Recreation opportunities Over Labor Day weekend in the Tahoe National Forest:

Nevada City: All recreation sites in the Tahoe National Forest will be available this Labor Day weekend. No fire restrictions are in effect, however anyone with a campfire outside a designated campground needs a fire permit. These are free and available at any Ranger Station.

Bullards Bar: The campgrounds at the reservoir are open. Recreation and reservation information can be found at the Emerald Cove Marina at www.bullardsbar.com or (530)692.3200. The Bullards Fire has been contained however fire equipment and PG&E trucks are still on the roadways. Recreationists are advised to drive slowly. Some smokes may be seen, however, the air is mostly clean.

North Yuba River: All sites are open. There are some first-come-first-serve sites but they fill up quickly. Those sites farther east on Highway 49 are often more available on a holiday weekend. The sites near Sierra Buttes fill up fast as well. For more information, contact the Yuba River Ranger Station (530) 288.3231.

East of Nevada City: Several campgrounds are expected to have sites available.

Truckee and Sierraville: Campgrounds and day use sites are expected to be full. The most popular sites are those connected with the eservoirs. ome sites are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. As campgrounds fill near Truckee, others farther to the north are often available. For additional information, contact the Truckee Ranger station (530) 587.3558.

East of Foresthill: Sugar Pine campgrounds are expected to be very busy. People without reservations are advised to arrive by Thursday or Friday at the latest. French Meadows Reservoir usually has more first-come-first-serve sites available. The OHV area is dusty and folks are advised to bring dust masks and lots of drinking water. A reminder that the Heritage Festival is celebrated on Saturday and Sunday in Foresthill. Traffic may be congested – please drive slowly through town. For additional information, contact the American River Ranger Station (530) 367.2224.

Fire Prevention/ Restrictions: Please be fire safe. The forest is becoming quite dry and fire danger is high. Be sure to fully put out your campfires.

Additional information can be found at www.fs.fed.us/r5/tahoe or contact the Forest Headquarters, (530) 265.4531.

The Tahoe Mountain Sports 4th Annual Pro/Am Disc Golf Tournament takes to the North Tahoe Regional Park 18-hole disc golf course Oct. 9-10, bringing disc golf professionals and amateurs to compete at high elevation. The tournament, a PDGA Sanctioned “B” Pro/Am event, annually brings golfers from all over Northern California to the Tahoe Vista course, and has helped drive the Tahoe region’s growing interest in the sport of disc golf.

All levels are welcome. Pros are competing for cash prizes, and amateur winners will receive Tahoe Mountain Sports gift certificates to use at the Kings Beach store or at tahoemountainsports.com.

Tournament information: Oct. 9, North Tahoe Regional Park Pavilion Registration and check-in begins at 7:30am, rounds begin at 9am, with lunch provided. Oct. 10, North Tahoe Regional Park PavilionPlayer meeting at 9am, Round 3 begins at 9:30 am, with an awards ceremony one hour after the lat group has finished. Barbecue grills provided, bring your own items.

Contact: Dave Polivy, (530) 546.7001, dave@tahoemountainsports.com, website.

The California Tahoe Conservancy will celebrate its 25th anniversary Sept. 16 with a party on the shores of the very lake it works to preserve, protect and enhance.

This casual celebration will take place at Commons Beach in Tahoe City and is free. The event will run from noon–2pm, and will feature live music, food, speakers and commemorative gifts.

Since its inception, the Conservancy has authorized more than $450 million. During its first 25 years, the Conservancy acquired more than 4,700 properties and facilitated hundreds of resource enhancement and public access projects throughout the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Commons Beach, the event venue, is one of the agency’s signature projects.

Transforming El Dorado Beach into Lakeview Commons is a key CTC project on the South Shore.

Reservations are not required for the celebration, but RSVPs are appreciated. RSVP to shelly@switchbackpr.com or call (530) 582.3617.

In conjunction with the anniversary celebration, the Conservancy will roll out its newly designed license plate. California drivers have a unique opportunity to be part of the continued efforts to protect this special place by purchasing a Lake Tahoe environmental license plate.

