Category: Natural World
Lake Tahoe’s Desolation, Via SUP
Backcountry paddling trip offers trials, rewards Written and Photographed by Ryan Salm Using the melodic music pumping from the car stereo to get into a rhythm, we inflated our brand-new Naish paddleboards. A cobalt sky dotted with a few lonely clouds opened northward, framed by the granite extending into Desolation Wilderness. The breeze was gentle […]
Felines of the Sierra
The Sierra’s cats call Tahoe home but are seldom spotted Written by Will Richardson We are extremely fortunate at Tahoe to be surrounded by natural beauty, which includes a great diversity of plants and animals. More than 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Lake Tahoe Basin and many of these, such as […]
Dry Climate Turns Search for Water Below Ground
The third year of deep drought gives Tahoe and Truckee a glimpse into the future of groundwater in the age of climate change Written by David Bunker The pumps to Squaw Valley’s four main wells have just kicked off as Brandon Burks enters the pumphouse sitting like an island in the middle of Squaw Valley’s expansive […]
Tahoe’s Nearshore: The Water’s Edge
Written by Greyson Howard Ask an average Tahoe local or well-versed visitor how scientists track Lake Tahoe’s legendary water clarity and they might know about a white disk lowered into The Lake to the point where it can no longer be seen. Called a Secchi disk, the exercise has been invaluable in tracking Tahoe’s progress […]
Nevada-California Deer Herd at a Crossroads
Satellite radio collars allow biologists to track the millennium-old migration patterns of Nevada’s mule deer Written by Jackie Ginley In Truckee’s Tahoe Donner neighborhood, the seasonal appearance of mule deer are a welcome sight. They are among the first out-of-towners to arrive in the spring, heralding the beginning of long days and warm weather, and […]
Of Ice and Snow in Tahoe
Nature uses winter water for warmth, protection Written by Will Richardson The Planet Earth we know could not survive without its most important and unique substance, water. It surrounds us, covering approximately 70 percent of Earth’s surface, locked away for long periods as snow and ice, as vapor in the atmosphere, in the soil, or […]
Endangered Amphibians could Alter Sierra Nevada
Written by Matthew Renda A species of small frogs endemic to the Sierra Nevada is causing a rising swell of consternation across the region. The Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog was once ubiquitous in the pellucid lakes and crystalline streams dappling the granitic mountains, particularly in the range’s northern reaches. “It was difficult to walk around […]
Alpenglow Winter Film Series Seeks to Inspire
Series Draws Community for Storytelling Written By Kyle Magin Tales of glorious, endlessly light days and terrifically foul weather in the remote wilds of Baffin Island’s high country transfixed a crowd of hundreds at Squaw Valley’s Olympic Valley Lodge in early November. Tahoe-based explorer/climber Dave Nettle walked them through a series of well-shot slides depicting […]
Fifty Shades of Brown: Learning to Love Nevada
Written by Kyle Magin Nobody was ever happier to see Reno. At the end of a seemingly infinite desert, I pulled into a gas station off of Interstate 80 with my parents and thanked whatever deity was responsible for putting civilization there. We were nearing the conclusion of a three-day road trip from my childhood […]
Birding Takes off at Tahoe
Written by Becky Regan Most birders will say one sighting flipped the switch. For Will Richardson, it happened back in high school, when a flash of brilliant blue caught his eye. The color belonged to a bird so magnificent Richardson reasoned it must be an escaped pet. He went home and dug up his […]
