By Nicole Dreon, ESPN Action Sports

Renewing her contract with Billabong earlier this month to include a signature streetwear line, Jamie Anderson, 20, now joins a select group of women who have created a market for signature snowlines with big brand companies. “I always felt that Billabong made really cute clothes,” says Anderson, “but now I am more involved. I am not just wearing some jacket they give me, I am designing something that fits my style.”

For Anderson, who will release her streetwear collection in 2012 and her expanded outerwear collection this fall, one of the best creative freedoms Billabong has given her is choosing her own materials. “It is important to me that we use as many eco-friendly materials as possible, like organic cottons.”

There are also the financial perks that come with having your own clothing line versus a standard sponsorship. “If you are designing good products and your product sells,” says Anderson, “then you get a percentage of those sales.”

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Volunteers are needed to help at the finish line of the July 16-17 Tahoe Rim Trail Endurance Run.

This nonprofit run is put on completely by volunteers.

With the race being 30, 50 and 100 miles, volunteers staff the route from that Saturday from 9am through Sunday at 4pm.

Volunteers are needed July 16 from 10am-5pm and 5pm-midnight; July 17 from midnight-6am. Contact Renee Gorevin at rgorevin@yahoo.com to volunteer.

Proceeds from this event benefit the Tahoe Rim Trail Association trail maintenance program, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Parks backcountry mountain bike patrol, South Tahoe and Carson City high school cross country teams, Carson City Boy Scouts and Carson City American Legion and other groups.

The 2011 Quiksilver Ta-Hoe Nalu Stand-Up Paddle Classic is Aug. 13-14 in Kings Beach.

Lake Tahoe is the largest stand up flat-water paddleboard venue in the country, and the sport continues to gain in popularity with a recent increase in Tahoe rental shops and outfitters, as well as festivals taking center stage during the summer and fall months.

New to the Ta-Hoe Nalu this summer is the Ta-Hoe Nalu Stand Up Paddleboard Experience, which invites beginners to learn how to paddle from an elite athlete and then go on a guided tour with them. A $30 fee per person includes demo board, paddle instruction, guided tour, event T-shirt and lunch ticket.

For more information about the event, go online.

Join Jason Collin, Barton Health physical therapist, certified strength and conditioning specialist and professional bike fitter, as he helps cyclists decrease common injuries and reduce or eliminate back, neck, and knee pain.

A precise bike fit is a crucial factor in every rider’s comfort, performance and safety, as they take to the roads and trails for commuting, leisure or even racing.

Collin will be speaking about these issued July 27 from 6:30-7:30pm at Lake Tahoe Community College, Aspen Room, South Lake Tahoe. The event is free.

For more information on the 2011 Wellness Lecture Series, go online or call (530) 543.5656.

The International Olympic committee announced Monday evening that slopestyle skiing and snowboarding would make their Olympic debut at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

Snowboarding parallel slalom was also added, while the proposed alpine team event was not.

The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association played a key role in working together with the International Ski Federation on slopestyle, including support in producing the debut World Championship last February at Park City and Deer Valley. The announcement was made following an IOC Executive Board meeting in Durban, South Africa.

“I am so stoked that slopestyle will be included in the next Olympic Games. Slopestyle is such a progressive event and has become much more popular over the last few years. Nothing thrills me more than to see the sport that I love so much recognized on the world’s stage,” Jaime Anderson of South Lake Tahoe said in a statement.

Anderson, whose home resort is Sierra-at-Tahoe, could add some more medal to her arsenal now that her sport is part of the Olympics. She has medaled sixed times in the X Games – three of them gold; and in 2010 and 2011 was named the Dew Tour Athlete of the Year.

Bill Marolt, president and CEO of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, said in a statement, “The IOC’s decision to add slopestyle to the Olympics recognizes the millions of youth who are already participating in the sport in terrain parks around the world. It will have a very positive impact on the sport including our U.S. Snowboarding and U.S. Freeskiing programs.”

Officials had added halfpipe skiing to the 2014 Games at a meeting in April.

“It’s gratifying to see the modernism shown by the IOC in bringing in so many new events to better showcase the excitement of skiing and snowboarding as action sports to the world,” Marolt said.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report

South Lake Tahoe BMX hosts the Northern California State Championship Qualifier July 10.

