The U.S. Forest Service has had to push back its dates for Winter Trek field trips.

The agency takes fifth-graders in the basin to Heavenly Mountain Resort for an environmental lesson on snowshoes.

It was supposed to start next week, but has been delayed until February. And then that’s assuming the conditions improve.

“I evaluated on-mountain coverage and conditions late last week and did not feel confident beginning our program on time. The current conditions are simply unsafe, especially with the projected forecast,” Megan Dee, USFS Winter Trek coordinator, said in an email to educators.

— Lake Tahoe News staff report