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With a variety of winter weather conditions occurring across Nevada and Eastern California, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest would like to remind visitors to be extra careful while recreating this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend and throughout winter.

Major flooding from run-off west of Curry Street in South Carson City has resulted in some damage to the Nevada State Railroad Museum property, said NSRM Curator of History Wendell Huffman.

UPDATE: Homewood Mountain Resort opened Thursday for top-to-bottom skiing and boarding a day after a structure fire destroyed its south lodge. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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Firefighters from throughout Lake Tahoe were called early Wednesday morning to a two-alarm fire at Homewood Mountain Resort on the west shore that has caused significant damage and has forced the resort to close during its busiest time of the year.

The Bridgeport Winter Recreation Area on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest's Bridgeport Ranger District is now open for snowmobiling as of Dec. 23. Currently, the snow depth is approximately 24 inches deep throughout most of the BWRA, which meets the minimum requirement of 24 inches that is needed to open the area.

The Nevada Excellence in Mine Reclamation Awards for 2016 were presented on this fall at the annual Nevada Mining Association Convention at Lake Tahoe, Nev. These awards are presented to companies who have made exceptional accomplishments in the restoration and preservation of Nevada’s environment. The awardees were:

Four years ago this month, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency approved the 2012 Regional Plan. The landmark plan charts a course to restore Lake Tahoe’s environment and revitalize our communities and it was forged through Herculean work by California, Nevada, local governments, the public, and dozens of other partners.

The U.S. Forest Service announced that it will begin pile burning today, Monday, in the Little Valley Fuels Reduction project area north of Carson City near Washoe City as part of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s hazardous fuels reduction efforts.

Late Friday night, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the U.S. Senate in passing the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act of 2016, which will bring $415 million in future funding to Lake Tahoe over the next seven years. The decision brought cheers from many local agencies, including the League to Save lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

The tradition of great Celtic music continues this Saturday night at the BAC with County Clarke who will perform at 7:00pm on Saturday, Dec. 10 at the MHJ Black Box Theater in Carson City.

The Carson Ranger District has delayed pile burning in the Little Valley Fuels Reduction Project area near Washoe City until more favorable weather conditions, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The pile burning was to begin today.

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. – East Fork Fire and Paramedic District Battalion Chief Scott Fraser and Captains John Brawley and Tracy Connelly returned home tired and happy to see their loved ones last week after spending two weeks fighting raging blazes in the heavily forested mountains of North Carolina.

UPDATE TUESDAY: The Forest Service has called off plans to do pile burning Tuesday in the Little Valley Fuels Reduction Project Area. Go here for the updated story.
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As part of Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s hazardous fuels reduction efforts, Carson Ranger District fire crews will conduct pile burning Tuesday in the Little Valley Fuels Reduction Project area near Washoe City, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The House and Senate have agreed to include the bipartisan Lake Tahoe Restoration Act in the final bicameral Water Resources Development Act, titled the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act, Nevada Sen. Dean Heller announced Monday.

Holiday decorating is a tradition in homes all over the world, but do you know how to safely decorate your home? The following are tips from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to help keep your home safe from fire this holiday season:

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Are you a college student looking to intern for the winter? Are you a retired school teacher but miss your students, love to snowshoe and want to give back to the community? Or maybe you simply love the outdoors and working with children and want to be involved in your community.

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California Tahoe Conservancy and the U.S. Forest Service resumed prescribed fire operations this week and will continue operations next week as conditions allow. Operations may take place in multiple locations around Lake Tahoe including Glenbrook, Cave Rock, Round Hill, Lower Kingsbury Grade, South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe Paradise and Meyers.

A Yuba City, Calif., couple missing in the Sierra Nevada for two days were found Monday by a search and rescue team who followed tracks they saw on a U.S. Forest Service road.

I’m writing this before Thanksgiving and stores have been decorated for the holidays with their red, green, silver, gold and white HO HO HO wares for weeks now. Christmas is only a month away and Hanukkah begins December 24.

In a year when huge-scale fires devastated areas of the American West, the AlertTahoe mountaintop fire camera system has been helpful in adding another level of protection in keeping Tahoe residents, forests and the clarity of the lake safe from catastrophic fires.

