Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will resume work on the Carnelian, Incline and South Shore Hazardous Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration projects in early May. These projects authorize thinning of trees and brush on National Forest System lands in the Lake Tahoe Basin to reduce the risk of severe wildfire and create healthier forests.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of fuelwood permits at the Forest Supervisor’s office at 35 College Drive in South Lake Tahoe on Wednesday, April 15, 2015. Although weather conditions allow for the early sale of permits, areas to obtain fuelwood will be limited because not all gates and roads are open.

In what would give Heavenly Mountain Resort more latitude for expanded activities, the Governing Board of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency on Thursday unanimously approved the resort's proposed Epic Discovery Project to allow new year-round outdoor recreational opportunities on already developed portions of the ski area on U.S. Forest Service land.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will open some recreational facilities on April 1 for the 2015 season. “With the spring-like weather we’ve been having, we’re shifting Forest resources to open gates and parking areas to provide access to our beaches, trails and roads, said Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will host an open house to discuss Off-Highway Vehicle use on designated routes within the Lake Tahoe Basin on Thursday, April 2, 2015, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Forest Supervisor’s office at 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is evaluating rivers that may be eligible for inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic River system and will hold a webinar on Tuesday, March 31, from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. to explain the process.

Jeff Marsolais has been picked to lead the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the U.S. Forest Service, Region 5 officials announced Tuesday. Marsolais has served three years as the deputy forest supervisor for the Lake Tahoe unit. He replaces Nancy Gibson, who retired at the first of the year.

During that time Marsolais served as manager of projects and initiatives involving ski areas and recreation facilities.

The final environmental impact report on Heavenly Mountain Resort's Epic Discovery Project has been completed and is now ready for public review. The new project, located at Heavenly Mountain Resort, will expand their summer activities to include more canopy tours, hiking and biking trails as well as interpretive activities.

A job fair hosted by the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will be held Jan. 27, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Forest Supervisor’s Office at 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Supervisors of temporary positions will be available to speak with interested applicants and answer questions about this year’s summer jobs, as well as the Pathways student intern program. Positions are available in fire, fisheries, wildlife, botany, visitor services, roads and trails, recreation and wilderness, and vegetation and timber management.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin accepting reservations for the 2015 Winter Trek Conservation Education program on Monday, Dec. 15, 2014.

Teachers may reserve a spot by calling the Forest Service at 530-543-2694, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Winter Trek begins Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015, and continues through March 26, 2015, weather permitting. Field trips are generally three hours long and are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The success of the pilot program for fire cameras at Lake Tahoe has prompted the University of Nevada, Reno’s Nevada Seismological Laboratory to pursue funding to build out its fire camera network that rings the majestic mile-high lake.

“We’ve seen the system avert potentially large fires this summer at Tahoe, even with its minimal presence,” Graham Kent, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, said of the prototype system with its four cameras. “It makes sense to build this system out now to help protect the basin from devastating fires.”

Washoe County Commissioners approved Wednesday a Federal Lands Access Program Memorandum of Agreement providing $12.5 million in federal funding for the design and construction of improvements along the state Route 28 corridor from Incline Village to the U.S. Highway 50 junction.

The last day to purchase a fuelwood permit from the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is Friday, Nov. 14, 2014, and the last day to cut wood is Sunday, Nov. 16, 2014. Fuelwood permits cost $20 per cord, with a two-cord minimum purchase and a limit of 10 cords per household.

September brought the reality of wildfires to the forefront in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The King Fire came within 8 air miles of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit boundary, and as we all anxiously awaited its containment, the Cascade Fire broke out in the Desolation Wilderness.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the fall and winter prescribed fire program this week. Operations may take place Thursday, Oct. 16, on various urban lots around the Lake Tahoe Basin including Elizabeth Drive on the West Shore, Christmas Valley, Angora Creek, Elks Club Drive, Echo View Estates, and Bakersfield Avenue on the South Shore.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and the Tahoe Heritage Foundation will host the Fall Fish Festival this weekend, October 4-5, 2014, at the Taylor Creek Visitor Center on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore. The Fall Fish Festival focuses on a variety of fish species that live in Lake Tahoe and its streams including the federally threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout, little-known smaller fish, such as Speckled dace, and the Kokanee salmon.

