Michael Makley will be talking about his book “The Tahoe Story: History of a National Treasure” on Feb. 28 from 6:30-8pm at the Nevada State Museum, 600 N. Carson St., Carson City.
He will also be signing books.
The book is about the general history of Lake Tahoe, with a segment about the controversy between climbers and the Washoe Tribe over Cave Rock.
Makley co-authored “Cave Rock: Climbers, Courts and a Washoe Sacred Place” with his son, Matthew Makley.
On March 10, Snowfest returns to Tahoe Donner with the ninth annual I-Did-A-Run event.
Due to construction at the Lodge Restaurant & Pub, this year the event will take place at Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Area.
Dogs of all shapes and sizes will compete in this timed dog pull race. The event pits dog against dog and clock while pulling covered wagon sleds over a snow-covered course. Prizes are awarded for various divisions as well as the overall winner.
Sign up is from noon to 1pm and the field is limited to 40 dogs.
For more information about the I-Did-A-Run email Ali Kovach at ekovach@tahoedonner.com or call (530) 587.9424.
By Joel Grover, NBC-4
A bill that would for the first time require California ski areas to report all deaths and injuries to the state has been introduced in the state Senate.
California’s 24 ski areas are largely unregulated, making the Golden State the only major ski state with no ski safety law. Previous attempts to enact legislation have failed, but in the wake of an NBC4 I-Team investigation exposing multiple dangers across the state, one lawmaker is trying again.
“When there are injuries or deaths, that should be a matter of public record,” said state Sen. Bill Monning, of Carmel, who sponsored the Ski Safety Bill.
In early February, the NBC4 I-Team revealed that there are numerous injuries and deaths at California ski areas that are not required to be reported to the state or made public, including an accident involving 9-year-old Keely Proctor of Redlands.
Two years ago, Proctor fell 32 feet from a chairlift at Snow Valley that didn’t have safety bars. Keely had six surgeries in five days that saved her life.
“We could’ve lost her,” Keely’s mother Terri Proctor told NBC4.
The California Ski and Snowboard Safety Organization, a group advocating ski area safety, said there are hundreds of unreported accidents a year on the state’s ski slopes.
Monning’s bill would also require ski areas to prepare an annual safety plan to prevent accidents and lessen hazards on the slopes. Resorts would have to post that safety plan on their websites.
“It’s really a question of transparency and the public’s right to know. People are spending a lot of money to enjoy the resorts,” Monning said.
The Ski Safety Bill will be heard in committee within 30 days. If it passes both houses of the legislature, it will land on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk in September. But that doesn’t assure its success.
Similar ski safety bills have passed the legislature twice in the past four years, but then were vetoed by governors, first by Arnold Schwarzenegger then by Jerry Brown.
The 14th annual celebration of Snowshoe Thompson is March 2 from 9am-1pm at Picketts Junction.
The Snowshoe Thompson statue in Genoa. Photo/LTN file
Nina MacLeod and Snowshoe Thompson (aka Steve Hale) will lead people on a ski-snowshoe tour through Hope Valley.
Registration and rentals are available at the yurt. (From South Lake Tahoe, go straight onto Burnside Road at the junction.) A $10 donation is requested.
This is a benefit for the Friends of Snowshoe Thompson to promote awareness about him and to maintain his statue in Genoa.
For more info, call Nina at (530) 573.8940 or Sue at (775) 315.7777.
Scott Enerson of South Lake Tahoe was sentenced Feb. 25 to seven years in prison.
Enerson pulled a gun on a fellow patron at Whiskey Dick’s in June 2012.
He pleaded guilty to felony assault with a firearm and the enhancement of using a firearm during the commission of a crime.
El Dorado County Assistant District Attorney Hans Uthe said Enerson and the victim presented compelling testimony at Monday’s sentencing hearing.
“Ultimately the crime was just far too serious for us to permit anything less than a state prison commitment,” Uthe told Lake Tahoe News. “ And, although he was fortunately not physically harmed, from what the victim, a really decent guy, said at sentencing, his life just isn’t going to be the same again either, and not in a good way.”
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Tahoe Youth Ballet celebrates the company’s fifth anniversary in the Frank Sinatra Showroom at the Cal Neva Resort on March 15-16 at 7 both nights.