This American Bicycle Association sanctioned event begins at 12:30pm, with sign up between 10 and 11:30am.

The cost is $25 per rider. Spectators are free.

The track is at 1100 Lyons Ave.

All ages and abilities may participate. Trophies are awarded to the top 3 riders in each class.

For more information, call (530) 542.9337.

Cyclists can keep tabs on the latest developments of the Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway through the organization’s website.

On the website visitors can learn about the organization’s vision of a foot and cycling path that follows the Truckee River from its source in forested Lake Tahoe to its desert terminus at Pyramid Lake. The website also features section-by-section trail descriptions with accompanying downloadable maps, a list of upcoming events and ways to support the project.

Truckee-based design firm SmallPond Studio designed and developed the website.

The Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway route will descend over 2,000 feet in 116 miles, using a combination of existing dirt and paved roads, plus some sections of new trail and bridges. To learn more about Tahoe-Pyramid Bikeway, call (775) 825.9868 or go online.

By Ashlie Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times

Conservation groups have warned that parks “cannot survive” unless the White House redoubles the resources needed to maintain them.

Using data from a new study released Tuesday on the state of national parks, the National Park Conservation Association and the Center for Park Research said the health of natural and cultural resources within national parks is fading, while a “host of new and long-standing threats” is rising, such as declining air quality, polluted waterways and decreased diversity of species.

“These parks are in jeopardy,” said Ron Tipton, NPCA senior vice president. “We are concerned about the condition of park resources, but we also believe there are solutions to all these challenges. We believe there is hope and opportunity.”

NPCA called on President Obama to sign an executive order that would recommit the federal government to the conservation of national parks using the study’s recommended policies. They are also calling on Congress to provide $600 million for restoring ecosystems and habitats.

Tom Kiernan, president of the NPCA, pointed out parks are receiving two-thirds of what they need. Funding parks amounts to “one-thirteenth of 1% of the national budget. Cutting funds or not providing funds is not going to impact the deficit.” Kiernan said parks are an economic investment, with a $4 million return annually. The parks system generates $13.3 billion in economic activity, according to NPCA.

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The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit North Shore office will begin selling woodcutting permits Labor Day weekend.

North Shore residents who wish to purchase a permit before then may do so at the Forest Supervisor’s office located at 35 College Drive in South Lake Tahoe.

The North Shore office issues wilderness permits for Desolation Wilderness, as well as National Recreation passes including the Access, Senior and Annual Interagency passes. It also sells maps and provides hiking, biking, backpacking, off-highway vehicle and other recreation information for the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The North Shore office is located at 855 Alder Ave. in Incline Village. Office hours are Thursday through Saturday from 8am-4:30pm. The phone number is (775) 831.0914.

By Kathryn Reed

Speeding watercraft, life vests, distressed boaters and trapped raccoons – all things the men and women who patrol Lake Tahoe must contend with throughout the boating season.

With the lingering winter weather, summer on the lake is really starting this weekend. The empty moorings bobbing in the water and vacant slips indicate either a slow start to the season or people don’t have the money for this sport.

This isn’t a leisure ride for the officers as they motor around in their boats. While multiple jurisdictions are on the water, there are no real lines delineating boundaries. They help each other help those on the water.

An urgent call comes across the radio about 5:30pm Friday. A 30-foot boat is taking on water near Cave Rock.

Coast Guard Petty Officer Kyle Rahn, right, inspects Kelly Rogers' boat. Photos/Kathryn Reed

South Lake Tahoe police boat patrolmen Steve O’Brien and Dave Gottlieb are closer to Emerald Bay than to Cave Rock. Still, when an “urgent marine information bulletin” is put out, it means everyone responds.

With the throttle down, they arrive first. Close behind are the Coast Guard and Placer County boats.

Kelly Rogers of Reno seems relaxed for a man whose boat is supposed to be sinking. It turns out the bilge is able to pump out the water that keeps coming in, but he doesn’t want to start the motor for fear of doing some serious damage to it.

He’s told no one there can tow him per Coast Guard regulations because he is not in imminent danger. He’s told to call Vessel Assist. It’s like the AAA of the water. He balks at the fee.

