pollution

The potential for smoky skies in the valleys and hills above Carson City may surface again next week with plans for prescribed fire operations throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin, the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team announced Friday.

YERINGTON — Lyon County's seat celebrated Earth Day on Wednesday with a volunteer fair at its fire station, tree planting, painting the town's animal shelter and the announcement the community has been approved for $36 million in federal funding for water and sewer improvements.

The Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service may continue prescribed fire operations on Monday, April 10 if conditions are favorable.

Prescribed fire operations began this week around the Lake Tahoe Basin, sending smoke into the foothills around Spooner that is visible in Carson City.

The California Tahoe Conservancy, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District, California State Parks and the U.S. Forest Service are planning on continuing prescribed fire operations on Monday, March 27, depending on conditions.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) recognized and presented plaques to the top three winners of the NDOT Stormwater Program Kindergarten through fifth grade "Love NV Waters" drawing contest at the recent March 13 Transportation Board meeting in Carson City.

The North Lake Tahoe and Tahoe Douglas fire protection districts may continue prescribed fire operations next week if conditions are favorable.

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.

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 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.

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.

We are humanists and, so, optimists.

Against us in the political sphere stand environmentalists and other anti-humanists. These folks see not progress, but threat, in seemingly everything done by man.

We see man as being born into an uncertain and challenging world. In a state of nature, earthquakes, tornadoes and other disasters combine with infections and shortages of food, shelter and other basic resources to threaten man's very survival. But over centuries, humans have applied their intelligence to shape the world around them.

CARSON CITY, Nev. – John H. Snow, principal at Reno-based environmental engineering and science firm McGinley & Associates in Reno, has joined the board of directors for the Nevada Builders Alliance.

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.
***
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.

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.

Roads and highways play a vital role in a community's ability to function safely and efficiently. A healthy transportation system has the added benefit of encouraging economic growth and a financially strong community.

Carson City has been struggling to maintain its roadway system for decades and in numerous public meetings held this year under the auspices of the Transportation Resource Advisory Forum for Carson City (TRAFCC) it was apparent that without new sources of revenue, the community will fall only further behind on maintaining our streets in a serviceable condition.

The Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) Stormwater Program is reminding all Nevada students grades kindergarten through fifth of their chance to enter the “Love NV Waters” drawing contest going on now through Nov. 7.

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, which includes federal, state and local fire and land management agencies in the Lake Tahoe Basin, will begin their fall prescribed fire operations as early as next week, weather permitting.

The Lake Tahoe Basin saw continued environmental improvement over the last four years, but faces major challenges from climate change, according to a draft 2015 Threshold Evaluation Report released by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.

UPDATE TUESDAY: Carson City's air quality is in the "moderate" category due to smoke from the Owens River Fire that is burning in Mono County north of Mammoth Lakes.
***
Carson City is experiencing hazy skies due to smoke from the Owens River Fire burning east of Highway 395, seven miles north of Mammoth Lakes in Mono County.

As of early Monday afternoon, air quality in Carson City was in the "good" range but further south it has been listed as "moderate." It is likely to change as the wind becomes stronger with an approaching cold front.

Do you love having a blue Lake and clean streams in our Tahoe backyard? So do we! But when we get to work, live and play in a city in the midst of Sierra wilderness, keeping our waters blue and clean takes some team effort.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday passed the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act as part of the Water Resources Development Act of 2016. The bipartisan legislation provides federal, state and local partners important tools to reduce wildfire threats, improve water clarity, jumpstart innovative infrastructure projects, and combat invasive species.

President Barack Obama was cheered enthusiastically Wednesday at the 20th Lake Tahoe Summit, an annual gathering of federal and state leaders from California and Nevada who are dedicated to protecting the Sierra's crown jewel.

"I've never been here," President Obama told the crowd Wednesday at Harvey's Outdoor Arena in Stateline. "Its not that I didn't want to come, but nobody invited me."

The President quipped he's sure to return, "though my transportation won't be as nice."

Lake Tahoe was at a crossroads in 1997. The lake’s famous water clarity, once measuring 100 feet, was declining year after year because of stormwater pollution from roads and developed areas and erosion from streams damaged by logging and cattle grazing.

A new initiative by the University of Nevada, Reno to foster creative, interdisciplinary research aimed at answering critical questions related to water resource management and sustainability was approved by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. – Enjoy a guided tour of starry wonders with professional stargazer Gigi Giles. Delight in a unique and educational experience as you peer through high powered telescopes and astronomical binoculars in the fresh mountain air. Spooner Lake’s limited light pollution provides exceptional views of the night sky. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight.

WHEN: Friday, July 29, 8:00 p.m.

WHERE: Spooner Lake State Park, just north of Highway 50 on State Route 28.

COST: Event is free, and park entry fees will be waived.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Weather permitting, the U.S. Forest Service, the Nevada Division of State Lands and the Nevada Division of Forestry may conduct prescribed fire operations next week beginning Monday, May 2, 2016. 

On the East Shore, operations may take place in the Rocky Point area near Tunnel Creek Road, Montreal Canyon near Spooner Summit and south of Glenbrook near Camp Galilee.

Weather permitting, Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District and the U.S. Forest Service plan to continue prescribed fire operations this week with some smoke visible from the valley.
On the East Shore, operations may take place near Spooner Summit, Camp Galilee and on Kingsbury Grade near Edgewood Drive.

Three busloads of Carson City students arrived at Ambrose Carson River Natural Area Wednesday to study the Carson River watershed. Seventy-four high school biology students, trained by River Wranglers and Carson City Weed Coalition, met more than 90 fourth grade students and set about teaching and learning.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency defended its landmark 2012 Regional Plan to restore Lake Tahoe’s environment in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Tuesday during oral arguments against a lawsuit by the Sierra Club and the Friends of the West Shore organization.