By Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee

If you think it’s interesting to creep through a forest – pistol at the ready – in pursuit of illegal marijuana growers, or to be in an armed, early morning raid of a suspected wildlife shooter’s home, you’re in for some thrills.

Producers of the hit reality television series “Deadliest Catch” are filming a new show featuring California game wardens and their increasingly difficult struggle to protect the state’s environment. Shot as wardens chase real crimes throughout Northern California, it’s due to air late next year on the National Geographic Channel.

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By Kathryn Reed

Construction paper in a rainbow of colors fills the round tables.

Magic markers and glue sticks are strewn about.

Giggles fill the room even though these youngsters are serious about the task their teacher Jo Anna Chamarro has given them.

They are making turkeys and giving thanks at the same time.

“I put I’m thankful for my cousin,” kindergartner Jasmine Gonzalez said.

Purple is her favorite color, but hers, like all of the birds, had multi-colored feathers.

On each “feather” they wrote a different person or thing they are thankful for. This included: mom, dad, grandma, family, Princess Goldie, friends, school, sister, brother, dog, cat, grandma and home.

Banana nut bread and apple cider were part of the festivities. This particular food was chosen because the students have been learning B and N sounds.

This is the third year Chamarro, who teaches at Sierra House Elementary School in South Lake Tahoe, has been doing something like this to infuse a bit of the true meaning of Thanksgiving into her students.

Several parents were also part of Tuesday afternoon’s festivities.

Trey Stone and Rocky Sleight play the Fresh Ketch in South Tahoe on Dec. 8, Dec. 15, Dec. 22 starting at 6:30pm.

Bentwood Dec. 5, 7pm, Fresh Ketch, South Tahoe.

Nial McGuinness and New World Jazz Project on Dec. 4, 11, 18, 25 at 7pm at the Fresh Ketch in South Tahoe.

Jackie Dauzat on Dec. 10, 17, 24 at 6:30pm plays at the Fresh Ketch in South Tahoe.

Trey Stone and Rocky Sleight at Fresh Ketch in South Tahoe on Dec. 1 at 6:30pm.

Winemaker’s Dinner returns by popular demand on Dec. 9 at 6:30pm at the Fresh Ketch in South Lake Tahoe.

Enjoy a five-course menu permeated with signature seafood and paired with choice wines from Steele Vineyards. Tickets are $65 per person or $120 a couple.

With limited space, reservations are recommended at (530)541.5683.

Snowshoe Cocktail Races are back at the Beacon Bar & Grill at Camp Richardson on the South Shore.

The dates are: Dec. 2, Jan. 13, Feb. 10, and March 10. Race starts at 7pm.

The races are free to participate in with snowshoes provided.

The winter pursuit will include food and drink specials, prizes for winners and losers and happy hour extended until close.

No snow? No problem – snowshoes work great on the sand.

The Truckee Ranger District has begun burning piles in the Alder Creek drainage. This pile burning project is one more step in the continuing work in the Alder Creek area to reduce fuel loading in the wildland urban interface.

Over the past five years the Truckee Ranger District has emphasized fuel reduction in this area using tools such as mechanical thinning to remove the fuel from the site, and mastication to reduce ladder fuels on site. The overall project area is from Hillside Drive down to Highway 89 north, within the Alder Creek drainage on National Forest system lands.

Burning will be completed in stages in order to facilitate smoke dispersal and limit smoke impacts to residences. Residences may notice smoke in the area at times. Smoke may settle into drainages during the evenings and mornings until daytime heating increases smoke dispersal.

Fuels management personnel work with the California Air Resources Board and the local air quality management districts to plan the pile burning so that smoke impacts to communities are minimized. Burning operations will be monitored by Forest Service personnel on a regular basis.

If you have any questions or concerns about the pile burning project, call Linda Ferguson at the Truckee Ranger District at (530) 587.3558.