To improve boater services at Lake Tahoe this year, seasonal watercraft inspection stations will open Memorial Day weekend at four designated, roadside locations around Lake Tahoe.

Access to roadside inspection stations are designed increase efficiency at Lake Tahoe boat ramps and increase access to aquatic invasive species decontamination equipment, according to watercraft inspectors.

Boating inspections are changing at Lake Tahoe this summer.

Four roadside inspection stations will be soon opening around the Tahoe Region:

* Alpine Meadows Ski Resort; off Highway 89 on Alpine Meadows Road at the Deer Park parking lot.

* Northstar at Tahoe Resort; off Highway 267 on Northstar Drive at the Castle Peak parking lot.

* Meyers; 2128 Keetak St., near the intersection of highways 89 and 50.

* Spooner Summit; at the intersection of highways 28 and 50. Only vessels less than 26 feet can be accommodated at the Spooner location. Larger vessels can proceed to launch sites.

Signage along the roadways will alert drivers with trailer and car-top vessels of the location of the station so they can avoid waiting in line for an inspection at a boat ramp or marina. The roadside stations are expected to operate from 6am to 8pm daily through the summer boating season. Watercraft inspections and certifications will also continue to be available at all open public and private launch facilities.

“We appreciate the efforts of all boaters to clean, drain and dry their vessels before launching in Tahoe and want to be sure the inspections are convenient and efficient for them,” Tahoe Resource Conservation District Watercraft Inspection Program Coordinator Nicole Cartwright said in a statement. “Roadside inspection locations are crucial to protecting Lake Tahoe from invasive species while improving services.”

Sites have been selected and are being operated in consideration of the surrounding neighborhoods. Noise and parking are being managed by trained inspectors and managers to reduce impacts to nearby communities.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, in cooperation with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, is aggressively working to protect Lake Tahoe from the threat of aquatic invasive species. TRPA cooperatively leads the effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region now and in the future. For additional information, call Jeff Cowen at (775) 589.5278 or send an email to jcowen@trpa.org.

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association is offering a Leave No Trace Training for Trainers on June 12–13 in Incline Village and D.L. Bliss State Park.

This training will teach not only Leave No Trace wilderness skills and ethics, but also how to share the knowledge with others including teaching techniques and interactive Leave No Trace activities for all ages.

Leave No Trace is a nationally recognized set of principles designed to encourage wilderness users to walk more lightly on the Earth.

The Leave No Trace Trainer’s Training is geared towards those who would like to take a leadership role in disseminating Leave No Trace principles to others. Appropriate for educators, wilderness professionals, TRTA volunteers, and others.

The course will be an overnight in D.L. Bliss State Park and a $65 donation to the TRTA is encouraged. Dinner and breakfast will be provided.

For more information, contact Mila Dunbar-Irwin at programs@tahoerimtrail.org or (775) 298.0238 or visit www.tahoerimtrail.org.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of fuelwood permits on June 1. Sales of permits will continue through Oct. 29. Cutting areas will remain open through Oct. 31.

Permits cost $20 per cord, with a two-cord minimum purchase. There is a 10-cord maximum limit per household.

The permit will have specific conditions to follow and full information will be provided when the permit is issued. Maps to designated cutting areas will be provided and must be in possession along with the valid permit. Permits will be available for collection of “down-dead” wood up to a 30-inch maximum diameter in designated fuelwood areas within the Lake Tahoe Basin.

USFS firewood permits in the basin available June 1. Photo/Kathryn Reed

“Down-dead” means the tree is down on the ground and dead, rather than dead and standing. Cutting any standing tree, whether dead or green, is not allowed.

Permit holders must keep vehicles on National Forest System roads. No off-road travel is allowed and permit holders must comply with all permit conditions.

Permit holders are asked to stay off private property and demonstrate courtesy regarding noise or collection activity on National Forest System lands near homes or neighborhoods.

Permits will be available at the LTBMU Supervisor’s Office at 35 College Drive in South Lake Tahoe, Monday through Friday, 8am-4:30pm.

For more information, call (530) 543.2694.

A team of exceptional athletes, many of whom are wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans representing all military branches, depart from the Golden Gate Bridge on May 22 for World T.E.A.M. Sports’ inaugural bike trek across America called Sea to Shining Sea.

The goal of Sea to Shining Sea is to honor the courage of our service men and women, recognize the strength of the American spirit and challenge perceptions of how we view athletes. The ride will conclude in Virginia Beach on July 24.

Spanning 63 days and 4,000 miles, the cyclists will test their physical limits and inspire people, disabled or not, to live active and enriched lives. The group will cycle through deserts, mountain passes and historical landmarks providing dramatic proof that disabled Americans can lead productive lives and accomplish feats most people only dream about. Several riders have specially-designed bikes that make it possible for them to participate.

