The 2011 Tahoe Truckee Earth Day Festival is slated for April 23 from 11am to 5pm at the Village at Squaw Valley.

This all-ages, community sponsored event gives participants an opportunity to learn about recycling/composting, alternative energy, sustainability, watershed and forest health, and reducing ecological footprints via a diverse array of agency representatives and earth-friendly vendors. It is the largest eco-event in the North Lake Tahoe/Truckee area. More than 6,000 people attended in 2010.

Live music, kids’ activities and fun for everyone help to make this the largest environmental event in the Lake Tahoe area.

This event could not take place without hundreds of volunteer hours. Earth Day is seeking volunteers for the day of the event. If you would like to volunteer, email taddojones@gmail.com.

By Guy Rocha

“Today, one can stand where Carson and Fremont stood thanks to a trail running from the top of the Heavenly Ski Resort tram,” according to an article in the Nevada Day 2000 Official Program published in Carson City’s Nevada Appeal. “The view was ‘awesome’ then, history records Fremont as saying, and it remains one of the definitive vistas around Lake Tahoe today.”

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The location where John Charles Fremont and cartographer Charles Preuss viewed Lake Tahoe on Feb. 14, 1844, was about 20 miles to the south of where Heavenly Mountain Resort is today. The area is near Highway 88 and Carson Pass.

More importantly, Kit Carson was not with Fremont and Preuss at the time Lake Tahoe was sighted on their journey to Northern California.

Fremont wrote in his journals that, “With Mr. Preuss, I ascended to-day the highest peak to the right [Red Lake Peak]; from which we had a beautiful view of a mountain lake at our feet, about fifteen miles in length, and so entirely surrounded by mountains that we could not discover an outlet.”

Guy Rocha is the former state archivist with the Nevada State Library and Archives, a Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit http://nsla.nevadaculture.org.

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By Frank X. Mullen Jr., Reno Gazette-Journal

This is certain: four stockmen, eight American Indians and a posse member were shot dead in the frozen Nevada desert in February 1911.

Over the past century, nearly everything else about the “Shoshone Mike” case has been questioned, revised and exaggerated, according to researchers who studied the case.

The stockmen were murdered in Little High Rock Canyon, 135 miles north of Reno, in January, but their bodies weren’t discovered until Feb. 10. Lawmen and cowboys followed the suspects’ trail more than 200 miles.

A posse caught up with a 12-member Indian band on Feb. 26. In a dry wash north of Golconda, the pursuers began shooting. When the smoke cleared, posse member Ed Hogle was dead and the bodies of four Indian men, two women and two children lay bleeding in the snow.

Four Indian children — ages estimated at 16, 7, 4 and 10 months — were captured and brought to the Reno jail. They were kept there for several months.

Traditionally, the story has been told as a victory of justice over savagery: a tale of noble cowboys and renegade Indians.

It happened 21 years after the massacre of Indians at Wounded Knee, S.D., where 146 Sioux Indians — men, women and children — were slain by the U.S. 7th Cavalry and 25 troopers died. The Shoshone Mike massacre occurred at a time when automobiles, airplanes and movies were in their infancy.

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The D.G. Menchetti Young Shakespeare Program is having auditions for their performance of “Twelfth Night” for ages 13-18 on April 9 at the D.W. Reynolds Community Center, 948 Incline Way, Incline Village.

Auditions will be from 3-6pm and must be scheduled in advance.

Auditioners should prepare two short monologues – both pieces should total no more than 4 minutes together and at least one should be a Shakespeare piece.

Contact Joe Atack at joe@tahoebard.com to schedule an audition time.

Dudley is only 12 weeks old, and he is very sweet.

This dog is very special, as he is deaf, so he will need a very patient owner who is willing to teach him sign language.

He needs to have a well-fenced yard at his new home and needs to be an on leash only due to his disability.

Any family interested in Dudley should do some research about training deaf dogs before coming to meet him.

Dudley is neutered, microchipped, and vaccinated. He 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.

Call (530) 573.7925 for directions, hours, and other information on adopting a pet. For spay-neuter assistance for South Tahoe residents, go online.

