It’s going to cost more to get your boat decontaminated at Lake Tahoe this year. The inspections are to keep aquatic invasive species out of the water.

Last week the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board increased the fee by $10. The decontamination fee will increase from $25 to $35. This fee is for boats that don’t arrive at the inspection station clean, drained and dry. All other fees will remain the same.

Inspection station hours may change, the Homewood station is closing, and marinas will receive 15 percent less funding. The Meyers, Spooner and Alpine Meadows inspection stations hours will be decided in April.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will continue to conduct prescribed fire operations in various locations around the Lake Tahoe Basin the week of March 30.

Possible locations include Slaughterhouse Canyon on the East Shore, the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89, the west side of Highway 89 near Tahoma, and near D.L. Bliss State Park.

Operations are ongoing and depend on weather, staffing, and conditions. Locations could vary due to changing conditions.

Forest Service staff will post road signs around the areas affected by the prescribed fire, send email notifications, and update the local fire information line at 530.543.2600, No. 6. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.

A winter storm watch for the Lake Tahoe Basin remains in effect for the 24-hour period starting at 5am March 29.

Rain will be the first to arrive today, with snow by the evening of March 29. The National Weather Service in Reno is calling for 1 to 2 feet of white stuff above 7,000 feet and 6 to 10 inches at lake level.

Winds will be out of the southwest at 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph.

There is a 20 percent chance of moisture on Sunday and a 70 percent chance Monday. Temperatures will be in the 30s and 40s during the day and dropping 15 to 20 degrees overnight.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

A tornado warning was issued earlier this evening for west central El Dorado County and southwester Placer County.

Here is a link to a video of a funnel crowd caught by KCRA-TV.

This bear returns to its home in Southern California. Photo/Provided

A bear rehabbed at Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care was released back to the Los Padres National Forest near Lebec.

The male cub was found in distress near the town of Lebec in August 2013.

“People frequently encounter young wild animals such as bears and assume they need assistance or have been orphaned,” CDFW Senior Environmental Scientist Marc Kenyon said in a statement. “In most cases, they should be left alone. Any intervention with young wildlife should be left to CDFW staff or permitted wildlife rehabilitators. This is the best way to ensure that wildlife stays in the wild.”

Upon release, the cub was given a final health checkup that included taking hair and blood samples.

The 14th annual Dummy Downhill returns to Diamond Peak on April 6.

Participants build a dummy on skis or snowboards that get launched off of a big jump, while spectators watch as the unique characters fly down the hill or crash hard.

The Dummy Downhill is open to the public and there are no registration fees. Dummies need to be at the base lodge by 11am to be judged on creativity, with the jumping and awards ceremony to follow. Prizes and certificates will be awarded for creativity, best crash, and farthest distance.

Participants may register their dummy online or by emailing the names of the team captains and dummy names to info@diamondpeak.com. Onsite registration will be available on the day of the event from 9-11am on the Base Lodge Deck.

Incline Elementary School is participating as part of a class project to introduce kids to engineering.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s 15th annual best management practices workshops for contractors and landscape designers are April 17 and 18 at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.

The half-day refresher course is 8am-noon on April 17, and the full-day basic workshop is 8am-4:50pm on April 18.

Best management practices are land-management and landscaping practices that control erosion and encourage runoff from rooftops and pavement to infiltrate into the ground

This year’s workshops will include presentations on two new BMP site design options developed by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. These options will provide alternative ways to evaluate a property and create a site design, as the planning agency and the conservation districts may not be able to provide as many free BMP site evaluations in the future as they have in the past.

Businesses that install BMPs are listed on an installation service providers list as long as at least one employee attends and passes the course every two years. The list is online.

To register, go online. For more information, call 775.784.4848.

A winter weather advisory is in effect in the Lake Tahoe Basin from 11 this evening to 5am Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Reno is calling for the heaviest snow during the day Wednesday. There could be 3 to 8 inches at the lake and 12 to 18 inches above 7,000 feet.

As the storm rolls in, expect wind gusts up to 45 mph in valley locations and stronger on ridges. Blowing dust and snow could make driving a bit dangerous. A lake wind advisory has been issued for the 12-hour period starting at 11am March 25. Waves could be 2 to 4 feet high on Lake Tahoe.

Roads are going to be slick. For road information, click on one of the state icons on the home page of Lake Tahoe News.

Snow or rain is in the forecast for the basin through Saturday.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

The Sugar Pine Foundation is scheduling a series of plantings.

The Family Resource Center and Hard Rock Cafe will plant sugar pines at the Dreyfuss Estate at Zephyr Shoals on March 29 from 10am-1:30pm.

Local SOS kids will be planting April 13 form 10am-noon at Golden Bear Trail. Bring water and dress accordingly. Gloves and shovels will be available. Meet near the fire station in South Lake Tahoe.

Tahoe Douglas Rotary will plant sugar pine seedlings behind Kingsbury Middle School in Stateline on April 27 from 9:30am-noon. Bring water and dress accordingly. Gloves and shovels will be provided.

Everyone is invited to help plant on any of these days.

For more info, email michelle@sugarpinefoundation.org.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will continue prescribed fire operations in several locations around Lake Tahoe on March 24.

Operations may continue through the week and the weekend if weather, staffing, and conditions allow. Fuels management crews may carry out operations on Spooner Summit and in the Luther Pass Campground off of Highway 89. On the West Shore, operations may take place off of Tahoe Park Heights Drive in Ward Canyon, the west side of Highway 89 near Tahoma, and near D.L. Bliss State Park.

Locations may vary due to changing conditions.

All prescribed fire projects are conducted in accordance with an approved prescribed fire burn plan. Burn plans describe specific conditions under which operations are conducted including the weather, number of personnel, opportunities to minimize smoke impacts, and available burn days. This information is used to decide when and where to burn.

Smoke from prescribed fire may continue for several days after the initial ignition.

Forest Service staff will post road signs around the areas affected by the prescribed fire, send email notifications, and update the local fire information line at 530.543.2600, No. 6. To receive prescribed fire notifications, send an email to pa_ltbmu@fs.fed.us.