USDA

Prescribed fires at Lake Tahoe's east shore above Glenbrook and north shore have been blowing smoke into Carson City.
Fire and fuel crews with the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit of the Forest Service began the controlled burns today. Winds in front of a storm system are pushing smoke into the area, confirmed Carson City Fire Chief Stacey Giomi.

Here are the news releases on the burns:

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin accepting reservations for the 2013 Winter Trek Express program on Monday, December 17, 2012.

Teachers may reserve a spot by calling the Forest Service front desk at (530) 543-2694, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Winter Trek Express is a 5th-grade environmental education program that takes place at Heavenly Mountain Resort via the gondola. Forest Service rangers lead the class through the wilderness to learn snowshoe skills and discover winter adapting animals.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Dayton Ward, is hosting its second annual fundraiser and rice-canning event to help support the Dayton Food Pantry.

The Dayton Rice Project consists of a fundraiser to obtain the needed funds to purchase bulk rice and canning supplies. “Church and community members are encouraged to abstain from food for one or more meals and donate the money that would have been spent on food to support the project,” says Pam Neumeister, Dayton Ward Humanitarian Specialist.

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.

USDA Rural Development State Director Sarah Adler announced the spending

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.

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.

CARSON CITY – With U.S. Sen. Harry Reid’s 5^th annual National Clean Energy Summit set to kick off today in Las Vegas, the debate over alternative energy development and the government’s role in its future rages on.

CARSON CITY – Nevada today affirmed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s automatic drought disaster declaration, which applies to all 17 Nevada counties.

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.

More than 350 scientists, environmental policy makers and economic stakeholders will discuss Lake Tahoe and its environmental and economic future at the annual Tahoe Science Conference “Environmental Restoration in a Changing Climate” May 22 to 24 at Incline Village.
The conference, this year being held at Sierra Nevada College, features a scientific poster session and the opening of “Visualizing Change, a photographic exhibition,” on Tuesday evening followed by two full days of seminars and workshops covering more than 20 topics in three main areas:

Prescribed fires are planned beginning Monday at various Lake Tahoe basin locations, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The controlled burns are planned for Kingsbury Grade near North Benjamin in Douglas County, the Logan Creek area; north of Emerald Bay; Kings Beach and McKinney Bay near Homewood.

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. – The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit wants to remind residents and visitors the last day to purchase your holiday tree permit is Friday, December 16, 2011.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is asking for public input on the proposed Fallen Leaf Lake Trail Access and Travel Management project. The project would improve the recreation experience for residents and visitors to the Fallen Leaf Lake area, while protecting the natural, cultural, and historic resources of the area.
The project area totals approximately 12,960 acres on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe and includes 41.8 miles of existing trails. The project boundary extends from Pope to Baldwin Beaches on the north end to the south and west ends of Fallen Leaf Lake.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is asking for public input on the proposed Fallen Leaf Lake Trail Access and Travel Management project. The project would improve the recreation experience for residents and visitors to the Fallen Leaf Lake area, while protecting the natural, cultural, and historic resources of the area.

U.S. Forest Service fuels management crews are scheduled to resume prescribed fire operations on Kingsbury Grade near South Shore and on the West Shore near the Tahoe Heights area today, Wednesday, November 09, 2011, weather permitting. Both project areas are small, approximately two acres. Operations may continue through the week.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is proposing to thin trees and brush on National Forest System lands near Incline, Nev., to reduce wildfire risk and restore forest health. The LTBMU is seeking public input on the Incline Fuels Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration project by November 28.

The project area includes 3,927 acres of National Forest System lands on the northeast shore of Lake Tahoe, from the California-Nevada state line to Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park.

By the Nevada Department of Wildlife
CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada Department of Wildlife director Ken Mayer has been named a co-recipient of the 2011 Secretary’s Honor Award, the most prestigious award given by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (USDA).
Mayer received this honor for his role as a partner on the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Sage-Grouse Initiative Team.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin the sale of holiday tree permits on Monday, Nov. 7, 2011. Permits cost $10 each (cash or check only, no credit cards) with a limit of two permits per family, valid for cutting on or before Dec. 25, 2011. 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.

Permits will be available in two locations:

A federal effort to pump affordable loan money into rural communities across the nation is bringing the city of Caliente a brand new pumper truck and a rescue vehicle with a mini-pumper, and not a moment too soon.

By Mike Wolterbeek
A new invasive species has been identified at Lake Tahoe, and it’s likely to be the most aggressive fish to ply the waters of the mile-high lake.
“In our work to remove warm-water fish from Lake Tahoe, we’ve discovered smallmouth bass, a much more ferocious predator than other species known to have invaded the lake,” Sudeep Chandra, limnologist at the University of Nevada, Reno said. The removal work is being coordinated by the California Department of Fish and Game as part of the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Program and funded in part by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

CARSON CITY – Nevada ranks 46th among states in the total amount of federal subsidy payments to farmers and ranchers over the past 16 years, with 89 percent receiving no payments at all, according to information from the Washington, DC-based Environmental Working Group.

A flood advisory issued by the National Weather Service remains in effect until 9 p.m. on Friday for northeastern El Dorado and Placer Counties and includes creeks, streams and rivers near South Lake Tahoe, Tahoe City, Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows.

The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is cautioning residents and visitors to be aware of fast moving water and quick changing stream flows, according to a news release issued Tuesday.

What do six months of record snowfall mean for South Lake Tahoe this summer? It translates to pure blue energy on and off the water, reports the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.

The Silver City Community Partners, formerly known as the Silver City Task Force, has announced a full summer schedule of community events and programs. The tightknit community of Silver City works together to offer a free summer youth program, monthly community dinners, cultural events, a volunteer library, cooking lessons, and a community garden.

By the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest issued a prospectus on April 1, 2011, for two campgrounds’ concession operations that will begin January 1, 2012.  The prospectus solicits proposals to operate and maintain campgrounds and day-use areas under a special use permit.

The operator is responsible for all operations and maintenance of facilities in the permit.  Fees collected from users accrue to the concessionaire, with a percentage returned to the government as a permit fee. 

"You can grow it, now sell it," is the message of Western Nevada College Specialty Crop Institute's workshop for small farms. The daylong workshop is Saturday, April 2, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the WNC Carson City Campus, 2201 West College Parkway. Cost is $35 if registered by March 23 or $45 if registered after March 23. Lunch is included, and seating is limited.

(News Release) — In a lakewide study, a team of scientists lead by University of Nevada, Reno limnologist Sudeep Chandra has found a considerable decline in native fish species density at Lake Tahoe since 1951. In their final report, they are recommending establishing and implementing a management plan to protect the nearshore zone habitat, which is critical to native fish.

By Wendy Madson, Healthy Communities Coalition liaison for school garden implementation

Nearly 2,000 students are getting their hands dirty in school gardens, thanks to a USDA grant received by Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey, a private nonprofit. This season school gardens are being created in Dayton and Silver Springs, and next season they'll be created in Yerington and Fernley schools.

From Washington, D.C. to Incline Village, Maureen McCarthy has worked to learn from and protect the environment. Now, her environmental interests have brought her to the Tahoe Science Consortium as the organization’s new executive director.