–Susan Baumflek

By Stephanie Pappas, Live Science

Marijuana users sometimes report that pot enhances their desire for sex. But a new review of research on marijuana and sexual health suggests that male smokers could be courting sexual dysfunction.

Research on the topic is contradictory and few studies are high-quality, said study researcher Rany Shamloul, a physician with appointments at the University of Ottawa and Queen’s University in Canada as well as the University of Cairo. But recent research – including the finding that the penis contains receptors for marijuana’s active ingredient – suggests that young men may want to think about long-term effects before rolling a joint, Shamloul told LiveScience.

“It’s a strong message to our younger generations and younger men,” Shamloul said.

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By Nancy Oliver Hayden

STATELINE — The room was so quiet one could have heard a pin drop when Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto started talking about the myriad issues in the Silver State.

“The first of many issues in Nevada is the methamphetamine problem,” she said. “Very few people knew it was a problem when I first took office.”

She brought agencies together to address the issue and now the state is moving forward regarding methamphetamine as well as other drug abuse problems.

Catherine Cortez Masto

“The No. 1 problem in Nevada is prescription drug abuse and now there are synthetic or designer drugs. This is a challenge because there are more than 500 formulas for synthetic drugs and we have to investigate each one separately,” she said.

Masto and her office created the Drug Round-up program, where people can bring their unused prescription drugs to designated locations to be incinerated. They also established a Substance Abuse Task Force.

Masto, a strong advocate for women and children, spoke about women in leadership positions and discussed her programs and passions with Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe on March 23 at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe.

After asking the audience how many knew what an attorney general did and only a few raised their hand, she acknowledged that not many others know either.

“The attorney general is considered the top law official in the state. We are the largest law firm, work closely with law enforcement and district attorneys, and investigate and prosecute criminal cases” she said.

Masto, a native Nevadan, said she ran for Nevada attorney general because she saw so many issues that needed to be addressed at the state level. She took the oath of office in January 2007 for her first term and was sworn in Jan. 3, 2011, for her second term.

Another issue facing the state is domestic violence, which impacts women and children as well as animals. Masto chairs the Domestic Violence Prevention Council.

“Nevada leads the nation in the number of women murdered through domestic violence. My office has put together a Fatality Review Team and we have a prosecutor on staff. There is a need to understand what is means to be a domestic violence victim. It includes a cycle of violence and is a control issue,” she said.

The Attorney Generals Office has established a Prevention Partner program, where employees partner with groups such as Girl Scouts. Called Peace Begins at Home, the girls learn where they can find out more information and where they can go for help. The office is also looking to partner with the Boy Scouts, Board of Cosmetologists and Nurses Association.

One of the issues Masto plans to focus on in the next four years is how juvenile offenders are handled on the state level. She said this is an issue that has never been studied. When she worked as assistant county manager for Clark County she assisted in the creation of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative to build a better legal system for juveniles.

The attorney general is passionate about issues of elder abuse and exploitation of seniors. Because she was so close to her grandparents while growing up, she saw the problems that seniors experience.

“Nevada has a growing senior population and we will continue to work on these issues,” she said.

Missing children in Nevada is a concern for her office. Investigators travel all over the world to locate non-custodial parents. Human trafficking is also a problem as children are forced into prostitution and Nevada doesn’t have programs to address these issues.

“We don’t have a safe place for these young girls to go. We arrest them and put them in jail to keep them safe and then they go back into the same environment. We are trying to get funds to establish a home for them in southern Nevada,” Masto said.

“Also an issue is cyber safety. Kids are on the Internet, it is an extension of their being, and there is no control,” she said. “Young people need to be educated about cyber bullying, sexting and protecting their identity on line. Face Book pages are used by sexual predators to gain their confidence to sexually exploit them.”

The opportunity for citizens to submit their names for possible nomination for the 2011-12 El Dorado County Grand Jury is now available.

The Grand Jury acts as an investigative body to ensure that county, special district, and city government is being effectively run. The grand jury is not a jury for a trial.

The judges of the Superior Court shall select names from those submitted, as well as other nominees, and currently seated grand jurors who wish to be held over, to be put into the jury pool. Nineteen jurors are then selected in a random drawing from this pool. Final selection will take place in late June. Jurors are expected to be present. Jurors serve for a period of one year, commencing July 1.