The riders will travel from Kirkwood to South Lake Tahoe on May 26. They will have a water stop in Sorensen’s, lunch in Meyers and end their day in South Lake Tahoe followed by a day of rest. On May 27, the riders will enjoy the sights of Lake Tahoe with a lunch at Riva Grill and boat ride on the Tahoe Queen. South Lake Tahoe State Farm Agent Erik Watada and Tahoe City State Farm Agent Roxanne Duffield are serving as community coordinators for the ride.

For more information and to follow Sea to Shining Sea, click here.

Many campgrounds and recreation sites within the Tahoe National Forest will be open for Memorial Day, however snow is expected to keep some of the more popular sites closed until early or mid-June.

“Our recreation crews and campground concessionaires have been working hard to get the campgrounds ready for the Memorial Day weekend,” Tom Quinn, forest supervisor, said in a statement. “The heavy snow and rain received this past winter and spring has delayed the opening of many campgrounds, roads, picnic areas and trails. Considerable snow can still be found at 6,000 feet and above, especially on north facing slopes or in shaded areas.”

Mosquito Ridge Road east of Foresthill in May at about the 6,000 feet. Photo/Provided

The following status report of campgrounds, roads and trails is listed by major transportation corridor or area.

Bullards Bar Reservoir – Yuba County

All campgrounds, picnic areas, boat ramps and trails are open.

Highway 49 – Sierra County

Most all campgrounds, picnic areas and trails in the lower elevations are open or will be by Memorial Day including those along the North Yuba River. These include Indian Valley, Ramshorn, Rocky Rest, Carlton, Cal-Ida, Fiddle Creek, Union Flat, Loganville, and Wild Plum. Fiddle Creek Ridge and Halls Ranch Trails are open.

In the higher elevations, Yuba Pass, Sierra, and Chapman Campgrounds are still closed and expected to be closed over Memorial Day due to snow levels.

Cal Ida Road – open for 8 miles from Highway 49. The 25 Road is open for 8 miles and the 35 Road for 6 miles.

Sierra Buttes area – Sierra County

Gold Lakes Road is open from intersection with Highway 49 for 3 miles. Sardine and Salmon Campgrounds will be open for Memorial Day. Sardine Lake is still frozen in spots. Sand Pond trail is open with some snow drifts. Packer Lake Road is open to Packer Lake.

Highway 89 North – Sierra and Nevada counties

Most all the campgrounds are open including Cottonwood, Cold Creek, and Upper and Lower Little Truckee.

Jackson Meadows Area – Sierra County

The road has been plowed to Webber Lake – 8 miles from Highway 89. No camping at Jackson Meadows expected for Memorial Day weekend. Snowmobiling continues however from Webber Lake.

Reservoirs East of Truckee – Nevada County

Most of the sites are open around Boca and Stampede reservoirs. At Prosser, Lakeside and Prosser Group Camp are open, however, campers need to boil the water as the water system has not been certified for drinking. Prosser Family Campground is not open.

The Commemorative Overland Emigrant Trail is open and is a nice trail for mountain bikes or hiking.

Highway 89 South – Placer County

Granite Flat and half of Goose Meadows Campgrounds are open.

Interstate 80 – Nevada and Placer counties

The Pacific Crest Trail and other trails along the Sierra crest are still very snowy.

Campgrounds including Hampshire Rocks, Indian Springs, North Fork, Tunnel Mills and Onion Valley are all closed due to snow.

Rattlesnake Road is closed due to snow. Loch Leven trails are very snowy.

Big Bend Visitor Center is expected to open for the Memorial Day weekend.

Highway 20 – Nevada County

White Cloud and Skillman Campgrounds are open. The Pioneer Trail is open from Bear Valley to the west. The Burlington Motorcycle Trails are open from Chalk Bluff Staging Area to the west. hose trails to the east are still blocked by snow. Rock Creek Nature Trail is open.

Bowman Lake Road – Nevada County

The road has been plowed almost to the Grouse Ridge Road turnoff. Fuller Lake is accessible.

Foresthill Area – Placer County

Sugar Pine Reservoir campgrounds and picnic areas are open. Big Reservoir campground (Morning Star) will be open for Memorial Day weekend. The Sugar Pine OHV Trail – Loops 1,2,3, 4, and 7 will be open May 24. Loops 5 and 6 have considerable downed trees/branches and snow -– check the website for current status.

Mumford Bar Trailhead is accessible, but the trail does have some snow.

