D.L. Bliss State Park celebrated a grand reopening and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 28Victoria Mastrocola/Tahoe Daily Tribune
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.
Civilian Conservation Corps. operating caterpillar bulldozer – Photo taken of pages 94-95 in “The Tree Army, A Pictorial History of the Civilian Conservation Corps. 1933-1942” Victoria Mastrocola/Tahoe Daily Tribune
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.
Demonstrated is the park’s original 1930s 4-inch diameter waterline versus its new 8-inch diameter waterlineVictoria Mastrocola/Tahoe Daily Tribune
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.
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.
Charlotte is this week’s Pet of the Week. Provided / HSTT
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A hiker takes on Mount Tallac in South Lake Tahoe as the sun comes upCourtesy Rachid Dahnoun / Tahoe South |
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.
Common spot near Cascade Falls where the trail is hard to follow and people easily get lost less than a quarter mile off trailProvided/El Dorado County Search and Rescue
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Trent PooleProvided / Vail
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.
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.
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.
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.
TAHOE CITY, Calif. – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) met at the Granlibakken to hear informational items on regional plan development tracking, reporting and accountability permit tracking and the regional transportation projects. Multiple public comments and the executive director status report touched on glyphosate, a controversial herbicide that TRPA previously commented on.
Regional plan development tracking
Ken Kasman, reporting and accountability department director, spoke on the regional plan growth management system, which limits the total amount of development allowed in the region. In 2025, the Tahoe Region experienced the largest increase in residential units since the update to the regional plan in 2012, driven by affordable housing at the Lake Tahoe Community College and Sugar Pine Village.
Roughly 80% of the residential allocations have been assigned to development as 2025, with 63% residential bonus units, 49% tourist bonus units and 51% commercial floor area. Throughout the region, the city of South Lake Tahoe leads housing with nearly 15,500 residential units. Kasman noted there are restrictions on the Nevada side with restrictions on vacant lots.
Kasman also spoke positively of the transferral program, saying it helped incentivize development in town centers through removing aging infrastructure that may not have best management practices. One example of this is the transferral of Motel 6 allocations to other developments.
Several board members raised questions about the usage of residential allocations, and Cody Bass suggested some sort of separation be made around tourist accommodation units and residential units of use, especially in terms of tracking data for visitors using vacation home rentals.
The meeting was halted for a medical emergency. As the item was informational, like others on the agenda, the board simply received the presentation and planned for potential further discussion during the strategic retreat tomorrow.
Reporting and accountability permit tracking update
Jeanne McNamara presented on permit tracking and discussing some recommendations for the program. According to her, TRPA issues hundreds of permits each year and has since the agency’s inception in the 70s. After efforts to digitize their records, TRPA also chose Beacon as a tracking system, which was developed by Environmental Science Associates.
Instead of emailing individual staff, people may now email the PermitReporting@trpa.gov email to submit required documents. In the future, they intend to expand tracking to other types of projects such as rental concessionaires or settlement agreements.
The board briefly discussed some items such as what would appear on the tracking system.
Transportation projects
Nick Haven, who is with the transportation department of TRPA, gave an overview of transportation projects throughout the region. He touched on the Tahoe City Pedestrian Safety projects, the parking management throughout North Tahoe and the East Shore, the park and ride vanpool programs and the Spooner Mobility Hub.
Haven made note that on the east shore, TRPA and its partners were looking to expand parking so as to reduce roadside parking, especially around Chimney Beach and Secret Cove. The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) also added more crossings across the road to access the lake on the east shore.
On the south and west shores, Haven highlighted the US-50 Roadway Rehabilitation and Safety through the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) and addressing parking and access at Zephyr Cove. He also touched on the Kahle Drive Complete Streets project, which will be adding sidewalks and safer roads through the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, connecting with Stateline Avenue Complete Streets Project through the city of South Lake Tahoe.
There are also improvements on US-50 through Caltrans (including the new lights and crossings, as well as the painted bike lanes), pedestrian improvements on Pioneer Trail and the Tahoe Greenway Trail, as well as transit enhancements through the TTD and Lake Link.
Lastly, the Emerald Bay Shuttle Program is entering its second year after success last year, expanding its services.
More information can be seen at https://transportation.laketahoeinfo.org. Haven said, “It’s kind of the theme of the day: transparency and access to information.” Board members praised that transparency for both TRPA and the public.
