New Major Founding Donors Announced at Tahoe Fund Kickoff Dinner Event

LAKE TAHOE – August 16, 2011 – The nonprofit Tahoe Fund announced funding for its first Lake Tahoe environmental improvement projects last night at its kickoff dinner at the West Shore Cafe in Homewood (CA). The Fund will provide:

• $25,000 to support operations of the new Van Sickle Bi-State Park at the south shore state line,
• $20,000 for a portion of the Class 1 Lakeside Bicycle Trail at Tahoe City, and
• $5,000 to fund publication of the annual University of California at Davis State of the Lake Report.

The Tahoe Fund dinner, honoring its major founding donors and attended by 180 people including Senator Dianne Feinstein, California Governor Jerry Brown and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, also highlighted two major Founders Circle donations.

• Heavenly Mountain Resorts and Northstar-At Tahoe through Vail Resorts Echo, the Vail Resorts stewardship program, will provide approximately $75,000 a year through a guest donation program.
• The Robert S. & Dorothy J. Keyser Foundation of Nevada will donate $25,000 a year for four years to support Tahoe Fund operations.

The Tahoe Fund also announced that the Blum Family Foundation donated $50,000 to jump start the Fund. Dick Blum and his wife, Senator Dianne Feinstein, expressed early support for the Tahoe Fund concept of a public-private partnership to implement projects.

“Every single one of our major founding donors should be commended for giving us a solid start to funding on-the-ground environmental improvement projects in the Tahoe basin,” said Cindy Gustafson, Tahoe Fund chair of the board. “The three projects we announced are just the beginning. This year and in the years to come we will be funding many more projects, including some that are very substantial.”

The Tahoe Fund is currently analyzing potential projects to determine priority and feasibility. “We will very carefully consider projects that restore and enhance the natural and recreational resources available to residents and visitors at Lake Tahoe,” said Gustafson.

Founded last year, the Tahoe Fund raises private money to supplement the dwindling public funding available for recreation, conservation and education projects in the Lake Tahoe basin. The Fund seeks to help fund bike trails, public parks, restoration projects, interpretive programs, and other amenities that people use and enjoy at the Lake.

About the Robert S. & Dorothy J. Keyser Foundation
Bob and Dottie Keyser chose to live their life together seeking better conditions for humankind and by sharing themselves with others less fortunate. Through the love and generosity of its founders, the Keyser Foundation has been able to significantly help countless organizations that represent a much larger ideal of what it truly means to embrace one another with open arms and a full heart.

Bob Keyser passed away on December 16, 1994 in Las Vegas, and Dottie passed away on October 8, 2002. The Keyser Foundation has since been lead or stewarded by Blake Smith (cherished family friend and foundation chairman), Tim Cashman and Mike Melarky, and has donated to countless organizations though the Keyser family, charitable and foundation trusts.

About Vail Resorts Echo
Aimed at both protecting the beautiful natural resources that surrounds the resorts and helping build stronger communities where our employees live and work, the Company’s stewardship program encompasses three core efforts – environmental stewardship, charitable giving and community engagement.

Heavenly Mountain Resorts and Northstar-At Tahoe have committed to launching a new guest donation program to benefit The Tahoe Fund. Launching this fall, the program will raise funds through a voluntary guest donation program in which guests can contribute $1 on the purchase of a variety of resort activities and amenities including season pass sales, online tickets purchases, Northstar-At-Tahoe lodging and golf.

Youth Ages 18 and Under Encouraged to Enter Paintings, Photography or Poetry

LAKE TAHOE – July 21, 2011 – The Tahoe Fund today announced that it is hosting a Youth Art Contest in conjunction with the 15th annual Lake Tahoe Summit on August 16 at Homewood Mountain Resort. The theme of the art contest for youth 18 and under is “What I love most about life at Lake Tahoe!” Prizes will be awarded to the winning entrants in three categories: Painting/Drawing, Photography and Poetry.

Entries to the Youth Art Contest are being accepted through August 10 at the following Tahoe public libraries:

• South Lake Tahoe Public Library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd. (530) 573-3185
• Incline Village Public Library, 845 Alder Ave. (775) 832-4130
• Tahoe City Public Library, 740 North Lake Blvd. (530) 583-3382
• Arts for the Schools, 10046 Church St., Truckee (530) 582-8278

“Tahoe Fund is working to bring people together to fund projects that restore and enhance Lake Tahoe,” said Cindy Gustafson, Tahoe Fund Chair of the Board. “The artistic creations of our children and grandchildren will remind us of what a treasure Lake Tahoe is, and will inspire us to do everything we can to leave a legacy for future generations to enjoy its incredible beauty.”

Artwork will be displayed at the Lake Tahoe Summit, where winners of the contest will be announced. All artwork should be labeled with the youth’s name, address, age and contact information.

The host of the Lake Tahoe Summit is Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Dean Heller of Nevada, California Governor Jerry Brown and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval are also planning to attend the summit.

