SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On June 4, 2026, the South Tahoe Public Utility District (District) Board of Directors voted to adopt new water and sewer rates that will take effect on July 1, 2026. The new rates will support essential investments in aging water, sewer, and recycled water infrastructure to ensure continued reliability, regulatory compliance, and high-quality service for the community.
For a typical residential customer, monthly sewer rates will increase by approximately $4.25, and water rates will increase by approximately $5.15. A detailed breakdown of the new rates is available at www.stpud.us/rate-changes.
“The Board does not take rate adjustment lightly,” said Board President Shane Romsos. “The District, like our community, is impacted by inflationary pressures and we understand that any increase affects our customers. This decision was made only after careful consideration of the consequences of not acting now. The Board is in alignment that we need to continue investing in the District’s infrastructure so we can protect public health and safety, maintain reliable services, and meet the needs of our community.”
Revenue from the new rates will help fund the replacement of aging waterlines, upgrades to sewer pump stations and key wastewater treatment plant facilities, and the rehabilitation and drilling of drinking water wells to maintain exceptional water quality. These projects are part of the District’s long-term Capital Improvement Program, which is designed to reduce long-term costs, improve system reliability, and maintain compliance with state and federal environmental regulations.
“Our responsibility is to serve customers today and, in the future,” Romsos said. “Delaying necessary system maintenance and improvements will significantly increase costs over time. By making strategic investments now, we are helping preserve the safety, resilience, and affordability of these essential public services.”
The District continues to actively pursue grant funding. Over the last 10 years the District has received more than $19.1 million in grant revenue and $67.8 million in low-interest loans to help offset rate increases.
“We are doing everything in our power to bring in grants, low-interest loans, and partnerships that help offset project costs,” said Paul Hughes, general manager. “Even with this increase, South Tahoe Public Utility District continues to have the lowest combined water and sewer rates in the Tahoe Basin.”
The District also offers a Customer Assistance Program to help eligible customers manage utility costs. Assistance includes a 15-25% discount for low-income customers. More information is available at www.stpud.us/financial-assistance-programs.
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) conducted a two-day media tour on the Environmental Improvement Program and projects around the lake. The second day highlighted projects to combat aquatic invasive species and SR28 improvement projects.
Aquatic Invasive Species
Day two of the tour started with a look at the fight against aquatic invasive species that have already made it into Lake Tahoe. Leaving from Tahoe Keys on one of TRPA’s enforcement vessels, Jeff Cowen, Public Information Officer, pointed out the turbidity curtains that line the marina’s entrance. The curtain uses bubbles to help dislodge aquatic invasive plants from boats to prevent them from leaving the Keys.
In addition to the curtains, Kim Caringer, Chief Partnerships Officer, TRPA talked about the tarps placed in the water at Taylor Tallac Creek. Those bottom barriers blocked sun and nutrients from reaching the plants, killing them off. The dead plants were removed, as well as the barriers. Now crews are monitoring the area to make sure the plants don’t return.
Caringer talked about the help the agency received from science partners such as the Tahoe Science Advisory Council on focusing their efforts when it comes to fighting AIS.
“We really had to depend on science and figure out the best way to do this,” Caringer said. “We can’t just go in there and pull the weeds by hand. It’s too big.”
Just outside of the Tahoe Keys, the boat stopped so that attendees could get a clear look, from the boat, off the thousands of asian clam shells that litter the lake bed. The clams, in addition to New Zealand Mudsnails, are two of the invasive species that have made it into the lake. To date, no invasive mussel, such as the quagga mussel or golden mussel, have hitched a ride into Lake Tahoe and that’s because of the efforts of TRPA and their partner agencies, such Tahoe Resource Conservation District to catch the molluscs before they get into the lake.
Asian clams litter Lake Tahoe’s lake bed near Tahoe Keys. Laney Griffo / Tahoe Daily Tribune
Clean, Drain, Dry
The tour continued to Sand Harbor State Park where attendees were able to see one of three Clean, Drain, Dry, Dispose (CD3) machines.
The CD3 machines allow visitors to spray, scrub and dry their non-motorized watercraft. While it is not required for non-motorized crafts to be inspected like it is for motorized crafts, it is still required that non-motorized crafts are thoroughly cleaned before entering the lake. One of the CD3 machines stays at Sand Harbor all season while the two others are moved around the basin.
The CD3 machine at Sand Harbor State ParkLaney Griffo / Tahoe Daily Tribune
In addition to the machines, Tahoe RCD employs roving inspectors to chat with people at the beaches and inform them about the Clean, Drain, Dry policies.
“Last year, we had 17,000 interactions with different boaters and visitors,” said Tom Berndt, Lead Roving Inspector. “The good news is, it’s a very well-received program. Most people show up clean, drain, dry and care very much about the lake.”
The tour also included a stop at the Spooner Summit Watercraft Inspection Station where attendees saw a boat inspection and decontamination in process. All motorized boats need to be inspected before entering into Lake Tahoe for the first time or since being launched in another body of water.
The temporary watercraft inspection station at Spooner Summit.Laney Griffo / Tahoe Daily Tribune
The process starts with an interview about where the boat was last launched and how long it’s been out of the water. Inspectors then look over the boat, thoroughly looking for any standing water.
If the boat has any water or has been in a high-risk body of water, it is decontaminated. Inspectors run 120-degree water through the engine and other areas where water might be, such as the anchor storage. Certain boats are sent to mechanics to have the engine taken apart for removal. Once cleaned, a seal is placed on the boat trailer and can only be removed by ramp employees.
If any invasive species are found, the boat is placed in a 30-day quarantine.
This season, 17 boats have been found with AIS, including one with the highly invasive golden mussel attached.
While the current Spooner Summit station is temporary, a permanent inspection station is in the process of being built. The permanent station will allow boat owners to be more comfortable during the process and for employees to have better working conditions.
Water Clarity
Before docking in Incline Village, the boat stopped at one of UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center’s (TERC) science buoys. There, Bob Larsen, Program Director, Tahoe Science Advisory Council gave a history of clarity measurements on Lake Tahoe.
“Before I talk about Lake Tahoe, I’m going to go back even further to the pope,” said Larsen.
In 1825, Angelo Secchi, astronomer, astrophysicist and science advisor to Pope Pius IX demonstrated the use of a white disk to measure water clarity depth. The disc would be called the Secchi disk and is still used in Lake Tahoe today to measure clarity.
Secchi DiskLaney Griffo / Tahoe Daily Tribune
It wasn’t until the late 1950s that Dr. Charles Goldman began measuring the clarity of Lake Tahoe. Observers had seen a troubling trend of the loss of clarity in the lake. Clarity was once 100 feet deep, but the average decreased to 65 feet, with the trend showing a loss of one foot per year. Measurements are still taken regularly throughout the year. On the day of the tour, Tuesday, June 2, a measurement taken showed the clarity at 68 feet.
Every summer, TERC puts out its annual clarity report that looks at the past year’s trend and the five-year trend.
State Route 28 Parking
The tour also stopped at the recently completed Chimney Beach Parking Lot, where the Tahoe Transportation District talked about the effort to combat illegal parking on the side of State Route 28.
During the summer, nearly 1,000 people park illegally on the side of the highway in order to gain access to the East Shore’s beaches. Not only does it pose a safety threat to pedestrians and drivers, it also causes degradation to the environment and runoff into the lake.
The Chimney Beach lot is one of the several projects on the SR28 corridor to help combat the problem. The lot was once a dirt lot with 30 spots but is now paved and offers 130 spots. In addition, a lighted crosswalk was built connecting the lot to the trail and the beach.
A new crosswalk allows pedestrians parked at Chimney Beach to safely cross the highway. Laney Griffo / Tahoe Daily Tribune
The Spooner Summit watercraft inspection station will also be home to a transportation hub, that will allow riders to access the beaches using public transit. When completed, the hub will add an additional 250 parking spots to the East Shore.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — Barton Health welcomes Erica Cusick, DO, a board-certified psychiatrist, and Cheryl A. Busby, LCSW, licensed clinical social worker, to Barton Psychiatry & Mental Health. Dr. Cusick brings extensive experience treating adult patients across a wide range of conditions, including perinatal and postpartum mental health as well as geriatric psychiatry. Busby brings extensive social work experience supporting patients ages 5 and older, specializing in trauma treatment, anxiety, depression, life transitions, anger management, end-of-life counseling, and grief work.
Dr. Cusick and Busby join a team of providers dedicated to improving access to comprehensive mental health and psychosocial services for the Lake Tahoe community.
“Mental health plays a critical role in overall health and wellbeing, and access to these services remains a growing need in our community,” said Dr. Clint Purvance, President and CEO of Barton Health. “Providing psychiatry services helps ensure individuals and families in the Lake Tahoe region have access to the care, support, and resources they need close to home.”
The Barton Psychiatry & Mental Health team now includes Dr. Cusick, Dr. Protell, Sierra Armstrong, family nurse practitioner (PMH-NP), Cheryl A. Busby, LCSW, and Carolyn Eddy, LCSW.
Barton Psychiatry & Mental Health offers a full range of services for child, adolescent, and adult psychiatric conditions, including anxiety, autism spectrum disorders, behavioral concerns, bipolar disorder, depression, developmental disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
One in eight people are affected by a diagnosable mental illness, yet many do not seek treatment. During Mental Health Awareness Month, Barton Health encourages community members to prioritize their mental wellbeing and access support when needed. For more information about taking care of your mental health and area behavioral health resources, visit BartonHealth.org. Barton Psychiatry & Mental Health is located at 1067 4th Street in South Lake Tahoe. To make an appointment call 530.600.1968.
PLACERVILLE, Calif. – People invited to participate in Civil Grand Jury interviews are primarily referred to the El Dorado County Civil Grand Jury (Grand Jury) website for information about the process. What happens when the website doesn’t provide sufficient detail to address questions or alleviate concerns regarding what to expect during an interview? The Grand Jury investigated.
