Blog - Tahoe Fund

TAHOE FUND ISSUES CALL FOR 2022 PROJECTS

November 22, 2021 by tahoefund

Nonprofit seeking proposals for projects that will improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy

As an organization focused on getting impactful projects done in the Lake Tahoe Basin, the Tahoe Fund is once again excited to open up its annual Call for Projects. Tahoe Fund has had a lasting impact on the region, funding more than 60 environmental projects and securing over $50M in public funding in the past decade. The organization is now seeking new projects that align with its strategic plan to add to its portfolio in 2022.

With the ever increasing threat of wildfire in the West, the Tahoe Fund has identified forest health as its number one priority. Specifically, it looks to support projects that will increase the pace and scale of forest restoration. Other focus areas include improving lake clarity, expanding sustainable recreation, innovative solutions to transportation challenges, and creating more stewards of Lake Tahoe.

“The Tahoe Fund’s goal is to get more environmental improvement projects completed through the generous philanthropy of our supporters,” said Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry. “We are excited to learn about new projects that align with our mission and find opportunities to work with our partners to get more done for Tahoe.”

The Tahoe Fund annual Call for Projects is an opportunity for innovative thinkers and organizations to secure the funding necessary to make their project to improve the Tahoe Basin a reality. Public agencies and nonprofits are invited to submit proposals for projects that require $5,000 to $1,000,000 in funding. Projects with the ability to leverage additional funding from Tahoe Fund support will be prioritized.

Previous and current projects vary widely and benefit diverse users and goals in the Basin. They include the building of the new Tunnel Creek singletrack, supporting East Shore field trips for campers with physical disabilities from Camp Wamp, and removing trash from around all 72 miles of Lake Tahoe with a team of SCUBA divers. Their Caldor Trails Restoration Fund will support the rebuilding of beloved South Lake trails that were damaged or destroyed during the Caldor Fire.

The Tahoe Fund is particularly interested in projects that will allow it to achieve its mission to improve the Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.

Projects submissions are due by January 31, 2022.

Project guidelines and the request for projects submission form can be found here.

TAHOE FUND LAUNCHES CALDOR TRAILS RESTORATION FUND

November 15, 2021 by tahoefund

After the Caldor Fire devastated some of Tahoe’s favorite trails, extensive restoration work is required

While firefighters were able to successfully keep the Caldor Fire from claiming homes and businesses in South Lake Tahoe, the fast moving wildfire laid waste to some of the region’s favorite trails. As the U.S. Forest Service, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA) and the Tahoe Rim Trail Association continue to assess the extent of the damage, the nonprofit Tahoe Fund has launched the Caldor Trails Restoration Fund to aid in the extensive trail restoration work that will be required.

“Based on early assessments, there’s no question that there is going to be a lot of trail restoration work in our region’s future,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “We’ve pledged to our trail building partners that through the establishment of the Caldor Trails Restoration Fund, we will be ready to help support this important work as they are able to get crews out to rebuild some of Tahoe’s most beloved trails.”

“The most popular mountain bike trails in the South Lake Tahoe area sustained heavy damage from the Caldor Fire, including burned bridges, signs and trail retaining structures. Between damage from fire itself as well as from dozers constructing suppression lines, more than 15 miles of trail suffered damage in the Tahoe Basin,” said Patrick Parsel, TAMBA trails director. “Additionally, areas that burned hottest will be prone to increased damage from winter storms due to lack of vegetation and hydrophobic soils which can contribute to debris flows and landslides. We will need to rebuild the damaged infrastructure as well as mitigate the potential for increased runoff by installing erosion control measures.”

Trail builders anticipate there will be increased maintenance needs on these trails over the next 10 years as trees come down and stump/root holes collapse. Donations to the Caldor Trails Restoration Fund will be used to repair the diverse trails that provide experiences for hikers, mountain bikers and other recreational users. Trail restoration efforts will leverage innovative, sustainable designs to protect the environment and minimize climate change impacts.

Learn more about the Caldor Trails Restoration Fund here.

With the Final Push Underway, SCUBA Divers Have Already Removed 18,215 Pounds of Trash from Lake Tahoe

November 10, 2021 by tahoefund

Divers circumnavigating 72-miles of Lake Tahoe’s shoreline set their sights on the final stretch to complete trash recovery effort, a project made possible by a $100K donation from Tahoe Blue Vodka, 135 Tahoe Fund donors & other grant giving foundations

Despite a summer dive season filled with challenges, the SCUBA dive team that embarked on the effort to clean up Lake Tahoe is now well past the halfway point, having reached the west shore. The team has covered over 43.5 miles of shoreline since the clean-up effort began at Edgewood on Lake Tahoe’s south shore on May 14, and is bracing for a cold winter of diving with just over 28 miles to go until they reach the finish line. Led by the nonprofit Clean Up The Lake, the effort was made possible by a $100,000 matching donation from Tahoe Blue Vodka, contributions from more than 135 Tahoe Fund donors including Vail Resorts, and the Nevada Division of State Lands’ Lake Tahoe License Plate program and other local grant giving foundations.

