Come play for snow at Snowplay Area!
We will be offering fun for kids and adults alike at Snowplay this weekend!
Come enjoy the beautiful weather, bounce house, frisbee games and pillow hockey. The snack bar will be open.
There will be no charge to play. A ticket will be required for liability release.
Hours:
Friday 1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sunday 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
The Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Center is slated to open on Thursday, November 22, from 8:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., for snowshoeing only. Conditions permitting, scheduled hours will be 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Friday – Sunday, for the rest of the holiday week. Current trail conditions offer thin coverage in the lower elevations to good coverage in higher elevations.
The Alder Creek Café will be open and serving hot chili, sandwiches, muffins, and coffee, plus additional items. This weekend is a great time to stop by for a quick visit, meet the new cross country ski center manager, Sally Jones, and learn about the exciting upcoming events this winter!
The retail shop is stocked with new gear for the season, and we will be offering 20 percent off for Tahoe Donner Members and 10 percent off purchases for the general public this weekend.
Snowshoe rentals will be available at the base lodge. Full-day rates are $23 for adults and $14 for children. Two-hour rentals from 1 – 3 p.m. are $19 for adults and $11 for children. Trail access will be free with snowshoe rentals. Trail passes are $5 for guests with their own snowshoes.
Based on the weather forecast, we encourage folk s to bring hiking boots or water resistant hiking shoes to use with snowshoes, and dress in layers. Snowshoeing is a great workout, so it’s smart to bring a backpack to store your gear as your temperature changes. We also suggest bringing plenty of water with you on the trail.
Check out the current conditions at the cross country ski center
Sierra Wildlife Coalition’s second anniversary has been marked with several huge successes. We have to admit, for so long after the inception of our group we often felt as if we were working only to the find animals “removed”, but none of us gave up, and our unofficial slogan “We can do this!” is becoming a reality.
Taylor Creek near Camp Richardson in South Lake Tahoe has been on our radar since we read a master’s thesis documenting the spike in phosphorus levels measured in the water being discharged when the US Forest Service (USFS) removed beaver dams within this Lake Tahoe tributary. The study concluded that the resulting environmental impact to the lake was algae growth, fed by the mixture of nutrients and sediments stored behind those very dams. This one-two punch to water clarity year after year erodes efforts to Keep Tahoe Blue. Sherry and Ted corresponded all summer with USFS supervisors, met with hydrologists, offered pond leveling device design and assistance, and cited studies (with photos) showing beaver dams do not impede spawning salmon, but never got a commitment. Then we received a phone call from Tom Knudsen, the Sacramento Bee Environmental Reporter.
Tom’s article on the front page of the Sacramento Bee on Sunday, October 7, exposed the U.S. Forest Service’s continual practice of destroying the dams of the native beavers in Taylor Creek for fear their structures would impede the upstream migration of the spawning non-native Kokanee Salmon. Sierra Wildlife Coalition’s continued and unsuccessful efforts to make the situation work for the Forest Services’ trails, the beavers, and the fish were revealed and many of Sherry’s quotes were printed. See photos on our Sierra Wildlife Coalition Facebook page and read the article. Enjoy!
You will also see in the Bee article a major milestone has been reached, as studies reviewing physical and historical evidence that beavers are native to the high Sierra Nevada Range have been published in the spring issue of the Journal of California (Dept. of) Fish and Game. If we had a buck for every time we heard the rational for killing beavers is that they are not native to this area, we could build our own beaver sanctuary and theme park. We are attaching these peer-reviewed studies, which will begin to save the lives of these valuable animals in our region.
We love Tahoe Donner. This time we were asked to install another pond leveler to prevent the flooding of a portion of their trail system. Our coordinated efforts have resulted in a model project with a developing wetland and a new raised walkway to accommodate (dry and happy) hikers. At our last visit we could see the neighbors had brought lounge chairs to the pond to enjoy their wild neighbors in their natural surroundings. When we are allowed to pursue projects just like this, we can easily prevent any negative effects beavers create in populated areas. We then distributed letters to the homeowners living along this wetland with a brief description of the pond leveler, plus tree protection methods and our Benefits of Beavers brochure. The area below the beaver pond at Skislope, the site of our first pond leveler, is now a water-rich stream environment containing a series of dams. Please, go by and take a walk on the newly constructed trail. You will be in awe of the lower dam and the quantity of clear water being retained in this drought year!
Another excellent example of the beavers’ ability to store water though drought conditions is easily visible where Martis Creek enters the upper end of Martis Lake, off Hwy 267. Thank you to Park Ranger, Jacqui Zink, of the Army Corp of Engineers, for your kind words, support, and appreciation of the beavers and wetlands. Again see photos on our Facebook page, or better yet, check it out, take your dog, and tell Jacqui thanks.
Incline Village General Improvement District’s Waste Not Director, Madonna Dunbar, has been pro-active in her efforts to keep beaver habitat from threatening neighboring structures, and calls us whenever she senses a potential problem. Our beaver deceiver culvert protection is still outsmarting nature’s greatest engineers and preventing the undermining of a service road and small portion of a trail. Along the road to this project we painted a stand of large cottonwoods being chewed, and as an experiment, we also painted a single tree that was approximately 75% chewed and barely standing. Five months later the survivor is still alive and upright. Latex paint and sand. So simple and easy.