The report, “El Dorado County Civil Grand Jury Website,” was published recently at www.eldodradocounty.ca.gov/Grand-Jury by the Superior Court, which annually appoints 19 county residents as grand jurors to serve as citizen watchdogs over local government.
According to the report, the Grand Jury conducted a comprehensive review of its website to ensure content was clear and understandable to individuals unfamiliar with the Civil Grand Jury process.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) announced two outstanding staff recognitions honoring the dedication and leadership of employees who make a lasting impact on students and the school community.
Alternative Education Counselor Ms. Amy Jackson was honored on Friday, May 1, with the El Dorado ACSA Distinguished Service Award. In addition, Sierra House Elementary Teacher Ms. Mandy Miller was named Peacemaker Champion of the Year by Soul Shoppe.
Ms. Jackson serves students across Mt. Tallac Continuation High School, the Elevated Online Program, and Alpine Community Day School. Known for her unwavering commitment to students, she has become a cornerstone of support for some of the district’s most vulnerable youth, ensuring they feel seen, valued, and empowered to succeed. Her recognition by ACSA highlights not only her professional excellence but also the profound and lasting impact she has on students, families, and the greater South Lake Tahoe community.
Ms. Miller received the Peacemaker Champion of the Year Award from Soul Shoppe, an organization that provides social-emotional learning programs to LTUSD students and schools throughout the county. She was recognized for her leadership in coordinating and supporting a successful student Peacemaker team at Sierra House Elementary. In recognizing Ms. Miller, Soul Shoppe shared, “Our expansion in Lake Tahoe these past few years would not have been possible without your commitment to getting Peacemakers up and running.”
LTUSD congratulates both Ms. Jackson and Ms. Miller on these well-deserved honors and thanks them for their continued dedication to supporting students and strengthening school communities.
CARSON CITY, Nev. – Summer is just starting to heat up, and Clear Creek Tahoe, home to Nevada’s top-rated private golf course, already has achieved a milestone. A homesite within the private community sold recently for a record $3.5 million. This is the highest sales price for a homesite within the community since sales began in 2017.
“What’s most exciting is that this momentum reflects something deeper than market activity,” said Georgia Chase, director of sales at Clear Creek Tahoe. “More buyers are discovering what homeowners here already know: Clear Creek Tahoe offers a rare blend of privacy, natural beauty, and connection that is becoming increasingly difficult to find. With several significant transactions currently underway, 2026 is shaping up to be another strong year for the community.”
The 3.19-acre homesite is among the best within the award-winning community. It sits on a knoll and presents breathtaking panoramic views of the Carson Valley and distant mountains to the east, south, and west. The homesite also offers views of Clear Creek Tahoe’s signature rock outcroppings.
Market momentum continues to build in 2026, with the Clear Creek Tahoe sales team contributing to nearly $110 million in year-to-date combined sales volume while representing both buyers and sellers across exceptional homesites and custom residences. The developer has achieved 342 sales over the past nine years, and from architectural design to completed construction, there are nearly 200 homes within the community. As evident by the recent sale, some truly exceptional homesites and homes remain available within Clear Creek Tahoe. Homesites currently range in price from $495,000 to $3.9 million with finished homes available from $3.85 million to $11.4 million.
Nestled between Incline Village and Carson City on the eastern slope of the Carson Range in Nevada, Clear Creek Tahoe spans roughly 1,600 acres and includes approximately 370 homes and homesites. At the core of the community, the club’s magnificent Coore Crenshaw-designed golf course is the top-rated private golf course in Nevada, according to the experts at both GOLF Magazine and Golfweek.
In addition to golf, Clear Creek Tahoe features a host of thoughtful amenities to bring out the best of the Tahoe mountain lifestyle, including Summit Camp, a family-oriented recreation center with resort-style pool, racquet club, pavilion, and more; Twin Pines, a private lake club on the shores of South Lake Tahoe; a comprehensive wellness program, an award-winning clubhouse with fine and casual dining; trail system; and a fully private 800-plus acre nature preserve that connects to the national forest. The community is gated with 24-hour security. A variety of homesites and finished homes are available.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Sierra State Parks Foundation announced its upcoming summer benefit series, Jazz at the Castle. This exclusive, two-night musical experience kicks off with Night One on Friday, July 31, 2026, and returns for Night Two on Saturday, August 1, 2026. Both evenings run from 4:45 pm to 7:00 pm at the historic Emerald Bay State Park.
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Emerald Bay, attendees will enjoy the electric energy, spontaneity, and joy of live jazz performed by the celebrated West Shore Jazz Quintet. Known for their deep camaraderie and captivating musicality, the ensemble will deliver a rich, diverse repertoire spanning everything from smooth ballads to upbeat swing and Latin rhythms.
As a premier fundraising event, all ticket proceeds support Sierra State Parks Foundation’s mission to provide critical education programs and restoration projects within Lake Tahoe’s California State Parks.
“We are incredibly excited to host the community at one of Tahoe’s most majestic locations for two spectacular nights of live music,” said Michael Myers, Executive Director of the Sierra State Parks Foundation. “The ‘Jazz at the Castle’ series bridges the power of community, natural preservation, and local artistry to ensure our parks remain vibrant for future generations.”
Admission is $130 per person ($120 for SSPF Park Donors), which includes exclusive access to drive down to Emerald Bay, event parking, a twilight reception, live musical performances, and an assortment of heavy appetizers. Space is strictly limited for this intimate twilight experience, and advance reservations are required.
To secure your spot or for more information on this event or the other, visit the Sierra State Parks Foundation website: SierraStateParks.org.
This exclusive, two-night musical experience kicks off with Night One on Friday, July 31, 2026, and returns for Night Two on Saturday, August 1, 2026.Provided / Sierra State Parks Foundation
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. — More than $500,000 in scholarships will go to Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) students and graduates for the upcoming academic year, the LTCC Foundation announced last Friday, as recipients gathered at the college’s annual Scholarship Awards Luncheon to celebrate with the donors behind their awards. At this year’s luncheon, more than $359,000 in scholarships was awarded to 133 students.
Students, donors, staff, board trustees, and community members gathered to recognize academic achievement and the generosity of the donors who make it possible.
“Ten years ago, LTCC awarded $104,000 in scholarships. This year, we’ll surpass $500,000,” said LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco. “That growth reflects what happens when a community decides that a student’s financial situation shouldn’t determine their future.”
“On behalf of the Foundation, we are proud of LTCC’s students’ resilience and dedication,” said Nancy Harrison, Executive Director of the LTCC Foundation and College Partnerships. “It’s an honor to recognize their achievements with scholarships made possible by generous donors who believe in their future.”
LTCC congratulates all scholarship recipients and thanks the individual donors, family foundations, businesses, and community organizations whose support makes these awards possible.
This year’s event highlighted several scholarship programs with strong local ties. The Bradley R. Schiller Foundation Economics Scholarship – backed by a million-dollar donation announced at last year’s State of the College Address – has provided $50,000 in scholarships over the past two years. This year, 11 students are confirmed recipients, with 10 more pending completion of Economics 101 or 102 with an A or B grade. Dr. Schiller, author of widely used economics textbooks including “The Economy Today” and “The Economics of Poverty and Discrimination,” created the scholarship to help students understand the role economics plays in shaping communities and improving lives.
“It is a point of pride for me to share that I graduated from LTCC in 2016,” said Antonio Benitez, Director of Lake Tahoe College Promise. “LTCC gave me a high-quality education that allowed me to transfer to, and graduate from, UC Berkeley. It was also a building block toward my master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in Higher Education. And this past weekend, I submitted my application for a doctoral program. I share this with you, not because I want to make this about me, but rather, to share a living example of what LTCC can do for every single one of you.”
Benitez directs the Lake Tahoe College Promise, LTCC’s signature support and student success initiative, which provides up to three years of free tuition, books, and wraparound services for first-time, full-time students in the Tahoe Basin.
The luncheon also marked the inaugural Glenn Barclay Memorial Scholarship, established by Glenn’s family and friends to honor his life and support a veteran student at LTCC. After graduating from high school, Glenn Barclay enlisted in the United States Navy and served as a jet mechanic from 1967 to 1971. He settled in South Lake Tahoe after his service, building a career as a general contractor. His wife, Nancy, spent more than 20 years teaching Spanish at LTCC; his son, Nick, serves as the college’s Director of Fiscal Services today. Both were present on Friday for the scholarship’s first award.
Four students were recognized with the H.E.R.O. (Honoring Excellence and Rewarding Optimism) Award, presented each year by a coalition of more than 50 local businesses and organizations to students who have overcome significant obstacles on their path to a college education.
“These are students who have carried real weight – loss, financial pressure, family responsibility – and kept going,” said LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco. “That kind of determination is worth celebrating, and we’re grateful to the community partners who make it possible to do so.”
Edder Misael Velasquez Ramos, known as Misael, works in LTCC’s Extended Opportunity Programs and Services program while pursuing his studies. He earned a 4.0 GPA in fall 2025 and winter 2026 and will transfer to California State University, Chico, where he plans to double major in finance and accounting in the honors program.
Rebecca Del Rio Gonzalez is a first-generation student and co-captain of the LTCC women’s soccer team. She is transferring to California State University, Sacramento, with a goal of becoming a teacher and returning home to South Lake Tahoe.
Delos Moore is a student in LTCC’s Rising Scholars Program and serves as both a peer mentor and a member of the LTCC Student Senate. He has been accepted to California Polytechnic State University, Humboldt, to pursue a bachelor’s degree in forestry.
Silvia Rebecca Valdivia Guzman, known as Becky, carries four to five courses per quarter while working in LTCC’s Child Development Center. A first-generation student, she is transferring to California State University, Sacramento, to study early childhood education, with plans to come back to South Lake Tahoe as an educator.
