The Tahoe Fund closed its fiscal year at the end of March, and this past year provided resounding proof that the desire to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy is a commitment that is deeply shared.
Thanks to the unwavering generosity and continued partnership of the Tahoe Fund’s Stewardship Circle members, 1,500+ donors and over 30 partners, tremendous progress was made in our five focus areas—forest health, lake clarity, sustainable recreation, stewardship, and transportation. In total, the Tahoe Fund awarded nearly $1.4 million to over 50 projects, helping to secure $40 million in public funds.
One of our proudest moments happened in March, when we joined forces with a handful of other Tahoe organizations to provide critical funding for the California Tahoe Conservancy’s acquisition of the Motel 6 property and surrounding 31 acres within the Upper Truckee River watershed. This made way for what will become one of the most important restoration projects in Lake Tahoe’s history. Next month, we will launch a campaign to raise funding needed to remove the motel and begin the restoration process.
We also made strides to increase the pace and scale of forest restoration to prevent catastrophic wildfire with a number of grants from our Smartest Forest Fund. We continued to support the future workforce at Lake Tahoe Community College’s Forestry and Fire Academy. We also celebrated the opening of the new sawmill in Carson City with our partners at Tahoe Forest Products and the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. And, we funded new technologies like BurnBot, a remote-operated machine that reduces the cost and time it takes to remove excess fuel from our forest.
We continue to be keenly focused on trails and transportation, and with our partners, have started planning the next phase of the popular Tahoe East Shore Trail. Ultimately, the path will extend eight more miles and connect Sand Harbor to Spooner Summit. Construction is already underway on new parking lots that will provide safe parking for hundreds of cars that previously parked dangerously on the side of the road between those popular areas.
Finally, we contributed to more programs than ever that get underserved community members outdoors by providing access to free or low-cost recreation experiences like hiking, biking and paddling. These moments in nature help foster a love and stewardship for the Lake Tahoe environment.
As we’ve said many times over, the generosity and passion demonstrated by our donors and partners is what makes this great work possible. Thank you for continuing to show us the power philanthropy can have to help make Tahoe a place for all to enjoy—now, and for generations to come.
Learn more about these and other impactful projects the Tahoe Fund has supported and how to give back to the Tahoe environment at http://www.tahoefund.org/projectportfolio.
Amy Berry is CEO of the Tahoe Fund; Cory Ritchie is the former Tahoe Fund Board Chair.