Executive director report
Executive director Julie Regan highlighted the Fanny Bridge ribbon cutting event, saying “Many partners are doing a series of projects that will revitalize the north shore area, provide better evacuation routes out of the west shore and improve the environment.”
To address the Caldor Fire Restoration Project, Regan stated, “A huge debt of gratitude is owed to the Forest Service and our firefighters. I also want to thank the community and partner agencies for bringing forward the concerns about the restoration project, particularly the potential use of herbicides within our watershed. We take these concerns seriously.”
Regan said that the sent a formal letter to the Forest Service requesting coordination with TRPA, the Lahontan Regional Quality Control Board and others to protect the lake’s water quality. “The purpose of our letter was to request a meeting before any site-specific implementation, including herbicide use, in the area would occur.”
She went on to say that as far as drinking water quality sampling, they had reached out to water purveyors and the South Tahoe Public Utility District said they did not detect glyphosate in the well protection program historically.
In collaboration with the Lahontan Water Board and Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, they will be taking water samples to test for glyphosate downstream of the Caldor burn area.
Regan noted that this year would mark the 30th Lake Tahoe Summit, and that next month they will be addressing workplan and budget, the Tahoe Keys Marina project, legal appeals and the monopine cell tower ordinance.
During public comment, many spoke up about their concerns around glyphosate, including the group Protect Tahoe, which advocated for a ban on synthetic herbicides. They believe that Tahoe could serve as a model for the rest of the country.
Others pointed out that in the Tahoe Keys, courts sided with the legal challenges to herbicide usage for managing aquatic invasive species. Several people called for further action by the TRPA, including calls for class action or civil lawsuits against the U.S. Forest Service, requests to the California Environmental Protection Agency and intervention at the federal level. Sara Rich, who started a change.org petition opposing the use of glyphosate, garnered over 15,000 signatures and urged for change.
Irate commenters said that they had been exposed without their knowledge to these chemicals and said the TRPA should have been the ones to bring this to the public’s attention, not the other way around. Others said they would consider moving to protect their health and the health of their families, lamenting that the environment and animals would suffer the consequences of the use of the chemical.
Cindy Gustafson urged people to reach out to congressional and federal representatives, who would have jurisdiction over the actions of the U.S. Forest Service.
Regan again emphasized the importance of the issue. “We do take these concerns seriously and we are actively engaging with the Forest Service beyond just a letter. We’ve already been in contact with their leadership, with the regional office and this will be going all the way to Washington D.C.”
2026 Music at Ski Beach – 4-7 p.m., Description Fridays at Ski Beach in Incline Village – IVGID passes required For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/2026-music-at-ski-beach-1745155?sourceTypeId=Hub.
Arty the Party at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe – 9 p.m.-12 a.m., Harrah’s Center Stage, 15 Hwy 50. 9:00 PM, Friday and Saturday Nights. You can Party with Arty the Party at Harrah’s. It’s the best disco, dance, R&B, and soul party in Lake Tahoe! “Arty the Party” as he’s affectionately called has been playing in Lake Tahoe for several years and now calls Casino Center Stage at Harrah’s his home. For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/arty-the-party-at-harrahs-lake-tahoe/2026-05-29/.
Cliff Porter’s Full Blast – 5-9 p.m., AleWorx at the Y, 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. JamCruise favorite Cliff Porter makes his full band debut (Funk/R&B/Neo-soul) For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/cliff-porters-full-blast/.
Dueling Pianos at Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe – 8:30-10:30 p.m., Harveys Casino Resort, 18 Hwy 50. Join us at the Mountain Bar located on Caesars Republic casino floor for a free show you don’t want to miss. Put your favorite song request in, grab a drink at the Mountain Bar and enjoy the fun! Playing Friday and Saturday at 8:30 PM. For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/dueling-pianos-at-caesars-republic-lake-tahoe/2026-05-29/.
Heavenly Village Summer Concert Series – 5:45-9:15 p.m., Heavenly Village, 1001 Heavenly Village Way. The Shops at Heavenly Village will host free outdoor concerts every Friday and Saturday evening Memorial Day Weekend through September 16, 2026, from 5:45 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. The free shows in this series are held on the stage between the Fire and Ice and Gunbarrel Tavern restaurants from 5:45 p.m to 9:15 p.m. For more information, visit https://visitlaketahoe.com/event/heavenly-village-summer-concert-series/2026-05-29/.
