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By Eric Johnson
Published Sep 16, 2024

Loch Lomond, the reservoir that supplies the city of Santa Cruz with a significant portion of its drinking water, is also a beautiful recreational and natural resource. Loch Lomond, the reservoir that supplies the city of Santa Cruz with a significant portion of its drinking water, is also a beautiful recreational and natural resource.

Dams and Reservoirs: Up and Down

Before we get into a story that involves dams, reservoirs, and irony: A reminder that this edition of The Newsletter includes, as always, a carefully curated news digest that makes it easy for you to quickly find the most important stories happening in your community this week. Also: A brief intro to a nonprofit doing good work AND a seasonal recipe. It's an effortless scroll—but first:


California Dams Get Raised and Razed

As a lifelong sworn environmentalist, I have always felt a little bit guilty about the fact that I love reservoirs—and if I'm honest the dams that create them. As a kid growing up in New Jersey just outside Manhattan, the Oradell Reservoir was my refuge, and the place where I discovered nature. When I moved to the Santa Cruz Mountains soon after high school, the Loch Lomond reservoir was walking distance from my home and became another refuge.

I saw my first eagle at the Oradell Reservoir when I was 16, and my first mountain lion at Loch Lomond when I was 19. I mention this not out of pure nostalgia, but to pont out that beyond their intended benefit of storing water for human use, reservoirs can be inherently good, in that they support rich and healthy ecosystems. And yes: Dams throughout California and the West have massively disrupted fisheries and threaten keystone species such as Chinook salmon with extinction.

So this week, a nuanced look at some dams throughout the state that are going up and coming down.


The Ups and Downs of California Dams

Tens of thousands of truck loads of earth will be moved to raise the B.F. Sisk Dam by ten feet.
We check in on efforts to raise some dams in the state to store more water, and to raze some dams to to let water run free.


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Nevada County's Homepage

Direct your browser to https://nevada.californialocal.com/ to catch up on the latest news in California and Nevada County. Bookmark the link and visit often, there's a lot happening in your community!


Recipe of the Week

Our friends at Sacramento Digs Gardening publish a recipe from their gardens every Sunday, which we feature here so you can start your week with some yum.

See more recipes in their Taste Fall! cookbook.


Yes, Asian pears can be baked

Spices give Asian pears a subtle boost in flavor in this summer-into-fall cobbler.
New! A cobbler perfect for a seasonal transition


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Mountaineer Transit Company logo Mountaineer Transit Company

Mountaineer Transit Company provides transit within Transit Company Olympic Valley and Alpine Meadows.

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From Our Media Allies

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Sierra Sun logo Community Invited to Participate in Placer Zoning Text Amendment Workshops, Town Hall Meeting

The Placer County Community Development Resource Agency is seeking public input into its proposed 2024 Zoning Text Amendment initiative, with multiple workshops beginning in September and a town hall meeting Oct. 15. 

Sierra Sun logo Placer Supervisors Ask Governor for Insurance State of Emergency

With residents and businesses facing dire insurance affordability challenges, the Placer County Board of Supervisors on September 10 approved a resolution asking California Governor Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency for homeowners and commercial property insurance.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo Tahoe El Dorado Area Plan Approaches End of Phase 1

In their second virtual workshop of the summer, El Dorado County's team for the Tahoe El Dorado (TED) Area Plan presented the feedback and engagement they've received over the summer and discussed the next steps. The team projects that the …

Sierra Sun logo Tahoe Expedition Academy Gear Market Is Back

Tahoe Expedition Academy announced the return of its annual Gear Market fundraiser event to celebrate the start of the new school year and give families a chance to purchase everything they’d need at low costs—from camping gear and skis to …

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo Is There a Solution to Pothole Ridden Roads in Tahoe?

