By Christopher Cadelago, Sacramento Bee

California could one day be uninhabitable. Fire. Heat. Floods. Infestation. Disease. Suffering.

Scientists have for years warned about the ravaging consequences of a warming planet. Decamping for the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Convention on Climate Change, California academics and political leaders were mulling how to better deploy the distressing projections to give unwary citizens a better understanding of what’s at stake and compel them to see the wisdom of embracing sustainability.

“This is bad stuff. It doesn’t get any worse,” Gov. Jerry Brown lamented to scientists, religious and political leaders in Europe ahead of the conference. “The threat is profound. It will alter human civilization. It’s not decades away. It’s closer than you think,” the Democratic governor added later.

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Marine 24 is a custom-built vessel from Lake Assault Boats in Wisconsin. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

STATELINE – High winds and waves like the ocean couldn’t budge the vessel. It was on a type of auto pilot. The boat rocked to the waves, but otherwise didn’t move.

Mother Nature on Monday helped demonstrate some of the sophisticated technology aboard Marine 24, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District’s boat that was christened just off shore of Edgewood Tahoe.

“Skyhook technology is like an anchor. It holds the boat in position,” explained Fire Marshal Eric Guevin. 

This allows a firefighter to leave the helm and help with suppression, or rescuing boaters, or some other task.

It has touch point GPS, as well as sonar and radar that are state-of-the-art. Navigation routes can be programmed. The cabin is heated, which is ideal considering the boat will be available 24/7, 365 days. Plus, if someone is rescued, it means providing them a warm place out of the elements.

Special heaters for the bilge and motors will keep them from freezing.

It is powered by two outboard engines. There is also a 365 horsepower marine motor.

“It’s only job is to pump water,” Guevin told Lake Tahoe News.

The 36-foot-long boat was built to handle the variable weather conditions Tahoe can encounter. Even the seats have suspension in them, which is designed to save the crews’ backs.

It will be docked at Zephyr Cove Marina, practically across the street from the fire station.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Chief Scott Baker and Fire Marshal Eric Guevin at the Nov. 14 christening of Marine 24. Photo/Kathryn Reed

There is no other boat like this on Lake Tahoe. Fire flow, or how much water can be pumped per minute, is what sets this boat apart. It can deliver a minimum of 1,500 gallons per minute. It was shooting 1,800 on Monday. State fire codes set the standards.

Lakefront residents or business may pay a fee for a pipe that firefighters would use to connect to the new vessel and pump water. Water can also be pumped into water tenders.

With many of the roads leading to the lake on the Nevada side being narrow, it can be difficult to get the appropriate firefighting apparatus to the structure even when there isn’t snow. This is why the boat is so necessary.

The boat can also be used if the forest near the shore were ablaze.

Fallen Leaf Lake has a similar boat from the same manufacturer. South Lake Tahoe is having a boat built, and North Tahoe Fire is talking about getting one.

Tahoe Douglas’ old boat is still around, but isn’t expected to get much action. It has an inflatable hull, doesn’t have fire flow beyond 300 gallons, and is cramped. However, in the last two years it has been put into service 17 times.

In large part the nearly $500,000 new vessel was funded by donations from Lisa Maloff, and Bob and Nackey Scagliotti.

Publisher’s note: This is one of a series of stories about Lake Tahoe area athletes who hope to compete in the 2018 Olympics in South Korea. 

By Kathryn Reed

PARK CITY, Utah – “I want to do something no one else is doing. It is more important to be a pioneer than to do a flawlessly executed run. I look at what is not being done.”

David Wise’s philosophy has paid off in gold.

The Reno native was on top of the podium at the Sochi Olympic Games in 2014 for halfpipe skiing. He won gold at the X Games the last three seasons. In February, he hopes to add to his Olympic medal collection.

“I have some brand new things that have never been done. I hope to accomplish them in the Olympics,” Wise said.

His approach to tricks has evolved through the years. He used to dream something up and immediately go try it. Injuries have a way of refining how one does something. Wise said now he is more calculated.

Now a new trick may take him a couple years to perfect.

