News Archives - Page 42 of 66

Tahoe Fund Launches ‘Smartest Forest Fund’ to Accelerate the Pace and Scale of Forest Restoration

August 19, 2019 by Amy Berry

New initiative will provide seed funding to public and private sector ideas for rapidly improving forest health in the Tahoe Basin

TAHOE CITY, Calif. (Aug. 20, 2019) – The Sierra Nevada forest is home to over 100 million dead trees, and in the Tahoe Basin, tree mortality has exploded to 160,000 in the past few years. At a dinner event attended last night by California and Nevada Governors Newsom and Sisolak, and Senators Cortez-Masto and Feinstein, the nonprofit Tahoe Fund launched the Smartest Forest Fund. Designed to use philanthropy to drive innovation through seed funding, the Smartest Forest Fund will invest seed funding in new ideas and pilot projects that will significantly increase the pace and scale of forest restoration, bolstering the great work already underway by the US Forest Service, California and Nevada.

“Many people believe it is not a matter of if, but when we will face a catastrophic wildfire in the Tahoe Basin,” said John Jones, Tahoe Fund Board Member who is leading the initiative. “We know the devastation that occurred with the Camp Fire in Paradise, California could happen here. For this reason, the Tahoe Fund has identified forest health as our number one priority.”

To get started, the Tahoe Fund announced it will support three projects:

A $30,000 grant will be provided to the US Forest Service to develop an acoustic monitoring protocol and system to more effectively determine the value of habitat and the occurrence of the California spotted owl in project areas. Combined with automated recording device deployment, this will more efficiently detect individual owls and thereby shorten the existing process from two years to one year.
A $35,000 grant will join the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s support of Salo Sciences and Planet’s efforts to build the California Forest Observatory, an interoperable, aggregated data platform that will support dynamic, real-time wildfire risk mapping. If successful, it could significantly reduce the time needed for forest restoration planning, and also support emergency operations.
A $35,000 grant to support the efforts of the Nevada Division of Forestry will be provided to begin the process of re-starting the Carson City Biomass facility. Once restarted, the facility will create a new off-taker of excess timber less than 20 miles from the Tahoe Basin.

Although significant barriers to forest restoration planning and implementation exist today, the intent of the Smartest Forest Fund is to remove those barriers through technology and innovation. Projects supported by the Smartest Forest Fund will:

Dramatically decrease the time it takes to plan and approve restoration work
Use technology to enhance wildlife studies and harvesting plans
Find new outlets for excess fuel in the forest
Prepare the community for wildfire evacuation
Find new financial tools to do more, quickly

“We know that some of the ideas and projects the Smarter Forest Fund supports will work, and some may not. Working together with our public agency partners, we believe there is an opportunity to harness the power of philanthropy and the private sector to help fix our forest,” continued Jones.

This fall, in partnership with Tahoe’s forest management agencies, the Tahoe Fund will launch a call for innovative project ideas that align with the goal of increasing the pace and scale of forest restoration. Public agencies and private sector organizations will be invited to submit their ideas for funding. Tahoe Fund will also provide opportunities to collaborate with the public agencies and an experimental forest in the Lake Tahoe Basin to test out the ideas that are brought forward.

Tahoe Fund and Nevada State Parks Team Up to Reimagine Spooner Lake State Park

August 15, 2019 by Amy Berry

Naming Rights Available for New Educational Amphitheater

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nevada (Aug 15, 2019) – An incredibly popular place to hike, mountain bike, ride horses or simply enjoy nature, Spooner Lake sees 150,000 visitors annually. Building on the recent success of the new Tahoe East Shore Trail, the nonprofit Tahoe Fund and Nevada State Parks are pursuing a major renovation project to improve and modernize the over 35 year old facilities at Spooner Lake which will eventually be the bookend of the path when it is extended from Sand Harbor to Spooner Lake.

The Tahoe Fund is actively seeking $300,000 from private donors to name a new amphitheater that will be at the heart of the park renovations. These funds will help to unlock $2 million in public funding to complete significant improvement projects at the park. Designed to serve as a base for natural and cultural history programs, ranger-led hikes and tours, and an outdoor science venue for students, the Spooner Lake Amphitheater will be a key connector between the world-renowned backcountry trail systems and the developed area at Spooner Lake that provides recreation facilities to support backcountry activities.

“Connecting kids to the outdoors, and allowing for that special moment of discovery, is paramount to nurturing a lifelong love for the environment and an understanding of the need to protect important ecological areas,” said Jay Howard, project manager, Nevada State Parks. “Not only is it critical to update the existing facilities that are available at Spooner Lake, our goal is to provide education to visitors and locals so we can encourage more environmental stewardship within the Tahoe Basin.”

“As we experienced with the generosity of donors who contributed to the Tahoe East Shore Trail, private funds can help make significant public funds available to construct projects like this. In addition to being a bookend to the future extension of the Tahoe East Shore Trail itself, there is tremendous value to the community and those who visit Spooner Lake to modernize the area facilities and construct a new amphitheater,” said Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry. “The Tahoe Fund is committed to helping to ensure this project becomes reality.”

