$3 million in federal land sale money awarded to wildfire preparedness at Tahoe

The latest round of funding through the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act 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.

Lake Tahoe fire districts and land management agencies are receiving the SNPLMA funding for projects to remove hazardous fuels from the Tahoe Basin’s extensive forested lands. Projects will reduce wildfire risk for communities, watersheds, and natural resources, improve forest health, and educate people about Fire Adapted Communities and the need to create defensible space on their properties.

“This funding represents an important investment in the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, and will help protect our homes, businesses, and our recreation-based economy from devastating wildfire,” said Chief Michael D. Brown, of the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District.

Since 2008, fire protection districts and land management agencies at Lake Tahoe have reduced hazardous fuels on nearly 40,000 acres of land. Funding is critical for this important work to reduce wildfire risk.

“Improving forest health while reducing the risk of wildfire to our community is essential. This funding will build on our past efforts to reduce fuels throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin,” said Forest Supervisor Jeff Marsolais, of the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. “In addition, the funding for urban lot treatments will allow us to continue to address the fuels on some of the 3,400 neighborhood parcels the Forest Service manages.”

Funding awards from this round of SNPLMA include:

U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit is receiving $1.094 million to reduce hazardous fuels on 2,300 acres of land between Crystal Bay and Incline Village, south to Spooner Summit and Zephyr Cove, and another $470,000 to prepare a plan to remove hazardous fuels from urban lots it manages.

Lake Valley Fire Protection District is receiving $290,490 to reduce hazardous fuels on 93 acres of land in its service area.

Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection District is receiving $308,760 to reduce hazardous fuels on up to 100 acres of land around Kingsbury Grade communities so firefighters can more safely protect life, property, and the environment in the event of a wildland fire.

The State of Nevada is receiving $120,500 to reduce hazardous fuels on approximately 70 acres of urban lots and open space in communities on the East Shore of Lake Tahoe.

California State Parks is receiving $261,940 to reduce hazardous fuels on 107 acres of land and restore and improve forest and watershed resources at D.L. Bliss State Park.

North Tahoe and Meeks Bay fire protection districts are receiving $450,000 to reduce hazardous fuels on up to 514 acres of private and local government-owned land in Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, Carnelian Bay, and Meeks Bay. The two fire protection districts will also host educational workshops with local students and community members about the importance of fuel reduction projects and creating Fire Adapted Communities.

North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District is receiving $200,000 to reduce hazardous fuels on up to 544 acres of local government owned land in Incline Village. The fire protection district will also host educational workshops for community members to learn more about the importance of fuel reduction projects and creating Fire Adapted Communities.

Since becoming law in 1998, SNPLMA has raised money from public land sales in the Las Vegas Valley. Through SNPLMA, the Bureau of Land Management has provided $300 million in federal funding for projects at Lake Tahoe. The funding has paid for water quality projects, bike paths, habitat restoration, hazardous fuels reduction, aquatic invasive species prevention, public recreation enhancements, planning, and scientific research.

About the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team (TFFT) consists of representatives of Tahoe Basin fire agencies, CAL FIRE, Nevada Division of Forestry and related state agencies, University of California and Nevada Cooperative Extensions, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the U.S. Forest Service, conservation districts from both states, the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board. Our Mission is to protect lives, property and the environment within the Lake Tahoe Basin from wildfire by implementing prioritized fuels reduction projects and engaging the public in becoming a Fire Adapted Community.

For more information, visit www.tahoefft.org.