By Associated Press

RENO — Volunteers joined Nevada wildlife officials this week in a rescue mission to save thousands of stranded trout and other fish from irrigation ditches that have been cut off from Truckee River water supplies due to drought in the Reno area.

Two dozen wader-clad rescuers splashed through the knee-deep ditches that soon will be going dry, netting an estimated 6,000 fish over two days.

Most were returned Wednesday to the Truckee River near Verdi, just west of Reno, where a rare stretch of wet August weather helped boost flows the past few days with more than an inch of precipitation.

Wildlife officials say the moisture helped, but it doesn’t put much of a dent in the lingering drought, now in its third year.

“We’re trying to make sure the fish in there get a second chance,” Nevada Department of Wildlife spokesman Chris Healy said.

“Nobody likes to see a natural resource go to waste. We would have seen a lot of fish go to waste,” he told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

The Truckee Meadows Water Authority shut off flows last week to the ditches that deliver river water to power generation and hydroelectric plants the authority operates.

“With the drought conditions, the water is going to disappear from these canals,” said Kim Toulouse, volunteer program manager for the state wildlife agency. “All the fish that are in the canals are basically stranded.”

The fish salvage was just one action state officials have been forced to pursue due to the unusually dry conditions. NDOW began plating trout raised in its Mason Valley hatchery into the river and the area’s urban ponds in February, the earliest time in 20 years.

South Tahoe High School is struggling to have a tennis program this fall with the abrupt resignation of both coaches.

The husband-wife duo of Justin and Jenny Clark recently gave notice.

Practice for the boys’ and girls’ teams is supposed to start Aug. 16 per NIAA rules. The governing body mandates the teams have 10 practices before match play begins.

“We have bit of wiggle room. We will make sure we can compete,” STHS Vice Principal Pat Harnett told Lake Tahoe News.

The jobs have been posted, with the deadline to apply being Aug. 11.

Justin Clark, who coached the boys, did not return multiple phone calls. He has taken a teaching job in Carson City.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Cinder is expected to have a full recovery after being rescued from a wildfire in Washington. Photos/LTWC

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care is rehabbing a record number of bears this summer –11.

The latest bear was brought in Aug. 6 by California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“This one is — they are fairly certain — the third cub of the two that we already received from the Paradise area,” Tom Millham with LTWC said.

The 11 cubs came from and/or are nicknamed:

Tahoe – from the Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Meyers – from Meyers
Conway (2) – from Conway Summit near Mono Lake
Bieber (2) – from Bieber on Highway 299 between Redding and Alturas
Paradise (now 3) – from Paradise
Brockway — from Brockway Summit
Cinder — from Washington state, burned in a fire in Methow, Wash.

Cinder’s paws were burned in a fire.

Cinder came to the center via airplane in the last week. Its paws were burned in a wildland fire. Veterinarian Kevin Willitts used Furazone to  help them heal.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care in a nonprofit that has existed for more than 30 years on the South Shore. It is the only facility in California that rehabilitates injured or orphaned cubs. Most of the animals are returned to the wild.

The center hopes to move into a new, larger facility next year off Al Tahoe Boulevard. Currently, animals are cared for in cages in the Millhams’ backyard.

For more info about LTWC, go online.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Eurasian watermilfoil has been found in the Upper Truckee River near its outlet to Lake Tahoe.

The 1- to 2-foot wide by 50 yard infestation was discovered by an Eyes on the Lake volunteer. Eyes on the Lake is a collaborative effort of the Lake Tahoe Invasive Species Program.

According to the League to Save Lake Tahoe, “The infestation originates from a pipe that drains from the entrance road to the Tahoe Keys Marina. A piece of milfoil may have been rinsed from a boat and washed down the pipe or inadvertently introduced from a kayaker or rafter floating the river, where it lodged in the river bank and began to grow. Nutrient-rich stormwater running off the roads likely fed the invasive weed allowing it to flourish and spread more quickly.”

Volunteers organized by the League plan to remove the infestation this month.

The 34th annual Kirkwood 5K/10K Adventure Trail Run is Aug. 30.

There are 1 mile and half mile fun runs for kids starting at 9am. The 5K and 10K will start after the fun run.

Tahoe Mountain Milers Running Club and Kirkwood Volunteer Fire Department present the races under special use permit from the U.S. Forest Service.