Once complete, the amphitheater will:

Provide a place for high quality interpretive programming, public outreach and environmental education
Act as a southern bookend to the planned Incline to Spooner section of the Tahoe East Shore Trail
Serve as a major portal to 60+ miles of paths and trails in 13,000 acres of spectacular non-motorized primitive wilderness

In addition, construction of the amphitheater will give Nevada State Parks the opportunity to expand its ecology and outdoor education programs with local elementary and middle schoolers through a rotating series of park field trips. The facility will also provide an outdoor study area for high school and college students.

A single gift of $300,000 will provide amphitheater naming recognition, while gifts of $50,000 or more are eligible for other recognition opportunities. Learn more or donate at www.tahoefund.org.

Tahoe Fund Partnering With Tahoe Water Suppliers Association To Get More People To DRINK TAHOE TAP

July 31, 2019 by Amy Berry

With 99.994% purity, Tahoe tap water was voted the best tasting water in the country by the National Rural Water Association. The Tahoe Fund is partnering with the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association to encourage more people to DRINK TAHOE TAP to reduce the use of single-use plastics. Grants are now available to organizations in the Tahoe Basin to install water bottle refill stations. To apply for a grant, organizations can visit DRINKTAHOETAP.org.

“The Tahoe area is set apart by having award-winning water available in our communities. The Tahoe Tap Water Bottle Filling Station Grant Program is intended to promote greater access for both visitors and locals to Tahoe Tap at businesses and facilities,” said Madonna Dunbar, executive director of the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association. “It’s a win-win, resulting in fewer single use plastic bottle waste in the environment and greater tap water access for people. TWSA is delighted to partner with Tahoe Fund on this project.”

Available on a first-come basis, $500 grants will be offered to Basin businesses who complete the application, install water bottle refill stations and submit proof of installation and payment. The program was designed to encourage environmental stewardship and reduce the use of single-use plastics by providing a way to easily refill reusable water bottles. Visitors and local residents can easily find nearby water bottle refill stations by using the free TAP app at https://findtap.com.

“We are happy to make it easier for people to reduce and reuse while refueling on some of the best water in the country,” said Cory Ritchie, Tahoe Fund board member. “Our partnership with TWSA provides an opportunity for our donors to help inspire greater stewardship of Lake Tahoe.”

Learn more about the DRINK TAHOE TAP initiative at DRINKTAHOETAP.org.

The New Beaver Tail Trail Is Now Open!

July 15, 2019 by Amy Berry

Thanks to everyone who voted for the name of the new flow trail in Kings Beach. With a little help from the new mountain biking club at the Boys & Girls Club of North Lake Tahoe, the new Beaver Tail Trail was officially opened on Friday afternoon.

Thank you to the US Forest Service, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA), Truckee Tahoe Airport and the North Tahoe Public Utility District for creating a fun new flowy mountain bike trail for all ages to enjoy. And a very special thank you to the Tahoe Fund donors who helped us purchase 20 new Specialized Mountain Bikes so the kids at the Club can enjoy the trail too.

The Tahoe East Shore Trail is Now Open

July 2, 2019 by Amy Berry

Hundreds Join Governor Sisolak for Ribbon Cutting

What was once considered “impossible” is now complete because of your support. The new Tahoe East Shore Trail opened on Friday with a ribbon cutting by Governor Sisolak and hundreds of members of the community. We couldn’t have done it without you.

With your support, we were able to raise over $1 million in private funds from more than 550 private donors that unlocked more than $12.5M in federal dollars needed for the trail’s construction.

“We are so thankful to the hundreds of donors who contributed to the path, helping to secure the public funding needed to make this ‘Impossible Trail’ possible,” Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry stated. “As people enjoy the path, we know they will be touched by its beauty and want to continue to help us take care of Tahoe’s environment. This wouldn’t be possible without the epic collaboration of the 13 partners and the craftsmanship of Granite Construction.”

The Tahoe East Shore Trail is part of a larger shared vision to ultimately connect all of the communities, parks, beaches, businesses and other destinations that circle Lake Tahoe, while enhancing safety by separating vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

The first three-mile section of trail represents a major milestone in this effort and required extensive collaboration of 13 public and private agencies that included NDOT, the Tahoe Transportation District, Federal Highway Administration, Incline Village General Improvement District, Nevada Department of Public Safety-Highway Patrol, Nevada Division of State Lands, Nevada Division of State Parks, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, U.S. Forest Service-Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, and the three Nevada-side counties that govern Lake Tahoe – Carson City, Douglas, and Washoe.

Bears and trout are still available for donations of $2,500 and $5,000 respectively. All donations of $100 or more will be recognized on a new donor wall at Hidden Beach.

Some fun facts about the trail:

Six bridges were installed along the three-mile path, the longest being 810-feet long
17 vista points and 23 interpretive panels were constructed along the pathway to enhance the visitor experience
More than 5,000 linear feet of storm drain pipe, including 80 drainage inlets and 26,000 linear feet of curb and gutter, were installed for erosion control to help maintain Tahoe’s famed clarity by reducing sediment into Lake Tahoe
Approximately 90 new parking spots with direct access to the path are available at three new parking lots located alongside State Route 28 in Incline Village.

For more information about how to donate, visit tahoefund.org/donate.