Edgewood Tahoe Resort announces ‘Camp Edgewood,’ a new summer program rooted in connection and nostalgia  

by n Staff Report Follown editor@tahoedailytribune.comn | May 30, 2026 | Uncategorized

STATELINE, Nev. — Edgewood Tahoe Resort, the lakefront retreat set along the south shore of iconic Lake Tahoe, announced the debut of Camp Edgewood, a new summer program designed to bring the spirit of a classic American summer camp to guests of all ages. Launching at the start of summer, Camp Edgewood offers a thoughtful collection of activities and experiences that encourage families and groups to spend time together outdoors, reconnect, and create lasting memories.  

Camp Edgewood comes at a time when travel is being shaped by connection and a sense of rediscovery. With multigenerational trips on the rise and nostalgia influencing how people travel, families are seeking destinations that offer space, ease, and meaningful shared experiences. The resort’s 14 Villa Suites, adjacent to the main lodge, offer a natural setting for these types of stays with plenty of ways for families to gather while remaining close to the lake and on-property experiences. Overlooking the lake with some providing views of the pristine 9th fairway of the golf course, each Villa features between 2 and 5 bedrooms, with partial to fully equipped kitchens, heated private patios with a Jacuzzi and fire pit, and a personal concierge.  

Edgewood Tahoe Resort offers direct access to the lake for beach days relaxing in a cabana, paddleboarding, and lakeside dining. Camp Edgewood builds on these experiences by introducing a range of activities throughout the season. Guests can enjoy archery classes, on-property guided fly-fishing excursions, stargazing sessions led by Tahoe Star Tours, and hands-on “crafternoons” in one of their Lodge Ballrooms, alongside outdoor movie nights with complimentary popcorn. Additional moments throughout the season include speedboating adventures with access to MasterCraft’s fleet, inviting Fireside Chats led by guest speakers to spotlight local organizations’ work in environmental conservation and education such as Keep Tahoe Blue, Sugar Pine Foundation, Lake Tahoe Crime Tours, and Bear League. There will also be additional resort-led discussions on fireworks science and safety, native pollinators and honey, as well as live music that bring guests together in the evenings.  

The program arrives during a significant cultural moment as the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary. This milestone is reflected in the resort’s Fourth of July celebrations, which include a full day of lakeside programming such as a beach barbecue, live music, family-friendly activities, and a fireworks display. Guests and locals can also enjoy prix fixe menus at the resort’s dining venues to celebrate Independence Day. The Bistro offers casual yet contemporary dining with classic American cuisine, while Brooks’ Bar & Deck is perfect for indulging in traditional pub fare with views of the lush green fairways. The Edge Restaurant & Lounge features upscale dining that pairs sweeping waterfront views with a modern take on rustic mountain cuisine.  

“Camp Edgewood is about creating the kind of summer people remember for years to come,” said Siobhan Fajayan, General Manager of Edgewood Tahoe Resort. “There is a simplicity to time spent at the lake that resonates across generations, whether it’s being out on the water, gathering around a fire in the evening, or just having the space to slow down. This program builds on what makes Tahoe special and gives families more ways to experience it together.”  

Camp Edgewood also serves as way to experience the resort’s broader summer programming. Throughout the season, guests can enjoy lawn games, golf on the championship course, poolside lounging, and time on the lake, all framed by a sense of ease and familiarity that defines summer in Tahoe. These moments reinforce the spirit of a shared American summer, centered on tradition, place, and time spent together.  

Camp Edgewood will be available throughout the summer season and is open to resort guests, with select experiences also accessible to local visitors. For more information, please visit www.edgewoodtahoe.com.  

Migraines, Nutrition, and Lifestyle: A Registered Dietitian’s Perspective

by Patrick Traynor, PHD, MPH, RD, CPT | May 30, 2026 | Uncategorized

As a registered dietitian, an occasional patient may incidentally mention migraines as a secondary concern and express curiosity about whether diet may influence their symptoms. Others, who may not have even expressed concern about migraine, state their symptoms have improved after dietary intervention for managing weight loss, high cholesterol, diabetes, fatty liver disease, etc. While registered dietitians are not the first specialist a patient should see for their migraines, research indicates that certain foods and lifestyle patterns can contribute to migraine attacks in many individuals. Regardless, migraines in general, particularly those that are strong to severe, warrant medical attention by a qualified primary care provider and/or neurologist.

Migraine is a common and often debilitating neurological disorder affecting approximately 12% of the global population. In the United States, migraines contribute substantially to reduced workplace productivity, absenteeism, and diminished quality of life.

Migraine symptoms typically include moderate to severe throbbing head pain, often on one side, accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light or sound. Some individuals experience visual “auras,” such as flashing lights or blind spots, before the headache begins. Migraines are often worsened by physical activity and may last hours to days.

Foods

Although migraines are neurological in origin, evidence suggests that dietary and lifestyle factors may influence the frequency or severity of attacks in susceptible individuals. Alcohol, particularly red wine, is among the most commonly identified triggers. Processed meats containing nitrates, aged cheeses rich in tyramine, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and excessive caffeine intake have also been associated with migraine onset in susceptible individuals. Importantly, these foods do not universally trigger migraines, but they may lower the threshold for an attack in predisposed persons.

Meal Patterns

Meal timing may also play a role. Skipping meals or prolonged fasting can disrupt blood glucose regulation and may precipitate migraines in some individuals. For this reason, consistent meal timing and adequate hydration are practical strategies that may help reduce migraine frequency.

Beyond individual foods, broader dietary patterns may matter as well. Diets emphasizing minimally processed foods, vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and unsaturated fats have been associated with reduced inflammation and improved vascular and neurological health. While evidence specifically linking these diets to migraine prevention remains limited, overall dietary quality may influence migraine susceptibility indirectly through effects on metabolic and inflammatory pathways.

Lifestyle

Lifestyle factors frequently interact with nutrition in migraine development. Sleep irregularities are strongly associated with migraine occurrence, and both insufficient and excessive sleep may increase susceptibility. Stress is another major contributor, likely through activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and increased cortisol release, which may alter central nervous system excitability and lower the threshold for migraine onset. Moderate physical activity appears beneficial for many individuals, although excessive exertion may trigger symptoms in some cases.

Summary and Conclusion

Migraines are complex neurological conditions with significant personal and societal impact. Although nutrition alone is unlikely to eliminate migraines, evidence supports the idea that dietary and lifestyle factors can influence migraine frequency and severity in susceptible individuals. A balanced dietary pattern, regular meal timing, adequate hydration, healthy sleep habits, and stress management may collectively help reduce migraine burden alongside appropriate medical care. Although seeing a medical doctor is crucial, recognizing patterns among diet, sleep, stress, hydration, and daily routine to make adjustments, may serve as a minimally invasive, yet effective complement to medications.

Microsoft Northern Nevada Community Fund: Microsoft and ChangeX team up to reinvest in communities

by n Victoria Mastrocola Follown vmastrocola@swiftcom.comn | May 30, 2026 | Uncategorized

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. – Microsoft is collaborating with a nonprofit community engagement platform called ChangeX to provide opportunities for funding across Northern Nevada with the second launch of the Microsoft Northern Nevada Community Fund. In addition to Lake Tahoe/Carson City, counties eligible for the fund include Washoe, Douglas, Storey and Lyon. 

The fund aims to continue to reinvest into Northern Nevada communities as Microsoft’s growth and development expands from its existing Microsoft Americas Operations Center in Reno to proposed data centers in Northern Nevada. The company purchased 300 acres of land in Lyon County’s Victory Logistics District in 2025, although Microsoft has not explicitly confirmed what that land will be used for.

“I’ve been in this role for 10 years,” David Taylor, Community Relations Manager at Microsoft told the Tribune. “And it is very rewarding to work for a company that sees it as one of our core values to continue to give back.”

Microsoft launched its first community fund in Nevada in 2024 where 10 community projects received funding, among them, the Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows, Women and Children’s Center of the Sierra, and the Just in Hope Foundation. Funds across the community projects totaled $63,000.

The company has been in Reno for 29 years, and throughout its time in Northern Nevada, Microsoft has taken part in a number of initiatives for positive community impact such as their 18th annual IT Makeover Campaign which provided $65,000 in community funding for seven different nonprofits. 

Other programs include their Employee Volunteer Program, Annual Giving Campaign, Giving Tree Program (adopt-a-family for the holiday), Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows Annual Golf Tournament, Northern Nevada Children’s Cancer Foundation Annual Poker Tournament and more.

If you’re part of a nonprofit organization, community group, school or you’re an individual located in one of the counties listed above, you could be eligible to apply as the Northern Nevada Community Fund seeks to back local projects aligned with themes including biodiversity, digital skills, and future workforce development. 

Nonprofits can get up to $10,000 for a project, while individuals looking for funds for things like school service projects can receive funding up to $5000.

“Microsoft and its employees contribute to the community in which they live by bringing the benefits of information technology to people and organizations throughout the community,” Taylor said.

ChangeX, an international nonprofit organization, manages the Northern Nevada Community Fund, developing a step-by-step process to provide everyday people with opportunities to bring environmental and social projects to their communities. Applications for this year’s Northern Nevada Community Fund will be open until June 24.

To apply, visit https://www.changex.org/funds/microsoft-nevada. 

“Microsoft is committed to supporting these projects as a part of their Datacenter Community Pledge to establish a positive and lasting impact in the communities where their data centers are located,” ChangeX said in a press release.

In a statement made by Microsoft’s vice chair and president, Brad Smith, the topic was centered around “Building community-first AI infrastructure” and discusses a 5-point plan initiative:

1. “We’ll pay our way to ensure our datacenters don’t increase your electricity prices.”
2. “We’ll minimize our water use and replenish more of your water than we use.”
3. “We’ll create jobs for your residents.”
4. “We’ll add to the tax base that funds hospitals, schools, parks and libraries.”
5. “We’ll strengthen your community by investing in local AI training and non-profits.”

U.S. data center construction starts soared in 2025 with a 190% year-over-year increase at $77.7 billion, as reported in ConstructConnect news. 

In Cushman & Wakefield’s 2025 Global Data Center Market Comparison Report, the greater Reno-Sparks area was ranked No. 5 in emerging markets globally.

To learn more about the Americas Operations Center in Reno, visit https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/reno/default.

Information on ChangeX can be found https://www.changex.org/.

Pollen Season: Tips for Managing Springtime Allergies

by Alex Manteghi, DO | May 30, 2026 | Uncategorized

In Tahoe, spring can bring waves of yellow pollen that seem to blanket everything, from cars to driveways and that towel you left hanging on the deck railing. This visible layer of dust is a reminder of how prevalent allergens can be in the region.

Seasonal allergies often come with uncomfortable symptoms, like sneezing, congestion, and itchy eyes. Fortunately, with the right precautions, you can still enjoy the beauty of the season while keeping discomfort at a minimum.

Follow these essential dos and don’ts to manage your spring allergies.

DO:

• Plan ahead: If your allergies tend to flare up at a certain time each year, start avoiding triggers a few weeks before symptoms typically begin.
• Wear a mask during yard work: Even when pollen and mold counts are low, a dust mask can help protect you from allergens.
• Shower after outdoor activities: Rinse pollen from your hair and body as soon as you come inside.
• Use a dehumidifier: Keep indoor humidity below 50% to discourage mold growth.
• Prevent mold growth: Use exhaust fans in damp areas like bathrooms, kitchens, and basements.

DON’T:

• Ignore the weather report: Check daily pollen and mold counts, and limit outdoor time when levels are high. Pollen counts are typically higher on hot, dry, windy days, while mold levels can spike in both dry and humid conditions.
• Neglect cleaning damp areas: Regularly clean bathrooms and kitchens to control moisture and prevent mold.
• Open windows at home or in your car: As tempting as fresh air may be, open windows can allow allergens to enter your space.
• Forget air filters: Clean or replace air filters in your home and check ventilation systems periodically.
• Tough it out: If your symptoms persist despite these precautions, talk to your healthcare provider. They can recommend allergy medications or treatments, like allergy shots.

By following these steps, you can enjoy the beauty of spring without the discomfort of allergy symptoms.

Dr. Alex Manteghi is a board-certified ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialist offering surgical and non-surgical services for pediatric and adult patients. To learn more about ear, nose, and throat care at Barton Health, visit BartonHealth.org or call 530.543.5815.