For more information on the California Tahoe Conservancy’s anniversary event or how to purchase a license plate, visit www.tahoefund.org.

The California Tahoe Conservancy’s mission is to preserve, protect, restore, enhance and sustain the unique and significant natural resources and recreational opportunities of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

There will be a free stargazing program at Mormon Station State Historic Park in Genoa on Sept. 4.

Members of the Astronomical Society of Nevada will set up high-powered telescopes for viewing the evening sky. The program will begin with a presentation and question/answer session at 7:30pm. Telescope viewing is expected to begin about 8pm and last until 10pm.

Under the full moon sky, visitors can expect to see many Milky Way clusters, nebulae, the Andromeda Galaxy, and later in the evening, Jupiter. Members of the Astronomical Society are knowledgeable about the nighttime sky and can teach visitors how to find the North Star, the Big Dipper, the Little Dipper, Cassiopeia, Arcturus, Cygnus the Swan and more.

The public is invited to bring a picnic or barbecue dinner to enjoy before the program. Park staff suggest visitors bring a blanket, lawn chair, snacks, a light jacket and mosquito repellent. Leave pets at home.

Mormon Station State Historic Park is at 2307 Main St., in Genoa, located four miles west of Highway 395 in Carson Valley. The park is located in the center of town.

For more information, call (775) 782.2590.

Pacific Crest Heli-Guides in partnership with HeliTahoe will offer helicopter skiing and snowboarding in Lake Tahoe for the 2010-11 winter season. The operation will be based out of the Truckee Airport and access more than 100,000 acres of privately owned land located along the spine of the Pacific Crest.

By comparison, the combined total skiable acreage at all 14 ski resorts surrounding Lake Tahoe is less than 25,000 acres.

Besides a few small heliskiing enterprises in the early 1970s, this will be the first full-fledged helicopter skiing operation launched in the Lake Tahoe region or in the entire Sierra Nevada.

The operation will be limited to a maximum of 16 guests per day with a ratio of one guide per four guests. The cost structure will be based upon flight time rather than vertical feet, allowing like-minded guests to customize their experience based on their budget, their desire to ski/ride as much vertical as possible and/or their desire to explore a variety of different zones. Full day trips will start at $899 per person.

The terrain accessed via helicopter will be a variety of open bowls, spaced trees, steep chutes and technical couloirs geared toward the advanced to expert skier or snowboarder.

In addition to founding Pacific Crest Heli-Guides, Dave “Happy” Rintala has been operating Pacific Crest Snowcats for close to a decade and is also one of the owner/operators of Alaska Backcountry Adventures, the original heliskiing operation located atop Thompson Pass near Valdez.

“The addition of a helicopter skiing operation to the region allows Lake Tahoe to position itself as a complete winter destination on par with locations such as Whistler, Jackson Hole, Utah and Colorado,” said Rintala. “Pacific Crest Heli-Guides looks forward to being part of the ultimate Lake Tahoe skiing or snowboarding experience.”

For more information, click here, email info@tahoegravityguides.com or call 888.792.9222.

Make a splash or a ripple in the Adult Water Exercise & Running class at South Lake Tahoe Recreation & Swim Pool Complex.

Classes are offered year-round, Monday-Saturday from 9-10am. A Deep Water class runs on Monday and Wednesdays, 6-7pm.

Water exercise is for all adults and seniors who want a fun and wet work out, that can increase your flexibility, circulation and energy. No swimming ability is necessary. You can deep water jog, do the class workout or your own. Bring your water toys or use some of ours: noodles, kickboards, aqua belts and bells.

The pool is 80 degrees and outdoors until the middle of October – then the bubble goes up and is on until the middle of May.

Two ways to pay: Drop-in is $4.25 for adults and $3.25 for seniors or a discounted 10-use card is available.

South Lake Tahoe Recreation & Swim Pool Complex is at 1180 Rufus Allen Blvd.

For more information, call (530) 542.6056.

By Reno Gazette-Journal

Let it be said that Julie Mitchell-Grove of the Virginia City foothills and Susan Burdick of Washoe Valley do not turn their faces away from dirt.

