Lake Tahoe Earth Week – Healthy Forest Friday

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Earth Week Tahoe continues with Healthy Forest Friday! Living in beautiful Lake Tahoe has many advantages, but we all must do our part to prepare for fire. Learn how to get prepared, informed and involved, and where to drop off your pine needles by visiting takecaretahoe.org. While you’re there, you can also learn how to grow your own garden and explore Washoe history.

Learn Washoe Names and Pronunciations – The Washoe are the original inhabitants of Lake Tahoe and surrounding lands, and use a wide variety of plants for food, medicine and building materials. Learn the Washoe names and pronunciations of some of the native plants and animals in the Tahoe Basin!

Grow Your Own Garden – Need some tips on how to garden at high elevation? Register for free classes with Slow Food Lake Tahoe to learn how to grow your own gardens. Growing your own fruits and vegetables is a fun and exciting way to help the earth.

Prepare for Fire Season – With warm weather comes great responsibility. Learn how to prepare yourself, your family, and your home and neighborhoods for fire season. Have evacuation plans in place in case of an emergency. It’s always a great idea to plan ahead and stay informed!

Rake Pine Needles and Clear Defensible Space – Clearing defensible space by managing the vegetation around your home and buildings is a great way to prepare for fire season. Raking up pine needles and clearing off your roofs helps create defensible space around your home and reduces the threat of wildfire. Defense! Defense!

Learn about Prescribed Fires - Prescribed fire is an important tool in restoring forests and reducing the threat of catastrophic wildfires. Fire specialists and trained fire crews carefully plan prescribed burning efforts to ensure they are safe and under control. Learn more about prescribed fires and how these efforts help protect forests and homes.

Check the Latest Fire Restrictions - Planning on having a BBQ at the beach? Before you do, check first and stay up to date on local fire restrictions at Lake Tahoe. Fire restrictions are set in place to ensure we are all fire safe. Remember what our friend Smokey Bear says, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Let’s all stay safe, responsible, and enjoy nature by thinking about fire safety!

Join in on Tahoe’s Earth Week fun by visiting takecaretahoe.org/earthweek2021 and sharing your experience online using #earthweektahoe.