Saturday, May 30
3rd Annual Collectors Appreciation Party ~ May 30th – 12-5 p.m., Marcus Ashley Gallery, 4000 Lake Tahoe Blvd, Ste 23. Join us in appreciating our amazing collectors and locals with local and new art, local jewelry, food and craft cocktails! For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/3rd-annual-collectors-appreciation-party-may-30th-tickets-1985543310491 or call (530) 544-4278.
AcustaGruve – 8 a.m.-5 p.m., The Grove, 1900 Jameson Beach Rd. Join us just outside the Grove Restaurant for a performance by AcustaGruve. For more information, visit https://camprichardsonresort.com/event/acustagruve-6/.
Boogie Zoo (Covers/Classic Rock/Phish/etc) – 5-9 p.m., AleWorx at the Y, 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. feat. guest Dan Weiss on percussion (Monophonics/the Sextones) For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/boogie-zoo-covers-classic-rock-phish-etc/.
Cosmic Roots Trio – 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., AleWorx at the Y, 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. A stripped down brunch set of Funk/RnB/Instrumental + more For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/cosmic-roots-trio/.
Ginger Molasses – 8:30 p.m.-12 a.m., Crystal Bay Casino, 14 Highway 28. Ginger Molasses captivates audiences with an intoxicating and energetic blend of nostalgia and innovation. Channeling the golden era of the 1960s and 70s, the band delivers an experience that transcends generations. Frontwoman Tawnee Kendall’s high-octane, high-energy performances, outrageous costumes, and soul-stirring vocals captivate audiences from the first note. Backed by a collective of seasoned musicians, Ginger Molasses boasts a caliber of songwriting and musicianship that is unparalleled. Every performance resonates with precision and passion, reflecting the culmination of years of dedication and expertise. Ginger Molasses is an undeniably delicious sensory experience that infects every audience member with the unadulterated need to dance, sing, and have a good time. For more information, visit https://www.bandsintown.com/e/107974693?app_id=pkvts0on0m&came_from=287&utm_medium=api&utm_source=partner_api&utm_campaign=event or call (775) 833-6333.
MIMOSA FEST w/ ‘Time Splitters’ – 12 p.m., 14 NV-28. Mimosa Fest is a daytime dance party focusing on our favorite cocktail, the almighty mimosa. The Crown Room will come to life with an incredible selection of Mimosas and brunch snacks. The soundtrack will be provided by Time Splitters. Celebrate spring with mimosa fest in the Crown Room! 5/30/26 12-4PM Tickets–>https://tixr.com/e/187821 For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/events/985303947296095/.
Street FEAST – Bowl Incline – 6-9 p.m., Description Collab of the Year – Bowl Incline X Parlay Brewing Company For more information, visit https://business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/street-feast-bowl-incline-1698307?sourceTypeId=Hub or call (775) 831-1900.
Sunday, May 31
Boca Do Rio (Duo) – 5-9 p.m., AleWorx at the Y, 2050 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Legendary Brazilian duo playing Samba, Choro, + more! For more information, visit https://laketahoealeworx.com/event/boca-do-rio-duo/.
Soundbath + Community Acupuncture – 12-1 p.m., elevate wellness lounge, 2030 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Soundbath + Community Acupuncture has been rescheduled to May 31. Acupuncture with a sound bath is a holistic therapy that combines the ancient practice of acupuncture with therapeutic sounds to promote deep relaxation, stress reduction, and overall well-being. It’s a synergistic approach where the acupuncture needles can regulate the body’s energy flow (Qi), while the sound vibrations from singing bowls, gongs, and chimes resonate with the body, further harmonizing and balancing energy. For more information, visit https://www.elevate-wellness.com/events/2026/4/1/soundbath-community-acupuncture or call (530)541-9355.
Tuesday, June 2
South Lake Tahoe Clothing Swap – 3-5 p.m., 2048 Dunlap Drive, #4. It’s time to refresh your wardrobe by exchanging your gently used clothes for something you will love. All shapes and sizes are welcome! For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/south-lake-tahoe-clothing-swap-tickets-1987572806769.