The luncheon also featured the President’s Service Award, supported by the Pipkin Family Foundation, which has recognized students who have distinguished themselves through service to LTCC since 2020. This year’s recipients are Hudson Conners, who has served in athletics, club leadership, the Fiscal Services Department, student housing, and most recently as Student Trustee, and is transferring to San Francisco State University; and Sofia Marroquin, Student Senate president and Vice Chair for Region II with the Student Senate for California Community Colleges, who is transferring to California State University, Chico. LTCC thanks the Pipkin family for their generosity and ongoing commitment to recognizing student service.
For information about scholarship opportunities or to support LTCC students through the Foundation, visit ltccfoundation.org or call (530) 541-4660, ext. 266.
More than $500,000 in scholarships will go to Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) students and graduates for the upcoming academic year Provided / LTCC
More than $500,000 in scholarships will go to Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) students and graduates for the upcoming academic year Provided / LTCC
More than $500,000 in scholarships will go to Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) students and graduates for the upcoming academic year. Provided / LTCC
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Bread & Broth is very grateful to Josh Merkow, owner of J3 Management, LLC, for serving as the financial sponsor for the Monday Meal on May 25th. Josh is a Tahoe local with more than 20 years of experience providing construction management services in the Lake Tahoe and Northern Nevada areas. Although Josh could not participate in his designated meal service, he wanted to support Bread & Broth’s efforts to provide a hot, nutritious meal to those in need in his community.
Bread & Broth, an all-volunteer charitable organization and a ministry of St. Theresa Catholic Church, has been an ecumenical organization since its inception in 1989. By embracing the inclusion of all members of the community, B&B invited the Unity at the Lake congregation to represent Josh by having members of the congregation volunteer at the meal on his behalf.
The Unity at the Lake volunteers included Annie Davidson, Addie Lucksinger, Miri Lucksinger, Carol Lehnert, Marissa Wheeler, and Nathan Wheeler, Unity at the Lake minister. These Unity at the Lake members came prepared to give their heartfelt efforts to make the meal a great experience for the dinner guests. According to Nathan Wheeler, “This is how all the world should be: support, hope and love, all served with a great meal!”
Left to right: Carol Lehnert, Nathan Wheeler, Marissa Wheeler, Miri Lucksinger, Addie Lucksinger, Annie Davidson.Provided
Bread & Broth volunteer cooks prepared a great meal of LA Dodger Lasagna, served with a baked zucchini, squash, and onion casserole, which was enjoyed by 137 dinner guests. Carol Lehnert, who greeted guests and helped serve the meal, said, “They’re all so grateful — a big thank you with a smile.”
Thanks to the generous donation of Josh Merkow and the selfless efforts of the Unity at the Lake members and the B&B volunteers serving at the dinner, the dinner guests had a great evening meal experience. In addition to a full-course meal and bags of food to take home, dinner guests on the fourth Monday of each month are entertained by Mickey Holiday. Mickey volunteers his Frank Sinatra-style musical entertainment, which, according to Miri Lucksinger, “brought everyone together.”
The Unity at the Lake AAD crew members did an outstanding job acting on behalf of Josh and appeared to enjoy the experience of giving. Addie Lucksinger said, “I love seeing the community come together,” and Annie Davidson shared, “This community gives more to me than I can give as a volunteer.” Thank you to Josh and the Unity at the Lake members for their contributions to easing hunger in our community.
To learn more about Bread & Broth, or to donate or sponsor an Adopt A Day of Nourishment, visit the organization’s website, www.breadandbroth.org, or follow Bread & Broth on Instagram or Facebook.
LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – While Tahoe residents served by Liberty Utilities will be impacted by their search for a new energy supply, other residents may be wondering what might happen with their energy sources.
By and large, the new energy supply will not result in service interruptions, but may impact the costs of services. Advocates are also interested in more scrutiny and oversight for Liberty Utilities.
Incline Village
Incline Village receives its electricity from NV Energy, and while they won’t be experiencing interruptions, construction costs from projects like the Greenlink project are typically passed onto customers. Nevada’s Public Utility Commission permitted the utility to charge customers before construction is complete to avoid rate shock. The Greenlink project will cost an estimated $4.2 billion, and other Northern Nevada capital projects are estimated at another $3 billion.
Many of those projects are to support their pivot towards investing in data centers—another controversial stance for the energy supplier. A temporary moratorium has been placed on data centers in Reno, but these centers they’ve received inquiries from would total around 22 gigawatts of energy. Currently, NV Energy has signed on agreements for about 6 gigawatts of energy for these data centers, which, according to the Desert Research Institute, is already about 2.8 times the power capacity at Hoover Dam.
NV Energy’s Integrated Resource Plan will likely have hearings at the public utility commission in late fall.
Truckee
Truckee’s energy supply was a potential model for South Lake Tahoe, which is expected to be hit the hardest by the Liberty Utilities change in suppliers.
At least two-thirds of Truckee gets power from Truckee Donner Public Utilities District (TDPUD), which is part of a 50-member collective called the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems.
Public information and strategic affairs director Steven Poncelet told the Tribune that TDPUD purchases their power through the collective, with sources throughout Nevada, Utah, Idaho and California. None of these sources include NV Energy-owned power plants.
However, about a third of Truckee and parts of unincorporated Placer County are served by Liberty Utilities and thus would be impacted by the changes.
Tahoe City and Kings Beach
Tahoe City and Kings Beach are serviced electricity by Liberty Utilities and would be facing the same challenges that other areas served by Liberty would. While some areas are served by PG&E, they only provide natural gas services and not electricity.
Looking for a dog who can bring sunshine and fun into your life every day? Meet Sunny, this week’s Pet of the Week!
Sunny is a young, playful pup with a happy-go-lucky personality that makes him a joy to be around. This affectionate and friendly boy loves spending time with people and is always ready to make new friends. Whether he’s greeting visitors with a wagging tail or soaking up attention from his favorite humans, Sunny’s cheerful spirit is impossible to resist.
Currently thriving in a foster home, Sunny has been showing just how wonderful of a companion he can be. His foster family reports that he has settled in beautifully and loves spending time with their small dog. The two enjoy each other’s company, and Sunny’s friendly nature has made him a great housemate. He has also proven to be an excellent passenger, riding calmly and comfortably in the car, making him an ideal companion for road trips, errands, and outdoor adventures.
As a young dog, Sunny has plenty of energy and enthusiasm for life. He especially enjoys playtime and can often be found carrying around his favorite toys or inviting someone to join him for a spirited game of tug. His playful nature makes him a wonderful companion for an active family looking for a dog who is ready for adventure and fun.
Sunny is this week’s Pet of the Week.Provided / HSTT
Sunny is searching for a loving family that can provide him with plenty of exercise, playtime, and positive guidance as he continues to grow. In return, he promises to fill his new home with laughter, companionship, and unconditional love.
If you’re ready to add a little extra sunshine to your life, Sunny may be the perfect match. Visit the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe to learn more about Sunny and schedule a time to meet this wonderful pup. His forever family may be just around the corner!
If you are interested in meeting Sunny, please feel free to get in contact with HSTT’s Adoption Specialists, 530-587-5948 or adoptions@hstt.org. He is neutered, vaccinated, and up to date on his vaccines. To view more adoptable pets or to learn more about the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe, visit, www.hstt.org.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The California Highway Patrol (CHP), South Lake Tahoe Area, announces a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Sobriety Checkpoint to be held Monday, June 8, 2026, in the city of South Lake Tahoe.
The checkpoint will be set up at approximately 8 p.m. and will be operational shortly thereafter. The checkpoint will conclude at approximately 2 a.m. The sobriety checkpoint will be staffed by a team of CHP officers which will be controlling traffic, evaluating driver’s sobriety, and handing out literature warning of the dangers of drinking and driving. Driver license checks will be conducted, and appropriate enforcement action will be taken.
If there is inclement weather, the checkpoint will be canceled for safety reasons, and the units will be assigned to roving DUI patrol.
The sobriety checkpoint location will be available through CHP Chico Communication Center two hours prior to the implementation of the checkpoint, as well as an updated press release that specifies the exact location and time of the operation.
Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Traffic Safety Administration.
Any additional information about this news release should be requested from Officer Brown who will be available at the CHP South Lake Tahoe Area during normal business hours at (530) 539-9500.
EAST SHORE LAKE TAHOE, Nev. – As Tahoe’s peak season approaches, parking signs stand along Tahoe’s east shore corridor in an attempt to curb dangerous off-shoulder parking along the winding and narrow highway.
The new “No Parking” signs and “20-minute Parking” signs were installed on State Route 28 from south of Sand Harbor to the Carson City line last fall.
Since their placement, parking citations have almost quadrupled compared to a year prior, according to data from the Nevada Highway Patrol. Traffic citations have increased by close to 30%, and crashes have decreased by 24%. The full impact of these changes will become clear as peak season comes into full swing.
State Route 28 receives more than 2.5 million vehicles each year, and in the past, the stretch along Tahoe’s east shore has had as many as 1,000 motorists park on the roadside on peak days, according to the Tahoe Transportation District.
“The goal is to relocate the shoulder parking to designated off-highway parking facilities to promote safety by reducing the potential of pedestrian and other traffic crashes,” Tiara Wasner said with the Tahoe Transportation District.
Some of these off-highway parking facilities just reopened at Secret Harbor and Chimney Beach trailheads in this effort. In addition to more parking, the Chimney Beach project added a lighted crosswalk across the highway, which makes crossing the highway safer for pedestrians.
A new crosswalk allows pedestrians parked at Chimney Beach to safely cross the highway. Laney Griffo / Tahoe Daily Tribune
These newly renovated parking facilities add significant parking capacity but will not fully fill the need for vehicles parking on the side of the highway. Chimney Beach parking increased from 30 spots to 130 spots. Secret Harbor increased from 30 spots to 120 spots. A transit hub, which is currently under construction at Spooner Summit, will add 250 spots.
These spots will only fill 60% of the need but TTD hopes the rest of the need will be filled by public transit once the Spooner transit hub is completed.
These new safety restrictions have left some residents wondering how to get to their favorite spots along the east shore.
The reopened parking locations are over a mile from some of these favorite east shore locations.
