Another South Lake Tahoe neighborhood becomes Firewise USA® site

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Every year, devastating wildfires burn across the United States. At the same time, a growing number of people are living where wildfires are a real risk. Those living in the Lake Tahoe Basin know all too well what can happen when a fire starts in the area like the Angora Fire or enters the Basin like the Caldor Fire.

More and more residents are reducing the wildfire risks by becoming a Firewise USA® site.

This recognition program provides a collaborative framework to help neighbors in a geographic area get organized, find direction, and take action to increase the ignition resistance of their homes and community and to reduce wildfire risks at the local level. Any community that meets a set of voluntary criteria on an annual basis and retains an “In Good Standing Status” may identify itself as being a Firewise® Site.

The latest South Lake Tahoe neighborhood to earn this recognition is the Black Bart Avenue area - all homes on the streets that feed into Black Bart.

Organized by Meryl Lowell and a team of neighbors, they worked through the Tahoe Resource Conservation District with the help of the Lake Valley Fire Protection District and the local CALFIRE office.

Leaders educated the neighbors on ember awareness and defensible space, starting with a neighborhood block party and a defensible space workday this past spring. Black Bart now meets a set of voluntary criteria and those living in the area have earned a certificate that could possibly earn a discount on house insurance, or be used to prevent policy cancelation.

This is not a "one-and-done" program and residents need to meet the criteria annually to retain "In Good Standing" status. Annual defensible space projects

The Firewise USA® program is administered by NFPA® (the National Fire Protection Association) and is co-sponsored by the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters. While the NFPA® administers this program, individuals and communities participate on a voluntary basis.

Black Bart joins Al Tahoe, Tahoe Meadows, Cold Creek Trail, Golden Bear, Mewuk-Wintoon-NUT, Delaware-Wintoon, Spring Creek Tract, and Glenbrook neighborhoods.

To be part of the Black Bart neighborhood FIREWISE team, contact Meryl at meryllowell@yahoo.com. To find out more about how your area can be certified, contact the TahoeRCD or your area's fire department.