Blog - Tahoe Fund

Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition and Tahoe Fund Team Up To Provide More ‘Bike Racks For Businesses’

May 19, 2019 by Amy Berry

Businesses in the Lake Tahoe Basin invited to apply until June 7 for low or no-cost bike racks; program designed to encourage more people to ride instead of drive

TAHOE CITY, Calif. (May 20, 2019) – Following the successful first phase of the “Bike Racks for Businesses” program that was introduced to agencies in 2018, the nonprofit Tahoe Fund will continue its partnership with the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition to offer low or no-cost bike racks to interested businesses in the Tahoe Basin. The program is designed to encourage locals and visitors to ride their bikes around lakeside communities instead of drive.

“Increasing bicycle parking supports a vibrant community by providing much needed amenities, reducing the rate of bicycle theft, and improving the recreational and travel experience,” said Chris Mertens, Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition board secretary. “In 2018, together with the Tahoe Fund we helped install 215 bike racks with room for 430 bikes for use by local agencies. The bike racks were well received and well used, prompting us to extend the program to businesses and expand it Basin-wide with the Tahoe Fund’s support.

Grant funding provided by the Tahoe Fund will also be used to support the Bike Coalition’s mobile bike racks, known as “bike valets,” at events around the Basin. Bike valets offer free, safe bike parking to event-goers to encourage them to ride—instead of drive—to concerts, festivals and more.

“Reducing vehicle traffic has the potential to reduce emissions and fine-sediment—significant factors in air pollution and water clarity,” said Katy Simon Holland, Tahoe Fund board chair. “Bicycle parking has been shown to increase visitation at local businesses and is a visual representation of the region’s emphasis on sustainability. The Tahoe Fund is pleased to continue to support these efforts Basin-wide.”

Businesses interested in bike racks are invited to apply until June 7, 2019 online at www.tahoebike.org/racks. Two bike rack options are available, each with a bolt-down or free-standing version. Interested businesses will be selected by the Bike Coalition based on criteria that includes their ability to provide matching funds, experienced or projected bike rack use, and community benefit based on surrounding businesses or services.

The Bike Coalition will be responsible for all ordering, shipping and professional installation of the bike racks on behalf of the selected businesses, with installations expected mid-July 2019.

Learn more at www.tahoebike.org or by emailing racks@tahoebike.org.

About Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition

The Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition is a volunteer nonprofit organization with a mission to make Tahoe more bicycle friendly. The Bike Coalition promotes opportunities for more people to ride bikes in Tahoe, produces the most comprehensive printed and online bicycle maps for the Tahoe region, co-hosts the annual Lake Tahoe Bicycle Challenge each June and advocates for bicycle safety. Learn more at www.tahoebike.org.

About Tahoe Fund

The Tahoe Fund was founded in 2010 to work with the private community to support environmental improvement projects that restore lake clarity, enhance outdoor recreation, promote healthier forests, improve transportation and inspire greater stewardship of the region. Through the generous support of private donors, the Tahoe Fund has leveraged more than $2 million in private funds to secure more than $40 million in public funds for more than 30 environmental projects. The projects include new sections of the Lake Tahoe Bikeway, restoration of watersheds, removal of aquatic invasive species, forest health projects, public beach improvements, and stewardship programs. Learn more at www.tahoefund.org.

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Media Contacts:

Chris Mertens or Gavin Feiger, Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition

racks@tahoebike.org or (775) 298-0273

Jess Weaver, JVP Communications for Tahoe Fund

(530) 448-6981 or Jessica@jvpcommunications.com

Stacey Crowley Joins Tahoe Fund Board of Directors

May 7, 2019 by Amy Berry

Crowley brings extensive experience developing partnerships and building consensus

TAHOE CITY, Calif. (May 7, 2019) – The nonprofit Tahoe Fund today announced that Stacey Crowley, vice president of external and customer affairs for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has joined its Board of Directors. As a board member, Crowley will provide support, leadership and inspiration to the organization whose purpose is to improve the Tahoe environment by ensuring the completion of more environmental improvement projects with the support of the private community.

“We’re thrilled to have Stacey join the Tahoe Fund Board of Directors,” said Katy Simon Holland, Tahoe Fund board chair. “Her experience and strength in developing partnerships and consensus in California, Nevada and throughout the West will be a tremendous asset to our organization as we continue to work toward restoring and enhancing Lake Tahoe for current and future generations.”

In her current professional role, Crowley oversees all aspects of customer support, communications, government relations and external policy activities. She also works closely with the CAISO’s Board of Governors and its committees on a variety of western energy issues. Prior to joining CAISO, Crowley was the Director of the Nevada State Office of Energy and advisor to Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval. She has managed Nevada’s federal grant programs and economic incentive regulations for clean energy projects and served as Chair of the Western Interstate Energy Board and on the board of the National Association of State Energy Officials.

