Alpine hosts FEMA map session

New FEMA flood insurance rate maps have been issued for the southern Carson Valley portion of Alpine County.

An open house is 4-6 p.m. Tuesday at Turtle Rock Park Community Center, 17300 State Route 89, Markleeville.

FEMA representatives will conduct a short presentation and residents will have an opportunity to talk to them and Alpine County floodplain management specialists. They will also be able to view preliminary flood hazard maps and areas of projected risk of flood hazards.

Partners will be on hand to discuss weather and hydrology, watersheds, floodplain management, safety, polluted runoff, watershed animals and habitat, and Washoe Tribe’s Safety and Hazard Mitigation Plan.

One of the organizations key to preserving Alpine County’s watersheds was recognized last month by the U.S. Forest Service.

The Alpine Watershed Group received the Volunteers Program Citizen Stewardship and Partnerships Award on Sept. 19 at the Alpine County Board of Supervisors.

A community based nonprofit, the group conducts water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, and education programs throughout Alpine County.

Thanks to the group’s contributions, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest staff hase been able to provide community outreach, environmental education and outdoor recreation programming.

“Your efforts to restore the watershed and forest have been instrumental in improving the local habitat, and your enthusiasm for Creek Day was highly appreciated,” Forest Service Chief Randy Moore wrote.

In the annual Creek Day event, 52 volunteers worked at eight different project sites and removed 72 bags of trash (more than 500 pounds), and 25 bags of invasive weeds. They installed 102 willow stakes and removed 600 feet of fence in Hope Valley and constructed a beaver dam analog in Faith Valley.