Tahoe Truckee Region Local News: Animals

Stephanie Nistler, the first employee hired by the Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe in 2004, is now celebrating 20 years of life-saving work as the organization's CEO. Nistler's journey began with just one year of volunteering and fundraising before she was brought on board, marking the start of two decades dedicated to animal welfare in the Truckee-Tahoe area. 

Divers are currently assessing the status of New Zealand mudsnail populations once again after almost one year from their initial discovery in Lake Tahoe.

Tahoe Donner's Equestrian Center will host its 5th Annual Wild West Fest on Saturday, Aug. 31. The event, held at the center adjacent to the Alder Creek Adventure Center, will offer a range of family-oriented activities and entertainment inspired by the old frontier.

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care offers Wild Wonders Learning Series on Wednesdays in August. Join the free, hour-long wildlife presentations with speakers and family-friendly activities.

The agencies that sampled water at El Dorado Beach and Nevada Beach last week have detected no toxins associated with harmful algal blooms in the lake. These are sites viral social media posts purported could be where a dog ingested harmful cyanobacteria and later died.

If you ever get the chance to go hiking with Wildlife Ecologist Tanya Diamond and Wildlife Researcher Ahíga Sandoval, don't be prepared to go fast.

For those who love plants, bugs and other animals and have a sense of exploration and a thirst for discovery, participating in a bioblitz is the perfect opportunity.

Social media posts mourning the death of an owner's beloved dog has had many re-posting the incident with warnings about cyanobacteria in the water at certain beaches in Lake Tahoe.

Headed to the Lake Tahoe Basin for a summer camping trip? Black bear biologists who work in the Tahoe Basin every day have some advice and thoughts to share to help keep Tahoe bears wild. 

A rusty brown bark beetle, the length of a grain of rice, lands on a ponderosa pine. Tiny insect legs make a clicking sound, as the beetle scales the tree. Twitching its antennae, the miniature assassin readies itself to bore into the pine, often the tree's death knell.

The Tahoe Big Year, an event which is held every three years by the Tahoe Institute for Natural Science, welcomes birders of all abilities to head outside to find as many different species of birds as they can during the calendar year.

Bears are hungry and scavenging for food anywhere they can find it, which includes trash cans, grills, garages, vehicles and homes. There are easy steps to keep bears wild and from you destroying your home and cars.

With a million visitors flooding into the Tahoe Basin every day, wildlife officials urge caution to prevent conflicts between people and the region's growing bear population.

As temperatures rise, bear cubs and yearling bears are emerging from winter dens. Some remain with their mothers, others are independent, and a few may show signs of illness.

Tegan Rickenbach, an eighth grader from Truckee, recently won the California Junior Rodeo Association Pole Bending State Championship held in Red Bluff.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Law Enforcement Division have filed no charges against a homeowner who shot and killed a yearling bear after it entered his house through a backdoor on Memorial Day.

As human beings, we are innately fascinated with the natural world and often spend time and money to view the strength and resiliency of wildlife.