I was treated to a hearty laugh this holiday season, not from a good joke or a bad pun or an amusing anecdote, no, but from the sheer joy of being alive. This tingling sensation was initiated by my Sierra Blue Jay, Huckleberry, who arrived at Happy Hour and while waiting patiently for me to find him a Beer Nut, puffed himself up to twice his normal size as if to say, “Happy Holidays, Dude!” Huck communicates to me his sheer joy of being alive, and it gives me chicken skin to see it…

It is that joyous little moment that reminds me of my good fortune to be alive at this particular point in time. In truth it strikes a chord in my heart that resounds throughout my body. It makes me want to shout, “Ain’t it great to be alive?!”

I talk to Huck like he is family, “Hey, you look great today, all fluffed out like you’re going to church or something. You should be proud that you and Emmeline raised four great kids this past summer, and they’re all doing fine. Bravo!” Then I whistle our favorite song, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore.”

For fun, I imagine Huck talks back to me, “Well, seems you’re doin’ pretty fine yourself. I notice you have a new Lake Tahoe School pullover that looks mighty smart, and you seem to be enjoying that eggnog like its Mark Twain’s birthday or something.”

Of course I am compelled to continue the conversation, “How did you know? It is Mark Twain’s birthday, his 189^th, and for that you get an extra Beer Nut, my little genius!”

“So what do you plan to do on Mark Twain’s birthday?” He asks.

“Well, I might have a second eggnog, or better yet, I might sit down and pen Samuel a letter, thanking him for the sunshine he has brought into my life, sunshine that I was able to share in classrooms and lecture halls over the many years.”

At this point in our eyes-only conversation Huck sometimes shouts, “And, you must tell me once again what Mark Twain had to say about us jays.”

So of course I launch into The Blue Jay Yarn: “Oh, a jay’s everything a man is, he loves gossip and scandal, and he knows when he’s an ass, just as well as you do, maybe better.”

With that, Huckleberry stands on one leg, laughs, then nods his head in acknowledgement to me, before flapping his wings twice, and taking off into the wild blue yonder…

Our daily conversations are in body language mostly. I slowly flap my arms when I hear his beak tapping on the window, he puffs himself up, and I start to whistle our favorite song while hunting up a Beer Nut. Our daily conversations do vary a little, but always end up with the same refrain, “Ain’t it great to be alive?!”

Audio: https://open.spotify.com/show/7Fhv4PrH1UuwlhbnTT23zO

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 12/5/2024, Submitted

The League to Save Lake Tahoe, the nonprofit environmental advocacy organization behind the movement to Keep Tahoe Blue, has filed a lawsuit formally challenging Placer County’s approval of the Village at Palisades Tahoe Specific Plan, a massive development that would worsen traffic congestion, increase air pollution, erode roadways, and degrade water quality in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

“As a solutions-based organization, litigation is an option of last resort. To protect Lake Tahoe, we were left with no choice in this case,” said Dr. Darcie Goodman Collins, Chief Executive Officer of the League to Save Lake Tahoe. “We have met repeatedly with development representatives and County officials to urge them to consider alternatives that would mitigate the environmental impacts of this project. But they were not interested. We are not opposed to the modernization and expansion of Palisades Tahoe, but we must take a stand to Keep Tahoe Blue.”\

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Photo: Snowbrains

Submitted by Tia Rancourt of North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, 12/04/2024

The Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team (TFFT) Fall Prescribed Fire Program began in September and is scheduled to continue through the winter months when conditions are favorable. During this period, residents and visitors in the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding areas may notice smoke in the air regularly due to residential debris burning and prescribed fire operations. Both activities play an essential role in protecting our communities by reducing excess vegetation (fuels) that can feed wildland fires. However, no matter how positive the benefits are, they come with a side effect that can be more than a minor inconvenience: smoke.  

Prescribed Fire

While fire has always been a natural part of the Sierra Nevada ecosystem, the structure of our current society presents unique challenges for land managers. Today, there are more people than ever living in or visiting Tahoe Basin forests. For many, smoke is the most likely way they will experience a prescribed fire, which can lead to a lot of negative emotions. No one likes to breathe smoke, and it can pose tangible health risks, especially to vulnerable populations. The good news is that exposure to smoke can be reduced by following a few simple suggestions:

• Close windows, doors, and outside vents when it’s smoky to prevent smoke accumulation indoors. 
• If you have an air conditioner, run it. Keep the fresh air intake closed and keep the filter clean.
• Ventilate your home and workplace during periods of light smoke. 
• Avoid physical activities while smoke is dense.
• View helpful Smoke Management Tips and share with family and friends.
• Monitor air quality in your area at AirNow.gov.

Depending on the number of acres being burned and fuel loading in the unit, smoke from planned fires is generally present for a much shorter period and can be much less impactful than smoke from unplanned fires. Wildfires tend to be considerably longer in duration than planned fires, sometimes blanketing huge areas with thick, choking smoke for weeks or months at a time. Prescribed fires help reduce these kind of smoke impacts and allow fire managers time to notify residents before burning.

