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One for the books
Welcome to our annual summer reading edition where we review works by local authors to fill the season's waning days. Cooking with K provides advice on what picnic to pack to serve alongside the stories. So find a mountain meadow or quiet beach and dig in.
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This edition marks our annual summer reading issue where we review books by Tahoe authors and books about Tahoe. This time we have seven reviews about books from the wonky to the suspenseful and everything in between. I was supposed to write three reviews but only wrote two. I got sidetracked by some unexpected changes to my schedule that kept me from finishing Geoffrey Bott’s Political Deception. It’s the third in his Daniel Cross trilogy and, Bott told me, the best. Two years ago, I reviewed the second in the trilogy, Art of Deception, and concluded it was a top-notch thriller that left the reader thinking “wow!” I was able to read partway through his latest and it is on track to be a winner as well. I would also recommend Bott’s non-fiction memoir Uphill if you want to know more about the man. Sorry, Geoff and we’ll catch you next time! After more than three years, the community-based Title IX Task Force is finally receiving documents it requested from the Lake Tahoe Unified School District regarding gender equity in the district’s sports programs. It took the threat of a lawsuit to shake the information loose and the district’s ability to provide the records now in a relatively timely manner proves it could have done so all
The Tahoe Mountain News is a community newspaper serving Lake Tahoe’s South Shore. Distributed FREE everywhere in the community. One copy per person. No article may be reprinted without the permission of the publisher. Send all submissions to: P.O. Box 8974, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96158. (530) 208-7671 • mountainnews2@gmail.com www.tahoemountainnews.net Copyright © 2025 Tahoe Mountain News CONTRIBUTORS PUBLISHER/PAPERGIRL Heather Gould Edmund L. Andrews
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along. Public records should be available to everyone — ordinary citizens, journalists, activists, gadflies, but not everyone has the time, money and resources to take an agency to court if they are illegally denied — and those agencies, such as LTUSD, know that. Their unspoken attitude seems to be, “Yeah, so? Whaddya gonna do about it?” In any case, the task force is sorting through and analyzing the data and we’ll keep you posted on what they come up with. On September 4, Tahoe-based musician Darin Talbot will perform his Jimmy Buffett tribute act at Margaritaville. The Mountain News first labelled Talbot “Tahoe’s Jimmy Buffett” more than two decades ago, based on his musical style, which led him to eventually develop his highly successful tribute act. We’ll be there and be catching up with Darin. The concert is part of a larger Jimmy Buffett Day celebration, so if you’re a Parrot Head, check it out. This month we start a monthly Q&A with various community members. Our first interview is with South Lake Tahoe Library Branch Manager Katharine Miller, which we thought was appropriate given this issue’s main feature is about books. Learn about library programs, re-
with Angela (visiting instructor from Hawaii)
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Gary Bell Peggy Bourland David Hamilton Trish Tomer
sources, operations, policies and continued relevance, including how they address requests to ban books. And learn a little about Katharine herself — she’s more than just a librarian! Upcoming editions will feature people answering questions about their work, themselves and timely topics. Just as we went to press, we learned of potential embezzlement at the Tahoe Paradise Park Recreation and Park District. This is a breaking story and we will be following it as it develops. See what we found so far on page 13. Next month, we will gear up our election coverage in advance of the November election. As of this writing, four people have filed to run for city council and at least eight others have taken out papers. There’s the Douglas County Commissioner’s race on the Nevada side, several special district elections and races for the US House of Representatives in both California and Nevada. If you have question you’d like us to ask the candidates or issues you would like us to address in our coverage, email mountainnews2@gmail.com, subject line “election." -Heather
FROM HEATHER.............................................................. 5 POLITICS WITH PEGGY.................................................... 6 SINCE YOU ASKED.......................................................... 7 LETTERS AND VIEWS ..................................................... 7 MOUNTAIN NEWS UPDATES........................................... 8 MOUNTAIN NEWS STORIES............................................ 9 MOUNTAIN NEWS SPOTLIGHT .....................................10 Plastic is not fantastic
HEARD AROUND TOWN................................................12 NEWS BRIEFS........................................................ 13, 25 MIKE'S MUTTERINGS....................................................14 Coyote Ugly
COVER STORY ...............................................................16 MOUNTAIN NEWS REPORTS .......................................20 COOKING WITH K .........................................................21 MOUNTAIN NEWS Q&A.................................................22 SPOKE JUNKIE..............................................................24 TRISH ............................................................................26 DAVE AT THE MOVIES...................................................28 PARTING SHOT..............................................................31
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Mountain News 5
Integrity in Politics??? Two former Tahoe Chamber CEOs (Steve Teshara and Cristi Creegan) have joined forces to form a political action committee (PAC) calling themselves, “Citizens for Integrity in Government.” The group's name suggests that it intends to evaluate the integrity of candidates seeking public office by deputizing themselves as the “Integrity Police.” Their stated concerns stem from last year’s incidents where former Mayor Tamara Wallace admitted to embezzling a reported $400K from the Presbyterian church and a situation involving Mayor Cody Bass who was arrested on a misdemeanor charge at Stateline, Nevada. One might assume that this PAC intends to assist local voters in navigating what will likely be a crowded field of city council candidates who (in their opinion) lack the ability to make moral and ethical decisions as council members. You may be wondering: Will this committee conduct financial reviews (tax filings, debts, potential conflicts of interest), background checks (criminal records, civil litigation) or public record audits to find potential disqualifying factors for candidates? Or is there something else afoot here? The group’s lack of transparency under their intentionally vague and
misleading banner of “Citizens for Integrity in Government” is a red flag that begs the question: Do SLT voters need or want a selfappointed committee to save us from ourselves? Traditionally it is the job of the press and journalists to investigate the backgrounds of candidates to hold politicians accountable. Is it possible that Teshara and Creegan and their hand-picked committee of six instead seek to influence the outcome of the election to advance Tahoe Chamber priorities, like high-rise development, more VHRs, the Loop Road project, and endless tourism marketing and growth? The Tahoe Chamber has a long history of political lobbying and public policy interference, so be warned: During this political season, pay attention and keep your bullshit detectors turned on.
attorney random turnover or the leading edge of an exodus? The answer to that question is becoming clearer with the latest resignation and departure of the highly regarded airport manager, John Dickerson. Without a fly on the wall to confirm what is really going on inside city hall, this is what we know for sure: The city has lost three top management people and the process of replacing just the city manager has dragged on since February when Joe Irvin vacated his post. Right now, the city needs stability and the council’s most pragmatic decision would be to promote Hilary Roverud to city manager. THE MIRACLE MILE
The one-mile stretch of road between Al Tahoe Blvd and Hwy. 50 (Johnson Blvd) gets its name from the pioneering (think late 1800s) Johnson family. Starting in the 1950s, descendants of the Johnson family donated ANOTHER RESIGNATION AT THE significant acreage in this part of town to the CITY City and El Dorado County for a government In May, I posed the question: Is the complex, Happy Homestead Cemetery, Bijou departure of the city manager and the city Park and golf course, which led to the street being named after them. In recent years, the condition of Johnson Blvd. was so bad that many locals avoided it altogether. Check it out. A miracle has happened. Looking back, in 2018 the city’s budget for road repairs was less than $500K. When
Cody Bass, Devin Middlebrook, and Tami Wallace were elected, they began increasing the city’s road repair budget, currently almost $5M annually. Sounds promising until you consider that the cost to replace all the streets needing repair in SLT is estimated to be $500M. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED The Washoe people lived in Hope Valley for thousands of years. Today this land remains one of the most scenic valleys in the Sierra because people like John and Patty Brissenden (owners of Sorensen’s) and conservationists like Laurel Ames stood up and spoke up in the 1980s when utility companies proposed building transmission lines through the valley and developers envisioned luxury condominiums. The Friends of Hope Valley was formed in 1986 to protect Hope Valley by moving this privately held land into public ownership. Eventually the US Congress and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife purchased all of Hope Valley. Debbi Waldear has dedicated the last 20 years as their president and has announced that the FOHV has disbanded after 40 years of conservation efforts and hard-fought battles to keep the valley pristine. Thank you seems inadequate but Thank You!
Mark Darling Painting
“Why is the parking closed off for the city hockey rink?” — LJ Alexander
About 45 spaces remain open by the South Tahoe Ice Arena and the old recreation center, with the remainder expected to be accessible again by midOctober. “Temporary construction fencing has been installed within a portion of the lot to secure snow removal vehicles and related equipment,” explained Branden Gardella, a project manager in the city’s Public Works Department. “This area is being used for equipment staging during construction of
the solar array projects at the city’s motor pool and police facilities. This work is part of the city’s broader Energy Savings Project.” The nearly $11.5 million solar project was approved by the City Council in October 2024. About $2 million is from the General Fund. More than $8.5 million is being financed, ultimately bringing the total to about $12.5 million. Nearly two years ago, the council greenlighted more than the solar project.
Photo Heather Gould
Part of the parking lot at the old rec center/ice arena is blocked off while the city of South Lake Tahoe undertakes numerous facilities projects.
In all, the above funding is for solar parking canopies at the motor pool and police department, ice arena roof replacement, ice arena chiller replacement, ice arena microturbine refurbishment and relocation, building automation systems and recommissioning, pelican thermostat integrations, high efficiency transformers and water meter downsizing. Willdan Energy Solutions based in Anaheim is doing the work. Ultimately, the improvements are projected to have gross cumulative savings of $40,045,885 and net cumulative savings of $27,571,886 over 35 years. The savings come from reduced utility and maintenance costs. Thirty-five years is used because that's the expected life of the solar panels. The solar sites are under construction now, with the goal of being connected to the grid by the end of the year. The staff presentation in 2024 said, “Greenhouse gas reductions are conservatively estimated at 220 MTCO2e annually.” This would be a 14 percent reduction in the buildings and facilities sector footprint. MTCO2e stands for metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website says, “The unit CO2e represents an amount of a GHG
(greenhouse gas) whose atmospheric impact has been standardized to that of one unit mass of carbon dioxide, based on the global warming potential of the gas.” The city reports that in 2021 the total government operations footprint was 3,592 MTCO2e, while the buildings and facilities sector was 1,611 MTCO2e. “The two solar parking canopy projects provide over half of the GHG reduction, with the building automation systems and recommissioning providing about 18 percent. The ice arena roof replacement and ice plant replacement contribute about the same,” the staff presentation said. “The ice arena’s icemaking infrastructure has reached the endof life and is at risk of catastrophic failure and higher costs. This is a state-of-the-art upgrade that replaces key infrastructure, refurbishes a microturbine already owned by the city, and provides a new roof with a 20-year warranty.”
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From tragedy comes awareness To the editor, Aug. 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day. For many, it is a day of reflection. For me, it is something I live with every day. On Feb. 12, 2024, my daughter Keely died in South Lake Tahoe. She was 33 years old—beautiful, deeply loved and full of life. She died alongside three other people. They believed they were using cocaine. What they were actually given was pure fentanyl. This did not have to happen. There was no warning. No chance to make a different decision. Just a moment that changed everything for our family and for everyone who loved her.