UPDATE: The smoke that has settled into Carson City this Tuesday evening is from prescribed burning taking place around the Lake Tahoe Basin, confirmed Carson City Fire Chief Bob Schreihans.
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The North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts and the U.S. Forest Service may continue prescribed fire operations this week in several areas around Lake Tahoe.

Permits to cut Christmas trees on the Carson and Bridgeport Ranger Districts of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest will be available for purchase beginning Nov. 21. The U.S. Forest Service Christmas Tree Program is designed for families, businesses, and institutions wishing to cut their own trees for decorating.

The last day to purchase a U.S. Forest Service fuelwood permit for the Lake Tahoe Basin is Friday, Nov. 18 and the last day to cut wood is Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016.

Weather and conditions permitting, the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service may continue prescribed fire operations next week in areas on the South and East shores of Lake Tahoe. If conditions are favorable, operations may begin on Sunday, Nov. 6 and may continue through the week.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will offer Christmas tree cutting permits beginning Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. Permits are $10 each with a limit of two permits per family.

As we head toward Halloween on Monday we think about all the scary creatures often associated with the celebration. It’s easy to come up with scary thoughts about things that go bump in the dark, and unfortunately, a lot of people think of bats as that bump in the dark. You might be surprised, however, to learn that nearly everything you thought about bats is incorrect and they are actually extremely important to the success of Nevada’s ecosystems.

First responders and members of the community attended a ceremony Saturday morning at the Nevada Firefighters Memorial in Mills Park.

Four plaques, bearing the names of four firefighters who died in the line of duty this year in Nevada, were added to the memorial where they joined dozens of others who have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to the state and their communities over the years.

Here is the Carson City area road report for the week of Oct. 17-23, 2016. Work will continue on the Downtown Corridor improvement project on Carson Street. The following streets will be impacted:

— Carson Street will be closed between Musser and Fifth on Monday only.
— Fifth Street is open to east and westbound traffic, Musser Street is open to east and westbound traffic.
— Robinson will be closed at Carson Street, both east and west side for the week, Monday through Friday.
— Carson Street will be open north and southbound Tuesday through Friday.

I’m usually a lover of sunny days, but right now I say bring on the rain. The moisture is a welcome help to our heroic firefighters in Lake Tahoe and Washoe Valley. Because of the wet weather and the recent fires, some activities have been postponed: most notably the Advocates to End Domestic Violence’s Annual Light After Dark Run. There are still plenty of things to occupy your time, but the weather may force more cancellations.

SATURDAY:

• Nevada Day Treasure Hunt: today’s clue at http://www.nvdaytreasurehunt.com/

UPDATE 6PM: CalFire reports firefighters have made significant progress on the Emerald Fire. Rain has held the fire progression. No reported injuries or structure damage. The fire is 80 percent contained. Evacuations have been lifted.
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UPDATE 10:15AM: Emerald fire burning near South Lake Tahoe is approximately 250 acres in size burning in timber on National Forest System and California State lands at Emerald Bay and Cascade Lake. It's being fueled by strong winds that are ahead of the incoming storm system that have been fanning the fire in different directions resulting in dangerous rates of spread. Rain has been falling in the area, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
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UPDATE 9:40AM: The Emerald fire has burned 200 acres so far and containment time is unknown. Wind gusts in the fire area are up to 70 mph. Rain is heavy at times which is helping to put the fire out. No flames are visible from Baldwin Beach. Highway 89 is closed from Camp Richardson to the Vikingsholm parking lot. Evacuations are still in place.
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A mandatory evacuation order has been issued Friday morning for about 500 homes near South Lake Tahoe because of a 200-acre wildfire burning near Cascade Lake, a fire that started at about 1:30 a.m.

The fire, dubbed the Emerald Fire has caused mandatory evacuations at Spring Creek, Cathedral, the west shore of Fallen Leaf Lake, Cascade Properties and Cascade Lake.

UPDATE 6:22PM: The Little Valley Fire has burned more than 2,000 acres and 22 homes. The fire is burning west of Franktown Road, moving north toward Bowers Mansion and Joy Lake Road. The Unified Command transitioned to the Sierra Front Type 3 Incident Management Team at 5 p.m.