Tahoe Bike and Recreation Guide

by Tahoe Daily Tribune | May 29, 2026 | Uncategorized

D.L. Bliss State Park celebrates grand reopening with ribbon-cutting ceremony after three-year closure 

by n Victoria Mastrocola Follown vmastrocola@swiftcom.comn | May 29, 2026 | Uncategorized

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Despite a bit of spring rain, spirits were sunny on Thursday, May 28 as the community gathered to celebrate the reopening of D.L. Bliss State Park, a long-standing jewel on the southwest shore of Lake Tahoe.

The park closed in May of 2023 for hefty infrastructure upgrades totaling just over $6 million, including a complete replacement of its original water system, which up until then, had only seen repairs since 1934. 

The system has been upgraded from a 4-inch diameter waterline to an 8-inch diameter waterline, providing more water volume and reliability. The upgrades also include 22 brand new, high-flow, freeze-proof fire hydrants which now operate year-round.

In addition, the entrance station was moved from CA-89 to further down into the park to alleviate traffic pressure.

While the park was closed, improvements spanned to repaving all the roads through the park and renovations to the Visitor Center, which brought an increase in the project’s cost from its initial total of $5 million up to $6 million.

$1.1 million in funding support came from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The project was originally scheduled to complete in one year, but delays in renovation were caused by issues trying to lay pipe into tough Sierra Nevada granite. 

During celebration remarks, Rich Adams, acting Sierra District Superintendent, spoke of his own humble beginnings working at the park in 1995. 

“D.L. Bliss State Park is truly home to me,” said Adams. “I lived here in this park in ’95 and ’96 in the Bliss Dorm and it still is home. It’s such a special place and I’m happy to be sharing it with you today.”

Along with explaining the project’s details, Adams took a deep dive into D.L. Bliss State Park history, including its name sake, Duane Leroy Bliss.

“[Duane Leroy Bliss] was bigtime in Lake Tahoe,” said Adams. “It was the Bliss family that wanted this to be a state park after Duane passed away.” 

A 49er, Bliss came to California during the gold rush in its peak year of 1849 at just 16 years old. From prospecting to banking in Virginia City, Bliss eventually became an entrepreneur and leading infrastructure pioneer in Lake Tahoe. 

In 1929, the Bliss family donated land to become D.L. Bliss State Park, with the purpose of giving back to the community and providing families a place to recreate and enjoy the beauty Lake Tahoe has to offer. 

“That’s what we’re carrying on now, his legacy and his vision to have these special places available for families, to build those memories and to enjoy each other,” Adams added. 

The park’s infrastructure was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. (CCC) from 1933 to 1942. Lester Beach Road acted as a service road while the CCC built roads throughout D.L. Bliss State Park using a 1932 Caterpillar bulldozer.  

Director of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Armando Quintero, also spoke during celebration remarks, saying, “Being in this role is the honor of a lifetime.”

“I think it’s true that state parks really are spiritual places extending back to the first people,” said Quintero. “For the indigenous communities of California, the lands where they live are the lands where they are literally from. These lands represent the Eden, the creation of their people, which is a profound idea when you think about belief systems around the world.”

D.L. Bliss State Park sits on the ancestral homeland of the Washoe Tribe, who are operators of the Meek’s Bay Resort and Campground north of the park in addition to being the original stewards of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The park’s campground boasts 165 campsites, along with its stunning beaches and the Rubicon Trail. With renovations complete and its facilities now open just in time for summer, D.L. Bliss State Park has checked a huge achievement off its list. 

“It’s such a great feeling to finally see this through, to open the park, and have everyone back to enjoy it,” Adams told the Tribune. “It’s a beautiful job,” added Quintero.

D.L. Bliss State Park is open from sunrise to sunset. Vehicle day use is $10. 

D.L. Bliss State Park is located at 9881 CA-89 in South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

For operations updates or to learn more, visit parks.ca.gov. 

Truckee-Tahoe – Pet of the Week: Charlotte

by Special to the Tribune | May 29, 2026 | Uncategorized

Charlotte is a sweet and mellow senior girl with the gentlest soul. While she may be a little shy when meeting new people, all she really needs is a bit of patience and kindness to let her true personality shine. Once Charlotte feels safe and comfortable, she becomes one of the most affectionate cats you could ever meet.

She absolutely loves gentle pets and will reward you with the cutest little purrs, soft meows, and sweet head butts asking for even more love and attention. Charlotte has a calm, peaceful nature and is perfectly happy relaxing nearby, quietly observing the world and enjoying the comfort of companionship.

This lovely older girl is incredibly gentle, loving, and tender-hearted. She’s looking for a calm and patient home where she can spend her golden years feeling safe, cherished, and surrounded by love. Charlotte has so much affection to give and would make the perfect companion for someone looking for a loyal, comforting best friend.

If you’re searching for a kind-hearted cat who will fill your home with warmth, love, and soft purrs, Charlotte may be the perfect match for you.

If you are interested in meeting this sweet girl or learning more about her, please get in touch with one of HSTT’s Adoption Specialists, 530-587-5948 or adoptions@hstt.org. She is spayed, vaccinated, and up to date on her vaccines. To view more adoptable pets or to learn more about the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, visit, www.hstt.org.

Homeowners attend wildfire preparedness event: Here are the resources if you couldn’t attend

by n Katelyn Welsh Follown kwelsh@tahoedailytribune.comn | May 29, 2026 | Uncategorized

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Incline Village and Crystal Bay homeowners are heading into summer equipped with wildfire preparedness and mitigation knowledge after a seminar on Tuesday night at The Chateau.

Local real estate agent Kristie Wells brought together local experts in defensible space, home hardening, insurance and risk mitigation to provide property owners with clear, practical information and actionable guidance to reduce wildfire risk and protect their homes.

Attendees heard from the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, State Farm, Peyton Insurance and others.

If you weren’t able to attend, here are the resources to get you up to speed:

Defensible space and home hardening

North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District Fuels Mitigation Specialist Ryan Dominguez provided an overview of defensible space zones, including components of each zone, from shrub spacing to firewood storage.

One big takeaway was the importance of the zone within the first five feet of a house.

Dominguez touched on features within this zone where embers can ignite homes, such as decks, vents and eaves, highlighting home-hardening and defensible-space opportunities.

The Fuels Mitigation Specialist also explained fire behavior and how it moves from pine needles to ladder fuels and up, emphasizing the role of the defensible space zones in slowing the fire and allowing firefighters to defend your home.

The district offers free defensible space inspections that can help homeowners identify areas around their homes that need improvement.

To schedule an inspection, visit: nltfpd.org/defensible-space

The district also offers a free chipping service. Waste Management offers Incline Village and Crystal Bay residents a yard waste disposal service for pine needles and other debris during two periods each year.

For information on chipping and Waste Management’s yard waste disposal program, visit nltfpd.org/curbside-chipping.

For other resources on wildfire preparedness, visit nltfpd.org/preparedness

Residents also learned about NLTFPD’s mitigation project, the “Worm” Project, which is creating a forest buffer around neighborhoods above Highway 431 in Incline Village.

Becoming a Fire Adapted and Firewise Community

When it comes to homeowners preparing for wildfire, the Fire Adapted Communities program and Firewise USA provide a neighborhood collaborative approach and a framework to help communities prepare for and coexist with wildfire.

Kelsey Stalker with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District explained the importance of collective action.

“If you’re doing it alone, the fire doesn’t really care very much,” Stalker said. “We all need to do it as a community to help create that fuel break in the wildland urban interface.”

Stalker informed attendees that TRCD assists communities with Firewise USA applications, mapping, and coordinates Firewise communities across the entire Tahoe Basin.

The basin currently has about 86 Firewise communities and 115 Fire Adapted Communities.

What’s the difference between the two? Both follow similar principles in preparing communities for wildfire; however, Firewise USA is a formal, nationally recognized certification program administered by the National Fire Protection Association.

Having a Firewise USA certification can offer additional benefits, such as value with insurance companies.

Incline Village resident Tom Millhoff shared firsthand how he started a Firewise USA and Fire Adapted Community in his neighborhood on Upper Tyner in Incline Village.

“We’re surrounded by forests on three sides. We’ve got two canyons. I’ve always been a little concerned about fire up in our neighborhood,” he said.

He offered tips and steps for creating these communities in neighborhoods, including block parties, social gatherings, and getting the word out through signs, door-knocking, or online community groups.

His neighborhood also worked with the local fire department and sought help from TRCD with the Firewise application.

To learn more about becoming a Fire Adapted Community or getting assistance with a Firewise application, visit tahoercd.org/fire-adapted-communities-program.

Insurance

Britney Bladel with State Farm and Mike Peyton with Peyton Insurance Agency reviewed the current state of the insurance market, noting that carriers are increasingly evaluating defensible space, roofing materials, vegetation management, and aging infrastructure.

They discussed a shift towards the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s (IBHS) standards when it comes to insurance companies evaluating properties. IBHS is an independent nonprofit that uses scientific research to inform the insurance industry.

A challenge for condo and townhome communities in Incline Village and Crystal Bay is increased scrutiny from insurance companies due to aging HVAC systems, electrical wiring, plumbing, roofing, and deferred maintenance concerns.

For the full event recap, visit: inclinetogether.com/wildfire-preparedness-seminar-draws-strong-community-response-in-incline-village/

Writers in the wild: Birds of a feather

by n Eli Ramos Follown eramos@tahoedailytribune.comn | May 29, 2026 | Uncategorized

When I went to pick up my mail on Friday, someone asked me, “Have you found a place to hide out for the Memorial Day weekend?” Normally, I would be content to find a quiet spot in the sunshine and get through more of my ever-growing reading list, but I had more substantial plans this time around—hence why I can write a column that’s not just me singing the praises of the late, great Alice Wong.

With gas prices these days and warmer weather, it’s pretty easy to convince me to get on my bike to go places. I started my weekend biking down to the Al Tahoe Firewise barbecue, which I said I’d cover for the paper. Reporting can sometimes be a pretty thankless job, but it sweetens the deal if you get some free food… but this time, I also did get a heartfelt thanks from Dianne Rees for attending.

I had to hop back on my bike to tidy up my place though, since I planned to host my sibling and some friends from out of town. These friends of mine are avid birders, and we were on a mission to get some “lifers”: the birder term for the first time you successfully spot and identify a bird.

No matter how you feel about visitors to the region, I think you can still appreciate the awe people have when they see how beautiful Lake Tahoe really is. We took a drive to Cave Rock to sit on the beach, and so our birders could log some birds in Nevada. They all marveled at the blueness of the lake, how you could see straight down into the water on the shore and the beauty of the surrounding mountains.

I kicked off my shoes, rolled up my pants and waded into the water while they watched some Brewer’s blackbirds… and then promptly heard a full-throated scream from my friend who decided to wade in with me.

“It’s freezing! Oh my god, how do you stand this?” he asked, leaping out of the waves the way a gazelle bounds away from a cheetah. I shrugged. Another thing to appreciate about visitors is their unfiltered reaction to the temperature of the water.

The next day, we decided to go on the Upper Truckee River Trail to try and spot some birds. Amid the mountain chickadee cries of cheese-bur-ger!, we’d planned to look for the juniper titmouse, a lifer for my friend who professionally works with birds.

I am a big fan of nature (who isn’t in Tahoe?) and it’s easy to be drawn to flash and spectacle: a massive wildflower bloom in the desert, towering trees on a mountaintop, bison lumbering through wide-open plains. But being with birders like my sibling and friends makes you stop constantly on a trail. You stand and listen for the space of several heartbeats, waiting for a bird to sing again, to hear exactly who’s around you. You wait in the grass, pointing your binoculars up towards a tangle of branches just to see if you can spot a little grey or brown bird that most people wouldn’t pay attention to at all.

We heard one paddler say, “Just once, I wanna see a bear out here,” as he sailed past on the river, where red-winged blackbirds called all around him. And while my friends were also eager for potential bear sightings, I loved that we found our joy in pointing out spotted sandpipers, Western wood pewees and brown-headed cowbirds. Especially in spring, you can see how the forests truly teem with life.

(We didn’t end up seeing any bears, and after a visit to Taylor Creek we learned it’s mating season, so they’re… busy.)

