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Imagine enjoying extraordinary entertainment alongside family and friends while sitting under the stars on the sandy white beach of Sand Harbor State Park with the indescribable beauty of Lake Tahoe in the background. Dreams become reality at Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival.

This season, the Festival features William Shakespeare’s enchanting romantic comedy "As You Like It." Comic twists and turns abound in the fertile Forest of Arden, where a disguised Rosalind seeks refuge after being wrongfully banished by her uncle.

Last week, I wrote about the strong possibility of poor fishing this summer due to our prolonged drought period.
In addition to the possibility of poor fishing, be aware of the ever-increasing, serious fire danger surrounding us because of our current long daylight hours, hot weather, gusty afternoon winds, low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and dumb acts by humans. Not a good combination.

Comments are being sought by the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest regarding a proposal to charge fees at two group sites at the new Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway Complex at Spring Mountains National Recreation Area in southern Nevada.

Set to be finished by 2015, Spring Mountains Visitor Gateway Complex will feature a visitor center, approximately 17 miles of new trails, an education building, two amphitheaters, the Cold War Monument, the Seven Stone Memorial, and two group picnic sites.

The Carson Ranger District, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, will open dead-tree firewood cutting areas beginning Monday, June 16, 2014. Dead-tree cutting areas include Hope Valley, Thornburg Canyon, and Leviathan.

Live-tree cutting areas will open on July 21, 2014; live-tree cutting areas include Beagle in the Dog Valley area, Scotts Lake, south of Woodfords, Calif., and Jones Creek off Mt. Rose Highway.

In the live-tree cutting areas, only designated trees may be cut and slash must be piled. Designated trees are described on the live-tree cutting area maps.

Irene Davison, a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Forest Service, has been named Carson District Ranger of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.

"Davison will be a tremendous addition to the Carson Ranger District,” said Bill Dunkelberger, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Supervisor. “She has an extensive resources management background, and is no stranger to tackling tough resource challenges in both rural and urban recreational areas.”

She began her duties June 2. The 368,3600-acre district straddles western Nevada and Eastern California.

Summer has arrived in Carson City and with it comes dry conditions which, if we are not careful, can lead to brush and forest fires. If you smoke while driving, tossing a lit cigarette out the car window could prove expensive in more ways than one.

The cost to fight a fire caused by carelessness can be in the thousands and even millions of dollars and the fine for throwing a lit cigarette from a vehicle is $1,000.

Fire restrictions will begin Friday on public land throughout western Nevada, eastern California and the Sierra, according to the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management.

Below-average precipitation this winter and spring and a third consecutive year of drought have led to abnormally low soil-and-fuel moistures, increasing the potential for large and potentially devastating wildfires, the agencies announced.

With record drought conditions in the West, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board underscored its commitment to improving forest health and protecting Lake Tahoe communities from wildfire Wednesday by adopting a resolution supporting the 2014 Lake Tahoe Wildfire Awareness Month and giving special recognition to two departing Lake Tahoe fire chiefs at its meeting in Kings Beach, Calif.

Many events are scheduled throughout the Silver State in the month of June. These Nevada 150 events help celebrate all things Nevada and bring awareness to the state’s 150th Anniversary of Statehood. The following are events held June 3 through June 15.

South Lake Tahoe area agencies have partnered to launch an Adopt-a-Beach-Tahoe program that will coordinate beach clean-up dates regularly from June 15 to Sept. 15, 2014.

The City of South Lake Tahoe, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, League to Save Lake Tahoe, the US Forest Service Basin Management Unit, and Douglas County have developed the theme, “Caring is Cool - Lake Tahoe’s clarity starts with you, and there are a number of ways to help!”

The Clear Creek watershed that runs through Carson City and Douglas County and Franktown watershed at Washoe Lake are two of 10 areas within the Nevada's national forests to be picked as priority projects designed to combat damage from insects and disease that weakens forests and increases the risk of wildfire, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said Wednesday.

Responding to a provision in the new Farm Bill, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval had asked Tidwell to designate the watersheds and eight other areas for forest health projects.

Western Nevada College will graduate 543 students this spring. Commencement was held Monday in Carson City with a ceremony to be held Tuesday in Fallon. The class of 2014 will receive a record 581 degrees and certificates.

Also on Monday, the WNC nursing program graduates celebrated with a traditional pinning ceremony at the Carson Nugget. Dr. Tom Kubistant, a WNC psychology and communications instructor, delivered the Carson City ceremony commencement address.

UPDATE: A wildfire west of Reno near Caughlin Ranch in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest has burned about 150 acres and is 5 percent contained as of Sunday night, according to. Sierra Front Interagency Dispatch Center. No homes are threatened at this time.

