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The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of holiday tree permits the day after Thanksgiving, Friday, Nov. 23. Permits cost $10 each (cash or check only, no credit cards) with a limit of two permits per family. Permit holders may choose from a variety of pine, fir or cedar in designated cutting areas and must abide by specific permit conditions for proper and responsible collection. Harvesting smaller diameter trees offers residents and visitors a traditional holiday experience while helping to thin the forest.

UPDATE 3:26PM: The fire burning in East Washoe Valley is 50 percent contained as of 3:22 this afternoon. Two out-buildings were destroyed, and no homes burned. Mutual aid firefighters called to fight the Lyon Fire, are now being relieved and remaining crews are doing mop-up, said Truckee Meadows Fire Chief Charlie Moore.
The fire burned about 5 acres. As of 3:20 winds had considerably lessened and the fire is putting out a fraction of the smoke it had earlier in the day when it started at around 12:30, Moore said. Eastlake Boulevard is opened at Highway 395 south. Residents who were evacuated from the area can return to their homes and should have photo identification with them.
"The chances of the fire growing larger are quite minimal. There is little risk to structures and property and the rest now is left to mopping up," Moore said.

A citizen tip about deer poaching turned into a multi-agency operation resulting in the seizure of poached wildlife, drugs and stolen guns and cars.
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) operation, which included assistance from U.S. Forest Service officers, California Highway Patrol officers and Lassen County sheriff’s deputies, resulted in four arrests.
The operation began Oct. 21 when DFG wardens received confidential information from a citizen and responded to the home of Charles Roger Godkin, 44, of Chilcoot, to investigate suspected deer poaching.

The Tahoe Transportation District will host its second public workshop to discuss the US 50, Lake Tahoe South Shore Community Revitalization project, Wednesday, November 7, at Embassy Suites from 1-3 p.m.

The Lake Tahoe workshop will provide background on the project, outline goals and solicit input from individuals throughout the community. The open house format allows for members of the community to participant in the workshop anytime between workshop hours.

2013 UPDATE: Chefs Charlie Abowd and Mark Estee join forces for a second time, creating a menu for the fourth annual Celebrity Chef and Harvest Dinner that will outshine every past event. This year’s event takes place Monday, Nov. 11, 2013 in Carson City. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

The El Dorado County Department of Environmental Health was notified this week by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that two additional chipmunks in the South Lake Tahoe area have tested positive for plague. One of the chipmunks was found in the Tallac Historic Site area and one was near the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Taylor Creek Visitor Center.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews will conduct prescribed fire operations near Taylor Creek on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore and on Alice Lane in the Meeks Bay area of the West Shore, Friday, Oct. 26. Each area is approximately one-quarter acre. On Sunday, Oct. 28, prescribed fire operations will take place in the Timberland area of the West Shore, weather permitting.

A plan that calls for the construction of 45 miles of non-motorized trails, including eight new trail heads along the west side of the Pine Nut Mountains in Douglas and Carson City counties is being considered.

Although you might not feel it, the weather is starting to change in North Lake Tahoe. Days are still warm, with temperatures averaging in the 60s, but nights are dropping to approximately 35 degrees. It’s the time of year that the region’s upper elevations may even see a dusting of snow.

“We’ve been reviewing all the long-range forecasts,” said Chief Marketing Officer Andy Chapman of the North Lake Tahoe Chamber/CVB/Resort Association. “And if Mother Nature keeps up her end, we should have above-average snowfall this winter.”

Boaters heading to Lake Tahoe in the next six weeks may experience a short delay when entering Emerald Bay due to an Asian clam control project that will be taking place there.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is advising visitors to its recreation sites to take precautions against plague after a chipmunk found at Taylor Creek Visitor Center tested positive for the disease. Acting on the recommendations of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Forest Service and its concessionaire have posted extensive signage in the area of Taylor Creek Visitor Center, the Tallac Historic Site, and Camp Richardson Resort explaining how the disease is transmitted, the symptoms and how to prevent infection.

Diana Savickas, 84 of Wake Forest, formerly of Carson City, passed away Friday morning, October 5, 2012 at William M. Dunlap Center for Caring. Mrs. Savickas was born in Lithuania to the late Jozas...

The closure of some U.S. Forest Service recreational facilities around the Lake Tahoe Basin has begun. Campgrounds and day-use areas traditionally close around mid-October. While forest roads typically close around mid-November, you may consult the Motor Vehicle Use Map for specific dates by going here. The Taylor Creek Visitor Center will remain open through October, according to a news release.

A team of partners from the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program is scheduled to begin implementation of the largest Asian clam control project in the history of Lake Tahoe on October 15, with plans to treat an area of up to 5 acres at the mouth of Emerald Bay.

