summer

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension’s Bootstraps Program has received the 2013 Partners in Conservation Award from the U.S. Department of the Interior, one of only 20 programs across the nation to receive this award for achievements in conservation of natural resources that include collaborative activity among a diverse range of entities.

This is an annual reminder for fishing in nearby waters: Feb. 8 is the opening day of the 2014 fishing seasons for the following waters in Lyon County:

The Tahoe Fund is actively seeking environmental improvement projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin that will restore lake clarity, improve outdoor recreation, and build a stronger sense of stewardship in the region. The organization plans to build a portfolio of projects in need of monetary support that can attract donations from the private community of individuals, businesses and foundations. The board of directors will choose a handful of projects to be 2014 Signature Projects and the focus of the Fund's summer fundraising activities.

While the short-term forecast shows a change this week from the overall stubborn pattern of warm and dry conditions over the region, the drought for this part of the far west is severe and unless we get a lot of snow in the coming few weeks, we're going to face much more serious issues this coming summer.

For several years, Elaine and I have fled Carson City for a short time in the month of January or February to escape the cold, snow and ice of our area in the wintertime. This year was no exception, except, sadly, there is no snow.

We had been invited to be guests at the home of my cousin Lorraine and her husband Bob Scholes of Dayton, who spend the winter months in Indio, Calif.
If you, too, would like to temporarily escape winter in Carson City for the next couple of months, here is what we did:

Carson City to Lone Pine:

Hello fellow anglers: I took last week off and went fishing. Some days I forgot that we are still in January. Although I enjoyed fishing without my overalls on, it scares me to think what the summer will have in store for our local lakes and rivers given the drought conditions. Lake Tahoe is just above its natural rim and still going lower.

Lahontan Reservoir in Nevada looks as big as Indian Creek. In Alpine County, the flow in the Walker River is not enough to put a trickle in Topaz Lake. We need to do a rain dance or say a lot of prayers that we get some snowpack in our Sierra's soon.

Mark Saturday, Feb. 1 on your calendar to be a contestant in the annual ice fishing tournament at Davis Lake in Plumas County, Calif.

How to get there: Davis Lake is about 80 miles from Carson City by a combination of I-580 and
U.S. 395 north to Hallelujah Junction. At that junction, take California S.R.70 to the west and travel through Chilcoot, Vinton and Beckwourth toward Portola.

The Carson City Sheriff has received its preliminary crime data for the calendar year of 2013. The data, known as Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR), is collected under precise standards and reported by agencies across the United States. In return, the information is shared in publications such as Crime and Justice in Nevada, published in the summer months by the Nevada Department of Public Safety. Caution should remain when comparing data from one community to another, as numerous variations must be considered which could alter assumptions.

If you are like me, I would be willing to bet that by now, you are feeling trapped in your home by our winter weather.

And, as a die-hard winter addict, I love cold days, frosty nights, frigid temperatures, deep snow, thick ice, long hours of darkness and the starkness of our landscapes in the wintertime. However, I must admit that sometimes our winter season even wears me down a little bit.

So, when I am tired of browsing on the internet, playing card games on my computer and feel like the walls are closing in on me, I take some remedial action that you, too, might try.

How the Sierra’s largest wildfire affected Lake Tahoe and several other mountain lakes is the focus of a new study by scientists.

Researchers based at UC Davis’ Tahoe Environmental Research Center, the University of Nevada, Reno and three other universities began working as the Rim Fire was still smoldering last summer.

Youth Theatre Carson City is excited to announce the upcoming production of "Shrek the Musical," an exciting adaptation of the classic DreamWorks film set to run Jan. 10-12 in the Bob Boldrick Theatre at the Carson City Community Center.

With more than 14,000 inspections made thus far, Lake Tahoe’s waters remain free of new invasive species, a major threats to the overall health of Lake Tahoe and surrounding water bodies, according to watercraft inspection data and scientific reports.

During the 2013 boating season Tahoe Resource Conservation District watercraft inspectors performed more than 7,000 new inspections, including both newly inspected vessels and those with intact Tahoe-issued inspection seals.

Hello fellow anglers, it's the season for ice fishing. Caples Lake and Red Lake have been iced over for the last few weeks. I personally like to have at least 8 inches of ice to fish. Well, we are in luck. I spoke with Dave from the Caples Lake Resort last week. Dave reported 8 to 10 inches of ice at the dam area.

This week's Women to Women Nevada is a repeat show from October. Host Carol Paz interviews Sue Jesch, Education Director of the Carson City Symphony as well as a private violin and viola instructor.

Jesch has taught violin and viola and performed professionally for more than 30 years. She began playing in the Carson City Symphony when she moved to Nevada in 2004 and is currently Concertmaster and Education Director.

As I have done for many years, my last article of the year is to present the Annual Q Awards for a number of different reasons. Those reasons include such assorted things as: Outstanding, memorable, good, not so good, questionable, bad, serious, funny, dumb, head-scratching, are-you-kidding, etc.

