open space

As May comes to a close, it’s time to look back on all the fun events we had during Bike Month and thank our volunteers and sponsors who made it all possible!
Tour of Carson City

After years of relative non-enforcement and mounting concerns of vandalism, trash dumping and illegal off road riding on public land designated as open space and not for motorized use, the Carson City Sheriff's Office will step up patrol of the Prison Hill Recreation Area south to Fifth Street.

There is a lot of misinformation circulating regarding Carson City’s possible future involvement with the Empire Ranch Golf Course. I have heard and read many inaccurate statements regarding what actions, if any, the city might take in regards to the course. I want to help clear that up, and address the facts as I understand them.

The following was read at the Feb. 20, 2014 Board of Supervisors meeting. I said the following:

A Better Plan for Carson City

Now is the time for courage in leadership as we seek to secure financing and determine the timing of projects through a cooperative effort which will bring together the community, city staff and elected officials.

The Silver Springs Airport in Lyon County will be home to a Nevada drone company test site. The airport has been picked as a hub by Nevada Institute of Autonomous Systems as an operations location for unmanned autonomous vehicle systems, said Lyon County Manager Jeff Page in a Friday statement.

The deal was made through a partnership with Lyon County and working closely with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Northern Nevada Development Authority, said Page.

In a unanimous vote at their last quarterly meeting of 2013, the Carson City Library Foundation agreed to commit $33,000 toward renovating and furnishing the library auditorium to house the new Digitorium, a proposed space build-out for around 20 MacBook Pro computers, high tech software and more.

Approximately $22,000 in residual private matching monies that helped open the library’s first digital space in January of 2012 will also be used for the project, targeted for completion by late spring of 2014.

At 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning a group of well bundled people met in downtown Carson City for the Fall Art Walk. If you missed the walk or forgot to take notes, here is a brief recap.

1) Comma Coffee – The “Backseat Gallery” in the back was featuring art by Barry Mitchell. It was a great opportunity to get a hot coffee too.

2) Legislative Grounds – A viewing of the statues of Kit Carson and Abraham Curry and the Nevada Law Enforcement Officers Memorial along the beautiful ground of the Nevada State Legislature.

Events come and go but public land, when properly named and designated points highlighted, usually lasts forever.

Two areas of property along the Carson River, acquired by the Carson City Open Space Program, are deserving of names. That's why the city is asking for citizens to chime in with their ideas about what to call them. The property is located near Deer Run Road on the east side of Carson City.

The 75th anniversary of the Nevada Day Parade will be celebrated on Saturday, October 26th, 2013 in Carson City and is expected to produce record-breaking attendance.

The day-long experience is kicked off with the opportunity to ride in a hot air balloon. This is a rare opportunity to participate in a mass ascension with a downtown lift-off in Carson City. A downtown lift-off is extremely rare in the hot air balloon industry. Individuals and businesses can sponsor a balloon, which includes the opportunity to ride in the balloon during the event.

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong will run for a fourth term as the capital city's top law enforcement officer, announcing his 2014 re-election intentions Tuesday.

In what Furlong described as three "politically quiet but challenging years," crime statistics have trended downward since the 2010 election, which is remarkable given Carson City's economic climate as it continues to deal with the effects of a deep, prolonged recession.

Carson City residents interested in naming two open space acquisitions are invited by the Open Space Program to submit a written proposal.

The two properties are located on Golden Eagle Lane in the southeast area of Carson City, near the southeast corner of the Prison Hill Recreation Area, according to a news release.

The policies and procedures, property descriptions, and application can be found on the Parks and Recreation Department’s website here.

Two free lectures by science experts - one about the violent geologic history of Lake Tahoe, another concerning global warming, will highlight the many free activities at Western Nevada College during Earth Week, April 22-27.
Renewable energy exhibits, an organic gardening lecture, alternative fuel vehicles and a tree planting ceremony will also be featured.

“Many diverse and interesting activities will be offered,” said Valerie Andersen, WNC public service librarian and college Earth Week event coordinator. Students, faculty and the public are invited to attend.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors are seeking applications from persons interested in serving on the Carson City Open Space Advisory Committee. There are three open positions, each for a term that expires Jan. 2017.

The Pony Express Territory, a fascinating route that takes travelers across Nevada on U.S. Highway 50 and once dubbed ‘The Loneliest Road in America’, is currently drawing visitors to Fallon’s annual Corn Maze at Lattin Farms via a contest on Facebook through Oct. 23. The award-winning Corn Maze is the West Coast’s largest and is known for family fun.

