Although the Sierra Nevada is a North American butterfly diversity “hotspot,” the Tahoe basin isn’t. But that doesn’t mean you can’t attract a fascinating array of butterflies to your garden.

This talk will cover the species you are most likely to see, and touch on the rich fauna that you can access easily within just a few miles of the Basin.

Arthur M. Shapiro is a distinguished professor of Evolution and Ecology at UC Davis, where he has been on the faculty since 1971. His research focuses on the ecology and biogeography of butterflies, and he is the author of about 300 scientific papers as well as “Field Guide to the Butterflies of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento Valley Regions” (UC Press, 2007).

Prior to the program, join the North Lake Tahoe Demonstration Garden for a Green Thumb garden tour from 4:45 to 5:30pm outside in the Demonstration Garden’s butterfly garden.

Date: Aug. 5

Time: 4:45pm garden tour outside in Demonstration Garden.

5:30pm No-Host Bar.

Program begins promptly at 6pm.

Cost: $5 donation requested.

Location: Assembly Room, Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village (on the campus of Sierra Nevada College).

Wyland Galleries in South Lake Tahoe is hosting two painters — James Coleman and Walfrido — July 16 from 4-8pm, and July 17-18 from 2-6pm.

Coleman is a romantic impressionist known for his sense of color and ability to translate emotion into image. He molded his professional career as a fine artist at Walt Disney Studios as a background animation specialist for 22 years. Winnie the Pooh, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast came to life with James Coleman’s background images gracing the screen.

Walfrido is a third generation artist. He is know for his seascapes. Reflecting light through the water is his signature. His use of a delicate layering technique results in a 3-D effect. Walfrido believes “Truly great art stimulates not only the heart, but the mind”. Walfrido will be unveiling Tahoe pieces not generally found in other galleries.

The gallery is at 4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd. in the Village Center.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Department in partnership with Douglas County TRIAD is about to launch the 14th annual Senior Citizen’s Law Enforcement Academy.

The goal of the free academy is to provide crime fighting educational programs and information to senior citizens of Douglas County. Attendees will become more aware and comfortable with law enforcement services, and law enforcement officers in return will develop a better understanding of the needs of senior citizen’s within our county.

The Senior Citizen’s Law Enforcement Academy runs Aug. 23-27. Classes will start at 1pm and end at 5pm. Class location is the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, located at 1625 8th St. in Minden. This academy is open to seniors who reside anywhere in Douglas County.

The academy will include training and instruction on a variety of law enforcement topics, including: uniformed patrol procedures, jail/custody procedures, criminal investigations, crime scene processing, narcotic and gang investigations, criminal justice system, criminal prosecution, court procedure, dispatch operations, identity theft and fraud prevention, law enforcement volunteer programs, fire prevention, youth services and emergency medical information.

All academy instructors are selected from the county, state and local agencies.

The class size is limited to 50 students. Students must be at least 50 years of age and reside in Douglas County. Applicants must be willing to submit to a background check, and may not ever have been convicted of a felony crime.

To sign up, call (775) 782.9900.

By Candice Williams

It was a dark, cold winter night in February 1991, when a vehicle carrying five teenage boys hit a patch of black ice, spun out and crashed into a tree on Pioneer Trail. Three of the young men perished in the accident. Their names are Rory Hrbacek, Sandy Haynes and Casey Wells.

Out of her heartache, a young mother, Sue Hrbacek, the mother of Rory Hrbacek, began a personal crusade in the name of her young son and the other two boys to have a guardrail installed and 13 trees removed, including the tree that ended the lives of the three young men. Never again would that tree bring pain and suffering to another family in our town.

South Lake Tahoe Children's Memorial now has lights. Photo/Kathryn Reed

Instead of having the largest tree destroyed, her dream was to turn the object of her grief into a perpetual memorial to her son, his two friends and all children of our community who have passed away far too early.

In October 1994, Hrbacek’s dream became a reality when the city of South Lake Tahoe offered the serene setting along Highway 50 and Wildwood Avenue where the memorial log was erected. Out of pain and tears came a ministry of healing and peace.

The memorial began with 36 names engraved on brass plates and, sadly, has grown to 223 names. It began as a way to remember our local children, but has expanded to include the memory of children from at least 14 other states and four foreign countries.