I spent pretty much my entire Saturday and Sunday outdoors with my friends, my binoculars, and my camera. We caught up on how life has been like in the months or years since we last saw each other. Lamented how hard it is to schedule time for friendships when you all have different jobs and live in different time zones. We all talked so much I realized I’d lost a little bit of my voice by Monday.

There’s a joke among my friends that birds can sense if you want to see them too much and will hide. This goes doubly for rarer sightings, where birders will flock (pun intended) to a spot if they hear there’s even a chance they might see their next lifer. “Only the pure of heart can see a bittern or a woodcock,” we laugh.

Despite how common they are, we did not spot a juniper titmouse this time around. But while I’m still here in Tahoe, there definitely will be a next time—and another excuse to get together with my friends and hit the trails.

Roads less traveled: Experts weigh in on the dangers of going off trails in Tahoe

by n Victoria Mastrocola Follown vmastrocola@swiftcom.comn | May 29, 2026 | Uncategorized

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Lake Tahoe sets the stage for world-class hiking and sightseeing. With hundreds of miles of trails ranging from hidden alpine lakes to cascading waterfalls, there’s an endless array of terrain to explore. Though it might prove enticing to find new angles to admire a view, the road less traveled in Tahoe is rarely, if not ever, the best one. 

From environmental impacts to human safety, there are a number of reasons why staying on trails is recommended. 

Preserving Tahoe’s natural beauty

As tough as Tahoe’s terrain seems, with its decomposed granite soils and towering glacial-carved walls, the Sierra Nevada ecosystem is quite fragile. 

The moment you step foot off a trail, you risk crushing protective topsoil, allowing it to be eroded by heavy rainfall and wind. That loose soil turns into microscopic sediment. 

“Though it’s tempting to blaze your own trail, new social trails lead to erosion in the form of fine sediment particles that eventually flow into Tahoe’s creeks and streams and Lake Tahoe,” says Marilee Movius, Sustainable Recreation Manager at Keep Tahoe Blue, an organization whose mission is centered around protecting and restoring the environmental health, sustainability and scenic beauty of the Lake Tahoe Basin. “These particles are one of the leading causes of Tahoe’s clarity loss and challenges.” 

So what is a social trail? For those unfamiliar, social trails are considered unofficial or unmaintained pathways carved by repeated human foot traffic. 

Social trails not only pose risks of erosion, but they can also produce litter impacts. 

“The farther you get off trail, the more likely it is for anything you accidentally leave behind, whether it be litter or pet waste, to be left out there in the environment. This is because the closer you are to an established trail, the more chances there are for other good stewards of the environment to pick up what you may have missed,” says Movius. 

To prevent the possibility of littering, Movius and those at Keep Tahoe Blue recommend bringing reusable water bottles, utensils, and pet waste bags. 

What’s more, staying on trails will avoid the risk of trampling precious vegetation as foot traffic can damage delicate flora and root systems in the environment.

Better safe than sorry

Even the most confident locals have run into trouble trying to forge their own paths while out exploring the Sierra Nevadas. 

From steep slopes and sudden drop-offs to raging waterfalls and slippery rocks, the dangers of going off trail can turn a beautiful day into an all-out nightmare. 

Jamie Lefkowitz is Tahoe Technical Team Captain with El Dorado County Search and Rescue (EDSAR), and while her team’s extensive training is utilized during every search-and-rescue mission, trying to find people who don’t know what trail or which direction they veered off from hinders EDSAR’s ability to locate those in need of help. 

“If you call us and say you’re on a trail, we can get to you pretty quick,” says Lefkowitz. “What complicates things is when people don’t know where they are – knowing where you are is important, being able to tell us your coordinates, or point on a map to a peak that you’re near. It’s always going to take longer if we have to hunt you down.” 

When traversing unknown terrain, relying on cell service is also cause for concern, especially if injuries have occurred and time is of the essence. There are many dead zones with no reception throughout the basin, so having a back-up plan is always recommended.

When it comes to social trails, Lefkowitz urges those to keep their eyes out and heads up for official trail markings.

“Social trails are not built for the average hiker, and as much as people want to think they’re above average, most of us are average hikers,” Lefkowitz says. “You have no guarantee that this trail is going to go into terrain that you can handle, so you want to be really careful about following a beaten path and expecting that someone put it there for you.” Lefkowitz notes that even wildlife trails can be mistaken for social trails. 

“The majority of our rescues of lost hikers are off-trail. It’s very, very rare that we have a truly lost hiker who needs help who is on a trail,” Lefkowitz adds.

As snowmelt turns into powerful, fast-moving currents, the dangers of going off-trail near these bodies of water can lead to severe injury or if worse comes to worst, body recovery. 

As mist settles on surrounding granite rocks near rivers, streams and waterfalls, what looks like a good place to step can actually be a slippery slope. 

Places like Lower Eagle Falls which overlooks Emerald Bay is not only a tourist hotspot, but has been the location of several deaths of visitors who veered off trails near this beautiful yet unforgiving waterfall, including a 35-year-old woman in 2019, and a 25-year-old woman in 2023. 

With icy-cold water temperatures and frequently-dropping climate temperatures in and around the basin, advice from Lefkowitz and EDSAR are to always be prepared.

“The most important thing is warm layers. We rescue a lot of people who are simply too cold and tired to continue because they didn’t anticipate how cold it gets when the sun goes down,” says Lefkowitz. 

In addition to staying on trails for the sake of Tahoe’s ecosystem and your own safety, be sure to bring supplies to sustain yourself while out recreating in the Sierra Nevadas. Always keep track of where you are, where you’re going and what you’ll need in case of an emergency.

To learn more about Keep Tahoe Blue or to participate in any of their upcoming events, visit keeptahoeblue.org.

For information about El Dorado County Search and Rescue, visit edsar.org.

The Connection Between Oral Health and Overall Health

by Dr. Rachel Appelblatt DDS., MD. | May 29, 2026 | Uncategorized

When most people think about oral health, they naturally think about teeth and gums. But what many patients don’t realize is that oral health is closely connected to overall health and wellbeing in ways that can affect far more than just a smile.

The mouth is often considered a window into the rest of the body. Infections, inflammation, and untreated dental problems can impact daily comfort, nutrition, sleep, confidence, and overall quality of life. Addressing oral health concerns early is not only important for maintaining healthy teeth—it can also help prevent more complex issues in the future. If you are going in for a joint surgery it is very important to have your teeth evaluated to make sure there are no active infections in your mouth that could affect the joint. Dental infections have also been associated with heart disease.

One of the most common problems we see as oral surgeons are dental infections. A tooth that is painful, fractured, or severely decayed can lead to swelling, difficulty eating, and discomfort that affects everyday activities. In some cases, untreated infections can spread beyond the tooth itself leading to loss of additional teeth, swelling of the face, or damage to the jaw bone itself.. Early treatment is often the simplest and most predictable way to protect both oral and overall health.

Missing teeth can also have a significant impact on a patient’s life. Beyond the cosmetic concerns, tooth loss can affect chewing ability, speech, and nutrition. Patients may begin avoiding certain healthy foods because they are difficult or uncomfortable to eat. Over time, this can affect confidence and quality of life in ways that are easy to underestimate.

Fortunately, as oral surgeons we are able to offer modern treatment options such as dental implants that allow patients to restore both function and appearance in a very natural way. Dental implants not only replace missing teeth, but also help preserve the health of the jawbone and surrounding structures.

Another important part of oral healthcare is recognizing when specialized treatment may be beneficial. Oral surgeons work closely with general dentists and other healthcare providers to ensure patients receive comprehensive care tailored to their individual needs. Whether that involves wisdom teeth removal, treatment of infection, dental implants, or management of facial injuries, collaboration between providers helps patients achieve the best possible outcomes.

At Tahoe Oral Surgery, we believe patient education is an important part of care. Many dental problems become more difficult to treat when they are ignored or postponed. Seeking evaluation early often allows for simpler treatment, easier recovery, and better long-term results.

Our goal is always to provide compassionate, personalized care that helps patients feel comfortable, informed, and confident in their treatment decisions. Oral health plays a larger role in overall wellness than many people realize, and taking care of it is an investment not only in your smile, but in your overall health and quality of life.

If you have questions about your oral health or have been referred to an oral surgeon, our team is always happy to help guide you through the process.

Obituary: Neil Schnaible

by Tahoe Daily Tribune | May 28, 2026 | Uncategorized

– May 4, 2026

Neil Schnaible was born on September 7, 1970, in Lafayette, Indiana, and later moved with his family to Tucson, Arizona. In 1993, he made South Lake Tahoe his home, where he embraced a life filled with skiing, adventure, laughter, and lifelong friendships.

Neil worked at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe for more than 20 years before pursuing a career in the fire service. He graduated from LTCC in 2016, worked for Fallen Leaf Fire, and joined Lake Valley Fire Protection District in 2019, later becoming a firefighter-paramedic. He deeply loved serving his community and valued the camaraderie of his fire brothers.

In Tahoe, Neil met his unicorn and the love of his life, LeeAnn. Together with their daughter, Hailee, they built a life centered around travel, adventure, and the outdoors.

On May 1, Neil was promoted and pinned as Engineer by his wife, LeeAnn, surrounded by his department. He passed away on May 4, 2026, surrounded by those who loved him.

Neil will be remembered for his humor, infectious smile, love of the outdoors, and the way he showed up for others. His spirit can be found on every summit, every trail, every green, and every climbing route.

Neil is survived by his wife, LeeAnn; daughter, Hailee; mother, Jolene; sister, Mia; and dog, Endo.

A celebration of Neil’s life will be held at Kirkwood Mountain Resort on June 7, 2026, from 1–4 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages laughter and time spent outdoors in Neil’s memory.

Obituary: Peter Baumann

by Tahoe Daily Tribune | May 28, 2026 | Uncategorized

October 5, 1960 – May 4, 2026

Peter Kurt Baumann 65, passed away on Monday May 4th, 2026. He was born the first child of Kurt and Ruth Baumann on October 5th, 1960 in Al Tahoe, California which later became South Lake Tahoe in 1965.

The Baumann family started their story in Lake Tahoe in 1957 when Peter’s father, Kurt, bought Schmidt’s Bakery and property. Kurt, seeing that he would need help running the new restaurant, sent word back to Germany and in 1959 a young, eager Ruth answered his call. Their bond was immediate and the two soon found themselves married. Peter arrived shortly after.

The Baumann’s have always been a hard working family and young age didn’t change that. Peter and his younger brothers, Ralph and Mark, all began working in the Swiss Chalet restaurant around 8 years old. The boys would help prep food, wash dishes, and learn how to build and repair the family business. After graduating class of 1978 from South Tahoe High School, Peter went to Europe to start his apprenticeship in fine cooking. Peter came back to the US and went to American River College and got his AA degree in business. After graduating, Peter went back to Europe to complete his apprenticeship in fine cooking.

When Peter returned home he joined the rest of the family cooking in the kitchen at the Swiss Chalet. He met his wife, Janet, there in 1989 and got married soon after. He worked extremely hard cooking and maintaining the property summer and winter for over 50 years. Peter put his heart and soul into the Swiss; it is impossible to think of the Swiss without thinking of Peter and the many great memories there.

Peter truly embodied living life to the fullest. He loved to travel with his family and friends, some of his favorite places being Bavaria, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Thailand, and Mexico. He was a gifted photographer and wood worker, and many of his friends received a piece or two of his fine work. He enjoyed skiing, fishing, camping, and listening to rock music. But his favorite thing of all was raising his son, Erich, who was his pride and joy.

Peter is survived by his wife Janet Baumann, son Erich Baumann and daughter-in-law Courtney Baumann, brother Mark Baumann and sister-in-law Melissa Baumann, and brother Ralph Baumann and niece Nicole Baumann.

A celebration of life will be held in honor of Peter with his friends and family at Sierra Community Church on June 9th at 4pm followed by a reception at Cold Water Restaurant, the former Swiss Chalet Restaurant.
If you wish to make a donation in Peter’s memory, please consider the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association (TAMBA), Keep Tahoe Blue, or any other non-profit that you would like to keep Peter’s memories alive.

Letters to the Editor

by Tahoe Daily Tribune | May 28, 2026 | Uncategorized

Liberty Electric has been ripping the locals of South Lake Tahoe off for years and the PUC approves every rate increase. The 100% rate increase since 2020 is unacceptable. We complain but PUC and the judges approve it anyway even when the latest increase was due to them causing a fire that caused a death. They should be putting the rate increases to the shareholders not the rate payers.

