The Summer Keynote Speaker Series at Taylor Creek Visitor Center continues every Thursday evening through August at the Lake of the Sky Amphitheater.

Programs in August include “An Evening with Mark Twain” on Aug. 2 at 7pm, “Leave No Trace” on Aug. 9 at 8pm, “Winged Flight at Night” on Aug. 16 at 8pm, “Stargazing” with Richard Combs on Aug. 23 at 8pm and “Wild Things” on Aug. 30 at 7pm.

The visitor center also offers an assortment of visitor and kids programs daily as well as “Wild Outdoor Movie Night” Saturday nights through August. Upcoming films include “Bears: an IMAX movie featuring bears of the world” on Aug. 4 at 8pm, “Beaver: an IMAX movie featuring beaver behavior and more” on Aug. 11 at 8pm, “Bees: Tales from the Hive” on Aug. 18 at 8pm and “World of Raptors” on Aug. 25 at 8pm.

These programs are sponsored by the Forest Service and the Tahoe Heritage Foundation. The Tahoe Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works with the Forest Service to conduct interpretive and environmental education programs in the Tahoe. Donations to the Tahoe Heritage Foundation are welcomed.

The Taylor Creek Visitor Center is located approximately three miles north of South Lake Tahoe on the lake side of Highway 89.

For more information and August dates call (530) 543-2674 or go online.

By Richard N. Velotta, Las Vegas Sun

The committee planning Nevada’s 150th birthday celebration is seeking the public’s help in designing a logo to be used to publicize the event.

The state’s Sesquicentennial Planning Committee, working with the Nevada Cultural Affairs Foundation, said Friday that it has issued a request for proposals for a design to reflect the 150th anniversary of Nevada statehood and the tagline “Battle Born. Nevada Proud.”

Submissions are due at 5pm Aug. 23.

The yearlong statewide celebration will be observed between Nevada Day 2013 (Oct. 31) through Nevada Day 2014.

Applicants will be required to submit 10 copies of the proposal that include color copies of the logo design and flash drives, CDs or DVDs with the logo design used in at least three applications.

How much will the winning applicant get? A lot of fame but little fortune.

Read the whole story

By Elisa Tong

In the fight against cancer, new drugs, technologies and ongoing research are essential. But nothing would make a greater impact against the disease than eliminating tobacco use and exposure.

Tobacco leads the list of causes of preventable death, well ahead of obesity, alcohol consumption and handguns. Tobacco is implicated in 11 types of cancer, including stomach, esophagus, bladder, throat, and, of course, lung. Indeed, if tobacco use and exposure were eliminated, the cancer death rate alone would drop by 30 percent, and almost 90 percent of lung cancer deaths would be prevented altogether.

Now, consider the fine print: more than 3,000 people who die each year from lung cancer have never smoked, but have been exposed to someone else’s smoke. The U.S. Surgeon General, in 2006, concluded that there was no risk-free exposure to second-hand smoke.

How can you reduce your risk of cancer and other diseases brought on by tobacco exposure?

• If you smoke, you can still quit and reduce your risk for lung cancer. About 10 years after quitting, an ex-smoker’s risk of dying from lung cancer is 30 to 50 percent less than for those who continue to smoke.

• If you need help quitting, call the California Smokers’ Helpline at 1-800-NO BUTTS.

• When leasing an apartment or purchasing a condominium, find out if smoking is allowed before you sign the dotted line. In multi-unit complexes, 65 percent of the air is shared among all residents. California landlords have the right to make their rental properties smoke-free.

• Know the loopholes in workplace smoking laws. In private residences licensed as family daycare homes, for example, smoking is permitted after business hours and in areas where children are not present. It is still allowed in owner- and volunteer-operated businesses with no employees, as well as in patient smoking areas of long-term health facilities. And, it’s still allowed in 65 percent of hotel and motel guestrooms and meeting and banquet rooms except during food or beverage service.

