By Rich Ibarra, Capital Public Radio

The California Department of Toxic Substances Control is considering banning some types of metal fishing gear. However, fishermen are launching a petition against possible changes.

The California Sportfishing League is gathering signatures for a petition that would oppose changes in fishing tackle regulations.
There is concern about a possible ban on lead sinkers or gear that contains zinc or copper.

Marko Mlikotin with the league says there are no environmental studies showing fishing tackle poses an environmental hazard.

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By Henry Brean, Las Vegas Review-Journal

The alpine lakes high in Nevada’s only national park are warmer now than they have been for thousands of years, according to findings by a team from Ohio State University.

For the past decade, the researchers have conducted a variety of studies at Great Basin National Park, 300 miles northeast of Las Vegas, aimed at reconstructing the climate record for the area over the past 7,000 or so years.

Using core samples of lake-bed sediment and other clues collected during annual visits to the park, they think they have identified a warming trend that began about 35 years ago and continues today.

“In Stella Lake, the temperatures are higher (now) than pretty much anything we’re seeing going back about 2,000 years,” said Scott Reinemann, an adjunct professor in Ohio State’s Department of Geography. “They’re probably the warmest temperatures in the past 7,000 years.”

Their work could help predict the future of the park and its glaciers — including the shrinking remnant of the only exposed ice glacier left in Nevada — in the face of global warming.

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Lake Tahoe Community College is going to be the site of an all-day avalanche workshop on Oct. 17.

The California Avalanche Workshop is a pre-season gathering of snow travelers to share knowledge, learn, laugh, and network. This seminar is modeled after the International Snow Science Workshop and other regional one-day snow and avalanche workshops throughout the west.

The event is from 9am-4pm. Cost is $20.

For more info, email reichel@ltcc.edu.

People in search of bears eating Kokanee at Taylor Creek are being warned to behave. Photos/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

CAMP RICHARDSON – Fish, bears and people are such a potentially deadly situation that the U.S. Forest Service is taking pre-emptive measures to ensure there is no conflict at Taylor Creek.

This is the time of year when the Kokanee salmon spawn at Lake Tahoe – though they are a tad late this year.

Signs are up on a rope that prohibits people from walking all the way along the rocky shore of the creek. This is because last year the conflicts between people and wildlife were getting out of hand and the feds don’t want a repeat or worse.

“Last year there were a lot of really close calls,” Lindsay Gusses with the USFS told Lake Tahoe News. “Bears will be the losers.”

People were walking into the water. They got close to bears. It was all about getting the perfect selfie.

Gusses called it a “blatant disregard” for wildlife. People seemed to have zero concept of what a 200-pound bear is capable of. And if a bear were to go after a person, while the person might survive, that bear will be caught and killed all because a person acted irresponsibly.

The Forest Service has the ability to completely close off the site if people get too out of line. For now, the directive is to stay on designated trails. The agency has people regularly patrolling the area to ensure visitors (which includes locals) are educated about why they need to keep a safe distance and then to make sure they do so.

Kokanee are slow this year to spawn in Taylor Creek.

Still, there are plenty of viewing areas. On Friday the most salmon could be seen from the bridge along the Rainbow Trail.

Bears eating the Kokanee are a relatively new phenomena in Tahoe. It’s a learned behavior for them, according to Gusses. “They learned it because these fish are not native and bears are opportunistic.”

Plus, she added, it’s a lot of work to catch a live fish that only has 2 pounds of meat on it.

Estimates are that between 200 and 300 bears call the basin home. The Taylor Creek area has seen seven of them.

“If this were a known reliable food source, we’d have all 300 here,” Gusses said.

Two weeks ago water was released from Fallen Leaf Lake, thus ensuring there would be plenty of water for the fish to swim in. There is even more water this year than last because the summer rains filled Fallen Leaf, which in turn meant more could be released this fall.

The drought may be contributing to the late spawn. Kokanee like cold water for this migration. The shallow waters of Tahoe where they enter Taylor Creek are warm.

Other wildlife are ready for their arrival. Mallards are about — waiting to eat the eggs; mergansers want the live fish.

Last year salmon were seen in the Tahoe Keys. This year there are reports of them in the Upper Truckee River and Incline Creek. The fish return to where they were born, so it’s possible Taylor Creek will no longer be the only place they regularly spawn.

Even so, this South Shore waterway will always remain the primary place to spawn as long as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife keeps stocking the lake with Kokanee. Each year the state officials gather a half million Kokanee eggs from Taylor Creek, then raise them in Folsom, and return them to the creek in April.