Prior to prescribed fire ignitions, land managers coordinate closely with local and state air quality agencies and monitor weather to help avert smoke impacts by burning on days with optimal smoke dispersal. Crews conduct test burns before igniting larger areas to verify how well vegetation is consumed and how smoke rises and disperses before proceeding. If smoke dispersal and consumption of vegetation is not ideal, operations may be postponed until conditions improve.     

It’s common for smoke from prescribed burns or wood burning stoves to hang low to the ground at night and in the early morning due to a phenomenon known as a temperature inversion. A temperature inversion is when warm air “caps” cooler air, causing smoke to become trapped in valley bottoms at night and in the early morning.  

Before burning, TFFT members post signs on roadways in areas affected by prescribed fire operations, send email notifications to the Prescribed Fire Notification List, and update the local fire information line recording at 530-543-2816. Additionally, project details and locations are available in the form of an interactive prescribed fire map and interested community members may send an email to sm.fs.paltbmu@usda.gov to sign up for notifications.

Residential Debris Burning

While prescribed fire is carefully managed by fire professionals, residential debris burning requires landowners to take specific precautions to ensure safety and compliance. Before burning outdoors, residents must check with their local air quality agencies to confirm it is a permissive burn day. Weather conditions, especially wind, play a critical role in safe burning. In addition to obtaining a valid burn permit, understanding and following all rules and safety guidelines for debris burning is essential.

• Obtain a valid burn permit when they are required.
• Do not burn household trash or garbage outdoors.
• A responsible adult must be in attendance until the fire is out.
• Clear flammable material and vegetation within 10-feet, down to bare earth, around the burn pile.
• Only burn dry, natural vegetation such as leaves, pine needles, and tree trimmings.
• Limit debris piles to 4-feet in diameter and 4-feet in height. Add to the pile as it burns down.
• Burn only on safe weather days. Do not burn on windy days.
• Keep a water supply and shovel close to the burn site.
• To reduce smoke, burn between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when dispersion conditions are best.

As a reminder, debris burning is never allowed in the City of South Lake Tahoe.

For more information on safe debris burning, visit burnpermit.fire.ca.gov/. Even on permitted burn days, following safety guidelines is essential to reducing fire hazards, preventing wildfires, and protecting communities.

Learn more about living in fire-adapted ecosystems, prescribed fire, fuels reduction and more at Tahoe Living With Fire. Get prepared, get informed, and get involved!

By David Vomund of Vomund Investments

As an investment adviser I frequently read about the methods fraudsters use to scam investors, taking their money and sensitive data.  The attacks are getting more frequent and are harder to identify.  Gone are the days where you simply look for misspelled words in an email.  In 2023 scammers who used trusted companies like Schwab, Fidelity, and others to trick investors into sending them $1.3 billion.  

How to identify fraudsters that are posing as a bank or brokerage employee:

• Urgency.  Fraudsters create a sense of urgency.  They may claim that your account has been compromised and insist that you act quickly to resolve the situation.
• Unsolicited messages.  Ignore all unsolicited email and text messages promoting “exclusive” investment opportunities.
• Fake Fraud Alerts.  Scammers send notices claiming fraud on your account and urge you to call them where they will then ask for your sensitive information.  
• Crypto Currency.  If someone urges you to send bitcoin then it is definitely a scam.  

How to protect yourself:

• Enable two-factor authentication.  In addition to entering a username and password, important websites should have an additional step where a code is sent to your phone.   Enabling this additional step is the most crucial preventative measure that you can take.  A financial firm will never ask for the authentication numbers sent to your phone and if you do provide a scammer the numbers then you will be fully liable for all of their withdrawals.  
• Never click on a link in an email or text.  Not even an email that has a link to your monthly statements can be trusted.  Instead of clicking on a link, go directly to the financial site.  It helps to bookmark that page.
• Protect passwords.  Never share a password or one-time codes with anyone who contacts you.  Also, don’t use the same password for multiple sites. 
• Don’t trust caller ID.  If someone claims there is a problem with your account then log in to the account or call the firm using a verified phone number from a trusted source.
• Contact your adviser.  If you have an investment adviser then call them to help resolve any issues you may have.

David Vomund is an Incline Village-based Independent Investment Advisor.  Information is found at www.VomundInvestments.com or by calling 775-832-8555.  Clients hold the positions mentioned in this article.  Past performance does not guarantee future results.  Consult your financial advisor before purchasing any security.

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 11/28/2024, Submitted

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – Diamond Peak Ski Resort is pleased to announce that it will be opening a week earlier than originally planned this winter. Diamond Peak’s new Opening Day is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024.

“Thanks to the hard work of our snowmaking team and some cold pre-season temperatures provided by Mother Nature, we’ve had a productive run of snowmaking so far this year,” said Diamond Peak Marketing & Communications Manager Paul Raymore. “With a solid base on the terrain we’ll have open for Opening Day, we’re stoked to open early and give all of our pass holders and community members another week of fun on the slopes.”

Chairlifts and runs planned for Opening Day include the Crystal Express, Lodgepole and School House chairlifts and Crystal Ridge, Sunnyside, Lodgepole and School Yard ski runs. Additional lifts and terrain may be open by Thursday, conditions permitting. Full details can be found on the Mountain Report page of the Diamond Peak website.

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