O’Brien and Gottlieb let the Coasties take over – they are the senior guys on Lake Tahoe. An inspection of Rogers’ boat turns up the required life jackets, but he doesn’t have a fire extinguisher.

Before arriving at the scene, the South Tahoe guys had been dealing with a couple celebrating their 17th anniversary lounging in an inflatable boat near Ski Beach. Their tranquility was disturbed when the two were told they must have a lifejacket on board.

Officer Steve O'Brien gives a couple life vests before they paddle to shore.

That’s the rule. All boats must have life jackets for the people in the vessel if more than 200 feet from shore. Anyone 12 and younger must be wearing the vest at all times.

The couple from the Sacramento area handed vests and told to paddle to shore. The vests are then returned to the officers.

Earlier on the Nevada side the two check out the buoys where the barge will be tied up for the Fourth of July fireworks that are shot off on the South Shore. That barge used to be the original Dixie paddle-wheeler.

It’s the boat patrolmen’s job to keep a 1,000-foot perimeter around that barge and the three tied to it so no boats get near where the pyrotechnic display originates. Between 500 and 700 boats are on the lake each July 4.

O’Brien and Gottlieb say it can get a little crazy with people not used to boating at night and many having been drinking for hours.

While in the area on Friday they meet up with Jim Hill and Jim Warne on the Douglas County sheriff’s boat.

“We saw two boats with obsolete two stroke engines. We were on other calls and couldn’t get to them,” Hill said of the serious polluting machines. “So the people doing the boat inspections are not checking engines.”

A week ago the Douglas County boatmen made a felony arrest. A guy at Secret Harbor was threatening people with a blow gun.

It’s not just people that are problems.

Officers Steve O'Brien and Dave Gottlieb

Puttering around the homeowners’ area of the Tahoe Keys a guy on a boat waves down the officers, asking what to do about the raccoon that is trapped on his boat in a compartment. He is told to call Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care.

The El Dorado County sheriff’s boat comes by. They are headed back to the lake after towing in retired Superior Court Judge Jerry Lasarow. Deputy Mike Sakau and Sgt. Bruce Rosa are going to investigate a report of a log near Rubicon Bay.

South Tahoe has two boats on the lake this particular day and will do the same through the Fourth. Hours and days vary for the various departments.

Most boat programs in California are funded through a grant from the state Department of Boating and Waterways. SLTPD’s boat patrol has existed since the 1970s. It’s reserves or retired officers on the water.

The three main functions are enforcing the law, education, and search and rescue. Last year there were three deaths on Lake Tahoe – one at Camp Richardson, one at Sunnyside, and another on the North Shore.

This aluminum craft has a hose on it that allows water to be pumped from the lake in case the crew needs to fight a fire. Flipping a switch allows the hose to extract water from a sinking boat.

Much of this particular day is talking to people about slowing down to at least 5 mph in no-wake zones and ensuring people have Coast Guard approved life vests. Everyone on a personal watercraft must wear a vest.

These two say the lake appears 5 feet higher than it was a year ago. Water is under docks and piers – a sight that hasn’t been seen for years. Kiva Beach doesn’t have much sand. Beaches appear more full than they really are because there is so much less space than years past.

O’Brien is emphatic in wishing there were some sort of license for people to be allowed to operate a boat. Anyone 16 and older can do so. People 13, 14 or 15 can drive a boat if someone 18 or older is on board.

It’s not just boaters the patrol units keep an out on. At Timber Cove Pier a couple boys are playing on the steps and in the water. O’Brien asks them what the sign says. They read it. “No swimming or diving.” They get out.

Despite a lecture from Officer Dave Gottlieb and saying he understood, the teen keeps going too fast for where he's at.

Lake Tahoe is 60 degrees now. It doesn’t take long for hypothermia to set in.

Bob Hassett, who operates the concession at Timber Cove and most of the South Shore marinas, chats with the officers.

“Our biggest challenge is the cold water. We educate people how serious it can be,” Hassett said.

The officers work in tandem with marina owners and their employees. At Ski Run an 18-year-old on a personal watercraft is going faster than he should be. He’s not listening to O’Brien and Gottlieb. The two tell a marina employee the teenager needs to have the keys taken away. She says she’s on it.

The officers move on to the next incident. There is always something to do when patrolling Lake Tahoe.