By Peter Fimrite, San Francisco Chronicle

Bigger, more intense forest fires, longer droughts, warmer ocean temperatures and an ever shrinking snowpack in the Sierra Nevada are “unequivocal” evidence of the ruinous domino-effects that climate change is having on California, a new California Environmental Protection Agency report states.

The 350-page report released Wednesday tracks 36 indicators of climate change, including a comprehensive list of human impacts and the effects on wildlife, the ocean, lakes, rivers and the mountains.

The study pulled together research from scientists, academia and research institutions and found that despite a marked downward trend in greenhouse-gas emissions in California, including a 90 percent drop in black carbon from tailpipe emissions over the past 50 years, CO2 levels in the atmosphere and in seawater are increasing at a steady rate.

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By Associated Press
 
Gov. Jerry Brown signed an executive order on Thursday that aims to reduce the dangers of wildfires following some of the deadliest and most destructive blazes in state history.

The order calls for accelerating forest management procedures such as cutting back dense stands of trees and setting controlled fires to burn out thick brush. Brown wants to double the forest area managed by such practices to 500,000 acres (781 square miles) within five years.

Brown’s order also calls for streamlining the process of allowing private landowners to thin trees and encouraging the building industry to use more innovative wood products.

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The driver of the rig that overturned was working for Watson Brothers Trucking out of Manteca. Photo/CDFWS

By Kathryn Reed

It is estimated that at least 4,700 gallons of a toxic chemical reached the West Fork of the Carson River after a tractor trailer crashed May 9 near Woodfords.

“The thinking is a lot of it went into the water. They just don’t have any specific number,” Scott Ferguson with Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control told Lake Tahoe News. Officials probably will never know the exact amount. Estimates are it could have been as much as 4,900 gallons.

The chemical was hypochlorite, a bleach-like substance. It had a concentration of 12.5 percent.

“The good news is so far there has not been any reports of any fish kill,” Ferguson said. “What is in the river is gone, meaning it has flowed on. There is nothing you can do once it gets into the water in this situation.”

Some of the remaining concerns are impacts to aquatic life, with trout the main species in the river; and then if any rain were to soak the contaminated soil and carry it into a waterway or spread it farther on land.

H2O Environmental is handling the soil removal. That likely isn’t going to start until Monday. Working with underground utilities is part of the delay in removing the soil. The site, which is near the Caltrans maintenance station in Woodfords, is being secured because of the incoming weather system.

Several agencies from California and Nevada are working together to resolve the contamination issue. They are in cleanup and assessment mode now, with any fines or recovery costs to be determined at a later date.

Lahontan, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, and California Fish and Wildlife Service were all at the site on Thursday taking samples. Alpine County and Caltrans are also involved.

Greg Brown, 46, of Oakland was driving east on Highway 88 west of Crystal Springs when he lost control, crossed into the westbound lane and overturned. According to the California Highway Patrol, the trailer detached and continued to overturn up the embankment on the north side of the highway. The tank ruptured and the chemical spewed on to the road, dirt and then into a tributary of the Carson River.

“Due to his speed through curves the driver lost control,” the CHP report says of the 10am Wednesday incident.

Brown’s body was found in the cab of the truck hours later. The site had to be secured by hazmat crews before first responders were allowed in. It is not known if Brown died from the chemical release or the crash.

Wesley Rice and Janet Murphy are vying for the District 4 seat that represents Lake Tahoe on the Douglas County Commission.

By Susan Wood

STATELINE – You know it’s a new day and age of politics when much of the focus for local government is on the party system.

Hence, the upcoming primary election for Nevadans is June 12, a week after California’s, and the candidates running for two seats on the Douglas County Board of Commissioners let it be known they’re steadfast Republicans.

Such is the case at the candidate forum sponsored by the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce and the Tahoe Citizens Committee on May 9 in which current District 2 Commissioner Steve Thaler is being challenged by former chief financial officer and police officer John Engels, who’s relatively new to the Douglas County government scene.

Tahoe residents Wesley Rice, a deputy constable, and Janet Murphy, an engineer-turned-government consultant, also squared off in front of about 50 people to hear their ideas for the District 4 seat Nancy McDermid is being termed out on.

