Tahoe National Forest

The U.S. Forest Service announced Wednesday that it is temporarily closing the remaining 10 national forests in California, including Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Eldorado National Forest, Plumas National Forest and Tahoe National Forest.

UPDATE 4:50PM: A Dense Smoke Advisory issued by the National Weather Service for the greater Reno, Sparks, Virginia City and Carson Valley areas has been extended until 9 a.m. Monday morning. As of late Sunday afternoon, drift smoke was evident in Washoe Valley, Carson City as well as into Silver Springs and Dayton.
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The National Weather Service in Reno on Sunday issued a Dense Smoke Advisory for the valley areas of Reno into Carson City and Carson Valley due to the Loyalton Fire burning in the Tahoe National Forest in California.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — The public is invited to celebrate National Public Lands Day with the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and our partners at Nevada Beach Pavilion on Saturday, Sept. 22 from 9 a.m. to noon.

A Carson City fire crew returned safely Monday afternoon from fighting the North Fire, which began burning one week ago on Sept. 3 in the Tahoe National Forest.

Smoke from California wildfires and a few thunderstorms are possible Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon and early evening, mainly in the Sierra into portions of the western Nevada Sierra front, according to the National Weather Service.

TAHOE NATIONAL FOREST, Calif. — Firefighters battling the North Fire that started late Monday afternoon in the Tahoe National Forest 40 miles west of Lake Tahoe are gearing up for a full attack Tuesday morning with more strike teams, hand crews, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, including a large tanker.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit reminds residents and visitors that camping and campfire use regulations are in effect year-round on national forest system lands within the basin.

The smoke and haze visible Thursday around Lake Tahoe is from prescribed fire operations on the Eldorado National Forest and the Tahoe National Forest Truckee Ranger District.

"It was so frustrating and only so much we could do," recalled Kit Bailey of the U.S. Forest Service during Saturday's Angora Fire First Responder Remembrance Ceremony. "Its miraculous nobody got hurt."

A Dense Smoke Advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for Carson City, Dayton, Carson Valley and Reno areas through 5 p.m. Monday.

The King Fire, which started a week ago, Sept. 13, has now burned nearly 81,000 acres east of Pollock Pines in El Dorado County. As of Saturday morning, the human-caused fire is 10 percent contained.

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.

With the assistance of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and a determined committee, an unnamed peak on the North Shore of the Lake Tahoe Basin has been renamed “Gold Star Peak” in honor of soldiers from the area that paid the ultimate price in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and the War on Terrorism.

A ceremony to dedicate Gold Star Peak will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, at Lakeview Commons in South Lake Tahoe.

The U.S. Forest Service and organizers of Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month are working together to promote and recognize the event at Lake Tahoe and elsewhere, highlighting the health benefits of winter outdoor activity.

By John Heil
California is expected to see a boost in its local mountain economies as a result of a new legislation that now permits year-long recreation opportunities on U.S. Forest Service ski areas. The Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011, which was signed by President Barack Obama on Nov. 7, is estimated to create and annually sustain up to 600 extra jobs nationwide.

RENO, Nev. — Gary Blomquist, a professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, has won the Entomological Society of America’s prestigious Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry and Toxicology. He was honored at the Society’s annual meeting in San Diego Sunday.