TAHOE FUND SEEKS CORPORATE SPONSORS FOR WATERCRAFT INSPECTION STATIONS

The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe Signs on to Support the Northstar Station

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. and Nev. – May 15th, 2014 – The Tahoe Fund is seeking corporate sponsors for the four aquatic invasive species watercraft inspection stations located around the Basin that inspect approximately 8,000 boats a summer. The stations are a critical component of a nationally recognized basin-wide effort to prevent the spread and introduction of aquatic invasive species (AIS) into Lake Tahoe that have wreaked havoc on other clear lakes around the nation.

Sponsorships offer brands the opportunity to connect with the boat owners who visit the inspection stations while helping to close a funding gap in the current inspection program. The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe has agreed to sponsor the inspection station at Northstar, with three station sponsorships still available.

“This is one of those win-win situations we love to see,” said Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund. “This is an opportunity for businesses to get wonderful exposure to a highly desirable demographic and for the Lake to get the help it needs to prevent the introduction of AIS that will forever change the Tahoe we all know and love.”

“In order to maintain the clean, clear waters of Lake Tahoe that both local residents and visitors enjoy year-round, watercraft inspection stations are critical,” said Joseph Mattioli, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Lake Tahoe. “As stewards of the environment, we have to do what we can as a community to assist in supporting the continuation of these inspection stations. Currently, this is the only way to ensure the lake remains free of invasive species that could dramatically alter the way so many people experience Lake Tahoe.”

The Lake Tahoe Region Aquatic Invasive Species Program (AIS Program) is implemented by more than 40 federal, state, and local partners that are committed to preventing the introduction or spread of aquatic invasive species in Lake Tahoe. Recreational activities involving watercraft (i.e. motorized vessels, personal watercraft, kayaks, canoes, inflatables) and/or fishing are the most likely sources of the introduction of AIS into Lake Tahoe. The Watercraft Inspection Program is led by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, in partnership with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and myriad other public and private partners.

The combined economic impacts from invasive species to recreation value, tourism spending, property values, and increased boat/pier maintenance, when evaluated over a 50-year period, is estimated at $417.5 million (present value), with an average annual equivalent value of $22.4 million per year, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The largest estimated impacts would be to property values and lost tourism spending. Investments in prevention and early eradication produce a higher benefit-to-cost ratio than post-infestation control programs such that maximum benefits are realized through early and preemptive action.

The inspection stations are located in Meyers, Spooner Summit, Northstar and Alpine Meadows. Sponsorships, ranging from $11,000 to $34,000 based on traffic estimates at each station, include signage, literature distribution, sampling opportunities, and custom promotions.

For more information on the AIS Watercraft Inspection Stations Corporate Sponsorship program, please visit the Tahoe Fund site or contact Amy Berry at aberry@tahoefund.org.

About the Tahoe Fund
The mission of Tahoe Fund is to restore and enhance the extraordinary natural environment of the Lake Tahoe Basin by building broad support and funding for projects and programs that increase the enjoyment of the region for current and future generations. The Fund focuses grants on the core areas of conservation, recreation and education/stewardship.

Dear Tahoe Fund Friends,

It is with great pleasure that we present the Tahoe Fund Annual Report for the fiscal year 2012-2013 that ended on June 30, 2013. It was another wonderful year for our quickly growing organization, which completed its second full year of operations.

We continued growing awareness of our efforts to build support and funding for environmental improvement projects that will help restore the Lake’s famed clarity, improve our incredible outdoor recreation amenities, and build a stronger sense of stewardship in the region. We connected donors with projects that matter, helping to close funding gaps and get much-needed projects done. We also introduced our first mobile app to help residents and visitors find more than 50 public beaches around the Basin. So yes, we can now say we have an app for that!

The Board stayed very committed to growing an organization of excellence. Strategic priority number one is building a sustainable organization that can serve the community for many years to come. Thanks to the incredible support of our growing donor base, including our new Green Bucks businesses, we are building a strong foundation to help us grow into a consistent source of funding for environmental improvement projects. We are also thankful to the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation for their early support of our efforts, and to the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation for their resident grant that provides for our office space and amenities. At the end of the fiscal year we launched our first advertising campaign with the headline “What runs deeper than Lake Tahoe?” The answer was of course, “our desire to preserve it all.” With your help we will continue to gather the passion so many have for this extraordinary mountain treasure to preserve, and improve it, for many generations to come.

In service to Tahoe,

TAHOE FUND LAUNCHES NEW GIVING CAMPAIGNS TO INCREASE IMPACT

Nonprofit aims to encourage new donors with Stewardship Circle and Friends of Tahoe campaigns

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. and Nev. – April 7th, 2014 – The Tahoe Fund today announced two new giving campaigns that are designed to help grow the donor base of the nonprofit organization so that it can provide more support to environmental improvement projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin.

“We are eager to connect with more of the people who love and cherish this amazing place,” said Tim Cashman, Chair of the Tahoe Fund. “With their support we can increase our impact and expand our ability to support critical environmental projects that will restore and improve the Tahoe environment.”

The Friends of Tahoe campaign hopes to leverage the support of the millions of visitors and thousands of residents who want to support preservation of the Tahoe environment. Donations of any amount are welcome.