All candidates pledged at some point to attest to Republican values – a concept almost nonexistent years ago when the two-party system shared the same ballot.

Murphy even used the “drain the swamp” Trumpism when referring to being a fiscal conservative and making government more accountable to the taxpayers who seek getting the most out of District 4.

For District 2, the cowboy hat-clad Engels called himself nothing short of a staunch conservative Republican, equating affordable housing to gang housing and implying local government employees are paid too much in comparison to other jurisdictions in Nevada. The home page of his website displays the National Rifle Association logo, an inferred symbol of a no-holds-barred form of governing where might prevails over problems.

The more refined Thaler used his cerebral recollection of balancing a complex budget anchored by a $52 million General Fund as an “always challenging” but necessary task to be proud of without gutting it.

The District 4 race also represents a contrast of sorts in personalities, despite Rice and Murphy being neighbors five houses apart. Rice and Thaler, going for separate seats, appeared to tag team with hosting coffee chats together – one at Casey’s this Saturday.

The mild-mannered Rice, who serves on the Round Hill General Improvement District, opposed Engels characterization of the gang problem as not bad because of superior law enforcement. Like Engels, he also served as a police officer.

Nonetheless, Rice was predominantly placed at odds with the high energy, multi-tasking, shoot-from-the-hip style of Murphy, who made many of her take-no-prisoner points off the cuff. The experienced administrator for the Tahoe Douglas Utility District seemed to be peppered with questions from the chamber, citizen committee and audience by moderator Steve Teshara about whether her commitment level would be in jeopardy because of her busy schedule or dual party affiliation. She previously ran decades ago as an independent but now considers herself “an independent thinker.”

“I can do the job,” the Zephyr Cove resident repeatedly countered in various ways, making the case it’s “all government” where serving on different boards can mean sharing crossover information.

In November, the winner of the June Republican primary will face Kristi Kandel, a real estate consultant running as an independent with the goal of fixing infrastructure and balancing the vacation home rental quandary among other things.

The candidates never shied away from or ran out of topics to discuss.

“Tiregate” – Douglas County’s debacle involving a $1 million embezzlement by a former employee was described as shameful and embarrassing by all the candidates. The product of a grand jury investigation may have represented the one item they all agreed should never happen again with proper checks and balances.

Thaler promised those listening: “The criminal side is yet to come.”

Vacation home rentals, growth, cost-cutting, congestion, relationship with the Nevada Department of Transportation and the abundant supply of general improvement districts rounded out a lengthy list of discussion items.

“Congestion has become unbearable,” Engels exclaimed.

The tourism-driven topic came up again at the prospect of NDOT proposing the concept of reducing Highway 50 down to two lanes.

“It became four lanes for a reason,” Murphy said. Still, she understands why NDOT would want to make the road safer.

Rice partially agreed with his opponent by adding it took his daughter three hours to drive from Meyers to Round Hill on a holiday weekend; a reason to keep it four lanes.

While serving on the board now, Thaler accused the agency of not vetting the lane-reduction idea among government officials before putting it in the public eye. That said, he also noted the relationship with the county as: “working better than it ever has.”

“The best government is the government closest to the people” appeared to be the mantra of the night as the candidates discussed the need for multiple GIDs in the county. Rice listed Round Hill’s as only costing residents $111 a month for all utility services.

Another phrase in Murphy’s repertoire – “let ’em retire” — suggested employees leaving the county wouldn’t need to be replaced if others are cross-trained. She also believes the county should police the taxation of VHRs with more scrutiny.

Growth and development resembled a mixed bag of opinions related to the building of a Tahoe events center in the redevelopment area and a loop road to surround it.

All in all, the forum was well received by attendees, who provided limited applause but favored the listen-only mode.

Gardnerville resident Dave Maxwell sat attentively the entire time. Afterward, he told Lake Tahoe News he believed the candidates represented a broad spectrum of opinions and felt the topics put forth were good.

Maxwell would like affordable housing to be considered “quality housing.”

Teshara ended the hour-plus session reminding them they will need to be registered Republican to vote for any of the candidates speaking that night.    

