New trailhead will help minimize neighborhood impacts and give everyone an easier start on the trails

Tahoe XC has long been a popular recreational hub in the Basin, welcoming over 200,000 visitors on its groomed and multi-use trails year-round. As part of the Tahoe Cross Country Lodge Project, the trailhead is being relocated to improve trail access for everyone, and to minimize neighborhood parking and traffic impacts. To support this effort, the Tahoe Fund is launching a matching campaign with the goal of raising $100,000.

”Tahoe XC has been grooming trails for 50 years and is a beloved hub for cross country skiing and mountain biking in our community,” said Bill Dietz, Tahoe Fund board member. “To celebrate this milestone, we are doubling all donations for this project up to $50,000 until we reach our goal.”

The trailhead relocation will create ADA and beginner-friendly trail access not currently available at the existing trailhead due to its topography. It will also provide walkability and transit options for students thanks to its shared parking with North Tahoe High School, and generate year-round community programming opportunities.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the trailhead relocation effort took place on June 20 at the site of the new lodge and was attended by community members, funding partners for the project, donors, board members and regional representatives. Attendees heard from Tahoe XC Executive Director Ben Grasseschi, Board President of the Tahoe City Public Utility District Judy Friedman, and Placer County Supervisor Cindy Gustafson about the history of Tahoe XC and how partnerships have been the key to bringing the Lodge Project to life. 

“The new Tahoe XC lodge is our opportunity to finally give the Tahoe Cross Country community a true home—a comfortable, safe, and welcoming space that this incredible North Tahoe community deserves. It will establish a lasting legacy that serves and connects for generations to come,” said Jim Robbins, TCCSEA board president and founding member of Tahoe XC.

The Lodge Project will create a functional, sustainable home for Tahoe XC’s growing youth programs and serve as a gathering space for everyone. The new location is a more accessible trailhead to both Tahoe XC’s groomed winter trails and Burton Creek State Park public lands. Once constructed, the new lodge will replace the 50-year-old building that exists today with a new building that will use geothermal heat pumps and solar panels to become a net zero energy commercial building. 

Learn more and donate to the match effort here.

In recognition of Wildfire Awareness Month, a coalition of wildfire experts, technology companies, energy providers, and nonprofits launched a groundbreaking pilot project today aimed at creating the most wildfire-ready community in the Lake Tahoe region. The Incline Fire Smart Community Pilot is taking place in the Tyrolian Village HOA, a neighborhood encompassing 228 homes across 60 acres in Incline Village, Nevada that has been identified as a high priority wildfire area by the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District. 

The pilot is leveraging new technology to identify which mitigations matter the most, while informing insurance outcomes and demonstrating how comprehensive wildfire defense can be implemented and replicated across Tahoe and the West and informing insurance outcomes. During a demonstration today, the public was able to see a remote-operated masticator from BurnBot remove hazardous fuels in the neighborhood up to five feet from homes. Attendees also heard from a panel of experts on how the pilot came to be, and the science and strategy behind it. Watch the panel discussion here.

“We’ve proactively treated thousands of acres in Incline Village and Crystal Bay through hazardous fuels mitigation, including direct collaboration with the Tyrolian Village HOA on their reduction plan,” said North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District Chief Ryan Sommers. “Wildfire risk is always evolving, and this pilot program allows us to enhance our efforts using the latest technology, advanced modeling, and parcel-specific strategies to further strengthen community safety.”

In addition to using BurnBot’s remote-operated technology to safely and efficiently reduce fire-prone vegetation in residential environments, the pilot will make use of data-driven strategies, modeling and insights from Vibrant Planet, Fire Aside and Colorado State University’s Dr. Hussam Mahmoud. The comprehensive nature of the project also includes a series of connected wildfire mitigation efforts across public lands and utility corridors, and a partnership with Wildfire Services Group for the completion of home hardening work based on data from Fire Aside.

“This initiative has the potential to fundamentally change how communities approach wildfire resilience,” said Amy Berry, CEO of the Tahoe Fund, the project’s convener. “We’re combining cutting-edge modeling and state-of-the-art technology with on-the-ground mitigation on public lands, NV Energy’s utility corridor, and in the neighborhood to create a replicable blueprint that can save lives, protect property, and preserve natural resources, while informing insurance outcomes.”

The pilot includes seven phases, of which the first two are already underway:

1. Baseline Risk Modeling & Assessment: Using advanced modeling tools from Vibrant Planet, Fire Aside, BurnBot, and Colorado State University’s Dr. Hussam Mahmoud, baseline risk and treatment needs are being established at both the community and parcel levels. Additionally, RockRose Risk is assessing insurance-relevant risk metrics.