When asked how to now access these parts of the shoreline, TTD pointed to their goals of completing off-highway parking facilities and securing funding to extend the East Shore Trail system along that stretch of the east shore to Secret Harbor.
Once the East Shore Trail extension is complete, the trail will provide access by bike or on foot from one of the off-highway parking lots.
These extensions are planned in two phases: first, a one-and-three-quarter-mile extension from Sand Harbor to Thunderbird Cove; and second, a nearly one-mile stretch from Thunderbird Cove to Secret Harbor.
Both are currently in design phases. At this time, TTD does not have an estimate on when these stretches will be completed.
It may not be the ideal answer for those wishing to visit certain east shore locations in the interim, with access appearing to be by a mile-long walk (give or take for the destination) from an off-highway parking lot, drop-off in the 20-minute zone, or by water.
Addressing this stretch has been underway since 2013, when 13 partner agencies came together to improve safety, enhance the visitor experience, expand multimodal transportation, and promote economic vitality through the SR 28 National Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan (CMP).
The plan also helps protect the lake and its clarity since parking on dirt shoulders can lead to erosion with sediment running into the lake.
One of the first projects along this corridor was the first three miles of the East Shore Trail from Incline Village to Sand Harbor, which opened June 28, 2019.
The adjacent paid parking lot followed, which is currently undergoing an expansion project and is set to add 38 paid parking spaces immediately north of the existing 90 spaces.
The overall corridor plan eventually seeks to incorporate transit stops, with a map currently showing stops at the Spooner transit hub (currently under construction), Secret Harbor, Sand Harbor, Hidden Beach and Incline Village.
The related Nevada Senate Bill 426, which established the Lake Tahoe Basin Scenic Byway Corridor Recreation Safety Zone, took effect Oct. 1. The passed legislation allows agencies to implement traffic control measures on a handful of roads in the Tahoe Basin, including State Route 28. The bill is intended to make major roadways in the basin safer, reduce congestion, and crack down on illegal parking.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Tuesday, city council met to discuss the revetments at El Dorado Beach, a tobacco business moratorium and receive a report on unpermitted vacation home rentals (VHRs) and enforcement actions. They also discussed the five year capital plan and an ordinance change for citations on nuisance properties.
Public comment and proclamations
During public comment, Ed Mosur commended the removal of the steel plates on the sidewalk outside of the restaurant Izabella, and urged city council to put attention to rehabilitating the walkways there.
An item on the agenda concerned the renewal of Pride Month proclamation for June, which was requested last year to be an annual renewal. Lake Tahoe Pride typically receives the proclamation, but it was actually not requested this year—instead, it was moved by city council.
Councilmember Heather Horgan expressed how much the item meant to her, her family and other families visiting South Lake Tahoe. Mayor Cody Bass agreed and said he was glad to see South Lake Tahoe becoming a more equitable place. Bass read aloud the proclamation, which will be in the display at City Hall.
Consent agenda
Mosur commented to say that the agreement currently underway for the buses should establish in writing those bus routes from El Dorado to Sacramento. He cited that people sometimes use those bus routes for receiving medical care at UC Davis, and also said more tourists could possibly use it rather than driving.
Councilmember Scott Robins pulled an item regarding land exchange with the California Tahoe Conservancy, saying that he wanted to put more work or research into the parcels before the city lost control of it. A representative for the California Tahoe Conservancy indicated that they would be interested in fixing the bike path, which often floods, and said they would put “endeavor” language into the agreement.
Robbins also asked if the Conservancy would take parcels of Upper Truckee River that are outside the city’s jurisdiction, which was not an option—the parcels were already listed in the agreement and could not be changed.
Bass and Robbins both agreed that there could be more research done into the parcels, especially around potentially building housing there. Horgan indicated that she was more interested in the space being used for public recreation and open space.
Robbins motioned to hold the item’s approval, which passed.
Snow removal equipment purchase
The council had the annual public hearing for snow removal equipment purchases, which are funded through an existing county service area parcel assessment. Public works director Mohammad Qureshi (also called Dr. Q) said that the assessment would pay for portion of snow graders, which cost $540,000. The assessment generates $234,000 and supports the acquisition of equipment, not snow removal work.
The council passed a motion directing the city clerk to submit the hearing’s minute order to the El Dorado County board of supervisors.
Amendment for ordinances on nuisance properties
The council was presented an ordinance for nuisance properties that will authorize, but not require daily citations to such sites. However, staff recommended that the issuance of citations remain at the discretion of the city building official or their designee.
Robbins was unimpressed by the ordinance, saying, “The current pace we are at has motivated exactly zero change in behavior… and has been fundamentally ineffective.” He suggested a graduated citation structure, citing issues with the Chateau site (also called the Hole in the Ground) and the citations it received.
Horgan recalled an industrial building that had a roof collapse from snow and said, “I caution us about being excessive, but I agree we should functionally be more defined in how we operate this enforcement… and move to improve safety.”
Mayor Pro Tem Keith Roberts said that there was more work to be done on the ordinance. Councilmember David Jinkens also expressed that he felt the ordinance did not achieve the goals they had set out on enforcement. Jinkens also said that he believed the Chateau site was a more complex situation than others.
Bass said that other options for enforcement were present and that codifying a graduated citation structure would disallow flexibility for responsible staff.
Through a motion, the council amended that after two 60-day citations, it triggers a review by city council for future action. The ordinance will go to first reading at a future meeting.
Five year capital improvement plan
The city received a presentation on the five-year capital improvement plan and recommendations for the 2026-2027 fiscal year budget. It included some of the following critical items:
Transportation needs: $350,000 for Dennis Machida Bikeway Phase 1C
Building and Facilities: $500,000 for long term capital replacement
Parks: $500,000 for El Dorado Beach Revetment, $2,100,000 for existing rec center demolition, $150,000 for golf course improvements, $600,000 for new parks shop, $250,000 for new rec center’s snowmelt boiler
Police: $350,000 police department parking and drainage upgrade
Vehicles and equipment: $1,107,404 (partially will be funded through help of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency mitigation fees)
Complete Streets: $250,000 for traffic safety and calming projects
Stormwater and environmental improvements: $1,000,000 drainage pipe replacement and $800,000 for the Bijou Park Creek CEQA and matching funds towards the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act Grant.
The presentation also indicated that the city’s current roadways budget of $4 million annually was insufficient to keep pace with the 20-year life cycle of roads in the area. They would need to allocate an additional $8.85 million per year for a total of $12.85 million annually.
Horgan noted that she considered replacements for the snow melt boiler at the new rec center to be important, as at Barton Health she saw how devastating falls can be on health outcomes, especially for the elderly.
Everyone agreed on the importance of environmental improvement projects.
The council ultimately requested staff to add some items on rerouting Lakeview Avenue around Harrison Avenue for a pedestrian zone, the addition of permanent public restroom facilities at beaches around the city, as well as the assessment of geothermal heating as a possibility rather than a reliance on natural gas for snowmelt.
Tobacco moratorium
After hearing community concerns for a vape business near Slice of Sierra, the council considered an ordinance to regulate tobacco retail businesses, including through buffer zones around schools. Staff suggested a temporary moratorium through an urgency ordinance to stop approval of new tobacco retailer applications.
The item received support from the Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids (TASK), who were concerned about the levels of nicotine and vape use among students, especially its potential to impact elementary schoolers.
Placerville and El Dorado County both previously put moratoriums on tobacco retail, but both were repealed in 2025.
Bass said that a repeal could potentially drive the creation of an illicit market for nicotine products.
Horgan, Jinkens and Robbins all agreed on the urgency of such an item, with a shared interest in establishing the moratorium despite it requiring a special meeting to be held in July to extend it.
Bass voted no on the item because of the urgency requirements, but said he was interested in regulation of tobacco within the city. The council will be holding a special meeting to address the moratorium again before its expiration on July 17.
Unpermitted vacation home rentals enforcement
The police department presented their findings on unpermitted vacation home rentals, which are tracked through a platform called Rentalscape. The reports include violations of listings that do not include a VHR permit number as well as ones that offer occupancy in excess of the maximums allowed by the city.
There are roughly 490 residential permits and 850-900 within the city. From 2022 to May 11, 2026, Rentalscape’s platform helped the department issue 511 citations. In 2025, there were 70 citations, and from January 1 to May 11 of 2026, there were 41 citations.
Staff also noted that platforms like vrbo and AirBnB were cooperative with requests to not list or advertise unpermitted VHRs.
During city council questioning, Chief Jeff Roberson noted that some properties were being cited and continuing to operate despite citations. Repeat citations increase the price from $1,000 to $3,000 to a maximum of $5,000. Roberson also said that there are other remedies for filing lawsuits, which would also require them to collect the Transient Occupancy Tax first.
The council received and filed the item.
El Dorado Beach revetment
On Friday, May 22, El Dorado Beach was closed for sand replenishment as part of the revetment for the site. Sand replenishment will continue as needed throughout the summer until the second phase can begin.
Phase 2 will involve removal of the plastic sandbags, the installation of rock below the bottom step of Lakeview Commons and backfilling that area with sand. The final phase would be to install features for long-term beach protection.
Given the high lake level, staff felt that the first round of sand replenishment was largely successful, though higher erosion is happening on the east side of the beach. They recognized that work on the area would be reliant on lake level changes, and hoped to split the second phase in two. The first base bid would concern the area where the sacks are currently located and would be $600,000 to $800,000. The second bid would be to replace and repair the rip rap and boulder revetment east of the stairs, which would be $800,000 to $1.1 million.
Staff are also currently conducting studies on the soil and wind-wave modelling at the site in order to help design for the long-term protection of the beach.
Public comment was largely supportive of the project, with some stating that it was possible that to protect the lake, they may have to remove the beach entirely. Horgan agreed with the urgency of the matter and need to get plastics out of the lake.
Agenda planning calendar and councilmember reports
The council will be having a special meeting in early July to begin consideration of a new city attorney.
