In the News

Forest Stewardship: Learn by Doing
date posted: September 16 2003

By John Cobourn, Water Resource Specialist;
Heather Segale, Environmental Education Coordinator; University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Each year in late August, citizen volunteers are invited to participate in Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day (TFSD). This year’s event will be held on the California/Nevada border in South Lake Tahoe on Saturday, Sept. 20. The annual event is sponsored by the League to Save Lake Tahoe and partner organizations such as the California Tahoe Conservancy, Nevada State Parks, Nevada Division of Forestry and the USDA Forest Service.

The goal of Tahoe Forest Stewardship Day is to teach Tahoe residents and visitors how to reduce wildfire danger, improve wildlife habitat, and control erosion by actually doing it. Many educators commend this type of experiential learning as an enjoyable and long-lasting form of skill building. Participants will be able to apply these skills on their private properties and in other volunteer restoration efforts at the lake.

This year’s event will again be held at the site of the 2002 Gondola Fire, above the casinos at Stateline. Because the Gondola Fire killed many trees and shrubs, but left their dead branches and trunks behind, workers will convert some of this fuel into wood chips. They will then spread these chips on bare soil as a mulch to reduce erosion potential. Since steep slopes are often more prone to erosion after fires, workers will also plant new trees and place small logs across the hill to help stabilize the soil. Unneeded roads may be “decommissioned” by blocking them off and tilling the soil to reduce compaction. This will allow resumption of the natural flow of water through soils, which act as filters. All tools and materials will be provided.

In addition to these tasks, workers will be treated to short educational talks and demonstrations during the morning. When the work is done in early afternoon, participants will gather for a free barbeque lunch, a raffle, and a chance to socialize with representatives from the League and other partner agencies.

The concept of stewardship holds that citizens are personally responsible for managing their lives and property with proper regard for the rights of others. The term is commonly used to describe conservation and restoration principles of protecting the natural environment so that future generations can benefit from it, as we do today.

To register for the event, contact Dan Sussman, League to Save Lake Tahoe, (530) 541-5388, or e-mail dan@keeptahoeblue.org.

Watch for “The Lake Tahoe Report” each week on KOLO-TV News Channel 8 Tuesdays at 5 p.m. to learn more. Next week, learn about stream and wetland restoration. “The Lake Tahoe Report” is a collaborative effort of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Education Coalition, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, UC Davis and the USDA Forest Service. For more information, contact Heather Segale, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, (775) 832-4138, or logon to www.lteec.org or www.unce.unr.edu.