INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. and TAHOE CITY, Calif. – August 22, 2016 – In an effort to spur innovation in Tahoe, the Tahoe Fund announced that it is providing the initial funds for a project that will evaluate UV light as a new method to remove aquatic invasive weeds. This innovative approach that will be used in a pilot program at Lakeside Marina and Beach could change the way aquatic invasive weeds are controlled in Tahoe’s watershed and beyond if successful.
The $5,000 grant to the Tahoe Resource Conservation District from the Tahoe Fund’s Environmental Venture Trust will help secure more than $350,000 in public and private funds to help get the project started this year.
“We launched the Environmental Venture Trust to get innovative projects just like this off the ground,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “It is amazing to see how a $5,000 grant can really get things going. We are excited for what this new venture can mean for Tahoe.”
“We have been working with the UV light company and public funders for a while to find a way to get this pilot project launched in Tahoe, but we kept running into the roadblock of funding the very early stage work,” said Kim Boyd of the Tahoe Resource Conservation District. “With this grant from the Tahoe Fund we were able to unlock significant public funds so we can get started.”
The Tahoe Fund is currently seeking donors for the Environmental Venture Trust who are interested in using philanthropic dollars to help drive innovative solutions to Tahoe’s core environmental challenges. Once the initial campaign goal of $100,000 is reached, the Tahoe Fund will request project ideas that are in need of early-stage funding to get started.
The Tahoe Resource Conservation District has partnered with Inventive Resources, Inc. to develop a pilot project to explore the feasibility of using UV light technology to treat and control aquatic invasive plant infestations. New research, conducted by Inventive Resources, Inc., including bench-tested technology in a laboratory setting, indicates that UV light (a high frequency light wave) damages the DNA and cellular structure of aquatic plants and their fragments. If determined to be feasible, UV treatment could avoid the need to use chemical herbicides to treat aquatic invasive weeds in the Tahoe Keys, which are of great concern to drinking water suppliers. The Tahoe Fund grant will unlock funds from the California Tahoe Conservancy’s SB 630 program and potentially additional funds in the future from the US EPA.
Through the generosity of private donors, the Tahoe Fund has supported 15 projects in the Tahoe Basin since 2011, including more than one million dollars for a new bike path from Incline to Sand Harbor that recently broke ground. For more information about how you can contribute to the Environmental Venture Trust or other Tahoe Fund projects, please visit www.tahoefund.org.