Bass gave a brief update on transit from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s (TRPA) strategic retreat. He also noted that the TRPA was open to restrictions of diquat and glyphosate in the Tahoe Basin, clarifying that the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) would not be doing any spraying until 2028. However, areas outside their jurisdiction, such as Sierra-at-Tahoe and other parts of the El Dorado National Forest are currently being sprayed. Bass said they didn’t necessarily have the ability to tackle that in the same way, but advocated for the prevention of spraying such herbicides in other areas of the Tahoe Basin.
The next city council meeting will take place on June 16.
This past weekend, I participated in the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey, and this year was a big one for me. I have now run all 36 legs and have been inducted into the Circle of Fame.
For those who aren’t familiar, the RTO is a two-day, 178-mile relay running race. It starts in Reno, goes through Verdi, up and over Dog Valley into Stampede, across Prosser Dam, through Truckee, along Highway 89 to Tahoe City, continues on 89 to South Lake Tahoe (going up and over Emerald Bay), up and over Kingsbury Grade to Genoa, through Carson City, up Gold Hill into Virginia City, back into Reno and finishes right back where it started. Are you exhausted just reading that?
The race is typically run by teams of 12. The teams split into two vans, so while one van is running, the other van can rest and replenish. There are 36 legs so each runner takes three. Each runner runs a total of 11 to 18 miles. There are ultra teams with only six runners and there are even two superhumans that have completed the whole solo.
The first year I did this race, a RTO veteran said to me, “You don’t sleep, you don’t eat well and it’s so much fun,” and that basically sums it up. It is simultaneously the worst time and the most fun and I recommend it to everyone who has even the slightest interest in running.
This year marked my 9th year of participating. My first year was in 2013, when I was in my early 20s and I have to say, it’s a lot easier to recover from lack of sleep in your 20s than your mid-30s.
Before this year, I had competed on 4 12-person teams before making the shift to ultra-teams so I was able to cross off the legs faster. While I did love the added challenge and attention of running on an ultrateam, I began to burn out on the race. I took a few years off but the final set of legs was haunting me (which happened to be the longest legs and ranked the second most challenging) and I knew I needed to bite the bullet and get them done. So, when a friend reached out asking me to join his 12-person team, I knew this year was the year.
I was runner 11, so my first leg was 5.2 miles from Olympic Valley to Tahoe City. The leg followed the bike path along the Truckee River. It was my shortest and my most scenic leg. I also ran it at a reasonable hour of the day, at 4 p.m.
After our van finished our first set of legs at Homewood, a team member’s wife brought us fried chicken, which we absolutely devoured before going down to the lake to skip rocks. We drove to Kahle Park to take a quick nap before getting ready to run again around 10 p.m.
My next leg was a 6.1-mile straight shot from Genoa to Jacks Valley Volunteer Fire Station in Carson City at 1:15 a.m. After our van was done with that set of legs, we went to a room our team had reserved at the Carson City Super 8 where we showered and slept. Until about 6 a.m. when we got up to go meet our other van in Virginia City.
My final leg was 6.9 miles through South Reno and this is when I stopped having fun. About two miles into the run on a completely flat sidewalk on Longely Drive, someone came up next to me and asked if we could run together. I was so excited to make a running friend that I stopped paying attention to where I was stepping. I kicked a rock and fell hard on the decorative rocks that lined the sidewalk. My knee, arm and jaw all took a hit. My new friend (whose name I never caught) checked to make sure I didn’t have a concussion before running off and leaving me to gather my shame. Another van, who had seen “the incident” as I’ve now been referring to it, and stopped to give me water. While I wasn’t seriously injured, I was shaken up, embarrassed and a little sore, making the last 5 miles of the run a slog. It also made the beer at the finish taste that much better, a beer I drank from my “Circle of Fame” stein.
I could write so much more about this race; about my favorite and least favorite legs, the best and worst places I’ve slept, the funniest things that happened over nine years of competing, and as cliché as it is to say, the friends I’ve made along the way.
After struggling with declining health for two years, Virginia Herman Thelin passed away at her home in South Lake Tahoe, California. She was 90 years old. In her youth, she earned a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from MIT and spent time in Türkiye, Poland, Finland and Greece. Virginia met and married her husband Mark Thelin, and spent many years living in Taiwan with him where they raised two sons, Carl and Eric who have survived her. In the 1980s she began working for the Fulbright Foundation, which she continued to do until her retirement in 1999. She and her husband left Taiwan, and earned master’s degrees in Archeology from Durham University in England. While there, Mark’s health declined, and the couple moved to Grinnell Iowa, where Mark passed away in 2014. Since then, Virgina became a resident of South Lake Tahoe, where she frequently spent several hours a day hiking with her dog.
She was co-author of “The Good Life”(1975), author of “Taichung Harbor Area Land Use Survey”(1978) and a master’s dissertation entitled “Were Burnt Mounds Derived from Prehistoric Copper Production Activities?”(2008). She was preceded in death by her brothers Fred Hermann Jr, and Robert Hermann. Donations may be made in her name to the Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine or the Southern Poverty Law Center.
A memorial service will be held at Hope Lutheran Church of the Sierra on Saturday June 20th, at 10am. (930 Julie Ln, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150)
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.
When you think of great pasta dishes, chances are you’re not thinking of spätzle. But the dish that is derived from the Swabian region of Germany is very much indeed a pasta that should be in the consideration … and it just so happens to be this week’s feature.
To kick things off, this pasta is made from scratch at Himmel Haus every morning with egg, flour, nutmeg, white pepper, and salt. However, this dough doesn’t rest like most other doughs. It’s rather more like a wet noodle dough that is pushed through a strainer into boiling water creating a free-forming pasta. After about 10 minutes it’s plunged into an ice bath to stop the cooking and get ready for order.
Once that happens, it is sauteed in clarified butter with onions, salt and pepper, along with a little parsley – a very traditional preparation. You have the option to add in bacon or wurst (or both), and truth be told you cannot go wrong with either.
The unique texture of this pasta allows for the bacon flavor to soak into each piece beautifully, transferring that salty/smoky flavor of the bacon into the entire dish. If choosing the wurst, you get your choice of Bratwurst (pork) or Bockwurst (veal), each of which are grilled and set atop the pasta. If you want something a little less German, assorted game sausages or Kielbasa are always also available.
For the pasta, that uniqueness shines through with a striking balance of crispy and chewy with a slight sweetness from the onion, which also pulls double duty as a texture component. Adding in the protein makes this quite the meal and I would suggest going big and pairing with one of their many German beers on tap. Oh, and don’t forget the mustard.
Himmel Haus is located at 3819 Saddle Rd. in South Lake Tahoe. For menu items and additional information visit them online at himmelhausslt.com or reach them by phone at 530-314-7665.
When it comes to hearing care, patients today have more options than ever before – including retailers like Costco and locally owned private audiology practices like Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic. While both offer hearing solutions, the experience, level of care, and long-term outcomes can differ significantly.
Costco has built a reputation on accessibility and efficiency. Their hearing centers operate on a high-volume model, allowing them to provide hearing aids at a competitive price point. For individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss, this can be an appealing and a practical entry point into hearing care. Costco’s streamlined process is designed to move patients through hearing testing, fitting, and purchase relatively quickly, making it a convenient option for those prioritizing cost and speed.
However, efficiency often comes with limitations. Costco primarily offers a selection of private-label hearing aid brands, which can restrict access to the full range of technology available in today’s market. Additionally, while their providers are trained professionals, the scope of care is oftentimes more transactional and less medically comprehensive. Customization options, while available, may not reach the same level of precision as those that are offered in a specialized clinical audiology setting.
In contrast, private audiology clinics take a fundamentally different approach – one rooted in personalized, medical-based care. Rather than focusing on volume, private practices prioritize relationships, diagnostics, and long-term hearing outcomes. Patients receive comprehensive evaluations designed to uncover not just hearing loss, but potential underlying causes and contributing factors. This allows a private audiology clinic to create a comprehensive hearing care plan individualized to each patient depending on their hearing needs.
One of the most significant advantages of a private hearing clinic is access to all hearing aid manufacturers. This allows audiologists to recommend truly customized solutions tailored to each patient’s unique hearing profile, lifestyle, and preferences. From advanced diagnostics to fine-tuned device programming, private clinics offer what many consider the gold standard in hearing customization.
Insurance is another key differentiator. Costco requires upfront payment for services and devices, leaving patients to seek reimbursement from their insurance. Given Costco is a retailer and not a medical clinic with an in-network contract directly with the payer, this puts the patient at out of network risk with potential reduced or no coverage from their insurance. Alternately, private audiology clinics have the ability to work directly with patients and health insurance providers, helping navigate coverage, reduce out-of-pocket costs, and simplify the overall process. For
patient’s with a Medicare Advantage or Medicare Supplement plan that has a hearing benefit, this often results in pricing that is competitive or even more advantageous than what Costco can offer.
The patient experience also is deeply personalized in a private hearing clinic setting. Appointments are typically more flexible, wait times are often shorter, and care extends far beyond the initial appointment. Ongoing follow-ups, adjustments, and long-term monitoring ensure that hearing solutions evolve alongside the patient’s needs. This continuity of care can be especially critical for individuals with more complex or advanced hearing loss.
While Costco serves an important role in making hearing care more accessible, patients with more significant hearing challenges often benefit from the deeper level of expertise and support found in a private hearing clinic. Advanced diagnostics, comprehensive care plans, and long-term relationship-building all contribute to better outcomes over time.
For Lake Tahoe locals, accessing this level of care doesn’t require traveling down the hill to Carson City or Reno. Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic offers a convenient, community-centered alternative – locally owned, operated, and deeply committed to helping patients with their hearing needs. For those seeking a more refined, personalized hearing care experience, a private audiology clinic remains the clear choice.
To schedule an appointment or for more information on Tahoe Family Hearing Clinic, visit https://www.tahoefamilyhearing.com/ or call 530-600-0023.
