August 2024 Newsletter
Continued Growth

We are proud to have seen new neighborhoods around the basin join the Fire Adapted Communities this season. There are now a total of 82 Fire Adapted Communities and 40 of those are currently recognized as Firewise USA. Keep up the good work and don't stop connecting with your neighbors!
FAC Updates
The FAC program has been out and about at various local community events this summer sharing wildfire preparedness information! We have a Firewise USA Workshop in South Lake Tahoe in a few weeks and will be attending more community workdays and outreach events in the next several months. It has been great to attend many neighborhood workdays in the past few weeks and we look forward to more as summer comes to an end.
We have been bringing an activity to local farmers markets showcasing how fire embers enter house vents!

South Xmas Valley neighborhood Meet & Greet
Calling all local high schoolers!
The Fire Adapted Communities Program is kickstarting a new program this year called the “High School Ambassador Program” to involve local high school students. The purpose of this will be to bridge a gap between neighborhoods and the volunteer services they require for community workdays, events & outreach. High school students, ideally of sophomore or junior age, can gain volunteer hours and professional development skills while assisting neighborhood leaders with fire preparedness efforts.

We hope to connect interested high school students with neighborhoods to provide help with activities that include assisting at defensible space workdays, connecting with neighbors to relay information, manning educational booths at events, generating data for neighborhood leaders, and helping with various local outreach needs. High School Ambassadors will get to choose their level of involvement and which activities they are most interested in completing. This may even count towards their "Senior Project."

This is a mutually beneficial program as ambassadors can gain a plethora of experience used to generate their resumes and college applications. Neighborhoods on the other hand will receive increased assistance when both local younger and older populations engage with each other to strengthen Lake Tahoe’s Fire Adapted Communities.

If you know a high schooler who may be interested in participating, please direct them to us. They can contact fire@tahoercd.org to learn more.
Fire Adapted Communities
Did You Know?
Living with fire also means living with smoke. Many of us are now accustomed to experiencing smoke-filled skies towards the end of summertime and it’s important to check your AQI (air quality index) when smoke arrives. Even if not from a local fire, smoke has the capability to travel hundreds and hundreds of miles!

If curious to learn about more ways to cope with living with smoke, check out our Wildfire Preparedness Workshop which has an interesting segment on the subject. It starts at 1:05 and is presented by Jamie Roice-Gomes of UNR.

Here are a few resources from neighborhood leader Leona Allen regarding how to be informed about wildfires:

1. A helpful app for getting alerts about wildfires and firefighting efforts in real time is Watch Duty. You can load it on your cell phone for convenience: https://www.watchduty.org/

2. Another app being used by El Dorado County emergency managers to alert the public about evacuations is Perimeter Map, which was tested during the recent Pay Fire in Placerville and worked very well: https://perimetermap.com/

3. El Dorado County has been placed on the State's Fire Risk Reduction List, which can be a great thing for our fire insurance. Check out the press release on their website.
Chipping services are available & ready to be used!
Local chipping services are currently available and ready to be used by residents throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin to assist in defensible space work. Defensible space is the barrier that helps slow or halt the progress of fire that would otherwise engulf a property. Creating and maintaining defensible space is a key concept in wildfire prevention and is important for local fire adapted communities. All neighborhoods can take steps toward creating defensible space around their homes by clearing vegetative debris, pine needles, and woody materials.

Each fire district hosts “chipping programs” which can be requested by local individuals and neighborhoods. Chipping programs provide a chipping crew to come to a local residence and chip the debris created through defensible space work such as during neighborhood workdays, which may entail activities like brush clearing and tree pruning. This valuable resource can greatly assist in community efforts to manage fuels around homes and improve overall wildfire preparedness.

The residential curbside chipping program is grant-funded to support property owners as they create defensible space, with a goal of reducing vegetation that would be fuel during a wildfire. This program is not to be used by tree service and defensible space contractors. Large piles left by contractors will not be chipped.

This project was funded due to the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which authorized the sale of BLM administered federal lands within a designated boundary in the Las Vegas Valley and required proceeds to be used on projects to fund federal, state, and local projects that benefit communities and public lands.
You can request chipping from your local fire district through the links below and learn more about the specific guidelines they require:
Looking to the Future
COMING UP


Thursday, September 19th- Firewise USA Workshop


Saturday, September 28th- Fire Festival 2024
Firewise USA Workshop
All Lake Tahoe community members are invited to this free event to learn about the Firewise USA Program and navigate its application process! This will be an interactive workshop & presentation where people can ask questions and discuss the various steps within the Firewise application process. Anyone currently working to become Firewise recognized or wanting to be is encouraged to attend. Food & refreshments will be provided!

When: Thursday, September 19th from 6:00pm-7:30pm

Where: South Tahoe Public Utility Board Room located at 1275 Meadow Crest Dr, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Register here: Firewise Workshop
Community Involvement
Building on our connections and existing relationships to make a BIG difference:

  • FOLLOW https://www.facebook.com/LakeTahoeUSFS
  • Check out the latest videos on our website from Outside TV showcasing the FAC Program
  • Organize some get togethers between Neighborhoods- Meyers
  • Check out our new Defensible Space publication

Contact Michelle for more information on any of the above or Firewise: mmclean@tahoercd.org or (530) 543- 1501 ext 114
Neighborhood Leader Updates:

  • Remember to share the links for Chipping Services (See article above)

  • Moving into the fall, it is a good time to give your pine needles a good raking


  • Send any local high schoolers you know our way. We are trying to recruit volunteers for our High School Ambassador Program!
Defensible Space Landscaping Contractors