When there is a fire caused by the utility company they need to pay for it that is why they have insurance. When others cause the fire, that is why there is insurance, and FEMA money. Utilities take advantage of the rate payers even when insurances pick up the cost. We are sick of all the utility companies overcharging us. They should be maintaining their lines and equipment and maybe stuff wouldn’t cost so much today. Same with the water company and garbage.

South Lake Tahoe should have a municipal utility like SMUD which is affordable for the locals. The cost of living in SLT is unaffordable because it is a tourist town. It is time to stop the gouging. Gas is higher, electricity, housing, food. It is ridiculous. We have one WIFI provider Spectrum and they rip us off too $99 for WIFI and that doesn’t include cable.

No wonder the locals can afford to work and live here. We need competition for cable. Let Comcast come here at least you can negotiate. Let Verizon offer their home WIFI for $35; it never changes. Where does Nevada get their water for all these data centers? Don’t let them take it from California or Tahoe! They don’t want to give us electricity; well we should cut them off from getting water.

This AI is out of control and moving faster before regulations can get in place. We don’t have the resources to support it. I could care a less about AI. I will not use it! Where are our lawmakers to help with this. Jaron Brandon is the only one with a plan. Marie Alvarez is useless! She needs to get voted out. Vote blue! Save South Lake Tahoe!

Lisa McDonald

If Bayer has paid out billions in cancer-related deaths due to glyphosate, why in the world would they still use it? You can’t control what glyphosate destroys either. Why aren’t they using natural ways like goat scaping if they perceive a problem? When did eliminating native plants become a great idea and how many of those have medicinal properties?

Valerie Shealy

To the Editor,

As this winter season comes to a close here in South Lake, it’s worth pausing to reflect on what it asked of all of us.

It wasn’t an easy season. Weather patterns were inconsistent. Conditions were often unpredictable. Plans shifted more than anyone would have liked. For many organizations and families, simply showing up required more flexibility, patience, and persistence than usual.

At SOS Outreach, we experienced that firsthand while working with young people across the Tahoe basin. But what stood out wasn’t the challenge. It was the response.

Mentors continued to show up, week after week, creating consistency for young people who needed it. Staff, mountain partners like Heavenly and Kirkwood, and local organizations adapted in real time by creating access, finding solutions, and ensuring that young people still had a place to show up. And our participants kept coming back. They were engaging, building relationships, and trusting the space being created for them. Those moments may not make headlines, but they are what build strong communities.

In a time when young people across our community are carrying real pressure, academically, socially, and at home, having consistent, caring adults and spaces where they feel they belong matters more than ever. That’s something South Tahoe continues to do well. Not perfectly, but consistently.

As we head into the off-season and look toward what’s next, this feels like an important reminder: Community isn’t built in ideal conditions. It’s built when people continue to show up for each other, especially when things get hard.

We’re grateful to be part of a community that continues to do just that through volunteers, partners like Vail Resorts Epic Promise Foundation, families, and young people themselves.

Sincerely,
Seth Ehrlich
CEO, SOS Outreach

Heavenly Mountain Resort names Trent Poole Vice President and General Manager 

by n Staff Report Follown editor@tahoedailytribune.comn | May 28, 2026 | Uncategorized

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Heavenly Mountain Resort announced that Trent Poole has been appointed Vice President and General Manager, bringing more than 21 years of experience at Vail Resorts to one of Tahoe’s most vibrant and scenic winter and summer resort destinations.  

Poole is an experienced operator and collaborative leader with a proven track record of building high-performing teams that elevate both the employee and guest experience. In his new role, he will oversee resort operations at Heavenly Mountain Resort, building on the momentum of the resort’s recent 70th anniversary season. 

Poole currently serves as Vice President and General Manager of Hunter Mountain (New York), where he has led several transformative projects, including the installation and upgrade of two chairlifts, as well as significant investments in snowmaking and resort infrastructure. Under his leadership, the resort embraced a guest service-focused culture that contributed to the largest increase in guest satisfaction scores in the resort’s history. 

“Trent is a passionate and charismatic leader with deep experience across mountain operations, finance, and project management at Vail Resorts,” said Tim Baker, Senior Vice President of Vail Resorts’ Regional Destination Resorts. “Along with his extensive experience and business acumen, he understands the importance of authentic connection and teamwork in bringing a vision to life. His leadership style makes him exceptionally well-suited to lead the Heavenly team and build on the resort’s momentum in partnership with employees, guests, and the broader community.”  

Poole began his career with Vail Resorts in 2005, spending more than a decade in finance and accounting leadership roles supporting resort operations. In 2019, he transitioned into resort operations, serving as General Manager at Mad River Mountain, followed by Jack Frost Big Boulder, and most recently Hunter Mountain.

Over the course of his career, Poole has played a key role in several major capital and operational projects, including terrain expansions like Peak 6 at Breckenridge Ski Resort; multiple lift replacement projects including the successful installation of five new chairlifts at Jack Frost Big Boulder as part of Vail Resorts’ Epic Lift Upgrade initiative in 2022; and significant restaurant, lodge, and resort infrastructure upgrades. 

“Heavenly has a legacy of legendary teams that have helped put the resort on the map in Lake Tahoe and beyond, and I am both excited and honored for the opportunity to lead the resort,” said Trent Poole. “I have long admired the Heavenly team’s resilience, grit, and commitment to service and the resort experience. I’m looking forward to joining the team and working alongside the broader community to continue to elevate Heavenly and South Lake Tahoe as an incredible place to live, work, and recreate.” 

Beyond the slopes, Poole is deeply engaged in community leadership and industry collaboration, and he currently serves as an executive board member of the Ski Areas of New York, and on the greater Hunter area comprehensive planning task force. 

A native of Columbus, Ohio, Poole is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Finance. Beyond his professional achievements, Trent and his wife Lisa are proud parents to two children, 12-year-old daughter Marilla and 8-year-old son Holden. In their leisure time, the Poole family enjoys camping and embarking on adventures to explore national parks. Poole and his family will be relocating to the Tahoe region in the coming weeks. 

Man faces up to six years in casino bomb threat

by Kurt Hildebrand / Record-Courier | May 28, 2026 | Uncategorized

A California man admitted Tuesday he threatened to plant a bomb after losing $20,000 at Harrah’s Hotel & Casino in Stateline.

Santa Rosa resident Seth Levi Maybee, 37, faces six years in prison and a $5,000 fine at his July 21 sentencing after he pleaded guilty to making a bomb threat.

“Yeah, I just lost over $20,000 at your stupid casino, and I am going to destroy it now,” he acknowledged saying. “I am going to bomb it. This is a bomb threat.”

The call came in at 9:50 p.m. on Jan. 5 and by 1:43 a.m. Jan. 6 he was in custody.

The $100,000 cash bail Maybee posted was exonerated and he was released on his own recognizance.

Caesars to be acquired by Fertitta Entertainment in a $17.6B transaction

by Howard Stutz / The Nevada Independent | May 28, 2026 | Uncategorized

For the second time in eight years, casino giant Caesars Entertainment is being acquired in a multibillion-dollar transaction — one that will take the largest casino company in the U.S.  private and is expected to shuffle the structure of the gaming industry, as several of the company’s properties may have to be sold to avoid antitrust issues.

Houston-based Fertitta Entertainment, the privately held conglomerate controlled by billionaire Tilman Fertitta, is acquiring Caesars, which has corporate headquarters in Las Vegas and Reno, in an all-cash transaction valued at $17.6 billion. The agreement includes Fertitta’s assumption of nearly $12 billion of Caesars’ outstanding debt, which had weighed down the value of the company that was less than a decade out of bankruptcy proceedings.

The deal was announced early Thursday morning but had been the subject of rampant speculation over the last three months. 

Caesars shareholders will receive $31 per share, a 49 percent premium over Caesars’ share price on Feb. 25, the last trading day before rumors of a potential transaction began to surface. Caesars’ board approved the transaction, which is subject to approval by shareholders and gaming regulatory agencies throughout the U.S., including Nevada.

The transaction will be financed through a combination of funds contributed by Fertitta Entertainment, the assumption of Caesars’ debt, and new debt financing arranged by a group of 10 banks. Last week, the Financial Times reported that several banks have committed to a debt financing package of about $5 billion for Fertitta’s purchase of Caesars. 

CNBC first reported Fertitta’s interest in Caesars in mid-March, saying he was in a bidding war for the company with billionaire Carl Icahn. Fertitta is currently serving as the United States ambassador to Italy and San Marino. Most financial insiders believe Fertitta was calling the shots on the Caesars transaction from his embassy residence in Italy.

Fertitta’s net worth is estimated at $11 billion, according to Forbes. He is the chairman and CEO of Fertitta Entertainment, which encompasses some 600 businesses, including the Landry’s restaurant empire, eight Golden Nugget casinos in five states and the NBA’s Houston Rockets. 

Over the past few years, he became the largest individual shareholder in Wynn Resorts, with a 13 percent stake in the Las Vegas-based casino company. He also controls a 6-acre site at the southeast corner of the Strip and Harmon Avenue, where he has discussed building a 43-story, 2,420-room hotel-casino.

Caesars operates more than 50 casinos throughout the U.S., including 15 resorts in Nevada’s three major markets: Las Vegas, Reno-Lake Tahoe and Laughlin. Real estate investment trust VICI Properties owns the real estate associated with 18 Caesars casinos and resorts and leases the operation back to the company. The agreement covers two Strip properties — Caesars Palace and Harrah’s Las Vegas.

The deal also includes Caesars Sportsbook, which is considered one of the top five online sports betting sites in the U.S.

Caesars was formed in 2020, a year after Reno-based Eldorado Resorts announced a $17.3 billion acquisition of Caesars Entertainment, becoming the largest casino company in the U.S. The combined company adopted the Caesars name, and Eldorado CEO Tom Reeg took over as CEO of the merged enterprise.

In the statement, Fertitta announced that Reeg, along with Chief Financial Officer Bret Yunker, President Anthony Carano, other corporate executives and property managers are expected to remain in their roles at the combined company.  

Analysts speculated that the transaction with Fertitta could have antitrust ramifications across Nevada’s major gaming markets. 

Reaction to the deal was swift. Shares of Caesars rose 2.5 percent in premarket ​trading Thursday to a little more than $29. However, the shares have gained about 16 percent since the deal was first reported in ⁠February. 

Stifel Financial gaming analyst Steven Wieczynski, in a note to investors, said the $31 price per share was too low. “If we were long-time Caesars shareholders … we would be super irritated.” 

He added that Caesars’ debt, concerns about the Strip and competition have weighed down the price. “We still believe there is more value in this name versus the implied takeout price.” 

Fertitta owns the Golden Nugget casino resorts in Las Vegas, Laughlin and Lake Tahoe, while Caesars controls eight resorts on the Strip, two resorts in Laughlin and three hotel-casinos in Lake Tahoe.

Earlier this month, J.P. Morgan analyst Daniel Politzer said the merger could result in casino sales in six U.S. markets, including three Nevada markets, which would net the merged company an estimated $2.3 billion in proceeds.

While he is in Italy, Fertitta’s former wife, Paige Fertitta, was given the titles of president and director of Fertitta Entertainment, although she does not oversee the company’s day-to-day gaming operations. His longtime associates, including Executive Vice President Steven Scheinthal, manage the daily responsibilities.

Fertitta is a cousin of Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta, the majority shareholders of Red Rock Resorts, the parent company of Station Casinos. 

Caesars is a historic name in Las Vegas. Caesars Palace was built by Jay Sarno and opened in 1966. Caesars Entertainment grew into several properties in Nevada and the U.S. by the time it was bought by Harrah’s Entertainment in 2005 for $8.9 billion.

In 2008, hedge funds Apollo and TPG Capital took the company private in a $30 billion leveraged buyout.  

The firm’s ownership ended in 2019, two years after completion of a complicated two-year Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring that changed Caesars’ ownership structure and wiped $16 billion of the company’s pre-bankruptcy $25.6 billion in debt off the books. 

