an auction and live music by Friedman.

For more information, click here.

By Kathryn Reed

Students, educators and concerned citizens on Thursday took to the streets up and down California and in many other states to protest the spigot being turned off on education spending.

“I was supposed to transfer a year ago. I had to stay here,” said Rachel Sa-Onoy, president of Lake Tahoe Community College’s student council.

A sign at Lake Tahoe Community College on Thursday.

Not enough sections of required classes were offered to allow Sa-Onoy to accumulate the needed credits to transfer to a four-year college.

She and more than three dozen protesters, mostly students, carried handmade signs as they made their way through the main building of the South Lake Tahoe school Thursday afternoon to show their frustration with lawmakers.

This is just the prelude to March 22 when a group of LTCC students heads to Sacramento with compatriots from across the state to give legislators an earful about spending cuts.

Each campus within Lake Tahoe Unified School District also planned protests on Thursday. Some cars in faculty parking lots said “save our schools.”

California is facing a $10 billion budget deficit. Everything is getting cut. K-12 and community colleges are what’s affected in the Lake Tahoe Basin in California.

But the cuts at the university level affect local students because the cost of higher education keeps skyrocketing.

To compensate for last year’s cutbacks the University of California raised tuition 32 percent. The California State University system upped its fees, too. The cuts were $813 million to the UC system, $564 million to the CSU.

It was apparently a dismal day for California education. Washington let Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger know the state didn’t qualify for part of the $4.3 billion Race to the Top grants.

Sacramento will be forthcoming this spring with more concrete figures for the next fiscal year, but no one is anticipating it will be something to look forward to.

More than 200 scientists, agency staff and managers, and stakeholders will meet over two days to present results aimed at measuring the success of ecosystem restoration in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The 5th Biennial Tahoe Basin Science Conference “Measuring the Success of Ecosystem Restoration in the Lake Tahoe Basin,” is March 16-17 at the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, Incline Village.

Results from more than two-thirds of the 45 science projects that have been supported by the $11.25 million allocated for the Tahoe Science Program over the past three years will be unveiled.

The conference program features more than 100 oral and poster presentations on topics such as:

* aquatic environments (invasive species, native fish species, and the lake’s water quality and ecology);

* forest vegetation, soils and fire effects (soil disturbance and erosion, effects of the Angora wildfire on land and water resources, and prescribed burning and forest fuels treatments); and

* watershed restoration and air quality (stream and habitat restoration, burning and road dust impacts on air quality, and estimating the impacts of climate change in the Tahoe Basin).

This biennial science conference provides a forum where individuals involved in the science and management of the Lake Tahoe Basin can learn about and discuss the latest scientific findings and their significance. This conference also provides the opportunity for networking, education, and the exchange of new ideas and information.

The conference will begin with a session for all participants focusing on ecological change in complex systems and the impacts of invasive species.

Invited speakers include Daniel Schindler, University of Washington; Carla D’Antonio, UC Santa Barbara; Jonathan Brossenbroek, University of Toledo; Michael Marchetti, CSU Chico; and Chris Dionigi, acting executive director of the National Invasive Species Council.

The conference is hosted by the Tahoe Science Consortium. The Consortium’s member organizations are UNR; Desert Research Institute; UC Davis; the U.S. Geological Survey; and the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station.

The Research Station administers the Tahoe Science Program with funds from the Bureau of Land Management as authorized in the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act to support environmental restoration of the Tahoe Basin under the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.

For more information about the conference, click here.

To the Douglas County commissioners and community,

The county has received a number of inquiries recently as to whether an adult characterized business would be allowed at the building in Stateline formerly called Bill’s Casino, now under new ownership.

The potential proposed use, as we understand it, is an adult interactive cabaret. This use is identified in chapter 5.36 of Douglas County code. In the Tahoe Basin, this type of use is restricted to the Stateline Community Planning Area, which is where Bill’s Casino is located. Therefore, this type of business use could be allowed with the proper licensing.