The program will feature guest artists Risa Larsen of Margaret Jenkins Dance Company and Max Van Der Sterre of Alabama Ballet, alongside Tahoe Youth Ballet’s nine company members and 12 apprentices. Works presented include new pieces by artistic director Christin Hanna, in addition to Stephen Straub, Deborah Lohse, and Shannon Barter, as well as a company premiere by Constantine Baecher, accompanied live by pianist Melody Fader.
The Friday Gala includes a post-performance reception in the showroom celebrating the company’s artists and works. Deborah Lohse will premiere a film created with the company, along with a showing of Danielle Hankinson’s photographs of the company. The Gala Celebration’s proceeds and raffle ticket sales benefit Tahoe Youth Ballet’s ongoing performances, programs and workshops that benefit the young dancers and the community at large.
General admission tickets for March 15 are $35 in advance, $40 at the door; for March 16 they are $20 in advance ($23 at the door), students and seniors (over 65) $15 ($18 at the door). Buy tickets by calling 800.838.3006.
Frank Sinatra Showroom at the Cal Neva Resort is at 2 Stateline Road, Crystal Bay.
For additional information, contact Christin Hanna at (530) 613.4363 or christin@tahoeyouthballet.com.
El Dorado County’s financial situation is looking the best it has in years.
In a presentation Feb. 25 by Chief Budget Officer Laura Schwartz to the Board of Supervisors it was revealed the current projections are that the general fund revenues will exceed budget by 1 percent for a total of $223,322,518.
General fund expenses are projected at $212,526,135, or 96 percent of what was budgeted.
The mid-year budget projection also maintains a $9 million reserve for economic uncertainties.
“We are looking pretty good in the current fiscal year,” Schwartz told the board at the special budget workshop. “But we still need to continue spending conservatively and investing wisely in order to manage out-year shortfalls.”
Despite the good news, it’s not all good. The county is still looking at a shortfall of up to $5.3 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1. But at this time top officials are not calling for cuts.
“Our track record suggests that the amount of savings departments achieve at the end of the year is greater than what we are able to forecast at mid-year,” Schwartz said.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Don’t miss the Swatch Freeride World Tour at Kirkwood on Wednesday.
Here is the Feb. 26 ski report.
— Curtis Fong
South Lake Tahoe is hosting a public workshop on the Tourist Core Area Plan formerly known as the Stateline/Ski Run Community Plan on March 20 from 6-9pm at Lake Tahoe Airport.
City planning staff will be on hand to present information on the updated plan and to gather public input.
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency staff will also be present to discuss the recent adoption of the Regional Plan and its relationship to the Tourist Core Area Plan.
By Kathryn Reed
EMERALD BAY STATE PARK – While it would have been nice to be able to start a fire at the campsite to warm up a bit, it was even better having the entire campground to ourselves.
As we descended to the shore of Emerald Bay, we were walking through a blizzard. Not everyone realized the bay was to our left as we snowshoed down. The visibility was that poor on Saturday.
Emerald Bay on Feb. 23 from Eagle Point Campground. Photos/Kathryn Reed
Freshies were gradually accumulating on the already snow-laden picnic tables in Eagle Point Campground.
(When we got back to South Lake Tahoe that afternoon there was no evidence it had snowed there.)
Trekking through this 100-spot campground on snowshoes is ideal. Seldom is anyone else there. The solitude and tranquility are abundant. But it’s the scenery that will give you pause and reason to take a camera.
Pines and cedar loom tall. Only the crunching of snowshoes can be heard.
Early on there is an opportunity to hook up with the Rubicon Trail. We go to the right, the opposite direction. Mostly we follow the snow-covered road. At one point we meander off to get a view of the water below.
And then when we do reach the bottommost campsite, we break trail to reach the bay.
There, the water laps against the rocks. Icicles have formed on some of the vegetation. On the far side of Lake Tahoe blue sky is peaking out. A couple boats ply the water.
Looking around, it is easy to understand why in 1969 Emerald Bay was designated a National Natural Landmark. This campground is part of the larger Emerald Bay State Park, which includes the whole bay and Vikingsholm. The state acquired the land in 1953 from Placerville lumberman Harvey West for half the amount of what it was appraised at. (The campground was closed last season for upgrades.)
The only thing that could have made the excursion better was if an eagle had soared overhead.
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Getting there:
From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 89 north. Once you go through all the hairpin turns and are about to get on the stretch where Cascade Lake is on the left and Emerald Bay is on the right, the campground is on the right. Without snow, there is ample parking off the road.
ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)