Wednesday, June 3
15th Annual Bike Path Cleanup – 5-8:30 p.m., Click here for meeting locations. Description Join us as we celebrate the kickoff of Tahoe Bike Month with a community Bike Path Cleanup event on June 3rd from 5 pm to 7:30 pm. Kickoff Tahoe Bike Month by cleaning up our community bike paths! Oftentimes these paths can be littered, and the cleanup gets these paths ready for a great summer biking season. Volunteers can meet at one of the locations through South Tahoe to pick up litter from the areas around our bike paths. Following the cleanup, we will all meet for post event fun, food, and drinks at The Hangar. Come and join us on your bikes, scooters, skateboards, or walk to the event! For more information and to register for this cleanup, please visit keeptahoeblue.org/events-activities-lessons/bike-path-cleanup-june-3-2026/. For more information, visit https://business.tahoechamber.org/events/details/15th-annual-bike-path-cleanup-26127.
Brother Yusef – 7:30 p.m., Valhalla Boathouse Theatre. Brother Yusef: Fattback Blues-Raw, Gritty, Unstoppable Brother Yusef is a self-taught powerhouse-a master solo guitarist and a vocalist whose passion cuts deep. For over thirty years, he has forged a sound all his own: Fattback Blues, a rich fusion of Delta, Chicago, and Texas blues, driven by the relentless stomp of Louisiana rhythm. His music is raw, real, and as deep as the genre itself. Armed with just a guitar, his right-hand thumb hammers out a percussive bass groove while his fingers carve out rhythm and lead, creating the drive of a full band. Blending the fire of traditional fingerpicking and slide guitar with the punch of urban blues, rock, and funk, he pours every ounce of himself into every note, turning the blues into something both primal and electrifying. Born in Bakersfield, California, in 1963, Brother Yusef moved with his family to South Central Los Angeles at age four before settling in Altadena, California, in 1969. His first connection to music came through the thunderous energy of Holiness Church services in Bakersfield. The pounding drums, wailing electric guitars, and soul-shaking voices both terrified and thrilled him. Church wasn’t a quiet place of worship-it was alive, it was raw, it was a celebration. That spirit of deep, uninhibited expression would later find its way into his music. Another defining moment came when he saw the Jackson 5 perform on television. But his focus wasn’t on Michael-it was on Tito and Jermaine, standing cool, commanding their guitars. Something clicked. That was it. The seed was planted. At 19, he picked up a guitar and never looked back. He immersed himself in blues, jazz, reggae, funk, and rock, searching for his voice. But the blues wasn’t just a genre-it was home. He came to see it the way his ancestors did: as survival, healing, and freedom. From backwoods juke joints to the fiery emotion of a sanctified church, from festival stages to street corners, Brother Yusef delivers a blues experience that is felt as much as it is heard. His deep-pocket fingerpicking and searing slide guitar churn out a sound that’s as gritty as a Mississippi Delta back road and as fresh as a city street performance. A true one-man band, he stomps, chugs, and testifies with every note, pouring heart and fire into his music. If you can stand still while he plays, check your pulse-because this blues is alive, and it refuses to be ignored. For more information, visit https://valhallatahoe.showare.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=258.
North Tahoe Community Choir Broadway Concert – 7-9 p.m., St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 341 Village Blvd.. North Tahoe Community Choir, directed by Donna Roberts Axton, presents our annual Broadway Concert, featuring music from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins, in honor of Dick Van Dyke’s 100th birthday, and Jekyll & Hyde. Wednesday June 3rd at 7:00 PM and Saturday June 6th at 2:00 PM at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 341 Village Blvd., Incline Village. Advance tickets are $20 and are available at Potlatch, Handmade at the Lake, or from choir members. Tickets are $25 at the door. Children under 12 are Free. or call 775-741-5084.
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Tahoe Family Solutions, the family resource center in Incline Village, has been providing therapy and mental health services at no cost to those in need. Their recent push for bilingual and culturally knowledgeable therapists is a critical step in providing care. Executive director Jody Wright and counselor Katie O’Hara spoke with the Tribune for Mental Health Awareness Month on the needs and impact that mental health services can bring to a community.
“The Tahoe Basin is a unique space, because even with a metropolitan area down the hill, it’s still considered a rural place,” said O’Hara. “There are difficulties with finding adequate services.” Incline Village has 11 therapists, with two that take insurance—the rest of them are private practices.
In 2024, Tahoe Family Solutions served 153 clients through counseling and 31 through psychiatry services. That psychiatric support is provided by Dr. Sukhi Johal, a board certified psychiatrist with over 20 years of experience and certifications in psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. Providing coordinated care in a rural, mountain community is particularly extraordinary.
“As far as mental health services up here, for many people, we are it,” said Wright. “We’ve been providing therapy for 30 years.” Wright made a major push when she became executive director a little over a year ago—she saw how large the Hispanic and Latino communities were in Tahoe and how they were receiving very little help.
