Submitted by Tia Rancourt, NLTFPD

Seasonal Open Burning (wood, slash, or needle piles) closed May 1, 2025.

Recreational fires (wood or charcoal fire within a non-combustible container with a 1/8” mesh screen) are still allowed with a permit. Please note however, that recreational fires are not permissible on short term rental properties.

Barbeque grilling (natural gas, propane, charcoal) is still allowed. All grilling appliances shall be used within the manufacturer’s guidelines and recommendations. This also includes smokers and pellet stoves. 

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

• Propane, charcoal, and other solid-fuel grills should only be used outdoors.
• The grill should be placed far away from the home, deck railings, and out from under eaves and overhanging branches.
• Keep children and pets at least three feet away from the grill area.
• Keep your grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grills and in trays below the grill.
• Never leave your grill unattended.
• Always make sure your gas grill lid is open before lighting it.

Charcoal Grills:

• Charcoal grills are prohibited on combustible surfaces.
• There are several ways to get the charcoal ready to use. Charcoal chimney starters allow you to start the charcoal using newspaper as a fuel.
• If you use a starter fluid, use only charcoal starter fluid. Never add charcoal fluid or any other flammable liquids to the fire.

• Keep charcoal fluid out of the reach of children and away from heat sources.
• There are also electric charcoal starters, which do not use fire. Be sure to use an extension cord for outdoor use.
• When you are finished grilling, let the coals completely cool before disposing in a metal container. Contact the Fire District for a free ash can (residents will need to have some type of wood-burning heating appliance to be considered for the program). To obtain a free ash can, residents may fill out an application at the Fire District Administration Office, 866 Oriole Way, Incline Village. If the required criteria are met, an ash can will be provided.

Propane Grills:

• Check the gas tank hose for leaks before using it for the first time each year.
• Apply light soap and water solution to the hose. A propane leak will release bubbles.
• If your grill has a gas leak, by smell, or the soapy bubble test, and there is no flame, turn off the gas tank and grill. If the leak stops, get the grill serviced by a professional before using it again. If the leak does not stop, call the fire department.
• If you smell gas while cooking, immediately leave the grill and call the fire department. Do not move the grill.
• If the flame goes out, turn the grill and gas off and wait at least 15 minutes before re-lighting it.

Please note: no open flame of any kind is allowed during Red Flag Warnings. Fire restrictions may differ on Federal land.

For more information please visit www.nltfpd.org/outdoor-burning.

Looking for a great place to eat, shop, or explore in Incline Village and Crystal Bay? The new IVCBA Digital Map makes it easier than ever to discover local businesses, services, and community spots—all in one interactive, mobile-friendly place.

As the community and business association for Incline Village and Crystal Bay, IVCBA’s mission is to build community and grow cohesiveness for the sustainability of our region. Our vision is a thriving community that supports and is supported by its businesses, nonprofits, agencies, and residents.

With that mission in mind, we’re proud to launch the IVCBA Digital Map—a new interactive tool that helps locals and visitors alike connect with everything our mountain community has to offer.

Explore the map now: IVCBA Merchant Map

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Your Guide to All Things Local

The new IVCBA Digital Map is a mobile-friendly, searchable experience that showcases our community’s unique businesses, parks, services, and gathering places—all in one place.

Built in collaboration with VibeMap and with support from Travel North Tahoe Nevada, this map is designed to:

• Highlight local businesses across categories like dining, shopping, recreation, and wellness
• Help users navigate easily through Incline Village and Crystal Bay
• Promote a deeper connection with the people and places that make this community thrive

Whether you’re a resident looking for a new lunch spot or a visitor searching for a local art gallery, the IVCBA map is your go-to guide.

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Why It Matters: Supporting a Connected Community

At IVCBA, we believe that a connected community is a resilient and sustainable one. Every click on the map supports a local business. Every discovery fosters connection. Every visit to a shop, park, or nonprofit brings our community one step closer to our vision: a place where everyone belongs, and every business contributes to a thriving local economy.

This map is more than a digital tool—it’s a reflection of IVCBA’s commitment to building a strong local network that benefits:

• Business members – by driving foot traffic, visibility, and customer discovery
• Residents – by making it easier to find and support what’s local
• Visitors – by creating a richer, more meaningful experience during their stay

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A Community Effort

This project was made possible through a collaboration between IVCBA and Travel North Tahoe Nevada. It’s a true reflection of what happens when local organizations, creative partners, and passionate community members come together.

We’d also like to thank the many businesses and service providers who shared their information and helped bring this vision to life.

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Want to Be Featured?

Are you a business, nonprofit, or community organization located in Incline Village or Crystal Bay? Make sure you’re included on the map—and visible to both locals and visitors!

Reach out to info@ivcba.org to learn how you can JOIN IVCBA as a community supporter or a local business and amplify your presence in the community.

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Start Exploring Today

Support local. Find hidden gems. Stay connected.
The IVCBA Digital Map is your new guide to everything that makes Incline Village–Crystal Bay a special place to live, work, and visit.

? Explore the Map Here

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 06/23/2025, Staff Report

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – The 2025 Incline Star Follies wrapped another standout season, filling the Incline High School Theater with music, laughter, and a whole lot of community spirit. Over two sold-out nights, audiences eagerly watched friends, neighbors, and local luminaries take the stage in a high-energy revue of music, dance, and comedy – proving once again that Incline’s got talent.