“As someone who is passionate about the outdoors and specifically the Lake Tahoe region, I’m excited to join the Tahoe Fund Board of Directors,” said Crowley. “I look forward to bringing my professional experience and passion for the environment to the organization, and to contribute to projects the Tahoe Fund supports that will help restore and improve the Tahoe Basin.”

Tahoe Fund Surpasses Fundraising Goal In Support of Sugar Pine Foundation

April 2, 2019 by sdbx

Nonprofit raised $19,000 in support of campaign to plant 10,000 seedlings in the Tahoe Basin, teach more volunteers about forest health

TAHOE CITY, Calif. (April 2, 2019) – The nonprofit Tahoe Fund announced today it has surpassed its goal to raise $15,000 in support of the Sugar Pine Foundation’s campaign to plant 10,000 seedlings in the Tahoe Basin and teach more volunteers about the sugar pine species and forest health. Thanks to its generous donors, the Tahoe Fund will contribute $19,000, or 4,000 seedlings, to the cause, joining the Bently Foundation, Patagonia, Rose Foundation and the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation in supporting this program.

“Healthy trees are critical to healthy forests, and historically, sugar pines have made up 25 percent of the forest around Tahoe based on logging receipts from the 1800s. Today they make up less than 5 percent,” said Katy Simon Holland, Tahoe Fund Chair. “The importance of this program is not just in planting the trees, but in getting the community involved in the actual tree plantings so they can learn about the benefits of heathy forests and become better stewards of Tahoe’s forests.”

Tahoe’s beloved pines have been decimated by a combination of historic logging, fire suppression which favors other species, and native and non-native growth. The Sugar Pine Foundation is dedicated to saving Lake Tahoe’s beloved sugar pines and other white pines from blister rust by educating and involving Tahoe area students and community members of all ages in forest health initiatives.

“The Sugar Pine Foundation is extremely grateful to the Tahoe Fund for raising almost $20,000 to support the planting of sugar pines,” said Sugar Pine Foundation Executive Director Maria Mircheva. “We are so happy to create life in the forest by planting tree seedlings in fire scars and other restoration projects. Furthermore, we are excited to plant seeds in people’s minds about the health, beauty and importance of our local forests by involving community volunteers and school groups in our work. These funds will not only support work on the ground, but also developing future stewards of the forest.”

The Sugar Pine Foundation’s goal is to plant 10,000 new seedlings in the next two years with the help of the local community of residents, visitors, school children and service organizations. Volunteer plantings will be scheduled at the Emerald Fire and Angora Fire scars, as well as at Spooner Summit, Sand Harbor, Tahoe Vista, and along the new Incline Village bike path. Community members who participate in these efforts will learn the importance of conserving native species and the role we can have on enhancing forest health.

“On behalf of the Tahoe Fund and our generous donors, I’m thrilled that we were able to exceed our fundraising goal and contribute to such a worthy initiative. Healthy forests are diverse in their species composition and this effort will help put our forests in a better position,” continued Simon Holland.

About Tahoe Fund

About the Sugar Pine Foundation

The Sugar Pine Foundation was founded in 2004 as a grassroots effort to restore sugar pines and other white pines in the Lake Tahoe region. White pines are being decimated by a non-native invasive pathogen called white pine blister rust. The Sugar Pine Foundation identifies seed trees naturally resistant to the pathogen and plants their progeny. By involving volunteers in tree planting, SPF educates them about the importance of conserving native species and people’s role in enhancing forest health. Over the past 10 years, the Sugar Pine Foundation has planted over 100,000 tree seedlings with the help of over 7000 volunteers. Learn more at http://www.sugarpinefoundation.org

Media Contact:

Jess Weaver, JVP Communications for Tahoe Fund

(530) 448-6981 or jessica@jvpcommunications.com

UV Light Deemed Effective For Treating Aquatic Invasive Weeds In Lake Tahoe

February 25, 2019 by sdbx

Tahoe Fund’s Environmental Venture Trust provided seed funding for innovative environmental project benefitting Lake Tahoe and its famed clarity

TAHOE CITY, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2019) – According to a new report released by the Tahoe Resource Conservation District (Tahoe RCD), an ultraviolet (UV) light project designed to combat aquatic invasive weeds in Lake Tahoe has proven successful. Results of the pilot project, the first to be supported by the Tahoe Fund’s Environmental Venture Trust, found that most of the plants treated with UV light exhibited signs of deterioration or complete collapse within seven to 10 days following treatment.

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) pose a serious threat to the recreational and natural resources of the Lake Tahoe watershed as they compete with native species and can increase algae growth that contributes to the decline of Lake Tahoe’s famous water clarity. Thick aquatic vegetation also provides an unnatural habitat that allows other non-native species to establish.