Reef chemistry comes to Tahoe

by n Staff Report Follown editor@tahoedailytribune.comn | May 28, 2026 | Uncategorized

RENO, Nev. — Tonight, the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe invites the community to take a dive, but not into Tahoe. Instead, a free community keynote hosted by the Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology will dive into the chemistry of reefs.

“Reef Chemistry: The invisible forces shaping coral reef ecosystems” is presented by Valerie Paul, the director and head scientist of the Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce, Florida. Paul developed a research program specializing in marine chemical ecology and has authored or coauthored over 370 scientific research publications. Her talk will share how health and survival of marine ecosystems are dependent on chemical battles waged between coral and algae.

“While the ecosystems discussed in this talk are a bit different from those at Lake Tahoe, there are common threads in how chemical ecology is subtly shaping our environments,” Chris Jeffrey, Director of the Hitchcock Center, said.

The community keynote is part of an annual tradition to close out the Hitchcock Center for Chemical Ecology Symposium which welcomes chemical ecology experts from all over the world to engage with one another and ideas in this burgeoning field. The lecture is followed by a hosted social with food trucks and drinks for attendees, hosted by the Hitchcock Center.

The lecture will be held in the Prim Library at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe from 6 to 7 p.m. Registration for this free event is required and available online via Eventbrite.

Fanny Bridge is Back In Business; ‘Common Pine’ Railyard Hotel Approved by Planning Commission; Tahoe, Sierra Club Toiyabe Protest Repeal of Roadless Rule; More

by Moonshine Ink Staff | May 24, 2026 | Uncategorized

It’s a Fire Year, Folks

by Julian Bennett | May 21, 2026 | Uncategorized

Fire crews have started their bootcamps, red flag warnings have been issued across California, and for a month now, the sign at a Truckee Fire station on Donner Pass Road has been flashing the annual urge:

It’s never too early
for defensible space

Updated projections for 2026 wildland fire potential were released on May 1, by the  National Interagency Coordination Center, showing the California side of Lake Tahoe having above average potential for wildfire beginning in May and continuing through August, which is as far out as the projections forecast, and the Nevada side of the lake having above average potential beginning in June.

The severity of conditions across the state have been building for years, said David Acuña, a spokesperson for Cal Fire out of its Sacramento headquarters. But “one strange winter does add its own element.” The time frame for fire season has expanded, and California slips into what Acuña and other fire officials have begun to call a fire year.

The total snowfall during the 2025/26 winter was only about 50 inches below average, but it came in bursts. The upper foothills and higher were sunny and unseasonably warm in January and February, melting the snow from a storm in late December. This began drying out fuels. Then came another big storm and a warm cycle, and again.

“We’ve also had occasional rain, and that’s great,” Acuña said, “but it leads to the eventuality that the grasses [or light, flashy fuels, like pine needles] continue to grow and die.”

1 of 4

This phenomenon isn’t new. Even in winters with less sporadic snowfall, plants grow in the spring and die and dry later in the summer. Wildland firefighters call August “dirty August” because it’s usually when plants have had time to go through the cycle of growth, death, and drying.

Sometimes the fuels don’t burn, though — lightning doesn’t strike, winds don’t blow at the right time, or the fire is put out before it’s burned all the available fuel. “Over time, the fuels have layered over on top of each other,” Acuña said. “Now California is like a haystack of light fuels that are ready to burn.”

Other parts of the U.S., especially the central south, are already seeing wildfire activity. According to Tyler Andrade, forestry field supervisor for the Tahoe Donner Association, these fires are “ahead of the season.”

Tahoe Donner is a Firewise Community where its forestry staff rotate through the nearly 6,500 homes, the common areas, and the trails every six years to ensure the necessary home hardening and forest management are current.

Of particular importance is the association’s southwest corner, which receives the brunt of Truckee’s common southwest wind. “A lot of our focus goes into that southwest corner,” Andrade said, “and making that extremely defended, hardened, and good to go, and then spreading out, working properties and common areas.”

Andrade emphasized the importance of community work as well: “I really do believe that the community’s got to buy in,” he said, “and then you will see individual ownership from there.”

Community ownership and buy-in rose quickly after the 2021 Caldor Fire, which burned more than 221,000 acres in California and caused the city of South Lake Tahoe to evacuate. The fire came within 4 miles of Lake Tahoe’s south shore. As then-Cal Fire Assistant Chief Brian Newman (now retired) told Moonshine in 2022, it was “the biggest event in history in Lake Tahoe.” That remains the case.

This tragedy, which Andrade worked on for the U.S. Forest Service, became “a very large reminder and eyeopener of ‘don’t get complacent,’” he said.

“California is like a haystack of light fuels that are ready to burn.”

~ David Acuña, Cal Fire spokesperson

That said, the Caldor Fire happened almost five years ago.

“I really do believe human nature will always battle with complacency,” Andrade said. “And I really hate to say it, but five years in, there definitely are small things where you look at and you can tell where there hasn’t been a threat or a scare. People start to let their guard down a little bit. People start to forget … I do believe complacency will always be a small narrative.”

Andrade echoed Acuña’s observations about the 2025/26 winter, and urged resident and visitor wildfire education and the importance of “understanding that longer drying periods can create a longer fire season, which makes early mitigation and preparedness even more vital.”

Early snowmelt means public agencies and private contractors can begin mechanically clearing excess fuels sooner, but it also makes the window for prescribed burns — which can only be done in specific temperature, humidity, and fuel moisture content ranges — shorter. Acuña recommends looking at Cal Fire and U.S. Forest Service social media accounts to keep up to date on where and when prescribed burns will take place.

“I wouldn’t say there’s one area that’s worse or better [for this fire season],” Acuña says. “It’s a matter of matching weather conditions with what’s on the ground.”

Half of this equation is controllable, but Acuña says the amount of work that’s recommended for fire prevention is often overwhelming. “If you look at the recommendations, there’s a lot,” he explained. “If you would just replace your roof and replace your deck and replace your siding, tear the whole house down … We’re not asking that. What’s necessary to protect your home is to start with the first 5 feet [around your home]. It’s not a guarantee, but it is moving the right direction. We’re always going to recommend the next step. But just start.”

Alex Hoeft contributed reporting to this story.

New Tactics for Reducing Human-Bear Conflicts; 29 Museums Free of Charge; Board Extends Economic Development Incentive Program; More

by Moonshine Ink Staff | May 15, 2026 | Uncategorized

Fixing the Pipes, Angering the Neighbors

by Melissa Siig | May 14, 2026 | Uncategorized

The Tahoe City Public Utility District has never built a water system. Instead, as its inception in 1938 intended, it bought up small, privately owned water companies that dotted the North and West shores of Lake Tahoe to consolidate them into one locally controlled public water system.

Over the course of nine decades, the TCPUD has brought two dozen water systems into its fold. Designed primarily for summer use, these small water systems were not built to meet modern drinking water standards or operate year-round. By the 21st century, many of these systems — with aging infrastructure and delayed capital improvements — were at risk of failing.

The Mid-Sierra Water Utility, located in Tahoma, is one of those failing. Purchased by the PUD in 2018, it comprises two water systems – Tahoe Cedars and Madden Creek. Tahoe Cedars, built in the 1940s, is so big and in such dire straits that its renovation represents the largest, most expensive, and most complex water system reconstruction project in the district’s history. And it is not without controversy.

The point of contention centers around the proposed staging area for Phase 1 of the project. Neighbors are concerned about environmental impacts to the surrounding forest and wildlife habitat, and question why this location was selected when, in their view, other sites are better suited for a staging area. The PUD, however, contends this site is the most efficient because it’s near the construction and will reduce disturbances to the greater neighborhood.

Tahoe Cedars

Between 1939 and 1979, the TCPUD consolidated 19 small water systems. In the last eight years alone, it spent $7.8 million to purchase five more, all on the West Shore.

Tahoe Cedars is the oldest and — due to aging pipelines, limited storage, outdated or nonexistent meters, and patched-together infrastructure — is actively failing. The system has 1,200 connections, representing 20% of the PUD’s water customers. The project entails replacing 15 miles of undersized and failing water pipes, installing 144 fire hydrants (the neighborhood currently only has around 80, most of which do not meet modern fire protection flow standards), and installing 1,200 residential water meters, which means relocating the connections from residents’ backyards to the public right-of-way. (The PUD is helping to offset these service relocation costs to homeowners by offering a $5,000 reimbursement, or $12,000 for those who qualify for the district’s low-income program.)

The water pipes are in such bad condition that many have holes in them, which were patched by the previous owners with clamps. As a result, the district put a moratorium on fire hydrant testing.

“We can’t do it anymore because anytime we open a fire hydrant, it creates more leaks,” said TCPUD General Manager Sean Barclay.

The estimated cost to fix the Tahoe Cedars water system is currently $85 million, but the district expects that number to rise due to inflation. Funding for the project comes from water rate revenue from all of the district’s 6,200 customers and property taxes. However, starting in January 2024, Tahoe Cedars and Madden Creek customers began paying an additional infrastructure improvement charge of $43.58 per month for 30 years, marking the first time the PUD has implemented an additional charge to a select group of customers.

“This is directly related to the magnitude of the cost of the project,” Barclay said. “We spend an inordinate amount of time in that water system [more] than in any other system fixing leaks.”

Although the district has a One Water System policy, which includes a single rate structure across its customer service area, the PUD made an exception to its rule to offset the extreme expense of the Tahoma project.

“It’s an attempt to balance equity between customers in this system and customers in the rest of the system,” Barclay said. “The magnitude of the costs to rebuild this system is much greater than we have ever had to do with previous acquisitions.”

Environmental Concerns

The Tahoe Cedars water tank was selected by the district as the staging area for the water system reconstruction. This is a roughly 3-acre parcel owned by the TCPUD and surrounded by 42 acres of California Tahoe Conservancy land. Although the district considered 30 sites scattered throughout and surrounding the Tahoma neighborhood for the staging area, it landed on the Tahoe Cedars water tank because of its location adjacent to the project.

“The reason the parcel is being considered as one of many potential staging locations is just its proximity to the construction site and the fact that we own the parcel,” Barclay said. “The closer it is to the site of construction is ideal, right? There’s not trucks driving through the neighborhood. You can minimize the time that’s needed to access the materials that are stored there.”

However, when neighbors became aware of this, they grew concerned. The Tahoe Cedars water tank leads to heavily used trails that are accessed by hikers, dog walkers, mountain bikers, and cross-country skiers. The trails are the community’s main access to Sugar Pine Point State Park and national forest.

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“Why would you even think of putting a corporation yard like that in a forest when you got what the PUD stated was 30 other alternatives?” asked neighbor Rick Landgraf. “This is a community impact. Would you take Commons Beach and let trucks drive all over it? That’s how we should be thinking about it.”

Landgraf, a former hydrologist, is alarmed by the heavy equipment that will be stationed at the site, speculating that there will be 200 pieces of heavy equipment and a 12,000-gallon fuel tank.

“My experience when I was doing this kind of work, this stuff is really damaging. It compacts soils and vibrates; it’s loud,” he said. “It will lead to very serious and permanent destruction … That can lead to runoff problems. In a corporation yard, that’s an area where you take equipment. Sometimes it breaks, it needs to be repaired, you have to drain fluids. I am flabbergasted to even think why somebody would want to put that in the middle of a forest.”

Landgraf also worries about a loose chain sparking or equipment overheating and causing a fire.

Barclay, however, said that characterization of the staging area as an industrial yard is not accurate, and that the PUD is not even going to utilize the entire 3-acre parcel; the district says that it will use less than an acre. He also estimated that there would not be more than 10 to 15 pieces of equipment at the site at one time.

“It’s not going to be an industrial yard, nor will it be the only staging area … There will be no fuel storage tanks or chemical storage tank at that site,” he said. “We would maintain recreation access throughout the duration of that use … This is nowhere near the size, scale, or impact that is being described right now.”

The Nesting Site

Other concerns include an American goshawk nest on the conservancy land (the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency said it is unknown if it is currently an active nest). Although goshawks are not endangered, they are designated as a sensitive species by the U.S. Forest Service.

“They are very sensitive to disturbance and relatively intolerant of activity by humans, and they are very protective of their nests,” said Will Richardson, Tahoe Institute of Natural Science executive director. “That is one of the reasons the Forest Service and other land management agencies put a lot of effort into trying to protect the birds.”

