By Jeffery Weidel, Examiner

While many of Lake Tahoe’s ski resorts are thrilled at seeing snowfall twice in the past week, Boreal Mountain Resort is taking a more pro-active approach: Boreal is making snow.

Boreal fired up 14 of its snow-making guns on Sept. 27 and if conditions warrant, Boreal could open in 30 days or less.

“Snow in September! This is awesome for us,” said a Boreal spokesperson Tess Hobbs said. “It’s great. Our crews wait for this all summer long. We’re all skiers, and to us this is the start of winter.”

A low pressure system moving across Northern California has brought reduced overnight temperatures which allowed Boreal to begin making snow to create a base for the upcoming ski and snowboard season.

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The 2013 Kokanee Trail Runs hosted by the Tahoe Mountain Milers Running Club has been canceled this year.

The U.S. Forest Service requested this because of the extensive forest thinning operations in the area where the running events occur, specifically between Taylor Creek, Fallen Leaf Lake dam and Cathedral Road.

The Forest Service’s Fall Fish Festival and Camp Richardson Oktoberfest are still going on Oct. 5-6.

The next Tahoe Mountain Milers Race is Oct. 26 in Carson City for the Nevada Day 2 mile and 8K Run. Go online for more info.

In Ski magazine’s annual readers’ survey of best ski resorts, no Tahoe area resort made it in the top 10.

Mammoth, which has long been eyed by Vail Resorts as its possible next acquisition, came in at No. 14. Heavenly is No. 22, Squaw No. 24 and Northstar No. 25.

These are the rankings for the West. The magazine divides the resorts between East and West.

Here is how the Tahoe area resorts did in the specialized categories:

• Grooming – Northstar, No. 4

• Scenery – Heavenly, No. 3; Homewood, No. 4

• Terrain variety – Mammoth, No. 5

• Terrain parks – Mammoth, No. 2; Northstar, No. 3

• Family programming – Northstar, No. 3.

The combination of gusty winds and low humidity may create critical fire weather conditions for the Lake Tahoe Basin on Sunday.

The National Weather Service in Reno says a fire watch is in effect for all of Sept. 29.

A strong storm system from the Northwest will be moving into the area this weekend, bringing winds of 20-30 mph and gusts up to 50pmh, along with humidity near 25 percent.

With the wind on Sunday, there is also a chance of moisture for the basin. Full sun is expected to return Tuesday.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

On Oct. 1, boat inspections will move to select launch ramps and winter hours will begin.

Tahoe RCD inspectors will be stationed at Cave Rock and Lake Forest boat launches from 6am-4pm seven days a week, weather permitting. Boats with attached Lake Tahoe wire inspection seals and valid Tahoe inspection stickers will be permitted to launch during these times, but any unsealed boats are required to get an

inspection during daylight hours.

Decontaminations will be available through October. Decontamination fees apply. Boats with intact inspection seals will still be permitted to launch at Sand Harbor,

Obexer’s and Tahoe Keys Marina, but no inspections or decontaminations are available at these locations.

To confirm hours and inspection locations, call 888.824.6267.

The U.S. Forest Service will begin its fall prescribed burn program in the Eldorado National Forest as soon as weather conditions are favorable. Approximately 5,100 acres of National Forest land are slated to be burned this fall, winter and spring.

Prescribed fires are used to maintain forest health and to reduce fuels that could feed future wildfires.

Prescribed fires are ignited only when weather and fuel conditions exist that will ensure low to moderate burning rates and firefighting resources are available to keep fires within fire lines.

A 2-year-old male black bear was captured Sept. 26 in Incline Village.

The trap was moved from a location near Gardnerville Wednesday morning and put in Incline that afternoon.

The 160-pound bear had never been handled by Nevada Department of Wildlife officials before. It has been tranquilized and processed, and will be released back into the wild on Friday somewhere on the Nevada side of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Processing includes affixing an ear tag, capturing various DNA samples and tattooing an area in the bear’s mouth.

The traps set in Yerington, Topaz Ranch and in the foothills of Reno are still set.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

Lake Tahoe Marathon means road closures starting Friday and continuing through Sunday.

There will be a road closure Sept. 27 between Spring Creek and the top of Emerald Bay from 6:50-7:30am.

On Sunday about 2,000 athletes will run down Highway 89 from Tahoe City and various points in between to Spring Creek Road bike path. The road will be closed at 6:30am starting near Spring Creek Road and ending at 12:30pm.

There will be slow traffic going around the lake on Saturday during the bike race.

More info is online.

Forest Supervisor Tom Quinn has signed a new emergency closure order for portions of the Tahoe National Forest within and adjacent to the American Fire area.

It is effective now until May 1. The order is less restrictive than the previous one and is in place for human safety and resource protection.

The order opens Foresthill Divide Road, Deadwood Ridge Road, and Forest Service Road 43 (Flat Ravine) to through traffic and also opens Robinson Flat campground.

The Western States Trail (WST) between Michigan Bluff and Deadwood Cemetery is open, and OHV Loop 6 (Forest Service Trail 11E44) is open west of Deadwood Ridge Road. However, the WST and Loop 6 within the fire area east of Deadwood Ridge Road remain closed.

The entire fire area, including all interior trails and roads, is closed except the portion of Foresthill Divide Road that passes through the fire area.

Discharging a firearm, air rifle, or gas gun into the fire closure area is also prohibited.

The Forest Service can issue a permit to private landowners or other adults with a reasonable need to access the closed area.

The area is being patrolled, and people entering the closed area without a permit will be cited.

Fire restrictions in the Eldorado National Forest were removed Wednesday as a result of recent rains and future weather forecasts.

Wetter conditions returned to the Eldorado National Forest just in time for deer hunting season to begin on Saturday.

Campfire permits are available for at all Eldorado National Forest offices. They will also be available at special fire prevention information stations that will be staffed on Friday night and Saturday morning at the following locations: Cleveland Corral off the Ice House Road, on the Mormon Emigrant Trail near Bonetti Road, at the Georgetown Ranger Station in Georgetown, and at the intersection of Ellis Road and Highway 88.

Forest officials say that this is the time of the year when wind becomes the fire problem in the forest. Campfires should not be built when the wind is blowing.