Whether it's the spilled beverage or a popped tire, residents or those traveling through the Tahoe region have likely encountered pothole and crack ridden roads.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo Redevelopment and Art District Among Mid-Town Area Plan Priorities

The City of South Lake Tahoe City Council confirmed Mid-Town Area Plan priorities at their meeting Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo South Lake Tahoe Hotels Support Davis Fire Evacuees

The City of South Lake Tahoe extends its deepest condolences to those impacted by the Davis fire in the Reno area. South Lake Tahoe residents and business owners experienced the challenges of evacuation during the Caldor wildfire threat in 2021 …

Sierra Sun logo Placer County Ranks Number One in the Nation for Firewise USA Communities

Placer County is now the top-ranked county in the United States and California for the number of communities participating in the Firewise USA program.

Sierra Sun logo Truckee Town Council Moves Forward With Short-Term Rental Workforce Housing Token Program

The Truckee Town Council met on Tuesday, Sept. 10, to discuss continuing the Short-Term Rental Workforce Housing Token Pilot Program.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo Forest Thinning Continues in Lake Tahoe Basin

Tahoe Fire & Fuels Team forest thinning projects are underway and scheduled to continue for the next several weeks, conditions and weather permitting. Some projects are expected to continue through the fall.

Sierra Sun logo Truckee Donner PUD Honors Board Member Joe Aguera’s 37 Years of Service

Truckee Donner Public Utility District named a newly-built water pump station the Joseph "Joe" R. Aguera Pump Station, in recognition of Aguera's 37 years of commendable service.

Tahoe Guide logo Fall in Tahoe Is Delicious

Culinary delights abound in Tahoe from farm-to-table festivals celebrating the bounties of the harvest, to craft beer and local wine food pairings to a cornucopia of Bavarian-themed Okotberfests. Tahoe's gastronomic events in the fall will delight even the most discriminating …

Tahoe Guide logo Arts Essential Part of Tahoe’s Community

Artists of nearly every medium are called to work, live and create in Tahoe and Truckee from painters and sculptors to fiber artists, songwriters, authors and poets to dancers and musicians, among many others. The arts also represent an important, …

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Recent Local News

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• California Fire Foundation Awards Funds to United Way Nevada County

United Way Nevada County has received a grant from the California Fire Foundation to fund fire preparedness and prevention programs.

(09/14/2024) → YubaNet

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In their September 10 meeting, the Grass Valley City Council voted to certify the final draft environmental impact report for the mixed-use Dorsey Marketplace.

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Nevada County will be holding public meetings and soliciting comment via online survey as it considers adoption of an ordinance permitting commercial use of home kitchens.

(09/13/2024) → The Union

• Grant to Fund Nevada County Conservation Planning

A California Strategic Growth Council grant of $500,000 to the County of Nevada and the Nevada County Resource Conservation District will fund a 3-year planning local conservation planning cycle.

(09/10/2024) → YubaNet
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Recent Statewide News

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• Audit of Military Equipment Used By UC Police

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(09/15/2024) → University of California

• Which Growing California Communities Will Get the Hottest?

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(09/13/2024) → CalMatters

• CA Cities Jump on Homeless Encampment Bans

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(09/13/2024) → CalMatters

• No Sleeping Bags, Keep Moving: California Cities Increase Crackdown on Homeless Encampments

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(09/11/2024) → CalMatters

• California Schools Face Twin Perils: Chronic Absenteeism and Declining Enrollment

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(09/11/2024) → Los Angeles Times

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(09/10/2024) → CalMatters
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Dearborn Sausage Company, Inc. Recalls Wiener Products Due to Misbranding and Undeclared Allergens

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Brian Dahle CA Senate 01:
Senator Dahle’s legislation headed to Governor’s Desk for Signature

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Hickory Hollow Jerky Recalls Ready-To-Eat Jerky Products Produced Without Benefit of Inspection

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Letter to the Governor- Increasing Gas Prices

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Brian Dahle CA Senate 01:
Sen. Brian Dahle Helps to Unlock Millions in Funding to Support Wildfire Prevention Projects

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Lake Tahoe Summit‚ Park Fire Road Closures‚ and More

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Make Your Voice Heard: California Insurance

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FSIS Issues Public Health Alert For Ineligible Meat and Poultry Products Illegally Imported From the Republic of the Union of Myanmar

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