2. Neighborhood-Scale Vegetation Treatment: BurnBot and the North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District are executing prioritized fuels reduction treatments on 35 acres, complementing prior work on 22 acres of hand-thinning already conducted in the HOA.

3. Post-Treatment Risk Assessment: Over the summer, the project team will re-run risk models to quantify how vegetation treatments reduced wildfire risk.

4. Parcel-Level Mitigation & Home Hardening: Using science-backed data and direct engagement with residents, the team will prioritize the most hazardous properties and partner with homeowners to harden their homes against wildfire. Wildfire Services Group will work with the HOA and homeowners to provide expedited contractor services and do the work. 

5. Risk Reduction Measurement & Insurance Engagement: In the fall, the team will re-run models to quantify risk reduction for homeowners, public agencies, and insurers, with the goal of encouraging insurance coverage and incentives tied to mitigation outcomes.

6. Long-term Mitigation & Maintenance Planning: The HOA and project partners will develop a long-term plan to maintain risk reduction and continue mitigation efforts.

7. Model Scaling & Knowledge Sharing: A comprehensive, replicable framework will be developed to help other communities adopt similar strategies across Tahoe and the Western U.S.

“This pilot program will provide critical fire safety benefits and serves as a powerful example of what can be achieved through the collaboration between communities, government agencies, and corporate partners,” said Greg Erfani, Tyrolian Village HOA Board President. “Our goal is to create a fire safety-aware community focused on preparedness and risk reduction. By taking proactive steps, we hope to demonstrate to insurers that communities like ours are effectively mitigating wildfire risk.”

Incline Fire Smart Community Pilot Partners include the Tahoe Fund, North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District, the Tyrolian Village Homeowners Association, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), BurnBot, Vibrant Planet, Dr. Hussam Mahmoud, Fire Aside, NV Energy, RockRose Risk, Climate and Wildfire Institute, Wildfire Services Group, and social scientist Natalie Bennett.

Learn more and get started in your community, visit www.tahoefund.org/inclinefiresmartpilot. 

Photos by Jeff Freeman

Looking for the perfect present for your loved one? You can give the gift of Tahoe by purchasing engraved bear or trout plaques. 

The Tahoe Fund offers personalized trout plaques on the iconic East Shore Trail and bear plaques in Heritage Plaza and along SR 28 in Tahoe City. You can also add a name to the donor wall at the start of the East Shore Trail.

East Shore Trail

On the iconic East Shore Trail, we have trout plaques available for purchase. You can also add your name to our donor wall with a contribution of $100 or more. Be sure to make your contribution before September 1, 2025 to be included on the next donor wall!

Proceeds will support the next section of the East Shore Trail, from Sand Harbor to Spooner Summit, as well as bike trails all around Lake Tahoe.

Click here to get a trout-shaped plaque – $5,000

Click here to add a name to our donor wall – $100 or more

Tahoe City

In Heritage Plaza and along SR 28 in Tahoe City, we have bear plaques available in Mama Bear and Baby Bear sizes. The plaques will hang on the fence looking out over the lake. Proceeds from the plaques will support trails in Placer County, North Lake Tahoe.

Click here to get a bear-shaped plaque – $5,000 for Mama, $2,500 for Baby

Thanks to the generosity of Tahoe Fund donors, the nonprofit reached its $200,000 fundraising goal to support the California Tahoe Conservancy’s efforts to demolish the former Motel 6 building, restaurant, and parking lot in the Upper Truckee Marsh. This is the next step in removing these developments and restoring the sensitive wetland area.

“Over the years, our donors have paved the way for significant change in Lake Tahoe,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “This time, they are helping us unpave paradise — to begin restoration planning efforts for the largest watershed in the Basin. We are thrilled to help unlock the public funding needed to take the next step in the most important restoration project in Tahoe.” 

The Motel 6 property and surrounding 31 acres were acquired in March 2024 by the California Tahoe Conservancy with funding from the Conservancy, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Tahoe Fund and the League to Save Lake Tahoe. 

Contributions from dozens of Tahoe Fund donors and major gifts from the Latrobe Foundation and the Robert S & Dorothy J Keyser Foundation helped the organization reach its fundraising goal for this campaign. The Conservancy is working with the Department of General Services to prepare for demolition of the former Motel 6, vacant restaurant building, and parking lot. Demolition is anticipated to begin in fall 2025.

“We are grateful to the Tahoe Fund and their donors for their support,” said Jason Vasques, Executive Director for the California Tahoe Conservancy. “Being able to combine private and public funding for important projects like this is the perfect model to advance restoration at Lake Tahoe.”

Right now, the Conservancy is seeking restoration and recreation ideas from the public to help inform the future of the Upper Truckee Marsh. Learn more at https://tahoe.ca.gov/share-your-ideas-upper-truckee-marsh-south-project/.