By Jamie Wanzek, Moonshine Ink

Jasper, a bear well-known to Incline Village residents, was habitually seen ambling around the North Lake neighborhood for more than 10 years, often trailed by young cubs. In May of this year, in an attempt to scare Jasper and her three youngsters away from trash, a Washoe County deputy shot at the bear with what she believed were nonlethal bullets.

The incident with Jasper sparked a revival of criticism toward bear management in Nevada, with NDOW at the center of the maelstrom. The bear’s death led to a change.org petition addressed to Washoe Sheriff Chuck Allen demanding the “needs to answer for the completely unnecessary death of Jasper,” picking up 5,500 signatures.

Jasper’s death is an ongoing personnel investigation and details cannot be released, according to Bob Herman, the public information officer for Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. But Herman confirms the agency has ordered and received a number of 40 mm nonlethal weapons for their Incline Village deputies, in response to the incident, and the deputies have also been put through a program on how to respond to wildlife with their nonlethal arms.

The conflict between NDOW’s bear management and local wildlife advocates has a long and entangled history that recently entered the courts with a spurt of suits and countersuits.

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Lake Valley, North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts, California State Parks, California Tahoe Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service will continue Lake Tahoe Basin prescribed fire operations over the next several weeks, weather permitting. 

Operations are scheduled to take place at or near D.L. Bliss State Park, Carnelian Bay, Kings Beach, Incline Village, Diamond Peak Ski Resort area, Glenbrook, Upper and Lower Kingsbury Grade and south and east of the Lake Tahoe Airport. 

Agencies coordinate closely with local county and state air pollution control districts and monitor weather conditions carefully prior to prescribed fire ignitions. 

Smoke from prescribed fire operations is normal and may continue for several days after an ignition depending on the project size and environmental conditions.

Tahoe Institute for Natural Science we will be hosting another birding big year in 2018. Registration opens Dec. 1.

Participating birders, local and visiting, will attempt to find as many bird species as they can within the set boundaries (essentially the Lake Tahoe Basin and north to include the remainder of the California side of the Truckee River watershed), and then logging observations of each new species on a website created for the event.

A total of 314 bird species having been documented in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Through the year, new species will continually arise, with migrant species arriving, departing, or simply passing through the Tahoe region.

Tahoe big year is free and open to anyone. Sign up for the Tahoe big year newsletter online.

By Marissa Payne, Washington Post

One small step for man, one giant quad cork 1800 for mankind.

While Team USA’s Olympic snowboarders will only need to travel to PyeongChang, South Korea, to compete in next year’s Games, they’ll look ready to go to the moon thanks to Burton’s astronaut-inspired uniforms. Unveiled Thursday, the uniforms appear predominantly white with red detailing and feature what looks to be a NASA-inspired logo.

“This is the fourth Olympic uniform that Burton and myself have had the distinct pleasure of working on,” the head designer for Burton’s Olympic division, Greg Dacyshyn, said in a statement. “Like the previous three which had a retro inspired influence, the 2018 theme is also a heavy nod to Americana, because its main influence is the iconic suits of the United States’ leading space exploration program.”

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The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Eldorado National Forest will begin the sale of Christmas tree permits on Nov. 13.

Permit holders may choose from a variety of pine, fir or cedar trees up to 6 inches in diameter at the base in designated cutting areas. Trees must be cut on the forest where the permit was purchased.

Permits must be purchased in person, are not transferable and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Permits will be issued during regular business hours on the LTBMU until noon on Dec. 22, and on the ENF through Dec. 28.

In support of the Every Kid in a Park program, the LTBMU and the ENF will offer one free Christmas tree permit to fourth-grade students who present a valid paper voucher or durable EKIP pass. The student must be present to obtain a permit and when cutting a tree under the EKIP program.

LTBMU permits cost $10 each, with a limit of two per family or address. These permits will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis with a forest limit of 2,250 permits total.

ENF permits cost $10 each (cash only), with a limit of four permits per family or address. These permits will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis with a forest limit of 4,500 permits total.

North Shore students on Nov. 8 learn the basics of snowboarding before hitting the slopes. Photo/Squaw Valley

Burton Learn to Ride, Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe and Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows spent part of Wednesday teaching youngsters how to snowboard — indoors.

Snowboarding instruction came via video from Olympic halfpipe snowboarding champion Kelly Clark,  Burton’s Jeff Boliba and instructors from the resorts.

The program, called Burton Riglet PE Snowboarding, uses a special board from Burton to teach kids the basics of snowboarding in their own class gym.

Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe recently received a Burton PE Snowboarding Kit compliments of the Kelly Clark Foundation and National Winter Sports Education Foundation to continue the growth of kids in snowboarding in the region.

By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal
 
Nevada officials have terminated a privately-funded agreement that’s kept hundreds of free-range horses from western Nevada’s Virginia Range without resorting to slaughter.

The agreement provided a framework for state officials to work with a nonprofit to control the horse population through capture, adoption and birth control drugs.

Controlling the horse population is critical because overpopulation results in increased instances of horses on roads, in communities and in distress.

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University of Michigan students assemble the robot. Photo/UofM

By Mike Householder, AP

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A rare bird has landed at the University of Michigan: a two-legged robot named Cassie that researchers hope could be the forerunner of a machine that one day will aid search-and-rescue efforts.

Cassie — whose name is derived from the cassowary, a flightless bird similar to an ostrich — stands on legs with backward-facing knees. The biped that weighs about 66 pounds may not have feathers or a head, but she is attached to a short torso that holds motors, computers and batteries and is able to walk unassisted on rough and uneven terrain.

Cassie, which stands a bit over 3¼ feet at full leg extension, was built by Oregon’s Agility Robotics and purchased by Michigan researchers using grant money from the National Science Foundation and Toyota Research Institute. Although other institutions have acquired similar models, Michigan’s team is excited about using its version to put the school’s cutting-edge programming to the test, said Jessy Grizzle, director of Michigan Robotics.

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For the 2017 holiday season, the Truckee Ranger District on the Tahoe National Forest will be selling 200 personal-use Christmas tree cutting permits.

The non-refundable permits are $20 and good for one tree. There is a limit of two permits per household and individuals must be present to purchase.

Permits may be used on the Truckee Ranger District between Nov. 17 and Dec. 25. Along with the permit and tree tag, buyers will also receive a map showing cutting areas, requirements and helpful tips.

Permits may be purchased directly from the Truckee Ranger District office (10811 Stockrest Springs Road) during normal business hours through Dec. 22 or until permits are sold out. For more info, call 530.587.3558.

By Don Jenkins, Capital Press

Snowpacks in California, Oregon, Idaho and Washington are expected be much smaller by mid-century if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, according to federal projections released Friday.

The Fourth National Climate Assessment, completed once every four years, asserts that the mild winter of 2014-15 may have foreshadowed the future.

“As a harbinger, the unusually low Western U.S. snowpack of 2015 may become the norm,” according to the report.

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