News Briefs
Humane Society Animal Shelter Celebrating 10-Year Anniversary
TRUCKEE
For over two decades, the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe and the Town of Truckee Animal Services have joined forces to transform the lives of pets in the Truckee and North Lake Tahoe region. This month, they commemorate a significant milestone — the 10th anniversary of their state-of-the-art animal shelter, Remy’s Rescue.
The journey began over 20 years ago when both organizations united to provide a safe haven for lost, abandoned, and surrendered pets. In 2013, their dream of a modern animal shelter became a reality as they moved from an old temporary facility near the rodeo grounds to Remy’s Rescue, the Town of Truckee’s first public animal shelter.
Because HSTT and the Town of Truckee enjoy a strong partnership and are fortunate to have the support of generous donors, volunteers, and foster homes, the Truckee animal shelter has the capacity to open its doors to homeless pets from surrounding areas whenever space permits.
Since becoming a regional shelter in 2013, the Truckee shelter has played a vital role in helping homeless pets find better lives and connecting people and pets to essential resources:
- 5,996 pets adopted
- 1,719 lost pets returned to their owners
- 26,840 hours donated by 3,358 volunteers
- 11,937 humane education opportunities presented
- 5,263 pets spayed/neutered in the shelter clinic
- Over 48,000 pounds of pet food distributed
- Nearly 1,800 community pets vaccinated and microchipped at Town of Truckee/HSTT wellness clinics
As the year draws to a close, both HSTT and the Town of Truckee Animal Services remain hopeful of achieving even higher lifesaving numbers.
~ HSTT press release
Roundup of What’s Happening on East and West River Streets
TRUCKEE
There are multiple projects underway and planned along West and East River streets. Once complete, this well-traveled corridor will have an improved streetscape with additional parking, a new public park, new traffic signals, and an extension of the Legacy Trail.
The West River Streetscape Improvements Project is the most obvious, and has caused the most traffic disruption the past couple of months. The project is expected to be complete next summer with new sidewalks, gutters, curbs, and crosswalks.
The West River Street Park is planned as a riverfront park that provides direct public access to the Truckee River in downtown Truckee. The project will go out to bid this fall, with construction expected to begin the summer of 2024.
Traffic signals will be installed along Bridge Street at Donner Pass Road and West River Street as part of the Reimagine Bridge Street project. An informative video has been posted on the Town of Truckee’s website which shows how the traffic signals will work. The tentative start date for construction of this project is summer 2025.
Phase 4A of the Truckee River Legacy Trail is currently under construction. This portion of the trail will connect the Truckee Regional Park along Brockway Road to the south side of the Truckee River. The trail will cross a newly constructed bridge and ends at the intersection of West River Street and Highway 89.
The River Revitalization Steering Committee (R2SC), meanwhile, is working collaboratively with landowners, business owners, and other river stakeholders to create opportunities for the revitalization of the Truckee River, please visit townoftruckee.com/river.
Members of the community are encouraged to attend committee meetings and share their ideas. All R2SC meetings are open to the public. To stay informed, visit townoftruckee.com/living/email-notification-sign-up and click the River Revitalization Steering Committee (R2SC) box.
~ Town of Truckee press release
Supervisors Approve Accessory Dwelling Unit Guidebook
NEVADA CITY
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors has approved the Accessory Dwelling Unit Guidebook, the newest tool to guide property owners through the ADU process. The guidebook and other materials are available at motherlodeadu.org.
ADUs (also known as “granny flats” or “in-law units”) come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can range from the conversion of existing space to prefabricated units to brand-new additions. ADUs can be attached to or detached from the main home. They can range in size from a 150-square-foot studio to 1,200 square-foot unit with multiple bedrooms.
To encourage ADUs throughout the region, the guidebook and associated tools have been developed through the Mother Lode ADU, a partnership between the counties of Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa, and Nevada. This project is funded by the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Regional Early Action Planning grant.
The new Mother Lode ADU website will walk people through all the steps needed to build an ADU and includes a host of tools that will make the process easier.
The tools available include the guidebook, cost calculator, website, contractor list, and floorplan gallery. In addition to the digital resources, the planning department will release the guidebook in print, available soon, in the Community Development Agency’s lobby at the Rood Center in Nevada City.
