A group of Indonesian basketball players selected based on their ability to play and scholastic achievement were at South Tahoe High School last week.

“We initially scheduled scrimmages after school. That grew into having our students interact with the Indonesian team, have lunch together, shadow our students in class, have a whole school assembly for a quick demonstration of the teams playing,” Pat Harnett, STHS assistant principal, told Lake Tahoe News.

A representative from the Sacramento Kings coordinated the visit. For the past four years, the Indonesian team has visited Seattle. They were looking for a change. San Francisco, Sacramento, and Lake Tahoe were that change.

“It was a great opportunity to meet a player from another country who misled lead me about his shooting ability, and then joked about it on Google Translator!” senior Spencer Harnett said.

Junior Chase Waterman said, “It was a great opportunity … great to play with kids from another country. I hope we get to do it again in the future.”

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

A bear is released Sunday in the Sierra chased by a dog. Photo/John Axtell

Bears made sure Nevada Department of Wildlife officials didn’t rest this long weekend.

On Friday a female black bear was trapped in west Carson City, which has been a busy place for bears this fall. The female, which didn’t have cubs, was first caught in early October in west Carson.

“When we caught her the last time, we did not have the opportunity to perform aversive conditioning treatment on her as she was released near Marlette Lake. This time she was released southeast of the first location and we used bear dogs and rubber bullets to see if that scares the bear and keeps it away from humans,” NDOW biologist Carl Lackey said in a statement.

A male black bear captured in the Verdi/Gold Ranch area last July was caught again Saturday in Verdi, this time raiding a chicken coop. The 6- to 7-year-old bear was about 350 pounds when caught in July and now weighs about 400 pounds. The owner of the chicken coop was advised to do more to keep his chickens secure and safe from black bears looking for a meal. Lackey took the male bear well south of Verdi in the Carson Range to release it Sunday morning using the full aversive conditioning treatment.

NDOW has one remaining trap placed in the Caughlin Ranch area of southwest Reno. NDOW officials warn with unseasonably warm weather forecast for the next few days and a full moon on tap for next weekend, there is still time for bears to be a problem for people who do not take precautions to keep human food away from bears.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Tahoe Backcountry Women’s mission is mission to bring women together to ski, share stories, experiences, and education about backcountry skiing. All ages and abilities welcome

A slide show and season kick off party is Nov. 13 from 6:30-8:30pm at Alpenglow Sports in Tahoe City.

This slide show is a look into women’s backcountry adventures from multiple perspectives and locales. There will be food, drinks, and raffle prizes as well. Future events and organization updates will be announced at this gathering.

For more info, email whitney@alpenglowsports.com.

Tahoe National Forest seasonal trail work finished this summer and fall brings more opportunities for recreationists to enjoy the forest while sustaining natural resources.

Activities included trail expansion and re-route projects as well as planning for future trail work.

In early September TNF staff and partners finished building a 2.5-mile extension to the Butcher Ranch Trail northeast of Downieville, offering mountain bikers and motorcyclists an expanded riding opportunity in challenging terrain.

The Butcher Ranch Trail extension was recently completed. Photo/Provided

For the past two seasons, numerous volunteers — including motorcycle and mountain bike riders, clubs, and local businesses — joined the effort that a Forest Service trail crew began in 2011.

Originally about 6-miles long, the trail that sits under many feet of snow in winter and originated during the mining era has been used by motorcyclists for about 50 years and mountain bikers for the past 15 years. The top of the trail is located near Packer Saddle in the Sierra Buttes area.

TNF staff and partners completed another seasonal trail project this year when they rerouted approximately one mile of the Lindsay Lake Trail to mitigate erosion problems.

Located in the Grouse Ridge Non-motorized Area in Nevada County, the multiple-use trail is popular with those who enjoy backpacking, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, packing, and running.

This summer the TNF also completed an environmental assessment that will lead to relocation of approximately six miles of the Pacific Crest Trail in the Packer Saddle area. The new route will use approximately 1.7 miles of existing non-motorized trail and require approximately 4.3 miles of new trail construction.

The work scheduled to begin next field season will mitigate potential safety concerns; lack of access to good water and camping opportunities; mountain bike trespass; and a degraded recreational experience for hikers and equestrians.

By Larry Olmsted, Forbes

I can’t say this clearly enough: there is nothing you can do to instantly improve your skiing as much as getting a pair of perfectly fitted boots. And for most skiers, that means custom.

So if you have an avid skier on your holiday list, look no further than the gift of custom ski boots, a gift that will keep giving back for many years to come.

I’ve written about this here at Forbes.com before in much more detail, but the long and short of it is that perfectly fit ski boots have four immediate and very tangible benefits: they are more comfortable, as result of better fit they are warmer and best of all they make you a better skier. This combination of increased comfort and warmth coupled with skiing that requires less energy adds up to the fourth benefit, a longer ski day with less fatigue.

