Caroline Waldman, Author at Tahoe Fund

TAHOE FUND RECEIVES $187,000 IN DOLLAR DONATIONS FROM GUESTS OF VAIL RESORTS

February 15, 2023 by Caroline Waldman

Funds raised will support environmental improvement projects in the Tahoe Basin

Guests of Northstar, Heavenly and Kirkwood are making sure that their time on the slopes is positively impacting the environment through Vail Resort’s EpicPromise Guest Donation Program. By donating a dollar when purchasing online lift tickets, season passes, lodging and rounds of golf over the past twelve months, guests at these Vail Resorts locations have raised more than $187,000 for the Tahoe Fund to support environmental improvement projects.

“We are thrilled to see how much our guests care about giving back to Tahoe,” said Tom Fortune, VP and COO of Heavenly Mountain Resort and the Tahoe Region. “Through these dollar donations and our EpicPromise program, our guests make it easy for us to support the Tahoe Fund’s work to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.”

*The Tahoe Fund received a check from leadership and staff at Northstar in January 2023.*

The Tahoe Fund supports environmental improvement projects that restore lake clarity, expand sustainable recreation, promote healthier forests, improve transportation and inspire greater stewardship of the region. Since its inception in 2010, the organization has funded over 80 environmental improvement projects.

Over the past decade, Kirkwood Ski Resort, Heavenly Mountain Resort and Vail Resorts EpicPromise have contributed over $927,000 to the Tahoe Fund. Dollar donations from Vail Resorts guests have supported projects like the Lily Lake Trail, a 2.1-mile multi-use trail on Angora Ridge; the 72-mile scuba cleanup of Lake Tahoe’s entire shoreline; and the restoration of the 206-acre Johnson Meadow in South Lake Tahoe. In the coming months, Kirkwood, Heavenly and the Tahoe Fund team will determine which upcoming projects this round of funding will support.

“We are beyond grateful for the guests at Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood resorts,” said Cory Ritchie, chair of the Tahoe Fund Board of Directors. “Their generosity and the continued support of Vail Resorts makes it possible for us to preserve this mountain treasure for future generations.”

Learn more about the Tahoe Fund and its current and completed projects at www.tahoefund.org.

Photos by Katey Hamill/Northstar California Resort

Announcing Our Winter Photo Contest Winner!

February 7, 2023 by Caroline Waldman

This winter, we recognized some of the best photos and photographers in the Tahoe region through our Winter Photo Contest.

We are happy to announce the winner of the contest is Jeff Bender for the incredible photo below!

This photo was taken in the Upper Eagle Point Campground near Emerald Bay in November after an early snow storm. Jeff, who often snowshoes in this area, said, “I have been to this spot recently and the bench is totally covered in snow now. You would never know it’s there!” Jeff grew up in Southern California and spent every summer in Tahoe vacationing with his family. After a lifelong love of this special place, he now calls Tahoe home.

You can see all the photo entries in this video. Thank you to all participants! Special shout out to our other three finalists below.

Mountain Lion Aviation and Tahoe Fund Announce Partnership

January 30, 2023 by Caroline Waldman

Lake Tahoe charter service to donate funds for every hour in the air

The only local private aviation charter company in Lake Tahoe is joining forces with one of the region’s non-profit organizations to support projects that help lower and sequester carbon emissions. Mountain Lion Aviation will donate money for every hour flown to the Tahoe Fund. These funds will support environmental improvement projects in the Tahoe Basin.

“We’re all locals. We all love living here and we all wanted to do something to help preserve this beautiful place we call home,” says Chris Barbera, CEO of Mountain Lion Aviation. “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for our members and clients, and as a deep appreciation for them, and a love for our home, we decided to support the Tahoe Fund this way – the more we fly, the more we donate.”

The Tahoe Fund will use these donations to support projects in three key focus areas that are directly tied to carbon reduction:

Forest Health: Forest health projects reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire and its polluting emissions, and create a healthier forest better able to sequester carbon.
Transportation: More public transportation reduces vehicle miles traveled and carbon emissions.
Wetlands Restoration: Restoring watersheds has a number of benefits in Lake Tahoe: improving lake clarity, reducing the prevalence of aquatic invasive species, mitigating fire and flood risk, increasing groundwater storage, strengthening habitat and ecological health, providing more opportunities for recreation, and critically, sequestering carbon.

