Week of in-person events and virtual education will focus on dangers of the backcountry and how to stay safe

From expert panel sessions about backcountry safety to on-the-snow events hosted by some of Lake Tahoe’s finest backcountry guides, the fifth annual Tahoe Backcountry Safety Awareness Week is chock full of events curated by Take Care Tahoe. From December 9-15, 2024, both novice and experienced backcountry users will have opportunities to learn how to safely recreate in the backcountry this winter. 

According to Snowsports Industries America (SIA), the pandemic boosted participation in backcountry/Alpine Touring by 57% during the 2020-21 winter season. The Colorado Avalanche Information Center also reported that a total of 37 avalanche related fatalities occurred in the U.S. that season. The rise in deaths was attributed to both inexperience and challenging snowpack conditions. In the years since, participation in backcountry/Alpine touring has continued to increase. Safety messaging continues to be paramount. 

Launched in 2020, Tahoe Backcountry Safety Awareness Week was created to educate the increasing number of people exploring the Tahoe backcountry about essential safety, preparedness, and etiquette. The event brings together experts and partners from the Lake Tahoe Basin and beyond to offer a variety of experiences like panel discussions, film screenings, and hands-on opportunities to test safety equipment and learn new skills. 

“Tahoe Backcountry Safety Awareness Week has seen remarkable growth and engagement over the last few years,” said Anthony Cupaiuolo, executive director of the Tahoe Backcountry Alliance.  “We’re looking forward to bringing both new and experienced backcountry travelers together to discuss access issues, safety and promote respectful practices at trailheads and on the skin track.”

The 2024 Tahoe Backcountry Safety Awareness Week schedule includes:

20th Annual Backcountry Film Festival – Monday, December 9

Tahoe Backcountry Alliance’s annual Backcountry Film Festival will kick off Backcountry Safety Awareness Week. Enjoy a night of films that celebrate the power and spirit of humans in winter. This year’s lineup will feature adventure, travel, ski culture, ice, pain, suffering, laughter, and deep powder. Funds raised at each screening support local SnowSchool sites, human-powered recreation and conservation efforts, and avalanche/safety programs. Get tickets here.

Backcountry Safety Awareness Youth Event – Wednesday, December 10

Lake Tahoe Snowmobilers, in partnership with Sierra Avalanche Center, Richard Bothwell of SlabLab, and Truckee Brewing Company (Pioneer Trail Location), will host a Backcountry Safety Awareness Youth Event. Open to all user groups, this event will provide safety education through fun activities, including a beacon park scavenger hunt for youth to learn about winter backcountry safety in and out of bounds. Parents can enjoy $6 pints inside while the children learn and practice their skills outside. 

Richard Bothwell, author of Light Tours in Tahoe, and co-founder of SlabLab, will be sharing routes from his book to explore in the Tahoe area. His book lists 63 routes all around Lake Tahoe for skiing and snowboarding that generally avoid avalanche terrain. Additionally, Richard will be sharing tips for finding more and better partners, and ways to improve team communication, which is the focus at SlabLab.

“When Everything Goes Wrong”: Managing Cold Injuries and CPR Avalanche Rescue – Wednesday, December 11

Jessica DeMartin-Miller, CEN, RN desert mountain medicine instructor of International Alpine Guides (IAG) will host a one hour talk reviewing fundamentals of treating cold patients and cold injuries (frostbite), and updates to CPR curriculum in treating avalanche patients. This is not a CPR class, but a review for those who have CPR or a Wilderness Medicine Course or are interested in taking one in the future. Everyone who attends will receive a discount code for future wilderness medicine courses with IAG. Located at the IAG office in Truckee, CA.

Register by emailing: info@internationalalpineguides.com.

Backcountry User Panel the “Gear We Bring” at Rocky Mountain Underground Truckee – Thursday, December 12

Hosted in person at RMU in Truckee, this panel discussion will highlight the gear experts bring into the backcountry. Panelists will include backcountry guide Jen Callahan, Anthony Cupaiuolo from Tahoe Backcountry Alliance, and Todd Wold with Lake Tahoe Snowmobilers and will take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This event is free of charge and happy hour deals will be offered to all attendees. 

“Know Before You Go” On the Snow Clinic and Tallac Parking Lot Ribbon Cutting – Friday, December 13

During this on the snow clinic, IAG avalanche instructor, ski guide, and Tahoe local Demetri Zouboukos will discuss what to know before you head out the winter backcountry in avalanche terrain and things to think about in the Tahoe-Truckee area. Participants will meet at the Donner Summit parking lot and are encouraged to bring their own gear for an assessment of what’s needed for a safe backcountry tour. This event will feature a short tour on skis, spit boards, or snowshoes, and will give participants the opportunity to practice staying warm  in their gear!