The El Dorado County Grand Jury sets its own meeting schedule. However, jurors can typically expect to serve a minimum of six to seven hours over two days per week. Investigative committee chairs and the foreperson may expect to serve 10-20 hours per week. Jurors can take vacations during the session, but periods of absence exceeding two weeks, especially during the second half of the session, should be held to a minimum.

Jurors are regularly called upon to confer with government officials and other citizens in order to gain information and insight concerning matters under investigation. While being a grand juror is not a full-time job, it does require a substantial time commitment. This time includes attendance at meetings and committee meetings, investigating, and preparing written reports.

Meetings are compensated at the maximum rate of $15 per day of meeting. A mileage expense is compensated at the rate payable to employees of El Dorado County for each mile actually and necessarily traveled for purposes of said sessions or committee work. No other compensation is provided.

Applicants must be Untied States citizens, at least 18 years of age, have resided in the county for at least one year at the time of the swearing-in date, and cannot hold an elected office.

Qualified citizens who have an interest may pick up an application form at the Superior Court, 495 Main St., Placerville, go online or call (530) 621.6451. The deadline to apply is May 13.

Volunteers are key to the success of Camp Sunrise, a bereavement camp for children, and are needed for the camp June 17-19. The Barton Foundation’s annual Camp Sunrise will be at Galilee Camp & Conference Center in Glenbrook.

Camp Sunrise is founded on the understanding that every child deserves the opportunity to grieve in a safe, supportive and understanding environment. The camp is funded by the Barton Foundation and is a program of Barton Hospice.

Designed for children ages 7-14, the camp was created for children who have experienced the death of a family member.

The children receive grief education and support from trained counselors and social workers, and they are able to work through any bereavement issues they may have. The weekend is designed to leave them with a more positive outlook for the future.

Volunteer opportunities are available for: lead counselor, camp operations staff, camp weaver, musician, story teller, photographer, life guard and nurse.

Residents of South Lake Tahoe, Minden, Gardnerville and the Carson City areas may apply to attend. For more information to volunteer or to register, go online or call (530) 543.5614.

By Kathryn Reed

Interesting travel pieces capture my imagination, taking me places I’ll never go, returning me to places I’ve been and introducing me to places I’ve never heard of.

“Wild Writing Women: Stories of World Travel” is a collection of short stories from a group of women who gathered to draw inspiration from one another to pursue their writing and their travels. The book published in 2001 is still relevant. It’s not like traveling and exploring ever become dated.

As with most collections like this, some of the stories resonate more than others. And in this type of writing, it’s so personal. It isn’t a travel guide to get someone to book a reservation. It’s a snapshot of an experience they had. But it’s also gives readers a taste of different cultures.

As a woman who has traveled a bit by myself and with others, I felt myself identifying with the circumstances of some of the writers even if the locales were different.

A passage from Pamela Michael who is traveling by herself in India reads, “In an instant I made the sort of decision that every traveler has to make from time to time: You decide to take a risk, trust a stranger, enter a cave, explore a trail, act on intuition and experience something new. It is this giving oneself over to a strange culture or environment that often reaps the most reward, that makes travel so worthwhile and exhilarating.”

I agree. Perhaps that’s why I am not a big fan of big organized tours. I don’t want the sterilized – or dumb-downed American – version of visiting someplace.

As Christi Phillips points out in her essay about New Orleans, specialized expeditions are a great way to find out interesting tidbits about an area, its culture, the people and meaning behind traditions.

“The tombs aren’t completely airtight. When bodies decompose, they release a lot of gas, and if the tomb were airtight, they would explode. For the most part, modern embalming techniques have taken care of this problem, but on a hot day, you can still smell something a bit odd in here. Hence the tradition of brining flowers to a gravesite,” Phillips writes, using what her guide tells her on the cemetery tour.

“Wild Writing Women” takes readers on a tour of the world. Some experiences might be worth emulating; others definitely should be avoided – like being a victim in a horrendous bus crash and nearly dying. But all have something to capture the adventurous traveler.