Tahoe Conservancy Awards $601,700 to the North Tahoe Fire Protection District for Local Programs to Reduce Wildfire Risk

South Lake Tahoe, Calif.—The California Tahoe Conservancy has awarded a $601,700 grant to the North Tahoe Fire Protection District for three years of work on programs to help reduce wildfire risk for north and west shore communities and their surrounding forests.

“The partnership we have established with the Tahoe Conservancy has been instrumental in enabling North Tahoe Fire to continue to develop projects that reduce the wildfire risk to our community,” said Fire Chief Steve Leighton with the North Tahoe Fire Protection District. “This project is a huge benefit to our fire district due to its support for public engagement in community protection and in planning for our fuels reduction projects.”

Expanding Fire Adapted Communities Outreach Program
This grant will help North Tahoe Fire expand its workforce to support Firewise and Fire Adapted Communities by hiring a full-time assistant for these programs. The Fire Adapted Communities program helps residents take individual action to collectively reduce their neighborhood’s risk from wildfire. Steps residents can take include retrofitting their homes to be more resistant to wildfire embers, and maintaining defensible space, which includes removing combustible materials from with five feet of the home, and maintaining adequate spacing of combustible trees and shrubs from areas near the home. North Tahoe Fire personnel work closely with Tahoe Resource Conservation District and other Lake Tahoe Basin fire districts to coordinate public outreach and education.

In addition, the grant will fund the use of electric vehicles for Fire Adapted Communities personnel and defensible space inspectors, cutting climate emissions while supporting the expanded program to more easily operate throughout the fire district.

The North Tahoe Fire Protection District includes the communities of Kings Beach, Carnelian Bay, Dollar Hill, Tahoe City, Homewood, Tahoma, Meeks Bay, and Alpine Meadows. Additional funding for this program expansion comes from the Bureau of Land Management.

Planning for Projects to Reduce Wildfire Risk, Improve Forest Resilience
This funding will also support North Tahoe Fire’s planning for projects to improve forest health and reduce excess vegetation that can act as fuel for wildfires. Guided by the goals of the newly updated Lake Tahoe Basin Community Wildfire Protection Plan, North Tahoe Fire will prepare environmental review, surveys, and permitting for prioritized fuel hazard reduction projects on private and public lands in the wildland-urban interface—the zone where neighborhoods meet the forest. These projects will also advance the goals of the Lake Tahoe Basin Forest Action Plan, which includes expanding forest thinning projects in the wildland-urban interface.

As an outcome of work funded by this grant, North Tahoe Fire will be eligible to apply for the funding it needs to implement its priority fuels reduction projects.

“North Tahoe Fire is a key partner with us on the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team, and we are happy to see their important work moved ahead to protect north and west shore communities and improve the resilience of the forested lands within and around the neighborhoods,” said Conservancy Executive Director Jason Vasques.

Funding for this grant comes from the State of California’s 2021 wildfire package, and is consistent with authorization provided by the Conservancy Board at its April 2024 Board meeting.

Media contact: Chris Carney, Communications Director, chris.carney@tahoe.ca.gov, 530-543-6057

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The California Tahoe Conservancy is a state agency, established in 1984, with a mission to lead California’s efforts to restore and enhance the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Learn more at tahoe.ca.gov.