By Reno Gazette-Journal
Terence Crawford, 22, of Omaha, Neb., headlines a boxing card at MontBleu Resort Casino and Spa at Lake Tahoe on June 26.
Crawford has an 11-0-0 record with eight knockouts since turning pro two years ago in the lightweight division.
The Lake Tahoe Basin will host Wildfire Awareness Week July 3-11. The event is to encourage residents to Be Ember Prepared by protecting their home and community from the embers that cause home fire during wildfires.
California and Nevada already host a Wildfire Awareness Week in early May, but participation has been low in the Tahoe basin partly because many second home owners are not around.
The goal of the week in July is to motivate and empower residents and visitors to take action now to protect homes and communities from embers that can attack during a wildfire. Events and activities are planned throughout the Lake Tahoe basin to remind people of the risks inherent to living in a fire prone environment and the importance of taking measures now to reduce the threat and increase the protection of their homes and communities.
Events will include 4th of July pancake breakfasts by local fire departments, fire station open houses, fuels treatment project tours, fire wise landscaping classes, Fire Safe chapter barbecues, and presentations to homeowner association meetings. The capstone event will be a Wildfire Summit for residents on July 9 from 9am to 5pm at Harveys in Stateline.
Events are listed at www.livingwithfire.info/tahoe.
Homeowners can assess their home’s defensibility by using the “Living with Fire Guide for the Homeowner” and the Ember Awareness Checklist in the “Be Ember Aware! Will your home survive when the embers arrive?” publications found at the www.livingwithfire.info/tahoe website. Further information is also available contacting the Nevada Fire Safe Council at www.NVFSC.org for information about creating a fire safe community.
By Dan Hinxman, Reno Gazette-Journal
No offense to Charles Barkley or Ray Romano, but if Kevin Nealon had been invited to be on “The Hank Haney Project,” he just might be playing golf for big dollars now.
“Why not give (it) to somebody like me, somebody who can really improve, somebody with hand-eye coordination, somebody who has talent,” the former “Saturday Night Live” funnyman and current star of Showtime’s “Weeds” said Tuesday. “I could be a good golfer if I had the time and someone was teaching me. … Give me Haney. They’re wasting it on some people.”
Kevin Nealon
OK, there was plenty of offense intended — in that good-natured, comedian style.
By Kathryn Reed
FALLEN LEAF LAKE — Property owners at Fallen Leaf Lake are doing everything they can to keep their body of water more pristine than Lake Tahoe.
With aquatic invasive species already in the larger alpine lake, the smaller one is hoping to not have the same fate befall it.
Fallen Leaf is working hard to keep aquatic invasive species out. Photo/Kathryn Reed
A real threat is a boat from Tahoe transporting an invasive specie to Fallen Leaf. The smaller lake has zero invasive species.
In a relatively short period of time the Fallen Leaf Lake Protection Association (FLLPA) was able to raise $15,000. This allows the Tahoe Resource Conservation District to provide 40 hours of boat inspection service and education to the public beyond what was already taking place.
The purpose of the nonprofit FLLPA is to work behind the scenes to achieve specific and targeted results. Besides talking aquatic species with homeowners at the May meeting, FLLPA leader John Kleppe mentioned keeping a careful eye on the snowmelt from Echo Peak because it can have a dramatic impact on the water level at Fallen Leaf Lake.
Another thing the FLLPA did was raise $15,000 for the log boom in front of the dam that was installed in June 2007. This group was also active when MTBE was polluting Tahoe waterways.
Kleppe has been attending aquatic invasive species working group meetings for the Lake Tahoe Basin. Part of the organization is a subgroup devoted non-motorized watercraft.
He told the Fallen Leaf Lake Community Services District board last month that a sticker program for this lake on the edge of Desolation Wilderness could be created in the future for people removing their boats from there but not going elsewhere.
The latest $15,000 will be spent mostly on targeting non-motorized watercraft and education. Aaron Fox will work Thursday-Monday; to be on-site during the busiest times.
“My job it patrolling, informing, inspecting and educating,” Fox said.
