Trees

The Eldorado Forest Interpretative Association offers free guided interpretative hikes in and around the Carson Pass area throughout August and September.

These hikes vary from 45 minutes long like our historical Devil's Ladder hike to three hours long like our water color painting hikes.

Taking advantage of statewide moisture in the forecast, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest will conduct prescribed fire operations across several portions of the forest this week as part of the forest’s hazardous fuels reduction effort and active forest management program. Also, weather and conditions permitting, the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team will continue widespread prescribed fire operations this week in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

In recent weeks, the ground was pliable. The temperature, comfortable and the outside beckoned. The urge to plant was getting hard to resist. Yet resist we must, for this is winter after all. I know the 15-day forecast is unreliable, but I can’t help but check it out, if, for no other reason than to instill a smidgin of common sense into my “I want to plant” brain. Snow is ahead this week.

Nevada Humanities has announced the book selections for its statewide 2021 Nevada Reads program. Nevada Reads will feature two memoirs — Miracle Country: A Memoir by Kendra Atleework, and World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil.

Happy New Year! Many of us are glad to see the end of 2020 and hope 2021 will be much healthier and more peaceful. The calendar says winter is here, but the temperatures don’t seem to agree. I’m not complaining — sunny winter days in the upper 40s make me happy. Something that does concern me though is the lack of snow.

It was an eventful year around the Carson City region notwithstanding the limitations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's some notable stories that were not pandemic related that happened in 2020.

Carson City and Douglas County are again participating in a statewide Christmas tree recycling effort. As in previous years, Christmas trees can be placed curbside on your regular trash collection day or taken to one of several drop off locations.

Of the many lessons to be learned from 2020, not the least of which is that there's no such thing as a non-essential person.

To insist otherwise degrades the value of human dignity. Kind of like the way Henry F. Potter made George Bailey feel on Christmas Eve one year at the end of World War II.

Dear Friends: On a cold Christmas Eve in 1914, German, French, and British Soldiers hunkered down in the muddy trenches that had become their home during World War I. Between those trenches was a war-torn expanse of ground that was simply referred to as “no-man’s land.”

This holiday season, The Salvation Army’s Del Oro Division, which covers Northern Nevada and Northern California, has raised $800,000 less with its iconic Red Kettle Campaign compared to last year. In 2019, the nonprofit brought in $2.4 million to support Christmas assistance and fund programs throughout the year. So far this year, The Salvation Army has brought in just over $1.6 million. With just two days left in the campaign, the nonprofit is asking those in the community who are able, to please give and support their neighbors in need.

Carson City is pleased to offer Christmas Tree Recycling in cooperation with Capital Sanitation/Waste Management, Inc.

As in previous years, Christmas trees can be placed curbside on your regular trash collection day or taken to one of the drop off locations. Trees will be chipped in the springtime and used as mulch. This program continues to be a huge success.

Please remove all decorations, lights, tinsel and bases prior to recycling; if the tree is longer than six feet, cut the tree into pieces.

The Carson City Planning Commission has approved a request for a Special Use Permit to build a 253-unit apartment project known as the Stewart Street Apartments.

The project required a special use permit due to the location being within the Downtown Mixed-Use zoning district.

Sierra Lutheran High School and Fellowship of Christian Athletes raised over $2,000 to fund the delivery of 75 Christmas trees to the active personnel serving at the Mountain Warfare Training Center in Coleville, Calif., last week.

Many in Carson City do everything they can to help the less fortunate, and those opportunities never cease being opportunities. With this in mind, the holidays are here, the semester at Carson High School is almost over, Christmas vacation, also known as winter break, begins Dec. 19, and there is another opportunity to be generous for those who have plenty.

Heading into the weekend, there’s a bevy of activities around the Carson City region. The annual Silver and Snowflakes Festival of Lights holiday celebration goes virtual on Friday. Santa Claus will arrive virtually at the Children's Museum of Northern Nevada and in-person at Battle Born Harley Davidson on Saturday for pictures with families and kids of all ages. Combined with live music and dinner specials at Living the Good Life, the state capital has events lined up for the holidays! Read on for more information.

While Christmas tree cutting permits sold out in the Tahoe Basin almost as soon as they were available, with 2,000 permits being snatched up by Nov. 17, not all is lost if you've decided to brave the wilderness to cut down your very own festive tree.

MINDEN — After consultation with the Douglas County Officials, the Towns, public safety agencies, and Douglas County Emergency Management it was determined in-person public holiday events at the Towns of Gardnerville, Genoa, and Minden, as well as the 25th Annual Parade of Lights hosted by the Carson Valley Chamber of Commerce have been cancelled.

The Nevada State Museum, Carson City, will reopen Wednesday; visitors will be able to learn about pine trees during the Curator’s Corner presentations from 1 to 3 p.m. Additionally, the museum this Saturday will resume its weekly demonstrations of historic Coin Press No. 1, minting a special medallion honoring Nevada’s health care heroes.


On our walk today I was commenting to my husband “I can’t believe two pine trees could lose that many needles!” This was after I spent a number of hours raking the needles up from the driveway. My next question was “Can I compost pine needles?”

Pastor Tim Plummer, Fellowship of Christian Athletes Missionary Area Director, has once again brought Christmas trees to Carson City to support FCA. Christmas is fast approaching, and most agree it is the best time of the year. The holidays can be a difficult time for many, but it does not have to be this way.

Snow and cold, oh boy! The leaves still remaining on the ground are heavy and soggy, so no raking for a bit. That’s good news. The ground is moist again, so more good news. I got the tools, hoses, sprinklers and patio furniture put away before the storms. We turned off and drained the main sprinklers in time. So far so good.

High winds have knocked out the power all across the western Nevada region, including Carson City, Gardnerville, Dayton, Lake Tahoe, Reno and Sparks.

Another round of gusty winds will return to the Carson City region Tuesday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a High Wind Watch for valley and mountain areas and a Winter Storm Watch for the greater Lake Tahoe area.

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will begin selling Christmas tree permits online beginning Monday, Nov. 16.

Next time I write about loving all my wonderful cottonwood trees, would someone please remind me why they call it fall?! For weeks, my husband and I have been raking, blowing, mowing, sweeping and moving leaves every day for hours and we are still not done.

My friend Kristen and I were discussing that fall is the best time for planting almost everything. Not only are plants on sale at nurseries, the soil is warm and the weather is cool, which is less stressful on newly installed plants.

Local non-profit GREENevada announced Thursday the winners of the 2020 Golden Pinecone Sustainability Awards, a prestigious annual event recognizing local individuals and organizations working towards a more sustainable Nevada.

On Monday, Girl Scouts from Troops 1951 and 35 gathered to plant 15 trees at Carson’s historic Lone Mountain Cemetery.

Christmas tree permits for National Forest System lands on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest’s Bridgeport and Carson Ranger Districts will be available for purchase online through Recreation.gov, as well as in-person at multiple locations, beginning Monday, Nov. 2.

It’s the annual conundrum. Is it too soon to turn off the irrigation system? With recent nights down to the teens here in Washoe Valley, we turned off the irrigation system and drained it prior to the forthcoming hard freezes. Then we turned off the outside water and drained the hose bibs too. Yet with temperatures last week back in the 60s with low to mid-30s at night, I’m sure I will have to irrigate again soon.