ADUs allow Nevada County to increase rural housing options for their children, parents, relatives, and hard-working individuals who need a home of their own. If you have considered building an ADU, visit nevadacountyca.gov/ADU and motherlodeadu.org to review the digital resources and learn more. If you have specific questions or concerns, email the planning department at planning@nevadacountyca.gov or call (530) 265-1222, option 2.
~ Nevada County press release
Tahoe Grading and Digging Season Coming to a Close
LAKE TAHOE
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is reminding residents and contractors that the annual grading and digging season for permitted projects will end on Sunday, Oct. 15, after which all construction sites must be winterized to protect Lake Tahoe’s famed water clarity. The annual grading season runs from May 1 to Oct. 15.
The long-standing requirement helps prevent sediment from washing into stormwater systems and the lake and prevents soil compaction and disturbance during what meteorological records show is the wettest period at Lake Tahoe. Site winterization requirements are available on the TRPA website.
The agency can approve grading season exceptions for projects on a case-by-case basis if a public health, safety, or water quality emergency exists.
Some activities do not require TRPA approval, even outside the grading season. Exempt projects can include:
- Paving, if all grading and base compaction is already complete.
- Up to 3 cubic yards of soil disturbance that is not part of a larger project, provided that:
- The work is complete within 48 hours and the site is stabilized to prevent erosion.
- Work is stopped during wet weather or when the project area is wet.
- Residential home landscaping and gardening projects, including irrigation work.
- Exempt residential fences up to 6 feet in height.
Projects that create or relocate impervious surfaces, also called land coverage, require a TRPA permit. The grading and digging season for permitted projects at Lake Tahoe will open again May 1, 2024.
~ TRPA press release
Upcoming Virtual Seminar on Prescribed Burning
NEVADA, PLACER COUNTIES
Join the local county resource conservation districts on Oct. 18 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. for a free virtual seminar on prescribed burning. Attendees will learn important information on topics including what prescribed fire is, how prescribed fire is conducted, when burning is permissible, and how to get more information about residential burning.
Zoom Meeting Link: us02web.zoom.us/j/3025567079
Or join by phone (US): (814) 857-8474, pin: 421748090
Featured speakers:
- Jo Ann Fites-Kaufman, Nevada County Resource Conservation District
- Cordi Craig, Prescribed Fire Manager, Placer County Resource Conservation District
- Steve Kessman, battalion chief/fire marshal, Truckee Fire Protection District
- Thomas Smith, Cal Fire
- Tahoe National Forest
For more information, contact Nevada County RCD: manager@ncrcd.org.
~ RCD press release
Burning Restrictions Lifted in North Tahoe Fire and Meeks Bay Fire Protection Districts
TAHOE CITY
The mild summer and good precipitation this fall prompted Cal Fire to lift burning restrictions, effective Oct. 9, and the fire chief has lifted seasonal fire restrictions for North Tahoe Fire and Meeks Bay fire protection districts effective the same date. Homeowners are permitted to use properly screened wood-burning fire pits and chimineas, and charcoal barbecues throughout the cold weather months unless high winds/red flag weather conditions prohibit safe use. (The outdoor burning of wood and charcoal is never permitted at short-term rentals.)
Those possessing current and valid residential burn permits may resume residential burning on permissible burn days. Cal Fire and the California Air Resource Board, in conjunction with the counties’ air quality management districts, regulate “burn” and “no burn” days. Burn permits are required and residents must verify if a day is a permissible burn day through the Placer County Air Quality Management District for permit holders in the North Tahoe Fire Protection District, or the El Dorado County Air Quality Management District for permit holders in the Meeks Bay Fire Protection District.
Residential Burn Guidelines:
- Renters must have written authorization from the property owner in their possession in order to obtain a permit.
- Maximum pile size shall be 4 feet in diameter.
- The area within 10 feet of the outer edge of the pile shall be maintained free and clear of all flammable material and vegetation.
- There must be a responsible adult in attendance with a shovel until the fire is dead out. There must be a water supply at the burning site.
