It was standing room only April 13 as South Lake Tahoe birders Bob and Jenny Sweatt regaled the audience about their year of documenting every species they saw in the basin. One man came from Santa Rosa to hear the presentation that was sponsored by the Friends of the Library. Photo/Denise Haerr

·      Here are the El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra roadwork schedules for the week from Caltrans.

·       Lake Tahoe Community College’s budget development team earned the distinguished budget presentation award from the Government Finance Officers Association for the 2015-16 budget.

·       On April 24 at 1pm there will be a memorial service at the Putah Creek Lodge on the UC Davis campus for Carson May, who died in an avalanche on Jan. 14 at Sugar Bowl.

·       Lake Tahoe Triathlon is Aug. 27-28. For more info, go online.

Prolonged drought periods often result in forest tree mortality, but this death varies across the Lake Tahoe Basin. The causes of tree mortality range from native bark beetles, forest pathogens (native and invasive), stressors such as drought and salt stress, as well as historical land use.

Patricia Maloney will discuss on May 10 the ecological and evolutionary consequences of forest tree mortality in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

She is a forest ecologist and conservation biologist with UC Davis’ Department of Plant Pathology and Tahoe Environmental Research Center. Her research is aimed at understanding forest dynamics and forest tree species responses to natural and anthropogenic disturbances.

The program will begin at 6pm, with refreshments and no-host bar from 5:30-6pm at 291 Country Club Drive in Incline Village on the campus of Sierra Nevada College.

Seating is open at 5:30pm. to guests who have preregistered, open seating starts at 5:50pm. Cost is $5.

South Lake Tahoe is trying to engage residents in many ways as it can.

The latest venue is through Flash Vote. The citizens engagement program will ask people to take a short survey each month.

“The information will be provided to City Council members and to staff.  The survey’s purpose is another way to collect citizens responses in addition to SpeakUpSLT and eComment, which were both launched in 2015,” city spokeswoman Tracy Franklin told Lake Tahoe News.

People may only take each survey once, or at least only once per email address.

Go online to sign up.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

·       South Tahoe Public Utility District board of directors will be having a public hearing on the budget May 12 from 6-7:30pm at the district, 1275 Meadow Crest Drive, South Lake Tahoe. The board will take action on the budget May 19 at 2pm at its regular meeting.

·       Lake Tahoe Mountain Bike Race is June 18 in Tahoe City. For more info, go online.

·      Wanderlust, the largest yoga lifestyle event in the world, returns to Squaw Valley on July 14-17. Details are online.

·      Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows has partnered with Protect Our Winters to offer free premium parking to guests who carpool to the resort with four or more passengers in the vehicle.

·       South Lake Tahoe is putting on a Fourth of July parade starting at 10am that will go from the Y, down Highway 50 and end at Bijou Community Park.

·      Staples in South Lake Tahoe is closing June 5.

·      The annual Community Clean Up Day in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee will be June 4, 9am-1pm, rain or shine. For more info, email info@northtahoebusiness.org

·       Tina Shannon, management analyst for South Lake Tahoe, and her husband have bought the restaurant at Lake Tahoe Airport. They are going to make it a sports bar. The contract is on the April 19 City Council agenda.

·       The South Lake Tahoe Outrigger Canoe Club is having an introductory meeting for adults and youth on April 30 at 4pm at the South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center.

·       Truckee Town Council is having a budget strategic planning session on April 18 from 4-8pm at the Town Hall.

Tahoe Regional Young Professionals is launching an event series called Tahoe Town Hall. The inaugural event will take place in the Student Center at the Lake Tahoe Community College on April 20 from 6-7:30pm.

The free talk will feature a panel discussion about the creation and governance of local ordinances and how South Lake Tahoe’s Vacation Rental Ordinance and plastic bag ban came to be.

Panelists will include representatives from South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

Agency reps will explain how jurisdictions propose local rules, how they become law, and how they are enforced.

A moderated question-and-answer session will follow the panel presentations.

·       The ACT Bowling Night fundraiser is May 18 in South Lake Tahoe. The $20 per person fee supports Animal Coalition of Tahoe’s spay-neuter program and the animal shelter in Meyers. Teams must enter by May 12. Fill out this form and then call Rich Hodge (530.400.4766) to arrange pick up.

·       Andre Nickatina plus Black Rock City Allstars will be at Whiskey Dicks Saloon in South Lake Tahoe on April 20. Doors open at 9pm. Must be 21 or older to attend. Advance tickets are available for $20 online.

·       Entrepreneurs Assembly is an award-winning mentor program that assists budding and existing entrepreneurs. The free monthly ongoing program is from 6-9pm on the first Thursday of the month in the Aspen Room at Lake Tahoe Community College.

·       Registration is open for summer Tahoe Rim Trail’s youth backcountry camps. For more info, go online.

·      TAMBA’s spring party on April 20 from 6-9pm is a fundraiser for the mountain bike group’s trail projects and Sky Tavern Bike Park. It will be at Sky Tavern, which is just below Mount Rose Ski Area on Mount Rose Highway. RSVP online.

El Dorado County Fair’s entry guide has been released.

There are multiple divisions to choose from. Some entries have generous sponsors and the prize money can be well worth it, not to mention the bragging rights.

The guide is online. Entry forms with discounted entry fees should be submitted to the fair office by May 25.

This year’s theme is Cowboys & Carousels. The fair is June 16-19 in Placerville.

·       Art Chapman is now chair of the Tahoe Fund board of directors. Environmental attorney Clem Shute has joined the board.

·       The Restaurant Industry Group is open to any South Shore restaurant owner or manager. Meetings are the fourth Wednesday of the month from 9-10:30am in the conference room of the chamber of commerce in Stateline.

·       The El Dorado County Commission on Aging is seeking a community representative. The deadline to apply is May 12. For more info, email janice.haney@edcgov.us.

·       The final snowshoe cocktail race of the season at the Beacon restaurant at Camp Richardson is April 16 at 7pm. Signups are from 5-7pm. No cost to enter.

·       Tahoe Forest Hospital District successfully refinanced its Measure C, election of 2007, general obligation bonds April 7, resulting in a net savings of $10.6 million, or approximately $424,000 annually over the next 25 years. This savings will be directly passed on to district taxpayers through lower annual property tax assessments.

A program designed to motivate and help communities take action to lower their risk wildfire hazard in the Lake Tahoe Basin is being launched.

The goal is to create a unified network of individuals who take responsibility and actions to reduce the wildfire risk in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Tahoe Resource Conservation District is partnering with Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension and the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team to build a fire adapted community network to educate locals and visitors about wildfire and help them reduce the risk.

The network will engage individuals so they understand their wildfire threat and provide the tools they need to lower their risk. It will leverage educational resources, promote fire district services, and act as a liaison between community members and agencies, building partnerships between fire districts, communities, visitors, and agencies

For more info, contact Marybeth Donahoe at 530.543.1501, ext. 114.