Lake Tahoe Earth Week - Healthy Forest Friday

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Happy Earth Week and Happy Friday, Lake Tahoe! Earth Week continues with Healthy Forest Friday. Living in beautiful Lake Tahoe has many advantages, but we all must do our part to promote healthy forests and prepare for fire. Learn how to get prepared, get informed and get involved by visiting takecaretahoe.org. While you’re there, you can also learn how to grow your own garden and explore Washoe history.

Grow Your Own Garden – Need some tips on how to garden at high elevation? Register for free classes with Slow Food Lake Tahoe to learn how to grow your own gardens. Growing your own fruits and vegetables is a fun and exciting way to help the earth.

Learn Washoe Names and Pronunciations – The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California are the original inhabitants of Lake Tahoe and surrounding lands. They use a wide variety of plants for food, medicine and building materials. Learn the Washoe names and pronunciations of some of the native plants and animals in the Tahoe Basin and celebrate the region’s unique cultural heritage!

Prepare for Fire Season – With warm weather comes great responsibility. Learn how to prepare yourself, your family, and your home and neighborhood for the upcoming fire year. Have evacuation plans and go bags in place in case of an emergency. It’s always a great idea to plan ahead and stay informed. Ready, Set, Go!

Rake Pine Needles and Clear Defensible Space – Clearing defensible space by managing the vegetation around your home and buildings is a great way to prepare for the upcoming fire year and promote healthy forests. Raking up pine needles and clearing off your roofs helps create defensible space around your home and reduces the threat of wildfire. Learn where to drop off your pine needles. Defense! Defense!

Learn about Prescribed Fires - Prescribed fire is an important tool in restoring forests and reducing hazardous fuels and the threat of catastrophic wildfires. Fire specialists and trained fire crews carefully plan prescribed burning projects to ensure they are safe and under control. Learn more about prescribed fires in Tahoe and how these efforts help protect forests and communities.

Check the Latest Fire Restrictions - Planning on having a BBQ at the beach, or cutting wood? Before you do, check out Tahoe Living with Fire and USDA Forest Service Fire Restrictions to stay up to date on Lake Tahoe fire restrictions. Fire restrictions are in place to ensure we are all fire safe, and forests stay healthy. Remember what our friend Smokey Bear says, “Only you can prevent forest fires.” Let’s all stay safe, responsible, and enjoy nature by thinking about fire safety!

End your Tahoe Earth Week fun by joining us at our Earth Day Festival on Saturday, April 27 from 10 am-3 pm at Lake Tahoe Community College. Learn more at southtahoeearthday.org

Thank you to the South Tahoe Earth Day Festival Sponsors: Lake Tahoe Community College South Tahoe Public Utility District, South Tahoe Refuse, Pay It Forward Project, Edgewood Companies, Heavenly Mountain Resort, Tahoe Water Suppliers Association, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and Liberty Utilities.

The Tahoe Earth Day Foundation, a non-profit organization, formed to educate the public regarding the Lake Tahoe and Truckee region’s unique beauty and how to preserve and protect it. The means of providing such education include, but are not limited to, regional Earth Day festivals that include environmental and educational booths with focus areas on watershed health, forest health, water conservation, pollution prevention, alternative energy and waste management.