wildfire preparedness

USFS facilities around Lake Tahoe start seasonal closures

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit has begun closing recreational facilities for the winter season. Seasonal closures apply to many National Forest recreation sites in the Tahoe Basin including beaches, campgrounds, picnic areas and forest roads.

USFS reminds all that fire restrictions remain in place around Lake Tahoe

Due to continued dangerous wildfire conditions, emergency fire restrictions remain in effect across all National Forest lands in California, including both the California and Nevada sides of the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Smoking outdoors and all recreational fires, including campfires, bonfires, warming fires, wood fires, charcoal fires, or any other kind of outdoor fires, involving solid fuels are prohibited.

View the Forest Order at https://go.usa.gov/x7W7M.

Teens 4 Tahoe hosts Wilder Than Wild virtual screening

Event Date: 
October 4, 2020 - 5:00pm

Teens 4 Tahoe, an environmental stewardship group formed by six teens in collaboration with the nonprofit Tahoe Fund, will host a free virtual screening of the award-winning documentary Wilder Than Wild: Fire, Forests, and the Future on October 4, 2020 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The virtual event, proposed by the teens living in Tahoe and around the Bay Area, will be the group’s first effort to help educate their peers about wildfire preparedness. It will include viewing of the one-hour long documentary followed by an online Q&A session with Kevin White, the film’s producer.

Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities weekly tip: #5: Identify your home's ember vulnerabilities

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. - The Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities is presenting their fifth "Tip of the Week," an ongoing series for the public since they are unable to perform their normal community outreach services. All tips are ways people can prepare for wildfire while staying at home.

Did you know embers are the leading cause of wildfire-related home ignitions?

Golden Bear neighborhood is first South Lake Tahoe National Firewise USA® Designation

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The Golden Bear community in South Lake Tahoe has been at the forefront of neighborhood fire safety and their hard work has paid off. They have earned a Firewise USA® designation by the National Fire Protection Association, making them the first South Lake Tahoe community to earn this designation.

TRPA honors 29th annual Best in the Basin award winners

STATELINE, Nev. - Six projects were given Best in the Basin awards Wednesday by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA). The presentation of the 29th annual winners was made before their board meeting at Stateline.

The TRPA Best in Basin awards program showcases projects around the lake that demonstrate exceptional planning, implementation, and compatibility with Tahoe’s natural environment and communities.

South Lake Tahoe Council gets first look at 2019-20 budget: New police and fire personnel added

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The proposed 2019/20 budget for the City of South Lake Tahoe was presented to the Council Tuesday by City Manager Frank Rush who showed where $119M will go should they agree and approve at their September 17 meeting.

Day-long budget workshop for the City of South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It will be a very long day for the City Council and City staff on Tuesday as they hold a budget workshop prior to the start of their regularly scheduled meeting on July 16 at 10:00 a.m.

The public is invited to attend

Their agenda:

1. Call to Order Mayor Laine

2. Public Comment Mayor Laine

3. Draft City Council Priorities Frank Rush
a. Review of priorities
b. Progress to date

4. General Overview of City Financial Position Debbie McIntyre
a. General Fund balance

Fire fighting in Lake Tahoe: We're not alone with mutual aid and pre-positioning

The following is the third in a series of stories on being a community that is prepared for wildfire.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Fire knows no boundaries, no city, county, or state lines, so why should those fighting the fires be limited by an unseen line? Fire chiefs across the country manage their fire departments based on need and available staff, but what happens when their resources aren't enough to fight a fire in their own backyard?

Not all fire is bad fire - Creating healthy forests around Lake Tahoe

The following is the second in a series of stories on being a community that is prepared for wildfire.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Vegetation fires are natural and were normal before policies were created to suppress them for fear of uncontrollable and destructive wildfires as seen in the late 1800s. When some of the first residents arrived in Lake Tahoe between the Gold Rush and Silver Strike, it was common to see just six-seven Jeffrey Pines per acre. Trees in the Tahoe Basin were clear cut to provide the lumber for building mines under Virginia City.

City of South Lake Tahoe newsletter: At Lake Level

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - City Manager Frank Rush writes a community monthly newsletter and shares it on South Tahoe Now. The following is the May 1, 2019 edition:

Sign Up for the Brand New City Newsletter

Fire officials: Some town will be affected by wildfire this summer, who's next?

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Over 200 members of the community gathered last week for a Community Wildfire Preparedness and Evacuation Planning meeting that featured ten panelists for an important discussion on what is on the minds of many.

The goal is to be a community that is wildfire ready, and the speakers went through the ways both they and the citizens of the South Shore can be prepared for wildfire, establish evacuation routes and what the emergency response will be.

TRPA recognizes 9 Lake Tahoe projects for Best of the Basin awards

STATELINE, Nev. - Nine projects were honored as "Best in the Basin" Wednesday during the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) board meeting.

For 28 years TRPA's program has showcased projects around the lake that demonstrate exceptional planning, implementation, and compatibility with Tahoe’s natural environment and communities.

The Best in Basin award winners:

Column: Collaboration key to new Tahoe challenges

Warming temperatures pose major challenges for Lake Tahoe's environment, communities, and the outdoor recreation that drives its economy. Research by University of California, Davis's Tahoe Environmental Research Center, University of Nevada, Reno, and Desert Research Institute clearly shows Lake Tahoe is warming.