Wright also saw how increased scrutiny around immigration has led to higher stressors for these communities, which make up much of the workforce in Tahoe. “This is a population in crisis and I knew we needed to step in as fast as we could.”
Now, Tahoe Family Solutions has four therapists, three of whom are bilingual and bicultural. O’Hara said, “They bring a lot of really valuable assets, especially with that cultural understanding. I think a lot of stigma exists in the Hispanic community in talking to people outside of the family about problems, so having someone who understands that background goes a long way to making people feel safe.”
These bilingual therapists are passionate about providing healthcare—they commute from Reno, where they also work. Washoe County’s latest community health assessment showed yet again that access to mental health care is a major need.
Mental health ties in with other kinds of stressors, especially financial ones. “It’s hard to do deep therapy work if you’re sleeping in your car. That’s why we provide assistance with things like finding housing, making car payments and paying rent on time.”
Wright recognizes that the waiting list they’ve accumulated now shows both that there’s a need and that the need still must be met. The waiting list is primarily Hispanic, because of the lack of bilingual therapy options otherwise. Wright says she’s received calls from around the state in retaining bilingual therapists.
Despite the gap in options for mental health services in Nevada, Wright says they get patients from Truckee, both the north and south shore, Carson City and even Auburn.
O’Hara noted that waitlists can also pile up due to the lack of therapists. “New therapists especially are overworked and underpaid, which can contribute to burnout.” But her experience with Tahoe Family Solutions has been different. “They offer competitive pay, I don’t feel burnt out and I feel valued.”
O’Hara, who graduated from Sierra Nevada College, said that Incline Village has always held a special place in her heart, and she’s passionate about inclusive, accessible care for everyone in the community. She will soon be serving as the clinical manager for Tahoe Family Solutions.
Funding is critical in times like these. Wright said, “People are really recognizing that this is a crisis. We need to upgrade our tech, we need more staff time and a bigger space to address it.” Tahoe Family Solutions partners with Incline Community Hospital, Tahoe Forest Health System and Renown. They’ve also sought grant funding from the Rural Health Transformation Grant, the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and Redfield Foundation.
“Because of the limited resources, we have to help each other. There’s no one right answer, it’s a jigsaw puzzle to put together, sharing costs and resources where we can,” said Wright.
But the transformation that they see happening in the community makes it all worth it. “It’s so incredibly rewarding to be able to offer these services at no cost, to see where people start and how they make the changes they want to see,” said O’Hara. “The bilingual support we offer has been life-changing. And it feels good to do good work with good people.”
Wright has also pushed for more education in the community, especially around suicide rates (which are higher in both rural communities and resort towns) and teen mental health. In September, Tahoe Family Solutions will be holding a suicide prevention seminar in both English and Spanish.
Tahoe Family Solutions offers healthcare without the need for insurance—in fact, they don’t accept insurance, which makes it easier to access for those in need. Their mental health fundraiser and one of Incline’s most popular events, Shabby Chic, will help them continue to provide care. Wright previewed that the event will feature a speaker on mental health and aging.
Wright said, “We want to be woven in to the spectrum of services so that people know we’re here to help.”
To learn more about Tahoe Family Solutions programs, visit their website at https://tahoefamily.org/, where you can also donate to support their work.
To try and decide each week where and what to eat around the basin can be a challenge – there are so many amazing choices. In this feature we’ll dive into dishes that will surely satisfy those hunger pangs and leave you wondering where to go next.
If you know anything about mole it’s probably something like you can write a novel in the amount of time it takes you to prepare it right … that, or it has chocolate in it. While both are fairly accurate, when you get one that’s done right, it is a flavor that is unmistakably amazing. Such is the case with this week’s feature.
Elements Eatery’s Short Rib MoleRob Galloway / Tahoe Daily Tribune
Mole tends to have as many ingredients as an NFL team has players so I’m not going to get into all the details. But what you get here is a deep and rich sauce that peels flavors back like an onion with a little heat and sweetness vying for control of your tastebuds. It’s draped over a juicy and tender beef short rib topped with pickled onions, sesame and micro greens while served alongside their classic rice, plantains and tortillas.
The mole is a flavor volcano bursting with subtle nuance around every corner. Grabbing the sauce along with shreds of the short rib and the pickled onion inside a tortilla makes for an amazing street taco experience. Doing that same thing but stacking in rice and plantains ratchets the experience up another couple notches. And if you aren’t one for jamming everything into a tortilla, it’s all just as good on its own or all mixed together for right hook punch on your palette.