No burning shall be undertaken unless weather conditions (particularly wind) are such that burning can be considered safe. Safe residential pile burning of green waste is an important tool in reducing fire hazards resulting from the buildup of forest residue. For more information on burning and to apply for a permit, visit the Cal Fire website at burnpermit.fire.ca.gov. For information on creating defensible space around your home, visit tahoelivingwithfire.com.
~ North Tahoe Fire press release
County Residents Asked to Take Survey to Help Set Community Priorities
NEVADA CITY
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors is asking residents to complete an online survey to give their assessment of the county on a wide range of topics, from economic opportunity to cannabis to wildfire prevention and more.
The 2023 Nevada County Community Survey asks 44 questions and should take 20 minutes to complete. It can be accessed at polco.us/NC23, and will be open until Oct. 24.
As part of the survey, residents are asked to select priorities they think the county should focus on in the next two years.
The results the county received from its last National Research Center survey in 2017 showed that residents prioritized public safety, the environment, and economic development. In response, the board of supervisors prioritized investment in emergency preparedness, wildfire prevention, economic development, to name a few.
The National Research Center, which has since merged with Polco, uses scientific survey methods and best practices, which allows the local results to be compared with other communities across the country.
This year’s survey asks residents to rate the county on several factors, including quality of life, overall economic health, infrastructure, natural environment, arts and culture, parks and recreation, crime, shopping options, diversity, and more. Other survey questions focus on the cannabis industry, wildfire preparation, internet accessibility, and economic opportunity in the county.
~ Nevada County press release
Business Briefs
Alpenglow Sports Announces 18th Annual Winter Speaker Series Lineup
TAHOE CITY
Alpenglow Sports is excited to announce the lineup of the 2023/24 Winter Speaker Series, presented by Tahoe Mountain Realty. From Nov. 30 through March 7, 2024, the Tahoe City retailer and community event provider will welcome five world-famous athletes to Palisades Tahoe’s Olympic Village Events Center for an intimate evening of inspirational tales of mountain adventure. Each year, the Alpenglow Winter Speaker Series welcomes over 3,000 in-person and 50,000 online attendees. In 18 years, the event has become one of the premier North American forums for adventure storytelling, mountain culture, and holistic community fundraising.
Every show is free to the public and all ages are encouraged to attend. No registration is required; doors open at 6 p.m. and each show begins shortly after 7 p.m.
Attendees can join in person or stream online using Alpenglow’s YouTube channel. Each speaker is paired with a local nonprofit organization and through two separate giveaways (one in person, one online), bar sales, and the anonymous Donor Party, each show is responsible for raising nearly $75,000. To date, Winter Speaker Series has raised over $1.35 million dollars for local Tahoe area nonprofits organizations. The nonprofit beneficiaries of the 23/24 season are (in order): the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association (TAMBA), the Send It Foundation, the Courage Project, the Scotty Lapp Foundation, and Slow Food Tahoe.
Local freeskiing legend Michelle Parker will kick off the Alpenglow Winter Speaker Series on Thursday, Nov. 30, with her show, A Change in Perspective. The show, which documents her father’s battle with dementia and Parkinson’s, chronicles Parker’s effort to balance a life of caregiving and professional skiing. Parker, one of the ski industry’s most versatile female skiers, has appeared in over a dozen ski films and in 2013, won Best Female Performance at the Powder Video Awards and at the International Freeski Film Festival for her segment in Matchstick Productions’ Superheroes of Stoke.
MOGROG Rotisserie will be serving free food during the kick-off show with Michelle Parker.
Following Parker, the season is stacked with a lineup of awe-inspiring athletes including: a tandem show from local Tahoe brothers Jim and John Morrison (Jan. 4, 2024), Elyse Saugstad (Jan. 17), Jess Kimura (Feb. 15), and Dave Nettle (March 7).
The 2023/24 Winter Speaker Series is dedicated to local hero, freeskiing icon, and community leader Robb Gaffney, who sadly lost his four-year battle with leukemia in September. Gaffney implores us that “life’s most important aspect is our connection with each other and with the natural world around us. Only with the openness and the ability to see the value of the experience of the other can we open channels that enable us to feel the warmth of the universe around us.”
More information can be found online at alpenglowsports.com.
~ Alpenglow Sports press release
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