The Cascade Fire burning near Snow Lake on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe continues to hold at 30 acres as of Thursday afternoon, according to the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The wildfire is located entirely in the Desolation Wilderness. No structures are threatened.

The U.S. Forest Service, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and California Public Utilities Commission have released a final environmental document for the electrical line upgrade project proposed by California Pacific Electric Company, now known as Liberty Utilities, in the North Lake Tahoe area.

The following news release is from North Tahoe Fire Protection District Fire Chief Michael Schwartz and Meeks Bay Fire Protection District Chief Tim Alameda regarding the King Fire burning in El Dorado County. This announcement was forwarded Thursday evening by the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit public information officer:

Tahoe Residents and Visitors, There are No Evacuations at this present time

Because of the uncertain path of the King Fire, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has closed the McKinney Rubicon Trail and is advising against travel into the Desolation or Granite Chief wildernesses.

The Eldorado National Forest has issued a forest closure for its Desolation Wilderness trails and trailheads. In particular, hikers and equestrians should consider cancelling plans for overnight travel into the Desolation and Granite Chief wildernesses.

The University of Nevada, Reno’s newest mountaintop camera at Lake Tahoe has just been installed, and has been tracking the smoke from the King Fire in El Dorado County, Calif., which has been inundating the Lake Tahoe Basin, Carson City and Reno areas with smoke in the afternoons.

The U.S. Forest Service will hold an open house on Thursday, September 18, 2014, to explain and answer questions about its draft analysis of a proposal from Heavenly Mountain Resort to expand year-round, non-skiing activities at the Lake Tahoe resort.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit plans to restore wetlands and remove the dam at the site of the former Incline Lake, according to a decision by Forest Supervisor Nancy Gibson issued Wednesday.

UPDATE 10PM: Kingsbury Grade has re-opened. The Douglas County Sheriff's Office says the wildfire is around around 4.5 acres.

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UPDATE: 6:40: Fire crews and aircraft have halted the forward advancement of a wildland fire Wednesday night off Kingsbury Grade in Douglas County. Firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, the Nevada Division of Forestry, and local fire districts, including East Fork, Tahoe Douglas, Lake Valley, and South Lake Tahoe responded to the Kingsbury Fire.

Public comments are being accepted on a draft environmental impact report for Heavenly Mountain Resort’s Epic Discovery Project until Tuesday, October 21, 2014.

The U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board directed the preparation of a joint environmental document for the project, located at the Heavenly Mountain Resort in El Dorado, Alpine and Douglas counties.

Attendees of the Valhalla Art, Music and Theater Festival at Lake Tahoe learn how to use a cross-cut saw, the primary tool used today to keep trails open and accessible in the Wilderness. The event celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 National Wilderness Preservation Act.

U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit staff provided saws, logs and gloves and guided over 50 participants of all ages as they cut through a 10-inch log and received the souvenir slice branded with the 50th Wilderness Anniversary logo.

A proposal by the U.S. Forest Service to require food storage and refuse disposal in developed recreation sites on public land in the Lake Tahoe Basin has been determined to have no significant impact and now enters into a 45-day comment period for anyone who objects.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit issued the draft decision Wednesday for the proposed Forest Order.

Because bears are attracted to anything edible or scented, improper storage of human food and other scented items and improper disposal of refuse is a leading cause of human-bear conflict.

The July 4th holiday and fireworks celebrations always bring a welcomed influx of boaters to the Lake Tahoe Basin. With sunny skies and warm temperatures predicted for the 4th of July holiday week, boaters are urged to Clean, Drain and Dry their boats before arriving at the roadside inspection stations in Tahoe to avoid delays and decontamination fees. As a reminder, all stations close at 5:30 p.m., so please plan your travel accordingly.

The Fourth of July holiday weekend is the busiest time in the Lake Tahoe Basin. For those visiting during the weekend and attending one of the firework displays over the lake, expect extremely crowded conditions and excess traffic.

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.