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VOLUME 21 | NO. 04 APRIL 2020
EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION TEAM Lindsay Hogan Drew Deurlington Joe Reeder Ali Dickson Derek Moore Amber Barrett Tiffany Connolly Tucker Ballister
SENIOR MANAGEMENT Annie Rosenfeld | Director of Risk + Real Property arosenfeld@tahoedonner.com
Michael Salmon | Director of Finance msalmon@tahoedonner.com
Miguel Sloane | Director of Operations msloane@tahoedonner.com
Jon Mitchell | Director of Capital Projects jmitchell@tahoedonner.com
Lindsay Hogan | Director of Marketing + Member Relations lhogan@tahoedonner.com
Miah Cottrell | Director of Information Technology mcottrell@tahoedonner.com
Tom Knill | Director of Human Resources tknill@tahoedonner.com
BOARD OF DIRECTORS President | Charles C. Wu cwu@tahoedonner.com
Vice President | Don Koenes dkoenes@tahoedonner.com
Treasurer | Jeff Connors jconnors@tahoedonner.com
Secretary | Jim Roth jroth@tahoedonner.com
Director | Jennifer Jennings jjennings@tahoedonner.com
POSTMASTER: Periodical postage paid at Truckee, California and additional mailing offices. Send address changes to Tahoe Donner News, 11509 Northwoods Blvd., Truckee, CA 96161; (530) 587-9400, Fax (530) 579-3224
EMAIL: comdep@tahoedonner.com
ADVERTISING SALES: CC Media + Publishing is the exclusive advertising representative: (775) 327-4200 | laura@cc.media
PUBLISHING INFORMATION
TAHOE DONNER ASSOCIATION HOLDS THE EXCLUSIVE SERVICE MARK RIGHT TO “TAHOE DONNER”. ANY UNAUTHORIZED USE OF SUCH WILL BE REGARDED AS AN INFRINGEMENT OF THAT SERVICE MARK RIGHT AND IS PROHIBITED. THE INCLUSION OF ADVERTISING IN THIS PUBLICATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN ENDORSEMENT OR RECOMMENDATION BY TAHOE DONNER ASSOCIATION OR ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE PRODUCTS, SERVICES OR VIEWS CONTAINED THEREIN. TAHOE DONNER NEWS (ISSN 1550-6061) IS THE OFFICIAL MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF TAHOE DONNER ASSOCIATION, WHICH IS LOCATED AT 11509 NORTHWOODS BLVD., TRUCKEE, CA 96161.
EACH MEMBERSHIP PARCEL RECEIVES ONE SUBSCRIPTION TO A DOMESTIC ADDRESS. COST TO PRODUCE AND DISTRIBUTE THIS PUBLICATION IS OFFSET BY ADVERTISING REVENUES. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT TRUCKEE, CA, AND ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES. MEMBER LETTERS TO TAHOE DONNER ARE PUBLISHED IN THE MEMBERS SECTION OF TAHOEDONNER. COM, WHERE PUBLISHING GUIDELINES ARE AVAILABLE.
MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear members, I’d like to provide you with a brief update on operations, staff, board meetings and the upcoming election in Tahoe Donner. Effective March 24, the Town of Truckee has signifcantly limited short-term rentals and vacation-based accomodations. Additionally, the Town of Truckee is requesting that individuals and families do not come from elsewhere to recreate, visit or vacation as a break from a more urban environment. Regardless of if you are a second homeowner, a local, a J1 or someone who just moved here, we should all be following the stay-at-home order and philosophical goal. We are certainly in unprecedented territory and are closely monitoring updates from the Health Department and CDC to continue to make adjustments that protect the Tahoe Donner staff, members and association as a whole.
CURRENT OPERATIONS + STAFF In line with state and federal guidelines, Tahoe Donner has closed all operations and physical offces. At the time of press, outdoor recreation is still permitted at the state and federal level. Please recreate near your home; do not travel for unnecessary reasons. Always keep at least six feet of social distance, and please keep your dogs leashed. If you are in Truckee, Tahoe Donner’s open space is a great way to get exercise, but please do not trespass on the golf course, Downhill Ski Resort or Recreation Center grounds. The association offces are operating with limited staff. If you need support, please be patient as we work to assist the membership as best we can right now. Non-essential staff have been put on a furlough. The State of California has provided employees the ability to apply for unemployment insurance without a waiting period. In addition, the board has voted to extend at least one week’s pay and continue to cover the Tahoe Donner portion of medical benefts for furloughed staff or those with hours cut. As with any employee in California, if a person does test positive for COVID-19 or must care for a quarantined family member, the State will allow them to apply for disability during their treatment and recovery. Many members have contacted Tahoe Donner requesting a way to support staff during these uncertain times. A group of homeowners have volunteered to create a TD Staff relief fund. Details were not available at the time of press but will be communicated once available. Additionally, The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation has created an Emergency Fund to help with immediate and long-term relief in the Truckee community. The Tahoe Donner Giving Fund team encourages you to support by donating at ttcf.net. The Community Foundation is a 501C-3.