Recently, “night lights” were installed to cast a soft glow of light onto the memorial after dark. The vision came about from another mother’s memory of how her son always reminded her to leave a light on at night so he would not be afraid of the dark. It is her wish that all the children represented on that memorial be at rest with the light on.

The family of Charles “Chip” Allen Williams would like to thank the city of South Lake Tahoe and the Parks and Recreation Department for, again, opening its heart and sense of community to help another family realize a vision to help all families heal through their valley of grief.

At 2pm on July 25, there will be a Dedication of Light at the site of the Children’s Memorial. All are welcome to attend.

For more information, contact Candice Williams at (530) 542.2733.

North Shore  takes its music outdoors with a variety of concerts and festivals – all part of the destination’s High Notes – North Tahoe’s Summerlong Music Series, running through August.

The lake’s music campaign also has a new website, www.TahoeHighNotes.com, that covers all the weekly free events, festivals and headliners.

Visitors to the country’s largest alpine lake will find outdoor live performances – free of charge – every night of the week, except Mondays. Sundays rock out at Tahoe City’s Commons Beach, which features Hot Buttered Rum July 18. It’s Blues Tuesdays at the Village at Squaw Valley with Candye Kane July 20, and live music Wednesdays at the Truckee Regional Park and Thursdays on Commercial Row. Kings Beach is lakeside Fridays with Downbeat July 23, then Tahoe City Saturdays for Heritage Plaza’s Unplugged. The Village at Northstar also does a variety of live music on weekends.

There are also a number of ticketed musical events held throughout the region. In addition to its popular Shakespeare on the beach, the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival now provides a Monday and Friday night music series, which is also at the scenic Sand Harbor Beach State Recreation Area just outside of Incline Village.

Right on the Truckee River, River Ranch Lodge has its 18th Annual Under the Stars Concert Series with reggae, bluegrass, funk and rock, with Pato Banton & The New Generation Band July 22 and Prezident Brown from Jamaica Aug. 5.

The Lake Tahoe Music Festival is set for July 22 to Aug. 7, ranging from Broadway to classical to rock to jazz and big band swing. This year the festival is taking their Orchestra Night on a swingin’ ride … straight to the “sing era” of the ’40s and ’50s with Simply Sinatra, starring vocalist Steve Lippia, who will be belting out tunes including “My Way,” “New York New York” and “Mack the Knife” July 29 at Old Greenwood. Combining R&B, jazz and pop sounds, Natalie Cole, a nine-time Grammy Award-winner, is an unstoppable force in music and will perform Aug. 5 at Northstar-at-Tahoe. The festival’s first country concert stars country legend Wynonna at Northstar July 31.

Wanderlust returns to Squaw Valley July 29 to Aug. 1 with yoga, music and nature at the festival’s forefront. The music is a mix of styles and genres ranging from indie rock to electronic to alternative world to kirtan. The impressive lineup includes the Brazilian Girls, whose latest album was nominated for a Grammy, as well as MC Yogi, who combines his loves of yoga with hip-hop music. MC Yogi made history when he released his video “Vote for Hope” in support of President Barack Obama.

In Lake Tahoe’s historic casino corridor, the Crystal Bay Club offers a host of free concerts throughout the week, as well as ticketed bands from the Bay Area.

The Sierra Nevada Guitar Society and the Carson Valley Arts Council will present internationally known artists Triada in Minden on July 15 at 7pm at the CVIC Hall, 1602 Esmeralda.

On July 17 at 7pm Argentine classical guitarist Maximo Diego Pujol and flutist Viviana Guzman will be at the Copeland Cultural Arts Center ArtBar, 1572 Highway 395, Minden.

Triada combines the unique talents of Nikola, Petar and Vasil Chekardzhikov, forming one of the most brilliant guitar ensembles now performing. The three brothers are individually virtuoso guitarists, and their intuitive sense of ensemble gives a synergy that makes their concerts very special and exciting events. Performances by Triada feature innovative repertoire, including traditional classics, modern favorites, and vibrant, colorful ethnic music to engage and delight any audience.

Maximo Diego Pujol

Pujol is an Argentine classical guitarist and composer born in Buenos Aires in 1957. He presents his debut U.S. performance at the Sierra Nevada Guitar Society’s festival and competition this week. His guitar compositions have won awards at competitions in Columbia, France and the World Festival in Martinique and in 1989 he was awarded the Argentine Composers’ Union prize as Best Composer of Classical Music.