The TRPA has a threshold of 12 active goshawk nests in the Basin. In 2010, the last time a full survey was conducted, 10 sites were recorded (there are 30 known nests, but not all are active). The agency and USFS require a quarter-mile buffer zone around nesting areas, which the latter calls Protected Activity Centers (PACs), where no disturbance is allowed. According to the TRPA, the Tahoe Cedars water-tank site sits outside the requisite buffer.

Neighbor Mike Levin became so concerned about the staging area that he started a Facebook page and website, Save Tahoma Wilderness, in March. It states, “We support community progress and utility upgrades, but we believe they must be made without destroying our forest. We are advocating for using developed, paved alternative staging sites that preserve the integrity of Tahoma’s trails and the safety of our neighbors.”

The website provided an advocacy toolkit including talking points, an email template, and facts to share. According to TRPA spokesperson Jeff Cowen, the agency received around 12 of these email form letters.

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Staging Area Deferred

Levin and Landgraf also accused TCPUD of sidestepping the CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) process. However, Barclay said that its CEQA consultants determined that Tahoe Cedars was categorically exempt, but that “as individual phases move through and get to the final design phase, these changes are consistently evaluated by us and reviewed to confirm whether there is any additional environmental review [warranted] … we always make sure our projects comply with CEQA.”

Barclay added, “I can just tell you that we are very transparent. We pride ourselves on that. There is nothing to hide here. We’re a public agency. We are not a for-profit agency.”

The TCPUD was required to obtain a TRPA permit for the Tahoe Cedars project, which was granted in April. By that time, however, the district had removed the portion of the project that would have required the use of the staging area in the forest — replacing the waterline on Placer Street and Antelope Way above Elm Street — from its application for Phase 1. (The project is so big there are four phases.) That decision was made partly because in mid-2025, the PUD learned of the goshawk nest.

“We are concerned. We are aware of it now and we will make sure that we are doing all the work that we need to do to meet any sort of regulations to protect the goshawk,” Barclay asserted. “So that is also part of the reason that we removed that piece of pipe from this project — to make sure we’re doing all of the work that we need to do to comply with any regulations or requirements to protect the environment or wildlife.”

While the staging area at the Tahoe Cedars water tank is off the table for now, the PUD will eventually need to revisit the idea when it’s ready to bring back the portion of Phase 1 involving the waterline.

The TRPA stated that if the PUD decides to reconsider the water tank area, it will monitor the site for bird activity.

“A lot of times when it comes to potential impacts to wildlife, then projects are put on hold while monitoring happens because monitoring for, especially bird habitat, can take an entire season,” Cowen said. “Sometimes noise monitoring happens during projects as well, so that we know if the project needs to change BMPs, change time of day, change time of year, that it operates.”

Despite the TRPA’s and TCPUD’s assurances that the project will follow all environmental regulations, neighbors are not convinced.

“Eight years into this project, and weeks from groundbreaking, fundamental questions on fire risk, public safety, environmental impact, site design, and project financing remain unanswered in the public record,” Landgraf wrote in an email to Moonshine Ink.

With the staging area put on the back burner for the near future, neighbors are breathing a sigh of relief, but only temporarily.

“We will continue to monitor and organize the community and continue to see that the PUD does the responsible thing here, and not what’s convenient for the contractor,” Levin said.

A Shock to the System

by Alex Hoeft | May 14, 2026 | Uncategorized

Concern spread across the region in March when it was announced that NV Energy will stop providing electricity generation service to Liberty Utilities — provider for the California side of the Lake Tahoe Basin — by 2027.

In reaction, Liberty is taking steps to find a new provider. Currently, the utility is seeking approval through the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) to launch a formal search process. Assuming approval, a formal bidding process is anticipated to start this summer. Official results and a decision will likely be known in winter of 2026/27, and an agreement with a new supplier established in spring 2027.

Eric Schwarzrock, who has been Liberty Utilities president for about a year and a half now and a longtime South Lake Tahoe resident, has expressed a goal of transparency during the process across various outlets, town halls, and public forums.

That’s the plan for what has been described as an emergency. The discontinuance of power generation by NV Energy, as noted in a March letter to CPUC from Liberty, came as “a surprise.” In a 2022 Integrated Resource Plan, Liberty wrote that it assumed operating “through the end of 2025, and then under similar provisions for 2026-2030, under a follow-on NV Energy ESA (Energy Services Agreement).”

NV Energy, meanwhile, says this separation has been in the works all along.

“The decision not to extend the Liberty agreement long term is rooted in the original planning assumptions and contractual intent dating back to the 2009 asset sale,” shared Katie Nannini, community relations manager for NV Energy, in an email. “NV Energy sold the Liberty load with the clear understanding that it would not serve that load indefinitely.”

Review of public documents submitted to the CPUC over the past five years shows a nuanced situation between the two utility companies, including efforts Liberty previously took to separate from NV Energy. Liberty declined to comment beyond public statements that have already been made.

Now the situation, regardless of a shared history, is down to the wire.

An electrifying past

The separation of the two utilities is the final step for what was once one company. Liberty Utilities used to be owned by NV Energy — specifically Sierra Pacific Power Company, one of three subsidiaries that merged in 1999 and began doing business as NV Energy in 2008.

In 2011, at the conclusion of the 2009 asset sale, NV Energy, an investor-owned holding company incorporated under Nevada law, divested its California electric assets, comprising about 46,000 square miles in seven counties. After a multi-layered sale, the California customers ended up in the hands of CalPeco, aka Liberty Utilities, a subsidiary of Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp.

Along with the sale, NV Energy “also agreed to provide energy and generation capacity for a temporary transition period,” Nannini explained. “That period was originally set for five years and was later extended in 2015 and again in 2020 to give Liberty more time to implement its long term plans.”

And Liberty did try.

An attempt at separation occurred in 2018, when Liberty began negotiations with potential third-party suppliers “in order to seek more favorable terms and conditions and pursue its own accelerated renewable goals,” per an advice letter from Liberty to CPUC. The small, multi-jurisdictional utility sent an early termination notice to NV Energy in January 2018, to be effective May 1, 2019.

What stalled this effort? NV Energy itself. To move to a third-party supplier, Liberty needed to reserve space in NV Energy’s transmission system for a supplier to send electricity through. In July 2018, Liberty filed for 145 megawatts (MWs) of service. Space was reserved based on numbers provided by NV Energy. Four months later, using those numbers, Liberty began officially soliciting a new energy provider.

But the amount of availability in NV Energy’s transmission system turned out to be wrong.

“In January 2019,” a 2020 letter from Liberty to the CPUC stated, “NVE informed Liberty CalPeco of [a] … calculation error, which, after it was corrected, showed that 11 MW of Import Transmission Capacity was available for Liberty CalPeco, far less than previously published.”

Based on such constraints, by August 2019, no realistic alternatives emerged for Liberty. Negotiations with NV Energy were reopened and in August 2020, an ESA was created “for the sale and delivery of capacity and energy to Liberty” from December 2020 to December 2025.

At first, this new ESA was described by Liberty “as a bridge until Liberty CalPeco can secure utility-owned non-GHG emitting renewable generation through a competitive process, which will enable it to achieve its ambitious 100% renewables goal.”

Yet two years later, Liberty was anticipating remaining an NV Energy customer indefinitely since the Nevada utility company was providing the best possible outcome for its customers … until a new project goes online.

“Given Liberty’s understanding of NV Energy’s transmission planning activities,” the 2022 Integrated Resource Plan states, “the earliest time at which Liberty could potentially leave its current energy supply arrangement with NV Energy would be after Phase I of the Greenlink Initiative goes into service.”

The data center of it all

NV Energy’s Greenlink is a two-part project installing two kilovolt lines, or “energy highways,” across Nevada — one running for 250 miles, from Las Vegas to Yerington (Greenlink West), the other spanning 235 miles from Ely to Yerington (Greenlink North). These lines will allow the utility to increase import capacity for Northern Nevada. A December 2025 update from NV Energy stated, “The completion of Greenlink West and Greenlink North — along with the existing One Nevada Line — creates a triangle of transmission in the state … Greenlink Nevada results in modernization of the grid, improves reliability for customers, and positions NV Energy to meet Nevada’s energy needs.”

Greenlink West is anticipated to be completed May 2027 and will serve as the signal for Liberty’s official transition from NV Energy. This same project will help address the increasingly competitive market for power resources, especially with the increase of data centers in Washoe and Storey counties. Data centers are physical facilities housing and running large computer systems.

The U.S. Congress reported in January 2026: “U.S. data center annual energy use in 2023 (not accounting for cryptocurrency) was approximately 176 terawatt-hours (TWh), approximately 4.4% of U.S. annual electricity consumption that year, according to a report by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory … Some projections show that data center energy consumption could double or triple by 2028, accounting for up to 12% of U.S. electricity use.”

At the time of the Congressional report, there were no “legally binding energy standards” applying specifically to private sector data center operations.

However, at the end of March, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) announced the Artificial Intelligence Data Center Moratorium Act, which would effectively put a pin in further data center development until more oversight can be established. As of press deadline, the bill lies with the Congressional Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Currently, there are 29 such centers between Reno, Sparks, and the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center (TRI Center), the latter home to all but six of them. TRI Center’s first data center — Switch’s “Citadel Campus” — began construction in 2015 and officially opened in early 2017.

Then-Storey County Commissioner Marshall McBride said of the project, “With Switch’s $1 billion investment and 3-million-square-foot SUPERNAP data center, this region is solidifying its place in the technology innovation space. The country is looking at Nevada differently and now sees northern Nevada, Storey County, and TRI as the place for development projects of any size.”

NV Energy’s Nannini said, contrary to other media reports, the decision to stop providing power for Liberty was not driven by the rise of data centers, citing original contractual intent “well before data center load growth was a consideration … Data center growth did not change that position.”

Still a live wire

While NV Energy is pulling the plug on the actual power in the lines, it will still provide Liberty Utilities transmission services. Liberty (as well as the Truckee Donner Public Utility District, which powers Truckee) is part of NV Energy’s balancing authority, meaning NV Energy is responsible for ensuring the electric grid operates reliably 24/7 for users within its region. 

Where the power will come from is what Liberty leaders are working on figuring out. The utility customers are not physically connected to the rest of California, so pulling power from the state is problematic. “It would take a large transmission line from our service territory over the Sierras and then west further into California,” Liberty’s Schwarzrock said during a late-April Placer County town hall. “We looked at the nearest connection points. One of the ones that was closest that potentially would be one of the most reasonable connections was near El Dorado Hills. That would be a transmission line from El Dorado Hills toward South Lake Tahoe. [It would cost] hundreds of millions of dollars to build a transmission like line like that over the Sierras.

“We may seek to do something like that,” he continued. “But right now, that was not the best option. We actually have evaluated nine different [energy supply options] … to assemble our energy supply portfolio. Utilities often utilize a mix of strategies, including but not limited to, direct ownership, power purchase agreements, and various market options. [The transmission line option] was the least beneficial option because of the cost to build that transmission line.”

Liberty Utilities maintains two solar projects in Nevada that provide power, though not enough at present to power its customers entirely: There is the 50-MW Luning solar facility, which is forecasted to deliver 101,000 megawatt hours (MWh) in 2026, and the 10-MW Turquoise facility, anticipated to deliver 21,000 MWh. “For many days out of the year,” shared Liberty’s manager of regional communications, Kurt Althof, in an email. “When the sun is shining, our facilities provide 100% of the required supply.”

How ratepayers will be affected by the transition remains unknown, though Liberty has stated in an FAQ on the situation that it intends to keep affordability at the forefront of its discussions with potential providers.

Schwarzrock said there are numerous alternatives for how the company can approach the void, including wind farms, solar and battery farms, geothermal options, and full-service energy suppliers. As a winter-peaking region, Tahoe’s highest energy demand comes during the colder months — contrary to other utilities in the Western U.S., which use the most electricity during summer for air conditioning.

“It’s important to us that we’re going to make them compete for our business,” he said. “We’re looking forward for those entities to compete. We are a good partner and a good load for energy suppliers, so we expect a competitive process. Our priorities as we go through that [Request for Proposals] and make our transparent selections with the CPUC, are that we’re going to prioritize renewable and achieving our renewable goals within the state of California, and we are going to prioritize affordability.”

Could Something Similar Happen in Truckee?