Lily Lake is part of his jurisdiction because it drains into Fallen Leaf via Glen Alpine Creek. He will also be monitoring Camp Concord, Stanford Sierra Camp and the other entry points for kayaks and canoes.
The U.S. Forest Service campground checks all rooftop boats that come into its jurisdiction.
“Clean, drain, dry” is the mantra of officials tasked with keeping aquatic invasives out of Tahoe and Fallen Leaf.
So far no invasive species have been found on a non-motorized watercraft. The same cannot be said of motorized. This is the third season boats entering Tahoe waterways have been inspected.
The reason for it is because species like quagga and zebra mussels can wipe out the usability of a lake, wreak havoc on water in-take infrastructure, do extreme damage to boats and severely impact a region’s economy. Neither of those mussels has been found in Tahoe.
However, Tahoe does have Asian clams that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and others are trying to eradicate this summer. The Eurasian milfoil plant is another bother in the big lake.
New Zealand mudsnails. Photo/Provided
A New Zealand mudsnail was found on a boat at the Meyers checkpoint in May on its way to a launch ramp.
“They cause a lot of destruction in river and creek systems. They take out the bottom food chain like quagga and zebras do,” said Nicole Cartwright, watercraft inspection program coordinator for the TRCD
Fishermen through felt-soled boots can even transport the mudsnails.
Earlier in the season a boat coming from the San Francisco Bay had to be quarantined because a mussel similar to the quagga and zebra, but a salt-water species, was found. That boat had to be quarantined – meaning it’s not going anywhere for seven to 30 days while either the California Department of Fish & Game or Nevada Division of Wildlife give it clearance to move on.
New this year is four inspection stations away from the marinas. They are at the gateways into the basin – Meyers, Spooner Summit, Northstar and Alpine Meadows.
The decontamination rig at Spooner Summit. Photo/Kathryn Reed
“As far as saving people time at the ramp, it’s a huge help in reducing that line,” Cartwright said. “The outlying stations are working great. We had a lot of traffic with the first big summer weekend last weekend. The idea is to capture every vessel before it’s in the basin.”
If a boat gets by, inspections are being done at the marinas. Decontamination is off-site.
For the most part people understand the need for the inspections. In the first year about half of the boaters had heard about the program before reaching their destination. That percentage grew to 75 last year.
Cartwright said her agency was able reach about 14,000 boaters in 2009. Mailers, advertising and working with marinas are ways the TRCD is spreading the word.
If a boat at one of the four stations needs to be decontaminated that can take place there for an engine or bilge flush. A full decon has to be scheduled.
What’s different at Fallen Leaf is all motorized boats are decontaminated at the marina.
A homeowner at Fallen Leaf has donated a skiff for TRCD’s Fox to use when he is working. This allows him to get from Point A to Point B faster.
Education material is at the store and other places around the lake. Fox has pamphlets on him that he hands out.
Cartwright anticipates boat inspections and decontamination stations are something boaters at Tahoe and Fallen Leaf will face for the indefinite future.
For more information about boat inspections, click here.
Publisher’s note: Creeks, rivers and streams throughout the Sierra are running high and fast, posing a danger to anyone trying to navigate them by foot or boat because of the current and temperature. Reno officials rescued eight people in one hour on Tuesday from the Truckee River.
By Csthy Locke, Sacramento Bee
The El Dorado Irrigation District urges people visiting Caples Creek or the Silver Fork of the American River during the next several weeks to use caution due to unusually high stream flows.
District officials report that stream flows and water levels will be noticeably higher than usual, likely making trail crossings hazardous and unusable.
Advantage Basketball Camps is accepting registrations for its June 28-July 1 ball handling and shooting camp at Kahle Community Center in Stateline
The four-day summer camp costs $125-$195. Sibling, group and team discounts available.
Camps are open to boys and girls ages 6-18 of all ability levels.
To register or for more information click here or call (310) 903.6473 or (425) 670.8877.
Advantage Basketball Camps are recognized as one of the top ball handling camps in the world since 1986.
Sports Illustrated for Kids recently picked Advantage Basketball as one of the top camps in the country.
