Truckee Donner Public Utility District is putting on a series of seminars aimed at helping community members save water, money and have beautiful landscaping.

Landscape and gardening experts will host the seminars on June 28, July 19 and Aug. 30 at 6pm at the Truckee Donner PUD Board Room, 11570 Donner Pass Road.

On June 28, Eben Swain from the Truckee River Watershed Council will discuss lawn conversion options and river friendly landscaping designed to improve landscaping and reduce its impacts on the Truckee River Watershed.

On July 19, Jana Vanderhaar of Verdant Connections will share smart landscape practices that save resources and save energy, which ultimately means saving money.

On Aug. 30, Bonnie Turnbull of master gardeners of Lake Tahoe will talk about water-wise landscaping with tips and tricks to save water and money without watching the garden turn brown.

Attendees may walk through the Patricia Sutton Conservation Garden, which features native and drought-tolerant plants, alternatives to turf, a reclaimed redwood lumber bridge, hardscaping, mulch and weed barrier exhibit and water efficient irrigation.

For more info, call 530.582.3931.

Douglas County officials are pursuing a grant to improve the Pony Express Trail.

Representatives from the National Park Service approached the county last year about doing this. This month the Douglas County Commission agreed to apply for a technical assistance grant for the trail that is located primarily along the upper portion of the Old Kingsbury Grade Road just below Kingsbury General Improvement District maintenance yard to four miles west of the base of Kingsbury Grade.

“The county is always looking for opportunities to capitalize on outdoor recreation for enhanced quality of life and added visitor attractions,” Economic Vitality Manager Lisa Granahan told Lake Tahoe News.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Associated Press

California lawmakers are proposing a nearly $3 billion November bond measure to pay for improvements at state and local parks.

Supporters say many local agencies cannot afford to maintain their outdoor spaces.

The Assembly approved the measure Thursday on a 55-14 vote, with six Republicans joining Democrats in favor. The Senate must also approve it before June 30 for it to appear on the statewide ballot.

It would join a crowded ballot that is expected to include dozens of measures.

The state Department of Parks and Recreation would oversee nearly $2 billion of the fund. The department came under fire in 2012 for hiding nearly $54 million during a budget crisis that threatened to close parks.

Democratic Assemblyman Eduardo Garcia of Coachella says he’s confident in the changes made since then.

Learn to control annoying mosquitoes. Photo/James Gathany/CDC

By Melinda Myers

Don’t let disease-carrying mosquitoes keep you indoors this summer. Instead, employ these eight tips to protect yourself and manage these pests in your yard.

• Do a bit of yard and garden clean up. Remove weeds, manage neglected gardens and keep the lawn properly mowed to reduce resting spaces for adult mosquitoes.
• Eliminate standing water where mosquitoes breed. Drain water that collects in buckets, kids toys, tarps, pool covers, clogged gutters and downspouts. Clear the gutters and downspouts so water can drain freely. Store items that tend to collect water in a shed or garage.
• Evaluate drainage patterns in your landscape. Improve drainage by amending the soil with organic matter. Install French drains, drain tiles and other drainage systems if needed. Or turn it into a water feature. Consult your municipality first for any relevant guidelines and restrictions.
• Manage water in birdbaths, fountains, ponds and rain barrels. Change water weekly in birdbaths and wading pools. Add a pump to keep water moving and prevent breeding. Or use an organic mosquito control in rain barrels and water features.
• Add a fan to your outdoor décor. The gentle breeze keeps these weak flying insects away. Consider taking one to the garden when weeding.
• Provide short-term relief when entertaining outdoors with the help of citronella oil or scented candles. Scatter lots of these throughout the area and within a few feet of your guests.
• Cover as much of your skin as possible with loose fitting, light colored clothing. Mosquitoes are less attracted to the lighter colors and can’t readily reach your skin through loose clothing.
• Further protect yourself from disease-carrying mosquitoes by using a personal repellent. For those looking to avoid DEET, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has also approved products with the active ingredient picaridin, IR3535, and the synthetic oil of lemon and eucalyptus. Avoid products that contain both sunscreen and insect repellents as you need to apply the sunscreen more often than the repellent.

Implement some of these strategies and then get ready to enjoy the outdoors mosquito-free all season.

Gardening expert Melinda Myers has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written more than 20 gardening books, including “Small Space Gardening” and the “Midwest Gardener’s Handbook”. 

Publisher’s note: This is one in a series of stories about the National Park Service, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2016. All articles may be found via the Home Page, select Special Projects, then National Park Service 100th.

Mount Rushmore illuminates the night sky of South Dakota. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. – I’ve never lived in South Dakota, but it’s still my home. And nothing will ever change that fact.

My parents were high school sweethearts living in Rapid City. My three sisters were born there. Even though no one on my mom’s side still resides in the state, this hasn’t stopped us from having regular family reunions in the Black Hills.

Those hills are also home to an incredibly famous rock – Mount Rushmore.

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen The Faces – that’s what locals call Rushmore. (My lineage makes me a local, at least in my heart.) I don’t recall a time of ever not seeing The Faces when I’ve been in the state. It’s almost like a calling; I have to go there.

A friend asked me “why?” before I went back there earlier this month. I didn’t have an answer. Now I do. It’s about family, it’s about patriotism, it’s about tradition.

So many memorials are erected out of tragedy, or are about war and death.

Mount Rushmore is about celebrating the accomplishment of four iconic presidents – George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. It’s a message of inspiration, fortitude and solidarity. It’s about being proud of their life’s work and what it meant for the greater good of the United States.