Column: Decisions nearing for Shoreline Plan and Development Rights

This September and October, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board will move forward with hearings and final milestone decisions on two significant initiatives: A new Shoreline Plan and an overhaul of the agency’s transferable development rights system.

TRPA will hold hearings for both these initiatives at the Governing Board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 26, and could hold final votes on them as early as Wednesday, Oct. 24.

Column: Lake Tahoe Summit-recommitting to collaboration

Nearly 25 years ago, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and dozens of partners embarked on an unprecedented mission to conserve and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin’s treasured natural resources through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP).

New issue of Tahoe In Depth now available

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has published the summer 2018 edition of Tahoe In Depth. The award-winning newspaper, in its sixth year of publication, strives to provide residents, visitors, and policymakers with information about protecting, enjoying, and exploring the Lake Tahoe Basin.

The summer 2018 edition includes a special report on 10 years of fighting aquatic invasive species at Lake Tahoe, as well as the 10th anniversary of the watercraft inspection program that has successfully prevented any new introductions of aquatic invasive species over the last decade.

Guest Columnist: Be Prepared for Wildfire at Lake Tahoe

Both California and Nevada suffered destructive wildfires last year. Nevada saw 768 fires burn more than 1.3 million acres. California experienced the deadliest, largest, and most destructive wildfires in its history. Just a few hours-drive from Tahoe, more than 40 people died and thousands of homes were destroyed in the wine country and North Bay last October. In Southern California, the Thomas Fire ravaged communities and forest lands last December with damaging flooding and landslides piled on after the fire subsided.

Column: Tahoe taking action on forest health

The heartbreaking fires in Northern California’s wine country this month have upended hundreds of thousands of people’s lives. In just over one week, the fires across Northern California burned more than 220,000 acres, destroyed 6,000 buildings, and killed more than 40 people. Our hearts go out to our neighbors in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties.

TRPA announces top 15 Best in the Basin awards

he Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) on Wednesday recognized 15 exceptional projects completed in 2016 with Best in Basin awards.

Now in its 27th year, TRPA’s Best in Basin awards program each year showcases projects around the lake that demonstrate exceptional planning, implementation, and compatibility with Tahoe’s natural environment and communities.

Tahoe in Depth released: Issue marks 10th anniversary of Angora Fire

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has published the summer 2017 edition of Tahoe In Depth, a special issue on “Remembering Angora” to mark the 10-year anniversary of the wildfire this June.

The Angora Fire is the most destructive wildfire in memory at Lake Tahoe. Sparked on June 24, 2007 by an illegal and abandoned campfire, the fire quickly burned 3,100 acres and destroyed 254 homes and structures.

Learn what it takes to be a Fire Adapted Community during South Lake Tahoe field trip

Event Date: 
November 5, 2016 - 10:00am

Learn how forest health and fuels management activities in the Lake Tahoe Basin create effective community protection from wildfire during a free tour on Saturday, November 5 in South Lake Tahoe from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

Those attending will get an in-depth perspective of forest management and what it means to reside within a Fire Adapted Community.

The Tahoe Resource Conservation District in partnership with local fire districts, and other agencies has established the Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities program to educate people on wildfire preparedness.

Federal funds aiding wildfire preparedness at Tahoe

The latest round of funding through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) includes more than $3 million for projects to help reduce wildfire risk in Lake Tahoe communities.

The funding award for Lake Tahoe is part of nearly $40 million going to projects around Nevada to reduce wildfire risk, conserve landscapes, restore wildlife habitat, and improve public recreation. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the funding awards this January.

Drought highlights importance of wildfire preparedness at Lake Tahoe

It’s Wildfire Awareness Month at Tahoe, and with the summer tourist season around the corner, we must all remember that drought has left our Region with severely dry forest conditions and an extreme risk of wildfire. This summer we need to think about “when” not “if” another fire will happen. All of us have important roles to play in preventing the next wildfire, and in making sure our homes, families, and communities are prepared for it.

Tahoe Tree Cutting Permit Process Streamlined By TRPA

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) announced the launch of a new online tree removal permit application and credit card payment system that can be accessed through their website at trpa.org.

“The new online service is more customer friendly and is in line with the Agency’s core values of improving operational efficiency while providing a high-level of customer service,” said TRPA Executive Director, Joanne S. Marchetta.

South Lake Tahoe Community Input Sought for Wildfire Protection Plan

Living in a forest gives great benefits, but it also carries with it the risk of forest fires.

A Community Wildfire Protection Plan (CWPP) for South Lake Tahoe is being developed jointly by the South Lake Tahoe Fire Department and Lake Valley Fire Protection District.

The community is being asked to complete a survey which will help the agencies prepare the CWPP. This will enable the creation of a plan on how the south shore will reduce it's risk of wildfire by identifying strategic sites and methods for fuel reduction projects.

Tahoe Project interview with Fire Academy Founder Leona Allen

The latest Tahoe Project interview is with Leona Allen, a lifelong Tahoe resident, a Lake Valley Fire Protection District firefighter and a founder of the Lake Tahoe Basin Fire Academy. Hosted by Michelle Sweeney, Allen shares insight into wildfire preparedness, her family's experience of loss in the Angora fire and the success of the Fire Academy where she is among the program faculty at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Gaines: Wildfire preparedness at Tahoe gets "C-"

Wildfire safety has improved at Lake Tahoe in the five years since the Angora fire, but there is still work to be done, according to a report card released this week by California Sen. Ted Gaine...

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