The Truckee Donner Public Utility District’s coverage area lies as an independent island within Liberty’s service. The only overlap for TDPUD and Liberty is that they both rely on transmission from NV Energy.

“We pay our fair share to NV Energy for the transmission services they give us,” said Steven Poncelet, public information and strategic affairs director for the PUD. “That’s all done at the federal level through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.”

Beyond that commonality, TDPUD has a different makeup entirely as an electricity provider.

Rather than the investor-owned utility model, the PUD is a municipal not-for-profit agency that provides both water and electric services for the Truckee community. As one of 18 special districts in the Truckee/North Tahoe region, it is overseen by an elected board of directors.

TDPUD’s power primarily comes from the Utah Associated Municipal Power System (UAMPS), which consists of 49 public power utilities across many western states. “That’s who builds and owns and operates all of our power plants,” Poncelet said. “So, when we say that our largest resource is Horse Butte Wind in Idaho, that’s a project that we own a percentage of, and that is run, owned, and operated by UAMPS on behalf of the members. They have the transmission, and then they send the power to us eventually through NV energy transmission for delivery to our customers.”

Could NV Energy similarly end its transmissions contracts with TDPUD as it has done with Liberty’s power generation contract? Poncelet said that’s not a concern. “The [transmissions] contracts that we have are approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission … and across the industry, every utility across the country goes to FERC for these transmission contracts. Many lawyers have asked that question, so I’m pretty confident they couldn’t just decide not to service.”

Techspert vs. Expert: Tahoe Beyond the Screen

by Tim Schroeder | May 14, 2026 | Uncategorized

My wife and I moved from Mammoth Lakes to Tahoe City in 1980. Back then, being a “mountain person” wasn’t a brand, it was a way of life. We learned from those who came before us. Nature was our guide, and long-time locals showed us how to live in rhythm with it: shoveling the roof before it bowed, reading a subtle shift in the wind and clouds before a storm, and knowing exactly which neighbor’s truck would get stuck after the plow turned the road into ice.

When we had questions about mountain living, we sought out people who had actually lived it — true experts on where to go, what to do, and how to do it.

The mountains are as beautiful as ever, but their rhythm has changed. We’ve shifted from a true “mountain town” to a “mountain resort.” The lake is still breathtaking; the backcountry is still full of adventure, but the way we live here has become increasingly digital.

The Covid era brought a surge of new energy to our Basin, much of it driven by the tech sector. There is no denying the immense value these new residents bring — their economic contributions and fresh cultural perspectives are essential ingredients in the evolving story of the Tahoe/Truckee area. They also arrived with remarkable technological tools.

And something else: a new kind of expert I’ll call the “techspert.”

A techspert is someone who has mastered the data of the mountains without fully absorbing the experience. They find trailheads through apps instead of conversations. They troubleshoot a woodstove on a forum instead of asking a neighbor. Too often, they take frustrations to social media instead of resolving them face-to-face — the very interactions that once defined our community.

As a healthcare provider, I’ve spent my career observing the difference between a body that simply functions and one that is truly vital. I see a parallel here. Technology can guide you to a trailhead with perfect GPS accuracy. It can tell you the temperature, the elevation, and the distance. But it lacks nuance.

A techspert may know the stats of a hike, but not that a recent washout has turned it into a sandbagged bushwhack. They have information, but not the “preventative medicine” of local wisdom.

Techsperts will never replace experts.

A seasoned local can tell you why a certain shift in the clouds means you should head home early or why taking just 10 extra steps down a slope will lead you to a spot with the kind of energy that doesn’t just “use” nature but revitalizes the soul.

Apps tell you what is happening; humans tell you how to feel it.

This isn’t a rejection of technology. I value the information age and rely on it in many ways. Rather, it’s an invitation to balance technology with mentorship. It isn’t just our newer residents who’ve been pulled in by technology — we all have. But don’t let these mountains exist only on your screen; belong to them.

Instead of scrolling through an anonymous forum, walk into your local shop. Ask about the best tires for riding on decomposed granite or the ideal ski wax for a warm spring morning. These places aren’t just stores, they’re living archives.

The next time you’re curious about a route or a storm, pause before you reach for your phone. Say hello to a neighbor and start a conversation.

Ask about the “why,” not just the “where.” You’ll discover that the best way to live here isn’t by mastering an app, it’s by building relationships.

Real life. Real people. Real Tahoe.

~ Tim Schroeder, DC, has lived in Tahoe City since 1980 and has practiced chiropractic care there since 1989. An active community member who values nature, he is an avid skier, hiker, and biker. To explore his chiropractic practice and his latest writing, visit the Insights tab at balancedoctor.com.

$310 Million Makeover: Tahoe/Truckee’s Bold Bet on a New Wastewater Future

by Alex Hoeft | May 14, 2026 | Uncategorized

The Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency is moving forward on a new wastewater treatment facility. The decision is a big pivot from the 2022 Master Sewer Plan, intended to guide the agency in addressing its aging infrastructure over
25 years.

The variable leading to this pivot? Covid-19 and its impacts on constructions costs and materials and labor shortages. When TTSA began receiving bids for various projects under the sewer plan, there were significant inconsistencies compared to the preliminary November 2021 estimates. That difference led to staff in early 2024 shifting from the rehabilitation strategy to implementation of a more modern replacement.

Which brings us to the Clean Water Revitalization Project, set to replace TTSA’s existing nutrient removal (or wastewater treatment) facility to the tune of $310 million. The rehabilitation plan in today’s numbers would cost, according to project consultant numbers, $393.3 million.

General Manager Jason Hays walks us through some key questions about the project, what it means, and how ratepayers — amid a significant rate increase — will be affected.

~ AH

In general terms, what is the Clean Water Revitalization Project?

Jason Hays, TTSA General Manager: Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency (TTSA) is embarking on a multi-year initiative to modernize the existing wastewater treatment infrastructure that has been in existence for over 50 years. The Clean Water Revitalization Project is focused on modern treatment methods that will more reliably protect public health, the Truckee River, Lake Tahoe, and the surrounding watershed, while also improving system stability and ease of operation.

Did the following factors lead the agency to move forward with building a new wastewater treatment facility?

• Aging TTSA nutrient-removal facilities, which require increasing maintenance to maintain operations
• Significant cost increases from rehabilitation costs stated in a 2022 Master Sewer Plan
• A desire to shift to less energy- and chemical-intensive processes for cleaning wastewater
• The possibility of more stringent limits, monitoring, and reporting (TTSA could be regulated under the Federal NDPES permitting program in the future based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s “County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund” case.)

These assumptions are accurate with a few minor caveats; while TTSA is seeking to establish a reduced dependence on chemicals and move toward a more biologically focused process, the new Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) facility is not likely to reduce energy usage. Throughout the design process, we will continue to remain open to opportunities for energy efficiency, but pumping water is an inherently energy intensive process. We are also closely watching opportunities for green energy offsets like solar and using biogas generated onsite for energy production.

Regarding potential future regulatory pressures, it’s important to note that TTSA is already subject to some of the most stringent discharge requirements in the country. At this time, there is no immediate reason to believe that the regulatory monitoring program under which we are regulated will change. Leadership within TTSA recognized during initial evaluations and continues to maintain the position that it is our responsibility to be prepared for any potential regulatory scenario. MBR technology offers both the most secure assurance to continue to meet existing limits and the strongest potential to expand capabilities if the discharge requirements become more stringent at some point in the future.

TTSA currently utilizes a Biological Nitrogen Removal (BNR) system but is looking to shift to an MBR system. Could you explain what this means?

Biological Nutrient Removal or Biological Nitrogen Removal (BNR) is the process of using a variety of microorganisms cultured specifically to consume nitrogen and phosphorus. TTSA is currently using a hybridized approach that requires a chemically intensive process to remove phosphorus in combination with BNR. Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) is a variation of BNR that uses very fine filter membranes to dramatically reduce the dependence on chemical processes. MBR also allows us to intensify the BNR process and use a much smaller footprint with improved automation and operational simplicity to accomplish the same or better levels of nutrient removal.

Where is the water coming out of this nutrient removal facility going to go?

Currently, we are planning to maintain the same discharge and disposal system for the new MBR facility that we currently have in place. TTSA currently injects the treated water from the facility into the ground in Martis Valley. The water migrates from the injection point through the ground toward the confluence of the Truckee River and Martis Creek where it comingles and joins the waterways. TTSA rigorously monitors several wells along the groundwater flow path and also monitors the Truckee River and Martis Creek above and below TTSA influence.

Does TTSA currently have any trouble meeting discharge requirements from the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board?

TTSA consistently meets all discharge limits under its existing Waste Discharge Requirement (WDR) permit. While some of the processes used at TTSA are chemically intensive and require substantial operational and maintenance staffing, we have proudly protected Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River for over 50 years. A major driver for initiating the Clean Water Revitalization Project is to ensure future generations of community members and visitors can continue to rely on a high standard of public health and environmental protection for the next 50 years and beyond.

What is the total project cost?

In order to make the most fiscally responsible long-term decisions for the future of TTSA, staff engaged in a 50-year life cycle cost assessment comparing the cost of the Clean Water Revitalization Project to a progressive rehabilitation of the existing facility. While it is important to note that cost estimates used in this assessment are very high level and actual costs can vary significantly as the scope of the project becomes clearer, we believe the assessment strongly supported moving forward with the project. Currently estimated costs for the entire project are approximately $310 million. As design milestones are met, a clearer picture of actual final costs will become more focused. TTSA is committed to providing the rate-paying public with revised cost information as it becomes available.

In 2023, after no rate increases for the previous 12 years, TTSA approved a significant hike in customer bills (96.72% increase) over the course of four years (2024 to 2028) in order “to ensure proper funding for upcoming major capital projects and increasing costs due to hyper-inflation.” That increase happened before any final decisions on the new nutrient removal facility were made.

How will the new facility impact customer costs? What other funding sources is the agency considering for this project?

We at TTSA recognize that large increases to rates in a short timeframe are undesirable. This abrupt increase in rates was proceeded by 12 years of 0% rate increases, primarily due to a relatively minimal capital replacement plan. After the 2022 Master Plan established a more substantial capital plan with baseline cost assumptions and timing, TTSA staff recognized that current rates could not fully support the plan. In 2023 the TTSA Board approved Prop 218-compliant annual adjustments for fiscal years ’24 through ’28 to address long-term inflation and to fund the capital plan. The rate increases were as follows:

FY24: 30.1% 

FY25: 18.6%

FY26: 13.6%

FY27: 8.6%

FY28: 3.4%

TTSA is currently seeking to perform a new rate study that includes timing and costs associated with the Clean Water Revitalization Project. Many projects identified in the master plan will be made unnecessary by the decision to move forward with MBR technology. Project and capital spending timing will also change substantially. Staff has engaged in a process of identifying strategic cost saving measures to ensure a continued focus on operational efficiency. As part of our funding strategy, we are exploring opportunities to fund portions of the project with grants and subsidized lending programs. Efforts are already underway to position the agency and the project as an attractive opportunity for potential alternative funding mechanisms.

What is the most critical information TTSA wants the public to know about this project and process?

We live and work in one of the most environmentally pristine and beautiful locations in the world. We owe the clarity of Lake Tahoe and the natural beauty of the Truckee River to those men and women 50 years ago that had the foresight and drive to do what was needed to rehabilitate and ensure the protection of these amazing water bodies. We believe that we have a generational responsibility to the people enjoying this area 50 years from now to guarantee protection of our water resources. In the 1970s the U.S. Congress enacted the Clean Water Act to reverse the damage done to our environment. We are welcoming in the next 50 years of environmental responsibility and public health with the Clean Water Revitalization Project.

For more information, visit cleanwater.ttsa.ca.gov

A Day in Your Life Photography: Donna Reid

by Donna Reid | May 14, 2026 | Uncategorized

Not considering my education after high school, my parents insisted that college was the next step. Growing up in New York, I headed to Florida to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville earning my BS degree in photojournalism. Not ready to get a real job, I hit the road, living out of a converted school bus, until I arrived in California four years later. I was so excited to learn that there was such a place as Tahoe where I could ski, a lifelong dream. That was the winter of ’94/’95. Working nights, traveling and skiing, I was pretty happy, but I really wanted to do more with my photography. In 2000, A Day In Your Life Photography began.