TRPA – ‘Coffee Hour’ Meetups – 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Incline Village. Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin Upcoming Project Engagement Opportunities TRPA and partners will be hosting casual “Coffee Hour” meetups to foster understanding and dialogue about the proposed “Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin” policies, environmental impact analysis, partner initiatives and next steps. Join us: Neighborhood Coffee Hour Friday, June 5, 10:30 – 1:30 p.m. (drop in any time) Happy Tiers Café, Incline Village Stop in to chat about housing strategies with neighbors and Karen Fink, TRPA’s Long Range Planning Director. Zoom Coffee Hour with Jean Diaz, Executive Director of Saint Joseph Community Land Trust Tuesday, June 23, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. Virtual via Zoom Hear from Jean Diaz about how the TAHOE program successfully preserved a home for a local family at a relatively low cost, and how this type of program relates to the Tahoe Living: Cultivating Community, Conserving the Basin proposal.business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/trpa-coffee-hour-meetups-1747275?sourceTypeId=Hub, 775-589-5278
Ski Run Farmer’s Market & Street Fair – 3-8 p.m. | Ski Run Farmer’s Market & Street Fair, South Lake Tahoe. This beloved Friday market is where the heart of South Lake Tahoe comes alive. Stretching along the charming Ski Run Blvd, the market brings Tahoe’s best farmers, makers, musicians, and food vendors for a lively community event packed with good Tahoe vibes. Fridays, 3:00-8:00 pm June 5 through September 11, 2026. Expect fresh organic produce, handmade goods, live music, street food, and spontaneous street dancing. It’s the perfect stop to kick off your weekend—whether you’re meeting friends for happy hour, looking for something fun with the kids, or exploring Tahoe like a local.visitlaketahoe.com/event/ski-run-farmers-market-street-fair/2026-06-05/
2026 Music at Ski Beach – 4-7 p.m. | Incline Village. Fridays at Ski Beach in Incline Village – IVGID passes requiredbusiness.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/2026-music-at-ski-beach-1745156?sourceTypeId=Hub
Cool Car Fridays Cruise Night at the Heavenly Village – 5-8 p.m. | Heavenly Village, South Lake TahoeCool Car Cruizen Fridays, All Cool Vehicles Welcome. Free to All. Gas money drawing, prizes, and more! Rain cancels. Open to all cars, trucks, and motorcycles. Brought to you by Good Sam Safe Ride.More information herevisitlaketahoe.com/event/cool-car-truck-and-motorcycle-cruise-every-friday-at-the-heavenly-village/2026-06-05/
Dogs in a Pile – 7-10 p.m. | The Hanger, South Lake Tahoe. facebook.com/events/862198902845130/
LONG TIME – 8 p.m. | Crystal Bay Casino, Crystal Bay. Sometimes the dreams of our youth are not fully realized until we embrace the reality of adulthood. We may know what we want, but we cannot will ourselves into that existence. For the members of Long Time, the journey to being the men they became involved numerous bands, jobs, and relationships, all of which transformed members Thomas John Cadrin, Colin Dinnie, and Andrew Nault in ways too numerous to count. Each success and failure helped to refine their individual worldview, and the combination of those unique perspectives has helped to create one of the most engaging and unique rock bands of the modern era. facebook.com/events/4448393075487756/
Saturday, June 6
Optimist Club of South Lake Tahoe Fishing Derby – 8 a.m. to noon | Sawmill Pond, South Lake Tahoe. Fun event for youth 14 and under. Equipment is available to use and hot dogs, chips and lemonade, All FREE Must be accompanied by an adult.southlaketahoeoptimist.com/day-in-paradise-duck-races/, 530-307-9083
National Trails Day – 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Van Sickle Bi, South Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association, in partnership with Keep Tahoe Blue , American Hiking Society and Nevada State Parks, is kicking off the trail season on June 6th by spending the day caring for one of the most loved trail systems in the Tahoe Basin, Van Sickle Bi-State Park . National Trails Day is a chance to get outdoors, connect with your community, and give back to the places you love! This year, you get to choose between trail work with the TRTA and a trash cleanup with Keep Tahoe Blue. Meet at Van Sickle Bi-State Park (meeting time for trail volunteers is 8:30 am and meeting time for cleanup volunteers is 10 am) to share a cup of coffee and pastries with our fellow community members. After grabbing some snacks, folks cleaning up will split off from the trail workers, and both groups will get to work! At 2:00 PM we will come back together for a tailgate party to celebrate our hard work and community! For more information and to register for cleanup or trail workday, please visit keeptahoeblue.org/events-activities-lessons/national-trails-day-june-6-2026/.business.tahoechamber.org/events/details/national-trails-day-26131
Community Clean Up Day – 9 a.m. to noon | Incline VillageDescription And Tahoe Backyard AfterParty – Kings Beach. business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/community-clean-up-day-1751767?sourceTypeId=Hub
2nd Coyote Country Steak Cookoff – noon-7 p.m. | South Lake Tahoe. LTCC’s BBQ Cookoff brings food, music, and community together, plus networking, and career experiences for students and localseventbrite.co.uk/e/2nd-coyote-country-steak-cookoff-tickets-1985401685888
North Tahoe Community Choir Broadway Concert – 2-4 p.m. | St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Incline Village. 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.775-741-5084
Adult Prom – 7 p.m. | Stateline. Adult Prom Hosted by Xquisite. Get ready for a night of glamour, fun, and purpose! Join us on Saturday, June 6 from 7–10 PM at Peek Night Club for an unforgettable Adult Prom experience. Dress to impress and relive the magic of prom Crown a Prom Queen & King Enjoy a fabulous night out with friends All while making a difference! Every dollar raised supports Xquisite, helping empower survivors of trafficking, assault, and domestic violence. As a special highlight, our Prom King and Queen will win a pair of VIP tickets to a Summer Concerts show! Don’t miss this chance to dance the night away for a great cause—grab your crew and make it a night to remember!facebook.com/events/813504881580049/
The Village Church – Family Night – 7-9 p.m. | Incline Village. Join us for our church partnership event for a meaningful and joy-filled family evening centered on the theme “Adorning the Gospel.” Rooted in Philippians 1:27-2:18, this event is designed to help families explore what it looks like to live out the beauty of the Gospel together in everyday life. Throughout the evening, families will engage in interactive activities around the church that highlight unity, humility, and Christ-centered living. These hands-on experiences are designed for all ages, making it a wonderful opportunity for parents and children alike to learn, grow, and have fun side by side. Dinner will be provided, giving families time to relax and connect with one another. Following the event, you’ll have the opportunity to continue the evening in worship through a special concert, all included with your registration. Whether your children are young or growing fast, we invite you to come be part of a night that encourages faith, strengthens family bonds, and celebrates the Gospel together. business.ivcba.org/event-calendar/Details/the-village-church-family-night-1728306?sourceTypeId=Hub
DeCelle Memorial Lake Tahoe Relay. Lakeview Commons at El Dorado Beach, South Lake TahoeLake Tahoe Relay Team Challenge – Saturday, June 6, 2026. The Lake Tahoe Relay teams consist of 7 people, each running approximately 8 to 12 miles. All runners will have the same team number pinned on the front of their shirt. Course closes at 8:00 p.m. Runners will be asked to be leave the course after 8:00 p.m. for their own safety. Registration is available online. For more information, contact runtahoe@outlook.com. visitlaketahoe.com/event/lake-tahoe-relay/
Sunday, June 7
OMG Fun Run – 8:30 a.m. | Old Meyers Grade, Twin Bridges. Register now for the tenth annual OMG Fun Run to be held Sunday, June 7 from 10am-12pm at the Old Meyers Grade in Meyers. Registration is now open through 5pm, June 6. Advanced registration is $20 for adults and $10 for children (12 and under) and includes a free OMG t-shirt. Kids under 5 attend free (do not receive a shirt). Registration the day of the event is $25 for adults and $15 for children and will be held onsite at Old Meyers Grade from 8:30-9:30am. For a few hours, leopards, butterflies, world-class athletes and Tahoe style entertainment will take over Old Meyers Grade. Costumes are encouraged and the best costume in each division (child – 12 and under, woman and man) will receive a prize. Additional prizes will be awarded for the 1st to Reach the Top and Most Laps in each division. Winners in each category and participants who complete at least three laps will have their names posted on our website after the event. This year, participants can feel even better about joining the fun—a portion of proceeds will benefit the Live Like Giada Memorial Scholarship, supporting local students. To learn more or contribute, visit https://edcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=4366. Old Meyers Grade is located .1 miles up South Upper Truckee Road. The course gate-to-gate roundtrip is 2.6 scenic miles. The event will be held rain or shine. The OMG Fun Run is presented by the Meyers Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to improving life in Meyers. Proceeds from the event will go to fund, support and promote creative and sustainable projects community-enhancing events in Meyers. facebook.com/events/1621001972455837/