Mosquito Ridge Road is open to the French Meadows Dam, but access to the campgrounds is blocked due to snow. Drivers are urged to drive carefully as the road is narrow due to snow banks on either side. Placer Big Trees are not accessible. Robinson Flat Campground is not expected to be open until later in June due to snow.

River Caution

Rivers are running fast, cold and high. Caution should be taken near the water –- especially with children and pets.

For more information, see the Tahoe National Forest website or call one of the Ranger Stations listed below:

Tahoe National Forest Headquarters – in Nevada City (530) 265.4531.

American River Ranger District – in Foresthill (530) 367.2224.

Sierraville Ranger District – in Sierraville (530) 994.3401.

Truckee Ranger District – in Truckee (530) 587.3558

Yuba River Ranger District – in Camptonville (530) 288.3231.

Reno Gazette-Journal

A local group of senior women, ages 50 and older, qualified for the United States Tennis Association’s Senior National Tennis Tournament held Oct. 8-10 in Palm Springs.

The team will represent the Northern California area including Reno and Lake Tahoe in the championships.

Read the whole story

After a brief delay due to the issuing of a new 40-year special use permit by the U.S. Forest Service, the purchase of Sierra Summit Mountain Resort by ski industry veteran Tim Cohee closed May 21.

Cohee immediately returned the resort to its former name, China Peak.

“These types of transactions always have challenges at the very end,” Cohee, who has a history with China Peak, having been a member of the Snow Summit Ski Corporation management team when the resort was purchased in 1982, and until recently a member of the parent companies’ board of directors, said in a statement. “The Forest Service, specifically our local district team of Nancy Woolsey and Ray Porter in Prather, did a masterful job of moving our permit through the various levels, completing the process in three weeks, an amazing time frame given the amount of documentation necessary.”

Cohee, a 36-year ski industry veteran who spent the past 17 years as president of Kirkwood Mountain Resort, has indicated he will focus on providing a higher quality experience for the 2010-11 season, including overall service levels, food quality and an overall friendly vibe at China Peak.

Cohee resigned from his job at Kirkwood on April 30.

By Susan Skorupa, Reno Gazette-Journal

Home means Nevada, as the state song says, but so do hot summer days with dry, insistent southwest winds, and acres and acres of cheatgrass and other combustible vegetation.

Mix in a little lightning or some other ignition and you get wildfire. Each spring, state and local fire officials warn homeowners, especially in rural areas, to maintain fire perimeters — defensible space — around their homes to protect their property from wildfire. The space also helps firefighters get close to fire-threatened homes and perhaps save them.

Defensible space places great value on clean and green landscaping, but it need not be sparse or boring. Lots of elements can make it inviting.

Read the whole story

By Kathryn Reed

For a City Council often divided and seldom united, especially when it comes to tourism issues, the board is in favor of supporting the Amgen Tour of California starting in South Lake Tahoe in 2011.

Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority Executive Director Carol Chaplin made a brief presentation to the council this week asking for its support.

Racing down Highway 1 south of San Francisco. Photo/Casey B. Gibson

Her agency, which represents the entire South Shore, has been in talks with officials from the 6-year-old statewide cycling event for several months.

“It would be very exciting,” Chaplin said of having the initial stage in 2011 starting in South Tahoe.

She said the state anticipates taking in $400 million during the course of the multi-day race. It also comes with international coverage.

“Some people in Sacramento said it increased business 30 or 40 percent,” Lovell said.

Lovell was able to get consensus to have the letter of support drawn up, telling her colleagues, “They won’t even consider your city if you don’t have a letter of support from the city. It would be a huge opportunity to bring it here.”

She added that the city would have to figure out how much it will cost public works, public safety, and parks and recreation.

“I think the amount of money and time for staff is minimal compared to the benefits,” Councilman Hal Cole said.

This year’s event started in Nevada City on May 16 and will end Sunday in Southern California.

The tour was started to bring awareness to resources available to people with cancer. Lance Armstrong, a survivor of testicular cancer, is often a headliner. This year the headlines were about his crash that took him out of the event, as well as allegations about steroid use.

For more information about the Amgen Tour, click here.

The Truckee Donner Chamber of Commerce is having its 12th Annual Summer Golf Classic, June 9 at Tahoe Donner Golf Course.

There have been a number of improvements done to the course in recent years including rebuilding and repositioning of bunkers around the greens, adding new fairway bunkers, expanding fairway corridors, and constructing four sets of tee boxes for varying abilities. Nominated by Golf Digest in 2007 for best remodeled golf course in the U.S.

The four-person scramble ensures every golfer has a great time.

Entry fee is $130 for chamber members; $145 for non-chamber members and includes green fee, cart, lunch and awards ceremony. Call (530) 587.2757 to register or email info@truckee.com.