Amy Berry, Author at Tahoe Fund

PLEDGE FOR THE WILD

July 23, 2019 by Amy Berry

Let’s say you spend a day in South Lake Tahoe. You enjoy a morning of mountain biking on the Corral Trail, followed by a swim at Nevada Beach. Your cost for this day of recreation bliss? Free.

Okay, there’s gas involved, and maybe a day-use parking fee. But for the most part, you get access to stunning, well-marked trails without ever getting a chance to help support the maintenance and preservation of those awesome areas.

Until now.

WHAT’S PLEDGE FOR THE WILD?

There’s a trend in the travel world where visitors are looking for ways to give back to special places they love. Visiting a cool wilderness area is one thing, but actively investing in making sure it’s there for generations to come? That’s next-level awesome.

That’s what Pledge for the Wild is all about. It’s sustainable tourism at its best, starting with five U.S. mountain towns making it easier for tourists to open their hearts and digital wallets in support of wild places.

Participating cities have taken stock of which land managers and nonprofits are working to protect the wild places in their community. From there, Pledge for the Wild towns are creating direct channels for visitors to support those organizations through online donations or text-to-donate.

WHY DO WE NEED THIS?

It’s no secret that funding for the Forest Service has been slashed to bits in recent years. That leaves a lot fewer resources devoted to things like trail maintenance. Sadly, there’s no such thing as a trail fairy who magically trims brush and removes fallen logs from your hiking path, and the aforementioned parking fees don’t quite cut it. That’s why nonprofit groups have jumped in to help tackle these tasks, and now you can support them with Pledge for the Wild.

WHO GETS THE MONEY IN TAHOE?

In Tahoe, we are the nonprofit receiving the funds. We will use the funds generated to support our efforts to drive innovation into everything happening in Tahoe, from new trails to lake clarity to new ways to restore our forest through our Environmental Venture Trust.

HOW DO I TRY IT OUT?

To use the text-to-donate feature, just text 44-321 and use the code WILD4TAHOE. From there, you can walk through the easy-peasy system to donate using your credit card or ApplePay.

WHAT OTHER TOWNS ARE INVOLVED?

The program launched June 2019 with five Western mountain towns that tend to attract an outdoorsy sort of traveler.

Tourism agencies in Bend, Oregon; Bozeman, Montana; Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Flagstaff, Arizona; and South Lake Tahoe, California & Nevada, are the founding cities for Pledge for the Wild, though more may join in the future.

ER, HOW MUCH SHOULD I GIVE?

It’s totally up to you! Even donations as small as a dollar can make a difference. One option is to add up all the time you spent recreating outdoors in Tahoe, then donate a buck for each hour. Not only is it a simple system to use, it’s a great way to look back over all the fun things you’ve done on your Tahoe vacation.

HOW CAN I LEARN MORE?

To discover more about Pledge for the Wild, visit www.pledgewild.com.

Read what Fast Company and Travel & Leisure have to say about this new program.

2019 Founders Circle Dinner

July 22, 2019 by Amy Berry

Thanks to all of our guests who joined us for the 9th annual Founders Circle dinner. The power of philanthropy was on display, as we raised critical funds to help improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.

Special guests included Governor Gavin Newsom and Governor Steve Sisolak and Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto.

Photos by Jarvis Photography
Catering by Roundabout
Event Production by Danielle Roe Events

You can view photos of the event here.

2019 Lake Tahoe Summit

July 17, 2019 by Amy Berry

Join us for the 23rd annual Lake Tahoe Summit. This year we will gather on Tuesday, August 20^th at Valhalla in South Lake Tahoe.

Registration will begin at 9:00 am and the main program at 10:00 am.

Since the first Lake Tahoe Summit in 1997, we have learned a great deal about the threats to the lake and made great strides in protecting and restoring this natural treasure. This year’s summit will be an opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned, the progress we’ve made, and the challenges that lie ahead.

Due to limited on-site parking, we encourage you to ride a bike, use public transportation or our complimentary shuttle service to get to and from the summit. Shuttle will depart every 20 minutes from Taylor Creek Sno-Park and South Tahoe High School beginning at 8:30am. Shuttles will return to the parking lots when the Summit concludes around 12:15pm. There will also be a bicycle valet service courtesy of the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition.

We hope you will have the opportunity to attend the 2019 Lake Tahoe Summit.

To RSVP, please click here.

The New Beaver Tail Trail Is Now Open!

July 15, 2019 by Amy Berry

Thanks to everyone who voted for the name of the new flow trail in Kings Beach. With a little help from the new mountain biking club at the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, the new Beaver Tail Trail was officially opened on Friday afternoon.

Thank you to the US Forest Service, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA), Truckee Tahoe Airport and the North Tahoe Public Utility District for creating a fun new flowy mountain bike trail for all ages to enjoy. And a very special thank you to the Tahoe Fund donors who helped us purchase 20 new Specialized Mountain Bikes so the kids at the Club can enjoy the trail too.

The Tahoe East Shore Trail is Now Open

July 2, 2019 by Amy Berry

Hundreds Join Governor Sisolak for Ribbon Cutting

What was once considered “impossible” is now complete because of your support. The new Tahoe East Shore Trail opened on Friday with a ribbon cutting by Governor Sisolak and hundreds of members of the community. We couldn’t have done it without you.

With your support, we were able to raise over $1 million in private funds from more than 550 private donors that unlocked more than $12.5M in federal dollars needed for the trail’s construction.

“We are so thankful to the hundreds of donors who contributed to the path, helping to secure the public funding needed to make this ‘Impossible Trail’ possible,” Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry stated. “As people enjoy the path, we know they will be touched by its beauty and want to continue to help us take care of Tahoe’s environment. This wouldn’t be possible without the epic collaboration of the 13 partners and the craftsmanship of Granite Construction.”

The Tahoe East Shore Trail is part of a larger shared vision to ultimately connect all of the communities, parks, beaches, businesses and other destinations that circle Lake Tahoe, while enhancing safety by separating vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

The first three-mile section of trail represents a major milestone in this effort and required extensive collaboration of 13 public and private agencies that included NDOT, the Tahoe Transportation District, Federal Highway Administration, Incline Village General Improvement District, Nevada Department of Public Safety-Highway Patrol, Nevada Division of State Lands, Nevada Division of State Parks, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, U.S. Forest Service-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, and the three Nevada-side counties that govern Lake Tahoe – Carson City, Douglas, and Washoe.

Bears and trout are still available for donations of $2,500 and $5,000 respectively. All donations of $100 or more will be recognized on a new donor wall at Hidden Beach.

Some fun facts about the trail:

Six bridges were installed along the three-mile path, the longest being 810-feet long
17 vista points and 23 interpretive panels were constructed along the pathway to enhance the visitor experience
More than 5,000 linear feet of storm drain pipe, including 80 drainage inlets and 26,000 linear feet of curb and gutter, were installed for erosion control to help maintain Tahoe’s famed clarity by reducing sediment into Lake Tahoe
Approximately 90 new parking spots with direct access to the path are available at three new parking lots located alongside State Route 28 in Incline Village.

For more information about how to donate, visit tahoefund.org/donate.