By William Moomaw, The Conversation

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt recently told a group of forestry executives and students that from now on the U.S. government would consider burning wood to generate electricity, commonly known as forest or woody biomass, to be “carbon neutral.”

The executives, who had gathered at an Earth Day celebration in Georgia, greeted the news with enthusiasm. But I did not.

Biomass does not introduce new carbon into the system, as its supporters point out. Yet it does transfer carbon from forests to the atmosphere, where it traps heat and contributes to climate change.

As a scientist and the coordinating lead author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on renewable energy, I have concluded from extensive scientific studies that converting forests into fuel is not carbon neutral. I have also been working with many other scientists to inform governments about the potential for forests to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and the climate perils of burning wood and forestry waste at an industrial scale for electric power.

Turning forests into fuel

Energy can be renewable. Or sustainable. Or carbon neutral. Or some combination. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they mean quite different things. Wind power and solar energy clearly have all three attributes. What about bioenergy – the heat released from burning wood and other plants?

Trees can eventually grow to replace those that were felled to produce wood pellets that are burned to produce electricity. That makes biomass very slowly renewable, if the replacement trees actually do grow enough to absorb all the carbon dioxide previously discharged.

Environmentalists generally oppose forest biomass because it contributes to climate change while disrupting important ecosystems and the biodiversity they support. They also object to this source of energy because it appears that burning biomass releases pollutants that endanger public health.

The scientists who study climate change, the global carbon cycle and forest ecology tend to reject the notion of biomass carbon neutrality. Some forest economists and forestry scientists, however, support the notion of carbon neutrality, depending on the circumstances.

Carbon accounting

To settle this debate, many of my colleagues and I believe it is essential to accurately account for all the emissions from burning wood for electric power. This is more than an academic exercise as biomass already produces significant emissions and industry observers foresee a nearly seven-fold increase in its use by 2050 from 2013 levels.

Forests can, at least theoretically, be managed sustainably as long as annual harvesting doesn’t exceed annual growth rates. Suppliers claim to use residues from timber harvesting, thinnings – trees growing too close to other trees to thrive – and sawdust for this purpose. However, large-scale biomass has led to clear-cutting and the harvesting of whole trees.

Also, experts see the carbon neutrality of forest biomass differently depending on the time frames they consider, and on their assumptions regarding the likelihood that saplings planted to replace burned trees grow sufficiently to offset all of the associated carbon emissions.

Carbon neutrality supporters

Bioenergy supporters say it’s possible for replacement trees to eventually remove all the carbon emitted through biomass from the atmosphere.

But this would require growing trees and forests that are bigger than the ones already harvested and burned for fuel. In addition to the emissions from combustion, carbon is released from forest soils when trees are felled. And it takes large amounts of energy to prepare wood pellets and transport them to where they are burned.

Some bioenergy advocates claim that the carbon dioxide emitted when utilities and industry burn wood for energy is removed instantaneously by other growing trees located elsewhere. As long as forests globally are removing more carbon dioxide than is being released from harvesting and burning them, they assert that bioenergy is carbon neutral until combustion emissions exceed the removal rate by live trees.

However, there do not appear to be any quantitative studies to support this concept. 

Biomass critics

The scientists and other energy experts who argue that burning wood isn’t carbon-neutral – including me – point out that bioenergy releases as much or more carbon dioxide per unit of thermal energy than coal or natural gas.

People are adding nearly twice as much carbon dioxide as natural systems can remove every year. If forests and soils were not continuously doing their job of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, concentrations would grow annually by 75 percent more than they do.

Like most bioenergy critics, I point out that this debate hinges on the choice of baselines for how and when one measures the net carbon impact of biomass emissions. Put another way, you can’t count trees – and the carbon they would remove – before they grow.

And if the utilities now using biomass were to deploy solar energy instead, more carbon would remain stored in forests and less would be released into the atmosphere.

Growing trees takes time

Then there is the issue of time. Wood burns within minutes, releasing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. But studies have determined that it takes about a century to remove the previously emitted carbon dioxide even if typical forest trees are replaced.