Beer Pong Tournament – 2-4 p.m. | South Lake Brewing Company, South Lake Tahoe. Come test your skills in our Beer Pong Tournament on Sunday, June 7th! Sign up for your chance to win prizes and bragging rights. Games will start at 2 PM at the Brewery. Sign up with a teammate or as a solo player to be paired up with a teammate at the event. $20 per team or $10 for solo players. Register in advance online.southlakebeer.com/brewery-events, 530-578-0087
Thievery Corportation’s 30th Anniversary – 7-10 p.m. | The Hanger, South Lake Tahoe THIS IS A 21+ SHOW. DOORS AT 6PM SHOW AT 7PM PARKING INFORMATION: ON SITE PARKING IS LIMITED AND IS $10 PER VEHICLE. IF YOU’RE GOING TO DRIVE, GET HERE EARLY. LEAVING YOUR CAR OVERNIGHT IN OUR LOT IS OK WITH US. OVERNIGHT CAMPING HOWEVER IS NOT PERMITTED. PLEASE CONSIDER RIDING YOUR BIKES AND OR USING RIDE SHARE. THERE IS PLENTY OF FENCE TO LOCK YOUR BIKES TO. IF OUR LOT IS FULL YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL PARKING AT THESE LOCATIONS, WHICH WE HAVE RENTED FOR THE DAY : 971 & 981 SILVER DOLLAR AVE (BEHIND THE SHELL STATION), 80 PARKING SPACES PLEASE DO NOT PARK AT MINI GOLF NEXT DOOR – YOU WILL BE TOWED facebook.com/events/1578313756784787/
America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride – Margaritaville Resort Lake Tahoe, South Lake TahoeFriends, family, and supporters are invited to relax at LandShark Bar & Grill and enjoy our post ride happy hour and live music. Starting on 06/07/2026 and ending on 06/07/2026 margaritavilleresorts.com/margaritaville-resort-lake-tahoe/things-to-do-in-lake-tahoe/events/americas-most-beautiful-bike-ride
Monday, June 8
Level Up Workshop: Service is Black & White; Hospitality is Color – 9 a.m. | Edgewood Tahoe, StatelineLevel Up Workshop: “Service is Black & White; Hospitality is Color” Inspired by Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara As the summer season approaches, Tahoe Chamber, in partnership with Edgewood Tahoe Resort, invites hospitality and service-based professionals to a Level Up Workshop focused on elevating customer service into true hospitality. Facilitated by Kathy Healy, Training and Development Manager at Edgewood Tahoe Resort, this interactive session will provide practical, real-world strategies to strengthen guest connections, support team leadership, and create memorable experiences. Participants will explore how to lead with a people-first mindset, build emotional intelligence, align service with brand values, and turn everyday interactions into intentional moments that exceed expectations. This workshop is designed for individuals and teams looking to perform at their best during peak season through guided facilitation, hands-on learning, and actionable tools that can be applied right away. Kathy Healy is an HR professional with more than 10 years of experience in training and development, including nearly five years in luxury hospitality. She holds a PHR certification from HRCI and a master’s degree in organizational leadership, bringing a strong background in motivating and engaging teams through meaningful learning experiences. Space is limited to 50 in-person attendees. ***Each in-person participant will receive a copy of Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara*** Register today and invest in you and your team’s success this summer facebook.com/events/2072991739950036/
Tuesday, June 9
Business Community Workshop – 8 a.m. | South Lake Tahoe. The City is calling on residents and business owners to join us at our Business Community Workshop. The goal of this meeting is to identify the opportunities, challenges, and priorities shaping our local economy. This session will give attendees the opportunity to speak directly with City Council members and City staff about what businesses are experiencing on the ground and where City action could make the greatest difference. Participants will be able to share their perspectives on the City’s economic needs, voice concerns and ideas in a structured setting, and help ensure that the realities facing South Lake Tahoe’s business community are clearly understood by local decision-makers. ️ Link to rsvp https://forms.office.com/g/vFRmEdHWnj There will be two identical sessions, please choose whichever is most convenient: Morning Session: 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. Community Room @ the Rec Center – 1100 Rufus Allen Blvd. Evening Session: 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. Council Chambers @ City Hall – 1901 Lisa Maloff Way facebook.com/events/1936085270394317/
Eyes On the Lake Training – 10 a.m. to noon | Valhalla Tahoe, South Lake TahoeDo you love to kayak, paddleboard, and walk on the shoreline at Lake Tahoe? Then join us for a free Eyes on the Lake training! This training is open to the public, all ages welcome. Learn how to identify Tahoe’s various native and invasive aquatic plants, and how to report observations that allow Keep Tahoe Blue and our partners to control new populations of aquatic invaders before they do lasting damage to Lake Tahoe. We want to be sure that Lake Tahoe remains clear and blue! Our friends from Tahoe Keepers and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board will be joining this training and sharing tips on how to clean, drain, and dry your equipment and how to identify potential harmful algae blooms (HABs). For questions, reach out to courtney@keeptahoeblue.org.sierranevadaalliance.org/events
Level Up Workshop: How Your Business Can Protect Lake Tahoe – noon-1:30 p.m. | Keep Tahoe Blue, South Lake Tahoe. Level Up Workshop: How Your Business Can Protect Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe is more than just where we live and work it’s the heart of our community and the foundation of our local economy. With 15 million visitors drawn to Tahoe’s crystal-clear waters each year, our businesses play an important role in both serving our community and helping protect the natural beauty that keeps people coming back. Join the Tahoe Chamber for this inspiring Level Up Workshop featuring Hailey Hawkins of Keep Tahoe Blue at the beautiful new Spurlock/Evers Environment & Education Center. Learn practical, actionable steps your business can take to reduce environmental impact, support stewardship efforts, and become a leader in protecting the place we all love. Whether you’re a small business owner, manager, or team leader, this workshop will leave you with meaningful ideas to make a difference while strengthening Tahoe’s future. Tuesday, June 9 ⏰ 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM Spurlock/Evers Environment & Education Center Bring your lunch or enjoy the conversation over your midday break! Let’s work together to protect Lake Tahoe for our businesses, our community, and generations to comefacebook.com/events/918472597882964/
Wild Wonder Learning Series – Corvids – 5:30-7:30 p.m. | Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, South Lake TahoeJoin us for a two-hour event to learn about some of our most common bird neighbors in Tahoe. This all-ages, two-hour onsite event, hosted by LTWC’s Community Programs Coordinator, Caleb Cripe, will explore Corvids, a family of birds that include ravens, crows, and all kinds of Jays. The presentation will include a Q&A session and interactive learning. This is a free event, but donations are appreciated ( Donate Here ). The suggested amount is $10 per individual or $25 per family. All proceeds directly support LTWC.ltwc.org/event/wild-wonder-learning-series-corvids/
THE ELOVATERS – TAHOE TAKEOVER 2026 – 7-10 p.m. | The Hanger, South Lake Tahoe. facebook.com/events/971892882003864/
Finding My Way: Stronger Minds to Bright Futures – Lake Tahoe 4-H Camp, Stateline. A youth camp designed to build self confidence, learn about careers, and make new friends. eventbrite.com/e/finding-my-way-stronger-minds-to-bright-futures-tickets-1987154233806
Cone Camp 2026 – South Lake Tahoe. Cone Camp is a hybrid training course comprised of a 2-3 hour online prep course (Cone Hunting 101) and in-person hands-on field training. Attendees learn how to identify, monitor, and facilitate collections from California’s native conifers to support reforestation efforts taking place across the state. Anyone interested in learning about conifer cone and seed collection! College students, professional and amateur arborists, foresters, field technicians, community scientists, and Corps or service members are all welcome. Cone Camp Day 1 provides a robust introduction to the skills, tools, and knowledge related to cone collection and forest seed gathering. If cone collection is or will become part of your work, we recommend staying for Days 2 & 3 for more in-depth guided practice. sierranevadaalliance.org/events
Wednesday, June 10
Beaver Coexistence in California Webinar – 9-11:30 a.m. | South Lake Tahoe. Are you ready to learn more about how beaver coexistence can build capacity for land managers and owners in California? Join the California Beaver Coexistence Training and Support Program on June 10 from 9-11:30am for an informative webinar featuring coexistence experts and practitioners. During our 2nd annual webinar, participants will hear from Grey Hayes, Beaver Coexistence Program Manager at Occidental Arts & Ecology Center. Grey will share about the California Beaver Help Desk. This new landowner support tool provides technical and financial support for those ready to expedite beaver solutions—from neighborhoods experiencing flooding, wetland managers with clogged culverts, and ranchers looking to preserve shade-producing trees.
The webinar will also feature presentations and discussions with two of the state’s leading beaver coexistence professionals: Cathy Mueller with Connected Ecology and David Krawitz-Greenspan of Wet Meadows Institute. They will share case studies showing how their work makes living alongside beaver easy and affordable for communities. The Beaver Institute’s Aaron Hall will describe the national context of California’s beaver coexistence efforts. Additionally, Molly Alves from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Beaver Restoration Program will offer updates about that program, and Vicky Monroe of CDFW’s Human Wildlife Conflict division will discuss how her team works to resolve human-beaver conflicts.
