On Tuesday morning, I drove out to Pyramid Lake in a snowstorm. It wasn’t a nice fluffy snow, but the kind that comes down in little round pellets, sideways, with …
Observed on Sunday: 1000+ healthy humans running near Truckee River
Early Sunday morning in downtown Reno, a crowd of neon-clad runners gathered on the north side of the Reno Arch and proceeded down Virginia Street in waves. An occasional late-night …
Wind and wildflowers: A hike to the Last Chance Ditch diversion dam
I grew up in upstate New York, where spring comes gradually, and never fast enough. In Reno, I’ve noticed that spring is more of a series of bipolar swings between …
What to do about drought? Two new projects in the Truckee River basin
As of this morning, mountain snowpack for the Truckee River Basin averaged 14% of normal, and the Lake Tahoe Basin only 2% — and that’s no April Fools’ joke. …
Things That You See When You’re Looking Up
I took a break from the blog last week, because I’ve been working on a paper. The paper is about Truckee River Guide — what I’ve learned so far, and …
Upper River Update From Joanna Rutkowski
Big news! Joanna Rutkowski, who lives near the Truckee River in Olympic Valley, has volunteered to help out with wildlife photo-missions and guest-blogging for Truckee River Guide. It’s incredibly exciting to have another …
Phenologizing: Is Spring Coming Earlier?
With all of the 70°F days we’ve been having, I can’t help feeling like spring has come earlier than usual. A few days ago, my husband and I went for …
All hands in the river at McCarran Ranch
Tuesday morning at The Nature Conservancy’s McCarran Ranch Preserve, thirteen children from Mrs. Akers and Mrs. Brisbane’s 4th & 5th grade classes briefly crossed paths with a beaver. It swam …
Chasing birds: A walk at Lockwood Trailhead
On Saturday morning I took my dogs for a walk out at Lockwood Trailhead, a Washoe County Park located along the Truckee River about 10 miles east of downtown Reno. ...
Trawling for trash with Steve Pacheco
I went down to the river for a walk this morning, and saw an old futon out in the channel. That’s an unusual species for this ecosystem, I thought. Further downstream, ...