The 20th annual Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe Golf Tournament is set for Oct. 14.

The event annually raises more than $40,000 to support the work of the club, which assists more than 800 local kids throughout the year.

Golfers receive a round of golf at Edgewood Tahoe, a gourmet buffet breakfast, beverages throughout the day, hors d’oeuvres and drinks at the awards party, Titleist Pro V1 golf balls as tee prizes, $10,000 Hole-In-One chances and Closet-to-the Pin contests on every par 3, plus dozens of free raffle prizes.

Playing spots are available now through the Boys and Girls Club for $225. For more info, call (530) 542.0838.

By Alex Hutchinson, Outside

At Nike’s Oregon Project, a training program for elite distance runners at the company’s sprawling Beaverton campus, athletes have access to pretty much every recovery aid imaginable: a liquid-nitrogen-fueled cryosauna, an antigravity treadmill, an inflatable pneumatic compression tube, and on and on. So when 24-year-old Jackie Areson, an NCAA champ from the University of Tennessee, joined the group last May, she was looking forward to the advantage she’d get from ramping up her postworkout routine with the project’s state-of-the-art techniques.

Instead, her new coach, exercise physiologist Steve Magness, told her to do exactly the opposite. “Whenever I’d mention things that I used to do in college, he’d be like, ‘Oh yeah, don’t do that anymore,’” says Areson, who will be chasing an Olympic spot in the 5,000 meters this summer. As Magness explained to her, “You want your body to learn how to recover on its own.”

That theory runs counter to the pill-popping, ice-tubbing, massage-getting habits of most amateur athletes. We’ve become addicted to enhanced recovery, obsessed with erasing as quickly as possible the pain, fatigue, and inflammation that come from a hard workout. But some top scientists and coaches have adopted a new line of thinking: stress is a good thing, because it forces the body to adapt, repair itself, and come back stronger.

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The NIAA on Thursday afternoon canceled all school sporting events on Aug. 30-31 for schools in El Dorado, Douglas, Mono, Carson, Washoe, Storey, Lyon and Churchill counties.

This is because the air quality is so poor. Most of the smoke that is lingering in these areas is from the Rim Fire burning near Yosemite.

The NIAA contests could be scheduled in a county other than one of the eight mentioned.

South Tahoe High School will play Friday’s football games at El Dorado High School in Placerville.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

By Aaron Kinney, Bay Area News Group

SACRAMENTO — A proposed law to prevent the needless killing of mountain lions by state wardens cleared the Legislature on Monday and now awaits the approval of Gov. Jerry Brown.

The legislation by state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, would give California Department Fish and Wildlife wardens broader authority to pursue non-lethal measures, such as trapping or tranquilizing, when dealing with lions that are spotted in residential areas. It was inspired by the fatal shooting Dec. 1 of two cubs as they huddled under the porch of a home in Half Moon Bay.

Fish and Wildlife Director Charlton Bonhom approved new guidelines for wardens in March that achieve similar ends. If signed by the governor, Hill’s proposal would reinforce those changes, codifying the internal protocols as state law.

“I don’t think there’s anybody in this building,” Hill said Monday, “that wants to kill mountain lions unless they’re posing a threat to humans.”

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By Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times

Ending decades of bitter disputes over fragile Mono Lake, Los Angeles and conservationists on Friday announced an agreement to heal the environmental damage caused by diverting the lake’s eastern Sierra tributary streams into the city’s World War II-era aqueduct.

The controversy over alkaline Mono Lake, which is famous for its bizarre, craggy tufa formations and breeding grounds for sea gulls and migratory birds, is one of California’s longest-running environmental disputes.

The settlement resolves all of the issues among weary combatants, including the city of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, California Trout and the Mono Lake Committee.

It calls for construction of a $15-million adjustable gate in Grant Dam, an earthen structure 87 feet high and 700 feet long designed to impound tributary water. The goal is to release pulses of water along a seven-mile stretch of Rush Creek to mimic annual flood cycles, distributing willow seeds and promoting healthy trout populations. The settlement will not affect water levels at Mono Lake.

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The yellow-legged frog protection is becoming more controversial. Photo/Vance Vredenburg/Associated Press/1969

A federal proposal to make the Sierra Nevada as comfortable as possible for some of their rarest amphibian inhabitants has stirred a backlash from business owners over the economic pain it could cause the region’s recreation industry.

Many opponents worry the proposal would do more to protect frogs and toads than nonnative trout — a top tourist draw in mountain resort communities where cash registers ring up purchases by vacationers, hikers and fishing enthusiasts this time of year.

The controversy hinges on a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to designate roughly 2 million acres in 16 Northern California counties as critical habitat for the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog, the mountain yellow-legged frog and the Yosemite toad.

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By Teri Mizuhara

The recent wildland fire in Diamond Springs is a compelling illustration of how well defensible space works. Homes surrounding the fire area were spared major damage due in part to a swatch around the perimeter that had been mowed earlier in the year.

his “defensible space” prevented the wildland fire from sweeping straight into many of the homes and the mobile home park.

Creating a buffer zone between your home and the wildland greatly reduces the risk of your home catching on fire from direct contact from the fire, radiant heat or flying embers. These embers can destroy homes and even entire neighborhoods that are located far from the actual flame front of a wildfire.

It is crucial to have your defensible space established around your home and every other structure on your property. Don’t delay and start now if you haven’t already begun to create defensible space around your structures.

But keep in mind that the vegetation is critically dry and even with a bit of rain, the combination of a little sun and wind will dry out the grasses/weeds and shrubs in no time flat so don’t operate your gas powered equipment after 10am or before 7pm when humidity is at its lowest.