The two women recently participated in a day of trail construction connected with the Tahoe Rim Trail, the 165-mile trail encircling Lake Tahoe.

They pulled at roots. They worked the shape and the slope of the trail. They patted dirt. They edged the forming trail with duff.

None of it was easy, but none of it was too difficult — on that section.

“It’s similar to doing yard work all day, although I probably take more breaks and drink more wine while doing yard work,” Burdick said.

Read the whole story

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will resume restoration work at Blackwood Canyon beginning next week and continuing through mid-October. The project involves construction activities with heavy equipment and dump trucks that will affect public use of the area.

This final phase of the project will include river floodplain excavation and restoration. Work will take place near the OHV staging area and near the old shooting range. Vehicles, bicyclists and other users should use caution when using these areas and Barker Pass Road due to the presence of trucks and heavy machinery. Brief delays may occur and work trucks will be required to observe a 20mph. The Forest Service will post caution signs and station personnel along the road to maintain public safety.

Information on construction activities will be posted at the entrance to Blackwood Canyon and at the job site. More information about the project is available at http://fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbm/BlackwoodCreekRestoration. The restoration at Blackwood Creek is funded through the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act as part of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program.

By U.S. Ski Team

CARDRONA, New Zealand — Morganne Murphy (Truckee) led the United States today, finishing fifth in the FIS Junior World Freestyle Championships ski cross in Cardrona. Ethan Fortney (Tenino, Wash.) was seventh in the men’s event. It was the second time ski cross has been on the program for the Junior World Championships.

Norway’s Didrik Bastian Juell won the men’s, while Fanny Smith of Switzerland took the women’s gold. Kyle Smaine (South Lake Tahoe) just missed the top 10, finishing 11th, while Penn Lukens (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) was 19th.

A crash in the semi-finals was all the kept Murphy out of the finals. She didn’t let it happen again, winning the small finals to take fifth.

“I was bummed about the run,” said Murphy. “I crashed in the semi finals which put me in the small finals. But I made the best pass of my life and am so stoked about finishing fifth.”

Fortney was also pleased with his showing. “It was awesome competing in my first international ski cross event,” he said. “It was a non-stop, fun battle the whole time.”

The championships wrap-up Sunday with ski halfpipe.

On Sept. 12, more than 1,800 bicycling enthusiasts from all over the country will participate in the 8th Annual Tour de Tahoe – Bike Big Blue around Lake Tahoe.

This fun ride is not a race, but a tour and is fully supported offering spectacular scenery, fresh mountain air, rest stops with great food and beverage; and is staffed by volunteers from various organizations and professionally managed by experienced ride organizers. The event is supported by a grant from the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

This year marks the first year participation of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as their National Team Fundraiser Ride to Cure Diabetes.

“We are extremely pleased to host the first JDRF National Team and to be their premiere Ride to Cure Diabetes fundraising event,” event director Curtis Fong said in a statement. “With 175 participants coming from all over the country, we expect to raise $600,000 for JDRF.”

For more information on joining the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s National Team, visit ride.jdrf.com.

Bicyclists will ride two tour options based on their ability level, with all rides starting and finishing from the Horizon Casino in Stateline.

For the “recreational” bicyclists, the Lake Tahoe Boat Cruise and 35 mile Half Ride is offered featuring a sightseeing boat cruise on Lake Tahoe Cruise’s Tahoe Queen paddle-wheeler, complete with a continental breakfast across the lake to the North Shore where participants start their 35 mile bike ride back to the Horizon. This ride option offers challenge as well as beauty with over 1000 vertical feet of climbing along Lake Tahoe’s East Shore. This ride option is limited to 120 participants and 50 family members and guests with a non-bicycling option.

For the conditioned bicyclists, the 72-mile Tour de Tahoe route around Lake Tahoe is not only one of the most scenic, it is also one of the only bi-state bike rides in the country with it’s route in California and Nevada. The 72-mile route circumnavigates the highways around Lake Tahoe in a clockwise direction and offers more than 2,600 vertical feet of climbing.

Online pre-registration is open at BiketheWest.com through Sept. 3. After that date only on-site/late registration will be available.