The Hunter Falls Fire may have started overnight Saturday and began to spread Sunday morning. Two helicopters dumped buckets of water on the fire and the Black Mountain Hotshots were at the scene by Sunday afternoon, said Sierra Front spokeswoman Elizabeth Kenna. Gusty winds fanned the fire. The cause has not been determined.

John Wilusz, civil engineer and member of the Fremont Howitzer Recovery Team presents “Searching for Fremont’s Lost Cannon” at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 22 as part of the Frances Humphrey Lecture Series.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of fuelwood permits at the South Shore office on Monday, May 19, 2014, and at the North Shore office on Wednesday, May 21, 2014. Permits cost $20 per cord, with a two-cord minimum purchase and a limit of 10 cords per household.

It’s that time of the year again for a widely-distributed and widely-read, outdoor publication known as “Fishing The California Alps.”

That annual newspaper is your personal guide to the fishing, camping, sightseeing and vacationing world in this part of the west, and it has many pages of detailed, in-depth information provided by experts in their specific areas of knowledge and experience.

A 30-day comment period has begun by the U.S. Forest Service on a plan that would require proper storage of food and refuse at developed recreation sites in Lake Tahoe Basin.

The Environmental Assessment for a proposed Forest Order would require use of bear-resistant dumpsters and food lockers designed to prevent access by wildlife. The reason: Bears are attracted to anything edible or scented. Improper storage of human food sources and refuse is a leading cause of human-bear conflict, according to the Forest Service.

After years of relative non-enforcement and mounting concerns of vandalism, trash dumping and illegal off road riding on public land designated as open space and not for motorized use, the Carson City Sheriff's Office will step up patrol of the Prison Hill Recreation Area south to Fifth Street.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, northern California and the Sierra. This Saturday, April 26, 2014 is the opening day for fishing in most California waters. Remember to keep your fishing license in view, the thermos filled with coffee and tight lines all the way.

The Carson City Shade Tree Council's annual Arbor Day event this year is being held this Saturday at 10am. Join us and our sponsors for a fun-filled 5k fun run/walk at the Riverview Park in Carson City.

Riverview Park is located at the end of East 5th Street, next to the Korean War Memorial. There is parking and facilities to accommodate the whole family.

Native plants provide stunning, hardy and drought-resistant landscapes while benefiting the environment. Increasing demand for these plants provides opportunities to Nevada's farmers.

Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute offers a Native Plant and Seed Production workshop, Saturday, May 17, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., at WNC Carson Campus, 2201 W. College Parkway in Carson City. The workshop includes a tour of Comstock Seed farm and seed cleaning operation in Gardnerville. Cost is $35. Lunch is included.

Tree thinning and brush removal efforts as part of the Healthy Forest Restoration Project will resume in around South Lake Tahoe beginning Monday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The project will thin trees and brush on National Forest System land to improve forest health and reduce the risk of severe wildfire on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

This is a final reminder that if you're one of many tens of thousands of big game hunters interested in drawing a 2014 hunting tag for Pronghorn Antelope, Black Bear, Mule Deer, California Bighorn Sheep, Desert (Nelson) Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep, Rocky Mountain Elk and Rocky Mountain Goat in the State of Nevada, now is the time to submit your application(s) to hunt one or more of the species listed above.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of April 16-22, 2014. Opening day for most fishing on California waterways is Saturday, April 26.

Some recreational areas around Lake Tahoe will be opened early for the 2014 season, the U.S. Forest Service announced Monday. Inspiration Point, Logan Shoals, Chimney Beach, and Secret Harbor open April 21 and Sawmill Pond and the Sandpit OHV areas open May 1. Baldwin Beach and Nevada Beach and Campground open May 9.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of April 9-15, 2014. Opening day for stream and lake fishing along most California waters in Saturday, April 26.

Prescribed fires are planned around Lake Tahoe beginning Monday, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Recent rain and snow made conditions too wet for burning this week, but fire management staff expect conditions to be dry enough for burning next week.

Smoke from March 29 prescribed fires in the Stateline area did drift into Carson City and Lyon County.

This week's outdoor article is about two special friends in the Far North, Barry and Susan Drury who live in Watson Lake in the Yukon.

Elaine and I first met them a number of years ago in downtown Anchorage, Alaska as a result of Barry and I both being active members of an outdoor website, Modernsportsman.

Since that initial, get-acquainted, Anchorage lunch, Barry has visited us at our home in Carson City and at our cabin near Davis Lake, Calif.

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of April 2-8, 2014. Opening day for fishing in California is Saturday, April 26.

These mule deer were among a herd of 19 foraging along John and Curry streets in Carson City early Monday morning.

With the arrival of spring Carson City's population of mule deer are on the move for fresh flowers, leaves and bulbs popping up around the neighborhoods, especially along the west side.