By L. Bow.
The legendary “Lake Tahoe Monster” stuck its head above water off Tahoe City early this week. A runner on the Commons Beach was heard to shout,”There’s Tessie!!”

A small packet of early morning lake-lovers gathered, staring out into the mist, fingers pointing. Most were unfamiliar with the monster. All were intrigued, however. Tessie seemed to enjoy the attention; she stuck around and rotated her head to take in the whole scene. (See picture with arrow).

Some present thought “head” was merely a dark buoy; others figured it was a stalwart swimmer braving the chilly water; still others whispered that it looked to them like the fabled monster only rarely seen surfacing from the depths of Lake Tahoe.

Sighting in 2005
Three years ago Tessie was spotted by a Sacramento couple. They saw “a solid shape in the water with five humps along its back.” The sighting occurred off Tahoe Park beach, next to Sunnyside, adding evidence that Tessie may, indeed, call West Shore waters her primary home as the West Shore Association claims. This Sunnyside sighting was reported in the Tahoe Daily Tribune on April 29, 2005.

USOs: Unidentified Swimming Objects
Dr. Charles Goldman, a long-time observer of and speaker about the waters of Lake Tahoe, told people attending a Squaw Valley Institute meeting in January 2004 that a number of scientists testified at a conference 20 years earlier in Reno that they had seen Tessie. The conference was on USOs: Unidentified Swimming Objects. Dr. Goldman is on the faculty at the University of California at Davis.

Goldman, who has a home on the North Shore, went on to say that all the sightings of Tessie shared one characteristic: No one had ever reported seeing the monster’s head or tail. This could change now, given the morning sighting of Tessie’s head (and neck) off the scenic, Tahoe City Commons beach.

Editor’s Note: The picture near the top with the arrow was taken by an off-duty bartender as Tessie gazed at the Commons. The image, allegedly, is of the very top of Tessie’s head.

For related feature stories, click on Tahoe Tales.

Who We Are and What We Do

Caring for the Land and Serving People- the Mission of the Forest Service

The Forest Service is a bureau of the Department of Agriculture, and has the responsibility to manage 191,000,000 acres of public lands called National Forests and Grasslands across the nation.  National Forests are managed under the principles of conservation of resources, balancing resource protections with multiple uses.

Management through conservation has been a successful strategy for managing lands and resources since the establishment of the Forest Service in 1905.

Tahoe Basin Focus

The Forest Service manages 80% of the land in the Lake Tahoe Basin as a unique kind of National Forest, called the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, or LTBMU for short.  The LTBMU is managed in many ways like other National Forests, but because of the needs of the lake and the relationship it has with the forests that surround it, the LTBMU has special focus areas, including:

Attention Boaters!

Boat Inspections Begin at Lake Tahoe in an Effort to
Prevent the Spread of Invasive Mussels

Beginning the week of June 9, 2008 all boats at Lake Tahoe are subject to mandatory inspection before launching as part of a joint effort to stop the spread of Quagga and Zebra Mussels that are threatening to invade Lake Tahoe. Federal, state and local agencies are working to educate the public about the danger such an invasion poses to the pristine waters of Lake Tahoe.

 

Photo Credit: Canadian Press
wire photo

Quagga Mussel
(Dreissena bugensis)

The Lake Tahoe Basin with its many rivers, lakes and streams is especially vulnerable to Aquatic Invasive Species. Non-native mollusks can have serious impacts on native wildlife, fisheries and ecosystems. Of particular concern is the inconspicuous Quagga Mussel and the closely related Zebra Mussel. There are many agencies working hard to prevent their introduction into Lake Tahoe and other lakes in the Basin.

In January 2007 Quagga Mussels were found in Lake Mead, Nevada and have since been discovered in Lakes Mohave and Havasu. This is the first detection of this species in any waters west of the Rocky Mountains. Quagga Mussels are transported to new locations by recreational boaters. They may be lurking on your watercraft, trailer, vehicle, and can attach to waders, boats and even fishing line. Invasive mussels cause millions of dollars of damage to boat and water systems by clogging pipes and engines; they also disrupt native ecosystems.

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service along with the National Park Service, California Department of Fish & Game, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit have begun an extensive campaign to educate the public about the Quagga Mussel and how you can help stop the spread of this invasive species.

 

A sneaker covered in quagga mussels is seen in Salem, Oregon. The sneaker was submerged in quagga-infested Lake Mead by Sam Chan, an aquatic ecosystem health educator with Oregon State University, to illustrate how they are able to bond to rubber and nylon. According to Chan, quaggas and their cousin, the zebra mussel, are two of the most-feared invasive species in the Pacific Northwest.
Photo Credit: Kobbi R. Blair / Statesman Journal

 

Could you imagine the beaches at Lake Tahoe looking like this!

South Lake Tahoe, CA. –The Forest Service plans to protect urban lots in the Angora Fire area by installing low profile fencing. The fencing will help to visually define urban lot boundaries, so that construction traffic and other vehicles can easily avoid them.

South Lake Tahoe, CA. –The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, US Forest Service will implement Fire Restrictions beginning Saturday, July 12, 2008. Campfires, including charcoal BBQs, are prohibited except in Developed Recreation Sites. The restrictions, enforceable by a Forest Order, limit campfires to only developed-fee recreation sites (campgrounds, camps and resorts),  restrict smoking, and establish other conditions to reduce the possibility of human-caused wildfires over an especially dry summer season. All residential burning in the Lake Tahoe Basin has already been suspended. The restrictions remain in effect through the end of the official 2008 fire season. The list below contains some of the prohibitions. Please read the entire Forest Order for a complete list of prohibitions pertaining to the Fire Restrictions.

• Charcoal fires (BBQs) allowed only in USFS-provided grills and at Recreation Residences. No personal charcoal BBQs within the forest (including beaches).
• No campfires allowed anywhere except in the exempted developed recreation sites (read the Forest Order). This means fires will no longer be allowed in Luther, Watson, and Blackwood campgrounds, nor in Meiss back-country.
• No smoking outside of vehicles or cleared areas of exempted recreation sites.
• Recreation Residences will not be allowed to have campfires. However, they may continue to have charcoal- or propane BBQs with a valid Campfire Permit.