• Support efforts by advocates to curb or prohibit smoking in outdoor areas such as public beaches, parks and other outdoor places throughout California. These efforts encourage smokers to quit, protect nonsmokers from exposure, and prevent toxic cigarette butt waste.

Smoke-free environments benefit everyone. When it comes to our health, every effort to reduce your tobacco exposure will reduce your risk for cancer.

Elisa Tong is assistant professor of Internal Medicine at UC Davis and a member of the National Cancer Institute – designated UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Are you looking for a project that offers great rewards? Do you have experience with large (really large) dogs? Mirabelle is a special girl who needs a special home. We believe she will come out of her shell quite nicely, but right now she is quite fearful of most people. She warms up pretty quickly and will lean against you for affection, and walks nicely on her leash.

Mirabelle needs to gain about 20 pounds, and should be in a home without children (they probably scare her), maybe with another dog, where she’ll get lots of gentle attention.

Mirabelle is spayed, microchipped, and vaccinated. She is at the El Dorado County Animal Services shelter in Meyers, along with many other dogs and cats who are waiting for their new homes. Go online to see photos and description of all pets at the shelter.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet.

For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

— Karen Kuentz

Dartmouth College’s Big Green Bus tour across America will stop at Harveys Lake Tahoe’s Outdoor Arena on July 24 to refuel with recycled waste vegetable oil from the resort’s restaurants.

The converted Greyhound bus, operated by 13 students, runs on 290 gallons of WVO and travels the country seeking to educate individuals on best sustainability practices.

The event begins at 1pm and is open to the public.

In 2011, Caesars Entertainment — which owns Harveys and Harrah’s — recycled 320,000 gallons of restaurant cooking oil to be reused at its resorts, or is removed and repurposed for use in biodiesel and other products.

The Dartmouth students, along with representatives from Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe, will be speaking about the concept of the Big Green Bus and other important sustainability issues.

The bus provides educational opportunities at each stop through stations including a tour of the bus, an interactive map telling stories of sustainability across the country, a demonstration of how individuals can build and shop with environmentally friendly products, a discussion about the energy costs of food, personal waste reduction, and a stationary bicycle hooked to a generator that powers several different energy-efficient bulbs.

Highway 50-Kingsbury Grade 1963.

Highway 50-Kingsbury Grade 2012. Photos/Bill Kingman

In the early 1960s, there were nearly 50 gas stations on the South Shore. Their original architecture is still evident in many of the current configurations; like Jiffy Lube, Ski Run Liquor, just-new Blue Dog Pizza, Winters Electric, and others.

In the old photo, the Texaco station sits to the left where Dart Liquor is today. Also, notice all the overhead wiring in 1963.

— Bill Kingman

Placer County’s State Fair exhibit won several honors. The county’s display won the Best Content Award, the Best Design Award and received the coveted Gold Award.

The exhibit highlights Placer County as a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts, wine connoisseurs, epicureans and history buffs. Though Placer County is famous for its rich Gold Rush history, there are many modern day activities that attract thousands each year.

Placer County's State Fair exhibit is award-winning. Photo/Provided

As the exhibit depicts, Placer County offers hikes among pine trees, river rafting, mountain biking, picnicking under live oaks and drinking locally produced wines. Additionally, the exhibit touches on the many historic business districts throughout the county.

The region’s bounty of history is well represented by the many museums and historic sites. Some of the notable and easily recognizable features highlighted in the exhibit include four county bridges:

The Fanny Bridge over the Truckee River in Tahoe City overlooks Lake Tahoe’s only outlet. Named after the many fannies that have been visible on people who bend over the bridge to see the trout in the river below since the bridge was built in 1928.

The Foresthill Bridge was built in 1973 to provide a roadway to Foresthill when the canyons below were slated for flooding from the Auburn Dam, which was never built. The tallest bridge in California is a visual icon as it spans the North Fork of the American River.