Fentanyl has changed the reality of drug use in ways many people still do not fully understand. It is not just found in opioids anymore. It is showing up in substances people don’t associate with overdose risk at all. People think they know what they are taking, but too often they don’t. And that is where the real danger lies. Keely is not a statistic. She is my daughter and she matters deeply. I am sharing her story because I do not want another family to go through this kind of pain. International Overdose Awareness Day is a global campaign; this year marks its 25th year. It is still needed because
overdose continues to take far too many lives. We need to start having honest conversations about fentanyl. We need to make sure our kids, our friends and our neighbors understand that one unknown substance—just one—can be fatal. We also need to be prepared. Carrying naloxone, or Narcan, can save a life. It is simple to use and available without a prescription. In a moment of crisis those few minutes matter. To learn more about International Overdose Awareness Day, visit overdoseday.com. To honor Keely and help others I will be hosting an International Overdose Awareness Day event at the Markleeville Library on Aug. 31 from 10 a.m.
to 3 p.m. This is a space for our community to come together, to learn, to remember and to support one another. I truly hope people will come. This matters. If you would like more information, please contact me at Gabweetman55@ gmail.com. We cannot change what happened to Keely. But we can honor her by speaking up, by educating others and by looking out for one another. Because this did not have to happen. Gabrielle Weetman
LETTERS Continued on page 30
Mountain News 7
Mayor moves to throw out Skibum court case An attorney for South Lake Tahoe Mayor Cody Bass is seeking to have Kenny Curtzwiler’s lawsuit alleging Bass threatened and defamed him thrown out on the grounds that the allegations are baseless and an attempt to silence Bass. On July 15, Alexis Holmes. Bass’s attorney, filed an anti-SLAPP motion to have the lawsuit dismissed in El Dorado County Superior Court. SLAPP is an acronym for Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation and refers to legal action brought not based on any legitimate legal claims but designed solely to try and force opponents to spend time and money defending themselves against bogus claims and deter them from exercising their rights. It all started last fall when Curtzwiler, aka Skibum, posted a Douglas County Sheriff’s report of Bass’s arrest for trespassing and harassment at Aleworx on
Kenny Curtzwiler Facebook. This generated an onslaught of replies and postings, many of them derogatory toward Bass and Bass hit back against Curtzwiler online. While Bass may
Diego has lived in Tahoe since he was a child. His parents, local businessowners, and his two siblings still live here. They know the Lake is a pretty special place. “The best thing about Tahoe,” Diego explains, “is the mix of things to do: beaches, forests, camping in summer and snowboarding in winter. There’s a little of everything.” He also enjoys taking photographs of Tahoe’s beautiful outdoor settings.
Cody Bass have been insulting at times, what he did not do, according to Holmes, was threaten or defame Curtzwiler as Curtzwiler has alleged. Holmes said Bass was merely attempting to defend himself and question Curtzwiler’s accusations and credibility as is his First Amendment right. Curtzwiler’s lawsuit “is a patent attempt to chill (Bass’s) constitutional rights and punish (Bass) for attempting to defend himself in the course of a public debate over his fitness for office,” she wrote. ”This kind of attempted restraint on speech is flagrantly unconstitutional.” In his original May filing against Bass, Curtzwiler alleged the mayor said he belonged in a cage, was a killer, physically confronted him last December, has engaged in a campaign of online harassment, repeatedly threatened to kick his ass and cost him business. Holmes said Curtzwiler provides no independent evidence to corroborate his claims against Bass. Exhibits included in Curtzwiler’s court action include two reports from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office regarding incidents involving Bass in which he was
allegedly intoxicated and one news story from South Tahoe Now regarding Bass’s 2021 arrest for possession of cocaine and methamphetamine, which later turned out to be ketamine and ecstasy, which Bass said he used therapeutically. These exhibits were to demonstrate Bass’s “history of drug and alcohol abuse and altercations while under the influence.” In her response, Holmes said the reports were based on hearsay and legally irrelevant to the matter at hand since the incidents weren’t ones involving Curtzwiler and do not directly support any of his allegations against Bass. Holmes said Bass has not engaged online with Curtzwiler since last October, rarely responds or engages with Curtzwiler and when he does so, does not threaten or harass him. Neither Curtzwiler nor his attorney, Sean Patrick, who has yet to file a response to Holmes’s motion, answered a Mountain News email seeking corroborating evidence for Curtzwiler’s allegations and a response to the allegation that Curtzwiler’s lawsuit is merely a persecution mechanism. In 2023, Curtzwiler was hit with another anti-SLAPP motion in his lawsuit against Barton and others for defamation. Judge Leanne Mayberry partially upheld defendant Jen Dawn’s motion to dismiss based on free speech grounds, though she ultimately threw out Curtzwiler’s suit against Dawn because he waited too long to file it. Curtzwiler was ordered to pay Dawn’s attorney’s fees of $5,235. Bass is seeking attorney’s fees of $15,000 in the current case. Curtzwiler is seeking attorney’s fees of $10,000 from Bass. The temporary restraining order Curtzwiler obtained against Bass remains in place until the next court hearing in the case on October 28.
The cost of cruelty Publisher’s note: This is one in a series of columns written about immigration issues on the South Shore.
What are the costs of government-sponsored cruelty? What is the cost of losing our nation’s soul? So far, South Lake Tahoe and Douglas County remain comparatively tranquil amid the Trump administration’s frankly hate-filled campaign against immigrants. Hard-working and lawabiding immigrants are major contributors to our community, but even long-time legal residents now live under a cloud of worry. Will a family member be arrested while taking his child to school? Will someone get shot and killed during a vehicle stop by Immigration and Customs Enforcement? Will a father die at a detention camp in Texas or some other distant state, where at least 22 people have died amid evidence of medical neglect, physical abuse and wretched sanitation? “Cruelty is the purpose,” famously wrote Adam Serwer in the Atlantic magazine back during the first Trump administration. Today, the cruelty—combined with a disdain for civil rights and the courts—is even more brazen and unapologetic than it was then. At a recent Cabinet meeting, Trump issued a racist smear against Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Somalian immigrants in general. “Ilhan Omar is garbage … Her friends are garbage,” Trump said on
camera. “Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks, and we don’t want them in our country.” What does all this cost those of us who are not immigrants or minorities? One quick answer is the nation loses a major source of both low-skilled and highskilled labor. Immigrants are crucial in agriculture, hospitality, meatpacking and many other grueling lines of work. Immigrants have also been crucial in technology and entrepreneurship. Immigrants founded or co-founded 65 percent of America's privately held startup companies valued at $1 billion or more, according to a 2023 estimate by the National Foundation for American Policy. The share was even higher for leading AI companies. We Americans aren’t quite as smart as we think. But the deeper cost, I believe, is in corrupting the nation’s humanity and integrity. We are being spurred toward cynicism and disrespect for truth, the rule of law and even
the democratic process. We are being prodded to rationalize and lie to ourselves. James Baldwin, the great writer of the civil rights era, argued that racism toward Black Americans effectively oppresses whites themselves. It imprisons them in myths of white superiority that are at odds with both reality and what it means to be human. “One cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one’s own,” Baldwin wrote. The statesponsored wars on immigrants and minorities—don’t forget the war on DEI, including the top-ranking Black generals whom Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired or pushed aside— pose exactly the same danger.
Lying to ourselves, or allowing the government to lie to us, is the first step toward selling our souls. When ICE officers shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, the Department of Homeland Security initially argued that they were violent radicals. Pretti was accused of being a “terrorist.” These were blatant lies, but no one has been punished for either the killings or the lying. When the New York Times recently published wrenching interviews with current and former immigration officials about the chaos in their agencies, DHS responded that immigration officers are arresting “the worst of the worst including murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gang members and terrorists.” In reality, the Times noted, only
about five percent of people booked into ICE custody in the last year had been convicted of a violent crime. It’s tedious to list even a minuscule share of the lies put forward by the president and his minions. But lies are important because they undermine the trust among citizens toward each other and in the basic principles of good governance. People who don’t believe in a common good, who don’t believe in respect for others, become pickled in the brine of their own resentment. They also become weak, unable to stand up for the ideals that America is supposed to represent. Cruelty really does come at a cost. Edmund L. Andrews is a retired journalist who lives in Zephyr Cove.
A relatively new Realtor, he will share his lifelong knowledge of Tahoe with clients to help them achieve their real estate dreams. “I will use my experience at the Lake, “ he says, “to show my clients all the wonderful opportunities Tahoe offers.”
8 Mountain News
Mountain News 9
Plastic pollution plagues Lake Tahoe While it might not be obvious, chances are you are swimming with microplastics when you are in Lake Tahoe. Swallow a gulp of lake water? Yep, you may have just ingested particles of plastic. Plastics are in the sand you are walking and sitting on as well. Tahoe Environmental Research Center recently hosted a talk by Monica Arienzo, associate research professor in hydrologic sciences at Desert Research Institute in Reno, titled “Plastic pollution in the Tahoe basin.” Some plastics sink to the bottom of the lake, others float, and still others move within the water column. Some are easy to see; some require a microscope. Macroplastics are what you can see. They include plastic bags, wrappers and any piece bigger than a pencil eraser. Microplastics are the small pieces measuring 5mm or smaller. Macroplastics can become microplastics as they break down. For many reasons alarm bells are going off because of these plastics, with a biggie being they are made from oil and natural gas. Harmful chemicals are released when plastics break down.
Monica Arienzo “My research group is interested in understanding what happens when that plastic leaks into the environment. Where does it go? What happens to it? How does it move in the environment? And what are some of those sources that we can start to tackle?” Arienzo said. Arienzo pointed out even though many products are now BPA-free, meaning they don’t have Bisphenol A, there is still plenty to worry about. PFAS, or what’s known as forever chemicals, are a “growing area of concern because it’s often added to plastics.”
10 Mountain News
JB Harris, co-founder and CEO of ECO-CLEAN Solutions, operates the BEBOT at Zephyr Cove Resort.
She praised the federal government investing $144 million to better understand the health effects of plastics. Humans are also wearing plastic because most synthetic materials contain plastics. “If your clothes stretch, they have plastic in it,” Arienzo said. Washing synthetic clothes less often keeps wastewater from being loaded with plastics. Air drying these clothes prevents plastic collected in lint from blowing into the environment. Tires contain plastics. Carpooling and taking public transit can help with less tire debris entering the world. Plastics are in paint and personal care products. All plastics eventually break down, enter the environment and then have consequences downstream, literally and figuratively. It’s not just humans who contend with the ill effects of plastics. Animals can eat plastics and get entangled in them, both with potentially lethal outcomes. “What we know about microplastics in general and how they apply with the Tahoe basin is that we know plastics can be found in our rain and our snow,” Arienzo said. Her group has been working with TERC to unearth how much plastic is in the
moisture here and what happens as it is transported into rivers, streams and the lake. Sediment also becomes a receptor for microplastics. These particles also leave Lake Tahoe via the Truckee River in Tahoe City, winding up in Reno’s water supply. These researchers found plastics throughout the Truckee River and in Pyramid Lake. A student of Arienzo’s has found them in Incline Creek as well. “I can tell you everywhere we have looked we have found plastics,” Arienzo said. Much of her talk focused on the macro pieces of plastic that are found on the beaches of Lake Tahoe. For the last two summers college interns scoured Tahoe beaches for litter. This summer they are not out working but hope to be again next summer if funding allows. Students were at Mourelatos Resort in Tahoe Vista, Kings Beach, Camp Richardson and Tahoe Beach Club in Stateline. They chose these sites to study the differences and similarities between the North Shore and South Shore, and private
POLLUTION
Continued on page 11
POLLUTION
Continued from page 10 vs. public beaches. Items were collected by a BEBOT, a remote-controlled device that collected the debris while sifting out the sand. The BEBOT, short for beach robot, is being used at beaches throughout Tahoe to rid the sand of trash. Litter for this study was defined as any item not native to the environment like plastic, Styrofoam, metal, paper, glass, personal hygiene and animal waste. These were broken into subcategories that were counted and weighed. Native items such as sticks and pinecones were left on the beach. Results included: • Mourelatos—56 percent was other, 31 percent plastic, 6 percent paper. • Kings Beach—70 percent other, 19 percent plastic, 4 percent paper. • Camp Rich—63 percent other, 20 percent plastic, 11 percent paper. • TBC—42 percent other, 43 percent plastic, 6 percent paper. Other included: Asian clams, other shells, fireworks/celebration items, nonnative nuts/shells, food items/bones, hair ties/rubber bands, non-plastic fabric and clothing, tobacco items that weren’t cigarette butts like wrappers, lighters and Zyn
58 percent of the litter, food wrappers 13 percent, while cigarette butts and plastic clothing were 8 percent each. Kings Beach had the highest litter and plastic counts per square meter, followed by Camp Rich, TBC and Mourelatos. Arienzo was surprised to find the plastic content so high at Tahoe Beach Club. It was closer to Camp Rich than Mourelatos. Speculation is this might have to do with the bar serving drinks in plastic containers with plastic straws. The trend is more litter accumulates on public beaches. This Photo ECO-CLEAN Solutions could be because more people are on the public Tahoe Beach Club’s sand in Stateline looks like it has been vacuumed after the BEBOT makes its rounds. beaches. It could also be that private beaches are to-go containers to restaurants, get reusable the tap on plastics,” Arienzo said. “The better maintained. only way we are going to stem the tide of mesh bags for produce. “If we really wanted to do some “My feeling is we are not recycling all of this plastic in the environment, in our messaging around plastic litter we could our way out of this problem. My feeling bodies, biota, the environment is we just really start to educate around these items is if we want to stop plastic pollution, stop have to stop using them.” microplastics, we have to say we turn off
Photo ECO-CLEAN Solutions
Photo ECO-CLEAN Solutions
Some of the litter, including plastics, unearthed by the robot at Zephyr Cove Resort’s beach.
