News Archives - Tahoe Fund

Introducing the Tahoe Fund’s Fiscal Year 2022-23 Recap

May 1, 2023 by Caroline Waldman

When an organization has been around for over a decade, it’s rare to continue to encounter firsts. And yet, that’s what the Tahoe Fund experienced with our incredible projects this fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2023.

We celebrated the completion of the first-ever cleanup of Lake Tahoe’s entire shoreline, with scuba divers from Clean Up the Lake removing 25,000 lbs of litter. We joined Nevada State Parks in opening a brand new visitors center and amphitheater at Spooner Lake State Park, which will serve nearly 150,000 visitors annually. And we gave scholarships to every student in the inaugural year of Lake Tahoe Community College’s new Forestry Program, helping more young people pursue careers in the understaffed forestry workforce.

These are just some of the impactful projects happening because of our Stewardship Circle members and donors like you.

We are proud to share that since its inception in 2010, the Tahoe Fund has supported over 130 environmental improvement projects. In the last 12 months alone, we funded more than 50 such projects, awarding $1.4 million-plus in grants. These philanthropic dollars helped leverage upwards of $7 million in public funds.

Please read our FY 2022-23 Project Portfolio to learn more about the projects we funded this past fiscal year alongside our outstanding partners. Each initiative falls within one of the Tahoe Fund’s five focus areas—forest health, lake clarity, sustainable recreation, stewardship, and transportation—and showcases the transformative power of your philanthropy.

Read our FY 2022-23 Project Portfolio.

Lake Tahoe Community College Hires New Director of Forestry with Support from the Tahoe Fund & Merrill Family Foundation

April 24, 2023 by Caroline Waldman

Thanks to financial support from the Tahoe Fund and the Merrill Family Foundation, Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has hired a full-time director to oversee its growing Public Safety programs, including Forestry, Fire Science, Allied Health and Emergency Medical Services, and Criminal Justice.

After an extensive search, LTCC selected Adrian Escobedo as the new director of Forestry, Fire and Public Safety. In this role, Escobedo is charged with increasing the number of students served by these programs, and the number of graduates produced to fill crucial positions in these high-demand fields in the Tahoe Basin, California, and across the country. Escobedo, who starts in his new position on May 1, will focus on partnering with government agencies and private employers to ensure that LTCC students are well prepared and demonstrate the skills needed to work successfully in these fields.

“Adrian will focus on creating those pipelines straight from the classroom to the industries,” said LTCC Superintendent/President Jeff DeFranco. “Both the Tahoe Fund and LTCC understand just how crucial community colleges like ours are going to be to supply the public safety, fire, and forestry management expertise that’s desperately needed in the years to come due to climate change and increasingly extreme fire events. We are grateful to our friends at the Tahoe Fund and Merrill Family Foundation for understanding the importance of the mission and providing the funding for this position and supporting this skilled workforce development.”

LTCC initially secured federal grant funding to support a portion of the cost of this new director position through Fall 2026. A philanthropic donation from the Tahoe Fund and Merrill Family Foundation of an additional $200,000 over four years made it possible for LTCC to formally bring the position to the college.

“We are so proud to be a part of LTCC’s efforts to grow the region’s forestry, fire, and public safety workforces,” said Caitlin Meyer, chief program officer at the Tahoe Fund. “We started last year with scholarships for Forestry program students, and now, thanks to the Merrill Family Foundation, we’re able to double down on our commitment to the program by helping to fund this new position. We are thrilled Adrian has accepted the role, and are excited to support him as he helps students build careers in often-understaffed fields that are critical to keeping our landscapes healthy and communities safe.”

In recent months, LTCC has been awarded a significant amount of funding to support and expand its Public Safety programs. Through partnership with the California Community Colleges Foundation, LTCC was awarded $1.2 million in federal funds through the America’s Good Jobs Challenge program to support key staffing additions and crucial equipment purchases for the Forestry and Fire programs. LTCC also received $34,000 from the Tahoe Fund last fall to give $1,000 scholarships to every student in the Forestry program, which has led to robust student enrollment in the program’s first year.

Additionally, the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation awarded LTCC with a $100,000 grant from its Forest Futures program for required gear and equipment purchases, allowing even more students to enter and be well educated in these programs using the most modern equipment possible. Recently, the El Dorado Community Foundation committed $100,000 to support equipment for LTCC’s Fire Academy.

“All of this funding will allow us to greatly expand our Fire and Forestry offerings,” said DeFranco. “The increase in students necessitated LTCC having professional staff in place to organize and oversee program growth, manage various grants, make smart equipment purchases, hire additional and diverse faculty members, diversify the student body in these programs to better serve all Californians, and to create pathways for students to ultimately be gainfully employed in these fields.”

Escobedo has worked with many diverse entities and individuals during his career, including K–12 students and teachers, community volunteers, and local, state and federal partners. For the past 16 years, he has worked with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and currently serves as its program specialist in South Lake Tahoe. He previously was their Legislative and External Affairs Staff Officer and the Forest Civil Rights Officer. He has also worked with the U.S.D.A. Forest Service in the El Dorado and Inyo National Forests, and as a Wildlife Biological Science Technician in New Mexico.