Many bioenergy advocates acknowledge that fact. They argue that a 100-year span is a reasonable time frame for achieving carbon neutrality, but over the following 50 years, some tree species can double in size to store twice as much carbon. Furthermore, according to scientific consensus, the world must begin reducing emissions by 2020 to meet the Paris climate agreement’s goals to stave off disastrous global warming.

But waiting for full-replacement forest growth is a best-case scenario. The forestry industry usually harvests trees for timber, pulp and other products before they grow to their full potential. And there is no assurance that saplings planted to replace trees cut for biomass will grow enough to meet carbon removal goals before being lost to fire, pests, drought or wind – or that the land where they are planted won’t be converted to agriculture, housing, office parks or parking lots.

Even using forest residues from harvesting, and thinnings from forest management aren’t carbon-neutral. Only expanding forests and lengthening times between harvests reduce emissions.

Besides, the consequences of a changed climate, such as flooded coastal cities, irreversibly melted glaciers and sea ice, species extinction and more severe weather events like hurricanes is what really matters – not net carbon emissions. Eventual carbon neutrality does not assure climate neutrality. And even if tree regrowth were to counteract the carbon released through biomass, it would take decades. But the world needs to stall emissions growth now.

And of course if that wood had not been burned, the vast majority of those surviving trees would have removed and stored carbon dioxide emitted from burning coal and other fossil fuels.

Government support

Yet many governments are making forest biomass a mainstay of their renewable energy policies, especially in the European Union – which declared all forms of bioenergy to be carbon-neutral in 2009.

The U.K. is replacing all of its coal-fired power plants with new facilities that burn wood pellets that are largely imported from southern states like North Carolina and Mississippi.

Producing electricity by burning wood now costs more than wind or solar power, making biomass only economically viable with large subsidies. It takes a significant environmental toll on local land, water and biodiversity while generating as much air pollution as coal, or even more, for some pollutants.

The evidence demonstrates that burning biomass worsens climate change. By contrast, protecting and restoring forests increases the removal and long-term storage of carbon from the atmosphere, a highly effective means for slowing global warming.

William Moomaw is professor emeritus of international environmental policy at Tufts University.

By Kathryn Reed

Unknown amounts of a bleach-like chemical spilled into the Carson River on Wednesday near Woodfords.

Even though the tanker truck carrying the sodium hypochlorite crashed into a power pole about 10am May 9, no one had been allowed into the area as of 6pm because of the danger the chemical poses. Depending on the concentration it is dangerous to inhale or touch.

A one-square mile from the crash site was evacuated.

Hazmat crews from the Nevada National Guard were sent in to secure the site.

The chemical is a disinfectant similar to bleach. In fact, when it is combined with water it becomes bleach. It can cause pH in the water to increase.

“There are too many variables to speculate the impacts at this point,” Scott Ferguson with Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board told Lake Tahoe News.

Because his team and others have not been allowed into the discharge site it has not been determined how much of the chemical reached the west fork of the river. Also unknown is the concentration of the chemical. The river flow will be another factor.

Most of the users downstream are livestock and agriculture. Ferguson said without more facts he could not say if there is any danger or if the chemical could have dissipated.

He added that agencies from both states are cooperating.

According to an alert sent out by the California Office of Emergency Services the driver of the truck died. California Highway Patrol was not able to confirm this or to give out any information about the driver.

Traffic is not allowed to head west on Highway 88 at Picketts Junction. The road is also closed at the California/Nevada border. There is not estimation when it will be opened.

By Kathryn Reed

A stressful two years has ended with South Tahoe High School now being fully accredited.

“Sometimes in crisis comes the opportunity for reestablishing a focus,” Superintendent Jim Tarwater told Lake Tahoe News.

The Western Association of Schools and Colleges had placed the school on a two-year probationary status in 2016. Lake Tahoe Unified School District appealed the decision to no avail. Chad Houck, principal at the time, did not have his contract renewed.

The new accreditation is for six years, but only goes through June 2022. This is because the two-year probationary period is considered part of those six years. As is custom, there is always a site visit from WASC officials at the midpoint. That means they’ll be back in spring 2019 – the three-year mark in how they count.

