Last October, Carson Valley Trails Association work crews began manual construction of the last three-quarters of a mile of the Genoa Loop Trail, a segment of the 16-mile Genoa Trail System.

Work on this trail system started in May 2011, with volunteer hand crews and a professional trail building contractor using two trail building machines. In September it was determined that the first 500 feet of elevation on the south ridge of Genoa Canyon was too narrow, rocky and steep to use the trail building machine, so that portion of the trail had to be hand built. Trail building work continued until just before Thanksgiving, leaving another 1,000 feet of trail to be completed.

Trail work in Genoa Canyon resumed in March and will be completed by the official opening of the Genoa Trail System on May 12. Widening of the trail in hardrock areas is under way, using an electric jackhammer powered by a 3,000 watt generator. The generator must be manually carried as needed for nearly a mile.

Volunteers are still needed to help with the final cleanup on the Genoa Loop Trail. No previous trail building experience is required. For more information, contact Jeremy Vlcan at (775) 722.8784 or jrvlcan@aol.com.

The Great Bike Ride is the annual kick-off event each May in support of Bike Month. The bike ride begins at noon May 1 in the breezeway of Building A at the El Dorado County Government Center.

Bring a bicycle and a helmet. T-shirts will be given to all participants.

Participants will ride along the El Dorado Trail from Forni Road to the Weber Creek Bridge or Missouri Flat Road.

If you plan to participate and want a complimentary lunch from Friends of the El Dorado Trail – RSVP no later than April 27 to Joni Rice at jrice@edctc.org.

Register online and log miles in support of Million Mile May. This year’s cycling goal for the Sacramento Region is 1.5 million miles.  National Bike to Work Day is May 18.

The 5th annual Tour of Carson City Bike Ride & BBQ is May 6 starting at 9:30am.

The route tours around the perimeter of Carson City for a moderately paced 27 to 30 mile bike ride.

Lunch will be provided and all are welcome.

This is a free event. Donations are being accepted to support Muscle Powered of Carson City, which promotes a more bike friendly community.

Call (775) 267.5053 for information.

Alpine Meadows’ annual Snow Golf Tournament will tee off April 21 at 9am at the top of the mountain off the Summit Express chairlift.

This event features the only mountaintop snow golf course around. It’s skiing or snowboarding combined with golf.

The nine-hole course starts at the top of the Summit Express chairlift off of Sunspot and weaves its way down the mountain to the bottom of Alpine Bowl chair. Players are provided scorecards, pencils, clubs and tennis balls. All competitors must be wearing skis or a snowboard to navigate from hole to hole, but are allowed to remove one foot to drive, chip and putt.

Registration starts at 9am at the top of the Summit Express chair and is free (with a lift ticket or season pass).

The South Lake Tahoe pool has reopened now that the dome issue has been resolved.

No other regularly scheduled activities at the Recreation Complex were impacted.

For more information, call (530) 542.6056.

On May 16, Sierra Front Wildland Fire Cooperators will host a regional wildland fire unified command sand table exercise at East Fork Fire Station 12, located at 3620 North Sunridge Drive, Carson City.

The event is designed to exercise inter-agency involvement during a large-scale disaster utilizing the federally mandated National Incident Management System. The event will put senior ranking fire and law enforcement personnel in a position to manage a simulated large-scale wildland fire.

The exercise is designed to provide overall incident management skills to key staff operating within the Incident Command System.

Numerous public safety agencies will participate in the event from all over the Sierra Front Cooperators, including personnel from East Fork Fire and Paramedic District,

Tahoe Douglas Fire District, Carson City Fire Department, US Forest Service, US Bureau of Land Management, Nevada Division of Forestry, Washoe County Sheriff’s Office, Sierra Fire Protection District, Reno Fire Department, Sparks Fire Department, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, numerous public utility companies as well as county officials and agencies.

The planned scenario will simulate a lightning strike brush fire that starts along the Sierra Front and challenges local responders to manage the incident. Throughout the evolution of the exercise, there may be other weather events, further expanding the complexity of the incident.

The 4th annual Carson Valley Days Grass Volleyball Tournament is June 10 at Lampe Park in Gardnerville.

Adults play 4 on 4, youth (under 18) play 6 on 6. Adult categories are Open, Coed, or Women; youth are grouped by school grades.

There is a guarantee of three matches in pool play, plus elimination playoff in each division. Some divisions may be combined to maintain competitive numbers.

Cost is $15 per adult team member; $5 per youth team member.

Click here for an entry form or call (775) 782.9828 for information.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association, Sierra Nevada Journeys, and the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science are partnering for the fifth annual Youth Backcountry Camp summer program.

Youth ages 12-17 may attend one of the three-, five- or six-day programs.

Year-after-year, these programs are an opportunity for local teens to make friends while learning about wilderness survival, navigation (map/compass and GPS), Leave No Trace wilderness ethics, local ecology and geology and backcountry cooking and nutrition. Participants will backpack approximately 5-7 miles per day and participate in a service learning project building or improving part of the Tahoe Rim Trail.

2012 Dates

YBCC2 (5-day) ages 14-17 – July 15–19 $299

YBCC3 (6-day) ages 14-17 – July 22–27 $350

YBCC (3-day) ages 12-15 – July 29–31 $199

Gear, food and transportation will be provided for all participants. All programs are instructed by experienced and well-trained staff from the TRTA, SNJ and TINS. Scholarships are available. To determine your eligibility,contact Tom at (775) 298.0238 or email programs@tahoerimtrail.org.

Online registration may be completed on the TRTA website. For more information call (775) 298.0238 or email Tom at programs@tahoerimtrail.org.

The Spring Mixer Tennis Tournament in Carson City is May 20.

This is more of a social event to meet and play tennis with people you may not know. People will be paired with different players to play doubles all day.

All ages are welcome. Entry fee is $10.

Send application request to carsontennisclubnv@gmail.com.

Eldorado National Forest dirt roads and trails will remain seasonally closed to motorized vehicle use until April 30.

“This is a difficult time of the year to predict exactly when we can lift the seasonal dirt road and trail closure,” Forest Supervisor Kathy Hardy said in a press release. “Our soil scientist is checking the condition of the roads and reporting back to me on a regular basis. I want to open the routes as soon as the weather forecast is favorable and the clay based roads can withstand the traffic.”

The Eldorado National Forest has been seasonally closed to wheeled motor vehicle travel on dirt roads and trails since Jan. 1. The routes are closed to prevent erosion, protect road beds, and maintain water quality. When the seasonal closure is lifted, it will be lifted for all dirt roads and trails in the Eldorado with the exception of the 42 routes recently closed by a court order and trails in the Rock Creek area near Georgetown. Rock Creek has its own site specific closure process.

Mormon Emigrant Trail remains closed to through traffic due to snow.