Tahoe Fund

What runs deeper than Lake Tahoe? Our desire to preserve it.

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Tahoe Fund has teamed up with Tahoe Timber this holiday season to help raise funds for the Smartest Forest Fund!

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Looking for a unique gift idea? Tahoe Timber offers watches, glasses, wallets, and more. All Tahoe Timber products are sourced from renewable and reclaimed materials, and crafted into quality products.

For the entire month of December, Tahoe Timber will be donating 5% of all online sales to the Tahoe Fund’s Smartest Forest Fund.

The Tahoe Fund wants to make Tahoe’s forest the Smartest Forest on the Planet, because we believe through innovation and technology we can significantly increase the pace and scale of forest restoration in the Tahoe Basin.

Family-friendly Thanksgiving Hikes

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Thanksgiving is a great time for family hikes in Tahoe, especially in newly fallen snow. Sometimes it can be hard to find a hike that suits the needs of a whole family. Here are three great family trail options for the young and old, or cautious and bold.

Monkey Rock Trail

Of course we recommend the new East Shore Trail for a family-friendly stroll, but if you are looking for

something a little off the beaten path we recommend Monkey Rock. Named for a well know monkey-shaped rock that perches high above Incline Village, this trail features stunning views of Lake Tahoe, with an added attraction that the family can enjoy. The trailhead is located just off of the new East Shore Trail and next to the Tunnel Creek Café, a great place to grab a bite before heading off. Make sure to bring a camera, Monkey Rock paints an iconic scene of Tahoe’s unique collaboration between the mountains and the Lake.

  • Open: Year-round access
  • Parking: Park in the new East Shore Trail parking lots and walk up the road behind the Tunnel Creek Café. After a small but steep walk up the road the dirt trail begins with an immediate pay-off of stunning views.
  • Distance: 2.6-mile out and back.
  • Difficulty: Easy to Medium- the hike is short but there is a steep section that may require a little extra motivation. The views are worth it!
  • Dogs: Permitted if on a leash

Rubicon- Lighthouse Trail at Bliss State Park

Tahoe Fund partnered with California State Parks to build a new section

of the Lighthouse Trail that merges with the iconic Rubicon Trail. Accessed from within Bliss State Park, the trail offers a short hike to stunning views from the West Shore of Tahoe. Stop along the way at the new vista point and benches, and make sure to check out the old Rubicon Lighthouse, once the highest elevation lighthouse in the world.

  • Open: Year-round, April and September are the best times to go
  • Parking: During the summer season there is a $10 entrance fee for vehicles at Bliss State Park. During the off-season, which is weather dependent, the gates are closed and parking will be located at the parking lot near the highway 89 visitors center, just a mile from the closest Rubicon trail head.
  • Distance: .5 mile and connects to Rubicon Trail for a longer hike
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Dogs: Permitted if on a leash

Spooner Lake Trail

Whether looking for a place to bike, hike, fish, or take in nature at your own pace, Spooner Lake State Park offers the perfect backdrop to do just this. Spooner Lake serves as an educational and recreation paradise that allows for a quieter, more tranquil experience of Tahoe, while also being a gateway to more than 60 miles of backcountry trails including the famous Flume Trail and Marlette Lake. The heart of the park features a family-friendly trail around Spooner Lake that is flat and offers many benches for unhindered views of the lake. The Tahoe Fund has teamed up with Nevada State Parks to envision a revamped the trailhead with the addition of an amphitheater. Information about donations and project renderings can be found here.

  • Open: Year-round access
  • Parking: There is a $10 entrance fee for drive-ins, with a $2 entrance fee for walk-ins.
  • Distance: 2.5-mile loop
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Dogs: Permitted if on a leash

With these trails in mind, get out and make your Tahoe Thanksgiving one to remember!

Christmas Tree Permits Will Be Available Nov 25

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Our favorite Tahoe holiday tradition is back, and it’s about more than cutting trees. Starting November 25th, the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will be granting tree-cutting permits to the general public. This program allows for a great family experience, while taking the smaller trees that cause excess vegetation and increase fire danger.

