·  The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will host the fourth annual Native Species Festival from 10am-4pm on May 30 at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

·  Here are next week’s roadwork reports from Caltrans for El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra.

·  The gate to Powerline Road (the bottom of Corral) opens May 25 and the upper gate all the way to the top of Armstrong Connector opens June 30.

· The 4th annual Kirkwood Mountain Classic Cross Country mountain bike race is July 12. All race proceeds go to TAMBA. It’s also part of the Sierra Cup regional championship series and the last chance to qualify for MTB Nationals the following weekend in Mammoth. Online registration opens June 1.

· Comments are being taken on the five alternatives contained in the King Fire Restoration Project draft environmental impact statement. For more info, go online.

The Avoid the 6 DUI Task Force is deploying officers this holiday weekend at DUI saturation patrols throughout El Dorado County to stop and arrest drunken or drugged drivers, and heighten awareness of the deadly impact alcohol and drugs can have.

Additional officers will deploy to stop and arrest those who drive impaired by either alcohol and/or drugs.

Extra patrols will be in Placerville, South Lake Tahoe and the unincorporated areas in county.

Funding for the Avoid DUI Task Force is by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

·  Lake Tahoe Hard Rock has delayed the opening of its pool party festivities because of the forecasted nasty weather this weekend. A new opening date has not been set.

·  The Eldorado National Forest draft environmental impact statement for the proposed King Fire restoration project is available online.

·  Donner Memorial State Park Visitor Center opens June 6.

·  Photographer Jaime Emery has moved Rose Street Studio to 100 McFaul St., Suite E in Zephyr Cove.

·  Effective June 1, outdoor irrigation with potable water will be restricted to two days per week and only on Tuesdays and Fridays for Truckee Donner PUD customers.

Lake Tahoe News subscriber Ty Robben is going to be at the Rocks & Rhones wine event in El Dorado County this weekend.

He won tickets to the event through a contest that was open only to Lake Tahoe News subscribers.

If you fill out this paid subscriber form, you will be eligible for the next contest. Subscriptions help Lake Tahoe News continue to provide the only daily news in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

For those who didn’t win, tickets are still available to the May 23-24 wine event. More info is available online.

“El Dorado County wineries are way more laid back and less crowded than the wineries in Napa and the quality is just as good,” Robben said.

— Lake Tahoe News staff

The Barton Foundation has $50,000 to give away to help improve community health.

In this grant cycle, Barton Health will award up to $30,000 in grants and $20,000 will fund special community projects throughout the year as determined by the Community Health Action Committee.

Local projects and programs that address the most pressing needs identified by South Lake Tahoe’s 2015 Community Health Needs Assessment will receive priority.  Those are mental health, substance abuse and access to healthcare services.

Grant proposals addressing these top three priorities will be accepted until June 30. Grant recipients will be notified in September and awards will be distributed at the annual Philanthropy Day celebration on Nov. 6.

Additional grant criteria and the application are available online.

Douglas County homeowners have an opportunity to compost their residential yard waste. The free annual recycling program is now open at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s Boulder Lodge parking lot.

Pine needles, branches, sticks and any other natural vegetation from defensible space clean up will be accepted from 9am-5pm, seven days a week through July 19.

Residents are asked to not bring any material containing weeds in order to prevent the spread of noxious weeds. Pine needles should be removed from trash bags. Yard waste must be free of all contaminates, especially rocks.  Commercial dumping is prohibited by law. Lumber and stumps cannot be recycled and in fact increase the cost of the program.

Westbound lanes of Highway 50 at Cave Rock will be closed May 27 starting at 9am.

Nevada Department of Transportation officials plan to evaluate and secure the Cave Rock rock face and slope following a rock fall in February.

Both directions of traffic will alternate through the eastbound tunnel, with up to 30-minute delays.

Next week’s work will remove any additional rock debris above the tunnel. Experts will also investigate current rock face condition and develop interim strategies to further heighten slope stability and safety.

Clean Tahoe’s Community Cleanup Day is June 6 from 8am-4pm.

It’s the one day of the year South Shore residents can bring unwanted items to South Tahoe Refuse (2140 Ruth Ave., South Lake Tahoe) at huge discounts.

Cleanup Day pricing:

• $5 per vehicle load California residents
• Truck and trailer California residents: $10
• Nevada residents: $10/load
• Oversize loads and U-hauls: priced by size
• Free document shredding (limit three boxes per resident)
• Refrigerators: $15 (normally $40)
• Computer monitors and TVs: free.

Caltrans has scheduled an open house for May 21 to gather public comments on alternatives for a bridge project on Highway 50 over Echo Summit.

Caltrans is considering five alternatives, including replacing the bridge in one construction season by closing Highway 50 for up to 90 days, replacing it in two seasons with a full highway closure of up to 50 days, replacing the bridge in two seasons with one-way traffic control, or rehabilitating the existing bridge in two seasons with a full highway closure of up to 50 days.

The bridge, which is located seven miles west of South Lake Tahoe, was built in 1938 and is showing signs of wear. The project is currently in the environmental documentation phase.

The meeting will be at the at CCC center in Meyers from 6-8pm.

Volunteers are needed for South Tahoe High School Sober Grad Night on June 5.

It will be at Heavenly Mountain Resort’s California Lodge from 9pm-4am.

Volunteers are needed May 29-June 4 for set up as well as during the event.

To signup, go online or contact Deni Sullivan at 530.545.1688 or tahoeclan@sbcglobal.net.