Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care found a more suitable home for this bobcat. Photo/ DanThriftPhotgraphy.com

By Tom Millham

I have an update for you on “Bobzee” the 40-pound pet bobcat. The owners came here about an hour ago and took her to Safe Haven, a wildlife refuge in Imlay, Nevada.

Bobzee will spend the rest of her natural life there. The owners, Tony and Christel, were very relieved to know that we were able to find a place for their pet of the last seven years. They finally realized that a bobcat is NOT a good house pet. They did their best to persuade Bobzee to walk into the airline pet carrier we had for her transportation to Safe Haven, but Bobzee would have NOTHING to do with it.

We finally had to resort to physical handling and I had to put a noose around her and forceably place her into the cage. No one — human or animal — was injured.

Safe Haven is approximately 100 miles east of Reno near Interstate 80.

So, we are now down to five bear cubs, a Cooper’s hawk and a great-horned owl.

Last Thursday and Friday, we released the 10 raccoons, the osprey, the two river otters and the porcupine.

The five cubs will most likely be with us until late January or early February. The Cooper’s hawk and great-horned owl will probably be released within the next 10-14 days. We do have a few other birds which have come in the past few days, but all have minor injuries and should be released later this week.

And, in case you didn’t hear, we did get an update on Li’l Smokey, but it was several weeks ago. He was tracked within 10 miles from the original release point. We expect to receive another update sometime before the end of the year.

Tom Millham is secretary-treasurer for Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care on the South Shore of Lake Tahoe.

By Ray Ford, Santa Barbara Independent

On Saturday, a small cadre of trail volunteers were provided detailed training in advanced erosion control techniques, using rock armoring of the trail, rolling grade dips and a type of “mini-dip” known as a nick. The project was part of the Forest Service burned area recovery program (BAER), which provided funds to help deal with the impacts of the recent Jesusita Fire on Tunnel, Jeusita, Rattlesnake and West Fork of Cold Spring trails.

“We don’t a lot of money for the trail work,” Santa Barbara District Wilderness Trail Manager Kerry Kellogg noted at Steven Park, where the fifteen volunteers assembled. “However, it does provideus the opportunity to bring in several CCC crews over the next month to work on reinforcing existing water control features and redesigning others.”

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Oakland A’s World Series MVP and boater Dave Stewart will be the keynote speaker at the 38th Annual Marina Recreation Association Educational Conference and Trade Show at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe, Stateline, Nov. 3-5.

“His journey from raw-talent rookie to ultimate success at the top of the game gives Stewart a unique insight into the value of persistence and hard work in good times and bad,” according to conference organizers.

The MRA is an association of marina owners, operators and trade members throughout the Western States, Baja California and Hawaii.

For more information about the MRA or its 38th Annual Educational Conference and Trade Show, visit www.marina.org.

Lauren Glendenning, Aspen Times

VAIL — One Vail company is trying to hone in on a market that has brought business to other resorts for years — the gay and lesbian community.

Rocky Mountain Vacation Rentals, a local vacation planning and concierge company, is hosting Vail Gay Ski Week Jan. 27 to 31, which will include parties, apres ski events, group skiing, restaurant and lodging deals and other festivities.

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Reno Gazette-Journal

Freestyle athletes from across the U.S. will again wrap up their winter season at Squaw Valley USA at the 2010 Sprint U.S. Freestyle Championships.

Moguls, dual moguls, aerials and skier halfpipe titles will be awarded to the best in the U.S. March 25-28, 2010, during the 50th anniversary of the 1960 Winter Games.

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American River Canyon on Oct. 17, 2009.    Photo/Kathryn Reed

New England might be home to the most famous swath of fall foliage in the United States, but it isn’t the only place to see nature’s palette.

The American River Canyon (Highway 50 between Echo Summit and Pollock Pines) is rich with color right now. Various shades of yellow — ranging from golden to pale are visible. The red spectrum goes from pink to fire engine red. Orange and green fill the gaps.

With the river at a rather subdued state, at times it appears perfectly still — offering reflections of the foliage. A few rapids exist, just a reminder of the velocity of this river in the spring and early summer when whitewater kayakers ply the waters.