“What I hope to do in PyeongChang I thought about in Russia. I’ve been chipping away at it,” Wise said.

David Wise is taking his family to South Korea for what could be his last Olympics. Photo/Kathryn Reed

He didn’t get to the top of the free skiing world in a conventional manner. At age 12 he was in the top five in his age group in ski racing. But that wasn’t what he was passionate about. He quit racing and wound up in the bottom five of moguls. His determination and skills, though, propelled him to this elite level.

While he grew up at Mount Rose Ski Resort, now he says he doesn’t have a home resort. Today he mostly skis at Rose, Squaw Valley and Northstar when he is home. “I have a soft spot for Alpine. I know all the secret spots on a powder day,” Wise told Lake Tahoe News.

Family is one of the driving factor’s in this 27-year-old’s career – parents, siblings, wife and children. However, being an athlete takes a back seat to being a dad and husband. Still, skiing is his job. He’s had to learn how to navigate sleep, travel, media, training and competing.

In Russia, he regretted that his daughter was not at the finish line; instead she was at home watching her dad on TV. And while technically he (and everyone else) has not qualified for the 2018 Games, the flights are booked for his wife, daughter and son. Wise admitted at the Team USA media conference this fall that this could very well be his last Olympics.

Growing up Wise’s two sisters were always encouraging him to be who he wanted to be. The entire family is athletic. He credits his siblings for why he is not self-centered.

Wise is more complex than some of his peers. Being a family man sets him apart from some; his kids are 6 and 3. He’s been a youth pastor, saying how faith is a big part of who he is. At one time he thought he’d become a pastor; that’s on hold for now. He’s written a children’s book that he hopes will be available near the Olympics.

By Scott Sonner, AP

Federal scientists and land managers who’ve been crafting strategies to protect a ground-dwelling bird’s habitat across the American West for nearly two decades are going back to the drawing board under a new Trump administration edict to reassess existing plans condemned by ranchers, miners and energy developers.

Federal officials are wrapping up a series of public meetings with three sessions starting Tuesday in Utah ahead of a Nov. 27 cutoff for comment on Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s order last month to consider revisions to land management amendments for the greater sage grouse that were adopted under the Obama administration.

Zinke says he wants to make sure the amendments don’t harm local economies in 11 western states and allow the states to have maximum control over the efforts within their borders.

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By Mary L. Martialay, Phys.Org

Increasing organic runoff as a result of climate change may be reducing the penetration of pathogen-killing ultraviolet sunlight in inland lakes, rivers, and coastal waters, according to a study in the journal Scientific Reports. The findings, from a team including researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, points to the potential for an increase in waterborne pathogens.

Scientists have already measured an increase in “browning” of the world’s waters, a phenomenon caused by more organic matter washing in from the surrounding land. The study, led by Miami University in Ohio, analyzed water samples and used a model based at the National Center for Atmospheric Research to quantify, for the first time, the impact of dissolved organic matter on the potential for UV radiation from the sun to kill pathogens in the water.

Not only does an increase in dissolved organic matter make it more difficult for sunlight to disinfect bodies of water, it also makes it more difficult for water treatment plants to work effectively, said lead author Craig Williamson, a Miami University ecologist.

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By Kathryn Reed

A quest to put cannabis on the June ballot stems from the ongoing legal battle between South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Wellness Cooperative owner Cody Bass.

“The ballot measure spells it out in very small words; it is a legal business and has property rights like any other business,” James Anthony, the attorney who crafted the ballot measure petition and represents Bass, told Lake Tahoe News.

The measure would ask city voters to permit medical cannabis storefronts. Today, South Lake Tahoe’s ordinance allows only the one dispensary, and then has myriad strings attached.

Essentially what Anthony submitted to the city was its own ordinance with certain passages struck out, along with some new verbiage. “No vested rights” was eliminated, and inserted is the wording, “Licensed medical marijuana dispensaries that have obtained a medical marijuana dispensary permit under this article are ‘grandfathered’ for all legal purposes and possess a vested right in the operation for which they have been permitted.”