Mark your Calendars for an informational talks on August 9 and 14 to learn to identify yellow starthistle and pull offending weeds. The workshop will be a couple of hours, after work for most, and in some very pretty locations near the Carson River. It will be fun AND informative and you will get to visit areas that are “off the beaten path.”

Visit the Carson City Weed Coalition on facebook to keep current on Carson City noxious weed issues.

http://www.facebook.com/CCWeeds

by Jeff Potter, originally appearing on the Muscle Powered blog.

by Teri Vance
Story originally appearing in the Nevada Appeal:
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/ARTICLE/20120715/NEWS/120719914/-1/RSS
Chris Huber is bringing his expertise to Carson City.
“It’s what I know,” he said. “It’s what I do.”
What Huber knows is the world of cycling.
Huber is a former professional cyclist who had several top-10 finishes in the World Cycling Championships and held the speed record for a self-powered vehicle in 1993.

A combination of great weather and growing enthusiasm for cycling in Carson City is getting getting people out there on their bikes, and the ride with Carson City’s Leaders on May 7th was no exception.

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do it.

That's the basis of the argument being put forward by some of the more vocal supporters of the Carson City Center Project, aka Nugget Project, as they try to fight back the attempt to put the issue on the November ballot.

They would be wise to follow their own advice.

On March 14, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens partnered with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office Marijuana Eradication Team (MET), the California Air National Guard’s Pavehawk helicopter team, San Francisco Water Company, Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department, and Mid Peninsula Open Space District to clean up the environmental damage and mitigate wildlife habitat destruction at several sensitive watersheds throughout Santa Clara County.

Yesterday the Carson City Board of Supervisors heard the person in charge of the city's open space program outline new goals for the future.

After the city's buying spree of hundreds of acres of open space lands in recent years, Open Space Manager Juan Guzman said they are now shifting to better managing those lands.

Recognized for stewardship and care taken in the building and construction of developments around Lake Tahoe, the 22nd annual Best in the Basin awards were announced Tuesday by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
The TRPA, which sets policy for development around Lake Tahoe, will recognize the winners, listed below, during the 2011 Best in the Basin awards presentation during the meeting of its Governing Board on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in Stateline. Go here for the agenda.

The good news is that the V&T Railway is expected to make a profit of $164,132 on their popular Polar Express event for the coming year.

The bad news is the railway's main runs between Eastgate Siding and Virginia City is projected to lose $108,192, even with an expected $67,250 in donations.

The resulting $56,000 in projected profit is almost enough to pay for the $60,000 shortfall in the previous season's sales tax revenue that pays for the bonds that helped rebuild the historic railway. That is a shortfall that is expected to continue and grow larger.

Over the weekend, the Paradise Cove Cafe in Carson Mall closed its doors, the end to a labor of love for owners Doug and Jamesa Cramer.

"Relieved" was the first word Doug said when I asked him how he was doing. The efforts to keep the restaurant in business over the last year and 10 months had clearly taken a toll.

Pete Livermore has announced he will be running for a second term representing Assembly District 40, which encompasses most of Carson City.

Livermore served on the Carson City Board of Supervisors until he was elected to the Assembly in 2010, edging out fellow supervisor Robin Williamson.

The following is the text of a press release sent out by Livermore today:

The Carson City Board of Supervisors will consider accepting the recommendation of the Open Space Advisory Committee to purchase 497 acres in Carson River Canyon at their meeting next Thursday.

Part of this property is slated be used for the extension of the V&T Railway.

The board will also consider purchasing eight new vehicles for the Carson City Sheriff's Office.

The full agenda is below:

The Carson City Board of Supervisor will consider settlements in two lawsuits alleging misconduct by city employees at the board's next meeting on Dec. 15.

The Nevada Stateline-to-Stateline Bikeway Project will be presented when the Parks and Recreation Commission meets at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.Ann Bollinger, resource specialist for the city's Open Space ...

By Kristi Boosman
LAKE TAHOE — A federal judge has dismissed a suit against the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Sierra Colina project that was brought on by the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

The Carson City Open Space Advisory Committee meets Monday to discuss recommending to supervisors the submittal of a grant application to build a non-motorized bridge across Eagle Creek on the east...