The owner must submit a completed application for a license to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office which completes an investigation and then makes a recommendation to the board as part of a public hearing. At a minimum, the board must consider the following in granting or denying the license:

1. Whether the applicant has complied with all rules and regulations in preparing and submitting the application.

2. The impact the adult characterized business would have on the area in which it is to be located.

3. That locating an adult-characterized business in the selected area will not contribute to blight or reduced property values in the area.

4. The impact the adult characterized business will have on possible criminal activity in that area.

Further, if the owner plans to make changes to the exterior of the structure, the parking area, or signage, the owner must apply to the county for the proper design review and building permits, as well as, acquire Tahoe Regional Planning Agency approval, if applicable.

County code restricts the display of pictures, graphics, etc., on the exterior of the building, windows, or display areas. In addition, windows must have an opaque covering that prevents viewing into the interior of the building. Lighting is required on the exterior of the building to minimize criminal activity and to provide safety for patrons.

The county has not received a license application to operate an adult cabaret at this location. If we do receive an application, it will go through the process identified above.

The county will not speculate about the outcome of any matter that may or may not come before the Board for a decision.

Please contact me at (775) 782.9821 if you have any questions. Have a great day.

Michael Brown, Douglas County manager

High school students are invited to participate in the Congressional Art Competition, An Artistic Discovery, a nationwide high school art competition sponsored by the House of Representatives.

The contest is open to all high school students within the 4th Congressional District.

The deadline for entries to be received is April 30.

The winning entry for each vongressional district will be displayed for one year in the Cannon Tunnel, leading to the U.S. Capitol. Each winning student will be invited, along with one guest, to the unveiling of the exhibit and a reception for all winners in June. Two round-trip tickets will be provided to the winning student.

Congressional Art Competition guidelines and student information forms can be found on Rep. Tom McClintock’s website.

By Kathryn Reed

Dining around Lake Tahoe is about to take on a new meaning this fall.

Plans are in the works to create the inaugural Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week. It will mean being able to have a three-course meal at a slew of eateries around the lake and in the Truckee area for a fixed price of $20, $30 or $40.

The idea is the cost will be a savings for the diner. The restaurant will have advanced reservations so staff knows how many people will be dining a particular night.

It will be up to the restaurants if they offer a vegetarian choice, include any alcohol in the price, which of the three prices they want to charge, and what the courses entail.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to try restaurants you maybe haven’t been to before and to visit old favorites,” event organizer Pettit Gilwee said. “Everyone loves fresh, unique cuisine. It cuts across all different types of people and interests because we all love food.”

The Sept. 5-12 time-frame was selected because the whole basin slows down immediately after Labor Day. The idea is this might give tourists some incentive to stay longer, for those coming up for the annual Autumn Food and Wine Festival to come sooner, and for locals to get out after the summer crowds have dissipated.

“We are not trying to compete with other food and wine events in the region. We want to become known as a great dining destination in addition to skiing and boating,” Gilwee said. “I feel like Tahoe is ripe for this. We have that caliber of restaurant.”

Gilwee is in the process of negotiating with a variety of restaurants. Some are high end, some are mom and pop eateries, some are well established, others are less than a year old.

Details of who is participating will be forthcoming.

Gilwee’s goal is to have 20 restaurants the first year — 10 on the South Shore, 10 on the North Shore.

Restaurant weeks are not a new idea. Sacramento just had theirs in January — a month that is deemed slow for that city. Other cities have been doing this sort of thing for years.

Gilwee hopes people will start on one end of the lake and end the week at the other as they eat their way around Lake Tahoe.

She is working with the different chambers of commerce and visitors bureaus in the region to pull this endeavor off.

Besides providing what is being touted as a great experience for diners, the idea is to bring dollars to restaurants, hotels and other establishments in the basin at a time that is traditionally slow.

The website for Lake Tahoe Restaurant Week is still being worked on. It will be www.tahoerestaurantweek.com. The idea is the participating restaurants will be listed with a link to their website. Diners will book directly with the restaurant — no middleman to deal with, no tickets to buy.

