Readers came out of the woodwork (heh) with questions for this month’s You Asked. They Answered, curious about local mail services and beaver sightings.
On beavers: These rodents used to live large throughout North America, until fur trappers decimated the population during the 1700s and 1800s. The Tahoe Basin saw a reintroduction to the beaver in 1938, when four beavers from Oregon were released at Meiss Meadow (near Kirkwood down past South Lake). From there, they’ve branched out into local streams and rivers. One reader wanted to know if they ended up in Lake Tahoe, too.
On mail delivery: The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated mail delivery through the Tahoe/Truckee region. Moonshine reported on the majority Truckee impacts in a November 2022 story, Truckee’s Tottering Mail Delivery. But the North and West shores of Tahoe don’t even get home delivered mail, while most of Truckee does. A reader reached out with questions about why.
~ AH
That Dam Lake…
Anybody ever see a beaver in Lake Tahoe?
I have! Not often, but in quieter parts of the lake, at quieter times, you can sometimes see beavers venturing out into the lake on a foraging run. Personally, I think I’ve only seen this in South Lake, in between where the Upper Truckee and Trout Creek empty out, but I’ve also seen beaver signs right along the lake’s edge elsewhere.
~ Will Richardson, Tahoe Institute for Natural Science executive director
Rain Nor Shine
Why don’t the North and West shores get home mail delivery? I have friends and family in much more rural places in the U.S. that get mail. UPS and FedEx come, just no USPS. I asked at my local post office (Tahoe Vista), and they had no idea.
The U.S. Postal Service determines delivery methods based on a mix of logistical, geographic, and economic factors — not just rurality. While many rural communities across the U.S. receive home delivery, areas like the North and West shores of Lake Tahoe can present unique challenges that make PO Box-only service more practical.
While the original decision to provide PO Box service in these specific areas dates back several decades and detailed documentation is no longer available, the choice likely reflected a combination of geographic, logistical, and infrastructure considerations.
~ Meiko Patton and Rod Spurgeon, USPS Sacramento spokesperson
I don’t know about Tahoe but years ago a beaver followed us halfway around Donner Lake as we motored very slowly having breakfast in our boat. We heard rumors that they were trapped and removed because of the damage they did to trees around the lake but I have no idea if this was true. Supposedly there was a beaver pond a short way from the trailhead of the Summit Creek Canyon trail off Old 40 west of Donner Lake but the area is a meadow now. If anyone has better information I’d love to hear it.