The Tahoe Fund, the organizing sponsor of the Lake Tahoe Summit, is a new nonprofit that is partnering with public agencies in protecting and improving the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of Lake Tahoe. Tahoe Fund seeks to help fund bike trails, lakefront parks, restoration projects, interpretive programs, and other amenities that people use and enjoy at the Lake.

Governors Brown and Sandoval, Senators Feinstein, Reid, Heller Expected to Attend

LAKE TAHOE – July 14, 2011 – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein will host the 15th annual Lake Tahoe Summit from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, August 16 at California’s Homewood Mountain Resort, the Summit organizing sponsor Tahoe Fund announced today. The public is welcome to the free event.

For the first time since President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore hosted the inaugural summit in 1997, the governors of both California and Nevada are expected to attend the annual public event. California Governor Jerry Brown and Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval are likely speakers along with Senators Feinstein, Harry Reid and Dean Heller, other high ranking federal officials, and local residents.

The theme of this year’s Lake Tahoe Summit will be Stewardship and Sustainability in Challenging Fiscal Times. In addition to presentations at the Summit, organizers are planning family-oriented events such as a Tahoe Basin youth art contest and interactive displays for children at the Summit.

The 1997 Presidential Summit galvanized public support to begin restoring Lake Tahoe, and Senator Feinstein then co-sponsored passage of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act in 2000, which has provided $300 million for Tahoe conservation projects.

The Tahoe Fund (tahoefund.org), the organizing sponsor of the Lake Tahoe Summit, is a new nonprofit that is partnering with public agencies to protect and improve the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of Lake Tahoe. The Tahoe Fund works to help fund bike trails, lakefront parks, restoration projects, interpretive programs, and other improvements and amenities at the Lake.

Other Summit sponsors include Homewood Mountain Resort, Tahoe City Public Utility District, Truckee North Tahoe Transportation Management Association, South Shore Transportation Management Association, Sustainable Community Advocates, Heavenly Mountain Resort, the League to Save Lake Tahoe and the North Lake Tahoe Resort Association.

New Tahoe Nonprofit to Launch at Homewood Event

Lake Tahoe – July 7, 2011 – Five of the most celebrated chefs from the Bay Area and Reno/Tahoe will showcase their talents at the Tahoe Fund benefit dinner, The Art of All Things, on Monday, August 15 at Lake Tahoe’s West Shore Café in Homewood. Mark Franz, Parke Ulrich, Emily Luchetti, Mark Estee and Rusty Johns will be sharing their culinary creations with Tahoe Fund Founder Circle members and supporters, including guest of honor Senator Dianne Feinstein and her husband Dick Blum.

The Tahoe Fund is a new nonprofit that is partnering with public agencies in protecting and improving the extraordinary natural and recreational resources of Lake Tahoe. Proceeds from the fund raising event will help launch the new organization, which seeks to help fund bike trails, lakefront parks, restoration projects, interpretive programs, and other amenities that people use and enjoy at the Lake. Tickets are $300 apiece.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have an extraordinary dining experience while supporting the funding of environmental projects at Tahoe,” said Cindy Gustafson, Tahoe Fund Chair of the Board. “The world-class culinary delights, the extraordinary West Shore Café lakeside setting and the satisfaction of supporting the Tahoe Fund make this kickoff dinner a very special opportunity for everyone who loves the Lake.”

The five award-winning Northern California chefs have won honors including the nationally-acclaimed James Beard Award and recognition from Esquire, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Zagat Guide and the San Francisco Chronicle.

• Mark Franz is partner at San Francisco’s Waterbar and Farallon, two of the highest rated and most popular restaurants in San Francisco, and is the recipient of the “Chef of the Decade” award by the California Culinary Academy. He has been nominated for the nationally-acclaimed James Beard Award, and led the opening of Nick’s Cove Restaurant as well as Stars Restaurant, which many believe set the standard for world-class dining in San Francisco.
• After a highly successful ten-year stint opening and leading the Farallon restaurant in San Francisco, Parke Ulrich has found tremendous success as Executive Chef at Waterbar since it opened in January 2008, garnering both restaurants Bay Area Top 100 status.
• Emily Luchetti was named Pastry Chef of the Year in 2004 by the James Beard Foundation and is on the roster of deans at the French Culinary Institute. Author of six cookbooks, Emily is also the Executive Pastry Chef at Waterbar and Farallon and has worked with Mark Franz for 20 years as they were both part of the opening team of Stars Restaurant.
• Mark Estee’s culinary credo is “fresh, simple, local, and seasonal.” He has opened several successful restaurants in Truckee and Northstar at Tahoe, including Moody’s Bistro and Lounge, and is the Executive Chef at Campo in Reno. He was named Tahoe’s Best Chef in the prestigious Blazing Pans competition.
• A longtime Tahoe resident, Rusty Johns has worked at some of Tahoe’s top restaurants, including Ristorante Montagna at the Resort at Squaw Creek and Moody’s Bistro and Lounge, and is now Executive Chef at the West Shore Café.

Tickets for the Tahoe Fund Benefit Dinner on August 15 may be purchased by calling (775) 298-0035 after July 12, or by emailing [email protected]. Please reserve your tickets early, as seating is limited.