Located in the heart of the Gold Country, the Iowa Hill Bridge is a one-lane steel cable suspension bridge constructed in 1928. Built to serve as a reliable all-seasons link over the North Fork between the historic towns of Colfax and Iowa Hill, the 150-foot bridge has cables anchored into bedrock and supported by short steel towers resting on stone masonry piers.

Mountain Quarry Bridge aka “No Hands Bridge” was completed in 1912 and was the largest concrete railroad bridge in the world. It was built by Pacific Portland Cement Company to transport limestone from a quarry near Cool seven miles to Auburn to connect with the Southern Pacific Rail lines. Service ended in 1939, the rails were scrapped in 1941 for the war effort and today the bridge is used by hikers, runners and equestrians as part of the 100-mile Western States Trail linking Squaw Valley and Auburn.

All fairgoers are encouraged to vote for the People’s Choice Award during the fair, ballots may be obtained at the Friends of the Fair Desk. Placer County has attained this popular prize many times in recent years. The State Fair runs through July 29.

By Johanna Somers, Seattle Times

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — Jackie Heinricher, Booshoot’s founder and CEO, took a deep breath as she walked into a greenhouse full of hundreds of bamboo plants.

The fast-growing bamboo plants pump out more oxygen than trees do, and this concentrated atmosphere makes people smile, she said, so “when this is full, we bring clients in here.”

Buttering up visitors with oxygen has helped Booshoot land clients such as Home Depot, Costco and, most recently Kimberly-Clark, the world’s largest tissue manufacturer.

Kimberly-Clark recently announced an agreement to work with Mount Vernon-based Booshoot to develop a mass-market toilet paper using 20 percent bamboo fiber.

Booshoot already produces about 10 million bamboo plants annually and earlier this year signed an exclusive three-year contract to sell ornamental bamboo in Home Depot stores across the nation.

After more than a decade of research, Heinricher and her team of scientists have created an advanced tissue culture system to produce genetically identical bamboo plants at a commercial scale. This new technology has positioned them to infiltrate the forestry market.

“Even if bamboo penetrates just a small fraction of that, it is a multibillion-dollar opportunity,” said Pettus Randall, chief operating officer of Booshoot.

However, breaking into the market for paper products will be challenging.

Read the whole story

The Sierra Nevada Ballet takes the stage this summer to present “Giselle” as part of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Monday Night Showcase Series in Incline Village on July 30.

This folktale comes to life through music, drama and more than 30 professional dancers who will share this story of doomed love.

For information, call 800.747.5697. Tickets are $22, $42 and $70.

This particular production of “Giselle” is based on the original choreography which was done in 1841 by Jules Perrot and Jean Coralli. The present production is set by Rosine Bena and based on the famous Igor Youskevitch’s version which was passed down to Bena in the late 1970s.

The Zawadisha Fund welcomes author and CEO of the Institute for Women’s Leadership, Rayona Sharpnack, for a one-day workshop designed for women ready to accelerate their personal and leadership development. Using the “Trade Up” principles from Sharpnack’s acclaimed book by the same name, this workshop will support women in:

• Discovering their untapped potential,

• Revealing and removing self-sabotaging behaviors,

• Creating practices for increasing their impact, and

• Learning communication skills that allow individuals to operate at the enterprise level when required to.

Offered at a highly discounted rate, this innovative and action-orientated workshop is designed to provide women with proven—and essential—strategies for developing and strengthening their leadership skills.

The workshop will be at the North Tahoe Event Center in Kings Beach from 8:30am-5pm Aug. 24.

The Zawadisha Fund will arrange optional accommodation in Kings Beach and a Saturday paddleboard session for all interested attendees.

Individuals may register online. The $195 registration fee includes lunch and a signed copy of Rayona’s book, “Trade Up.” Groups of four or more will receive a 10 percent discount. All proceeds benefit the Zawadisha Fund, whose mission is to empower, entrust, and expand opportunities for women and girls globally and locally.

Learn more by contacting Jen Gurecki at (530) 416.5682 or jen@zawadisha.org.