Thanks to the generosity of Tahoe Fund donors, the nonprofit reached its $200,000 fundraising goal to support the California Tahoe Conservancy’s efforts to demolish the former Motel 6 building, restaurant, and parking lot in the Upper Truckee Marsh. This is the next step in removing these developments and restoring the sensitive wetland area.

“Over the years, our donors have paved the way for significant change in Lake Tahoe,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “This time, they are helping us unpave paradise — to begin restoration planning efforts for the largest watershed in the Basin. We are thrilled to help unlock the public funding needed to take the next step in the most important restoration project in Tahoe.” 

The Motel 6 property and surrounding 31 acres were acquired in March 2024 by the California Tahoe Conservancy with funding from the Conservancy, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Tahoe Fund and the League to Save Lake Tahoe. 

Contributions from dozens of Tahoe Fund donors and major gifts from the Latrobe Foundation and the Robert S & Dorothy J Keyser Foundation helped the organization reach its fundraising goal for this campaign. The Conservancy is working with the Department of General Services to prepare for demolition of the former Motel 6, vacant restaurant building, and parking lot. Demolition is anticipated to begin in fall 2025.

“We are grateful to the Tahoe Fund and their donors for their support,” said Jason Vasques, Executive Director for the California Tahoe Conservancy. “Being able to combine private and public funding for important projects like this is the perfect model to advance restoration at Lake Tahoe.”

Right now, the Conservancy is seeking restoration and recreation ideas from the public to help inform the future of the Upper Truckee Marsh. Learn more at https://tahoe.ca.gov/share-your-ideas-upper-truckee-marsh-south-project/.

Strategic resort leader brings valuable experience, business acumen and passion for the Lake Tahoe environment to the Board

The Tahoe Fund welcomes Shaydar Edelmann, vice president and general manager of Heavenly Mountain Resort, to its Board of Directors. Edelmann’s resort leadership experience and deep connection to the Lake Tahoe environment will further the efforts of the organization to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.

“I’m excited to welcome Shaydar to our Board of Directors. His knowledge of the region and its challenges, paired with his professional experience will be invaluable to our efforts,” said Verdi DiSesa, Tahoe Fund board chair. “As we look to the future and continue to seek out new opportunities to improve the Tahoe environment, his insights will surely be an asset to the Tahoe Fund.”

Edelmann’s career in the ski industry has spanned the past 25 years, with most of it spent in the Lake Tahoe area working for resorts including Alpine Meadows, Boreal Mountain Resort, Soda Springs and Woodward Tahoe. Edelmann has demonstrated his commitment to environmental stewardship and community engagement through various projects, including helping to establish California’s first recycled water snowmaking system. He also managed the construction and opening of Woodward Tahoe before serving as the general manager of Woodward Park City during its construction and grand opening. Edelmann joined Vail Resorts in 2020, serving as vice president of mountain operations at Park City Mountain Resort before moving back to the Tahoe area in 2024 to lead the team at Heavenly.

In addition to contributing to the Tahoe Fund board of directors, Edelmann serves on the Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Council and is a member of the Ski California executive committee. In his free time, he enjoys skiing and snowboarding, golf, mountain biking, and traveling around the world to catch as many surf waves as possible.

“The Tahoe Fund has a strong track record in its efforts to improve the Tahoe environment. I look forward to working with the exceptional, dedicated staff and board, and to contributing to the organization’s efforts to ensure the Tahoe environment is both cared for and accessible for everyone to enjoy,” said Edelmann.

The Tahoe Fund is a nonprofit organization that supports environmental improvement projects that restore lake clarity, expand sustainable recreation, promote healthier forests, improve transportation and inspire greater stewardship of the region. Learn more about the Tahoe Fund and its current and completed projects at www.tahoefund.org.

The key to restoring Tahoe’s forests and preventing catastrophic wildfire is a robust and talented workforce. That’s why the Tahoe Fund is raising $50,000 to provide scholarships for more than 50 students in Lake Tahoe Community College’s (LTCC) Forestry Education & Job Placement program.  

LTCC’s Forestry Education & Job Placement Program teaches students how to assist with forest management, planning, and implementation work. For three years running, the Tahoe Fund has provided scholarships for students in the program, and recently awarded a grant to support the program administrator to ensure student success. 

“We can’t fix our forests without foresters and a robust forest health workforce, and that workforce is critically understaffed,” explained Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund. “We are hoping our community can see what we see—that these students are our future, and any support we can provide may make all the difference in their success and ours.” 

Over the next five years, forestry management occupations are projected to have more than 200 annual job openings in the greater Sacramento region alone. Approximately 76% of these jobs will be for middle- and high-skilled occupations. California community colleges like LTCC are a big part of the plan to prepare this crucial workforce of the future.

LTCC Forestry program graduates will be prepared for careers with Tahoe-based employers, including CAL FIRE, the USDA Forest Service, the California Tahoe Conservancy, the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, private forestry contractors, and other agencies that are part of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team.

Spencer Benlien, a former scholarship recipient in the Forestry program, is now attending the Rausser College of Natural Resources at the University of California, Berkeley, where he is studying Ecosystem Management and Forestry. He shared his experience in the program during LTCC’s Scholarship Awards Banquet last year. 

“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the scholarship committee for believing in my potential and providing this opportunity for me,” said Benlien. “It is an honor I cherish, a validation of my endeavors, and a motivation to continue striving for my dreams.” 

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