I almost made it to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge back in 2003. My friend and I had packed up her truck and left our Alpine Meadows home for a long road trip to the Land of the Midnight Sun. She was saying goodbye to...
Last year was the worst year for Lake Tahoe’s clarity since anyone started paying attention. That said, it was a fluke. The bigger problem—and it may be bigger than anyone can know—lies ahead as the climate continues to warm, raising water temperatures and producing potentially widespread...
Nature’s ability to reclaim the slopes of abandoned ski areas depends on the method used to clear them Two ski runs are sitting next to each other. One was cut by a chainsaw, the other a bulldozer. Which one is more sustainable? The method by which...
Tahoe-Truckee residents want renewable energy. Now, how do we get it? Every seat was taken at the Town Council meeting in Truckee last November. The item on the agenda—a resolution for 100 percent renewable energy—was universally supported. Even in small towns, where roundabouts versus stoplights have...
The Lake Tahoe region is home to five spectacular wilderness areas Identifying the dizzying array of federal public land in the United States can be difficult. You may think you know what a national park looks like—snapshots of the dawn of creation, like Yosemite’s towering granite monoliths...
The furry, high-elevation animal has gone extinct in sections of Tahoe—land that was once its core habitat A scampering ball of fur with Mickey Mouse–round ears and a miniature bouquet of flowers in its mouth—the American pika has long been a prized sighting for those who...
Local nonprofit has enjoyed much success since forming in 1996 Jim Plehn spent transformative childhood summers on the edge of the Truckee River at Bear Rock, his family’s riverfront cabin just a few miles west of Tahoe City. After moving to Bear Rock full time in...
Conservation efforts seek to return Donner Summit wetland to its original biologically rich state Randy Westmoreland is walking across uneven ground, striding through the brown blades of dormant winter grass. His eyes are trained on the rise and fall of the earth, picking up the course...
In Tahoe, where seemingly every peak, forest and lake has been explored by a willing and adventurous public, the 1,320-acre Carpenter Valley just north of Truckee’s Tahoe Donner subdivision is an anomaly. The valley and its incredible scenery has remained closed and relatively untouched as...
Desert Research Institute eyeing 2018–19 winter for project Ambitious plans to boost snowfall in the Lake Tahoe region via drones came to a halt last winter, with huge storms reducing the need for man-made snow and regulatory processes hampering researchers’ hopes of flying their unmanned aircraft...