Photo ECO-CLEAN Solutions
The BEBOT unearths foreign matter at Zephyr Cove Resort with the direction of JB Harris,
pouches, toys, construction and charcoal. “We created a new category for nicotine pouches because this was a new kind of item that we were finding more and more prevalent in our litter. (And) a lot of nuts and shells were found,” Arienzo said. “Again, this is stuff that people are bringing to the beaches and not cleaning up.” Across all four sites plastic made up
in particular, and around cigarette butts,” Arienzo said. She noted how more and more beaches have cigarette butt disposal sites, so people need to be made aware of them and the importance of using them. Other things people can do: don’t buy single-use tea bags made with plastic, wear cotton, rinse and reuse plastic bags, bring
Mountain News 11
M OUNTAIN N EWS B USINESS
Tahoe Paradise Park treasurer seeks investigation
Chris McNamara has joined the Tahoe Fund board.
South Lake Tahoe Interim City Manager Hilary Roverud was scheduled to be promoted to city manager by the city council at their meeting on August 11, following a seven-month process to replace her predecessor, Joe Irvin. Roverud has been with the city for 21 years. Local philanthropists Kyle and Jessica Aster have donated $250,000 to the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association to fully fund this season’s construction of the Meeks Ridge Trail connecting Meeks Bay to Lost Lake. The fourth annual Lake Tahoe Electric Transportation Forum is August 20, 9am to 4pm at the Stateline event center. For more info or to buy tickets, go online: https://shorturl.at/SAzoW. Lake Tahoe author Todd Borg will be talking about his new mystery Tahoe Fear (see review, p. 16) on August 18 at 5:30pm at the South Lake Tahoe Library. Arrive early to beat the crowds. He’ll sign books afterward. Golden Nugget in Stateline is the place to be August 22 for the 15th annual Tahoe Bloody Mary Fest. The 8th annual Tahoe Brew Fest benefitting the Boys and Girls Club of Lake Tahoe is August 29 on Ski Run Boulevard. Officials are expecting significant growth in use of Van Sickle Bi-State Park. Average annual visitation between 2019 and 2022 was 61,115 people—41,292 in summer and 19,823 in winter. By 2048, after full park build-out, estimates are 136,492 visitors a year—109,285 in summer and 27,207 in winter. The 30th annual Lake Tahoe Summit is August 19 at Sand Harbor State Park. While it’s free, registration is required: https://shorturl.at/a0CWa.
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Register here (https://shorturl. at/4A9t4) for the August 29 free UC Master Gardener plant clinic (9am and sale (10am to noon) at STPUD—1275 Meadow Crest Drive, SLT. California State Park’s Sierra District, which includes parks in the basin, is being led by Superintendent Rich Adams. He started his career in 1995 as a seasonal park aide at D.L. Bliss and Emerald Bay state parks. Tahoe Trout Farm celebrates 80 years in business this year. The annual Father Grace Memorial Golf Tournament is Sept. 3 at Lake Tahoe Golf Course. To register or for more info, visit https://shorturl.at/DQkcU. Participation in June’s Tahoe Bike Month increased seven percent with 547 people completing 12,792 rides and traveling 95,591 miles—the equivalent of 1,327 trips around Lake Tahoe. Riders climbed a combined 6,461,154 feet of elevation. South Lake Tahoe councilmembers hired Sergio Rudin to be city attorney. The Olympic torch for the 2028 Los Angeles Games may come through South Lake Tahoe. The city was part of the 1984 and 2002 relays. The council signed the paperwork, now it’s up to Olympic officials to pick participating cities. Nevada kids in grades K-12 may submit original drawings raising road safety awareness in an art contest sponsored by the Nevada Department of Transportation. Deadline to submit is September 1. Email activetransportation@dot.nv.gov for info. California Tahoe Conservancy granted $461,120 to Safford Lab at UC Davis to study the long-term effects of fuel reduction and wildfire on forest health and resilience in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
Photo Courtey of the Tahoe Fund
When school starts August 17, students at Zephyr Cove Elementary School won’t have to go home when the last bell sounds. That’s because Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe is expanding into Nevada. For more info or to enroll, go online: https:// bgclt.org/. A sneaker recycling program is available at Zephyr Cove Tennis Club at the courts in Douglas County. In the box next to the pro shop drop off running/walking shoes, athletic/casual shoes, all conditions, dry only. No sandals, heels, dress shoes, boots, spikes, kids’ shoes or wet items are accepted. Lake Link—the door-to-door microtransit on the South Shore—has expanded its routes. Go online for info: https://shorturl.at/rVl9H. Steve Leighton, North Tahoe Fire Protection District fire chief, sent a scathing letter to Placer County saying the Homewood Mountain Resort master plan modifications should be denied for a variety of reasons including breach of contract between the applicant and NTFPD, with the applicant no longer wanting to fund a fire station. US Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jaime Morales, a South Lake Tahoe native, serves aboard the USS Essex, a warship, as an aviation support equipment technician. He recently participated in the multi-national Rim of the Pacific exercises in and around the Hawaiian Islands. Tahoe local William Aragon won the Open Men’s Physique Short Class at the National Gym Association (NGA) Tahoe International Pro/Am Invitational natural bodybuilding competition held July 25 at South Tahoe High School. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has named Paul Nielsen new chief planning
officer/deputy director. He has been with the agency for 30 years and served in multiple capacities. Keep Tahoe Blue is hosting Tahoe Trails and Tails on August 26 from 11am to 2pm. Bring a canine companion along to the Lam Watah Nature Trail and Nevada Beach for a litter and pet waste cleanup followed by the awarding of some dog-friendly prizes. Visit https://www.keeptahoeblue.org/ events-activities-lessons/keep-tahoe-bluex-wilderdog-tahoe-trails-tails-cleanup/ for more information and to register.. The city of South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue has been named a Fire Risk Reduction Community by the California State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection. Zephyr Cove resident Chris McNamara has been named to the board of the Tahoe Fund. McNamara is the founder of GearLab, founder of SuperTopo guidebooks and president of Orogenesis Collective which supports a 5,000-mile trail from Cabo to Canada. Other new board members include attorney Tom Baxter and former Edgewood director Tom Seeliger. Music on the Beach returns Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, at Tahoe Lakeshore Lodge & Spa, presented by the Tahoe Arts Project. Admission begins at 6pm, with live music from 7–9pm featuring Niall McGuinness, Trey Stone, and Rocky Sleight. A suggested $20 donation supports local performing arts programs, and a benefit raffle will be held. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, low-back chairs, food, and beverages. No pets, please. Got a community item for Heard? Email mountainnews2@gmail.com, subject line, “Heard.”
An accusation of misappropriation of funds has the El Dorado County Auditor’s Office putting a hold on payments to the Tahoe Paradise Recreation and Park Dis-
Dayberry said he has nothing to do with finances on the board, so could not comment. However, in the last year he has made complaints to the District Attorney’s Office regarding projects at the park and alleged Brown Act violations. He said he was told to contact the grand jury, which he chose not to do. Tahoe Paradise Park’s treasurer/board member Judy Brozo-Clot on July 21 wrote a letter to the DA and other law enforcement officials saying: “I am reporting active financial fraud, nepotism and cronyism, the theft of my official identity, the systematic forgery of my signature, and a total lockout of financial oversight. I am requesting an immediate criminal investigation, a forensic audit of our park transactions, treasury accounts, and a subpoena of records to prevent the destruction of public evidence and park files, both electronic and physical.” Her letter went on to say: “I request that law enforcement immediately secure the physical and digital financial records trict. of the district, freeze and audit the correThe Mountain News reached out to all sponding issues and immediately conduct four board members, with only John Day- a formal investigation into the actions of berry replying by deadline. board Chair Zane Graham, Business Man-
ager Chelsy Munson, and Operations Manager Scott Nicholas.” The DA’s office did not respond to an inquiry. Graham and Nicholas could not be reached. Munson said she had no knowledge of any accusations. “All of our records are public. You can look at any of the request claim forms where our bills are paid. The budget is all available. That is the thing with a special district, it is fully transparent,” Munson said. Of course, that is assuming all the information is factual, which Brozo-Clot is alleging is not the case. Munson deferred further comment to the park’s Sacramento attorney who did not respond to this publication. “I am going to hold the claims until somehow this matter is resolved,” Harn told the Mountain News. “I am going to look at a lot more claim forms and then discuss it with the county counsel.” The amount of money possibly misappropriated is unknown; nor is known when the alleged wrong-doing started.
EDCo settlement reportedly linked to Charlie Kirk posts El Dorado County’s former Director of Public Health Jennifer Byrne resigned in February after accepting a $75,000 settlement reportedly tied to social media posts following conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s murder last fall. Byrne shared or reposted two items on her personal Instagram regarding Kirk’s death, one of which read “Sad! Politicians Denounce Political Violence that Man Worked so Hard to Build.” The other one said, “Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to keep
2nd Amendment.” Byrne did not add any further comments. Several days later the county received an email referencing Byrne’s posts about Kirk and complaining. Shortly thereafter, Byrne was placed on paid administrative leave, then served a notice of termination. Three months later she signed the settlement and also resigned. As part of the settlement, she will receive a neutral job reference in the future. Her personnel records were sealed and can only be unsealed if
further relevant litigation or proceedings arise. Byrne was also paid about $59,000 in salary and benefits while on leave. Since personnel records are confidential, it cannot be exactly determined if the Charlie Kirk posts and the disciplinary action against Byrne are connected, but sources have said that is the case. Byrne did not return a message seeking comment. Her attorney in the matter could not be reached by deadline.