This beloved annual event blends professional-quality production with the playful charm of amateur performers — including teachers, business owners, students, and first-time stage stars. It’s all backed by a dedicated crew of volunteers who make the magic happen behind the scenes.

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Photo: Provided

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 06/23/2025, Katelyn Welsh

An ages old Wá∙šiw (Washoe) story outlines the journey of a large black and white flightless bird that carried a pouch of seeds. What the bird did with those seeds would go on to have important implications for the people and land. It’s a story tribe member Herman Fillmore shared in his discussion on how culturally significant stories relay data and observations through time at the Ethnobiology Conference that took place last month at the University of Nevada, Reno’s Tahoe Campus.

As the Tribe’s Culture and Language Resources Director, Fillmore has been working with elders and children to preserve and sustain the Washoe language, including through these stories.

The culturally significant story continues with the bird sharing the seeds with multiple species who were navigating survival amid the harsh conditions of ice and snow.

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Photo Credit: Katelyn Welsh / Tahoe Daily Tribune

Originally published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 06/20/2025, Laney Griffo

There are hundreds of miles of mountain bike trails in and around the Tahoe basin. Riders of all fitness levels and experience can find almost anything they are looking for on those trails, from a flowy, casual ride, awesome views and technical descent.

But for those who are looking to work on specific skills, want to stay in one place or are just looking for a short pedal, a bike park might be a better option for their day on their bike.

Here is a guide to the several bike parks in the Truckee-Tahoe area:

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PHOTO CREDIT: TDT and Northstar

I just beat the odds at Harrah’s Sports Book by finishing Ron Chernow’s thousand-page biography of Mark Twain before becoming the world’s oldest man. As a product of Mrs. Blumberger’s Remedial Reading Class, it was mostly uphill work, which became Sisyphean toward the end…

Chernow gives us three parts Sam Clemens the Heavyhearted, to one part Mark Twain the Lighthearted, and in doing so, he endowed me with more heartburn than all previous Twain biographies combined. Yet I could not help but admire Chernow’s relentless research. Here is the Edison footage he refers to…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtzlVxhaBao

Mr. Chernow forgot to mention that the audio of Twain’s voice, recorded separately in wax, melted in Edison’s laboratory fire, dang it!

Adding to the affiliation in my reading Chernow’s bio, is the memories his book evokes. The bed Sam and Livy spent a fortune on in Italy, with swiveling angels adorning the headboard, Sam positioned at the bottom of the bed so he could see where their money was spent. And for one moment in time, I was there, shooting a documentary for the History Channel.

Not unlike Twain, Chernow is a prodigious noticer. He even dug up this note that Sam wrote to a friend while courting Olivia, “She says she loves me, but hopes to get over it.”

I never knew Clara was shot at through the window of her New York apartment, and that she thought Ashcroft had ordered her shot. That is a cold case worth reopening…

I felt Mr. Chernow spent too much time on Sam’s entrepreneurial excesses,

Sam’s carbuncles, and Sam’s avuncular angelfish associations. But overall,

I thoroughly enjoyed his sometimes wearing biography, and look forward to hearing 

my Twainian friends’ reviews…

If you’re hoping to check it out of your library you should expect to be put on a waiting list, which will give you an opportunity to start lifting weights, as Mr. Chernow’s tome weighs in at four pounds.

Personally, I still prefer Justin Kaplan’s 1966 biography, “Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain,” which won a Pulitzer Prize, and Ron Powers’s biography of 2005, “Mark Twain: A Life.” Chernow credits Percival Everett for his recent Pulitzer winning novel: “In 2024 Percival Everett published an excellent, poignant retelling of Huck Finn entitled James, in which Jim narrates the story, and protects Huck, instead of the other way around.”

Spoiler Alert: Then too, when everybody dies, I suffered all the symptoms of grieving,

including tears big as hockey pucks streaming down my cheeks, almost as if they were my own family members. And in a strange way, they were, for over the decades I have become closer to Samuel Clemens than ever I was to Dr. R.M. Layne, my own dear father…

In closing, we are going to present the lighter side of “Mark Twain in Tahoe” and “Mark Twain in Hawaii” at St. Pat’s outdoor amphitheater this summer. For information contact our North Tahoe Welcome Center at 775-832-1606 and we’ll hope to bring you a smile…

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

Originally Published in The Tahoe Daily Tribune, 06/19/2025, Staff Report

This summer, unsafe, illegal, and environmentally harmful roadside parking will be removed in Emerald Bay and a new shuttle service, funded by Keep Tahoe Blue and the Tahoe Fund, will offer an easy, convenient and lake-friendly transportation alternative to access one of Tahoe’s most visited spots. 

“Emerald Bay is one of Tahoe’s greatest treasures and also one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Basin,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “With this new pilot, the hope is we will see reduced traffic congestion, improved safety along the roadside, and it will be easier for people to experience the incredible beauty of Emerald Bay without the hassle of finding a parking spot.” 

Over the July 4 holiday, Caltrans will conduct a Road Safety Audit that will be used to identify long- and short-term transportation solutions that the agency may be able to implement permanently. Following the holiday, the Tahoe Transportation District will install temporary barriers to restrict access to the roadside parking spaces in conjunction with the summer pilot project. Shuttle service to Emerald Bay will begin on Tuesday, July 15. During the pilot project, California Highway Patrol will be strictly enforcing the new parking restrictions. 

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