At 3:17 pm Wednesday, South Lake Tahoe police and fire personnel responded to the report of a structure fire at the Forest Manor, a multi unit two story apartment complex at 3754 Forest Avenue in South Lake Tahoe. As firefighters began to extinguish flames from unit 1 downstairs, police officers assisted with the evacuation of the entire complex.

UPDATE 8PM: The U.S. Forest Service reports Friday night that the fire burning on the Douglas County side of Lake Tahoe on public land off of Elks Point Road has been contained at 2.6 acres. Cheva Heck, spokeswoman for the Forest Service, said local government resources assigned to the fire are being released. An engine will remain at the fire site overnight. The cause of the fire is under investigation. "We have no reports with lightning or problems with power lines. The fire is believed to be human caused," she said.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed Thursday a district court ruling upholding Lake Tahoe area environmental analysis for the Angora fire area fuels reduction project.
The Angora Restoration Project was designed to protect wildlife habitat as well as reduce long-term wildfire risk to Lake Tahoe area communities. Two environmental groups, Earth Island Institute and Center for Biological Diversity, tried to stop arguing it would harm the black-backed woodpecker.

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 September 19-25.

ALMANOR LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:

Following a stellar Lake Tahoe boating season, this Thursday, September 20th will be the last day of operations for the Northstar and Homewood boat inspection stations. Boat inspections and decontaminations will still be available at the Alpine, Spooner and Meyers stations until Sept. 30 2012.

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 Sept. 12-19.

South Tahoe High seniors Emily Barnett and Tyler Myers will travel to Russia to present their field research project, “The Effects of Fire and Forest Thinning on the Biodiversity of Understory Plants in the Lake Tahoe Basin,” at the 9th Annual International Junior Foresters’ Competition. Their project was selected by the U.S. Forest Service International Programs office in Washington DC to represent the U.S. in the upcoming competition.

Fans of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation’s Take Me Fishing campaign took to Facebook this summer, to participate in Nature’s Waterpark Showdown. 
Each fan was invited to help determine the top eight natural “waterparks,” or state parks, for boating and fishing in America.  They could also enter for a chance to win the grand prize: a vacation to a state park for a family of four. 

This is the first in a three-part series of articles about my second, fly-in, trout fishing trip to Mitchell Lake, which is located in the Cariboo Mountains Provincial Park in British Columbia.
This three-part series will consist of:
Series No. 1: The flight from Dayton, Nevada to Mitchell Lake, B.C.,
Series No. 2: The people, accommodations and meals at the lake,
Series No. 3: The trout fishing.

How the trip originated:
It began about three weeks ago, when my first-cousin’s husband (Bob Scholes of Dayton) asked if I was interested in returning to Mitchell Lake.

With the comment period ending Thursday, August 30, the newly formed Sierra Pro-Access Group is asking outdoor enthusiasts to write against a U.S. Forest Service alternative plan that proposes creating new wilderness areas that would shut down some of the locals' most beloved recreation areas on public land around the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The economic effects on the Lake Tahoe Basin could be devastating, the group says, shutting out what clearly has been public access for not only snowmobiles, but mountain bikes, dirt bikes, and 4-wheel ATVs.

Natural forces and human actions have affected the lake s clarity, physics, chemistry and biology since 1968, when UC Davis first began continuous monitoring of Lake Tahoe.

It’s that time of the year again. This is my annual reminder that if you’re someone like me, summer’s sweltering heat is not much fun. I do not like the summer months.
I am an outdoors person who dearly loves the cold, frost, ice and snow of winter, and I absolutely and totally wilt at this time of the year.
I am miserable and grouchy during hot weather months, especially August.
To be honest, I dislike the weather anytime it gets past 80-85 degrees.

The Plumas National Forest, Beckwourth Ranger District would like to invite you to a meeting to help identify a Winter recreation trail system for the Smith Peak/Lake Davis area. The meeting will be held on July 31st at the Beckwourth Ranger District conference room at 10:00 am. We will review the map proposed by the public for motorized and non-motorized trails within this planning area.

The district started public collaboration on this project in January of 2012, public meetings were held on January 26 and March 7.

Our work includes;

Warm weather and cool fishing is expected this week along the many lakes, rivers and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. Here is this week's fishing report for the week of July 25. As always, pack plenty of sunscreen, abide regulations and have your fishing license with you.

Fire restrictions will go into effect in the Lake Tahoe Basin on Monday July 9. A Forest Order has been issued to provide for public safety through the end of the official 2012 fire season.
Campfires, including charcoal barbecues, are prohibited except in exempted recreation sites. Smoking on National Forest land is prohibited, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, or within an exempted recreation site. Fire restrictions are intended to reduce the possibility of human-caused wildfires over the summer season. (see PDF below.)

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit reminds residents and visitors to help protect public safety and our environment during the Fourth of July holiday.
Keep wildfire prevention in mind during Fourth of July celebrations. Possession of fireworks of any kind, including sparklers, is illegal in the Lake Tahoe Basin.