One of Northern Nevada’s favorite jazz vocalists returns for her fourth New Year’s Eve performance, Tuesday, Dec. 31 at Café at Adele’s in Carson City.

Since relocating to Reno about five years ago, Barbara Baxter has grown a loyal following among locals who appreciate not only her natural ability, but the heart and passion that comes through in every performance.

The Winter Solstice in Nevada is this Saturday, at 9:11 a.m. The Winter Solstice occurs when the sun reaches its most southerly declination of -23.5 degrees. In other words, it is when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun, according to timeanddate.com.

Depending on the Gregorian calendar, the December solstice occurs annually on a day between December 20 and December 23.

Eight individuals who display strong personal commitment to protecting and restoring Lake Tahoe were recognized Wednesday by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency during the third annual Lake Spirit Awards ceremony at the Agency’s Governing Board meeting in Stateline.

Plans for vessels that would ferry up to 150 local commuters as well as visitors on Lake Tahoe with marina stops on the north and south shores are available for public comment through Jan. 3, 2014.

Douglas County District Court Judge Michael Gibbons faces a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter following a fatal bicycle accident this summer, according to charges filed Friday by District Attorney Mark Jackson.

On August 20, 2013, cyclist Joseph Longo, 61, was killed in an accident near Pinenut and East Valley roads in the Carson Valley. Charges state Gibbons, 57, failed to exercise due care when overtaking or passing Longo who was traveling in the same direction. Gibbons is accused of failing to pass at a safe distance and not using due care to avoid a collision.

2013 is about to end, where did it go? How do you say thank you to the many people that were there for you? So I decided to write this letter.

With all of the crazy “Black Friday” shopping madness (shootings, knifings, fights, etc.) now behind us, we can begin, once again, to think rationally about ideas for Christmas gifts for that special person(s) in our lives.

So, if you were not part of that frenzied mob scene on the day after Thanksgiving, or if you are still scratching your head about what to get for that person, here are some “Don Q” suggestions for Christmas gifts:

Ice skating enthusiasts of all ages burned off Thanksgiving dinner and then some Friday by lacing up the blades and getting their axels, spirals and swizzles in overdrive at Carson City's Arlington Square Ice Rink for the opening day.

Continuing its 122-year national tradition, Salvation Army of Carson City launched its Red Kettle fundraising campaign Monday with bells ringing at 15 local retailers, said Carson City Corps Lt. Mark Cyr. Another 10 sites will be added by the end of this week to make a total of 25 Red Kettle bell ringers.

Via the Bike Habitat:
With the 2013 Cycling season nearly complete, I have decided to host a Store-wide Sale. While everything in the store will be on sale, the Sale features great deals on 2013 model year bikes. Some Bikes are special markdowns, and some are opportunity buys from bike supplier overstock. I made some great purchases and I am passing on the savings. The Sale also features big discounts on summer clothing, helmets, shoes, tires & tubes, parts and accessories.

Environmental analysis by the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies a Heavenly Mountain Resort proposal to expand year-round, non-skiing activities at the Lake Tahoe resort that straddles the Nevada and California borders.

New activities planned for the resort feature zipline and skycycle canopy tours, a mountain bike park, a ropes course, water activities, hiking trails, mountain excursion tours and nature interpretation. Heavenly is also proposing to create a snow cat emergency evacuation route for the gondola line.

This is my annual reminder that November 18 is a very significant date in the lives of some 4,212 hardy Alaskans (as of the 2010 census).

Those folks live in a unique location known as Barrow, Alaska, which is the northernmost community in the United States.

It is located in the Far North, on the edge of the Arctic Ocean, about 320 miles north of the Arctic Circle, and roughly about 1,300 miles south of the North Pole.

On November 18, the sun sets below the horizon at Barrow and it will not peek back up over the horizon until January 23 (weather permitting).

For more than 20 years, disc golf courses have been sprouting up in communities throughout country. At Lake Tahoe, the skilled yet laid back sport that requires keen eyes, solid aim and proper throwing technique is all the rage with well-attended competitive tournaments held at several courses every summer and fall.

The Carson City Parks and Recreation Department now hopes residents will throw their support and get into the game by proposing two 18 hole tournament courses and one 9-hole course set on 129 acres off of Flint Drive.

Plans are in the works to relocate the Zephyr Point Fire Lookout at Zephyr Heights on the east shore of Lake Tahoe to a new area above Spooner Summit in Douglas County, the U.S. Forest Service announced Wednesday.

The lookout, which was determined to be eligible for the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, would be dismantled from its current location and reassembled at the new site on top of White Hill, according to the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the Forest Service.

UPDATE: The Carson City Board of Supervisors will meet jointly with the Carson City School Board beginning at 6 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, Nov. 13. From the Community Center’s Sierra Room, located at 851 E. William St., the 12 elected officials will discuss the school district’s strategic plan, Empower Carson City, and meaningful linkages to the City’s initiatives related to education and lifelong learning.