Join the Tahoe Rim Trail Association for volunteer trail building workdays in Stateline on the Daggett Summit Trail Project. Workdays are Tuesdays and Saturdays (9am to 4pm) in June.
Learn new skills, meet like-minded trail enthusiasts, and give back to your community by joining a volunteer trail crew. Volunteers of all skill levels and physical abilities are welcome and encouraged to participate—no prior experience necessary. To join a volunteer work crew, register at www.tahoerimtrail.org or contact Amanda at (775) 298.0239 or trails@tahoerimtrail.org. Groups are welcome. Registration is necessary to ensure enough crew leaders, tools and safety gear are in place.
This is the second trail building season of the multi-year Daggett Summit project, which will connect the Tahoe Rim Trail with the Van Sickle State Park, re-route the TRT off of paved roads, and provide views of Lake Tahoe to more people. Last year 3.8 miles of trail were built, with 9 more to go.
Volunteers should bring lunch and water, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, boots, work gloves, and bring sunscreen, bug spray, and a backpack. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association will provide hard hats, trail building tools and expert crew leaders.
Trail Building Workdays:
June 12 at Kingsbury North Trailhead Stateline
June 15 at Van Sickle State Park (behind Harrah’s)
June 19 at Kingsbury North Trailhead Stateline
June 22 at Van Sickle State Park (behind Harrah’s)
June 26 at Kingsbury North Trailhead Stateline
June 29 at Van Sickle State Park (behind Harrah’s)
For more information about how to become a Tahoe Rim Trail member or volunteer, contact info@tahoerimtrail.org or (775) 298.0012, or visit the website at www.tahoerimtrail.org.
By Kathryn Reed
From a distance, Cascade Falls is more impressive than it is when you are right on top of it.
With the abundance of snow still in the higher elevations, the water may be tumbling well into summer. It is definitely rushing at a rapid pace now.
Cascade Falls is rushing fast this time of year. Photos/Kathryn Reed
The main fall is 200-feet long. This year a couple offshoots are nearby and visible when walking the trail.
Rated “easy” by the U.S. Forest Service, this trail that is accessed at the far end of the Bayview Campground near Emerald Bay is extremely popular. If seclusion is what you are looking for, drive on by. If the grandeur of Mother Nature is what’s calling you, hike the less than 1 mile to the falls.
I wouldn’t recommend it for little dogs, but that didn’t stop others on the trail this particular Monday. And I definitely would not walk it in sandals, but still, people were.
Cascade Falls is one of those waterfalls that is more impressive at a distance or to listen to than it is to see up close.
Approaching along the granite-lined trail the noise of what sounds like a freight train grows louder. Then the falls come into view. It’s one of those moments to remember because pictures can’t do this scene justice.
It’s as though a spigot is attached to the wall of granite in this corner of Desolation Wilderness. The catch basin is the private Cascade Lake.
At the top of the falls are what looks like several waterways tripping over the smooth granite dotted with trees and bushes. They form one large swath as they go over the side, forming the waterfall.
Cascade Lake and Lake Tahoe are visible from the top.
Now is the best time to see Cascade Falls because the water is gushing. Just don’t be in a rush – people and beauty are apt to slow you down.
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More than 50 people participated in the inaugural bike parade on June 5 in South Lake Tahoe.
Riders rode a couple miles starting at Ski Run Marina. The entire day was about cycling. Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition created the event. Ski Run Boulevard was transformed into a bike festival on Saturday.
Julie Threewit of Meyers came in costume to the June 5 bike parade. Photos/Ernie Claudio
The more serious cyclists took the to road early Sunday morning to ride around the lake in the annual America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride.
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South Lake Tahoe BMX Track will open for the summer season on June 8 at 5:30pm.
The track will be open for practice every Tueday and racing every Thursday through August. All ages and abilities are welcome.
American Bicycle Association memberships available on site. Free trial memberships available. Helmets, long pants and long-sleeve shirts required to ride. Mountain bikes also welcome.
The track is located at 1100 Lyons Ave., South Lake Tahoe.
For more information, call (530) 542.9337.