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This is Tahoe Things in Tahoe that give us a sense of accomplishment . . . and then immediately take it back Cleaning up pollen; raking pine needles; clearing snow; washing the car; filling potholes. Feel free to email yours. Some observations on our increasingly emboldened neighbor — aka Wile E. Coyote Feelings about coyotes range from distrust to delight. Many of us love to hear their “songs” of communication with each other while others are alarmed by their presence — whether day or night. And pet owners, of course, have their own
specific concerns involving coyotes. But it’s the daytime stuff that many have noticed lately, and some folks have raised questions around the perceived changes in behavior. Mostly, they’re talking about observations of coyotes that appear more emboldened during the day, more ubiquitous along or crossing roadways, and less intimidated by human presence in general. Now, some of this can likely be explained by further human encroachment into their habitats, i.e. neighborhoods where there didn’t use to be one and so on. I have little doubt that much of it can be chalked up to our providing them more
food sources — whether intentional or just careless. And it’s not just the tourists. But in case you’ve wondered if seeing a coyote during the day means it has rabies or vampirism, the Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife says, “Seeing a coyote during the day doesn't mean it's sick or diseased. Coyotes are active at all hours, especially when they're raising pups or foraging in human-dense areas where food is more accessible.” The “human-dense area” is the thing here. Especially when someone asks about coyotes standing right beside Hwy 50, scoping things out, seemingly not a care in the world. Naturalists use the term “habituation” — that loss of fear of humans showing up as emboldened behavior. Yes, when push comes to shove, coyotes will generally scamper away from people – or at least maintain a distance — but the wariness we used to expect from them tends to diminish the longer they co-exist with people who also don’t shoot at or otherwise attack them. They simply learn that we are not a threat in that way. This also explains their comfort level around even major roadways. They have learned that cars are mostly predictable: cars do not chase them or veer from the roadways to try to run them over. So cars also become a known variable. And above all, being near people means that they’re probably closer to easy food pickins — whether it’s discarded or they need to wait for an opportunity to pilfer it. Still easier than the actual hunt.
Moving further out, let me point you to the Nipple Trail off Blue Lakes Road and the Thunder Mountain trail near Kirkwood, both having varied terrain and stellar views. Not going to comment on its name, but AllTrails calls the Nipple Trail “challenging,” with 1,220 feet of elevation gain; it’s an out-and-back, a little over three miles each way. It took me just a bit over two hours, minus the hangout time. Expect the occasional PCT hikers and maybe some assorted day-trippers. Thunder Mountain is a bit longer —
A couple more trail notes . . .
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I’ve got a couple more trails for you to try this season — just a bit outside the basin — and then a little guessing game for you. We all love Hope Valley; it is truly a special gem and every once in a while, you need to stop to appreciate what we have there instead of just passing through. To get some great views, try the trail to Sorensen’s Cliff, aka Indian Head Cliff — about four miles up, 1,300 feet elevation gain, to the volcanic bluffs. Yes, it’s more of a road than a true trail (until the turnoff to the bluffs), but it’s still worthwhile. The trail starts just to the right of Sorensen’s (ok, ok — Desolation Hotel). Some folks bike this one, but I’d encourage footing it.
just over seven miles round-trip — closer to 1,850 feet of elevation gain and around two hours, forty minutes. Both have rocky sections, so wear a good trail shoe or boot. Let me know if you’ve done any good trails yourself lately. Game time . . . Email your guess for the trail featured in the picture above to mikesmutterings@gmail.com
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Owen McKenna as fearless as ever
A dirtbag pioneer
Todd Borg has spun a tangled tale in his newest thriller, Tahoe Fear. So tangled, in fact, that even Owen McKenna isn't quite sure what he's chasing, or why. But with his endless curiosity, sharp eye for detail, and the instincts of a seasoned tracker, he uncovers subtle clues that gradually allow him to piece together an impossible puzzle. A small square of cloth that may have come from an insect, a rock with an unexpected sparkle, and a century-old diary hidden in a tin are just a few of the discoveries that bring McKenna closer to solving the mystery. But his habit of poking around where others don't want him also brings him dangerously close to ending up at the bottom of Lake Tahoe with a cement block tied to his leg. Chilling, right? The entire sequence is as unsettling as it is unforgettable. Borg choreographs every moment with the grace of a ballerina in a technicolor tutu, leaving the reader breathless and eager to turn the next page. The prologue introduces Kyle Fosbeck, the focus of Owen McKenna’s investigation, and hints that something unsavory might be brewing. But the story
truly begins in chapter one. It kicks off on a stormy night. Owen McKenna, Detective Diamond and Spot are relaxing by the fire in McKenna's cabin when the sound
of gunshots shatters the quiet. They rush into the cold darkness in search of the
source. Where did the shots come from? Is there a victim? As they investigate, the storm intensifies, demanding every ounce of their wilderness experience to survive the unforgiving terrain. They find a badly injured young man, but after a frightening encounter with faceless thugs, the man mysteriously vanishes under deeply unsettling circumstances. The young man is later identified as Kyle Fosbeck by his distraught grandmother, Hazel, who asks McKenna for help. She shares her story that goes back to when she was just a girl and explains what she fears may be the motive. McKenna suspects that Kyle is the same young man who disappeared that stormy night but keeps his suspicions to himself for now. The story gathers momentum throughout its 57 chapters and the action intensifies as more information and clues emerge. So don't get too comfortable during the quiet parts. When Casey Street is kidnapped, McKenna nearly loses his mind with worry. Driven by rage, he takes harrowing risks to save the woman he loves. Borg's characters are one of the series'
greatest strengths. They evoke emotions ranging from laughter to heartbreak, anger to compassion, and many have become legends to longtime readers. Hazel, a 90-year-old woman who lives in a hidden cottage and possesses more grit than people half her age, plays a memorable role in Tahoe Fear. Brianna, a sweet young woman with a quick smile and exceptional customer service skills, captures our hearts before tragedy strikes aboard a tourist boat. Then there are the villains. The Andrew brothers, who view face tattoos, racial slurs and brutal violence as badges of strength. What they possess in brashness they lack in brains. These guys are as disturbing as they are unforgettable. With Tahoe Fear, Todd Borg delivers another page-turner that reminds us why the Owen McKenna series continues to captivate readers 24 books later. Tahoe Fear is available through Amazon and at Word Over Word in Truckee.
Local chiropractor comes clean Operation Deep Snow, the 1980s federal drug investigation at Lake Tahoe, was huge in so many ways. This was big stuff for this little town and for someone in her first job out of college. As the Tahoe Daily Tribune’s crime reporter, most of the stories fell to me to write. So, it’s natural I would want to read Glenn Miller’s self-published 2025 book “Deep Snow”: The Incredible True Story of a Major FBI Drug Sting that Rocked South Lake Tahoe & Made National Headlines. Miller was a chiropractor on the South Shore when he was arrested. This is the same case where then-South Lake Tahoe Mayor Terry Trupp became one of the main headlines for his involvement. As a memoir, this gives Miller leeway with how the story is told. What led up to the arrest, how he got entangled and the aftermath are all included. So is the strife he and his family went through. His years spent in prison were the most interesting— how he coped. This was at a time when drug sentencing laws were way out of whack with much more egregious and heinous
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crimes. Miller talks about the injustice of that reality. In prison Miller turns to God to find comfort, salvation and hope. That and his family are what got him through those six years behind bars. Scripture is a big part of the book. The book reads like a man with a chip on his shoulder and one who is still struggling to believe in a god who would allow such disparity to occur. But it is also a book of hope, perseverance and belief. Miller admits when a client, who turned out to be an undercover agent, asked if he knew where he could purchase cocaine, he said yes. The deal was for one kilo. At that time, I could have told people where to buy coke in town, too. Most people had that knowledge. It was hard not to know even if you were not partaking. At the time, he writes in the book, he took issue with how the media portrayed his role in the events. In the book he says local news outlets “churned out sensational headlines” and “distorted stories.” The only real print news outlet at
the time was the Tribune. The Tahoe Mountain News hadn’t launched and the Internet wasn’t a thing. While the Reno and Sacramento papers had more of a presence than they do today, no one called them local. Miller, without mentioning the
publication, said he invited the editor to his home and then the tone of the stories changed. I reached out to the person who was editor at the Trib at the time who says no such encounter ever took place. All of this is on Page 60 of the book, which made me read the whole 299-page book with more skepticism. Aesthetically the book is a bit difficult to read, with some passages in green and others in red ink. Most of the book, though, is in black. The italics are also jarring, as well as the segments in bold. Miller clearly needed an editor for layout and to clean up misspellings and redundancies, as well as a book cover designer. Not a single photo was given credit anywhere in the book I read. I took one of those photos, which he did not have permission to use. We have since resolved that copyright violation. It was also disappointing I could only find the book on Amazon.
To the uninitiated, author David Gelles’s title — Dirtbag Billionaire: How Yvon Chouinard Built Patagonia, Made a Fortune, and Gave It All Away — may be confusing until you learn that in the slang of outdoor subcultures, “dirtbag" is high praise — a badge of honor for someone who is devoted to rock climbing, skiing, surfing, etc. and so detached from the material world that they are willing to live in primitive conditions (sleeping on the dirt), in order to pursue their sport fulltime. Within the sacred club of authentic “dirtbags,” Yvon Chouinard is the “OG” — Original Gangster. Readers will get an inside look at Yvon Chouinard’s life, from his modest beginnings as a self-taught blacksmith crafting climbing pitons in a backyard shed to his legendary climbing exploits, living in a cave, eating squirrels to survive, his environmental activism, meeting his future wife, Melinda, at Camp 4 in Yosemite, to ultimately building a global brand whose influence extends far beyond his popular clothing line. In 1980, Yvon was invited to join an expedition that would attempt to summit Minya Konka, a remote 24,800-foot peak in the Himalayas. This trip became a defining moment in his life when an avalanche dragged the entire team a quarter of a mile down the mountain, killing one climber and leaving the others critically injured. In
the aftermath of this tragedy, he more fully examined his own impact on the planet. Coupled with facing his own mortality, this trip shaped everything in his life that came afterward.
Dirtbag Billionaire is not simply the story of how Yvon Chouinard made a fortune. It is the story of how a lifelong dirtbag never abandoned his core values,
even after becoming one of America's most successful entrepreneurs who then proved that success in business and commitment to one's principles are not mutually exclusive. His business success story is a wild ride. As you get into the details of Patagonia’s rise to a billion-dollar company, you come to appreciate that Yvon Chouinard is not a genius businessman but rather the beneficiary of his own hard work, high environmental ideals, obsession with product quality, irreverence of the status quo and good instincts. He invented his own way of doing business that on paper looked like a recipe for failure. His operations plan included: shoes optional, no time clocks, extended employee breaks whenever the surf was up outside the Ventura, California office, and his own months-long absences to seek adventure (and test products) around the globe. Chouinard repeatedly challenged the traditional assumption that the sole purpose of business is maximizing profits, arguing instead that companies should serve employees, customers, and communities, while minimizing their carbon footprint. He found becoming a billionaire distasteful. On his Toyota hatchback is a bumper sticker: Every Billionaire is a Policy Failure. The message reflecting his belief that government policies have allowed a few people to hoard extreme wealth instead of addressing public needs.
Rather than selling the company or passing it on to family members, Chouinard found a way to perpetuate his philanthropy. In 2022, at age 84, he made a landmark decision to transfer Patagonia’s ownership to a trust and non-profit organization that will commit all future profits (estimated at $100M annually) directly into environmental causes. His commitment to leaving the planet better than he found it, or at least repair some of the damage, has made him a legend among conservation groups. In climbing vernacular, to “send” a climbing route or bouldering problem means to climb it successfully from start to finish without falling. It is shorthand for “ascend” and is used as both a verb ("I sent that climb") and an encouraging shout of motivation ("send it!”). Looking back at Mr. Chouinard’s long and storied life, he definitely “sent it.” DISCLOSURE: A local author did not write this book, but the story is relatable to Tahoe residents who have seen marketers, developers and exploiters of the Tahoe Basin turn a fragile eco-system into an overdeveloped, overtouristed, forprofit enterprise. We can all learn from the ethos of Patagonia’s leader who found life’s meaning in the great outdoors and then made it his mission to inspire solutions to contribute to the restoration of the planet.