Joining Pujol is Chilean-born flutis, Viviana Guzmán who has performed in more than 80 concerts a year throughout the world and in 86 countries. She began her musical training at the age of 5. By age 15, she had played as a soloist with orchestra, studied with Jean-Pierre Rampal and was featured on NBC’s nationally televised John Denver music special.

Subscriptions for Season Tickets for the 2010-11 Concert Series will be on sale at both concerts. All proceeds will benefit the Carson Valley Arts Council which supports the arts in the Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe regions.

For information, call (775) 782.8207.

By Gina Kim, Sacramento Bee

The black and charred trees spoke silently on that winter day three years ago.

Gong Yuebin was driving with his family to a Lake Tahoe ski resort when he caught sight of the garishly angled trunks and burnt remains of tree after tree, strikingly black against the pure white snow.

He veered the Honda Pilot off the highway and knew he had found it – that elusive thing called inspiration after a years-long hiatus from art.

Read the whole story

By Carla Roccapriore, Reno Gazette-Journal

KINGS BEACH — Information about solar energy, energy sustainability, shopping and local dining abounded this weekend on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore.

The Sierra Green Building Association’s second annual Tahoe GreenFEST was Saturday and Sunday at the Kings Beach Plaza and the North Tahoe Events Center.

Donna Walden, association executive director, said at least 50 vendors were in operation.

Read the whole story

By Stephen Ward

TAHOE CITY – Each facet of the Eriksson Education Center seems meticulously designed to accompany a paramount theme of the project, which is the importance of wetlands in the Tahoe area. An example of this attention to detail is the ovate pathway that makes up the outdoor section of the exhibit, consisting of pavers resting on layers of rock and soil so the ground remains permeable and doesn’t act as a blockade for stormwater.

The pathway isn’t the only interesting aspect of the outdoor display. Six cedar wood-framed information tablets resting atop wrought iron legs highlight the emphasis of each section of the track, with facts and data about topics ranging from native plants and wildlife to how wetlands filter the water that eventually runs into Lake Tahoe.

People are eager to learn at the Eriksson Education Center. Photo/Jim Markle

One of the information tablets explains the removal of the concrete weirs in the stream, a small section of Polaris Creek, and the use of the willow logs as check dams for grade control.

The UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station was filled Saturday with tables displaying information and soliciting activities meant to engage children in the more gripping sides of science, all the while showing minute traces of the lab work normally orchestrated in the facility, such as sediment traps pushed aside and closets containing scuba gear sharing a section of the space rife with traffic.

The most riveting spectacle of the day was the unveiling of the prestigious Eriksson Education Center. The UC Davis annual Children’s Environmental Science Day dovetailed into the occasion.

While giving an extensive tour of the center, Heather Segale, education and outreach coordinator for the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, described the overall message of the exhibit.

“In the end, our choices affect the environment,” Segale said. “The wetlands are an important part of keeping Lake Tahoe blue.”

Ericksson Education Center Photo/Jim Markle

The perimeter of the outside exhibit is decorated with painted cardboard fish cutouts made from old political signs, a joint effort between Tahoe Lake and Kings Beach elementary schools.

The remainder of the center is indoors, with the lineage of the Eriksson Education Center being told through a dark blue wave-shaped timeline that circles the room. The timeline includes information about the history of the Tahoe City Fish Hatchery that once occupied the facility, along with the vast species of fish that have inhabited the wetlands near the building.

Visitors peruse the information booths at the Ericksson Center on July 10. Photo/Stephen Ward

Opening day marked the celebration of a project that has been in the works for many years. The building has been in the process of renovation since 2008 and took nearly 14 years to be completely funded.

The Eriksson Education Center at the UC Davis Tahoe City Field Station is open Saturdays from 1-5pm during summer months or by appointment. For more information, click here.

By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal

The bear gave him a bloody nose.

That’s getting off lightly, for sure, but Sam McClure’s predawn encounter with a black bear while hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail two years ago was a frightening experience.

McClure, then 16 and an experienced backpacker, had set up camp near the trail south of Tahoe Meadows on a Monday night in July. He was awakened shortly after 4 a.m. by a heavy animal “falling” across his tent.

Its silhouette in the moonlight made clear what the animal was — a bear. Not a big bear, but big enough.

Read the whole story