Escobedo is certified as a Firefighter 2 and Human Resource Specialist in the Wildland Fire Community, logging more than 1,700 hours of incident experience as part of the overhead team working with Fire personnel from multiple agencies and jurisdictions. He built the Generation Green program of Lake Tahoe, a summer youth employment program targeting underrepresented 15- to 18-year-old students.

As a California community college transfer student, Escobedo went on to earn his B.S. in Zoology from Cal Poly Pomona and his M.A. in Teaching from Sierra Nevada University. He is bilingual and bicultural, and has extensive additional training in grants, leadership, and conflict resolution.

LTCC is one of five community colleges in California that are part of a four-year project to increase the number of qualified workers placed into urgently needed jobs in California’s forestry sector. The state’s forestry and fire safety labor sectors have the potential to grow into a $39 billion industry; however, there are projected workforce shortages in the thousands in these areas. These jobs, which are often well-paying positions with benefits, include fire and forestry crew leads, conservation scientists, and U.S. Forest Service crew members, among other opportunities.

The Tahoe Fund is a nonprofit organization that supports environmental improvement projects in the Tahoe Basin. Their mission is to use the power of philanthropy to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy. One of the organization’s main strategic goals is to improve forest health by driving innovative solutions to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration in the Tahoe Basin through its Smartest Forest Fund. The Tahoe Fund coordinated this donation from the Merrill Family Foundation.

Take Care Tahoe Makes It Easy To Participate In The Earth Week Challenge

April 13, 2023 by Noah Shapiro

With the sun shining and snow melting, the seasons are finally changing in Tahoe. The onset of spring also welcomes the return of annual Earth Week festivals and events that encourage communities to take care of Tahoe.

On the North Shore, the Tahoe Truckee Earth Day Festival will take place Saturday, April 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Village at Palisades Tahoe. The South Lake Tahoe Earth Day Festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Lake Tahoe Community College. Both of these family friendly events will include educational booths hosted by local environmental organizations, live music, and various food options.

Additionally, Take Care Tahoe will host the annual Tahoe Earth Week Challenge, featuring daily activities from Monday, April 17 through Saturday, April 22. Organized in collaboration with environmental and educational organizations around Tahoe and Truckee, activities are designed to be fun and informative for both kids and adults.

To participate in the Tahoe Earth Week Challenge, take photos or videos throughout the week aligned to the themes below and share the experiences with friends, family, teachers, or on social media using #EarthWeekTahoe.

Mother Nature Monday: Join the dark sky movement by turning off all outside lights at night, and check-out the Tahoe Nature Activity Books created by the Tahoe Institute for Natural Sciences.

Climate Action Tuesday: To be more mindful of greenhouse gas emissions related to transportation, choose to go for a walk or ride your bike instead of driving for errands.

Clean Water Wednesday: To combat plastic pollution, which never breaks down in the environment and is a major source of litter in Tahoe, stick to reusable water bottles and Drink Tahoe Tap.

Trash Free Thursday: Download and beta test the new Citizen Science Tahoe App – Get the free app, pick up trash wherever you find it, and report what you removed in the “That’s Not Natural” survey. Your observations help scientists and advocates find solutions to Tahoe’s environmental threats. The app is in a testing phase – you can help make sure it’s perfect! For any questions and concerns, please contact app@keeptahoeblue.org.
Healthy Forest Friday: Prepare for wildfire season by getting informed and involved with Tahoe Living with Fire. Watch educational videos about forest health and prescribed burns.

Send it Sustainably Saturday: Celebrate Earth Day by spending time outdoors in a new place. Learn and practice Leave No Trace principles on your adventure.

For more details and to get involved in Take Care Tahoe’s Earth Week activities, visit https://takecaretahoe.org/earthweek2023 and tag @takecaretahoe and #EarthWeekTahoe on Instagram and Facebook.

TAHOE FUND WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS TO ITS ADVISORY COUNCIL

April 10, 2023 by Caroline Waldman

Public agency leaders will advance their support of Lake Tahoe in a new capacity

The nonprofit Tahoe Fund announced today that four leaders have joined its advisory council. Invited because of their extensive experience as the heads of the Tahoe Fund’s public agency partners, these new advisors will support the organization’s board of directors as they work to improve the Tahoe environment.

“On behalf of the Tahoe Fund Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome Dominique Etchegoyhen, Julie Regan, Jason Vasques, and Erick Walker to our advisory council,” said Cory Ritchie, Tahoe Fund Board Chair. “Given our goal to leverage philanthropic support to secure public funding for environmental projects, their insight ensures our work has the greatest impact possible.”