Move over, mountain men Lisa Arnbrister Barbash had me at the title, Four Women and a Mountain: Legends and Legacies of the Sierra. Sandy Poulsen, Jeanne Reuter, Neata Arnbrister and Sherry McConkey are names many people in the Tahoe area will have heard of and if you haven’t, then this book is especially for you. They all have a connection to Squaw Valley, which is what it was called when each woman started her connection with the Sierra mountains. Barbash does an excellent job at the get-go, explaining why Olympic Valley and Palisades Tahoe are what the broader area and ski resort go by today. It’s all about paying respect to Washoe Indians. At only 182 pages, you will be through this book in no time. That, actually, is my biggest complaint about the book— it’s too short. I was left wanting to know so
much more about these four women. Each deserves a book twice this size just about them. If you are looking for a comprehensive, definitive biography on any one of these women, this is not the book. Look at this as a sampler, an introduction to Poulsen, Reuter, Arnbrister and McConkey. Barbash explains in her introduction that her book project started after reading the late Robert Frolich’s Mountain Dreamers: Visionaries of Sierra Nevada Skiing and wondering where all the women were. She didn’t have to look far, as her mother is one of the four she profiles. These four were (Poulsen died in 2007 and Arnbrister in 1997) and are pioneers. Each woman’s story is unique, distinct and yet very similar. Life in the mountains has a way of bringing together like-minded individuals.
The men in their lives are key to who they are and their stories. They, too, are integral to this book because they are very much part of each woman’s story. Four Women and a Mountain is part history lesson, part life lesson. It’s about what one does in the face of adversity. It’s about dreams coming true and reimagining life when they don’t. It will be a trip down memory lane for some—like those who remember the 1960 Winter Olympics, or the beginnings of Kirkwood Mountain Resort, or when snowboarding was just getting started, or the formidable Shane McConkey. For others, it will be a history lesson worth learning.
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Deep dive into Tahoe This is not the book to relax with at the beach. But it is the book that will tell you about that Lake Tahoe beach you are sitting on, as well as the water in front of you, the forest behind you, and so much more. Environmental Change in the Lake Tahoe Basin: A Synthesis of Science and Public Policy is part reference book, part history, part forecasting the future and all things environmental when it comes to Tahoe. The 15 chapters have various authors. The entire book was edited by Robert N. Coats, Sudeep Chandra, Alan C. Heyvaert, Charles R. Goldman and S. Geoffrey Schladow. Those names alone point to the seriousness of this body of work. They also wrote some of the words. Had I used a highlighter, so many pages would be marked. In some ways it’s like Tahoe has been studied forever, and then in Chapter 9 we learn how little is known about the near shore. This is the area most people interact with. Until the shoreline started to get murky, not much attention was paid to it, and ongoing monitoring is not happening. One of my takeaways was the need for the public to be more engaged with what’s going on — to not leave it up to the will of officials to ensure studies, projects and monitoring take place. These are issues locals and anyone who cares about the Tahoe region need to be engaged in today and not assume someone else is doing it. Of course, money is always an issue.
While it will take human intervention to make the basin livable going forward, it was also documented how humans have had a detrimental impact: introduction of nonnative species to the lake, development, lack of monitoring. “Certainly, there are many opinions
as to why such a world-class resource like the Lake Tahoe Basin does not have worldclass monitoring and adaptive management system, but the ability to identify what to measure, how to measure it, and how to interpret the results is not lacking.”
For decades the goal has been to substantially improve lake clarity. This book does not express optimism in that ever happening. Climate change is a big bugaboo that researchers are worried about. Plants, animals (including humans) are all going to be impacted. Habitat will change, meaning who calls this area home will be altered. The lake’s temperature is changing. It’s not mixing as often, which comes with consequences. “Since 1900 AD Lake Tahoe has fallen below its natural rim 11 times; however, in the past there were periods when it remained below the rim for over a century. A return of such a climate today would have disastrous consequences for California and Nevada. As we plan for the future, it would be wise to pay close attention to the range of climate variability that the region has experienced and not assume that the future will necessarily look like the present.” Some of the passages that caught my attention: • “The Tahoe basin’s wastewater infrastructure is highly vulnerable to flooding and power interruptions, given that the wastewater in most areas is transported long distances along gravity-fed lines or is pumped out of the basin, requiring a continuous power supply. Of even greater concern is the possibility that the water could not be released fast enough at the lake outlet to prevent dam failure, causing catastrophic downstream consequences.”
• “This lack of rational decisionmaking and the emotionally driven perception of ‘risk’ and ‘uniqueness’ has led to more than a 25-year hiatus in implementation of effective strategies to mitigate AIS (aquatic invasive species). For example, the reluctance to use proven effective aquatic herbicides to help manage aquatic weeds has left harvesting as a default method, which facilitated the spread of invasive aquatic plants.” • “The basin is home to 1,077 species of vascular plants, 217 birds, 59 mammals, eight reptiles, five amphibians, 23 fishes, 810 unique invertebrate taxa from 379 families, 115 unique taxa of nonvascular plants recorded to date, and 612 fungi and lichens from 339 genera.” In addition to all the important words, the chapter indices and the index at the end of the book provide even more information. Charts and other graphics help illustrate the words. It’s nice to have one volume with all this information, which could be a resource for years to come and certainly a blueprint for the future. Environmental Change in the Lake Tahoe Basin is available through https:// unpress.nevada.edu and Amazon. All proceeds from sale of the book will be donated to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Ground Zero: life amidst the ruins In 2007, Solange Schwalbe lost her then-second home to the Angora Fire. She rushed up from Los Angeles, where she worked as a sound editor on films, to face the devastation and grief. After the initial shock and disorientation, she and two other women became an informal crisis line at the request of the demolition companies whose workers didn’t have the time or emotional wherewithal to handle the shattered residents who lost their homes. How did Schwalbe muster the psychological strength and courage to handle her own anguish and assist others navigating the same distress and heartbreak? The answer —9/11. I’m Not Supposed to Know This: An Unlikely Account of Ground Zero After the 9/11 Attacks is Schwalbe’s recently released
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account of her time as a volunteer and worker at Ground Zero. A talented violinist growing up in Southern California, Schwalbe always intended to get a degree in music and become a professional musician. A community college class in film changed all that. She fell in love with film and was admitted to the highly competitive UCLA Film School, where she discovered a talent and affinity for sound. “That is where the storytelling really came to life. Sound could transform a scene, shape an emotion and pull an audience deeper into a story — all at once.” Though she’d never been there, the “idea of New York” had always lurked in the back of her mind. After an abortive crosscountry bicycle trip and a serendipitous
encounter along the way, she packed up her bags and flew to New York in 1980 with no job, no apartment and no plan. She found work as a waitress and fell in love with the city. She returned to Los Angeles when she got her first big break with ABC nine months later. She left New York, but returned every year for the holidays, staying with a friend. She took her annual trip to New York in December, 2001, a few months following 9/11, and after a visit to the ruins of the Twin Towers, signs up immediately to volunteer. At first, she works at the Salvation Army respite center for Ground Zero workers, where she mans the food line and busses
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Bittersweet memoir traces a life of meaning
out on being a song girl at her school, but makes the chorus line — called the Rebelettes. She has a few teenage romances — one with a bad boy who will later reenter her life and one with a boy who drives her to her high school graduation, hands her a
joint (the 60s have arrived by this time) and drives off. And then — adulthood. College wasn’t in the cards for Sinibaldi — and though she loved writing from when she was a child, she ended up going to beauty school and working as a hairdresser at Macy’s. Then Dennis, the bad boy from high school, re-enters her life. One day, they decide to drive up to Reno and get married. Pregnancy follows. When it’s time to have the baby, he delays driving Gloria to the hospital as he enjoys a cup of coffee, then drops her off and goes home. When their daughter is nine-months old, Dennis leaves them without warning, Gloria coming home to an empty closet and a two-word note. Several years later, he dies of a drug overdose. This is followed a few years later by a marriage to Tom, who is a much better partner than Dennis in so many ways, but has faults of his own that eventually doom the marriage, though it lasts twenty years and brings two more children — boys. Gloria goes back to school and eventually makes a career of helping the unemployed and jobless get back into the work force. During one of her jobs she meets Ralph, who becomes her third husband and a source of happiness and contentment. But, life has other plans. Her son develops a brain tumor that causes seizures and eventually a stroke. Gloria is diagnosed with lung cancer, even though she was never a smoker. But they survive and carry on.
Despite all the bad things that come her way, Gloria finds a way to be grateful and not let resentment and anger bog her down. This is not a glass half full book, but a glass half full and glass half empty book at the same time. She remembers the struggle and the pain but finds the good. Like when her mother shows up after Dennis leaves and cares for her daughter so Gloria can work. A simple gesture that means everything, though their relationship remains emotionally cool until her mother develops dementia later in life and unexpectedly turns into a warm grandmother. She remembers how her father built her a swing in the backyard, splurged on a set of encyclopedias which broadened her world and was a woodworker whose projects turned into treasured gifts. She remembers how Tom loved her daughter as his own, how he truly listened to her and how he showed up for the birth of their two sons. She is like that with many of the people in her life — seeing them wholly and compassionately and clearly. As she writes at the end of one chapter, “The shine, I’d later learn, doesn’t always last. It doesn’t undo the joy; it just reminds you how fragile joy can be. And that knowledge makes the memory more meaningful — not less.”
dioxide and poisonous and explosive gasses. Eventually, she specialized in Freon monitoring. No one knew if the Freon tanks below Tower One, part of the towers’ cooling system, might rupture sending the lethal gas into the job site. Freon replaces oxygen, is odorless, and kills within a few minutes. By the time someone realizes what is happening, it is too late. I’m Not Supposed to Know This isn’t really about Schwalbe’s job at Ground Zero. It’s about a lot of things. The complicated engineering that kept the site from collapsing even more and causing additional injury and death and the careful maneuvering required of workers where one misstep could bring the whole thing down. The various workers — equipment
operators, ironworkers and others and the work they do. The only four women who worked at the actual Ground Zero and their pink porta-potty. It’s details like these that bring the recovery and rebuilding at Ground Zero alive. Schwalbe also writes about the psychological dynamics at the site. Workers who just one day don’t show up, unable to handle the destruction anymore. The way the dead are honored when they are recovered — and the tension on site that arises over the difference between the way the remains of first responders and ordinary civilians are paid respect. The romances that pop up on the job, including one between Schwalbe and “Brad the Pit “— that serve to confirm the ongoing humanity amid the carnage. Debates over various conspiracy
theories that go on in the break trailer. Schwalbe’s talent is in not just reporting, but in making the reader actually feel and understand what it was like to be there. And surprisingly, the book also feels light, given the subject matter. Schwalbe is able to communicate the despair and also imbue it with hope and positivity. Today, Schwalbe is retired and lives full time in South Lake Tahoe, but a piece of her will always live in New York City at Ground Zero.