It goes on to talk about cultivation, where the facility could be located, delivery of said medicine, and owner transfer rights.

The proposal is essentially an end-around to the legal quagmire between the city and Bass, and would give Bass more leverage if he were convicted on the criminal charges he faces because the initiative would allow him to transfer ownership.

Anthony said this proposal has nothing to do with criminal issues the medicinal pot shop owner runs. Bass’ arraignment, which is being handled by a different attorney, was set for last week. It was pushed back until January to give the defense time to review discovery.

The city attorney this week is expected to issue a title and summary for the initiative. Proponents have 180 days after it is issued to get signatures from 10 percent of the registered voters in the city based on the last General Election, so just more than 1,100 people. Those will then be verified by the county elections officials. Other paperwork is required as well.

The city contends Bass is operating without a valid permit because he does not have the landlord’s signature. TWC’s position is that the long-term lease where it states he is operating a medical cannabis facility is proof of permission by the landlord.

The dispute has been in the legal system for more than a year. Before El Dorado County Superior Court Judge Steve Bailey retired in August both sides could have let him rule, but the city said no.

Anthony sent a letter to the City Council on Nov. 7 regarding Tahoe Wellness Cooperative’s permit. He went over Bailey’s statements and his perception of former City Attorney Tom Watson and current attorney Nira Doherty’s actions.

On Aug. 18, Bailey said, “It’s patently unreasonable in the court’s mind that this lease doesn’t fit all of the requirements that the city needs to determine a valid consent by the landlord.”

All councilmembers were asked by Lake Tahoe News to comment on the letter. Only Councilwoman Wendy David responded, saying it would be inappropriate to comment.

Doherty told LTN, “The City Attorney’s Office does not plan to respond to the letter sent from James Anthony. Judge Bailey asked both parties if they would waive the statutorily prescribed timelines for filing objections and the City determined it would not waive timelines. Because Judge Bailey was retiring before the timelines had run, a new judge was assigned to the lawsuit.”

Both sides, though, say they are willing to talk about a settlement. Depending on that outcome, Anthony said the ballot measure might not be needed.

If the measure qualifies for the ballot, the city will then do a study to determine any financial ramifications.

The city also has its hands full with recreational marijuana.

The City Council is being proactive on this topic. While the voters of California a year ago approved pot to be used for reasons beyond medical needs, it isn’t until this January that it becomes legal to do so. However, every city and county can make its own rules.

Because the state has been slow in devising laws to make recreational pot work, most jurisdictions are delaying sales and other aspects of the law. At the Dec. 12 council meeting the electeds are expected to enact a moratorium on pot sales, at least on an interim basis.

At the same time Councilmembers Brooke Laine and Tom Davis, who were appointed to head up a cannabis subcommittee, are going forward with that process. The subcommittee includes 15 community members who will meet about a half dozen times in the next few months. The outcome should be a set of recommendations that will provide a framework for the development of cannabis regulations for South Lake Tahoe.

This subcommittee, unlike the vacation home rental one, intends to work more in the open by putting updates on the city’s website. This way there is more transparency and members aren’t working in a silo of secrecy.

By David Bunker, Tahoe Quarterly

This winter, if lucky, you might see Warren Miller skier and Truckee local Amie Engerbretson rocket off a cliff in Squaw Valley’s Fingers named after her dad. Or you might catch 16-year-old Noah Gaffney dropping into a chute immortalized in “Squallywood” — the unofficial guidebook to Squaw Valley skiing penned by his father.

A generation has passed since a surge of skiers flocked to Tahoe’s slopes in the 1980s, drawn by the siren song of Scot Schmidt films and photos, ski flicks like “Hot Dog…The Movie” and ski magazine shots of neon-clad “extreme” skiers pushing the outer edges of the sport.

Many of these Tahoe transplants put down permanent roots in the area, becoming icons and influencers in the ski world and raising sons and daughters on the same hallowed ski terrain that brought them West.

Now, their offspring are carving out their own place in the ski world.

