Fire fund extends deadlines for Angora victims
August 31, 2007
Victims of the Angora fire will have another month to apply for financial assistance through the Angora Fire Fund, as organizers decided to extend the deadline through the end of September.”We discovered that a lot of home owners who thought they were OK have started to discover they aren’t,” said Betty “B” Gorman of the South Lake Tahoe Chamber of Commerce. “Our whole goal is to get money into the hands of the people who need it.” While flames were still burning in the Tahoe basin, Gorman worked with business and community leaders to establish the original organization called Local for Locals. A little more than a week later, it evolved into a nonprofit called the Angora Fire Fund, run by a board made up of community members.Mark Lucksinger was named president of that board. “When they asked me to do it, I said, ‘Of course.’ When you consider the need, I doubt anybody would turn it down.” He said the organization has received $328,818 in donations, and so far 134 displaced residents have applied for aid. Administration expenses, he said, come to about $1,045, which mostly went to setting up the nonprofit status. “We have no salaries, no rent,” he said. “Very few overhead expenses.”Applicants can receive up to $1,000 to assist with immediate needs. The donations from community members and businesses, he said, can ease some of the unforeseen expenses. Not everyone who lost a home in the Angora fire had insurance. And many of those who did, didn’t have enough. Adding to the cost of rebuilding, home owners must also pay for temporary housing until their homes are completed, not to mention clothing, food and other essential supplies lost in the fire. And there are those who were renting and now must start over with no possessions.”It’s just such a horrible tragedy these people are facing,” Lucksinger said. “We need to get involved to help.” Lucksinger’s home near Gardner Mountain was spared in the fire that consumed 3,100 acres and destroyed 254 homes in South Lake Tahoe. “I’m not sure how to relate to someone who lost their home and all their possessions,” he said. “I’m not sure anyone can unless they’ve been in that situation.”Gorman said that is the intention of the organization - to allow residents to help their neighbors. “It’s very cathartic,” she said. “It’s very much about a sense of community and a sense of place.” Although, she said, national relief organizations serve an important role during disasters, the focus of the Angora Fire Fund is to keep donations in the community. It may also help in future disasters.”God forbid if this happens again we’ll have the framework of an organization that will be better able to deal with it,” Lucksinger said.Another board has also been formed to create a Community Disaster Resource Center. It will serve as a clearinghouse for information and resources, as well as provide caseworkers to asses the unmet needs of the fire victims. A process will be developed to ensure the proper organizations are alerted so the needs can be filled. It should be ready to go next week, Gorman said.Applications for aid from the Angora Fire Fund are available at either the California or Nevada Visitor Centers or at www.helptahoe.com. Board members, who are listed on the Web site, will also have applications available at their businesses.For more information on the Angora Fire Fund or to donate, visit www.helptahoe.com. Donations may also be made at any US Bank, or by mail to the Angora Fire Fund P.O. Box 17640, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151.
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Clarity focus of Tahoe Summit
August 16, 2007
Some critics argue it’s too simple - crude even - but experts say that’s the advantage of the white disk, called the Secchi dish, lowered into the lake to determine clarity.”When people ask, what is clarity, what they’re really asking is how far down can I see to the bottom of the lake,” said UC Davis researcher Brant Allen, who conducted the test Wednesday. “For translating scientific clarity to the public, you can’t beat the Secchi dish.”Allen watched as the Frisbee-sized dish sank deeper and deeper into Tahoe’s famously blue water. Once it disappeared from sight, the depth of clarity for that day was determined - about 67.3 feet.==Start Related Links|Annual clarity measurements==
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Tahoe Summit: 10 years later
August 16, 2007
As politicians, local leaders and scientists gather to celebrate 10 years of accomplishments for the Tahoe Summit, it’s worth taking a look back at the history of these gatherings and the ambiguity around what those accomplishments have been.
Despite the celebratory tone of this year’s event, there is no scientific evidence that shows the clarity of Lake Tahoe has actually improved. If the more than $1 billion that has already been spent and the hundreds of millions of dollars yet to be spent are actually going to translate into an improved Lake Tahoe environment, as many steps that have been taken in the last 10 years need to be taken in the next 10.
Although it’s hard to find any concrete changes, those involved do say that there have procedural successes.
“The Tahoe Summit has been a great success because of the collaborative effort it’s engendered between all the agencies involved,” said Rochelle Nason, executive director of The League to Save Lake Tahoe. “Each level of the government is more likely to work towards their established goals because they see the work being accomplished by every other agency.”
The original Lake Tahoe Forum was organized by Sen. Harry Reid D-Nev., and attended by then-President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, along with other federal, state and local officials. Clinton and Gore were both expressed concern with the one-foot-per-year decline in water clarity since measurements were first taken in 1968.
One of the first accomplishments of this forum was a pledge from Clinton for $50 million in federal spending for the environment of the Tahoe basin. The Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee, a committee of Tahoe citizens residents concerned with the environmental and economic health of the lake, was also formed.
These efforts bolstered the TRPA’s Environmental Improvement Program, a collaborative effort to protect the Lake Tahoe ecosystem conjoining the U.S. Forest Service, UC Davis’s Tahoe Environmental Research Center, the U.S. Geological Survey, and The League to Save Lake Tahoe, as well as others.
The biggest boost to this program came in 2003 when Sen. John Ensign D-Nev., authored and helped pass an amendment to the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act that secured $300 million, or $37.5 million per year for the next eight years, for implementation of the environmental program. This funding allows not only for research into the causes of Tahoe’s environmental decline, but also money to allow the Forest Service to thin the overgrown forests that pose such a tremendous fire hazard to local residents.
John Reuter, associate director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center said the forum has been a success because of how it spotlights Lake Tahoe both regionally and nationally and raises community awareness for Lake Tahoe’s environmental concerns.
Looking forward, Nason said, the community awareness Reuter refers to is key. In addition to the agencies’ collaboration, she said, more needs to be done to get the community involved.
==Start Related Links== Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act
Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee and the Current Representatives ==End Related Links==
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Impact of the Angora fire on water clarity
August 16, 2007
Researchers are anticipating that the run-off from the next year’s
snowmelt following the recent Angora fire will affect Tahoe’s clarity. “Angora had short term immediate impact,” said John Reuter from UC Davis Tahoe Research Center “but data is still being analyzed,” he said. It is already known that during those two weeks normal levels were exceeded by more than three times. But the real danger is yet to come. Read more
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