Register by emailing: info@internationalalpineguides.com

Backcountry Safety with Valhalla Mountain Guides – Saturday, December 14

Connor Chilcott, founder of Valhalla Mountain Guides and an IFMGA certified mountain guide, will host a free, on-snow clinic on how to respond to an emergency while traveling in the backcountry during the winter. This clinic will cover what gear to bring, how to build a snow shelter, Emergency Response Protocol, and companion rescue practice. Event is limited to 12 people. Register here.

Meet the Experts at Sierra-at-Tahoe – Saturday, December 15

To close out the week, Sierra-at-Tahoe will host a fun and informative day focused on backcountry safety at the Plaza. Meet local experts, learn valuable safety tips, and see the gear they bring with them in the backcountry. There will be a variety of booths, exciting events, and even Sierra’s own avalanche rescue dogs. Open to experienced adventurers or those new to the backcountry, this event will offer the opportunity to gain knowledge, ask questions, and prepare for an outdoor adventure. 

This op-ed by Amy Berry and Caitlin Meyer was published in the Reno Gazette-Journal on December 4, 2024. 

If you drive down Mt. Rose Highway, you will see remnants of the recent 5,824-acre Davis Fire: Retardant sprayed across the mountain, charred trees on ridgelines, and a forest floor turned black by flame. You will also see “Thank You Firefighters” signs dotting the roadway, reflecting our shared feelings of deep gratitude to firefighting personnel for saving lives and homes.

But here’s what you won’t see: Signs thanking foresters for carrying out forest health treatments in the area. With good reason, we hear often about courageous efforts to suppress wildfire. But the unsung heroes in those firefights are our foresters, who work year-round on wildfire prevention.

In many ways, prevention is suppression.

Due in large part to a history of logging to feed silver mines in the 1800s, plus decades of policy to put out wildfires as quickly as possible, Tahoe’s forest has far too many trees in it. A forest with too many trees is like a cup with too many straws. Trees are competing with each other for essential resources like water and sunlight, and as a result, are unhealthy, dying by the millions, and decreasingly resilient to wildfire, drought and invasive bugs.

To address these problems, foresters are implementing forest health treatments. Forest health treatments are highly tailored, science-driven efforts to get rid of excess, hazardous and dead trees and underbrush by removing them from the landscape, or using low-intensity prescribed fire to clear them out. Importantly, these treatments do not entail clear-cutting or anything like it. Clear-cutting is what made our forests so unhealthy in the first place. No mainstream practitioner would advocate for its return. 

In sharp contrast, forest treatments create healthier trees and more resilient forests that are better able to withstand wildfire and other threats. As it turns out, they also help our firefighters. Here’s why. 

When a wildfire breaks out, excess woody material in the forest becomes potent fuel, allowing the fire to spread faster, hotter and more erratically. Overgrown low-lying vegetation acts as “ladder fuel,” carrying flames into taller trees. In a dense continuity of taller trees, flames are forced upward to the top of the tree canopy, where they form high-intensity “crown” fires that race across the landscape. It is nearly impossible for firefighters to manage these sky-high walls of flame.

Forest treatments help by creating space between trees, which lets wildfire spread on the ground at a lower intensity, in a way that is much safer and more manageable for firefighters.

During the Davis Fire, treatments gave firefighters a chance to get the fire under control and minimize its impact to the community. Nevada State Forester and Firewarden Kacey KC explained, “In untreated areas, the fire ran through the tree crowns, killing all vegetation and creating extremely difficult conditions for firefighters. In contrast, when the fire hit treated areas, its intensity was greatly reduced and it went to the ground. This lower intensity fire was easier for firefighters to control. It also kept large portions of forest alive and had the bonus effect of clearing hazardous fuels off of the forest floor, similar to a prescribed burn.”

We saw this during the Caldor Fire, too. New research examined the impact of treatments done in the years leading up to the fire. In treated areas, fire severity was significantly lower, making trees three times more likely to survive and helping firefighters stop forward progress into the Basin.

“In Nevada, and across the U.S., we’re seeing great success with these treatments, which decrease wildfire’s damage to forests, homes and even watersheds,” KC said.

If this was a board game and you wanted to help your firefighters beat a wildfire, you would play a “forest treatment” card. The Tahoe Fund is working closely with private, nonprofit and public agency partners to play this card again and again. 

For example, we teamed up with local organizations to bring BurnBot’s remote-operated forest management tools to the region. BurnBot’s masticators completed a 22-acre treatment in Incline in just three days. Next spring, its prescribed fire machine will allow crews to conduct burns during extended weather windows and without smoke or the risk of runaway flame.

This fall, with support from the Tahoe Fund and others, the Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada hosted a 10-day Intentional Fire Training. This was the first step toward developing a skilled workforce to help blend Indigenous knowledge and techniques with modern forest restoration practices.