The advisory council provides invaluable knowledge of public agency challenges and opportunities as it relates to the Tahoe Fund’s goal of improving the Tahoe environment for all to enjoy. The new members appointed to the advisory council include:

Dominique Etchegoyhen, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Etchegoyhen has served as the deputy director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources since 2017. Prior to working for the State of Nevada, he co-founded Legacy Land and Water, LLC, and was a partner with Terra Firma Associates, LLC, both of which were small, versatile land use consulting firms dedicated to protecting and enhancing the environment. Etchegoyhen is licensed to practice law in Nevada and California, and served as a law clerk to Judge Howard D. McKibben in the U.S. District Court, District of Nevada.

Julie Regan, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA)

Regan is the executive director of TRPA and has held an executive position at the agency since 2003. TRPA, the first environmental interstate compact agency of its kind in the United States, is charged with the environmental protection of Lake Tahoe, the ancestral home of the native Washoe. Regan is a Ph.D. student in environmental science at the University of Nevada, Reno focusing her research on the intersection of science and public policy, building on her experience at Lake Tahoe balancing environmental preservation in a $5-billion tourist-based economy.

Jason Vasques, California Tahoe Conservancy

Vasques, the California Tahoe Conservancy’s executive director, has also previously supervised the agency’s landscape forestry program. Educated in the U.S. and New Zealand, Vasques brings over two decades of experience in state government and nonprofit management, from the coral reefs of the Caribbean to rivers and streams in the Sierra Nevada and California’s central valley. Growing up in a mixed heritage home in a rural farming community in the central San Joaquin Valley, Vasques is committed to a vision for Tahoe that benefits all.

Erick Walker, U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU)

Walker is the forest supervisor for the LTBMU. He began his Forest Service career as a range technician while earning his B.S in Natural Resource Management from University of Nevada, Reno. After earning his degree, Walker left the Tahoe region to further his knowledge and stewardship of public lands and served in numerous leadership positions in Vermont, Idaho and Washington. Walker brings a passion for finding solutions to the complex issues of managing public lands and the relationships people have with them. Born and raised in California, Walker moved to Tahoma in 1988 and now lives in South Lake Tahoe.

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.

How Does Wildfire Smoke and Ash Impact Lake Tahoe?

April 3, 2023 by Caroline Waldman

*Photo by the League to Save Lake Tahoe*

In the summer of 2021, flames from the history-making Caldor Fire spread eastward, threatening the Lake Tahoe Basin. Amidst the crisis, scientists saw an opportunity to answer a critical question: how does wildfire smoke and ash impact Lake Tahoe?

Kickstart funding from the League to Save Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Fund allowed scientists from the University of Nevada Reno, Utah State University, University of California Davis, Desert Research Institute and Miami University to mobilize quickly and launch a rapid response study.

“When we have extreme events like the Caldor Fire, we need to look at the short- and long-term impacts on the entire ecosystem,” said Laura Patten, senior science policy analyst for the League to Save Lake Tahoe.

“While the flames burned thousands of acres of forest and directly threatened our community, our science experts were able to rapidly respond and look at the myriad of other impacts from the Caldor Fire. By collecting the data and doing the science, they’re building a view of how the entire Tahoe Basin responds. These rapid response efforts are integral to understanding repercussions from wildfires, which are becoming more frequent and severe.”

One key element of the study, led by the University of Nevada Reno, measured ash falling from the sky to see if it delivered nutrients that could feed algae living in the Lake, or if the ash simply dropped tiny, inorganic particles – both of which can harm Tahoe’s water clarity and quality.

To answer the question, the research team installed collection devices filled with special glass marbles in locations around the Tahoe Basin, close to and farther from the active Caldor Fire. Ash particles that fell in the open-topped containers were analyzed to determine the amount, size, nutrient composition and deposition over time.

*Photo by University of Nevada Reno Global Water Center*

Because of wind and proximity to the fire, five times more ash fell in the south and east areas of the Lake, as compared to the north and west. There were also differences in the nutrient composition of the ash that fell, including phosphorus and nitrogen that are needed for algae to grow. In appearance, the falling bits ranged from brown, semi-scorched vegetation – which were the most nutrient-packed – to unrecognizable, gray flakes.

The ash didn’t just fall on the water; it also obscured sunlight, as one may remember for those several gloomy months in the summer of 2021. Normally, light conditions on the surface of the Lake are too intense for algae to grow. Light muted by ash could actually encourage algae to grow where it normally would not.

In combination, those two findings – less intense light at the water’s surface, and an air-drop of nutrients – led the researchers to believe that smoke and ash from wildfires is likely to lead to more algae growth, and therefore, reduced clarity of Lake Tahoe’s water.

“This study helped establish important baseline data for scientists working to understand the holistic impact of wildfire on our ecosystems” explained Caitlin Meyer, chief program officer for the Tahoe Fund. “We know that wildfire affects forest health and habitat, air quality and communities, but very little is known about what it means for lake clarity and health. These findings lay the groundwork for future research into the topic, and will help Team Tahoe craft more effective ways to protect the lake’s unique, fragile ecology.”

The University of Nevada Reno’s work described above was a component of a larger research project. Read the full study report on the Tahoe Science Advisory Council website – tahoesciencecouncil.org.

This blog post was written by the League to Save Lake Tahoe & the Tahoe Fund