U.S. Forest Service Fuels Management Crews will begin prescribed fire operations in the Meeks Bay/Meeks Meadow area on approximately 148 acres.

These operations will be conducted as weather and staffing allow.

Residents and travelers can expect to see smoke from prescribed fire project areas.

Other fire protection agencies, state and local, may also be conducting prescribed fire operations during this period.

This and other prescribed fire projects are designed to reduce wildfire risks to communities and critical resources. Smoke management is part of every prescribed fire burn plan, and efforts will be taken to reduce actual or potential smoke impacts on community areas.

To learn more about the efforts to reduce catastrophic wildfire risks in the Tahoe Basin, visit: http://fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsm9_045864.pdf.

A winter storm warning has been issued by the National Weather Service from 7pm Sunday to 7pm Monday for the Lake Tahoe Basin. That translates into the next couple of days being powder days. Winds, again, could pose a problem today, especially on lifts higher on the mountain. Read the ski report from Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe, to know what’s going on today.

Sierra-at-Tahoe and Alpine Meadows are open today. Winds could pose a problem today at resorts that typically have to have chairs on wind hold. For all the details about what’s going on today on the slopes, check out the ski report by Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

The U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is providing a second opportunity for the public to comment on the Spooner Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project. The comment period is open though Dec. 17.

The Spooner project is located on the eastern side of the Lake Tahoe Basin along both sides of portions of highways 50 and 28 between Logan House Creek-Lincoln Park to the south and Sand Harbor State Recreation Area to the north. This project is in portions of Washoe County, Douglas County and Carson County.

The goal of the project is to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire to communities and resources, while also providing conditions for improving forest health. When completed, the Spooner project will return forest conditions to those closer to natural tree densities and types found prior to settlement, when the forests were dependent on occasional low intensity fire. These conditions will allow fire professionals to re-introduce fire for ecosystem restoration and, in the event of wildfire, reduce the intensity to permit safer and more effective fire suppression.

This second comment period addresses changes made to the project description. Mechanical treatments originally proposed within the wildland-urban interface portion of the Lincoln Creek Roadless Area have been changed to hand thinning and pile burning treatments. Another change added project features to reduce the possibility of erosion in the project area. Lastly, the comment period also recognizes recent changes to the National Environmental Policy Act and qppeal processes. These changes are included in the Spooner Project Cover Letter, posted on the LTBMU website along with project details. Full information about how to provide comment is also included on the website. Visit: http://fs.usda.gov/ltbmu and follow the Forest Service Offers Second Public Comment Opportunity for Spooner Fuels Project link on the homepage.

If you have questions about the project, contact Duncan Leao, Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. 96150, or call (530) 543.2660 Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm.

Choices, choices, choices — that’s what it’s about today and Saturday with Kirkwood opening today, and Sierra and Alpine on Saturday. To know what the conditions are like throughout Lake Tahoe, click on the ski report that is brought to Lake Tahoe News by Curtis Fong, the Guy from Tahoe.

Sierra Resort will kick off the 2009-2010 winter season this coming Dec. 5. Sierra Resort was recently ranked as a top 10 Resort in the 2010 TransWorld SNOWboarding Readers Guide.

Easy Rider Express and Rock Garden chairlifts will open to the public at 9am, accessing three beginner trails – Broadway, Lower Sleighride and Echo. There will be five terrain park features on Broadway including new and improved boxes and a corrugated pipe for jibbing.

“We definitely have early season conditions on the mountain,” John Rice, general manager, said in a press release. “But we know our skiers and riders are hungry to get those first couple of runs in and take a few laps through the Broadway terrain park. This weekend is just a teaser for things to come this winter.”

Early season lift tickets are available for $35 for adults, $25 for young adults, $15 for children and seniors 70+, and $35 for seniors 65-69. Sierra Resort will offer beginner group and private lessons, daycare, ski and snowboard rentals and dining in Mama’s Kitchen and the Sierra Pub & Deli. Sierra Mountain Sports will also be open for those who want to start their holiday shopping – or their holiday wish lists.

New this season, Sierra Resort has taken a direct shot at the price barrier to learning a new sport in a tough economy with a $35 beginner package that includes a limited access lift ticket, rental equipment and a 2½ hour lesson. Friends and families can now spend an entire day on the slopes, learning a new sport, for less than the cost of going out to dinner and a movie together. The $35 Learn to Ski/Snowboard package is valid for adults age 13+, Sunday through Friday, non-holiday and excluding restricted dates. It is available in limited quantities and only online at SierraAtTahoe.com.

For the latest snow and weather updates, please go to www.SierraAtTahoe.com or call the Snow Phone at (530) 659.7475.

By Jeff Delong, Reno Gazette-Journal

Most ski resorts rated highly for efforts to protect sensitive watersheds and habitat but are doing too little to respond to climate change, a coalition of environmental groups reports.

Sixteen of 20 ski resorts in California and Nevada got a B grade or better for watershed protection, while 17 earned similar grades for protecting habitat in the ninth annual environmental report card released by the Ski Area Citizens Coalition.

Read the whole story

Alpine Meadows will open Dec. 5 with beginner through advanced terrain via Roundhouse high speed quad chair and Meadow double chair from 9am to 4pm, weather and conditions permitting.

“The Alpine Meadows snowmaking team has taken advantage of the cold temperatures throughout the past month to prepare for opening day,” Kent Hoopingarner, Alpine Meadows general manager, said in a press release. “The cold weather has also helped the mountain retain the natural snowfall from storms leading up to opening day.”

Dining, rental equipment, and other resort services will include the Meadows Café & Coffee Bar; the Compactor Bar; Estelle Sports retail shop; season pass office; snow sports school and Kids’ Camp; and the ski/snowboard rental shop – all located in the base lodge.

Opening day full-day adult and teen lift ticket price is $44; and tickets for children ages 5-12 is $15.

Kirkwood Mountain Resort will open Dec. 4 with intermediate terrain along with a handful of terrain park features including boxes and rails.

Lift ticket pricing for opening weekend is scheduled to be $37 for adults (ages 19 to 64). A full list of pricing across all age groups is available online at www.kirkwood.com/tickets/.

“Forecasters are calling for a dramatic change in the weather pattern next week,” Tim Cohee, the resort’s senior vice president, said in an email. “The amount of snowfall predicted will likely allow us to open much more terrain by next weekend, Dec. 12 and 13.”

By Whitworth University staff

SPOKANE — Whitworth University is sending three swimmers to compete at the 2009 AT&T Short Course National Championships, December 3-5, at the Weyerhaueser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash.

Natalie Turner (Sr., South Lake Tahoe), Michael Woodward (Jr., Springfield, Ore.) and Rory Buck (So., Dubai, U.A.E.) will race against the top swimmers in the United States, including U.S. Olympians Rebecca Soni, Margaret Hoelzer, Eric Shanteau, Dana Vollmer, and Katie Hoff.

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