It’s also about a sculptor – Gutzon Borglum – creating a masterpiece one chisel at a time, one precisely placed stick of dynamite at a time. (Ninety percent of the rock was removed with dynamite.) Borglum died before his creation was completed. His son, Lincoln, finished the work. This marks the 75th anniversary of Mount Rushmore National Memorial’s completion.

It has grown into a destination for travelers throughout the world; with more than 3 million visitors a year.

A path allows visitors to see The Faces at different angles. Photo/Kathryn Reed

One of my favorite memories is 10 years ago when the reunion was over Fourth of July. To see the fireworks light up The Faces, well, it was emotional. It sent chills through my body.

Our family tradition is to go in the early evening to see the transition from day to night. The lighting ceremony keeps evolving, but the awe of the event never fades. The spotlight on those four faces is breathtaking, just as it is to walk in through the Avenue of Flags and have them make a frame of sorts around The Faces.

Calmness washes over me when I see Mount Rushmore. I’m home, I’m with family and the future seems bright when looking at our past.

Barton Health is offering pre-participation physicals for student athletes who were not able to attend the Tahoe Center for Orthopedics sports physicals event last month. All high school, middle school, and Pop Warner athletes from the Tahoe area may participate.

The free physicals are available at Barton Urgent Care and Family Practice on:

·         June 29 from 9am to noon

·        July 20 from 9am to noon

·        Aug. 10 from 9am to noon.

All students should bring a completed medical history forms to the physical. Forms may be picked up in each school’s front office, through the student’s Pop Warner football coach, or at Barton Urgent Care and Family Practice. A parent or guardian must be present at the physical.

No appointment is required. For more information,call 775.589.8900.

By Sally Ho, AP

Nevada gambling regulators have approved a new platform that will allow bets in a fantasy sports model.

The Nevada Gaming Commission voted Thursday to give a gambling license to Henderson-based US Fantasy.

The newly developed sports system essentially blends sports betting with elements of traditional fantasy sports contests.

US Fantasy and traditional fantasy systems, such as the popular DraftKings and FanDuel models, differ primarily in the way they pay out winners.

US Fantasy’s payout depends on what and how other gamblers are betting, while traditional fantasy sports sets an established prize money amount.

The new Nevada platform also declares fantasy sports betting as gambling, despite the industry arguing in the face of legal challenges across the country that its games are not gambling.

The move comes as the daily fantasy sports industry argues in the face of legal challenges across the country that its games are not gambling.

US Fantasy Owner Vic Salerno said his model could easily be reframed to fit states that have approved guidelines allowing fantasy sports to operate. But an industry leader predicts it won’t have a major effect on fantasy sports overall because it may only work in Nevada, where sports betting is already legal.

In the US Fantasy system, users bet against each other on individual player stats, with a pot of prize money that can change depending on how many people are betting and how much they bet. Using football as an example, a user can wager that Tom Brady will throw the most yards that week.

In traditional fantasy sports, users generally pick a group of players to create a team, and if they win, they know they are getting an established payout. In the football example, Tom Brady’s performance would help rack up points along with the rest of the players of the imaginary team.

The popular DraftKings and FanDuel platforms ceased operations in states such as Illinois, New York and Nevada, where they were accused of operating as illegal, unregulated betting systems.

The industry has lobbied states to approve laws that would allow them to operate without legal ambiguity. So far, Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi and Colorado legislators have done so, while New York’s governor has yet to sign off on the state’s version.

In Nevada, regulators have urged fantasy sports sites to apply for gambling licenses, a move the industry opposes as too costly and time consuming.

CalFire as of June 27 is suspending all burn permits for outdoor residential burning within the state responsibility area of Sacramento, Amador, El Dorado and Alpine counties.

This means all residential outdoor burning of landscape debris like branches and leaves will be prohibited.

“Conditions throughout our region have become such that it is no longer safe for the public to perform residential debris burning. We need the public to be extra diligent and perform defensible space clearances early in the morning and with the right tools,” said Mike Kaslin, CalFire Amador-El Dorado unit chief, said in a statement.

Since Jan. 1, firefighters across the state have already responded to more than 1,500 wildfires. In the CalFire Amador–El Dorado Unit, firefighters have responded to 59 wildfires.

By KTVZ-TV

TERREBONNE, Ore. — Two California men climbing the popular Monkey Face formation at Smith Rock State Park became stranded when they chose a wrong descent route and one ran out of rope halfway down Wednesday afternoon, prompting a rescue operation that took until after midnight to conclude, Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies said.

Shortly before 5pm, Cordero Chavez, 29, of Lone Pine contacted 911 dispatchers to say he and his climbing partner, Tyler Coleman, 26, of South Lake Tahoe had reached the summit of Monkey Face but now were in need of assistance, said sheriff’s Lt. Bryan Husband.

The pair had chosen the wrong route to descent, leaving not enough rope to reach the bottom, Husband said. Chavez was still near the summit, but Coleman was nearly halfway down the approximately 450-foot rock face, unable to ascend or descend farther.

Read the whole story

Hump Day tennis is all about having fun with friends and visitors on the courts of Zephyr Cove.

Organizers on July 6 will pair adults together to play against unsuspecting opponents in what is lighted hearted, albeit competitive doubles. Play starts at 5:30pm at Zephyr Cove Tennis Club.

Cost is $10 for ZCTC members, $15 for non-members, and $5 for spectators (meal only). Membership is $80 for the year. Membership information is available online. No advance sign-up is required.

Burgers and chips will be provided. Participants should bring a side dish or dessert, as well as drinks.