BOARD MEETING, GM SEARCH + BOARD ELECTION
We held a fully virtual Tahoe Donner Board of Directors meeting on March 28. As many things are slowing down in the world, we are still actively working on several projects, including the hiring of our next General Manager. We have a strong candidate pool and are actively working to zero in on who is best ft to lead Tahoe Donner.
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(Continued from p. 2) Also on March 28, the application to run for the board became available. You can download applications at tahoedonner.com/boardelections. Applications are due April 27 by 10AM, and candidates will be announced later that day. The 2020 Election and Member Meeting will be held June 28. Learn more on page 10.
LED BY STRONG LEADERSHIP We are fortunate that Tahoe Donner has a strong leadership team with proactive incident protocols in place. These plans, which are adapting to this situation, are enabling us to be nimble as the situation evolves rapidly. On a fnal note, I ask that you be understanding and kind to one another. We are in uncharted territory, and making decisions to close amenities and furlough employees is weighed extensively knowing the major impacts they have. Each decision has been made to protect our staff and community in support of a global fght against the prolifc spread of COVID-19. I thank the staff and the membership for your continued support, understanding and fexibility during this time. Please stay safe and take this opportunity to be with your family and invest in yourself. Be well,
CHARLES C. WU | BOARD PRESIDENT
STAY STRONG. WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. We thank our community for its strength and compassion. Safety today ensures adventures to come at Tahoe Donner.
LINDSAY HOGAN STAY IN THE KNOW. SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY EMAILS: TAHOEDONNER.COM/SUBSCRIBE
TAHOE DONNER CONTACTS Area Code (530)
MEMBER SERVICES 587-9400 | info@tahoedonner.com | Live chat on website
AMENITIES
Beach Club Marina 587-9460 marina@tahoedonner.com Bikeworks 582-9694 bikeworks@tahoedonner.com Cross Country Ski 587-9484 xc@tahoedonner.com Downhill Ski Resort 587-9444 ski@tahoedonner.com Equestrian Center 587-9470 equestrian@tahoedonner.com Forestry 587-9432 forestry@tahoedonner.com Golf Course 587-9443 golf@tahoedonner.com The Lodge 587-9455 lodge@tahoedonner.com Recreation Hut 587-9413 recreation@tahoedonner.com Campground 587-9462 campground@tahoedonner.com Tennis Center 587-9474 tennis@tahoedonner.com Trails 582-9672 trails@tahoedonner.com Trout Creek 582-9603 troutcreek@tahoedonner.com
Architectural Standards Rod Whitten aso@tahoedonner.com Covenants Fred Zapponi covenantscommittee@ tahoedonner.com Finance John Dundas, Acting Chair financecommittee@ tahoedonner.com General Plan Rob McCray robmccray@sbcglobal.net ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Elections Bette Rohrback electionscommittee@ tahoedonner.com Giving Fund Suzanne Sullivan tdgf@tahoedonner.com
9-Holers Women's Golf Judi Roberts judi@greenroberts.com ASSOCIATION CHARTERED CLUB PRESIDENTS Quilt Marilyn Dundas md11792@outlook.com
Bridge Lynn Cordner lynn.cordner@gmail.com
Equestrian Susan Terrell terrellsf@earthlink.net
Friends of TD Trails B.R. Levine tdtrails@gmail.com
Hiking Robin Reese rbtahoe@sbcglobal.net
Junior Golf Jean Lai jslai@comcast.net
Limited Abilities Persons’ Golf Mike Srago msrago@comcast.net
Men’s Golf Keith Williams krwilliams37a@gmail.com Rowing Dot Mace dotmace@me.com
Senior Alpine Ski John Makin jmakin@sbcglobal.net
TD 4-Wheelers Bill Ratcliff club@td4wheelers.org
TD Ladies Play 9 Golf Shellie Poplin shelliepoplin@gmail.com
Tennis Michele Forsberg minkeysf@sbcglobal.net
Women’s Golf Denise Rebar denise_rebar@merithr.com
MEMBER FEEDBACK Help improve the overall association. Submit your comments and concerns via Likemoji or by using our online form at tahoedonner.com/feedback.
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TAHOE DONNER IS Proud to be a Firewise Community®
By DEREK MOORE
Tahoe Donner is proud to be a leader in its commitment to wildfre safety. In 2017, Tahoe Donner was awarded Firewise Community® of the Year by the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County for its dedication to making our community safer from wildfre. Earning Firewise Community of the Year would not have been possible without the support of our members who have participated in the homeowner defensible space program over the years, as well as the annual budget’s operating fund allocation for the Forestry department. Tahoe Donner’s Forestry Department is dedicated to maintaining the health of the forest within the association’s approximate 7,600-plus acres while minimizing the threat of forest fres. Forester Bill Houdyschell and his team are nationally regarded as leaders in their feld. The department manages 544 acres of deforested land and fuel breaks, 637 acres of fuel reduction zones and 1,338 acres of common area that maintains two thirds for fuel reduction. The Forestry Department’s programs fall into two categories: fre hazard reduction and forest health. These programs include forest management, defensible space, chipping, vegetation management, frewood and timber sales and noxious weed abatement.