Here are a few specifics to know before applying for a permit this year.

 

Where to purchase a permit?
Christmas tree permits will be sold at two locations this year:

  1. Forest Supervisor’s Office, 35 College Drive, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150.
    • Open: Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays.
  2. North Lake Tahoe Visitor Center, 100 N. Lake Blvd., Tahoe City, CA 96145.
    • Open: Seven days a week from 9 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., excluding Christmas Day.

How much do permits cost?

  • Each permit will cost $10, payable by cash, check, or credit card.

How many permits are given out?

  • This year the USDA will be limiting permits to one per family.

Permit Specifics

  • Available: starting Monday November 25 and can be purchased up until December 31 to allow time for military families that have to celebrate the holidays late.
  • Tree Types: Pine, Cedar, or Fir
  • Tree Size: The tree must be no larger than 6 inches in diameter at the base and no more than 10 feet from another tree (tape measure is provided with the permit).
  • Where to cut: Maps will be provided when given the permit.
  • How to cut: Must remove tree from the base, leaving no more than 6 inches of stump.
  • Before you leave: Tag the tree before exiting the area.

Every Kid Outdoors Program

  • Through the “Every Kid Outdoors Program,” fourth-grade students can obtain a free Christmas tree permit by bringing a valid Every Kid Outdoors pass.
  • The permits for Every Kid Outdoors Program are only available at the South Lake Tahoe location.
  • For more information about this program, visit https://everykidoutdoors.gov/index.htm.

Important

  • It is important to understand that travel is weather dependent in Tahoe.
  • Before heading out to your tree-cutting destination, notify people where you are going and always check the weather report; never cut trees in conditions that are wet and windy.

For more information, please visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/ChristmasTreePermits

Take Care Tahoe & Kind Traveler Empower Explorers to Travel Responsibly to Lake Tahoe

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Travelers are rewarded for their act of kindness in giving back to Take Care Tahoe with exclusive rates and perks from Kind Hotels on Kind Traveler

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (Oct. 23, 2019) — Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority (LTVA) launched a sustainable travel initiative with Kind Traveler, the first socially conscious Give + Get hotel booking and sustainable travel education platform that empowers travelers to make a positive community and environmental impact to the destinations they visit.

How It Works: A Triple Win
Travelers can now access exclusive rates (that result in a significant savings) with curated South Lake Tahoe hotels upon a $10 nightly donation to Take Care Tahoe, an initiative that’s a collective group of more than 30 organizations that love Lake Tahoe and want to see more people connect with its beautiful natural environment. One hundred percent of the donation goes to charity, creating a triple win amongst the hotel, charity, and traveler.

Why Now?
In a recent 2019 sustainable travel report by Booking, it was revealed that 71% of travelers think that travel companies should offer consumers more sustainable travel choices. On the other hand, almost half (46%) of global travelers acknowledge that they find it harder to make sustainable choices on while on vacation than in everyday life.

Responsible Travel: Take Care Tahoe
Take Care Tahoe is a tool for ecotourism seekers developed by a collective group of 30+ organizations that love Lake Tahoe and want to make it easier for people to find fun and interesting ways to learn more about Tahoe.

Working together, the group has launched the newly redesigned and easy-to-use www.takecaretahoe.org to provide a single information source for all environmental education activities. Beach cleanups, wildflower hikes, insightful discussions, and environmentally friendly festivals are just a few of the opportunities people can find on the new site.

“The Take Care Tahoe program is a great way to let our visitors know all the options to help take care of Tahoe,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO and Take Care Tahoe partner. “We are thrilled to partner with Kind Traveler and our local hotels to help spread awareness of Take Care.”

Sustainable South Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the U.S. and one of the clearest large Alpine lakes in the world. Although many of its watersheds and aquatic habitats were degraded as a result of past human activities, a partnership of federal, state, local agencies, private interests, scientists and the Washoe Tribe are collaborating to protect and improve the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Over the past 20 years, partners have worked to treat 74,000 acres of land to reduce fire threats, restore lake clarity and 1,700 acres of wetlands, enhanced fish and wildlife habitat, and added 3,195 feet of public shoreline for recreation of Lake Tahoe.

