Public comment needed on winter boat ramp hours for Sand Harbor and Cave Rock

INCLINE VILLAGE / STATELINE, Nev. — Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park is requesting public comment for open boat ramp operating hours and days of the week, at both the Sand Harbor and Cave Rock launch facilities.

Effective November 1, 2008, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is requiring that aquatic invasive species boat inspectors be present when boat ramps at Lake Tahoe are open. Quagga and Zebra mussels are a significant threat to Tahoe’s ecosystem and quality of recreation. Boat inspections will help protect the lake from this problem.

The park is holding a call-in and email period Monday and Tuesday, October 13 and 14 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Please call 775-684-2793 or email tahoe@parks.nv.gov and answer the following questions regarding comments for operating the Sand Harbor and Cave Rock boat launches between October 1, 2008 through April 30, 2009:

1. Do you operate a motorized boat at Lake Tahoe?
2. What days of the week do you use your boat at Lake Tahoe?
3. What hours of the day do you use your boat at Lake Tahoe?

Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park appreciates the public’s involvement in helping set boat ramp operating hours and your understanding with the need to protect Lake Tahoe from aquatic invasive species.

Boat ramp to close at Sand Harbor

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Sand Harbor’s boat ramp will be closed September 15 due to low water conditions.

The parking lot will remain open for carry-in boat access only. All other boaters should use the Cave Rock boat ramp facility.

This closure will prevent personal watercraft from being damaged during a launch and protect the end of the launch lanes from damage.

Lake Tahoe Nevada State Parks appreciates the public’s understanding in this matter and the safety measures the park is taking to protect property.

Fuels reduction continuing on Nevada state urban parcels in the Lake Tahoe Basin

LAKE TAHOE, Nev.–The Nevada Division of State Lands is continuing fuels reduction work on state-owned, urban parcels on the eastern side of the Lake Tahoe basin. Work consists primarily of brush removal and the thinning of smaller diameter trees in residential areas of Washoe and Douglas counties.

“Reducing hazardous fuel is our primary objective as most of the state-owned parcels are in residential neighborhoods,” said Jim Lawrence, Division of State Lands’ administrator. “We are fulfilling our responsibilities as owners of these parcels.”

On Foot: Spooner Lake aspen grove is a summer paradise (Chico ER)

Spooner Lake sits in an alpine meadow to the east of Lake Tahoe, almost at the junction of highways 28 and 50. A Nevada State Park, Spooner Lake is part of a trail system that connects Tahoe Rim Trail, Marlette Lake, Spooner Summit and the Great Flume trails that go north from Highway 50 to Mount Rose Interpretive Trail along Highway 431 at the north. Most of these trails are long hauls — 10 and 20-mile treks that gain more than 1,000 feet in elevation.

Spooner Lake is great for families because it’s flat and just a 1.6-mile loop. But the real fun of Spooner Lake is its changing scenery as hikers move around the lake.

At the west end are a number of flat granite boulders that were used by Washoe Indians hundreds of years ago to grind pine nuts and acorns into staples such as biscuits and mush. According to the book, “Lake Tahoe,” by Lisa Gollin Evans, the lake area was the site a summer camps for the Washoe.

Read the complete story at the Chico Enterprise Record.