climate change

Millions of people visit our region each year, and the shoreline is where most of them go to enjoy the beauty and the cold, famously clear water of Lake Tahoe.

The shoreline is also where a challenging mix of planning issues converge: Protecting the environment and our lake’s awe-inspiring scenery, managing recreation access, and respecting private property rights.

The number of dead trees in the Sierra Nevada are now at historic levels and have fueled the risk of catastrophic wildfires according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The agency announced Wednesday that it has identified an additional 26 million dead trees in California since October 2015, bringing the total to at least 66 million dead trees in the state. The most recent additions are located in six counties across 760,000 acres in the Southern Nevada region.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and its partners have started work on the Shoreline Plan, a collaborative planning process to enhance recreation and protect Lake Tahoe’s 72 miles of shoreline.

Celebrate Earth Day with one of the world’s important climate scientists, Dr. Charles Goldman. He will speak about Lake Tahoe and a world water crisis from climate warming of inland waters.

The event is sponsored by the Western Nevada College Foundation. It will be held Friday, April 22, 7 pm at Marlette Hall at the Carson City campus.

Charles R. Goldman is a Distinguished Professor of Limnology ­­ Emeritus Department of Environmental Science and Policy UCD President, World Water and Climate Foundation who is known around the world.

Celebrate Earth Day with one of the world’s important climate scientists, Dr. Charles Goldman. He will speak about Lake Tahoe and a world water crisis from climate warming of inland waters. The event is being sponsored by the Western Nevada College Foundation.

University of Nevada, Reno Assistant Professor of Anthropology Sarah Cowie was recently named one of 105 Presidential Early Career Award recipients for Scientists and Engineers by United States President Barack Obama.

“No pain, no gain!” For years, exercise buffs have encouraged people to hit the gym with this phrase.
Would as many have been eager to get off the couch if the rallying cry had been, “All pain, no gain”?

The New Year is getting off to a phenomenal start with snow falling at Lake Tahoe. It seems long ago since we’ve had snow around the lake, but as California and Nevada continue to grapple with four years of drought and water shortages, the snow couldn’t be falling at a better time.

Ken Caldeira, a leading climate scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Stanford University, who attended the recent Paris Climate Conference, will be the keynote speaker Friday at Tahoe South’s Operation Sierra Storm Meteorologist Conference.

Early Nevada miners historically used charcoal as a fuel source to smelt less valuable ore to extract silver and gold. Located near mining districts throughout the state, charcoal ovens were utilized to optimize the charcoal conversion process.

Supporters of action on climate change took to public venues and social media throughout Thanksgiving weekend about the need for bold global action at the Paris Climate Talks.

Activists from organizations including the Sierra Club, Peoples Climate Movement, Avaaz and others took part in public Sunday strolls and rallies at two key venues, the Reno-Tahoe International Airport and public sidewalks near Meadowood Mall, as part of global climate actions coordinated by 350.org.

Climate change is the cause of everything, even crime, prostitution and terrorism.
Those are among claims studies have made in recent years. With world leaders meeting in Paris this week to discuss a new global climate treaty, we'll hear more of these stories.

The terrorism connection, which blames the rise of ISIS (or the Islamic State) on climate change in Syria, is particularly noteworthy because President Obama said earlier this year that climate change is a greater threat than terrorism. We're guessing that will encounter some skepticism in Paris right now.

Science is a process, not a doctrine. It asks questions and sets out to test them for answers. But our culture seems to regard science in an animate form, like a guru seated atop a mountain.

We put science on a pedestal and submit to it as the final authority on all of our problems and important questions. We rely on science to give us the answers.

We even permit science to be the driving force behind public policy, in spite of the fact that science is a search for questions that remain unanswered.

Take the issues of climate change and global warming.

You can’t think about Halloween without thinking about bats. Those creepy, blood-sucking rats with wings give us the heebie-jeebies and we don’t care who knows it. Well don’t let Jennifer Newmark, Wildlife Diversity Division chief for the Nevada Department of Wildlife hear you say that.

A project to improve teff grass, a staple grain that originated in Ethiopia, is underway at the University of Nevada, Reno. The aim is to make it more drought tolerant and productive under the harsh growing conditions being experienced worldwide as the popularity of this gluten-free grain grows with farmers and consumers in dry regions of the United States.

History shows time and time again our greatest accomplishments at Lake Tahoe are achieved when people work together. In the past, Tahoe was known as a place where unproductive interactions between stakeholders led to a stunning decay in our environment and our economic vitality, creating a region that seemed frozen in time.