Gloria Sinibaldi grew up in what could be considered a dysfunctional family. Parents who fought ferociously and often, a mother who insulted her, shamed her and was just sometimes downright mean for no reason, a father with mental health struggles and a temper. Toxic in the current parlance. As an adult Sinibaldi has had struggles of her own. A few bad marriages, singlemotherhood, people-pleasing tendencies at the expense of herself, unexpected misfortunes after it seems she finally found her way. So the reader might be expecting a tale of trauma. But The Cottage and the Chicken Coop: Reflections on Meaning and the Quiet Miracles That Shaped Me is so much more than that — a deeply evocative, compelling memoir that while not exactly a page turner, keeps the reader wanting to steadily move forward to the very end. The title refers to her childhood home in a working class, Bay Area neighborhood. On good days, her mother called their tiny home with the big yard “a cute cottage,” on bad days she called it “the chicken coop.” Despite the tensions inside the house, their neighborhood is a bit-down-at-theheels, but in many ways mid-century Americana. Husbands that worked, mothers who cooked and cleaned and sewed. Trees to climb, games of tetherball, a best friend, an annoying brother, a far-flung extended family. Of course, Sinibaldi’s little community on Robin Street is more complex than that.
She catches lice from a neighborhood boy, the best friend moves away, a father down the road is arrested for something “having to do with children,” though nothing more is ever explained, a neighbor kills another neighbor’s dog. Adolescence comes. Gloria misses
GROUND ZERO
Continued from page 18 tables. From the start of her time at Ground Zero, Schwalbe went by the moniker “Hollywood” as it’s easier to pronounce and remember than her French first name. One day during her time at the respite center, she is suddenly reassigned. Her chatty nature and her nickname led her supervisors to believe she was one of the prostitutes who had infiltrated the ranks of volunteers. Who knew that was a thing?! She is later hired as a safety worker at the site where she first screened workers going into the site, making sure only authorized and properly equipped people made it in and, later, patrolling Ground Zero and monitoring the air for oxygen, carbon
The Cottage and the Chicken Coop is available through Amazon.
I’m Not Supposed to Know This is available online through Amazon, Barnes&Noble, Bookshop and Amplify Publishing.
Mountain News 19
Change coming for SLT seniors South Lake Tahoe seniors are about to experience some changes. El Dorado County, which runs the lunch program out of the senior center, will be moving it to the city’s new recreation center. Carla Hass, county spokesperson, said, “The city and county are working collaboratively to iron out details of the move and the day-to-day logistics for operating the senior nutrition program.” John Stark, director of SLT Parks and Recreation, said, “The recreation center is ready to host the program when the county is ready to move the program over.” The delay can’t be over money because the city won’t be charging the county rent. The county, though, pays for the nutrition program and all other senior programming it provides. A primary reason the recreation facility has a commercial kitchen is for the senior lunch program. Other changes coming for seniors
sharing details of the agenda item or why it must go to council and can’t be handled by staff. “The city and Seniors Inc. are working together toward establishing an agreement for their continued use of the building to support their programs,” Stark said. Seniors Inc., which runs programs at the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center, is now known as Tahoe Basin Senior Citizens Inc., doing business as South Lake Tahoe Senior Center. “When (the nutrition program) moves we hope to sign an agreement with the Parks and Recreation Department to take over the full 10,000-square-foot building,” said Trudi Morgan, executive director of Tahoe Basin Senior Citizens Inc. A little history Seniors Inc. was formed in 1970 as a not-for-profit. The name change also comes with a change in designation as it is now a nonprofit. The difference matters for
Photo City of South Lake Tahoe
Members of the South Lake Tahoe Senior Center participate in the city’s July 4 parade.
involve the actual senior center building in the middle of town. The South Lake Tahoe City Council expects to have an item related to the senior center on the Sept. 8 agenda. Staff isn’t
20 Mountain News
applying for grants and accepting donations. “In 1980 they petitioned the city of South Lake Tahoe for the funding of a senior center. The senior center opened in 1987. The building was donated by El Dorado
Photo City of South Lake Tahoe
The Lakeview Room in the city’s new recreation center is where the senior lunch program will be served.
County for use as a senior center,” according to the group’s website. “Additional funding came from the city of South Lake Tahoe, the Senior Center Bond Act, and the notfor-profit Tahoe Basin Building Trust Fund (Seniors Inc.). It was furnished by Seniors Inc. and donations.” The city and county signed a threeyear agreement in June 2025 outlining who is responsible for what at the senior center. It’s been a contentious relationship through the years. In 2017 the government entities were arguing over defining routine maintenance while those using the building needed buckets to collect water because of the failing roof. Today’s wishes The seniors group, to which not just city residents may belong as long as they are at least 50 years old, is working with council members Keith Roberts and Dave Jinkens. (County senior services, including the lunch program, are for those 60 and older.) “I was concerned (that) when the new recreation center was built, they would have to move to the new center and pay for space,” Jinkens said of the seniors. “I went to a board meeting once and I said, ‘You should be able to decide where you want to go. You have been operating for a long time.’ Our involvement is simply for all parties to come to an agreement with the city and Seniors before disrupting operations that have been successful for many years.” He underscored how the building was built to be a senior center and should remain as such. “At this point we have been very fortunate that the city has been supplying
the maintenance inside and out, property taxes and water,” Morgan said. The seniors, though, have contributed to the upkeep in the past. The group is in the process of building back its membership so in turn it can offer more activities. Prior to the pandemic it had about 300 members who were super active. That number dropped to about 30 and is now a little more than 100. For the monthly potlucks the seniors are not allowed to use the kitchen. Instead, they plug in multiple crockpots. That could change if they have access to the whole building. Today, games like bridge, bingo, Shanghai rummy and Mexican train are on select days. Square and line dancing went by the wayside because not enough money could be generated to make it worth the instructors’ time. Going forward, Morgan envisions activities like chair yoga, tai chi, corn hole competitions, a place where seniors can make art and a market to sell items, and more dances. “We want to do fun things for seniors,” Morgan said. “Once we get funds, we can pay people the correct amount so they keep coming back.” As a nonprofit, fingers are crossed that cash will be easier to obtain. Said Tiffany Frates, treasurer and communications officer for the senior center, “As we grow, our goal isn't simply to add more activities—it's to create a place where people find connection, purpose, laughter and a sense of belonging.”
Easy and elegant picnicking A day at the beach should be relaxing. Throw some food and beverages in the cooler, grab the blanket or towels, along with your favorite play toys (for adults and kids) and a good book. Now you are set. When it comes to choosing what to read, we have multiple choices to suggest with this month being our annual book review edition. There is bound to be a genre that appeals to you. Read on! What to eat? The recipe below is easy. Even better, the sauce will last a few days in the fridge, it can be made ahead of time and is extremely versatile. Oh, and it tastes great. Plus, it’s a huge step up from your basic condiments. I like a picnic at the beach where the prep is done at home, but options are available once on the sand. This means chopping in my kitchen, assembling at the beach. Dinner—preferably at sunset—is my favorite al fresco dining experience. Fewer people are often at the beach then, it’s the ideal way to unwind from the day, it combines the beauty of Tahoe with eating and it’s casual but still feels special.
This sauce is the perfect beach companion because it can be used multiple ways. First, use the spread as a base layer for sandwiches—be it meat, veggies or tofu. Consider making an open-face sandwich. It’s less filling when you use one slice of bread. Bring an array of items for people to build their own sammy. I love when grilled veggies become a sandwich. So, next time you are grilling, think about what would make for a good sandwich. Grill a little extra for that trip to the beach; the veggies will be good as a cold sandwich. Second, the sauce is a great dip for veggies. Cut those up at home. Third, this makes for an excellent dressing for a green salad. Add it at the beach, ideally letting people serve themselves. One thing to note is with this being mayonnaise-based, it needs to be kept cool. Stomachs don’t like mayo that's been sitting in the sun—trust me.
Ingredients
Directions
1 bunch cilantro 6 scallions ½ avocado 1 serrano chile 3 garlic cloves ¼ C lime juice ¼ C mayonnaise ½ tsp ground cumin
Remove stems from cilantro, then roughly chop the leaves. Cut scallions into 2-inch pieces. Remove stem and seeds from chili. Blend all the ingredients at once. If you want it less thick, add no more than ¼ C of water. Transfer to bowl; refrigerate until ready to use.
Mountain News 21
In your neighborhood
MILLER
Thriving library reflects community Publisher’s note: This begins a monthly “question and answer” feature highlighting people and issues in our community. Libraries are very much a vital asset to a community. Just ask Katharine Miller. Miller, whose title is librarian supervisor at the South Lake Tahoe
Library, has been at the helm for more than a decade. However, this wasn’t the job she moved to town to do. “Like many locals, I had three parttime jobs when I got here—video editing, shifts at Tahoe Paradise Video and extra help at the library,” Miller said. She came to the South Shore in August 2002 with her then-boyfriend, who is now her husband. (David Reichel is executive director of Sierra Avalanche Center.) At the time she was finishing her master’s in film studies at the University of Texas, Austin. In 2008, Miller obtained her masters in library and information science from San Jose State University, thus becoming a fulltime librarian. The couple lives in Meyers with their son, who will be a junior at South Tahoe High School this year. “I can’t really imagine living anywhere else at this point in my life,” Miller said. “I work with the best library crew ever.” The following is a Q&A between the TMN and Miller: Since becoming branch manager in 2013 what has changed at the library? I’d like to think things are business as usual; (former branch manager) Sally Neitling ran a pretty tight ship. But some things have changed. We added
22 Mountain News
an extensive e-book and downloadable audiobook collection through Libby and Palace Project. Through government e-rate funding and collaboration with CENIC we installed highspeed Wi-Fi, which is used daily by telecommuters and students. We also added additional full-time staff. That equates to more programming like ATLAS (At the Library After School), Lego robotics, storytimes throughout the week, and so many book clubs. In case you hadn’t noticed, we also have a new neighbor—the multigenerational rec center next door. Though it’s not directly tied to the library, it’s brought in a lot of new and returning library patrons, which is always a plus.
a community and undermine a sense of safety. There is not one thing we can do to prevent mass shootings. But I believe all communities benefit from access to mental health resources for all ages, from children through adults. Be aware of the resources available in our community and connect people to help. Have
book
bans
ever
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you don’t have to read it. But everyone deserves access to materials that reflect their life experience. What role does Friends of the Library play? The mission of the Friends of the Library of El Dorado County is to support the library’s programming and collections. As a nonprofit entity run by volunteers
Continued from page 22 Friends work with county library staff to stretch those dollars, and your $10 annual membership goes a long way to strengthen your local library. What do you do with old, damaged books? First, we try to give them a new home. Discarded books are sent to our partners, Better World Books or Operation Book Support, for resale or use in educational projects. But if a book is damaged beyond use—water, mold, cheese slice used as a book mark—yes, this really happened, then it will be disposed of. What are your three favorite children’s, adolescent and adult books and why? I don’t have favorites, but I’ve had a lot of books influence me throughout my life. I loved Shel Silverstein’s poetry as a kid because my grandmother—a first-grade teacher and librarian during WWII—gave me the books. The wicked humor and illustrations appealed to my 8-year-old sensibilities. As a tween, I lived for a series. I tore through the original
Babysitters Club. As an adult, my taste is all over the place. Books that I’ve enjoyed over the last couple of years include Whistler by Ann Patchett, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy, and The Road to Tender Hearts by Annie Hartnett. I am listening to more audiobooks than ever; there’s something special about someone reading you a story. That’s probably why I got hooked on books as a kid; my mom read to us every day. Cycling is part of your life—we hear your family has seven bikes and know you’ve been on the TAMBA board. What about the sport draws you to it? Well, I’m definitely not as big a cyclist as this makes me sound. But I do really enjoy biking. I think it’s a great way to immerse yourself in your surroundings. Whether I’m commuting through the Y or riding singletrack through a meadow, I’m more in tune with the world around me, and more likely to stop and take pictures of random things. I learned to ride a bike in third grade, and pretty much refused to ride a bike again until I was in my early twenties. But once I returned to it, I realized the independence and self-sufficiency that a bike provides. And that’s pretty magical.