“It’s great to see a local business like Mountain Lion Aviation step up to make a difference,” said Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry. “Every hour they spend in the air will help us get more work done on the ground to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.”

Some of the projects that will benefit include: the Smartest Forest Fund, which supports innovative projects and new technology to improve forest health; TART Connect, which offers free, on-demand public transportation across the region; and the Greater Upper Truckee Watershed Restoration, the largest and most impaired watershed in the region. To learn more about the various programs funded by Tahoe Fund, visit: www.tahoefund.org

About Mountain Lion Aviation: Mountain Lion Aviation, an elite, personalized charter aircraft service and certified Cirrus Training Center, started in 2017 in Truckee, CA. Mountain Lion Aviation provides a multifaceted approach to current and future pilots along with servicing the communities’ mobility needs. The Mountain Lion Aviation experience allows people to get where they are going efficiently, effectively and safely. To learn more, please visit www.mountainlion.aero. To book personalized charter services or Cirrus flight training with the Mountain Lion team, please email info@mountainlion.aero or call at (530) 655-1100.

About the Tahoe Fund: The Tahoe Fund is a nonprofit founded in 2010 to support environmental improvement projects that restore lake clarity, enhance sustainable recreation, promote healthier forests, improve transportation and inspire greater stewardship of the region. Through the generous support of its donors, the Tahoe Fund has leveraged more than $10 million in private funds to secure more than $60 million in public funds for more than 80 environmental projects. The projects include new sections of the Lake Tahoe Bikeway, restoration of watersheds, removal of aquatic invasive species, forest health projects, new hiking trails, and stewardship programs. Learn more at www.tahoefund.org.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS URGED TO REMOVE SNOW AROUND FIRE HYDRANTS CLOSE TO THEIR HOMES OR BUSINESSES

January 17, 2023 by Caroline Waldman

Take Care Tahoe’s Adopt-A-Hydrant campaign promotes fire safety during major snowstorms

As a parade of winter storms continues to pummel the Tahoe region, Take Care Tahoe and local fire departments are promoting a campaign to encourage community members to keep fire hydrants clear of snow and debris in an effort to help fire personnel should an emergency occur.

With over 4,000 fire hydrants in the Tahoe Basin, Take Care Tahoe asks community members to Adopt-A-Hydrant in their neighborhood by clearing a three foot radius on every side of the hydrant and to the road’s edge every time it snows.

Every year, wood stoves and fireplaces cause 54,000 structure fires across the country. During the winter months, the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District has reported they typically see an increase in household fires due to improper use of fireplaces and wood burning stoves, overdue maintenance, and animal nesting.

“As roads are cleared during and after winter storms, fire hydrants unintentionally get covered with snow,” said North Tahoe Fire Protection District Fire Marshal John James. “Between emergency responses, Fire District personnel work on clearing fire hydrants, but because of the increase in call volume that typically occurs during storm events, we need help with this effort. Community members willing to adopt the hydrant closest to their home or business and keep it clear of snow and debris are ultimately helping to keep our community safer.”

If the closest hydrant is buried or community members don’t know where it is, contact the nearest Fire District for GPS locations.

Find your local fire district and learn more about the Adopt-A-Hydrant program at takecaretahoe.org.

Tahoe Fund Winter Photo Contest

January 10, 2023 by Caroline Waldman

Voting is closed…stay tuned for our winner announcement!

Lake Tahoe is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, which naturally leads to a lot of incredible photographs! This winter, we recognized some of the best photos and photographers in the Tahoe region through our Winter Photo Contest.

To enter the contest, just tag us in your post on Instagram (@tahoefund) or Facebook (Tahoe Fund) or email info@tahoefund.org. Submissions were accepted through February 1st, and afterwards we will have a vote on our accounts so our followers can choose a winner. The theme of the contest was snow and winter, which wasn’t too hard to capture this January.

Participants can enter multiple times, but only one entry per person will be included in the public vote. By entering, you are granting the Tahoe Fund permission to use your photo in our marketing and promotional materials (photo credit will always be given to the photographer). After entering on social media, the Tahoe Fund may ask you to send in the full resolution version of your image via email. If you have any questions, please email nshapiro@tahoefund.org.

Thank you for your participation!