Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 07/08/2025, Staff Report

Volunteers were greeted by blue skies and clean beaches this morning as they arrived to participate in Keep Tahoe Blue’s July 5th “Keep Tahoe Red, White & Blue” Cleanup at sites ringing Lake Tahoe. Today’s event marked 12 years of the region’s largest volunteer cleanup event and continued movement toward cleaner beaches, more people practicing environmental stewardship, and improved beach management around the Fourth of July holiday.

“This is the direction we love to see — less litter and more people leaving the beach better than they found it,” said Marilee Movius, sustainable recreation manager for Keep Tahoe Blue.

653 volunteers found 26% less litter today than at last year’s event, totaling just under 1,375 pounds.

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Photo: Tahoe Daily Tribune

Today, U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced that the 29th annual Lake Tahoe Summit will be held on August 6, 2025, in South Lake Tahoe, California. This year’s theme is “Protecting Lake Tahoe: Balancing Sustainable Recreation and Conservation.” The Summit will honor the legacy of California Senator Dianne Feinstein, who, along with Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, created the Summit in 1997. The Summit will be held at Valhalla Tahoe, Senator Feinstein’s favorite venue and site of the last Summit she hosted in 2019. Federal, state, and local stakeholders and representatives of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California will meet to continue Feinstein’s work to protect the lake for future generations.

“I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to host the annual Lake Tahoe Summit this year. Senator Dianne Feinstein was a stalwart protector of Lake Tahoe, and as someone who has the honor of filling her seat in the U.S. Senate, I look forward to continuing her commitment to protecting this precious resource for future generations,” said Senator Schiff.

Senator Schiff has a long history of environmental activism and recently introduced the “Rim of the Valley” legislation to preserve open space in the greater Los Angeles area. During his tenure in the House of Representatives, Schiff championed the Rim of the Valley study, which created the blueprint for the current legislation to protect unique natural and cultural resources and provide a continuous corridor for wildlife migration. Preserving Lake Tahoe, the largest Alpine Lake in America, is a natural fit for Schiff and he is eager to host his first Lake Tahoe Summit in partnership with his Senate and House colleagues, state and local officials, community organizations and the Washoe Tribe.

WHEN:         Wednesday, August 6, 2025 at 10:00 am PT

WHO:                    California and Nevada Senators, Governors, and Members of Congress Representing Lake Tahoe

  Keynote Speaker will be Lake Tahoe resident and Academy-Award nominated actor, Jeremy Renner

REGISTRATION:   General registration for in-person or virtual attendance HERE.

WHERE:                Valhalla Tahoe, 1 Valhalla Road, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

On-site parking is not available, so we encourage you to use public transportation or our complimentary shuttle service. Please see additional information here. Walking and biking are great options, too. The Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition will provide a complimentary bike valet.

As this is Pine Nuts number 1,664, I thought it might be fun to look back 26 years to column number one, to see just how bad it was. Please don’t let Historian Emeritus Richard Miner see this, he who tells me I’m a good historian where facts are not essential… 

Circa 1956, Harold Tiller and Art Wood, our founding fathers, shared a thermos of coffee over a fallen log…

“You know, Art, by the year 2000, they’ll be servin’ coffee over a nice counter here instead of this old dead log.”

“We only wish it were right now, Harold, ‘cuz we’re fresh out of coffee.”

“This village of ours is going to need a good name, Art, a classy name, a name that will stand up over time…I was thinking maybe, ‘Tiller Village.’”

“‘Wood-Tiller Village’ sounds fitting to me Harold, and isn’t it interesting that if you draw a line from here to Reno, and draw another line from here to the summit of Mt. Rose, and another down to Reno from there, you’ve got yourself a perfect right triangle…we could rightly call our little village, “Pythagoras Village.’”

“Art, who the heck could spell Pytha…no, you better leave that idea right there. It is a pretty good pitch from here to the top of Mt. Rose, actually quite a grade. We need to find us another word for ‘grade.’  

“Why, think if we were to build us a golf course here, Harold!  Can you just imagine what would happen with all these lateral water hazards?”

“Yes, all those lost golf balls would wash right down into the lake, and you & I’d be the only ones who knew where they gathered!  We could keep ourselves up to our eyeballs in Johnnie Walker Red on recovered golf balls alone!”

“And just think how far those golf balls would fly in this thin air!  Why people will come from the four corners of the earth to play our course. We could fairly well establish a newspaper, sit back and watch that paper prosper just on the publication of tee times. Heck, we could name streets after golf balls…think of living on Titleist Drive!  Wouldn’t that tempt the devil himself!”  

“Indeed! we could sell lots with a view of the lake, then the lots with partial views, then the lots with filtered views, and then we’ll go to sellin’ lots with an essence of view!”

“Hey, Art, we could carve our own ski slope!”

“Nope…too flat.”

“No problem…we’ll just take to callin’ it, ‘Diamond Peak!’  That’ll fetch ‘em.”

“You know, now that I think of it, Harold, we could lay claim to the beach too, and allow property owners to spread their towels out on our beach!”

“No, Art, that will never fly…those Crystal Bay Bedouins would be down here tryin’ to throw down their Cal-Neva towels on our beach, and we’d be havin’ to call out the militia every other day.”

“There’s potential here, Harold, great potential.  But this little village of ours is going to need a really good name. Tilted Village, maybe? We just don’t know… 

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

Here is the official message from the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District: 

Due to damage sustained on the fireworks barge during last night’s storm, the 2025 Incline Village fireworks show has been canceled.

Out of an abundance of caution, Incline and Ski beaches will remain closed until further notice while community partners assess the situation and develop a recovery plan.

Your safety is our top priority. Please stay tuned for updates through official channels.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Official Message from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office:

The 2025 Incline Village Fireworks Show has been cancelled after last night’s storm caused damage to the fireworks barge.

The following beaches are closed until further notice:

• Ski Beach
• Incline Beach
• Boat Ramp

Open: Burnt Cedar Beach (for IVGID Punch Cards and Pass Holders Only)

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office is assisting to secure the area and support recovery efforts. For your safety, please avoid the closed areas, both on land and on the water.

If you discover any fireworks debris or unexploded materials around Lake Tahoe, do not touch it. Please report it to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Non-Emergency Dispatch at 775-785-WCSO (9276) for disposal.

Thank you for your cooperation as we work to ensure the safety of our community.

Stay connected to official channels for the latest updates. @washoesheriff @nltfpd

Originally Published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune, 07/04/2025, Written by Leah Carter

The Incline Village General Improvement District met last Thursday to discuss updates to the Incline Beach House Project, a new tennis center play pass program, and an expanded fire agreement.

Board members started with an update on the Incline Beach House Project, which is nearing final decisions. “I’m excited to see the community feedback and see where they stand as we start to make final decisions,” said Michaela Tonking. 

As of June 24, the design-build team at CORE Construction has submitted design development drawings and will proceed with construction drawings, scheduled for submission by the end of August. The project has been in progress for nearly a decade, and nearing this stage of the process marks a step closer to making the developments tangible. 

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Originally published in the Sierra Sun, July 3rd 2025, Staff Report

Summer in Tahoe means warmer weather and days at the beach, but it also means more people around the Lake. To encourage people in the Basin to go slow and be safe, Take Care Tahoe has reprinted the popular “Take it Slow, Tahoe” yard signs. 

The message of “Take it Slow, Tahoe” captures attention and uses creative artwork to remind everyone to take it slow in Tahoe. The signs are part of a larger campaign that launched in Summer 2022. 

Yard signs are available for pick-up at seven locations around Tahoe, including: 

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