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Thursday was the deadline for the U.S. Olympic Committee to pick a city to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. No submission was entered.

This means 2022 is the soonest the Tahoe-Reno area could host the Games. Regional organizers are saying they are likely to continue their quest to bring the Games to the area.

2010 marks the 50th anniversary of the Games being at Squaw Valley.

The 2009 Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships are at Northstar at Tahoe Oct. 16-18.

The best collegiate mountain bike athletes will descend upon the largest bike park in Northern California for three intense days of racing. Come on out and cheer for your favorite college or university team as they race hard all weekend to bring the glory home to their school.

Oct. 16

The weekend will start in the Village at Northstar on Friday with the Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Race.

Oct. 17

On Saturday, racers will compete in the Women’s and Men’s Short Track Cross Country race which starts in the Village and continues up on to the mountain and the Mountain Cross event which will take place on Zone 6 of the famed Live Wire trail in the Northstar Resort Bike Park.

Oct. 18

The final day of racing will be action packed with the Women’s and Men’s Downhill race on Karpiel, Dog Bone and Lower Sticks and Stones trails.

For more information,visit www.2009mtbnationals.com.

Van Sickle Bi-state Park from Heavenly's gondola. Photo/Kathryn Reed

By Susan Wood

Nevada park officials were granted a weeklong excavation extension by TRPA to work past today’s deadline of no more dirt moving so progress can be made on the 725-acre Van Sickle Bi-state Park that is situated under the Heavenly gondola near Stateline.

Storm drainage work on the $2.8 million phase of the park that is split between California and Nevada behind the casino corridor was put to the test as Tuesday’s severe storm roared through the South Shore.

“We’ve been impressed with everything the contractor has been able to do,” parks Project Manager Ned Wallace said Wednesday. “Everything was working fine after this recent storm.”

Working on the park's stormwater drainage system.  Photo/Kathryn Reed

This wasn’t the first time the grounds have been tested. The Gondola Fire in July 2002 ignited under the gondola on the 150 acres California bought from rancher Jack Van Sickle. Van Sickle donated 575 acres to Nevada with the intention of building a park.

The park as first envisioned was novel for being an urban trailhead to nature and made history as the nation’s only bi-state park.

Earlier this year when it became apparent California had no money to chip in for the day-use picnic area, the state granted an easement to the Silver State to proceed with the first phase of construction. There’s talk of California selling bonds to fund the other four phases of the master plan, which includes a visitor center and campground large enough to accommodate recreational vehicles.

“Our biggest challenge for the park is it not getting built,” Wallace said. This is why baby steps that show resilience go a long way.

Park officials are starting at Montreal Avenue along the gondola line and working uphill. This 2.5-acre phase of the project calls for picnic tables near the historic barn, a rest room, parking lot with spaces to accommodate horse trailers, and a half-mile of road to the lot.

Bonds approved by Nevada in 2007 funded the stormwater drainage system billed as an environmental improvement project. The road is proposed to be porous pavement designed to absorb stormwater that flows from the ridge toward Lake Tahoe. EIP projects are all about preserving or enhancing Lake Tahoe’s clarity.

Nevada wants contractor Burdick Excavating Company to complete the phase next August. Nevada park officials have until Oct. 22 to cap-off work for 2009.

Tahoe Rim Trail Association volunteers have begun building a connector trail to the 165-mile route that circles the lake. The group also agreed to clean the rest room once it’s built. California once indicated it would staff the park, but with its reoccurring budget problems those best-laid intentions remain to be seen.

Susan Wood is a freelance writer based in South Lake Tahoe. She may be reached at copysue1@yahoo.com.

Free skiing – it’s all about the price tag, not the style on Friday when Mammoth Mountain opens.

The storm that just blew through Lake Tahoe brought substantial white stuff to the resort south of the basin off Highway 395. Six feet is what the mountain has up top.

Oct. 16 is the second earliest opening on record, with 1994’s date being Oct. 8.

As with most early resort operations, a limited number of lifts will be operational.

For all the details, go to www.mammothmountain.com.