The 5K runners will loop through the neighborhood on paved road and cross a meadow with a short section of trail. The 10K runners will test their aerobic fitness on the adventure trail run. The course will follow Red Cliffs bike trail up the mountain behind the main lodge, cross under Chair 2 and wind down the mountain on dirt roads and single-track trails. The half mile and one mile Kids Fun Runs will be on paved road.

Race registration forms are available at: CV Sports in Carson City; Kahle Community Park in Stateline; South Lake Tahoe Recreation Center; Eclipse Running and Reno Running Company in Reno; or by calling 775.588.2864, or go online. Pre-registered runners postmarked by Aug. 16 will be guaranteed a T-shirt.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin post-Angora Fire restoration work on Angora Creek this week.

The project is designed to enhance approximately two miles of stream by placing downed logs to prevent future channel erosion. This should improve aquatic habitat for fish and amphibians.

Hand crews will do the work using dead and downed logs from the adjacent forest to replace logs that were lost next to the creek during the fire. Chain saw work will occur where needed. No live trees will be cut.

Work is expected to be finished by the end of September.

By Chris Healy

Fruit trees throughout western Nevada blossom in the spring and will produce ripened fruit in mid-summer. As the fruit develops, the black bears in western Nevada are sure to take notice.

Armed with a sense of smell that is 2,100 times better than a human’s, black bears can tell when it is time to venture down the hill into places like west Reno, Washoe and Pleasant Valleys, Carson City and the western edges of the Carson Valley (Minden, Gardnerville and Genoa).

“Fruit trees are a major attraction for Nevada’s black bears,” says Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist Carl Lackey. “During this time of year and especially during this drought, fruit is on their radar.”

Since it is a bear’s overwhelming instinct to eat and the human’s responsibility to not attract the bears, people who own fruit trees need to harvest their fruit as quickly as possible and not allow it to become an attraction for the bears.

“We have had many cases over the years where people allow their fruit to ripen and fall to the ground and then bears become a nuisance in their yard and the surrounding neighborhoods,” adds Lackey. “If you own fruit trees and you do not want bears to eat your fruit, then you need to act quickly in harvesting the fruit from the trees. People who leave the fruit on the trees stand a good chance of the bears damaging the trees while they climb them in search of a meal.”

The pace of bear activity and the sightings of those bears along the edges of western Nevada’s cities are only going to increase as summer rolls toward fall.

We are not trying to create panic by advising people of these potential bear encounters. We are trying to create tolerance amongst people living in these urban interface areas. They need to be bear aware and do what they can to keep bears alive and wild. Part of that responsibility means managing fruit crops and the weekly trash better.

The bears are nocturnal and a bunch of trash cans left out overnight is a strong attractant and way too easy a meal for the bears. Add the attraction of ripened fruit and you can almost guarantee a visit from a bear in your neighborhood.

Since July 1, NDOW has handled 19 bears in western Nevada. Fourteen of those bears have been safely released back in to the wild. Three of the bears were hit and killed by cars, one was euthanized for public safety reasons and one was euthanized for depredating upon livestock.

Chris Healy works for the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

In 1972 a group of Tahoe Yacht Club members and friends got together to share their passion for wooden boats. From this modest beginning, the Lake Tahoe Concours d’ Elegance has grown to play a significant role in the wooden boat community, as well as the Lake Tahoe maritime community.

Since its induction in 1994 the Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation has hosted the Lake Tahoe Concours d’Elegance.

This year the Aug. 8-10 show returns home to West Shore and the birth place of wooden boats to Lake Tahoe, Obexer’s Boat Company.

For more information, go online.

Sierra State Parks Foundation is hosting a full moon kayak tour on Aug. 10 at 7:30pm.

Paddlers will go along Sugar Pine Point from the highest elevation operational lighthouse in the United States to the parks’ southern boundary overlooking Meeks Bay. Park staff will provide tidbits about the region’s cultural and natural history.

No experience needed. This is for ages 12 and older.

The fee includes park entry, kayak rental, mandatory life jackets and safety training. Proceeds benefits foundation programs. Cost $40 per person.

RSVP to 530.525.9920.

With the heat finally breaking on the final day of the 31st annual Tahoe Tennis Classic, all the sizzle was coming off the rackets of the finalists.

