Tahoe Truckee Region Local News: Environment


All Local Environment News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: A Pyrocumulus cloud generated by the Dixie Fire in July, 2021.
What is Fire 'Containment?' That and Other Terms, Explained

What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.

Image caption: A smoky blanket of particulate matter hovers over San Francisco’s skyline.
Getting Acquainted With AQI

Learn what's getting into Californians’ lungs and why it matters.

Image caption: California has a goal of 6 million heat pumps cooling and heating buildings by 2030.
6 Million New Heat Pumps: Essential to California's Climate Future

Heat pumps, an energy-efficient way to both heat and cool homes, are a necessary element of California's climate goal of net zero carbon emissions. Here's what they are, how they work, and how to get one.

Image caption: Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law

The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is both the state’s signature environmental legislation, and is also often named as the villain in the state’s housing shortage. But the story may not be that simple.

Image caption: The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land

How California’s 10 state conservancies buy up open land and shield it from developers to preserve the natural environment for public use.

Image caption: Long-duration energy storage, such as this thermal energy storage facility, allows renewable energy sources to operate at full capacity without overloading the power grid.
How California Leads the Race For Long Duration Energy Storage

Long-duration energy storage is essential if renewables are to become the basis for a future, carbon-neutral power grid. Here's how California is leading the race to store energy from solar, wind, and other clean sources for use whenever it's needed.

Image caption: Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does

What is the California Coastal Commission? How one of the state’s most powerful agency protects public access to the state’s scenic coast from Mexico to Oregon.

Image caption: The Pajaro River levee broke during the 2023 atmospheric river storms, flooding the town of Pajaro.
Is California Ready for More Extreme Weather Driven by Climate Change?

This year, a series of extreme events in California and around the country have wreaked havoc, driven by climate change. How prepared are we for things to get worse?

Image caption: Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation has cost California 90 percent of its wetlands.
How Land Reclamation Hurts California’s Environment

Since the Gold Rush era, land reclamation projects have helped to build California, but they are also damaging the state’s environment for people, plants and animals by eliminating essential wetlands.

Image caption: How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland

California has used reclamation districts to turn millions of acres of unusable swamps into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush. Here’s how it happened.

Image caption: Kerry Wood, CEO of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation, says the organization researches areas of need to help donors direct their contributions.
What Is a Community Foundation?

By channeling funds to a number of nonprofits working on various issues in a given region, community foundations help solve big problems throughout California.

Image caption: They help feed the whole country, but life for California’s farm workers remains a struggle.
How California Feeds the Country

California stands as America’s agricultural powerhouse, growing half of its fruits and vegetables. Here’s how California farming has shaped the state, from the early missions to today’s “factories in the field.”

Image caption: From nitrates to arsenic to “forever chemicals,” California’s water supply faces a serious pollution threat.
Dirty Water: California Faces a Water Contamination Crisis

Almost one million California residents are forced to drink from contaminated water supplies, or pay for bottled water. Economic inequality makes the crisis worse. What is the state doing to fix it?

Image caption: Just because record rains have been falling, the state’s water crisis remains.
What Is Drought? Probably Not What You Think

2023’s torrential rainstorms have eased California's drought conditions. But there’s a lot more to drought than the amount of rain, and this drought isn't over yet.

Image caption: Moss Landing in Monterey Bay is the world’s largest battery storage facility for solar and other renewable energy.
Solar Power and California’s Clean Energy Goals

Solar power, and a network of giant battery storage facilities, are playing an essential role in moving California toward its goal of exclusive reliance on renewable energy sources.

Image caption: Over two weekends last October, residents of Santa Cruz and Watsonville  participated in demonstration rides aboard an electric streetcar on rails.
The ‘Rail Trail’ Movement, Explained

Thousands of miles of railroad track, including some in Santa Cruz County, now sit idle. The fate of those largely abandoned tracks has become a burning controversy.

Image caption: Supercell storms are just one of many weather phenomena in the era of climate change.
The New Vocabulary of the Climate Change Era

The climate change era has created a whole new set of terms for a wide variety of storms and other weather phenomena. Here are some of the most important.

Image caption: Mosquitos kill about 725,000 people every year, worldwide.
Taking a Bite Out of the Mosquito Population

The pesky mosquito can be deadly as well as annoying. Here’s how local governments in California have been waging war on mosquitoes for more than a century.

Image caption: RCDs look after the land, whether it’s used for grazing, growing, or getting out into nature.
California Dirt

What do resource conservation districts protect? Pretty much everything that’s worth saving.

Image caption: Water is a human right under California law, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Agriculture and Water Shortages in the State’s Breadbasket, Explained

Residential wells are drying up in the state’s main agricultural region at the same time that agricultural businesses consume almost 90 percent of the water there.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/14/2025
In a striking setback to reduce California’s air pollution but a win for trucking companies, state regulators have walked away from their ambitious plan to phase out diesel trucks less than a week before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

01/14/2025
Key moisture measurements are only 2% to 5% of average, leaving dusty soils. And the recent swing from wet to dry is among the most extreme on record. This combination of climatic conditions crossed into a danger zone, priming much of Southern California for wind-whipped fires.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

01/12/2025
Image for display with article titled 2024 Highlights From Your Water and Sewer District

The South Tahoe Public Utility District works around the clock to provide our mountain community with safe, clean drinking water, water for firefighting and reliable wastewater services to protect Lake Tahoe.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

01/02/2025
Read on to learn about the two new California National Monuments to be declared by outgoing President Biden.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

01/01/2025
Image for display with article titled Truckee Donner Land Trust Secures 691-Acre Wilderness in Carpenter Valley

In a pivotal conservation effort, the Truckee Donner Land Trust, in collaboration with the Northern Sierra Partnership, has acquired 691 acres of untouched wilderness at the headwaters of Carpenter Valley. This expansion of protected lands ensures the preservation of an ecosystem perched between the Sierra Crest and Carpenter Valley's meadows.