Any time I have something that I can turn into a taco, I’m in. When it sits down right in front of me with all the bells and whistles like this dish, I’m doubling down and crafting as many different flavor combinations as I can because when everything is this tasty, no bite can go wrong.
Elements Eatery and Bar is located at 3310 Lake Tahoe Blvd in South Lake Tahoe. For more information and menu items you can reach them online at elementstahoe.com or by phone at 530-650-9004.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Saturday, the Al Tahoe Firewise community held a community barbecue and heard from guest speakers on the importance of ladder fuels reduction and wildfire insurance rates, which continue to climb drastically for residents.
Firewise is a recognition program that educates owners and residents about what they can do to reduce fire risks on their property, including programs like defensible space and home hardening. Communities can be nationally recognized by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and can also learn more through the Tahoe Resource Conservation District’s Living With Fire site.
The Al Tahoe Firewise community is the largest in the Tahoe Basin and was the first to be nationally recognized as a Firewise community in South Lake Tahoe. The group formed in part due to concerns over evacuation issues seen in the Camp Fire, and has formed partnerships with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue (SLTFR) and Lake Valley Fire Protection District.
Dianne Rees, core team leader, introduced the guest speakers: Mayor Cody Bass, SLTFR Fire Chief Jim Drennan, State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil’s district representative Todd White, Congressional candidate Christine Bish and California FAIR Plan Liaison Phillip Irwin. She also emphasized the importance of ladder fuel reduction and its effectiveness in reducing impacts of the Caldor Fire.
Bass commended the work of Al Tahoe Firewise, saying, “It’s this effort there that will really keep us safe.”
Drennan, who has been with SLTFR for over 20 years, was a supporter of the creation of the Al Tahoe Firewise community. “You are leading the charge for the entire basin,” he said to the attendees.
South Lake Tahoe’s ordinances around defensible state were the most stringent in the state when they were first introduced, and Drennan praised the efforts of the city to reduce risk. He also spoke on the importance of the formation of the South Shore Fuels Division, a collaboration between SLTFR and Lake Valley Fire in managing fuels from Stateline to Echo Summit.
“We can throw a lot of money and resources as this, but what’s happening on the ground is important. That’s where the work happens,” said Drennan. He urged people to pay attention to ladder fuels like low tree branches, manzanita and whitethorn—which, if left untreated, could cause fires to climb up into the canopy.
Drennan also reassured people that they were taking a multi-pronged approach to fire mitigation, including looking at home hardening and evacuation routes.
On the legislative side, White spoke on the bills currently in the legislature regarding wildfires. There are four bills that Alvarado-Gil is involved with: SB 284, which could provide tax credit for home hardening; SB 1118, which would provide tax credit for certain purchases of backup electricity generators or solar batteries in wildfire zones; SB 1162 which would prioritize the state efforts to reduce wildfire hazards in the wildland-urban interface; and SB 904, which would look at disaster recovery and wildfire rebuilding in a declared state of emergency.
White also urged people to advocate for their community to their representatives. “Call your officials. You have to persist and talk to your representatives… because the insurance market needs to open up.”
Bish, who is currently running for a seat in CA-03, highlighted her plan, “The Wildfire Act”, which she hopes would produce a federal framework to address at-risk communities and help to lower insurance rates. “The California FAIR Plan was supposed to be the last option, not the only one.”
Bish told the Tribune that she had copyrighted her plan, which she believes would provide a way to fund fire protection, new equipment and help with home hardening. She also addressed the concerns around Liberty Utilities and advocated for the reactivation of Rancho Seco, a decommissioned nuclear power plant in Herald, Calif.
Lastly, Irwin spoke on the California FAIR Plan, after commending Al Tahoe Firewise. “This organization here is a super Firewise community, the best I’ve seen.”
Irwin emphasized that the FAIR Plan is not for profit and not paid for by taxpayer dollars. The FAIR Plan is funded primarily through policies sold to customers, and insurers who contribute to the FAIR Plan may also pass their costs to their customers. On their fact sheet, it says, “Consumers not covered by the FAIR Plan, including those in low-income communities, would essentially subsidize FAIR Plan coverage in high-fire risk areas, including vacation homes.”