For those interested in an ongoing partnership with the Tahoe Fund’s efforts to preserve and restore the Tahoe environment, the Fund is introducing the Stewardship Circle. Annual gifts of $5,000 or more pledged for a three-year period qualify for the Stewardship Circle. Information on all giving levels and associated benefits can be found online at www.tahoefund.org/donate.

Founded in 2010, the bi-state organization has funded high priority watershed restoration projects such as the Blackwood Creek/Eagle Rock Trail restoration on the West Shore and the Incline/3rd Creek Restoration on the North Shore; segments of the Tahoe Bikeway in Tahoe City and South Lake Tahoe; the Van-Sickle Bi-State Park in South Lake Tahoe; and the UC Davis “State of the Lake” report. The Tahoe Fund supported four 2013 Signature Projects that included beach improvements at Sand Harbor State Park, Asian Clam control in Emerald Bay, a mile of bike trail along the West Shore, and a new bridge across Angora Creek in the Washoe Meadows State Park. The Tahoe Fund 2014 Projects will be announced in late spring.

For more information on the Tahoe Fund and how you can help make an impact, please visit www.tahoefund.org

Tahoe Fund Donors Provide Much Needed Support for 2013 Signature Projects
Thanks to the incredible generosity of Tahoe Fund donors, four important environmental projects that will restore lake clarity and improve recreation will now be possible. In total, donors raised more than $130,000 for the Emerald Bay Asian Clam Control Project, West Shore Bike Trail, Sand Harbor Beach Improvements and the Angora Creek Bridge Restoration Project. “State Parks is very proud to be a partner with the Tahoe Fund and a recipient of project funds to help implement the Sand Harbor Beach Improvement project,” said Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park Supervisor Jay Howard. “It’s wonderful to see the Tahoe Fund facilitating a ‘Partnership with the Public’ and getting everyone involved with the stewardship of this most precious resource, Lake Tahoe.” “The private community of individuals and businesses has once again shown their desire and ability to help improve the Tahoe environment,” added Tahoe Fund Chair Timothy Cashman. “We are so thankful for their generosity and support of these wonderful projects.” To learn more about these wonderful projects, click here.

Tahoe Fund In Search of Great 2014 Environmental Projects
The Tahoe Fund is actively seeking environmental improvement projects in the Tahoe Basin that will restore lake clarity, improve outdoor recreation, and build a stronger sense of stewardship in the region. The organization plans to build a portfolio of such projects in need of monetary support that can attract donations from the private community of individuals, businesses and foundations. The board of directors will choose a handful of projects to be 2014 Signature Projects and the focus of the Fund’s summer fundraising activities. Find the RFP here.

Tahoe Fund Donor Profile: Steven and Sandy Hardie
Steven and Sandy Hardie first visited Tahoe as young children. Steven remembers learning to ski outfitted in wooden skis with cable bindings, big baggy wool pants and bamboo poles with big leather baskets. Once in high school, he and his brother started coming up to ski. They would camp out in the parking lot of Squaw Valley. At 16, Steven taught Sandy to ski at Alpine Meadows. After high school, Sandy worked at the Cal-Neva with girlfriends during the summer and learned to love water skiing and the outdoor environment of Tahoe. Many years later the two reconnected, married, and bought a condo in Crystal Bay. It is their favorite place in Tahoe. “The sunsets in Tahoe are like no other, with the stars being so majestic to look at with the cool evening breeze,” said Sandy. “For us Lake Tahoe is a picture perfect place to spend our summers.” At sixty, Steven is currently training for an Ironman, and uses the condo as his training base. He can often be found swimming in the Lake with his dogs or hydro-foiling across the water on a sit-on ski behind his boat. “I recently saw an interview by Julia Mancuso and she said she loves anything liquid-no matter what form its in,” said Steven. “That would be the same for me.”
Steven and Sandy chose to support the Tahoe Fund by joining the Founders Circle campaign at the Platinum level. “We believe in the approach of the Tahoe Fund. There are too many naysayers in Tahoe that don’t see how we can get positive things done,” said Steven. “We like that the Tahoe Fund recognizes that there are always going to be people around the Lake. Let’s do something positive to improve the experience for everyone.”
“Lake Tahoe has always been a part of our life. To maintain the beauty for everyone else to enjoy as much as we do is wonderful,” said Sandy. “We feel it is an honor to be a part of an organization that has the passion, commitment and drive to keep Tahoe a paradise.“

Founding Board Chair Cindy Gustafson Wins Spirit of Lake Award
cindy-gustafsonFounding Board Chair of the Tahoe Fund, Cindy Gustafson, was honored with the Spirit of the Lake award for her years-long commitment to the north shore community, particularly in her perseverance to construct bike trails and sidewalks in and around Tahoe City and for her leadership in creating and chairing the the Tahoe Fund.

Tahoe Fund CEO Named Twenty Under 40 Honoree
AmyBerryCEOAmy Berry was named a Twenty Under 40 honoree by the Reno Gazette Journal and the Reno-Tahoe Young Professionals Network for her work as the CEO of the Tahoe Fund. Chosen from a pool of 195 applicants, the committee chose Amy thanks in large part to the early success of the Tahoe Fund. In a Sunday Feature of the paper, she was highlighted for “living a dream protecting the Lake.” Read the story here.