What Does a $10 Donation Do?
Not only will a $10 nightly donation allow travelers to access exclusive rates and perks from Kind Hotels in South Lake Tahoe as a reward for their act of kindness, it will also help create a significant positive impact.

For example, a $10 donation to Take Care Tahoe will:

  • Provide lunch for one trail building volunteer
  • Provide three new Take Care Tahoe signs, with friendly and amusing reminders to visitors and residents to Take Care of Tahoe

“Beyond empowering and educating travelers on the exact type of positive impact they can make through their donation, it’s proven in the biology of kindness that by donating or volunteering, it’s possible to create a chemical shift in your brain, leading one to feel happier and healthier. This is the perfect storm for the traveler looking to have a more memorable, meaningful, and values-aligned vacation experience,” said Jessica Blotter, CEO & Co-Founder of Kind Traveler.

Participating Kind Hotels

Edgewood Tahoe:
As the first Kind Hotel to join the sustainable travel initiative in Lake Tahoe, Edgewood Tahoe, a LEED silver certified eco-luxury alpine lodge, is offering exclusive hotel rates and perks as reward for a $10 nightly donation to Take Care Tahoe, or a charity of choice, on Kind Traveler’s Give + Get hotel booking and education platform. In addition to exclusive hotel rates, perks include 20 percent off spa services, a daily $20 dining credit, a complimentary glass of wine or cocktail at check-in, a welcome amenity, and more.

Hard Rock Hotel Lake Tahoe:
One of the most widely recognized brands worldwide, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe, has also joined initiative to empower travelers to support Take Care Tahoe. In addition to recently eliminating all plastic straws and transitioning to paper only to-go bags, Hard Rock will offer perks that include a $15 food & beverage credit, a $15 Free Play Voucher, and upon availability, a room upgrade and late check-in/check-out.

Future Kind Hotels:
The initiative plans to on-board additional Kind Hotels in Lake Tahoe in further engaging all stakeholders in the sustainable travel campaign.

Destination Stewardship Through Education
Take Care has created a fun and youthful campaign that shares the message of responsible travel through downloadable posts for travelers to easily share in furthering the message that is critical in keeping Lake Tahoe sustainable for generations to come. As an education platform, Kind Traveler will champion and amplify the Take Care Tahoe campaign through its blog, newsletters, and social media to further the message of responsible travel to Lake Tahoe.

For more information on how travelers can #TravelKindly to South Lake Tahoe, visit www.kindtraveler.com.

ABOUT TAKE CARE TAHOE
Take Care Tahoe is a collective group of more than 30 organizations that love Lake Tahoe and want to see more people connect with this beautiful natural environment. Through a regional collaboration, the team has created a clever and engaging stewardship campaign that reminds residents and visitors to take care of Tahoe. The newly launched www.takecaretahoe.org is a one-stop resource for all things related to environmental education events, volunteer opportunities and messages in the Tahoe Region, with information on more than 30 organizations and more than 200 events. Tahoe Fund is the fiscal sponsor of Take Care Tahoe.

ABOUT KIND TRAVELER
Kind Traveler, a public benefit corporation (PBC), is the first socially conscious ‘Give + Get’ hotel booking and sustainable travel education platform that empowers travelers to make a positive community or environmental impact to the destinations they visit. Travelers access exclusive rates and special perks to book directly with curated hotels upon a $10 nightly donation to a local charity that positively impacts the visiting destination, or to charity of choice on Kind Traveler. 100 percent of the donations raised on the Kind Traveler platform go directly to charities. Kind Traveler currently represents 100+ hotels and 60 charities in 15 countries. All charities are poised to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at KindTraveler.com.


PO Box 7124  |   Tahoe City, CA 96145  |   775.298.0035

Tax ID: 01-0974628
Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Council