Why do libraries remain important? Libraries are a third space in our communities. They’re not home, or school or work. They’re a shared space in the community, free to all, where people can gather. New parents bond over shared challenges and milestones. Older adults find community at book clubs or educational programs. Teens know they have a space where they can just be, whether they’re hanging out with friends or by themselves. Libraries are often defined by their collections, but they serve a much larger purpose in our social structure. I’d like to think our library is a reflection of our community. There was a deadly shooting at the Chico library this summer. What can be done to prevent something like that from occurring here? First, our thoughts are with the victims, families and library staff affected by this incident. Acts of violence shake
something your branch has had to contend with? Yes, we have had books challenged at our branch. The El Dorado County Library system has a Request for Reconsideration process in place in which a team of Librarians discuss a patron’s concerns and determine what changes, if any, might be made for an item in our collection. Our library operates under the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights, which recognizes our goal to provide information from all points of view. As I tell the 6th-graders when they visit in the fall, if you don’t like it,
the Friends accept donations and sell used books throughout the year to raise funds. This year the South Lake Tahoe chapter of the Friends contributed over $10,000 to our book budget. They also hosted a monthly speaker series and a book club here at the library. The Friends are key supporters of our Summer Reading Challenge, and provide financial support for our children’s, teen, and adult programming throughout the year. If you haven’t already joined the Friends, you should check it out at www.eldoradolibraryfriends.org.The
MILLER
Continued on page 23
Mountain News 23
Albert, Alfred and me This summer, I decided to take more mental excursions by reading books about human behavior. And I discovered there are a lot of people who are smarter than I but actually have worse hair, like Albert Einstein. As it turns out, Einstein, the world-famous physicist, was a proponent of letting his mind roam free, as he was frequently lost when walking or sailing. And there he found a place beyond judgment and established norms — which just happens to be my favorite destination. However, when I recently mentioned to a friend that I was reading a book about Einstein, she said, “I didn’t know you read novels.” To which I (mentally) replied, “Only since they stopped publishing Mad Magazine.” For those of you unfamiliar with this esteemed publication, it was born in 1952, just like me. And, coincidentally, its gaptoothed cover model, Alfred E. Neuman, bore an uncanny resemblance to my fourthgrade boyfriend, whom I always greeted with a cheery, “What . . . me worry?” He never got the joke, thus proving he didn’t appreciate genius level satire and would never be Einstein. I left him for a boy who better understood my needs. He loaned
me his copy of Mad during math. Which is why I still use my fingers to count to 10 and fractions are a mystery yet unsolved. Regardless, our brains continue to grow through childhood. Then “growth stalls” as evidenced by the adults who sign up for doomsday cults or a ten-minute ride on Jeff Bezos Blue Origin rocket to sub-orbital space. Not even real outer space. “Imagination is more important than knowledge,” Einstein said, hoping that Origin customers could imagine demanding a refund and cultists would use their brain instead of gifting it to a wingnut. According to a recent A.I. hit list, a human brain scientist escapee said, “we lose about half of our neural connections” after childhood; we stop accumulating knowledge and simply become “prediction machines.” At this point, Nature assumed adults would be able to utilize their storage
of information to make intelligent decisions. Nature must have been eating its own mushrooms. Even so, studies show most everyone thinks they are far smarter than they are. And that’s when we start “getting in our own way.” I once witnessed a lady brain-tripping when she accused Hubby of stealing the cow skull off her mailbox. Using her prediction machine, she assumed it was a typical Hubby-like thing to do. But if you follow Einstein’s suggestion and think about it, you know it couldn’t possibly be true. Only Texans are allowed to decorate their yard with cow skulls. Instead, our brain scientist — currently hiding out in Disneyland among his neuron-saturated peer group — advises that we should treat each other as “competent and ignorant equals.” This means assuming the people going 30 mph on motorized skateboards, scooters and unicycles along our local bike trails have functioning brains. And reminding ourselves as we crawl down Hwy. 50 in a crush of summer tourists, that they are our (ignorant and infinitely less competent) equals. And celebrating the small cerebral victory when visitors recognize a trash can and actually use it. Or when on a boat, they identify the squishy, colorful, strap-on ob-
ject as something that floats. And then actually wear it to prevent drowning or worse, spilling their beer overboard. Obviously, there are a lot of things we can spend our time worrying about, no matter how many Mad magazines we read or how many times we fall off our motorized toys or use our life vest as a beer koozie. As our brain scientist reminds us from his boat loaded with sticky, sweaty, neuron-zapping kids puttering through It’s a Small World After All, we all remain woefully ignorant of our own ignorance. This used to distress me more than the prices at Whole Foods and their human blockade across every aisle. However, my two favorite geniuses remind me to think about things differently. True, one genius has an astronomical dental bill in his future. And the other has mistaken his weed-whacker as a hair-grooming device. And together, they're a stylist's nightmare and a brain scientist's dream team. But my prediction machine tells me Einstein was right when he said, “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” So when our ignorant equals speed on the bike path, become fast or furious on Hwy 50, or seem confused by the concept of a trash can, I just smile and say, “What? Me worry?"
The purpose of pollen — and pollinators yard because an array of pollinators love it. Even the somewhat odd-looking snow plants have pollen to share. Hummingbirds love them because they are red. Big swallowtail butterflies also find these plants attractive. Butterflies need something to hold on to — a platform of sorts — like lilies. “Butterflies can see a ridiculous number of colors. Who knows what their visual world looks like, but it’s got to be something,” Richardson said. That’s one reason colorful gardens often seem to be swarming with butterflies. Moths and butterflies are searching for nectar. “If you go look at a group of manzanita flowers that's been out for a while, you will see that they're riddled with holes and that's from nectar robbers,” Richardson said. “And there's a lot of bugs, smaller bees, honey bees, even some big bumblebees, wasps, all kinds of stuff are basically chewing holes through
A butterfly searches for nectar in a flower.
24 Mountain News
Bees are often the first pollinators people name because they do the heavy lifting. However, hummingbirds are the most common pollinators in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Other animals out there making the system work by going after a flower’s nectar or pollen include beetles, butterflies, moths, wasps, ants and bats. Will Richardson, executive director and co-founder of the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, recently gave a talk titled “Tahoe’s high-altitude helpers: The secret lives of Sierra pollinators” at the behest of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center. “Pollinators exist in large part due to a lot of constraints that plants have by being stuck in the ground. When you're rooted to the ground, that means that there's a lot of challenges that you may face trying to find mates and reproducing, trying to get away from competitors, trying to get away from things that want to eat you, herbivores, right?” Richardson said. “Pollination is one attempt to try to get around the challenges of finding mates and the reproducing part of that equation. And a lot of plants adopt the strategy of just cranking out a ton of pollen and casting their fate to the wind, literally.” A plant like the yucca needs a
the base of the thing to get to the nectar.” Ants do minimal pollination. Richardson said they are better at moving seeds around. “Bees will eat anything. They are the absolute champion pollinators. They do need the pollen. They are feeding their young pollen,” Richardson said. “I've seen a lot of estimates, but around 80 to 85 percent of all flowering plants recruit bees to do at least some, if not all, of their work.” For Tahoe, honey bees are a nonnative pollinator. “We are having a bit of a pollinator crisis. We’re having a legitimate insect crisis,” Richardson said. “A lot of that is due to habitat loss. We don’t fully understand what role pesticides have, but they are getting a lot of blame and probably rightly so.” Richardson said the best thing people can do is grow native plants to attract native pollinators.
Photo Kathryn Reed
specific pollinator—the yucca moth. Some pollinators need a certain plant. Others are generalists, meaning the plant doesn’t care who comes calling and the animal doesn’t care who provides the pollen. While there are no pollinating bats in the basin, agave — and blue agave in particular — requires the long-nosed bat. That blue agave is the foundation of tequila. Two stoneflies found in local creeks — Zapada and Isoperla — eat pollen as adults. “They come out of the water and crawl into riparian vegetation, so they do a little bit of pollination,” Richardson said. Richardson said to attract beetles, plant corn lilies in your garden or a bowlshaped flower. Hummingbirds love the color red and tubular plants. July is when hummingbirds are most prolific in Tahoe. “They get incredibly territorial. You see them fighting at a hummingbird feeder,” Richardson said. “Hummingbirds are crazy. They're completely psychotic, fighting over this huge food source, but they cannot help it because they have evolved to vigorously defend these nectars during migration.” Yarrow, he said, is great for one’s
Mountain News 25
$629,000
That could have been my head!
26 Mountain News
rooms; they were so busy with these scooter crashes that they could have created a whole new ward at the hospital just for them! Well, guess what has reportedly surpassed those injuries — yep, ebikes. It’s no surprise when you see the number of people on these “mopeds” zipping down Highway 50, bike paths and backstreets. A few days ago, I saw a lady flying down Pioneer Trail, like many others, with no helmet. Perhaps we should just chalk it up to some sort of social Darwinism: some will hit their heads, hard, therefore removing some of the dumb ones from the gene pool . . . and the bike lanes. There aren’t many reasons not to wear a helmet these days. It’s not like the old days of the heavy, hot, unattractive helmets that were rather hard to wear. The price of a helmet cannot be that much of a factor because they have really come down at the more basic levels; of course, you can pay an arm and a leg for something really nice, but it’s still less than the cost of stiches. It’s always entertaining at the shop when we rent bikes to people who choose not to wear a helmet. The excuses: “I don’t want to mess up my hair” (stitches or brain surgery will mess your hair up a whole lot more); “oh,
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Photo Gary Bell
Using your noggin It was always shocking to me when those awful, green scooters appeared in our town (It’s so nice to go to other parts of the lake and not see them lying all over the paths, walkways and along the streets like litter!); then people started crashing on them in large numbers, with no head protection. We were hearing from friends working at the local emergency
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we’re only going slow on the bike path” (yeah, but not everyone else is); “the kids will take them, but we don’t need them” (way to set an example, Mom and Dad). Just a few days ago, a guy rented a bike as his friends were taking him on a trail: “Helmet?” I offer him. “They are free and you might as well wear one.” “No,” he says. “I don’t think I’ll need it.” “I think you do, just try this one on.” He takes it and goes out for his ride. Hours later, he returns and slaps the helmet and a fat tip on the counter. “Not even a full minute out the door,” he says, “I went off the curb, grabbed the wrong brake and went over the bars . . . hard, thank you!” And yes, he offered to pay for the helmet, too, since once you really hit your helmet on the ground, it is done; replace it. People often claim that helmets are too hot. Well, they are hotter than not wearing a helmet, for sure, but that same person will always wear a baseball cap or sun hat outside, and those aren’t hot? One of the major costs of a good helmet is the fact that they are made with lots of ventilation. Simply put, it costs more to engineer a helmet with more openings while still making it safe. Speaking of engineering and
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technology, there have been some big advances in how to protect our heads, specifically our brains. In recent years, manufacturers have been replacing (or supplementing) the EPS foam inside the helmet with a material called MIPS (multi-directional impact protection system) — a thin plastic liner anchored to the inside of the shell. This technology helps to protect the brain during a very common “angular” impact that stretches and twists the brain inside our skull, which can cause bleeding and swelling. MIPS will allow the head to rotate with the impact about 10 to 15 mm inside the helmet, sort of a rotational shock absorber. One of my good friends recently had a serious crash, big air to boulder to the face. Horrible, but he had decided to wear his full-face DOT helmet more often, and that saved him. He still had a mild concussion and possible fractured cheek bone, which was nothing compared to what could have happened with a lesser helmet. Strangely, people do more to protect their computers and cars than their heads. Choices, right? And then we’re glad the government doesn’t make us protect our own brains when on our bicycles and mopeds. I think I’m going to stay inside where I’m safe! Let’s play
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1641 Sherman Way
2427 Cold Creek Trail $895,000
Call Brandie 775.901.2751
1869 Elks Club Drive Country Club Estates 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath home. Close to skiing, golf, trails. Newer roof; large windows with mountain vews, Fully self-contained lower level.