The letter dated May 3 to Principal Carline Sinkler from WASC says, “South Tahoe High School is required to prepare an in-depth progress report for the mid-cycle visit. The report and visit should demonstrate that the school has:

• Addressed the critical areas for follow-up through the schoolwide action plan;

Tarwater said two main things changed between the outcome two years ago and receiving the good news. One, is the increased parent involvement with better communication and including their vision into the school’s philosophy. The second, is more staff involvement so “everyone has skin in the game.”

“They liked the facilities, programs and technology. They wanted more professional development, more implementation of Common Core, and collaboration with staff,” Tarwater explained.

The district gave each school $50 per student to be used for professional development. This is an ongoing line item in the budget. Training has been acknowledged as a necessary component to keep teachers and staff updated on the latest trends, technology and other nuances needed in a classroom.

In the last four years the district has hired 84 new teachers. They and the veterans all need that support.

STHS changed what needed changing, brought in outside help like that of former Principal Ivone Larson, and engaged more people – including students – for what turned to be the correct combination to have accreditation acknowledged without an asterisk.

“STHS is on a clear path toward being a school as extraordinary as the place we live,” Principal Carline Sinkler said in a community email. She did not return LTN‘s call.

While on the probationary status STHS was still full accredited and there was no risk to students going onto college.

The Viking Graduate Profile was created in the aftermath of the probationary notice. The goal is to promote six enduring qualities – critical thinking, collaboration, curiosity, communication, character, and healthy independence. Those traits are also now being focused on younger grade levels as well.

In assessing the culture, academics and other issues at the high school, it led to an evaluation of the entire district. After all, if things are not going well at the feeder schools, it’s likely to carry-over into the high school.

The district as a whole is focusing more on the entire student and not just academics. Starting next school year there will be a nurse at every school site. This is not a common practice in districts.

“I think it will help support the critical needs kids,” Tarwater said. He added it should help with attendance as well.

Something else coming to the schools is a social worker.

“It will give support to parents during trauma times,” Tarwater said. “We want to do a whole wrap around.”

It’s no longer just about academics in schools. The social and emotional well-being of students now lies with the schools. The world has changed and school districts are trying to catch up to be way more than the three R’s.

By Kendra Pierre-Louis, New York Times

There are certain axioms about the natural world we learn as children. The sea is salty. Plants grow toward light. Bears hibernate in winter.

But as climate change leads to warmer winters, later falls and earlier springs — which can disrupt both food supplies and biological rhythms — American black bears are changing their hibernation routines, scientists say. In some cases, bears are not hibernating at all, staying awake all winter. In others, bears are waking from their slumber too early.

For every one degree Celsius that minimum temperatures increase in winter, bears hibernate for six fewer days, a study found last fall. As global temperatures continue to rise, by the middle of the century black bears may stay awake between 15 and 39 more days per year, the study said.

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Bright Lights chard will be one of the early offerings at the Tuesday market in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Jim Coalwell

By Susan Wood

Farmers’ markets sprout summer like no other symbol of outdoor living.

At Lake Tahoe, it’s almost an emotional tie to Mother Earth’s bounty after enduring the harsh nature of winter. It’s also a time to connect with neighbors – whether here permanently or part time.

The South Shore kicks off the season with the Ski Run (Boulevard) Farmers Market on Fridays from 3-8pm starting June 1. Four days later, the El Dorado County Certified Farmers Market will begin its pilgrimage at the American Legion Hall parking lot from 8am to 1pm.

Tahoe-area farmers’ markets:
• El Dorado County Certified Farmers Market
American Legion off Highway 50, South Lake Tahoe
Tuesdays 8am-1pm; starting June 5
• Ski Run Farmers Market
1132 Ski Run Blvd.; South Lake Tahoe
Fridays 3-8pm; starting June 1
• Incline Village Farmers Market
Library at 845 Alder Ave.; Incline Village
Thursdays 4-7pm; starting May 24
• Tahoe City Farmers Market
Commons Beach at 280 N. Lake Blvd., Tahoe City
Thursdays 8am-1pm; starting May 17
• Truckee Community Farmers Market
12047 Donner Pass Road; Truckee
Sundays 9am-1pm; starting June 10

This year, there’s none scheduled at Kahle Community Center as “it lacked community support,” markets manager Steve Rozier explained. Instead, he will focus on the Incline Village Farmers Market slated for Thursdays from 4 to 7pm – with a new home at the library at 845 Alder Ave.