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By Jamie Wanzek, Moonshine Ink

Jasper, a bear well-known to Incline Village residents, was habitually seen ambling around the North Lake neighborhood for more than 10 years, often trailed by young cubs. In May of this year, in an attempt to scare Jasper and her three youngsters away from trash, a Washoe County deputy shot at the bear with what she believed were nonlethal bullets.

The incident with Jasper sparked a revival of criticism toward bear management in Nevada, with NDOW at the center of the maelstrom. The bear’s death led to a change.org petition addressed to Washoe Sheriff Chuck Allen demanding the “needs to answer for the completely unnecessary death of Jasper,” picking up 5,500 signatures.

Jasper’s death is an ongoing personnel investigation and details cannot be released, according to Bob Herman, the public information officer for Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. But Herman confirms the agency has ordered and received a number of 40 mm nonlethal weapons for their Incline Village deputies, in response to the incident, and the deputies have also been put through a program on how to respond to wildlife with their nonlethal arms.

The conflict between NDOW’s bear management and local wildlife advocates has a long and entangled history that recently entered the courts with a spurt of suits and countersuits.

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By Kathryn Reed

People still don’t understand the concept of picking up after themselves. Annual statistics from Clean Tahoe underscore this notion.

This organization that has been around for nearly 20 years operates in South Lake Tahoe and on the South Shore of El Dorado County. Today it is a nonprofit.

In the last fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30, there were 173 illegal dump incidents in the city that Clean Tahoe dealt with.

“That number has increased every year since 2013,” Catherine Cecchi, executive director of Clean Tahoe, told the City Council last week. Between 15 and 20 new dump locations sprout up each year.

Abandoned, destroyed sleds are the newest item Clean Tahoe has been dealing with. Photo/Clean Tahoe

People have other options to get rid of their crap. Annually, in June, Clean Tahoe partners with South Tahoe Refuse to offer the $5 dump day. A record was set in 2017 with 556,000 pounds of waste collected.

Clean Tahoe, for a fee, will also pick people’s unwanted items up and dispose of them properly. Seniors and disabled residents can get a reduced fee or have it waived. The person still has to pay the garbage company’s fee.

Of the 436 animal in trash incidents in the city last year, 51 were at a vacation rental. Code enforcement is notified of all tourist issues. For locals, they are referred to code enforcement on the second infraction. Multi-family residential units are the most challenging with the shared dumpsters.

Cecchi said the number of bear-trash encounters in the county have been decreasing because that jurisdiction has stricter rules when it comes to mandating bear boxes.

“We have far fewer repeat incidents in the county than the city,” Cecchi said.

She added that the Be Bear Aware campaign and STR’s loan program for bear boxes are proactive approaches to the problem, which also help to educate homeowners.

One of the more challenging tasks is cleaning up after homeless camps. This is done after the people have left and police say it’s safe to go in. There were 28 camps last year; a figure that keeps going up.

In total, Clean Tahoe picked up 484 cubic yards of litter in the last year.

Clean Tahoe operates on a $234,000 annual budget. Two-thirds of the money is collected from residents via their STR bill. That fee has not been raised since 1999. Cecchi said talks are under way to up it, but a dollar amount has not been disclosed.

By Sage Sauerbrey, Moonshine Ink

From timber to tourism, Tahoe/Truckee has always had a mono-economy. Other industries can and have thrived — construction had a heyday following the Olympics, and the last decade has marked the success of more than a handful of local technology businesses and start-ups, but in spite of opportunities for growth in other sectors this area is actually more dependent on tourism than it was 10 years ago.

When the recession hit in 2008, tourism accounted for 42 percent of the regional economy in the Tahoe Basin, but by 2015 that ratio had grown to 62 percent, according to data compiled by the Tahoe Prosperity Center. The center’s CEO, Heidi Hill Drum, said that these numbers likely run parallel to data describing Truckee as well.

Diversity is the word of the day. Not only is there a pronounced industrial imbalance regionally, but that imbalance favors a volatile and fluctuating market. Data compiled in the 2016 Regional Housing Study shows that the number of local jobs in the arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation, and food service sectors plummeted from 8,078 in January 2014 (peak season) to 4,709 in May 2014 (shoulder season).

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