November 2020 Conservancy Newsletter
Snow is on the mountains and the Conservancy is moving from the field season to winter operations. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to acknowledge everyone who has helped the Conservancy this year, starting with our own Board and staff. As COVID cases mount, we especially thank our two employees deployed to support the State of California’s contact-tracing effort. We are also grateful to our field crews—you can read about their impressive accomplishments below. No agency acts alone in the Lake Tahoe Basin, and we thank our many Basin partners, whose collaboration advances our common goals to protect this national treasure. And we thank the Tahoe community for supporting our staff and contractors as we have worked to keep important projects moving despite the pandemic and other challenges. We wish you all a happy holiday season and a safe winter.
Jane Freeman, Acting Executive Director
California Tahoe Conservancy
Conservancy Crews Wrap Up 2020 Field Season
For decades, the Conservancy has partnered with the Tahoe Resource Conservation District to organize field crews to help maintain the Conservancy’s nearly 4,700 properties in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Although COVID presented challenges to putting crews in the field, we fielded both a restoration crew and a new forestry crew. Together, they accomplished a great deal while navigating the complexities of working amidst a pandemic:
- Thinned 31.5 acres of overly dense trees and brush on Conservancy land in residential neighborhoods, improving forest health and reducing wildfire risk for neighbors.
- Removed 60 hazard trees.
- Helped remove 8,000 square feet of pavement from sections of Old Highway 50 from environmentally sensitive land in El Dorado County.
- Restored and replanted vegetation on multiple Conservancy properties.
- Constructed and repaired dozens of fences.
- Removed litter from more than 100 Conservancy parcels.
Improving Public Access and Restoring Habitat at Tahoe Pines
With the return of winter weather, the Conservancy has closed the parking lot gates to Tahoe Pines and Van Sickle Bi-State Park. Although roads and facilities have closed, the grounds to both properties remain open to pedestrian access year-round. Learn more.
Improving West Shore Forest and Watershed Health
The Lake Tahoe West Restoration Partnership is taking a landscape-scale approach to restoring 59,000 acres of Lake Tahoe’s west shore forests and watersheds. Partners are moving away from focused, but fragmented, restoration planning to an all-lands approach. Planning restoration efforts across property ownerships will allow land managers to treat more land more quickly, by creating efficiencies in planning, funding, and operations.
Envision 56 Acres
The City of South Lake Tahoe wants to hear from you! Take their online survey by November 20 to share your ideas to shape the future of 56 Acres in the heart of South Lake Tahoe. Take the survey.
Upcoming California Tahoe Conservancy Board Meetings
The California Tahoe Conservancy Board will meet at 9:00 a.m. on December 10, 2020. This meeting will take place virtually, with a teleconference option, to protect the health of Board members, staff, and the public. An agenda and meeting details will be available on the Conservancy website ten days prior to the meeting.
Lake Tahoe in the News
A ‘hidden gem in Lake Tahoe reopens to the public , complete with new trails – San Francisco Gate, October 29, 2020
Park Ground to remain open as Van Sickle Bi-State Park facilities close for the season – South Tahoe Now, November 7, 2020.
City holding public online meeting Tuesday night to discuss ’56 Acres’ – Tahoe Daily Tribune, November 11, 2020
Recognizing the spirit of collaboration (Opinion) – Tahoe Daily Tribune, November 13, 2020
Put Your License Plate Fees to Work for Tahoe
Show off your love and support of protecting Lake Tahoe by ordering your California Lake Tahoe license plate. 96 percent of the fees generated from license plate sales come back to Lake Tahoe, resulting in more hiking and biking trails as well as water quality and restoration projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin. New Tahoe license plate fees benefiting the Tahoe Basin are $50. The annual renewal fee is $40. Personalized plates are also available for additional fees.