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Documenting weddings and birth helped me with my pursuit of travel and bolstered my body of work in fine art photography. For wedding and birth imagery see the archive on my website: adiyl.net.

My current focus is capturing dream vacations for families. My motto is, “I’ll do the documentation while you enjoy your vacation.” 

My travel and Tahoe photography will be featured at Made in Tahoe this Memorial Day Weekend at Palisades and the Kings Beach Art Tour in August. I’ll also be participating at the Tahoe City Farmers Market and Truckee Thursdays. Hope to see you there! 

~ Instagram: adayinyourlifephotography, Facebook: A Day In Your Life Photography

The Feral Finn

by Jon Grant | May 14, 2026 | Uncategorized

Growing up, Mia Andler would spend weeks at a time during summer with her family sailing the Finnish archipelago — her days spent swimming and fishing, exploring caves and forests, inventing games with her siblings and the sea birds. She didn’t know how good she had it.

“I was lucky enough to spend my entire summers outside without electricity,” she reminisced. “I got to connect with the islands and feel the spacious timelessness of that.”

Those sailing trips, she says, gave her a “grounded psychological perspective” that led her to a nature-filled life and career. Andler is an expert forager, a heralded tracker and guide, an author, a wilderness educator, and founder of Vilda, a place-based wilderness education school whose mission is to connect kids with nature. First established in Marin County in 2008, Vilda has had a presence in Tahoe/Truckee since 2020 and now serves over 1,000 kids a year. The organization offers myriad school-year programs, summer camps, backpacking trips, and specialty workshops which can be found at vildanature.org.

The name Vilda comes from the name of the boat Andler sailed on as a child, short for Vildanden, Finnish for “wild duck,” symbolizing journey and exploration. 

In addition to her summer-long sailing adventures, Andler’s Finnish upbringing was full of simply “being outdoors all the time.” However, she acknowledges that’s no longer a given for children anymore, even in the outdoor haven that is Tahoe.

“That’s why I started Vilda,” she said. “In today’s world, it’s not always safe or allowed [for kids] to go outside. So now they have us, some guides.”

And while just bringing youths out into the natural world is a vital aspect of what Vilda does — “we need to have the grounding aspect of nature and to know that we are a part of nature” — she also figures she should teach them some things while they’re out there. 

Her curriculum is centered largely around adventure and play and offers an array of wilderness knowledge and skills. Students should expect to get their hands dirty as they track animals, learn bird languages and fire-starting skills, build shelters, identify and eat wild edibles, kayak, become good at reading maps, practice archery, tend to and restore the land, dabble in poetry and song, and create nature-based crafts.

Gratitude is a central tenet, and peaceful conflict resolution and friendship are also aspects of the Vilda education. Friendship, as a key rung of a wilderness school?

“Young people and screens are a major challenge right now,” said Andler, who has been featured in national print publications, in-flight magazines, television, and the documentary film Play Again. “They often don’t know how to connect with each other. You play a video game and you are instantly that character, you are instantly ‘in the game.’ You don’t have to cultivate that skill of ‘getting into the game.’”

In addition to cultivating (or recultivating) human-to-human connection, a core motif of Vilda is creating (or recreating) connection to the earth.

“The kids’ world is so patterned by media images and gaming images that they don’t know anything else,” Andler explained. “Our job is to show them how much fun you can have with rocks and sticks.” 

Once the child is having fun and beginning to see the forest through the trees, Vilda’s tertiary lessons come into play. Rather than simply holding an outdoor classroom where students learn the name of this tree or that flower, Andler aims for something more. “We focus on enhancing their relationship to nature,” she said. “We believe if we can help [our students] form a relationship with the forest, then they will become the leader that protects it.”

Andler relayed a conversation she had many years ago with the then-executive director of the Rainforest Alliance. The person, an American, grew up with love for her natural world and then literally had it ripped away. “She told me how when she was a child she used to play in a certain part of the forest, and then one day a bulldozer showed up and it was gone. That was her home, that was her playground.”

Seeing her local, childhood forest bulldozed to the ground led that human to fight to save forests all over the world. 

It’s the same on many levels, Andler said. “If a kid loves the natural world,” she observed, “you don’t need to tell them to recycle. They’ll do it on their own.”   

An Adventurous, Curious Life

After moving to Venezuela and then San Francisco (with some time back in Finland) due to her father’s job, Andler attended college in Maine, studied abroad in Scotland, and “traveled a fair bit” before moving to Tahoe/Truckee in the early 2000s. She earned her teaching credential from Sierra Nevada College and taught art and music at Lake Tahoe School. Early on, though, she felt like something was missing. 

“I realized that I just wanted to be outside teaching students,” she said. 

She had the idea to start a wilderness school — “it became my mission” — but she realized that in order to make it happen she still had a lot to learn. 

As so often happens, her quest was rewarded by the teacher appearing along the path at just the right time. Andler’s Obi Wan Kenobi was Jon Young, a renowned naturalist teaching around Bolinas and Half Moon Bay at the time. 

“We were out on the land three days a week in coastal chaparral and redwood forest,” Andler recalled. “We slept … underneath the stars, rain or shine.”

Young himself was the pupil of perhaps America’s most famous tracker and survivalist, the late Tom Brown Jr., who, among other notables, founded the esteemed Tracker School in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Brown was trained by an Apache, and Young speaks of time spent with the San bushmen of Botswana, among other peoples and training, as fundamental to his own education.

Andler learned all she could from Young (and from other individuals and cultures), and in 2008 started Vilda in Fairfax — the 7,000-plus person forest-abutting town in Marin County, with its six nearby open-space preserves and proximity to Mt. Tamalpais and Pt. Reyes. The school is still thriving, with Andler going down occasionally “mostly to train guides.”

Like Young and Brown Jr., Andler is also a speaker and an author, presenting at conferences and appearing on podcasts and having co-written The Bay Area Forager and penned the The Sierra Forager. 

Again, it was her nature-oriented childhood and curiosity-driven lifestyle that led her to becoming an author. 

“In Finland, foraging is still done,” she said. “I grew up picking berries and mushrooms and such as part of my family life. When I got to the Bay Area, I figured there must be something edible out there, it just wasn’t as obvious as Finland. So, I started asking around.”

She sought out people with similar interests and joined the board of Sustainable Fairfax, a nonprofit that was offering classes to the community.

“I was like, I think I could teach one about wild edibles,” Andler recounted. “The first one I ever scheduled old out, and I had people emailing me for months.” 

She kept leading classes and guiding wilderness walks. The more she learned, the more she became aware of the fact that the available books weren’t detailing specific edible plants for specific areas of the region. “Everything was too broad,” Andler noted of the literature, and she and a friend saw a niche. “We were like, hey, let’s write the book.”

And so they did, and The Bay Area Forager was born. 

“People received that book very well,” Andler said. “I love it when people still come up to me, and they’re some cool person doing some cool thing; and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, I love your book.’”

When she moved back up to North Tahoe for good during the pandemic and established Vilda’s local presence, the next book almost wrote itself.
“I wanted to call it The Taste of Tahoe or something, and make it super hyper local, but my publisher was like, no, too small.”

Though The Sierra Forager came to focus on wild edibles in Yosemite and Mammoth as well as Tahoe, its content stays true to its origins by pertaining exclusively to environments and locales above 6,000 feet in elevation (the Jewel of the Sierra rests at 6,225 feet). 

So yeah, it’s been quite a journey for the self-described Feral Finn, Mia Andler. From summers sailing island-to-island without electricity to a life and career that seemingly goes wherever it wants, she continues to
do what she loves — spending time
in the wilderness to learn and to do and to be. 

“To be honest, I never planned to
do any of it,” she revealed. “I just do the next thing. It’s been easy because it flows.”

Now there’s a lesson from nature if there ever was one.

In addition to teaching children through her school, Vilda, Mia Andler also leads wilderness activities and lessons for adults. She’s looking to expand her adult offerings and is curious what the community would like to learn and/or do. She encourages readers to reach out to her at thisferalfinn.com.     

On having wilderness survival skills, Andler says: “It’s empowering knowing that if something did ever go very wrong, I have a freedom because I do have skills. It’s empowering even if there’s no emergency. You can pack less on your next camping trip, being confident in your fire-starting skills or your water-finding skills.”

Becoming Nomé Naku: How a shy Tahoe kid grew into a cinematic pop producer

by Sean McAlindin | May 14, 2026 | Uncategorized

Growing up in Truckee, Sierra Bohnet never thought she fit in. 

“I didn’t vibe with the mountain culture at all,” she says. “I felt like I didn’t belong here.”

Post-high school, Bohnet left town and moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. Upon changing majors from songwriting to music production, she released her fantasy-inspired debut EP “Ëradøn” in 2020. 

Her first LP, Astral (2021), delved into the primal psyche of Gen Z, revealing a more complex side of the artist. Rather than writing from experience, Bohnet crafted the songs from her mind’s eye.

“My imagination is out of this world,” she says. “I like to collect magical things. I’m really into reading fantasy books. I’m creating my own world. I have a map. Each part of the map is a part of me.” 

By 2023, Bohnet changed her stage name to Nomé Naku (no-may nah-koo). Like David Bowie becoming Ziggy Stardust or Beyoncé’s Sasha Fierce, it was a sign of a distinctive artistic vision beginning to coalesce.

“It’s a little bit both me and a character,” Bohnet shares. “I feel it’s me at my purest form, and that’s also a persona I can step into.”

After Berklee, Bohnet moved to Los Angeles, where she now lives in Burbank nearby Universal Studios. 

“I chose L.A. for the music industry,” she says. “I’m still figuring it out. I made a few cool connections so far, nothing crazy. If anything, it’s taught me that I can do what I want to do from anywhere.”

Bohnet has collaborated with artists like Saint Mesa, zfromthealphabet, Shrimpnose and Cloudchord, lending grace, power, and depth to their work. But 99% of the time, she works alone.

“I am self-produced,” she says. “It’s a big part of my artistic identity. The whole sound is crafted by me.” 

The music’s swirling and expansive yet precise aural tapestries seem woven from the ineffable threads of her primordial being. Based on the raw range of emotions felt in the music, it’s clear that it’s not always easy stepping into the role. The fact that Bohnet is willing to connect with these feelings on such a deep level is a testament to her vision and courage — all made whole through her transformation into Nomé Naku. 

When she’s not making music, Bohnet works as a pet groomer to help pay the bills. “I give dogs haircuts,” she laughs.

Bohnet also has an Instagram channel that alternates seamlessly from intense sonic-visual journeys to silly confessions about her wall of fairytale hand-drawings to the quirky intricacies of her makeup routine.

After the move to L.A., a two-year barrage of singles releases followed, eventually leading to the self-titled LP Nomé Naku (2025). The album cover features a red-lit image of Bohnet, shot from behind as she wears dragonfly wings with a fire burning inside her chest. The epic feel of the music rides lush-layered vocal harmonies, heavy synth melodies, and tribal percussion, evoking ethereal artists like Aurora, Banks, and Florence + the Machine. 

“The new album is a little bit darker, a little more mature,” Bohnet says. “The theme is being a woman … I like my songs to work for whoever is listening. Here and there, I make it very specific, but generally I’ll write about the feeling itself.”

And where do these transcendent soundscapes come from? 

“There are so many levels,” she says. “The first level is the actual inspiration for the music. I’m a highly sensitive person, so I feel very deeply. I need a way to channel that. In this lifetime, it’s been music.”

This year, she’s releasing singles in anticipation of her next LP. In the intricate music videos she produces for the songs, Bohnet undulates fluidly into her character — or maybe it’s just deeper within herself.

“It comes from nowhere,” she says. “I have no background in dance or any training whatsoever. That’s how I naturally move to my music.” 

The artist recently scored a short film, Transcend the Sword. Some of the songs are sung in her own language, Laroo, for which she’s developed a personal dictionary. 

“I have really vivid dreams where I am in different worlds,” she shares. “I had a dream where I witnessed the destruction of a planet in fast motion. Then I wake up and I’m like, ‘Where am I?’”

On weekends and breaks, Bohnet often travels back home to her roots at Lake Tahoe. It’s the place where the dreams began, at least in this world and lifetime. 

“As soon as I’m no longer here,” she muses, “I realize — I am a mountain girl. I was raised in Tahoe, but I had to grow into my mountain-ness.”

Listen, and learn more, at nomenaku.com.