Defensible Space
US Forest Service records show that over the last 35 years over 150 fres burned in or within a two-mile radius of Tahoe Donner. That is why practicing good defensible space is an important part of being a property owner in Tahoe Donner. One of the goals of the forestry department is to help homeowners bring their properties into compliance with state, local and association fre safety standards. Work completed by individual property owners is key to keeping Tahoe Donner safe from wildfres. Defensible space is an important part of that work and is an ongoing project that requires maintenance on a yearly basis for properties to remain in compliance. Tahoe Donner assesses every TD property every six years for compliance. With guidance from the Forestry Department, 1,696 property owners have completed their defensible space work and brought their properties into compliance with local ordinances over the past two seasons. In 2020, additional properties will be assessed, including all of Bernese Lane, Davos Drive, Baden Road, Zermatt Drive, Innsbruck Avenue, Bolzano Drive, Christie Lane, Ramshorn Street and Heidi Lane, as well as portions of Northwoods Boulevard, Rhineland Avenue, Skislope Way, Swiss Lane and Weisshorn Avenue.
Protecting Our Forest
In addition to protecting your home, defensible space is also about improving the health of the forest to reduce the overall threat of fre. The forestry department works to create a healthy forest throughout the common areas of Tahoe Donner. This is done by: • Creating and maintaining fuel reduction zones in strategic areas • Removing brush and planting trees to establish a forest on the landscape • Masticating (mowing) brush from around trees to increase the growth of the forest, changing the arrangement of fuels and removing ladder fuels (fuels which provide vertical continuity, allowing fre to spread up into tree crowns) • Creating a mosaic of practices to lessen the impacts to the human eye and encourage different wildlife species • Thinning dense forest stands through commercial logging operations or by hand crews • Maintaining the seasonal road system in the western portion of Tahoe Donner to lessen erosion and allow access by frefghting crews
BEFORE DEFENSIBLE SPACE TREATMENT AFTER DEFENSIBLE SPACE TREATMENT
Forest Health Management
Forest health management activities span the approximate 7,600-plus acres of Tahoe Donner’s association-owned property and individual private properties. This includes both wildland/residential zones as well as open space forests that include areas like Euer Valley, Bucknam areas and the western ride behind Ski Slope. Forest health objectives in Tahoe Donner include:
MAINTAIN A HEALTHY FOREST PER THE STRATEGIC GUIDELINES OUTLINED IN THE LAND MANAGEMENT PLAN IMPROVE WILDLIFE AND FISH HABITATS INCREASED EFFORTS IN VEGETATION AND FUELS MANAGEMENT TO HELP LESSEN THE EFFECTS OF A WILDFIRE ON THE PROPERTY MANAGE NOXIOUS WEEDS INCREASE RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
Grants Awarded
The department operational budget has also been augmented over the years by successful grant applications and awards totaling $815,686 since 1991. These awards help fund management efforts of Tahoe Donner’s forested common areas for community protection, and additionally, forest health.
What’s New?
Over the past couple of years, Tahoe Donner’s Forestry department has remained busy, completing ongoing projects necessary for the overall forest health of our community. The department has achieved the following:
5,284 Chipped piles of material for property owners 3,834 Dead trees removed from association property 2,150 Burned piles of debris created by fuel reduction projects 247 Acres of completed fuel reduction work on fuel breaks 168 Acres of completed fuel reduction work on common areas 14,440 Seedlings planted This year, the department will focus efforts on fuel reduction and forest health projects within this year’s defensible space program. These will take place on common area parcels and areas adjacent to private properties near the golf course. Plans also include maintenance of selected fuel reduction zones (fuel breaks) and continued dead tree removal from association lands. Tahoe Donner is also one of the landowners where fuel reduction projects will occur under a CALFIRE California Climate Investments (CCI) Fire Prevention Grant. This grant, titled Truckee Fuel Reduction, is sponsored by Truckee Fire Protection District and totals $1,500,000. Tahoe Donner will prepare and supervise these projects, hiring contractors to complete the work starting in 2021.
Tahoe Donner Can Help
There is a direct relationship between education and managing forest health issues, including drought, insect invasions and diseases that can spread through forests. Tahoe Donner’s Forestry Department offers forest health consultations and evaluations to the membership for their own properties. For more information on forest health and fre hazard reduction or to schedule a forestry consultation, contact the Forestry Department at (530) 587-9432 or email forestry@tahoedonner.com.
Installation of New AlertTahoe Fire Camera
New this summer, Tahoe Donner will install a new fre camera after the snow melts. The AlertTahoe fre camera combines innovative technology with ground frefghting efforts to protect Lake Tahoe communities. The camera in Tahoe Donner will complement the network of cameras already protecting the Tahoe Basin from devastating fres. To date, the AlertTahoe network has helped frefghters stop 57 fres in the Lake Tahoe region from getting out of control.