Here are some tips on achieving a defendable home and property:

Zone One extends up to 30 feet (or your property line whichever is closer) from every structure on your property

— Remove all dead and dying vegetation

— Remove leaf litter from your roof and rain gutters

— Relocate woodpiles well away from your home

— Trim trees so that they are a minimum of 10 feet from your chimney and roof line

— Remove “ladder fuels” (low-level vegetation that could allow fire to spread from the ground to shrubs and bushes to the tree canopies).

Zone Two extends from 30 feet to 100 feet (or to your property line whichever is closer):

— The key is to keep plant material separated from each other both horizontally and vertically, this prevents the vegetation from acting like a ladder and allowing the fire to move from the ground to the tree canopies

— Cut annual grasses down to a maximum of 4 inches in height.

The following areas of your home should be checked annually and maintained as needed:

Check that your chimney has an approved spark arrestor (screen) in good condition covering the opening. The screen should have openings no smaller than three-eighths inch and no larger than one-half inch.

Keep the area under your deck or balcony free of combustible material. Never store your firewood under your deck.

Consider having multiple garden hoses that are long enough to reach any area of your home and any structure on your property.

Teri Mizuhara works for the El Dorado-Amador unit of CalFire.

By Deborah Franklin, NPR

Staying snug within a watertight tent as a storm rages around you is one of the joys of modern camping and modern tents.

But if the weather suddenly turns nasty on your next camping trip, or nights are just colder than you expected, don’t be tempted to bring your cook stove inside. Levels of poisonous carbon monoxide (CO) from the burning stove can build up fast.

That’s the warning from several Michigan emergency room doctors who wanted to know if varying the type of stove fuel might make a difference in such situations. They also wondered if the more rugged, four-season tents favored by those who like to be ready for anything would raise the concentration of carbon monoxide more than airier three-season versions. Quick answers from their small, first-pass test: Yes and yes.

All in the name of science: Volunteers hike in Colorado during their one-week hiatus from electrical lighting.

“Four-season tents are built really well to keep out the elements,” says David Betten, a medical toxicologist in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Mich. “Unfortunately, that same tight construction means they’re not all that well ventilated.”

Raymond Lake in Alpine County is about 1,000 feet below jagged Raymond Peak. Photos/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

HOPE VALLEY – With each step, it seems like the landscape is changing.

Smooth granite turns into coarse volcanic rock. Sandy footing becomes hardpack. Towering mountains and pines give way to 360-degree views.

If this is anything what the entire 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail is like, it might be something I would contemplate doing. But then again, considering how good the beer at the Jeep tasted and the hot tub at home felt, I’m pretty sure my adventures on the PCT will be limited to day trips.

Brenda and I start our trek on a recent Friday morning and never encounter another soul on the trail.

We begin at an elevation of 6,461 feet. Our destination of Raymond Lake is at 8,972 feet. Brenda’s GPS had the trip at 5.5 miles going out and 5.3 coming back. We’re not sure how we lost those two-tenths of mile on the return.

Distinct signs of autumn line the trail early on as leaves are already a yellow-orange.

We get to an overlook with a marker that says we are at 8,000 feet. While the view is a bit like being on top the world, clearly there are peaks around us that are much higher, like Reynolds Peak at 9,690 feet.

Looking down is a vast meadow – the one that is by Grover Hot Springs in the Markleeville area. Across the way a strand of water flows from the mountains. This is one of two waterfalls we see on our hike.

Part of the trail crosses Pleasant Valley Creek. In August it is not a big deal to cross, but reports are that it can be difficult in the spring.

A few wildflowers still sway, but most of the color is gone. Brenda has been on this hike once before and said the flora can be exceptional.

At times the trail is narrow, with a steep descent to one side. It can be a bit breathtaking for those, like me, with a little fear of heights. But Brenda got me through it. I would have turned around had I been on my own.

Going along we see what appears to be large granite rocks that have a hue of light red and purple, as though Mother Nature has splashed them with pastel paint. An orange, rough moss-like substance covers other rocks.

The only turn to pay attention to is clearly marked. One way is to stay on the PCT, the other for Raymond Lake. We follow the arrow for the latter. Another three-quarters of a mile and we are at our destination.

At the shore of the lake there are enough disintegrated rocks to make sitting comfortable – though this isn’t anything like soft sand. A breeze comes up and it’s like flecks of light are dancing across the water.

We see a couple people at the far end of the lake who must have been camping. Permits are required for overnight stays, but not for day hikes.

Supposedly golden trout are in Raymond Lake, but we didn’t see any.

Brenda walks around the lake while I sit and take in the scenery. The jagged spires that form Raymond Peak are 10,011-feet tall. It appears there are caves in the mountain, but they are too high up to explore. Some of the flat surfaces of the rock wall look like they could be a paradise for climbers.

It’s a definite paradise for hikers.

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Getting there:

From South Lake Tahoe, take Highway 50 west. Turn left onto Highway 89 to go over Luther Pass. Turn right on to Highway 88 at Pickett’s Junction. Turn left on Blue Lakes Road. Turn left toward Tamarack Lake. At the fork, go left. Then there will be place to veer slightly to the right. There will be a big wide area to park before you get to Lower Sunset Lake. If you are down by that lake, turn around.

Part of this is a dirt road. While 4-wheel drive is not necessary, the road is not ideal for a typical passenger car.

The trail is to the right of the road we drove in on. Not far up is a single-track trail to the left – take it. There is not a trail marker at the start or for this first left.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Arborist William Probst will give a talk title Pruning — The Proper Way, The Proper Tools on Sept. 10 at noon.

This free talk is sponsored by the South Tahoe Garden Club. It will be at the Ledbetter Terrace at Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe.