Red, White & TAHOE Blue

Three Fun-Filled Days
In 2007, the first annual Red, White and Tahoe Blue celebration entertained with 3 days of exciting events. Events included an Incline Village Parade, Golf Tournament, Community breakfasts, Ice Cream Social & Hot Dog Party for kids at the Village Center, BBQ’s and entertainment including Sol Jibe. The three days of fun, food, education, entertainment culminated with dueling fireworks displays that were more spectacular than ever! Look forward to more exciting events in 2008 including the Reno Philharmonic in concert with the Fireworks display!

Benefiting the Community
Red, White and Tahoe Blue is a collaboration of the following local organizations: North Lake Tahoe Lions Club, Optimists Club, Incline Village Rotary Clubs, Incline Village/Crystal Bay Board of Realtors, IVGID , Incline Schools Academic Excellence Foundation, Incline Village/Crystal Bay Visitor’s Bureau. Each of the following collaborators received $7,000 in 2007: The North Lake Tahoe Lions Club, The Optimists Club of Incline Village, The Rotary Club of Incline Village, The Rotary Club of Tahoe-Incline and The Incline Schools Academic Excellence Foundation. The Children's Cabinet of Incline Village also received $7,500 as a result of collaborating on the I-Can Run/Walk.

Show Your Tahoe Pride!
Support our community, charities, schools and merchants! Please join the Red, White and Tahoe Blue Organizing Committee by volunteering to help and or show your support by making a donation today. Contact us or call 775-843-4637



All Around The Lake:


Incline Village
Kings Beach
South Lake Tahoe
Tahoe City



For More Fun Things to Do at Lake Tahoe (and Babysitters too!), visit TahoeKidsGuide.com

South Tahoe Air Show

The Lake in the Sky Air Show reaches new heights Saturday at the Lake Tahoe Airport.

Twelve to 14 active-duty aircraft will be on display, including a couple of A10 tank hunters, F-18 Hornet fighters, a three-engine H-53 Marine helicopter and an Army Black Hawk.

"We really have a big lineup," airport director Rick Jenkins said of the 19th annual event.

Twelve World War II aircraft will take flight during the 10:15 a.m. opening ceremonies, which will include a skydiving demonstration.

Stunt pilots Spencer Suderman and Bill Cornick will fly Pitts S2B biplanes, and 24-year-old Melissa Andrzejewski will maneuver a Zivko Edge 540. In 2006, Andrzejewski became the youngest woman to be a member of the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Team at national championships.

Andrzejewski said she always has been passionate about aviation. And that runs in the family: Her grandmother at one time competed in Powder Puff races.

Andrzejewski was training to be a bush pilot when her instructor started teaching her stunts. She recognizes that it's unusual for a stunt pilot to be a young woman."Sometimes people will ask me where the pilot is," Andrzejewski said.

"Sometimes they'll ask where my instructor is."


And Andrzejewski enjoys sharing her love of aviation with those who attend the show.

"One of the things that got me into aviation was going to air shows and getting to talk to the pilots," she said. "So I always like talking to kids at the shows."

With a $10 parking fee, motorists will enter the air show for no additional charge. A free BlueGO shuttle will pick up passengers at the transit center at the "Y." Walk-ups and shuttle riders gain entry for $2.

The Kiwanis Club will offer a pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m., when the highly anticipated return of the Tahoe Douglas Rotary chili cookoff begins.

More than 100 motorcycles of the Tahoe Blue Riders will be on hand, along with police dogs, specialized aircraft and 24 vendor booths.

All of the area's public safety agencies will attend.

"We want to let people know the airport is the center for public safety," Jenkins said.

For a schedule of events, pick up a copy of Lake Tahoe Action or see http://www.lakeintheskyairshow.com/.

California Wild Fires

The Washoe County District Health Department (WCDHD) has issued a stage 2 air quality alert which means the air is very unhealthful.

It is now recommended that all individuals stay inside with windows closed. Do not participate in exercise outside.

The smoke and haze causing the air pollution has blown in from hundreds of wild fires burning in Northern California.

For additional information on current conditions, call the Air Quality Index Hotline at 775.785.4110 or click here.

The El Dorado County Air Quality Management District and Public Health Department has issued a health advisory for residents because of wildfire smoke brought into the Lake Tahoe Basin by scores of Northern California fires.

The fires started over the weekend, and smoky conditions are expected to last another day in the Sierra foothills and Central Valley.

Smoke contains fine particles that are linked to many health problems. Residents who smell or see smoke should take precautionary measures, such as keeping windows and doors closed as much as possible, keeping airways moist by drinking lots of water, staying indoors if they have respiratory problems and delaying strenuous exercise activity.

People with respiratory conditions are at the greatest risk of experiencing smoke-related symptoms, such as coughing, itchy and watery eyes and difficulty breathing.

Those experiencing severe or questionable symptoms should seek professional medical help.

Strong turnout for Tahoe's Opening Days

The M.S. Dixie II defeated California's Tahoe Queen by a half-boat length to win the sternwheeler race that was part of the South Shore's weekend-long kickoff to the summer season.

The Dixie now enjoys an 8-5 series lead in the competition over a six-mile course that's billed as the only sternwheeler race west of the Mississippi River.

As captain of the losing vessel, Tahoe Queen Capt. Guy Mitchell walked the plank and jumped into Lake Tahoe after the Sunday morning race.

"The water was colder than I expected," Mitchell said afterward.

The race capped the fourth annual Opening Days Lake Tahoe celebration over the weekend.

An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people attended a party Saturday on a closed half-mile section of Highway 50 in the Stateline casino area. And in a change from previous years, festivities also extended onto the California side of the state line.

The street party included parachuting Elvis impersonators, flying motocross stunt bikes, rock bands, art shows and a Hawaiian Tropic pageant featuring bikini-clad contestants.

At the west end of the street fair, a U2 tribute band performed while children with seemingly endless energy jumped in a bounce house or scaled a climbing wall.

Occasional sprinkles of rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd.

But traffic snarls likely cast a cloud over the event for some. Despite a revised traffic plan from last year - traffic was rerouted onto a two-lane, counterclockwise loop around the highway closure - substantial delays were reported.

On the Nevada side, the backup reportedly at times extended from Stateline nearly to Zephyr Cove.

South Lake Tahoe police also received complaints about the traffic, which stretched to Al Tahoe Boulevard at times. Police Lt. David Stevenson is expected to prepare a report detailing the delays.

Local tourism officials said the turnout was an encouraging sign amid rising gasoline prices and a tight economy.

"We've all been hearing about 'stay-cations' and predictions of doom and gloom," said Carol Chaplin, executive director of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority.

"We know from our research that the majority traveled by car from within a 200-mile radius, and while the one-tank trip is a reality, this weekend bodes well for our summer," she added.

The visitors authority is spending nearly $900,000 on a campaign to remind San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento residents that Tahoe is only a tank of gas away.

Lake Tahoe projected to go below rim

Ron William and Lynn Sasso of Glenshire launch a jet ski at Boca Reservoir on Monday. Water will be drawn from the reservoir to keep the Truckee River flowing if the level in Lake Tahoe reaches its natural rim and there is no flow from Lake Tahoe into the Truckee River.

Bonanza News Service - Emma Garrard
A second slow winter in a row could mean water stops spilling over the dam at Lake Tahoe, cutting off flow at the top of the Truckee River.

Despite abundant snow early in the winter season, an uncharacteristically dry spring has meant runoff hasn’t kept up with evaporation, dropping Lake Tahoe in months that traditionally refill the lake.

“The lake may come up a few hundredths of an inch, but this looks like it’s about as high as it’s going to get,” said Chief Hydrologist Chad Blanchard with the U.S. District Court Water Masters Office.

The current lake level for Tahoe, as of Thursday, is 6225.49 feet.

“We’ve had terrible inflow — almost as bad as last year, and last year the snowpack was much less,” Blanchard said.

Because almost all precipitation fell as snow, the soil never saturated, and snowmelt went into the ground rather than running into Lake Tahoe and other reservoirs, Blanchard said.

Coupled with high winds that evaporated both the lake and snow, this spring goes into the record books as the worst for lake rise in 108 years, along with 1977, Blanchard said.

“The rise into Tahoe in March and April was actually negative — evaporation was higher than in-flow,” he said.

This could mean by the end of the year Lake Tahoe could drop another 2.5 feet to the natural rim at 6223 feet in elevation, stopping flow over the dam, Blanchard said.

“The river would go dry until it gets further downstream, but by that time hopefully we’ll get new moisture,” Blanchard said.

Tributaries and reservoirs further downstream could still maintain the minimum “Floriston Rate” of flow, however, and the Water Masters Office would draw heavily on Boca to maintain water supply for Reno and Sparks, he said.

“Boca could get very low, but should be at a pretty good level most of the summer,” he said.

But Lake Tahoe dropping below its natural rim isn’t uncommon, Blanchard said, listing 2003, 2004 and 2005 as years where the rim was reached.

He said he expects to be able to get through this year on the water available, but is hoping for a better winter for 2008-09.

“If we get another dry year we are going to have a problem,” Blanchard said.

King of the Lake~ Disc Golf Tournement!

June 20- June 21st:

This years King of the Lake Tournament has been vastly anticipated and should render some exceptionally viable competitors. The action takes place at a few Tahoe’s most strategically designed courses it’s sure to be quite an event. Stretching from Zephyr Cove and the South shore of Tahoe all the way to Tahoe Vista and even further north to the eminent Truckee course the winner will be indisputably hailed “King of the Lake.” For more information you can check out the coordinators website at Tahoe Disc N Dye.

The game of “disc” itself draws a friendly, easy-going crowd of 500,000 regular players who welcome and encourage new troupes. Traditionally dominated by 18 to 54-year-old males, the field of disc golf players has expanded greatly in recent years to include many women and families. Kids love the sport! It's an inexpensive date and a great excuse to get a little outdoor exercise. The bottom line is disc golf can be a great deal of fun for everyone regardless of age, gender or economic status. DiscLife is a fantastic website offering many resources on several areas of the ever-growing sport!

There are a number of organizations world-wide that are working together to advance the world of disc golfing. While most cities and states also offer clubs or associations that inform locals of upcoming torments events and new products on the market.
Here are just a few link one may be interested in for furthering their Discing ventures!

Innova
Professional Disc Golf Association
DGA
Disc Craft
Disc Golf Blog

Tahoe's Ski Industry Mindful of Climate Change

Picture this: Strong gusts of wind are blowing in another storm, and snow is dumping on the highest peaks in Tahoe.

But drop down a couple thousand feet or so - into the valleys and canyons of the Sierra Nevada, the mountain towns and ski resort villages, to the shores of Lake Tahoe - and it's raining.

Instead of the blanket of snow typically seen today, deserted chairlifts at the bases of ski resorts swing in the wind over bare rocks and patches of snow. A new state-of-the-art tram takes skiers up to the mountain's upper elevations above the snowline.

The once-legendary winters of the Sierra Nevada have shortened and drop less snow.

This portrait, according to climate change projections cast by local, state and national scientists, may no longer be fiction by the end of the century - or even in 50 years.

And ski resorts are well aware of what climate change scientists are saying."It's integral that we take on climate change," said Savannah Cowley, spokeswoman for Squaw Valley. "It's something that, since we are directly impacted by (global warming), everyone (in the ski industry) is taking responsibility. And it's a great thing."


Climate projections

This is what the scientists are predicting: The snowline will rise, spring runoff will melt sooner, and more precipitation will fall as rain instead of snow, especially at lower elevations.

"There's a consensus that we will lose snowpack," said Dan Cayan of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. "The degree of loss could range by quite a broad amount, depending on how much warming occurs. And I think that's pretty well agreed upon - that higher amounts of warming will result in greater losses" of snow.

By the end of the century, if temperatures rise 3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit, the Sierra Nevada ski season will shrink by a month, according to the 2006 California Climate Change Center summary report's base projection.

If temperatures rise even higher, the state report says that in 100 years, the Sierra Nevada may see many years without enough snow to ski at all.

"If the world economy continues on this sort of high-carbon diet, it's not good," Cayan said. "And these changes will happen faster and to a larger degree than if things are moderated."

Green's all the buzz

As executive director of the California Ski Industry Association, it is Bob Roberts' job to represent ski-resort interests at the state Capitol.

That includes lobbying in favor of green initiatives that will curb the effects of climate change.

"Because, clearly, this is an issue for this industry," Roberts said. "We sit on the snowpack. We see what happens."

The ski industry must be engaged at the political level to see change, Roberts said. That's why he has been working closely with elected officials and government agencies to support a number of environmental legislative bills, including legislation to lower vehicle emissions and the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, which seeks to reverse statewide emissions back to levels seen 30 years prior.

"There's no question that we're going to have to become pro-active," Roberts said. "We're a small industry, but we have a voice."

And while Roberts pushes green legislation at the capital, green initiatives remain all the buzz at ski resorts.

"It's the most important thing. I think we have a responsibility to manage the environment that we manage," said Art Chapman, president of JMA Ventures, which owns Homewood and Alpine Meadows ski resorts. "The people who visit these ski areas are people who love the outdoors. They certainly have an environmental bent. And I think that what we're doing is entirely consistent with what we should be doing."

The ski industry is not the biggest culprit of greenhouse gas emissions. But many eyes are watching the resorts' every move. Roberts said the ski industry's voice in the climate change arena is like "the mouse that roared."

"The impact is small because we are a very small industry," he said. "We are small. But the fact of the matter is, we have a high public profile. And so, from an educational point of view, it's really important."

Cowley said such environmental initiatives as recycling trail maps or limiting disposable tableware seek to involve ski-area guests in the solution.

"People love it," she said. "And people love the idea that before they leave, they're doing something. Even if it's the smallest thing to reduce their footprint."

Efforts to go green get traction beyond Tahoe, Mammoth or Big Bear, Roberts said.

"This message is getting out," Roberts said. "We're singing soprano way back in the chorus of this choir. But we're singing."

Keep an eye for warming signs

At his post perched on the crest of the Sierra, Central Sierra Snowlab Director Randall Osterhuber is in a unique position to document the changes in the mountain range's climate.

Local data shows constant fluctuation in the amount of annual precipitation on the Sierra Nevada, according to more than 50 years' worth of numbers recorded at the snowlab on Donner Summit.

But the form the moisture takes while falling to the ground is changing.

Rain gradually is replacing snow, Osterhuber said. Simultaneously, the average snowline is going up, and the region's maximum snow depth is decreasing slightly."

So those things fit together, of course," Osterhuber said. "That's what one would expect if throughout the winter, we're seeing a higher percentage of rain."

These observations are based on more than 60 years' worth of data taken since the Donner Summit snowlab was built in 1946, Osterhuber said.

"Looking at this last winter doesn't necessarily subscribe to the theory that we're getting warmer," Osterhuber said. "But you can't just take one of these snapshot views. You have to look at the bigger picture, the bigger trends."

The state of California predicts a 1,500-foot rise in the Sierra snowline over the next 90 years, according to a publication issued by the Sierra Nevada Alliance. The alliance projects that in 100 years, the spring snowpack will be 30 percent to 70 percent of what it is today.

The United Nations says snowpack across the globe is diminishing, but Cayan said that the Sierra Nevada is a warmer mountain range than others because of its proximity to the Pacific coastline.

"The West Coast, the mountains that are closest to the coast, are more vulnerable to climate warming effects," Cayan said. "Just because we have warmer snows."

Ski-resort officials say they've already noticed a delayed start, pushing the winter season further into the spring. The absence of early season storms in the fall forces ski areas to become reliant on snowmaking to catch the holiday business between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

"Number one, we believe (climate change predictions) are real," Chapman said. "Clearly, the winters are coming later. So we're having less early snow, which is a challenge for ski areas."

Janet Tuttle, who owns Donner Ski Ranch with her husband, Marshall, said the late start hurts business because out-of-town clients are not as enthusiastic about winter sports once the seasons change on the other side of the hill.

"When we have more snow further into the season, people aren't that interested in coming up," Tuttle said. "People are thinking (in the spring), 'We're going to go to the beach. We're going to go golfing' ... They're not thinking about skiing anymore."

According to numbers recorded by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center since 1911, the nightly minimum temperature at Tahoe City has increased by more than 4 degrees, and the number of days experiencing average air temperatures below freezing is dropping.

"It's not getting hotter at the hot end, it's just getting warmer at the cold end," said Heather Segale, education and outreach coordinator at the research center.

In 1911, 52 percent of the total precipitation came down as snow annually. Today, only 34 percent of the total precipitation is falling frozen, according to the UC Davis data.

"The research - there's so much of it - we know what's happening. The researchers know what's going on," Segale said. "And so now it's just a matter of what to do with the land managers, the government and the different agencies and groups. What's the best strategy to make a true difference?"

So what's a ski resort to do?

Despite predictions that point toward a bleak future for the ski industry, resort officials remain cautiously optimistic. And for some, the answer lies in offering more than just ski tickets.

Tuttle said that operating at an elevation of 7,200 feet buffers Donner Ski Ranch from the warmest forecast. And the family-owned ski area offers trail activities in the summer - diversifying their product from winter-only to year-round."

Because we do have a higher base, we're fortunate in that respect," Tuttle said. "And you know, if we don't get snow ever again - at least I own 500 acres of the most beautiful land on Earth. And I will go hiking every day."

Homewood may sit at a low elevation of 6,200 feet, making the West Shore ski resort more vulnerable to warming than its higher-elevation neighbors. But the resort's lakefront location works in its favor, Chapman said.

JMA Ventures is proposing to develop the lakefront ski area into a year-round destination resort. Homewood won't just be a place to take your family skiing, it will be a complete mountain vacation - with or without snow.

To successfully achieve the shift from a ski resort to a destination, however, Chapman said it is critical to raise the bar environmentally.

"Because that's why people come," he said. "Environmentally, it's such a beautiful area."