Rozier will also provide South Shore representation with his produce available at www.laketahoemarkets.com through the market box. This program offers the complimentary services to those in the city of South Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Zephyr Cove and Glenbrook. Meyers residents pay $3 per delivery.

“We keep our eye on the markets,” Rozier said, referring to the potential of both his own and other Tahoe-area markets.

In a day and age where almost weekly bulletins announce contamination of some type of food, farmers’ markets get to tout the freshness of their produce.  

“We pride ourselves on fresh produce. We get our romaine lettuce from Watsonville,” Rozier told Lake Tahoe News, pointing to a recent outbreak of those sickened by lettuce.

EDC Markets manager Jim Coalwell agrees.

“You know personally who’s selling (the produce) to you, know it’s locally grown and know (the grower will) be back there next week,” he said.

Despite an overall price increase of about 20 percent, markets customers seem to buy into that justification as they return year after year.

Through time, much of the farmers’ and growers’ fears focus on the unpredictable nature of weather.

“It was a strange spring,” Coalwell noted.

He said the West Slope witnessed “a false spring” in February, then the trees froze in March. Coalwell, who grows stone fruit and greens, sighed while considering how climate disruption all evened out in the end in time for this season.

“Our orchard looks really good. It has a nice set of peaches and should start out with a good bang,” he told Lake Tahoe News.

And as always, don’t expect tomatoes anytime soon – unless they come from Manteca. Others should hit the crates come July.

The Ski Run market in South Lake Tahoe is more than just produce. Photo/Provided

It’s a soup-to-nuts type of display anticipated on Ski Run Boulevard in front Blue Angel Café to launch summer weekends on the South Shore.

Market customers will see more fresh meats, hot food vendors, popcorn and nuts mixed with local art and homegrown bands to entertain the crowds, market manager Mollie Mason said.

Mason has noticed more entrepreneurs in Tahoe showing up to sell their wares among the 40 vendors.

“The market is a great way to get their (business) feet wet,” she said.

This setting — which has been around for eight years — is all about the experience. Picnic tables are set up to urge families to stay a while.  

Tuesday’s longtime mainstay at the Legion on Lake Tahoe Boulevard has evolved with a little diversity of its own. It’s always been known as attracting growers bringing fruits and veggies from as far away as Fresno in California’s lush Central Valley. Through the years, farmers have shared the parking lot with other products – with the one stipulation of being locally made.

Some of the food can even be pre-made for the customers. 

“It’s turned out to be quite lucrative,” Tahoe private chef Eunie Lyle said of Tuesday’s market. She’s set up a booth for her party catering business for eight years.

“It’s important to put a face to a business,” she said. The face becomes more welcoming when the person attached to it hands you professionally-prepared food. Lyle enjoys handing out samples of dishes.

The markets have worked out so well, she plans to hit Ski Run’s on Fridays and will consider Incline Village’s. 

Her big goal is to introduce people to great tasting meals that don’t have to be complex.

“I feel sorry for people who don’t know just to add a little lemon juice and pepper,” she said.

A social animal herself, Lyle admitted that’s one of the aspects of the farmers markets she relishes. It can be a party in itself.

 “I get to speak to all kinds of people I don’t usually meet,” she said.

 As it turns out, she’s not alone.

Agreeing is Lisa Hori, who has brought out her husband Dirk Yuricich’s photography to the Tuesday market since 2009.

“It’s the social event of the summer,” she said.

The couple sells many of the photographs to tourists, second homeowners or anyone remembering they have that “empty wall.”

 No concern of empty slots at the markets. An abundance of vendors is on hand every week.

By Benjamin Spillman, Reno Gazette-Journal

An American Indian tribe with deep roots in the Lake Tahoe basin is seeking to reclaim land that’s part of a Nevada resort area.

The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California wants to ask Congress for nearly 375 acres of federal land in Incline Village.

The property includes land that’s part of Diamond Peak Ski Resort and along fairways at Incline Village Championship Golf Course.

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