By Jason Blevins, Denver Post

Vail-based East West Partners and Denver’s KSL Capital Partners, the owner of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski area, are partnering to purchase and complete development of the base village at Snowmass.

Details of the deal with seller New York-based Related Companies’ Related Colorado were not disclosed.

One of the few undeveloped base villages at a major ski area, the Snowmass village has a troubled history. Related bought the base village — which voters had approved for a transformative development in 2004 — from resort developer Intrawest and Aspen Skiing Co. in 2007 for $169 million.

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The Sugar Pine Foundation is hoping to plant more than 4,000 sugar pine seedlings progeny of rust resistant parent trees this fall.

Volunteers are needed at the following community plantings:

Oct. 17, 10am-noon – Spooner Lake picnic area
Oct. 18. 11am-1pm – Truckee River Day planting at Tahoe Donner, register
Oct. 24, 10am-noon – 7138 Antelope Way, Tahoma
Oct. 25, 10am-noon – 7899 North Ave., Tahoe Vista

Seedlings to plant at individual residences are on sale while supplies last.

California State Parks is planning prescribed burning in Burton Creek State Park and Sugar Pine Point State Park this fall.

Prescribed burning may begin as soon as Oct. 13.

Goals of the prescribed fire program include restoration of native forest conditions, promotion of forest resilience, and reduction of hazardous fire fuels.

Burns will be conducted during weather conditions predicted to be favorable for smoke rise and dispersal.

Regan Beach plans call for making it modern and accessible to all abilities. Rendering/Design Workshop

By Kathryn Reed

Putting more beach back into Regan Beach is a goal of many who use this South Lake Tahoe recreation area.

Parks and Recreation Commissioner Steve Noll on Oct. 6 went over the latest composite based on feedback at community meetings and through a survey the city conducted. The top amenities or changes people want include:

·       Non-motorized boat launch

·       Expanded beach

·       Jetty

·       Adventure play area

·       Concession-restrooms

·       Picnic area

·       Dog beach access

·       Multi-use lawn.

“I think we need more beach. People enjoy the water’s edge,” John Cefalu said. He was one of several of the nearly two dozen people at Tuesday’s meeting who voiced a desire for even more beach beyond what the Design Workshop renderings showed.

To accomplish this some of the grass area may have to go away. Already more than 5,000-square-feet of grass may be eliminated.

Other likely changes include eliminating the sand volleyball area, getting rid of the kids swing set and creating something more contemporary called an adventure play area, going from two picnic tables to a potential of 20, upgrading concession stand and bathroom, removing one parking space, adding about 130 linear feet of beach, and adding about 440 linear feet of seating.

One of the biggest changes will be the removal of the 1940’s era bulkhead.

A huge unknown, though, is what was used 70-plus years ago as fill for the beach. Like the Tahoe Keys, this area is manmade. The city will bore into the soil to get samples before any work is done. This will also be necessary before permits are obtained. Depending on what is found, it’s possible the fill may have to all be trucked out of the basin and uncontaminated dirt brought to the site.

Back in the day people buried all sorts of things with complete disregard for the environment. The city has found tanks from the old Globin resort while doing work in this area of town. Multiple gasoline storage tanks – including two full ones – were discovered up the road a couple years ago during work on Harrison Avenue.

Jim Marino, assistant public works director, told Lake Tahoe News that whatever the fill is composed it should not prevent the project from going forward.

Overflow parking into the neighborhood from events is a concern. Lauren Thomaselli, parks manager, said it’s possible to include in rental agreements the need to provide adequate parking, even if that means shuttling people to the venue.

The City Council will make the ultimate decision on what the design will be. A date has not been set for when that will occur. Design Workshop will make final conceptual designs as well as put an estimated price on the work before the electeds discuss any project.

Construction work will cause delays or temporary closures of portions of the Pope-Baldwin Bike Path over the next few weeks. This is better known as the Camp Richardson bike trail.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is rerouting portions of the bike path near Camp Richardson Resort to provide a better, safer experience for riders.

The Forest Service does not expect closures to last more than half a day and will provide alternate routes when possible.

A dusting of snow covers part of Heavenly. Photo/Provided

Mother Nature is bringing snow to the mountains. The rain at lake level the past couple days came down as white stuff higher up.

Snowmaking at Heavenly Mountain Resort is slated to begin Nov. 1 — conditions permitting.

The South Shore resort hopes to open Nov. 20.