Participants are encouraged to watch our previous webinar, which this year’s will build upon with timely new information and insights about coexistence in California. We anticipate ample time to answer participant questions during the webinar. sierranevadaalliance.org/events
Brüka Theatre for Children, “The Sporkals League: A Hero’s Adventure – 10:30 a.m. | Incline Village Library, Incline Village. Brüka Theatre for Children is presented by Pioneer Center Youth Programs. Brüka Theatre has been presenting live theater in our community for 33 years. This production features professional actors bringing the story to life with a small set of props and costumes, incorporating physical theatrics, improvisation, audience interaction, and links to curriculum. Funny and insightful, this theatre troupe features top-notch performers and writers who consistently involve young people in learning and participating in theater and related arts. This season, Brüka Theatre for Children presents a new original work The Sporkals League: A Hero’s Adventure. Named for the spoon/fork variety utensil in lunchrooms, this kooky group of problem solvers is in a league of their own as they focus their talents on values and creating community. Select children are invited to participate in the creation of each performance, ensuring that every show is unique. events.washoecountylibrary.us/event/16655023
Hetch Hetchy at a Crossroads: Join us for a Special Presentation – 11 a.m. to noon | South Lake Tahoe. Join us for an upcoming Sierra Nevada Alliance presentation! This event will feature a special session exploring the future of one of California’s most iconic—and debated—landscapes: Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park. This timely discussion will explore the opportunities and challenges surrounding proposals to restore Hetch Hetchy Valley, including potential dam removal and alternative water storage approaches. A once-in-a-generation ecological restoration opportunity, the conversation will examine what restoration could mean for water reliability, ecosystems, and the future of this treasured landscape. Looking forward to the conversation.sierranevadaalliance.org/events
Marty O’Reilly Trio – 7:30 p.m. | Valhalla Boathouse Theatre, South Lake Tahoe. There’s something about Marty O’Reilly’s music that feels like it’s always been here-like an old story being told in a new way. His voice is raw and real, his guitar playing gritty and soulful. It’s music that doesn’t try to be anything other than honest, and that’s exactly why it hits so hard. He pulls inspiration from the roots of Americana; his sound references folk greats like Woody Guthrie, blues legends like Howlin’ Wolf, gospel pioneers like Sister Rosetta Thorpe, and master storytellers like Tom Waits. It’s a sound that captivates and connects audiences, and leaves them wanting more. His live shows aren’t just concerts-they’re cathartic experiences. One moment it’s soft and haunting, the next it’s wild and electric. The kind that stay with you long after the lights come up. But it’s not just about the sound. Marty’s songs dig deep into the human experience-loneliness, connection, love, loss. Whether it’s an intimate solo set or a full band show, he makes every audience feel like they’re part of the story. Over the years, Marty has built a dedicated following through relentless touring and staying true to his craft. He’s shared the stage with artists like Shakey Graves, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Sarah Jarosz, and Alice O’Donovan and played at festivals like Bottlerock, SXSW, and High Sierra Music Festival, but his focus has always been on making music that means something. Marty has poured everything into his music-spending years on the road, self-funding his albums, and navigating the ups and downs of life as an independent artist, husband, and father. But through it all, he’s never lost sight of why he started: to make honest music that connects. If you’re looking for music that feels real, that makes you stop and listen, Marty O’Reilly is someone you need to hear. valhallatahoe.showare.com/eventperformances.asp?evt=259
THE ELOVATERS – TAHOE TAKEOVER 2026 With Special Guest Claire Wright and Pipe Down – 8 p.m. | Crystal BayTHE ELOVATERS – TAHOE TAKEOVER 2026 With Special Guests Claire Wright and Pipe Down Doors: 7PM Show: 8PM Ticket Link: https://tixr.com/e/187341 Exploding into the American progressive roots scene in 2018 with their #1 Billboard Reggae album Defy Gravity, The Elovaters have quickly become a household name for lovers of Sublime, Jack Johnson, Dave Matthews, Stick Figure and more. Their music has been featured on CBS’ Hawaii Five-O and their song “Boston” was played during the World Series Parade when the Boston Red Sox won in 2018. Several of The Elovaters songs are in heavy rotation on SiriusXM’s “No Shoes Radio,” “Margaritaville,” and “The Spectrum.” They won Artist Of The Year, and Live Act of The Year in the 2022 New England Music Awards, and a few months later were voted Reggae/Ska Artist of The Year in the Boston Music Awards. Their 5th studio album, Shark Belly Motel, will be released on Ineffable Records May 15, 2026 facebook.com/events/3499326636908985/
Thursday, June 11
D.L. Bliss Reopening Celebration – 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.Tahoma. Join us for a live virtual celebration as we mark the reopening of D. L. Bliss State Park. Broadcasting live from the shoreline of Lester Beach, this event will highlight the Lake Tahoe park’s remarkable history, diverse landscape, and many recreational opportunities. Viewers will get an inside look at the park’s iconic natural features and learn how recent infrastructure improvements are making it possible to once again welcome visitors for camping, hiking, swimming, water activities, and more. The program will spotlight the major water system upgrades recently completed in the park, critical improvements that ensure safe and reliable water infrastructure for visitors. Special guest appearances will include Armando Quintero (Director, California State Parks) and Rich Adams (Superintendent, Sierra District), who will share about the ongoing work to protect and steward California State Parks. At 1:30 PM, the program will transition to an exciting live underwater broadcast from the legendary Rubicon Wall. California State Parks scuba divers will descend into the blue waters of Lake Tahoe to explore this dramatic underwater landscape and share the geology and natural history that make the area so unique. Experience both above and below the surface as we celebrate the reopening of one of California’s most spectacular state parks. sierrastateparks.org/events/bliss-reopening
One of the great things about Lake Tahoe is its biking culture. With more than 50 miles of paved bike paths around the basin (not counting the 100-plus miles of dirt singletrack mountain bike paths up in the mountains), there are quite a few campgrounds nestled between Tahoe’s safely paved paths meandering through the trees and Big Blue that you can get to without having to deal with traffic. Here are a few of Tahoe’s most accessible bike spots to pitch a tent and stay for the night:
Ed Z’berg Sugar Pine Point State Park, West Shore*
The West Lake Tahoe Bike Path connecting Tahoe City to Meeks Bay goes right up to Sugar Pine Point State Park, where the historic Hellman-Ehrman mansion and navigational light post sit on the lake. Across the street (Highway 89) from the main estate, the state park has a campground with 175 sites each equipped with a bear box, fire ring, picnic table, and nice big parking pad. The campground is sectioned off in six loops on the mountain side of the park and is one of the only campgrounds in the Tahoe area open in the off-season.
Sugar Pine State Park has a campground with 175 sites each equipped with a bear box, fire ring, picnic table, and nice big parking pad.Kayla Anderson / Tahoe Magazine
Camp Richardson, South Shore*
Accessible via the Pope-Baldwin Bike Path, Camp Richardson is the best place to start or end your two-wheeled overnight camping trip because it really does have it all. The path brushes right up to the general store and 100-site campground or go down Jameson Beach Road to spend the day at the beach (or the night at its lakeside inn). The Grove restaurant is a great place to grab lunch at the beach; a coffee shop, ice cream parlor, and Mountain Sports Center (with bike rentals) are all clustered around Highway 89.
Camp Richardson is the best place to start or end your two-wheeled overnight camping trip.Kayla Anderson / Tahoe Magazine
Nevada Beach, Stateline*
About 2.5 miles north of Stateline at the end of Elks Point Road, the Rabe Meadows trail follows Burke Creek to Nevada Beach and continues to Round Hill Pines. Open mid-May through mid-October, this US Forest Service-managed campground has 56 sites tucked in the pines and is close to a long sandy beach with flush toilets and drinking water available. Traveling by bike is the best way to explore this slice of paradise with your friends and family.
Nevada Beach has 56 sites tucked in the pines and is close to a long sandy beach. Kayla Anderson / Tahoe Magazine
William Kent Campground, Tahoe City*
On the east side of Tahoe City right next to the main road and Tahoe City Lakeside Bike Path, this US Forest Service-managed campground has 80 tent sites and easy access to the beach, Tahoe City Marina, and town center. Each site comes with a table, campfire ring, and grill; a few yurts are also available.
Meeks Bay Resort, West Shore*
Open mid-May through mid-October, Meeks Bay Resort is at the southernmost point of the West Lake Tahoe Bike Path seven miles north of Emerald Bay, so that when you get to the end of the trail you can just stop and pitch a tent. This USFS-managed campground has 54 non-electric campsites, 23 RV sites with full hookups, the 7-bedroom Kehlet Mansion, and 3-bedroom Washoe House perfect for hosting special events. The main lodge has souvenirs and sundries while the Wa She Shu Grill next to the beach serves breakfast, lunch, and snacks.
Lake Forest Campground, Tahoe City*
Just a few miles east outside of Tahoe City on the Tahoe City Lakeside Bike Path, Lake Forest keeps a 20-site campground within walking distance to the boat launch ramp, Lake Forest Beach, and Pomin Park. The campground is first-come first-served, and a short bike ride away from Skylandia Beach and the Sugar Pine Cakery on Lake Forest Road.
* Mentioned in my Moon Travel Guides’ Best of California State Parks and/or Northern California Road Trips.
North Lake Tahoe bike trail system.Kayla Anderson / Tahoe Magazine
Kaspian Campground, West Shore
An easy pull-off along the West Lake Tahoe Bike Path on Highway 89, the Recreation.gov website has it right on its website that “Kaspian Campground is ideal for visitors planning a full day of biking around Lake Tahoe.” This former picnic area now has campfire rings with grills and ample space for pitching a tent, with flush toilets, drinking water, and bearproof trash boxes nearby. Its nine tent-only sites are tucked in the trees right across the street from Lake Tahoe.
Fallen Leaf Campground, South Shore
As part of the smattering of paved pathways between Baldwin Beach, Taylor Creek, and Camp Richardson, a bike path, roadway, and dirt hiking trails all lead down to the Fallen Leaf Campground. Reservable via Recreation.gov, this campground has 206 sites which includes six yurts with ample space to park your two-wheeled whip close by. If you want to relax from the bike for the day and walk around instead, there’s a popular trail that leads around the lake and up to the 9,735-ft. peak. It takes around 5-7 hours to climb up there and back, but the views from the top are worth it. Bring lots of water.
Notable mentions:
Northstar California- While this mountain bike resort doesn’t offer camping, there are plenty of condos in and around the village that allow you to sleep in a warm bed, bike to the gondola, and take chairlifts up to access the rest of its trails.
River Ranch Lodge- While Truckee’s other ski resort doesn’t have chairlift accessible bike trails in the summer, the Historic Truckee River Bike Path connects Palisades Tahoe to Tahoe City, going right by the 19-room River Ranch Lodge.
Emerald Bay Boat Camp*- Emerald Bay State Park isn’t necessarily bikeable, but you can get there by boat. It has 97 sites at its Eagle Point campground on the south side of the bay, but on the north side, you can find a 22-site Boat Camp for those coming in via the water. Boaters have access to a pier, kayak rack, and a site with a fire ring, picnic table, bearproof box, and solid ground to sleep on.
Emerald Bay State Park isn’t necessarily bikeable, but you can get there by boat. Kayla Anderson / Tahoe Magazine
Watson Lake, North Lake Tahoe- Found in the backcountry off the Fiberboard Freeway (Forest Road 16N50), which existed before Highway 28 was built, this campground is a good stop for those hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail. The Fiberboard Freeway connects Brockway to Tahoe City up in the forest at a 7,759-ft. elevation, with little Watson Lake offering a secluded stop-off in the middle of this 15.3-mile route. Despite the Fiberboard Freeway being semi-paved, this small campground with minimal amenities is more appealing to mountain bikers since it connects so many singletrack dirt trails.
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Summer 2026 edition of Tahoe Magazine.
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.
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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.”
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:
