One of our newest IVCBA members, the League to Save Lake Tahoe (also known as Keep Tahoe Blue), is working on a bill in the Nevada Legislature, SB324 (Scheible), that would limit the sale of single-use plastic water bottles smaller than a gallon on the Nevada side of the Lake Tahoe basin. They have great news that this bill has successfully passed the Senate and is now moving to the Assembly in the Nevada Legislature.

From their data, they have found that plastic bottles are one of the main sources of litter on Tahoe shores. And the plastic water bottle ban in South Lake Tahoe that went into affect exactly one year ago, on Earth Day last year, has already shown tremendous success (see more info here: Plastic water bottle ban shows good results in South Lake Tahoe – CBS Sacramento).

They are asking businesses on the Nevada side of the lake to sign this letter to show their support for this legislation. If you are able to show your support, please fill out this form before Friday, May 2nd.

Feel free to reach out to Hailey Hawkins at the League is you have any questions. Her email is hailey@keeptahoeblue.org.

Submitted by TRPA

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is reminding Lake Tahoe residents, property owners, and project managers that the grading and digging season for permitted projects in the Tahoe Basin begins May 1.

Grading and digging work are confined to drier months to protect Lake Tahoe’s famed water clarity from sources of erosion and sediment. Working in dry conditions prevents soil compaction and stops loose soil and mud from washing away from project sites or into roadways, storm drains, waterways, and the lake.

During the grading season, May 1 through October 15, soil work can proceed in dry conditions but is prohibited when a project area is covered with snow, when the ground is saturated, muddy, or unstable, and during periods of precipitation. 

Although all grading is prohibited in wet conditions, not all digging requires a permit. More information is available at trpa.gov/applications-forms under Grading.

Images credit TRPA

Caption: Grading and digging in the Tahoe Basin is confined to drier months to protect Lake Tahoe’s famed water clarity.
Credit: Generikal

Upper-Truckee-sediment-plume

Caption: Widespread erosion and sediment-laden runoff can flow into Lake Tahoe during storm events and when soil is saturated.

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 04/25/2025, Staff Report

Effective May 1, 2025, Seasonal Open Burning (wood, slash, or needle piles) will be closed for Incline Village and Crystal Bay, NV.

Recreational fires (wood or charcoal fire within a non-combustible container with a 1/8″ mesh screen) are still allowed with a permit.

Barbeque grilling is still allowed, with the following guidelines:

All grilling appliances shall be used within the manufacturer’s guidelines and recommendations.

Follow these simple safety tips when using solid-fuel, charcoal, or propane grills.

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The first piece of satire Sam Clemens published outside his brother’s paper, was also his first salvo in a lifelong crusade against frauds and humbugs. “The Dandy Frightening the Squatter” was published in the Boston Carpet Bag in 1852 when Sam was sixteen-years-old. As a lifelong humorist and social critic, he continues to speak to us today with an immediacy that transcends the ages. So let us take a moment here in 2025, and take a listen to this sixteen-year-old prophet…

A tall, brawny woodsman stood leaning against a tree which stood upon the bank of the river, gazing at some approaching object, which our readers would easily have discovered to be a steamboat. About half an hour elapsed, and the boat was moored, and the hands busily engaged in taking on wood.

Now among the many passengers on this boat, was a spruce young dandy, with a killer moustache, who seemed bent on making an impression upon the hearts of the young ladies on board, and to do this, he thought he must perform some heroic deed. Observing our squatter friend, he imagined this to be a fine opportunity to bring himself into notice; so, stepping into the cabin, he said:

“Ladies, if you wish to enjoy a good laugh, step out on the guards. I intend to frighten that gentleman into fits who stands on the bank.”

The ladies complied with the request, and our dandy drew from his bosom a formidable looking bowie-knife, and thrust it into his belt; then, taking a large horse-pistol in each hand, he seemed satisfied that all was right. Thus equipped, he strode on shore, with an air which seemed to say, “The hopes of a nation depend on me.” 

Marching up to the woodsman, he exclaimed: “You are the very man I’ve been looking for these three weeks! Say your prayers! You’ll make a capital barn door, and I shall drill the key- hole myself!”

The squatter calmly surveyed him a moment, and then, drawing back a step, he planted his huge fist directly between the eyes of his astonished antagonist, who, in a moment, was floundering in the turbid waters of the Mississippi.

Every passenger on the boat had by this time collected on the guards, and the shout that now went up from the crowd speedily restored the crest-fallen hero to his senses, and, as he was sneaking off towards the boat, he was thus accosted by his conqueror: “I say, yeou, next time yeou come around drillin’ key-holes, don’t forget to look up yer old acquaintances!”

Yes, that sixteen-year-old Samuel Clemens is shouting across the ages, trying his level best to remind us, that integrity, decency, respect and character still do matter, and now it is our turn to stand up against frauds and humbugs, and act, not violently, but act collectively…

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