The science is simple – to turn a ski you apply pressure to the edges, and today’s highly responsive shaped skis are edgier and “easier” to carve than ever, but this is a double edged sword. The problem is that few people have “average” or neutral feet and most have low or high arches. Anyone in these groups is putting pressure on the edge of their skis – usually in opposite directions – all the time without knowing it.

If your feet pronate (lean in) as most do, you are constantly turning your skis towards each other. Your body and mind intuitively understand and adjust, using a lot of leg muscles, so you are fighting yourself and your turns all day long while burning out your legs. Get correctly fit with boots that puts you in a neutral stance and voila, it’s easier to turn with much less effort.

Many people are amazed the first time they ski in such boots, like a weight has been lifted from their shoulders. The beauty is this happens regardless of ability and everyone from a beginner to expert can enjoy the instant benefits of better fit.

Read the whole story

By Michael Doyle, McClatchy

WASHINGTON — An unassuming bird that’s rebounded in California’s remote Inyo County is giving conservatives and environmentalists alike something to crow about.

The Sacramento-based Pacific Legal Foundation gets to claim victory, with the Fish and Wildlife Service’s new proposal to remove the Inyo California towhee from federal protection. The conservative advocacy group sued to force action.

But in a rare win-win for the perennially embattled Endangered Species Act, environmentalists are likewise pleased with the Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposal. The towhee’s revival, they say, shows the 1973 law can still work.

“The recovery of the towhee and its spring habitats is cause for celebration and provides yet another example of the success of our most important law for saving wildlife,” declared Tierra Curry, a biologist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Only 30 other species, including the bald eagle, have been delisted from the Endangered Species Act because their populations have recovered. More than 1,500 U.S. species remain listed, including more than 300 currently found in California.

Read the whole story

U.S. Forest Service personnel are working on the trails affected by the American Fire.

The Western States Trail between Michigan Bluff and Deadwood Cemetery is open, and Loop 6 is open west of Deadwood Ridge Road.

The entire fire area, including all roads and trails, is closed until May 1, 2014. Therefore, the WST and Loop 6 within the fire area east of Deadwood Ridge Road remain closed. These trails will be returned to acceptable standards before being considered safe for recreationists.

The American Fire affected approximately 25 miles of the WST. To date, roughly 18 of those miles have undergone rehabilitation through fire suppression and/or burned area emergency rehabilitation efforts.

Efforts are under way to winterize the remaining seven-mile segment to minimize erosion and stabilize trail tread. This segment is on the National Register of Historic Places between Last Chance and Deadwood and crosses the North Fork of the Middle Fork of the American River canyon.

Two fire-damaged trail bridges lie within the canyon. The smaller bridge, near Last Chance, has burned timber needing replacement. The larger swinging bridge that crosses the river needs further structural assessments before determining if it can be repaired.

Although winterization activities have started on the approximately three miles of Loop 6 affected by the fire, further work is needed before the trail will be useable.

In the coming months, Tahoe National Forest officials will work with the Western States Trail and the Western States Endurance Run foundations and other interested individuals and groups to repair and maintain the fire-impacted trails. In the meantime, the area remains closed in the interest of public safety.

Officials welcome anyone who is interested in helping with trail work. Potential volunteers may call (530) 367.2224 between 8am-4:30pm weekdays.

The Nevada Division of Forestry will be conducting prescribed burns in North Canyon, near Spooner Lake, in the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park backcountry throughout November, weather permitting.

Signs will be posted throughout the area when burns are being conducted. Nearly 150 acres will be treated in five treatment units.

The burns are part of ongoing fuels treatment and forest restoration efforts being conducted by the Nevada Tahoe Resource Team. The goal of the project is to create a healthier forest and to make the area more resistant to catastrophic wildfire.

The timing of the burns depends on optimum weather conditions and steps will be made to minimize the impact on park visitors.

For more information, call (775) 684.2500.

Mammoth Mountain opens today for the 2013-14 season.

Closer to Lake Tahoe, Boreal is open today from noon-8pm, Nov. 8 from 9am-9pm and future dates are dependent on weather.

The next chance for moisture in Tahoe is Monday, according to the National Weather Service. And that is likely to be in the form of rain.

Resorts have been taking advantage of the cold overnight temperatures to make fake snow to cover the slopes so there will be skiing by Thanksgiving.

Here are some opening dates for Tahoe resorts:

• Heavenly – Nov. 22
• Kirkwood – Nov. 22
• Northstar – Nov. 22
• Squaw – Nov. 27
• Alpine – Dec. 13.

Resorts not listed have less snowmaking capabilities and are more dependent on Mother Nature.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

South Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Tri Club are putting on the Turkey Trot on Nov. 17 at 10am at Bijou Community Park.

The goal is to find your inner turkey and run like there’s an oven warming up for you. Thanksgiving themed costumes are encouraged. Prizes will be awarded for best costume and most ridiculous costume to run in.

Register online. The race is at Bijou Community Park.