The Sierra Wildlife Coalition booth has been as busy as a, o.k., I won’t say it. We started with Earth Day at Squaw, and then we were invited to (are you ready for this) The Native Species Festival at USFS’s Taylor Creek, participated in six Truckee Thursdays, the Martinez Beaver Festival, and Dog Day in Tahoe Vista. We could really, really use help next year especially at Truckee Thursdays. It is a huge event every week and our booth has evolved with more projects for kids. We have also added the Sierra Wildlife Cinema featuring an amazing IMAX movie with narration telling the story of a pair of beavers and their transformation of a landscape, with their beautiful pond providing a bio-diverse ecosystem for insects, fish, birds, and other wildlife.
It was a huge victory for the wildlife of California when Governor Jerry Brown signed Senate Bill 1221, stopping the unsportsmanlike, cruel, and uncontrollable use of hounds to track and tree bears and bobcats. Many of you wrote letters, emails, phoned, and made trips to the Capitol to spend tense hours surrounded and outnumbered by hunters in what can best be described as the trenches of animal activism. But once again we did it!
We need volunteers! There could very well be beavers living in your neighborhood or on the route you drive everyday to and from work. When our members monitor these sites, we can foresee potential flooding problem or trees in need of protecting, then the possibility the animals will be allowed to remain drastically increases. Thanks for your support, and together, we can do it!
Thanksgiving weekend marks the return of the annual Tahoe Donner Light up the Night event! A family favorite, this special gathering gets everyone in the mood for the upcoming holiday season. Please join us at the Lodge Restaurant & Pub, from 5 – 8 p.m., on Saturday, November 24.
Enjoy caroling, games, crafts, hot chocolate, s’mores, live entertainment and a visit from Santa! Guests are encouraged to bring their own cameras for photos with Santa from 6:30 – 8 p.m.
The holidays are also a time to think about giving back to those less fortunate. We will be selling raffle tickets to benefit Project MANA, a hunger relief agency serving more than 26,000 individuals in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee communities each year. The raffle will be announced at 7:30 p.m. Please bring your canned food items to donate. Project MANA will have three food collection bins on-site.
One special child in attendance will be selected to flip the switch and light the 2012 Tahoe Donner Christmas tree behind the Lodge Restaurant & Pub. Be sure to get your tree lighting ticket when you arrive and listen to hear if your number is called at 5:55 p.m.
Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Area will sell winter gear at prices up to 60 percent off. Check out jackets, fleece, t-shirts and kids helmets from Smith, Columbia and Tipsy.
2012 Light up the Night Schedule
5 p.m. Event Begins
Holiday games, caroling, crafts, s’mores, hot chocolate, tree lighting tickets will be distributed, Project MANA tickets will be sold
5:55 p.m. Tree lighting winner announced
6 p.m. Tree lighting
6:30 p.m. Santa’s arrival
6:45 p.m. The Dan McGinty Band
7:30 p.m. Project MANA Raffle winners announced
8 p.m. Event ends
This year Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Area is introducing ski and snowboard lessons for the little ones. It’s the perfect option for families who wants all the kids to have fun on the hill. The Snowflakes program is great for the beginner skier and Snow Shredders is the way to go for the snowboarder. Both programs cost $119 per day, include lunch, and are offered daily from 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
For parents that want to hone in their skills while the kiddos are off having fun, Tahoe Donner Downhill Ski Area has a few great options. Read below for lessons and packages and visit the lesson page for even more information.
The Snowflakes Ski School has special instructors and its own kids’ room. Each session includes specialized instruction and a low student-to-instructor ratio. Children must be at least 3 years of age, potty trained, and willing to ski.
Snowflakes (age 3 skiers) $79 Half Day only
Snowflakes (age 4-6 skiers) $119 Full Day, $79 Half Day
Morning 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Afternoon 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Full Day 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Full day lessons include lunch.
Purchase online at ShopTD or call (530) 587-9444 and then press “0″ to make your reservations today.
Snow Shredders is designed for the youngest snowboarders, ages 5 – 6. Small class sizes plus energetic instructors add up to a great learning experience. Each session includes specialized instruction and low student-to-instructor ratio.
Snow Shredders (age 5-6 snowboarders) $119 Full Day, $79 Half Day
Morning 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Afternoon 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Full Day 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Full day lessons include lunch.
Purchase online at ShopTD or call (530) 587-9444 and then press “0″ to make your reservations today.
Helmet Policy: Tahoe Donner requires all students under age 13 to wear a ASTM F2040 helmet. We offer helmets in our rental shop for $8 and helmets available for purchase. All packages include helmets.
Classes will move at your own pace and are individually tailored to your group. Reservations can be made by calling (530) 587-9444 or by stopping by the ticket office.
Half day private (3 hours for up to 4 people) $229
Full day private (6 hours for up to 4 people) $395
One hour private $89 all levels; $20 per hour for each additional person
These packages are designed for all levels of skiers and snowboarders. Packages include a full day lift ticket, a two hour group lesson and full day equipment rental, including helmet.
Adult (ages 13-59) $89
Senior (60-69) $79
Lesson Only $45
Morning 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Afternoon 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.
Purchase online at ShopTD or call (530) 587-9444 and then press “0″ to make your reservations today.