“Our first investment through the Tahoe Fund Environmental Venture Trust was to provide seed funding for the UV light pilot project to test a new treatment of aquatic invasive weeds in Lake Tahoe,” said Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund. “We are excited to see that the pilot was a success and there will now be a new way to treat aquatic invasive weeds in Tahoe.”

The initiative was led by the Tahoe RCD in collaboration with Inventive Resources, Inc., and was made possible thanks to a Lake Tahoe Science and Lake Improvement Account grant from the California Tahoe Conservancy and private contributions from the Tahoe Fund. Tahoe RCD is currently working on an environmental document analysis that expands available methods and techniques to implement lake-wide control methods for treatment of aquatic invasive plants at Lake Tahoe.

“Invasive plant populations can be reduced, and with continued treatments and a combination of tools available, we will be better equipped to manage populations around the lake in the future,” said Nicole Cartwright, executive director for Tahoe RCD. “We are encouraged by the results and look forward to additional UV-C light treatment projects to explore the full potential of this new tool.”

The Tahoe Fund Environmental Venture Trust funds innovative early-stage projects that benefit environmental initiatives affecting Lake Tahoe and was launched with the support of a $25,000 matching grant from the Robert and Dorothy Keyser Foundation. The intention of the trust is to support projects deemed to have good potential, but no other source of early-stage funding.

The Tahoe Fund was created to be a major source of private funding for environmental projects around the Lake Tahoe Basin with an emphasis on lake clarity, outdoor recreation, stewardship, forest health and transportation. Learn more at www.tahoefund.org.

About Tahoe Fund

Media Contact:

Jess Weaver, JVP Communications for Tahoe Fund

(530) 448-6981 or jessica@jvpcommunications.com

Tahoe Fund Donor Match Generates $80,000 For Restoration Of Popular Tahoe Rim Trail Section In Desolation Wilderness

January 15, 2019 by sdbx

Funds to Support Youth and Volunteer Trail Crews Performing the Improvements to the Most Heavily Damaged Sections of Trail

TAHOE CITY, Calif. (Jan. 14, 2019) – Thanks to the generous contributions of private donors, the nonprofit Tahoe Fund has achieved its $40,000 fundraising match goal to allow further restoration of the Tahoe Rim Trail within the Desolation Wilderness, meaning $80,000 in total will be contributed. One of the most scenic hiking, horseback riding, and backpacking sections of the Tahoe Rim Trail, the section of trail in Desolation Wilderness has been significantly degraded over time. This is due to increased use combined with extreme weather events impacting safety, recreational experience and water quality.

“We accomplished a lot in the last year, and over the next three years we plan to continue to improve the most heavily damaged portions of the trail in northern Desolation Wilderness,” said Chris Binder, director of trail operations for the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. “The funds generated by the Tahoe Fund will be of significant help and will support youth and volunteer trail crews performing the trail work.”

In 2018, a youth trail crew from American Conservation Experience (ACE) and a Tahoe Rim Trail Association (TRTA) volunteer trail crew each worked on the trail over the summer. Over 500 hours were spent building stone steps, armoring drains, brushing back encroaching vegetation, and replacing a failed bridge with step stones.

Over the next three years, the plan is to have two TRTA volunteer trail crews and one ACE crew work on the trail each summer. Plans also include replacing all of the signposts along the co-located Pacific Crest Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail in Desolation Wilderness, approximately 20 posts. The fundraising efforts of the Tahoe Fund and the private donors who contributed to the match will be specifically put to use for food, tools, crew gear and equipment, vehicle fuel and maintenance, and staff time to recruit, manage and lead the trail crews.

“We are grateful to the private donors who have helped make this project possible. The Tahoe Rim Trail and Desolation Wilderness are incredibly special, well-loved destinations for many outdoor enthusiasts,” said Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund. “Every dollar that was contributed has been matched, for a total of $80,000 to prevent erosion and improve usability for all to enjoy through all seasons.”

The Tahoe Rim Trail Association will begin recruitment for Desolation volunteer trail crew members on February 15, 2019 via its website. Youth crew members will be recruited through ACE, with most of their recruiting done online at usaconservation.org. Space is limited due to United States Forest Service group size requirements.

About Tahoe Fund

The Tahoe Fund was founded in 2010 to work with the private community to support environmental improvement projects that restore lake clarity, enhance outdoor recreation, promote healthier forests, improve transportation and inspire greater stewardship of the region. Through the generous support of private donors, the Tahoe Fund has leveraged more than $2 million in private funds to secure more than $40 million in public funds for more than 25 environmental projects. The projects include new sections of the Lake Tahoe Bikeway, restoration of watersheds, removal of aquatic invasive species, forest health projects, public beach improvements, and stewardship programs. Learn more at www.tahoefund.org.

Media Contact:

Jess Weaver, JVP Communications for Tahoe Fund

(530) 448-6981 or jessica@jvpcommunications.com