Utility companies are also stepping up to help. The NV Energy Foundation contributed $250,000 to the Tahoe Fund’s Smartest Forest Fund to support more game-changing initiatives that increase the pace and scale of forest treatments. NV Energy is also doubling down on its efforts to create resiliency corridors in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, by treating thousands of acres around power lines.

This work is so important because it helps our forests and our firefighters. Forest treatments give both trees and firefighters the edge they need to succeed. So, while you may not see it on a sign (yet!), we want to say it here: Thank you, firefighters and foresters!

Amy Berry is the CEO of the Tahoe Fund. Caitlin Meyer is the Tahoe Fund’s chief program officer.

View this op-ed with a Reno Gazette-Journal subscription here.

Header photo by California Tahoe Conservancy

Tahoe Fund is matching donations to help fund the purchase of a new transport van to aid search and rescue team

With winter just around the corner, more people will be heading into Tahoe’s extensive backcountry wilderness to recreate. Too often, individuals get lost or injured in areas not readily accessible by law enforcement or medical personnel. A new transport van would ensure faster, safer rescue missions in the backcountry. To help with this effort, the Tahoe Fund is offering a $15,000 match to help Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue (TNSAR) purchase a new multi-passenger transport van.

“You never know when you or a loved one might need help while skiing or snowboarding in the backcountry. I am always blown away by the work these volunteers do in challenging conditions to keep people alive!” said Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund. “That’s why our Board of Directors jumped at the opportunity to meet this match and help TNSAR with the tools they need to continue this heroic work for our community.”

Since its start in 1976, TNSAR has been part of hundreds of search missions, with an unmatched success rate for finding lost people in the outdoors. Last year, the team was called out for 31 search days in the greater Tahoe Basin and beyond. The team is made up entirely of volunteers who give their time to keep community members safe. 

“I have often thought people use the term hero lightly,” wrote a community member to TNSAR after a successful rescue last winter. “You are true heroes in our minds and we are here today because of your commitment, strength, talent, and grit.”

A new transport van will improve the safety of their team and help them do their work more quickly and effectively. It will also reduce the number of vehicles on the roads, especially during busy, snowy, and dangerous weather.

“When performing a rescue, every minute counts,” said Wes Moody, a director on TNSAR’s Executive Board. “That’s why we are calling on our community to help us unlock a $15,000 matching donation from the Tahoe Fund and make it possible for us to purchase and equip a new van that will improve the team’s capability to conduct fast, thorough and safe searches.”

All donations will be doubled until the funding goal of $30,000 is reached.
Give today at tahoefund.org/searchandrescue.

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

The Tahoe Fund today announced the opening of its annual call for projects. The nonprofit is seeking projects for its 2025 portfolio that will increase the pace and scale of forest restoration, improve lake clarity and health, encourage sustainable recreation, provide innovative solutions to transportation challenges, and create more stewards of Lake Tahoe. 

Public agencies, nonprofits and environmentally focused businesses are invited to submit proposals for projects that require $5,000 to $1,000,000 in funding. Projects with the ability to leverage public funding as a result of Tahoe Fund support will be prioritized.

“The projects submitted each year are a testament to the passion our community has for Lake Tahoe,” said Caitlin Meyer, Chief Program Officer for the Tahoe Fund. “The positive impact our partners make on the ground continues to inspire us. We’re so excited to see what new ideas are dreamed up this next round of submissions!” 

Since its inception, the Tahoe Fund has worked with more than 50 partners to support over 160 projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Some highlights include introducing innovation to forest health treatments through the Truckee-Tahoe BurnBot pilot, transforming the Upper Truckee River Watershed with the Motel 6 acquisition, repairing 19 miles of trail in Desolation Wilderness, bringing together a new collaboration of community stakeholders to develop the region’s first Destination Stewardship Plan, and commissioning a comprehensive parking enforcement study aiming to make parking easier and safer for everyone in Tahoe. 

All submissions will be reviewed by the Tahoe Fund Board of Directors, which is tasked with developing the Tahoe Fund’s project portfolio. Projects submitted for consideration may receive immediate funding or be selected for a Tahoe Fund project campaign in 2025. 

Project submissions are due by January 31, 2025. Guidelines and the request for project submission form can be found here.

Aquatic invasive plants were successfully removed from 17 acres of the Taylor and Tallac creeks and marshes in South Lake Tahoe. 

Tahoe’s largest invasive species removal project to date began three years ago with the installation of large tarps across Taylor and Tallac creeks and marshes on the south shore of Lake Tahoe. Known as bottom barriers, these tarps are designed to block all sunlight and starve invasive plants. The barriers were a success—the Eurasian watermilfoil infestation was removed. This marks the end of the first phase of a much larger restoration effort toward the recovery of this critical wetland. 

Thanks to the support of the Merrill Family Foundation, our Tahoe Fund donors, and the collaborative effort among the project partners, including the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Marine Taxonomic Services for making this possible.