Welcome to the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit!

Located in the Sierra Nevada mountains, Lake Tahoe's beautiful, sapphire-blue waters straddle the California-Nevada state line. The lake's elevation averages 6,225 feet, and surrounding peaks reach heights of up to 10,880 feet. Relaxation and recreation abound in the Lake Tahoe Basin.  Please come and enjoy one of your national treasures

Forest Service to Close Popular Recreation Site During Roundhill Fuels Reduction

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. --The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will temporarily close the heavily used recreation area surrounding Nevada Beach and the Lam Watah Trail near Stateline, Nev., during weekdays through mid-July 2009, to reduce the risk to public safety from heavy equipment used to thin forest fuels. The closure will be in effect Monday through Friday, from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Read the Forest Order
(PDF 268 KB)

Please note: PDF format links require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view.

Forest Service Plans Staged Opening of Lake Tahoe Recreation Sites

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. --With spring temperatures in the air and the snow quickly receding, locals and visitors alike have begun their annual return to U.S. Forest Service summer recreation facilities in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) would like to remind visitors that the majority of its facilities do not open formally until mid-to-late May

Forest Thinning Work to Begin in Roundhill Area This Month

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. --The U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) will be conducting forest thinning operations in the Roundhill and Rabe Meadows area as part of the Roundhill Fuels Reduction Project beginning as early as Tuesday, April 28th. The Roundhill area is located along Tahoe's southeast shore, just north of Stateline

Forest Service Issues Decision on Galaxy Test Wells at Heavenly Mountain Resort

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. --The US Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has issued a decision notice to drill two exploratory snowmaking water wells at Heavenly Mountain Resort. The purpose of the test wells is to confirm the availability of water for snowmaking operations

Forest Service to Temporarily Close North Tahoe Office

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. --The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will close its North Shore Office, temporarily beginning Thursday, April 23, 2009. The office is located at 3080 North Lake Blvd., Tahoe City. Beginning Wednesday, May 29, 2009, the office will reopen on Fridays only through the end of October 2009. The new Friday office hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Forest Service Acquires Sensitive Lots in South Lake Tahoe

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. --The U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has purchased five urban lots totaling 1.71 acres located in South Lake Tahoe. These five parcels were private holdings in an area of federally owned urban lots and were purchased as part of the Forest Service's Urban Lot Management program. The purchase was authorized through the Santini-Burton Act and funded by the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act. This acquisition will promote public access and recreation and preserve open space in the vicinity of the Powerline Trail

Forest Service Plans to Restore Fire to Big Meadow

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. --The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is seeking comment on a proposed decision to reintroduce fire and thin trees in the Big Meadow Creek watershed, a popular recreation area located off Highway 89 south of the City of South Lake Tahoe

The complete pre-decisional memo and a project area map are available on-line at http://www.fs.fed.us.r5/ltbmu/projects. Comments will be accepted from April 8 through May 8, 2009. For more information on this project, contact Raul Sanchez, Project Leader at (530) 543-2679 or rsanchez@fs.fed.us.

Forest Service Seeks Comment on South Shore Fuel Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration Project

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. --The U.S. Forest Service, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) has released for public review and comment, the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR) for the South Shore Fuel Reduction and Healthy Forest Restoration (South Shore) project. Project documents will be available for public review and a 45 day comment period

Comments concerning this action will be accepted for 45 calendar days following publication of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register, which is expected to be posted first week of April. The closing date of the comment period will posted immediately on the LTBMU website when it becomes available. For questions about the South Shore project, or about how to comment, contact Duncan Leao at (530) 543-2660, or by email to dleao@fs.fed.us.

The Notice of Availablity (NOA) will be published in the Federal Register Friday, April 10, 2009. The 45-day comment period begins the day after (April 11) the NOA appears in the Federal Register.

Winter Parking for Spring Creek Area

South Lake Tahoe, Calif. --The Forest Service has implemented winter parking procedures for the Spring Creek area to protect water quality by reducing soil damage and erosion. The Spring Creek winter parking procedures will remain in effect over the winter, and a closed and locked gate will be maintained through May 10, 2009

Urban Lot Management Program

The Forest Service initiated the Urban Lot Management Program in 1991 to address management issues on urban intermix parcels. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit manages these lands with an emphasis on protecting water quality conditions and community open space. Please visit the "Urban Lots" web page and learn

Forests with a Future Campaign

The US Forest Service is initiating the Forests with a Future campaign in California and parts of Nevada to protect Sierra Nevada old-growth forests, wildlife and communities against catastrophic wildfires. This campaign is a new proactive approach aimed at restoring natural conditions to our forests and building public understanding of the need for action while encouraging people to help. Visit the Forests with a Future website for more information.

Prescribed Fire Information Hotline 

(530) 543-2600 ext. 6 
24 Hour Information

The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit maintains the hotline number service to provide recorded information and updates on prescribed fire activity that may be conducted or you may visit our
Current Prescribed Fire Activity web page.