CA 02136075 NV S.0194874
$619,000
CA 01961472 NV BS.0145628
CA 00964008
CA 02377629
CA 02162964 NV S.0198544
CA 01958463
10,800 sq. ft. (approximate) lot tucked away amidst the pines. IPES score of 875 and 25% coverage allowance. Room to build your own custom dream home.
$165,000
Call Brandie 775.901.2751
Brandie Griffith Connie Lopez Diego Uribe Ortiz Hailey Fuller Jarred Uppendahl Jim Mathews CA 01225636 NV S.0053818
Call Mike 530.544.5395
1404 Pebble Beach Drive
2400 Lupine Trail Call Brandie 775.901.2751
$1, 950,000
Call Brandie 775.901.2751
Thoughtfully upgraded spacious 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath Montgomery Estates home. Minutes from Heavenly and shopping; offered fully furnished.
Ann Truscott
Architecturally significant 3 bedroom, 3 bath mountain retreat on 1/4 acre. Panoramic lake views. Near Heavenly’s Gunbarrel Chair. Newer roof, undated boiler.
Montgomery Estates 3 bedroom, 3 bath home. Open-beam vaulted ceilings, knotty pine walls, three spacious decks. Attached 2-car garage. Close to skiing and hiking.
Over 8 acres with its own natural apring. Outside TRPA jurisdiction. Building pad cleared and conceptual plans in place. Backs to Desolation Wilderness.
$975,000
Call Jarred 530.307.2950
Call Brandie 775.901.2751
8715 Johnson Pass Road, Twin Bridges $500,000
1849 Steven Lane Centrally located 3 bedroom, 2 bath home just minutes from Heavenly. Village, shopping and beaches. Generous 10,000 sq. ft. lot. Yours to customize.
Joel Dameral CA 01851946 NV BS.0145648
Michael Phillips CA 01369810 NV B.0145615
Mika Dailey
CA 02246759 NV S.0205555
Call Brandie 775.901.2751
Molly Jordan CA 02142804 NV S.0195715
Trish Hall
CA 00995140 NVBS.0025568
Mountain News 27
YOUR FUTURE STARTS HERE
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Forget everything you think you know about high school ‘electives’. STHS Career & Technical Education (CTE) is where students earn college credit, land internships, and walk away with industry certifications that actually mean something. We offer studies in Allied Health, Engineering, Hospitality & Tourism, Arts & Digital Media, and, new to the curriculum this year, Social Media & Marketing. Thirteen different CTE pathways give students the skills to hit the ground running.....whether that's straight into a career or onto a college campus.
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A wrong number leads to love in Voicemails for Isabelle.
Photo Netflix
Finish out summer with mystery, romance and sheep We are in the middle of summer and big screen summer blockbusters, so I thought I would look at three smaller films you can catch at home, also good summer escapes from the hustle and bustle of the real world. First up, Millie Bobby Brown is back in her third adventure with Enola Holmes, on Netflix. Enola Holmes 3 follows Sherlock’s younger sister, now a detective in her own right. The film starts with her marriage to young Tewkesbury, with whom she fell in love during the second film. But the marriage doesn’t happen because Enola, who is already running late due to some cold feet, finds out Sherlock has been kidnapped, and meeting up with Doctor Watson, she must now solve his disappearance. As she digs deeper into the mystery, we find that none other than the diabolical Mira Moriarty, the genius villain from Enola 2, has escaped from prison and has another evil plot in the works. Enola 3 has the added fun of an exotic locale, as it takes place and was actually filmed in Malta. It lends a certain 19th century Indiana Jones feel to the adventure. The film follows the same tropes as the first two, with Enola nar-
28 Mountain News
rating and speaking directly to the camera. There are even times when she will simply glance at the camera during a sequence as if to make sure you are following along, or at least get the joke. And there are jokes aplenty, the first of course being the self-awareness just mentioned, followed by Enola’s modern approach to the strict Victorian society in which she lives. And then there is Sherlock’s stoic sarcasm along with Enola’s witty repartee and, of course, Enola’s enigmatic mother, played to perfection by Helena Bonham Carter. Overall, Enola 3 carries on the tradition of a fun, lightweight adventure, established by the first two films. The plot and the mystery are a little thin, but the action is still lively and made more so by Millie Bobby Brown’s zany energy. The film has little depth, but as a lighthearted adventure it doesn’t really need any to be enjoyed. Teresa found it fun but thought Enola’s narration of the action a little too campy. Next, we have a new romantic comedy, also on Netflix, called Voicemails for Isabelle. The film begins with Jill, a young girl whose little sister, Isabelle, suffers from cystic fibrosis. This doesn’t
stop the two of them from being an unbreakable team. Years later, when an adult Jill is trying to make it as an aspiring pastry chef in San Francisco, Isabelle passes away suddenly, leaving Jill struggling to cope with grief. She begins leaving Isabelle voicemails on her old number, not realizing the number has been reassigned to Wes, a commercial real estate agent back in her hometown of Austin, Texas. Wes hears the confessional voicemails, not knowing anything about Jill, but he keeps listening and eventually uses the information to meet her, where they strike up a relationship. Wes is reluctant to tell Jill about the voicemails and the more he falls for her, the more he puts off telling her. She will of course find out the hard way and the question is, can they overcome Wes’s deception and be together. The film is a fairly standard rom-com with the added twist of Isabelle. Both Wes and Jill have difficulties forming relationships and it’s a little hard to get past Wes’s tactics to get to know her, but they hit it off so well that you can almost overlook it. The whole thing would be creepier if Wes and Jill weren’t so darn nice, lovable, smart and
witty. The thing that keeps it from being a Hallmark movie is Zoey Deutch’s grounded portrayal of Jill and the arc of Jill’s relationship with Isabelle from which she has defined herself. Isabelle was, of course, wise beyond her years in helping Jill navigate her life. There are a couple great scenes with Jill’s job as a prep chef for the pompous Chef Bastien, played hilariously by Nick Offerman. Overall, the film hits all the correct rom-com buttons at the right time, delivering a solid, if not inspired rom-com. And third, we have a mystery for the whole family called The Sheep Detectives, now out on Prime. The film begins with Hugh Jackman as George, a shepherd who reads murder mystery novels to his beloved sheep every night on his small farm in England. When a mysterious accident involving George disrupts life on the farm, the sheep realize they must become the detectives to solve the crime. Observing the humans in the town, they follow the clues, proving that even sheep can be brilliant crime-solvers. The Sheep Detectives follows along the line of Babe, where CGI-modified sheep can understand humans and talk to
each other, while still appearing as ordinary sheep to people. George doesn’t realize that his sheep have understood and absorbed every word he has read them. The CGI work is solid and other than talking, the sheep don’t really do anything that real sheep wouldn’t be able to do, which keeps the film from being cartoony. The town characters are all quirky without being overdone and they provide a range of fun suspects for the sheep to investigate. The film is generally aimed at the younger audience, yet still deals with themes of death, grief, cultural bias and groupthink. It delicately explores how we deal with loss and grief, but there’s plenty of humor to keep it fun. The mystery is complicated enough to keep you guessing and there’s a classic mystery novel ending. Besides Jackman as George, Emma Thompson shows up as an attorney, and Bryan Cranston, Patrick Stewart, Chris O’Dowd and Julia Louis-Dreyfus provide voices for various sheep. Overall, The Sheep Detectives is a fun family film that hits some profound moments, treating the younger audience with respect while still pulling in the adults. Teresa loved this film.
Allied Health:
Jobs/Certifications
Engineering:
Jobs/Certifications
Paramedic/EMT
Tahoe Science
Exercise Science
Personal Trainer
Wildland Firefighter
Automotive
Dental Assisting
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OSHA Certification
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Hospitality/Tourism:
Jobs/Certs.
Arts & Digital Media:
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Culinary
ServSafe Cert.
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Studio Assistant
Rec. & Resort Mgmt.
Concierge
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Event Planner
TV Broadcast Production
Audio Technician
NEW Pathway: Social Media & Marketing This year we're adding a new CTE Pathway to the lineup. Students will learn digital marketing and social media by promoting STHS events, sports, fundraisers & performances.
Career Academy After school program for work-based learning in various careers. Academies start Sept. 8th.
COMMUNITY NEWS Esports Fire Academy Outdoor Recreation
STHS Sports
Freshman Orientation
Fall Schedule
South Tahoe High School August 18th 9:00-2:00
WWW.LTUSD-CTE.ORG
@TAHOECTE
TAHOE.CTE Mountain News 29
LETTERS
Continued from page 7
Speak up on Forest Service fees To the editor: Checking on something entirely unrelated to on the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit website and read about proposed recreation fees that could be imposed in Tahoe. (https://www.fs.usda.gov/r05/ laketahoebasin/newsroom/releases/proposed-changes-recreation-fees-lake-tahoe-basin-management) The proposal affects nine sites, Christmas tree permits and Desolation Wilderness permits. The recreation sites up to now have been without fees. Their upkeep has been paid for by our taxes that go to the USFS. Eight of the sites currently have no fees. Desolation Wilderness over-
night permits are $5 per person, Christmas tree permits are $10 per group. The eight sites that are on the proposed list are the Luther Pass Overflow Campground, Watson Lake Campground, Kiva Beach, Taylor Creek Visitors Center, 64 Acres Riverside, Eagle Falls Trailhead and Picnic Area, Kiva Picnic Area (Tallac Historic Site), and Echo Trailhead. The proposal is to charge $10 per day for picnic, trailheads, and the Visitor Center Parking. The campground will be $20 per day for a single site. There is no stated, clear justification for this. There is a statement about it: “...to help the forest improve infrastructure and public services at recreation sites during
the season of operation. Recreation fees help provide quality recreation opportunities that meet the modern expectations of visitors and creates a more sustainable recreation program for future generations.” It is unclear if the fees will be year-round or just during the summer into fall season. It’s no mystery that what we enjoy in all of these places costs, probably a lot. There are multiple questions surrounding this proposal, which isn’t limited to our local forests. It’s all over the state. The process for getting answers to those multiple questions used to be simple. Call the Public Information Officer or Public Affairs Officer and ask them. That
changed in 2024. Now I have to submit a list of questions to the PIO/PAO, Lisa Herron at the LTBMU. She then sends them to the Regional Office, from there to the National Office in Washington DC. The response then heads back to Lisa. It takes time for the carrier pigeons to bring the answer back. In the meantime, we may submit public comments regarding the fee proposal until close of business on September 29. There are three ways to do that. Online at https://arcg.is/iXXmz, via email at SM.FS.R5.LTBMU.FeeProposal@usda.gov, or by mail to Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Attention: Recreation Program Manager, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
Any and all comments, questions, concerns are valid. After close of comments, “...recreation fee changes will be reviewed by a citizen’s advisory committee. Committee members represent a broad array of recreation interest groups to help ensure that the Forest Service is proposing reasonable and publicly acceptable recreation fees. The committee will submit their recommendation to the Regional Forester for a final decision." Make your voice heard. No matter what your opinion is, it’s important. Charlie Ferris Photo Charlie Ferris
A visitor finds summer solace overlooking Taylor Creek along the Rainbow Trail.
30 Mountain News
Mountain News 31
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