The U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is accepting nominations through April 2 for individuals to serve on the 2010-12 Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory Committee.

Individuals interested in taking an active role in Lake Tahoe issues are encouraged to apply. The committee provides a critical role in advising the secretary of Agriculture and Lake Tahoe’s Federal Interagency Partnership on programs and funds to achieve the goals of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program.

Two representatives will be selected as members at-large, and one representative will be selected from each of the following sectors: 1) gaming, 2) environmental, 3) national environmental, 4) ski resorts, 5) North Shore Economic/Recreation, 6) South Shore Economic/Recreation, 7) resorts associations, 8) education, 9) property rights advocates, 10) science and research, 11) California local government, 12) Washoe Tribe, 13) state of California, 14) state of Nevada, 15) Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, 16) labor, 17) transportation, and 18) Nevada local government.

Appointments will be made by the secretary of Agriculture to establish a diverse committee membership that reflects Tahoe communities.

Committee application forms and LTFAC Committee background information, as well as a LTFAC checklist, can be downloaded in PDF format on the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit’s website, by calling (530) 543.2773, or send an email request to: ashains@fs.fed.us.

Dear concerned citizens,

Each year, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) evaluates its temporary and post-project completion best management practices in terms of successful implementation and effectiveness in preventing sediment movement.

The temporary BMP and BMP monitoring reports for 2009 are now available by navigating to the LTBMU’s website, clicking the link on the left for maps and publications, then the link for publications,and look under Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit monitoring Reports.

The overall results show the overwhelming majority of both BMPs and temporary BMPs were implemented as prescribed and were effective in preventing sediment transport, but a significant storm in October 2009 presented some challenges. BMP failures occurred at Valhalla Pier and Tallac Creek Bridge, where BMPs had been correctly implemented but were overwhelmed by the heavy rainfall over a short period of time. At the Angora Hazard Tree project, BMPs were not implemented as prescribed. This failure, combined with the network of user-created trails crisscrossing the project area, resulted in sediment transport to an SEZ.

In May 2009, an earlier significant storm resulted in the failure of a temporary grade control structure at the Blackwood Stream Channel/Floodplain restoration. This BMP was implemented correctly, however, and work already completed to restore the steam channel and floodplain has resulted in an overall decrease in sedimentation from the project area.

The LTBMU was created for the purpose of safeguarding water quality by improving the health of the forest ecosystems surrounding the Lake. With this in the forefront of our minds, staff quickly remedied deficiencies once they were identified and are identifying steps to prevent future failures. The unit is already implementing some of these, such as an improved storm forecasting and communication process. We will continue to evaluate our BMP implementation and ensure we are doing our best to preserve water quality as we implement projects to restore forest health, reduce hazardous fuels, restore streams and meadows and provide high-quality, sustainable recreation opportunities.

Cheva Heck, public affairs officer LTBMU U.S. Forest Service

On March 20, hundreds of brave souls with warm hearts will be taking the Plunge for Special Olympics.

The Plunge is not a swim. You take a quick dip at Zephyr Cove then head to the Post Plunge Party at the MontBleu Resort to celebrate with other participants.

“Plunge” is used loosely. You can dip your big toe or your whole body, it is completely up to you. For those who don’t want to get wet, you can still help. Register as a chicken and on plunge day you’ll be issued a sticker that will excuse you from taking the plunge. Plunger or chicken, everyone who raises at least $100 will receive the Polar Plunge Sweatshirt and free admittance to the post plunge party.

Costumes are encouraged. At the post plunge party awards will be given for funniest costume, best theme, top fundraiser and more. But wetsuits are not allowed – that’s cheating.

To join, click here.

The money raised by Team Tahoe will help to support the Special Olympics athletes who participate in the South Lake Tahoe Special Olympics program.

Schedule:

10-11:45am Registration

11:45am – Costume Parade and Contest

noon – Plunge

12:30pm – Post Plunge Party