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

12/31/2024
Image for display with article titled Preparing for ‘The Big One’: How Computer Modeling Can Help Cities Plan for Massive Floods

Nearly 30 years ago, unseasonably warm rains melted the snowpack in the Truckee, Carson, and Walker Rivers, bursting over their banks and eventually covering almost 64,000 acres of land over the course of three days. While agencies disagree about how often floods of that size will occur in the area, one thing is for certain—climate change will only make it worse. Now, scientists at the University of Nevada, Reno are developing computer modeling to help cities on the Sierra Nevada front deal with these worsening flood impacts.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/30/2024
Image for display with article titled ‘It’s a Once in a Lifetime Kind of Change’: Sustainability Office Brings Major Energy Upgrades and More Electric Vehicle Chargers to Tahoe

Sustainability in South Lake Tahoe had a major win with the three-cart system in 2024, helping to further prevent food waste in the community. But Sara Letton, sustainability coordinator for the city of South Lake Tahoe, said that 2024 was primarily a year of planning for her. In the new year, the city will be upgrading several major facilities to make them more energy efficient, as well as installing more electric vehicle chargers, bringing the city closer to its sustainability goals.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/25/2024
Image for display with article titled New Book Delves Into Tahoe Geology

A new book by award-winning author and 50-year Lake Tahoe resident David C. Antonucci brings the reader comprehensive and understandable coverage of Tahoe's ancient, diverse, and complex geology. 

Sierra Sun logo From Sierra Sun...

12/19/2024
Image for display with article titled Year in Review: Protecting the Forests of the Middle Truckee Watershed

The Middle Truckee River Watershed Forest Partnership (MTRWFP) is celebrating the results of the first full year of active projects, all of which are focused on reducing the occurrence of severe wildfire within the forests of the Truckee River Watershed.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/18/2024
Image for display with article titled Winter Trek Begins Jan 28 at Heavenly Mountain Resort

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is pleased to announce sign ups for the 2025 Winter Trek Conservation Education Program at Heavenly Mountain Resort. Reservations are required and open Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. 

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/17/2024
The US EPA granted California’s waiver, which the incoming Trump administration is likely to try to overturn in the courts. The state’s zero-emission vehicle mandates have been the driving force behind California’s progress in cleaning up dangerous air pollutants.

California Local Pin Marker From YubaNet...

12/17/2024
Use this explainer by the National Science Foundation-sponsored National Center for Atmospheric Research to understand atmospheric rivers and how they'll change as the climate warms.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/15/2024
Image for display with article titled Annual Tahoe Bald Eagle Count Set for Jan 2025

It's time to polish up those binoculars.  The Tahoe Institute for Natural Science is hosting its annual Mid-Winter Bald Eagle Survey on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteers are grouped into small teams and stationed at one of 26 vantage points throughout the Tahoe basin, mostly around the lakeshore, to get an accurate snapshot of eagle numbers at the lake.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/13/2024
Image for display with article titled ‘Enviro Day’ Connects the Classroom to Careers for Local High School Students

Earlier this fall, 280 local high school students were given a glimpse at how their environmental science classes can translate into real-world careers that protect, conserve, and restore outdoor spaces during Enviro Day at South Tahoe High School.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/13/2024
The Supreme Court justices agreed to review whether oil companies have standing to try to overturn a federal waiver for a California clean-car rule that ramped up electric car sales. The standards are the cornerstone of California’s efforts to clean its air and combat climate change.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/13/2024
Some rural California communities are resisting efforts to streamline permitting for wind and solar farms and battery storage for environmental or safety reasons.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/12/2024
Image for display with article titled BEBOT Beach-Cleaning Robot Cleans Over 1 Million Square Feet of Lake Tahoe’s Shoreline

It all started with an ambitious idea from JB Harris, Co-Founder of ECO-CLEAN Solutions, who, after years of working on Tahoe's beaches, recognized the pressing need for an innovative solution to keep Tahoe's shorelines litter-free year-round. Determined to make a difference, Harris sought out cutting-edge technology that seamlessly combines innovation with environmental stewardship. This vision became reality in 2021 with the introduction of BEBOT, the first solar and battery-powered beach-cleaning robot on the West Coast.

Tahoe Daily Tribune logo From Tahoe Daily Tribune...

12/12/2024
Image for display with article titled El Dorado County, City of South Lake Tahoe Authorizes Rate Increase for Solid Waste Collection

Though there was protest in the public comments of these meetings, both El Dorado County's Board of Supervisors and the city of South Lake Tahoe unanimously authorized the rate increase for solid waste collection proposed by South Tahoe Refuse.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/12/2024
When disaster strikes, California gets federal funding to hire temporary workers to clean debris. But the jobs are tough, and some agencies struggle to manage the grants.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

12/11/2024
The Biden administration is awarding Inflation Reduction Act money to help clean the air before President-elect Trump takes over.