Tahoe Yellow Cress planted in partnership with high school, private business and conservation groups

A group of South Tahoe High School students joined Edgewood employees, conservation experts and officials on May 19 to plant new nursery grown stems of the threatened plant, Tahoe yellow cress on the beach at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course. Edgewood Companies is participating in a volunteer program called the Tahoe Yellow Cress Stewardship Program and has been assisting with inventory surveys as far back as 1979.

The Tahoe Yellow Cress is only found natively on the shores of Lake Tahoe and nowhere else in the world. The plant produces delicate yellow flowers in plants close to the ground. The Tahoe Yellow Cress Stewardship Program is a cooperative effort between the staff of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Nevada Tahoe Conservation District, Tahoe Resource Conservation District and the Tahoe yellow cress Adaptive Management Working Group. The program provides lake front property owners, such as Edgewood, with an opportunity to play a crucial role in the protection of this threatened plant.

The high school students who participated in the planting are members of the South Tahoe High School Generation Green Club. They are: Leighton Cook, junior; Jocelyn DeLeon, senior; Tyler Meyers, junior; Sam Burba, junior; Nicholas Brogna, freshman; Kayla Owens, sophomore; Larissa Gloutak, sophomore; Jera Barney, freshman; Rebecca Wesson, sophomore.

According to club advisor Joy Barney, Conservation Education Program Specialist, US Forest Service, “Generation Green of Lake Tahoe is a high school club where students learn about Lake Tahoe issues through active participation in community events.”

In preparation for the event, Alison Stanton, a research botanist and an independent consultant with a Masters in Science from UC Davis recently trained 10 students (freshman thru senior grades) on how to plant container-grown TYC at the Forest Service enclosure at Nevada Beach. Stanton arrived in South Lake Tahoe in 2002 to begin research on TYC and other projects and is now known as the foremost expert on the species. Stanton previously coordinated with Edgewood Companies in 2007 and 2008 to conduct experimental plantings of TYC on the beach at the golf course.

“This effort exemplifies the importance of public/private partnerships in meeting Lake Tahoe's environmental goals,” stated Chuck Scharer, President and Chief Executive Officer for Edgewood Companies. Scott Schunter, Superintendent of Edgewood Golf Course operations, has been coordinating the efforts with TYC on the golf course site.

TYC grows only on the sandy beaches of Lake Tahoe and is threatened by lake level management and recreation. In any given year, a majority of the population can be found on private parcels around Lake Tahoe. This project raises awareness of the uniqueness of the species and provides lake front property owners with an opportunity to protect and encourage persistence of the plants found on their beach. According to Stanton, “This project gives participating students a hands-on lesson in environmental stewardship and an opportunity to connect with leaders in the environmental and business community.”

Rachel Kozloski, a soil conservationist at NRCS said 300 plants were grown specifically for the Edgewood golf course planting. They have 1,000 additional plants ready for the private sector — especially homeowners — to participate, with Edgewood taking the lead.
"It's a great opportunity for homeowners to have an impact," said Kozloski.

“These efforts are vital to the preservation of this unique Tahoe resource and this species cannot be fully protected without stewardship by private landowners such as Edgewood Companies,” said Gretchen Huie, Environmental Scientist II with the Nevada Tahoe Conservation District. Huie will be planting TYC with the students at the Saturday event and has a Masters in Sustainable Land Use Management and Forestry from the University of Freiburg, Germany. She coordinates outreach events to help increase knowledge of local conservation issues and encourage environmental stewardship.