One hundred seventy-four players from nine states participated in the three-day tournament at Zephyr Cove Tennis Club that ended Aug. 3.

The closest final was in the 7.0 mixed doubles match, with the winners having never played together until this tournament. It took three sets and two tiebreakers for Tina Fobel of Zephyr Cove and Kurt Massing of Tyler, Texas, to beat Eric and Katie Hetrick of Benicia 7-6, 5-7, 7-6.

While it was common for husbands and wives to be playing mixed doubles, the Rittimans of Zephyr Cove were a mother-son combo. Holly and Mitch Rittiman were runner-ups in the 8.0 mixed doubles. Mitch Rittiman then partnered with his dad, Ross, to win the men’s 8.0 doubles.

Ross, Mitch and Holly Rittiman

Winners of the Tahoe Tennis Classic are:
• Combined women’s 7.0 doubles: Louise Brown of Vallejo and Eric Hetrick of Benicia defeated Brenda Stewart and Tracey Samoluk of South Lake Tahoe 7-5, 6-2.
• Combined women’s 8.0 doubles: Christina Fegert and Krista Kip of Reno beat Sharla Freeman of Ashland, Ky., and Charna Knerr of Stateline 6-3, 6-0.
• Combined women’s 9.0 doubles: Carol and Holly Tretten of Reno beat Christina Fegert and Krista Kip of Reno 6-2, 6-4.
• Combined women’s 10.0 doubles: Kristi Cargill of Sacramento and Holly Tretten of Reno defeated Kim Iliffe of Mill Valley and Colleen Warren of Coronado 6-4, 6-3.
• Men’s 50 doubles: Ryan Johnston of South Lake Tahoe and Rob Wheatley of Palm Desert defeated Randy Houston of Palm Desert and Mark Peterson of Truckee 7-6, 6-3.
• Men’s 65 doubles: Gregory Shephard of Napa and Tad Yukawa of Palm Desert beat Bill Matthews of Ranch Mirage and Jess Torres of Alta Loma 4-6, 6-3, 7-6.
• Combined men’s 7.0 doubles: Bart Tretheway of Chicago and Ray Tretheway of Sacramento beat Mark Allione of South Lake Tahoe and Phil Sheridan of Zephyr Cove 6-2, 6-4.
• Combined men’s 8.0 doubles: Mitch and Ross Rittiman of Zephyr Cove defeated Denis Diehl and Steve Reid of Reno 6-2, 7-6.
• Combined men’s 10.0 doubles: Blake Beavers of Tyler, Texas, and Mickey Navarro of Waco, Texas, beat Michael Kiskinen of El Dorado Hills and Paul Thompson of Rancho Cordova 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
• Combined mixed 7.0 doubles: Tina Fobel of Zephyr Cove and Kurt Massing of Tyler, Texas, beat Eric and Katie Hetrick of Benicia 7-6, 5-7, 7-6.
• Combined mixed 8.0 doubles: Karla Johnston and Adam Turner of South Lake Tahoe beat Mitch and Holly Rittiman of Zephyr Cove 6-3, 6-3.
• Combined mixed 10.0 doubles: Blake Beavers of Tyler Texas and Kim Iliffe of Mill Valley beat Keri Mills of Davis and Paul Thompson of Rancho Cordova 7-6, 7-5.

All players were guaranteed a minimum of two matches during the three-day tournament. Besides the six courts at Zephyr Cove, play was also at Lake Village in Stateline and Pinewild in Marla Bay.

This was the first year the nonprofit Zephyr Cove Tennis Club Foundation ran the tournament. The foundation is operating the facility on behalf of Douglas County, which owns the courts. The goal is to make Zephyr the best place at Lake Tahoe to play tennis.

Zephyr Cove Tennis Club Foundation President Carolyn Wright, right, honors Tahoe Tennis Classic founders Hersch and Sheryl Herschmann. Photo/LTN

At the annual players’ dinner on Aug. 2 the foundation honored Hersch and Sheryl Herschmann for creating the tournament and running it for three decades.

Foundation President Carolyn Wright expressed appreciation for their efforts for the last 30 years and said how it took a dozen people this year to do what just the two of them were able to do each year.

The tentative dates for the 2015 Tahoe Tennis Classic are July 30-Aug. 2. With more people participating, it is evolving into a four-day tournament.