Rees returned to close out the speeches and to remind residents that they could be eligible for the El Dorado County qualification for the Safer From Wildfires discount. They’re also eligible for the Firewise discounts from several insurance companies including California Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm and American Modern Home Insurance Company.
She also told attendees to contact them for help with clearing adjacent California Tahoe Conservancy lots if needed.
“We become a family focused on helping others as we help ourselves,” said Rees. To learn more about Al Tahoe Firewise, you can visit https://altahoefirewise.com/.
The Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular will take place on Friday, May 29Provided/Laser Spectacular
STATELINE, Nev. – Paramount’s Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular is back for another year. On Friday, May 29, the mesmerizing show will be held at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, playing smash hits from Pink Floyd while vibrant beams and lasers slice through the dark.
“It’s a really cool visual experience,” said Brian Chandler, Entertainment Senior Manager at Harrah’s and Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe.
Although Pink Floyd’s music is captivating within itself, the show adds entertainment like you’ve never seen before, including special effects, intelligent lighting, rich colors and surround sound.
“The sound is incredible,” said Chandler. “It sounds like a concert, like the band is there. So it’s really got that full intensity.”
Songs will play from the iconic “The Dark Side of the Moon” album, along with some of Pink Floyd’s greatest hits like “Wish You Were Here”, “Time”, and more.
Attendees will be given a pair of 3D glasses to enhance their visual experience. “Make sure you use the glasses they give you because it’s night and day,” Chandler said.
The family-friendly show is assigned seating and roughly 90 minutes long. Adults are sure to enjoy the experience just as much as their kids will.
The Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular starts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 29 in Harrah’s South Shore Room. For tickets, visit https://www.caesars.com/lake-tahoe/shows.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On May 15, Ken Curtzwiler, who also goes by the moniker “Skibum” filed a petition for a harassment lawsuit and temporary restraining order against Mayor Cody Bass, which he received on May 26. Bass says, “I was truly shocked when I received the notice.”
Curtzwiler filed a temporary restraining order against Bass, which the court partially granted, requiring Bass to stay 100 yards away from Curtzwiler’s home, work and vehicle (though not granting the request to stay 25 yards away in any public space).
Bass and Curtzwiler have clashed publicly on social media in the past, but Curtzwiler says that he considered those interactions harassment after he posted police reports regarding incidents that Bass had at Lake Tahoe Aleworx.
Curtzwiler says that Bass replied to those posts saying that he “[belonged] in a cage” and that he “[belonged] to a gang that kills people.” Curtzwiler also alleged that Bass implied that Curtzwiler was involved with former mayor Tamara Wallace’s embezzlement.
Curtzwiler went on to say that Bass defamed him, causing him to lose contracts and business relations. He alleged that in December 2025 during a local memorial concert at McP’s Taphouse Grill that Bass shouted at him and said he intended to fight him. “Bass’ continued threats of ‘kicking my ass’ are alarming and demonstrate an imminent and ongoing credible threat of violence.'”
The exhibits included in the lawsuit include two police reports from incidents at Lake Tahoe Aleworx on June 22, 2025 and August 24, 2023, where Bass was involved in altercations with others. The incident on June 22 was with Bob Hoyopatubbi, security supervisor at Aleworx. These exhibits, along with a South Tahoe Now article on Bass’ arrest for possession of banned substances, were used to claim that Bass’ drug and alcohol use contributed to altercations under the influence.
“I have reviewed the restraining order and it’s full of many mistruths, I have never in anyway threatened Mr. Curtzwiler,” said Bass. He told the Tribune that about two years ago, he began to receive online harassment from Curtzwiler. “As most people have seen on social media it has been Mr. Curtzwiler that has attempted so many times to defame my character.”
Curtzwiler also alleged in the lawsuit that his wife moved to Idaho “and refused to return because of fear of Mr. Bass’ conduct.” Bass noted that Curtzwiler’s wife moved to Idaho prior to these incidents occurring.
While a temporary restraining order was filed, as is typical for harassment suits, Bass said he was confident a permanent restraining order would not be filed. Bass and Curtzwiler will have a hearing in court on June 17. The Tribune will provide updates on the case as it develops.
While researching this article, a social media post began circulating stating Bass was forced to leave Lucky Beaver on Saturday, May 23. The Tribune has not yet been able to verify the veracity of the claims. Bass denies the allegations.
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.”