Over the past six months, divers have recovered 21,091 pieces of trash, bringing the total weight removed to 18,215 pounds. Clean Up The Lake intends to collaborate with scientific institutions and environmental consultants to study the submerged litter to develop a better understanding of its impact on Lake Tahoe. Along the north and west shores, divers have recovered not only plastic bottles, cans and other “typical” trash, but a variety of unique items such as an engagement ring, a toy BB gun, a BBQ, poker chips, lawn chair, and an international drivers license.

“Since this effort began, our team of professional and volunteer divers have been in the water as much as possible. We’ve faced significant challenges including heavy winds, wildfire smoke, divers being evacuated from their homes due to the Caldor Fire, and record snowfall in October, yet we’re still ambitiously focused on the finish line,” said Colin West, Clean Up The Lake founder and executive director. “Although this effort has successfully removed a tremendous amount of trash from Lake Tahoe, all of us who have been diving to recover it hope the message it sends is louder–that we all need to do everything we can to prevent trash from getting into the lake to begin with.”

“At Tahoe Blue Vodka, we’re proud and honored to be the presenting sponsor of this unprecedented and meaningful underwater scuba clean-up of the entire 72-miles of Lake Tahoe,” said Matt Levitt, founder of Tahoe Blue Vodka. “With the finish line now in sight, we also want to share how incredibly impressed we are with the perseverance of the dedicated team of divers and volunteers determined to see the project through. Tahoe Blue is the only vodka in the world inspired by and crafted from waters of Lake Tahoe so we are thrilled to support efforts to keep the water pure and pristine.”

Divers will continue the clean-up throughout the winter as conditions allow, and expect to complete the effort in early 2022, weather and conditions permitting.

“When we agreed to support this project, we knew it was a unique opportunity to contribute to the health of Lake Tahoe. It continues to be amazing how much and what type of trash has been recovered,” said Allen Biaggi, Tahoe Fund board chair. “The importance of this work and the value it has to those who love Lake Tahoe was evident when so many individual and corporate donors stepped up to help. It wouldn’t have happened without them.”

The project was funded by contributions raised by the Tahoe Fund from more than 135 businesses and people who donated to the cause, including an initial $100,000 match offered by Tahoe Blue Vodka. Additional funding support came from Vail Resorts, the Nevada Division of State Lands Lake Tahoe License Plate program and other grant-giving foundations.

Learn more about the project here.

Superior Boat Sales and the Tahoe Fund Float New Donation Program

November 9, 2021 by tahoefund

A portion of every boat sale will be donated to support outdoor recreation

Superior Boat Repair and Sales, operating out of the Homewood High & Dry Marina on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe during the summer season and full time in Rancho Cordova, CA has pledged to donate a portion of all boat sales to the local nonprofit organization the Tahoe Fund.

“Giving back to our community is one of our core values,” said Bob Bense of Superior Boat. “An ongoing partnership with the Tahoe Fund helps us further our mission to support outdoor recreation.”

The Tahoe Fund is currently focused on building support for trail restoration through its Caldor Fire Trails Restoration Fund and the Tahoe Trails Endowment, which focuses on providing funding for annual trail work for trails around Tahoe.

Superior Boat and the Tahoe Fund first partnered this past summer to introduce the 2021 Nautique GS22E, the first all-electric powered towboat, to Tahoe Fund supporters.

Superior Boat Repair and Sales is also Tahoe’s local Barletta dealership. This partnership with the Tahoe Fund is part of a larger commitment by Barletta Boat’s Bill & Kristin Fenech Foundation to donate 1% of all wholesale shipments to charities that support outdoor recreation, health and human services, and community vibrancy.

“We are very grateful for this partnership with Superior Boat supporting our ongoing efforts to improve sustainable outdoor recreation in the Tahoe Basin,” said Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry. “Donations from local businesses like this make what we do possible.”

Free Sugar Pine Seedlings Available this Weekend! (October 29-31)

October 25, 2021 by tahoefund

Tahoe Environmental Research Center encourages Tahoe residents to plant the seeds of a healthier, more drought resilient forest in their own backyard

The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center is offering free sugar pine seedlings to Tahoe residents October 29-31 as part of a restoration project funded by the Tahoe Fund and the California Tahoe Conservancy. The goal of the project is to establish a new generation of genetically diverse sugar pines that can withstand the threats of climate change, including drought and bark beetle outbreaks. By restoring native sugar pines to the area and increasing their genetic diversity, the overall forest will benefit.

Thriving sugar pines with their giant, foot-long cones, once covered a quarter of Lake Tahoe’s forests. Comstock Era logging devastated the population and now they are down to 5% or less. A significant share of their genetic diversity was also eliminated. Over the years, white pine blister rust, bark beetles and drought have impacted those that remain. Drought and bark-beetle infestation killed more than 129 million trees between 2012 and 2016 in the Sierra Nevada.

UC Davis biologist Patricia Maloney and a team of researchers collected seeds from 100 surviving sugar pine trees. These seeds were then used to grow more than 10,000 seedlings. Most of these were planted in the forest along the North Shore of Lake Tahoe. Two thousand seedlings are now available to Tahoe residents to plant in their own backyards.

Residents can pick up the sugar pine seedlings:

Fri October 29
2pm – 5pm

Sat & Sun October 30-31
11am – 2pm

Location:
Tahoe City Field Station
2400 Lake Forest Road
Tahoe City, CA