Following the release of Pope Francis’ much-anticipated encyclical dealing with climate change, a volunteer from the Carson City chapter of Citizens' Climate Lobby will meet in Washington, D.C. with representatives and senators to press for legislation that places a fee on carbon and returns revenue to households.

We face some big, daunting environmental restoration challenges here at Lake Tahoe. But helping our environment every day can be as simple as riding a bike, walking, or taking transit. And the hundreds of people who participated in the Tahoe Bike Challenge this June, including many of our employees at the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, are showing how big of an impact our individual actions can have.

Pope Francis demanded swift action to save the planet from environmental ruin, urging world leaders to hear “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor” and plunging the Catholic Church into political controversy over climate change....

The 2015 session of the Nevada Legislature has ended, and it produced enough drama and comedy to keep us political junkies fully entertained for 120 glorious days.

But the comedy continues as the lunatic fringe of the Republican Party are busy casting aspersions against the very popular Gov. Brian Sandoval and the majority of the Republicans in the Legislature who approved a $1.1 billion tax increase. The favorite friendly-fire insult of the far right is to call them RINOs, short for Republican In Name Only.

Mr. Bush, we have some folks you can to talk to about climate change

By Mark Reynolds

It makes me nervous when someone who might become president of the United States says the science on climate change is “convoluted” and that it is “arrogant” to assert that humans are the primary cause of global warming.

That’s what happened recently when Jeb Bush, the still-undeclared presidential candidate, said the following at a campaign-style event in New Hampshire:

It’s Wildfire Awareness Month at Tahoe, and with the summer tourist season around the corner, we must all remember that drought has left our Region with severely dry forest conditions and an extreme risk of wildfire. This summer we need to think about “when” not “if” another fire will happen. All of us have important roles to play in preventing the next wildfire, and in making sure our homes, families, and communities are prepared for it.

The Nature Conservancy, working with federal, state and local agencies, as well as a private landowner, are collaborating on a forest restoration project designed to reduce the risk of catastrophic fires, protect onsite and neighboring structures, protect water supplies for people and enhance wildlife habitat near Carson City.

I first heard about the Rodale Institute a few decades ago when I used to read their “Organic Gardening” magazine. They have been around for 60 years researching and teaching organic gardening. Through the years, I have turned to the Institute and their well-written books when I wanted reputable information on organic growing.

Western Nevada College celebrates Mother Earth with a variety of activities and free film screenings at the Carson City and Fallon campuses. The events are designed to generate conversation and enhance understanding about the environment.

“Dry Season" - Noon-1:30 p.m. WNC Joe Dini Library
Explores the devastating effects of drought and deforestation in the U.S. and across the world as it relates to climate change, uprisings, war, and unemployment.
Snacks, door prizes and discussions will follow the screening.
Admission: Free.

Western Nevada College
2201 W. College Parkway

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s Lake Tahoe Sustainability Action Plan is being recognized this month with a National Planning Achievement Award for Environmental Planning from the American Planning Association. The Sustainability Action Plan is one of 12 nationwide that will be recognized with excellence awards during the association's April 20 conference.

Western Nevada College celebrates Mother Earth with a variety of activities and free film screenings at the Carson City and Fallon campuses. The events are designed to generate conversation and enhance understanding about the environment.

In addition, Geology Professor Winnie Kortemeier will offer a free lecture on the Geology of America’s National Parks on Friday May 1.

A Volunteer Training and Orientation Workshop for new Carson City, Nevada chapter of Citizen's Climate Lobby will be held Saturday April 18, 2015, 1-4 pm at Grandma Hattie's. Learn to lobby your members of Congress about climate change, and how to become an effective advocate for climate solutions.
See us on Facebook: Carson City Citizens Climate Lobby
To attend contact: David Zahrt at 4deezee@gmail.com
Janet Melander at msmelander@gmail.com or (775)392-1085

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2015 the International Year of Soils to raise the awareness of the importance of soils for food security, clean water and other essential ecosystem functions. Soils are a hidden resource that we too often take for granted.

It takes between 100 years to 1,000 years to form one centimeter of healthy soil and only one to 10 years to destroy it. This valuable, but often unrecognized, resource is threatened by erosion, natural disasters, salinization, compaction, acidification and nutrient decline.

A Scripps Institution of Oceanography-led study on how natural and man-made sources of nitrogen are recycled through the Lake Tahoe ecosystem provides new information on how global change may affect the iconic blue lake.

“High-elevation lakes, such as Lake Tahoe, are sentinels of climate change,” said Lihini Aluwihare, associate professor of geosciences at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. “Small changes in the lake’s chemistry can have big impacts on the entire ecosystem.”