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SUMMER 2026: On May 1, the National Interagency Fire Center released its National Wildland Significant Fire Potential Outlook, spanning May through August. Areas marked in red show above-average wildland fire potential. Courtesy graphics
SUMMER 2026: On May 1, the National Interagency Fire Center released its National Wildland Significant Fire Potential Outlook, spanning May through August. Areas marked in red show above-average wildland fire potential. Courtesy graphics
SUMMER 2026: On May 1, the National Interagency Fire Center released its National Wildland Significant Fire Potential Outlook, spanning May through August. Areas marked in red show above-average wildland fire potential. Courtesy graphics
SUMMER 2026: On May 1, the National Interagency Fire Center released its National Wildland Significant Fire Potential Outlook, spanning May through August. Areas marked in red show above-average wildland fire potential. Courtesy graphics
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.”
THINNING OUT: The morning of May 14, Tahoe Donner Association’s forestry crew members went through a common area and identified timber to be removed so as not to crowd the space. Before/after photos courtesy Tyler Andrade
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.”
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.
FIRE SAFETY: A map of where the Tahoe City Public Utility District will be installing 144 new fire hydrants in the Tahoma neighborhood as part of the Tahoe Cedars Water System Reconstruction Project. Illustration courtesy TCPUD
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.
DETERIORIATING: Pipes in the Tahoe Cedars water system, which date back to the 1940s, are actively failing and leaking. Many were patched with clamps by the previous owner.
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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HIGH-MAINTENANCE: A TCPUD utility crew searches for a water-main leak in a backyard in Tahoma. The district says it spends more time in this area fixing leaks than in any other service area.
BUSTED: Pipes from the original 1940s Tahoe Cedars water system that have failed and been removed by the TCPUD.
“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.”
WHY HERE? The proposed staging area at the Tahoe Cedars water tank in Tahoma, which leads to highly used trails and is near an American goshawk nest, is at the center of the controversy surrounding the water system reconstruction. Photos courtesy TCPUD
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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FORMER HYDROLOGIST Rick Landgraf, who has a home in Tahoma near the proposed staging area for the Tahoe Cedars Water System Reconstruction Project, is concerned about impacts to the forest and wildlife. Courtesy photo
PUBLIC PROCESS: TCPUD General Manager Sean Barclay said of the controversial staging area for the Tahoe Cedars water system project: “We’re going to continue to evaluate it and evaluate whether we have other options that are better or more efficient. We’re going to go through all the processes that are required to make sure that we actually can use it.” Courtesy photo
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.
COMMUNITY TRAILS: The Tahoe Cedars water tank marks the start of popular trails that are used year-round and are the main access route for neighbors to reach Sugar Pine Point State Park and national forest. Photo courtesy Mike Levin
“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.
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.
Illustration by Sarah Miller/Moonshine Ink
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.
HIGH VOLTAGE: Liberty Utilities currently receives its power generation and transmission through NV Energy, which eventually makes its way to the Tahoe City Substation, pictured here. The substation takes power from the transmission lines and distributes it to households and businesses. Photo by Jared Alden/Moonshine Ink
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’S LINKAGE: NV Energy’s Greenlink Initiative is adding two “energy highways” across Nevada to increase import capacity for Northern Nevada. Greenlink West, running from Las Vegas to Yerington, is anticipated to be completed May 2027. Courtesy map
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.”
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.
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.
UP-AND-COMING: The Tahoe-Truckee Sanitation Agency is moving forward with a new wastewater treatment facility, which will replace current and aged infrastructure, shown highlighted in yellow on the map. Courtesy map
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.
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.
1 of 6
Nepal Bodhi Tree Foundation Trek
Alaska
Lakeview
Colette’s wedding
First hours
Rainbow over Tahoe
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
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.”
VILDA students practice tracking on a summertime excursion.
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.
THE FERAL FINN: Mia Andler, born in Finland, is an experienced naturalist, wilderness guide, author, and founder of the Vilda place-based wilderness schools.
“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.’”
CARVING OUT TIME: Vilda aims to connect children with nature and to help them realize “how much fun they can have with rocks and sticks.”
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.
ROPING IT UP: A Vilda student makes cordage from natural material.
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.”
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.
RAISED IN TRUCKEE, fantasy-pop songwriter and producer Sierra Bohnet has found her artistic vision in Los Angeles as Nomé Naku.
“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.
BOHNET WRITES and self-produces cinematic, evocative music inspired by her poignantly felt emotional world and vivid imagination. Photos courtesy Nomé Naku.
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.”
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:
