Making Washoe State Park fire safe

Tahoe Basin Fire Chiefs/Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team
For Immediate Release May 1, 2009
Contact: Martin Goldberg, Lake Valley Fire Protection District 530-577-2447
Rich Adams, Forester, California State Parks, 530-581-5746
DELAWARE STREET FUELS REDUCTION PROJECT UNDERWAY
Meyers, CA – The Lake Valley Fire Protection District and California State Parks will begin work
in Washoe State Park in the Delaware Street area using hand crews to reduce fire hazard and
improve forest health. Along with the hand crews, a low-impact "masticator" will be used to
break up the fuels into mulch. The work will begin in the early part of May and take four to six
weeks to complete.
Up to 50 acres of Washoe State Park will be treated, creating approximately 1,000 feet of
defense zone. Although no burning will be done at this time, crews will be creating slash piles
for future burning efforts. The Delaware Street area is west of the park off North Upper Truckee
Road.
"Our goal is to create a fuel break along the neighborhood where the behavior of a potential
wildfire would be modified to decrease the threat to homes," said Martin Goldberg, Forestry
Supervisor for Lake Valley Fire Protection District. "From big projects like this one to defensible
space around homes, everyone shares a commitment to creating a healthy forest at Lake
Tahoe. A healthy forest means a healthy lake."
This program is funded by Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act (SNPLMA) monies,
which focus on reducing hazardous fuels in the Lake Tahoe Basin.
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The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team consists of representatives of Tahoe Basin fire agencies,
CalFire, Nevada Division of Forestry and related state agencies, the Nevada Fire Safe Council,
the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the USDA Forest Service, conservation districts from
both states, the California Tahoe Conservancy and the Lahontan Regional Water Quality
Control Board. For more information, contact Martin Goldberg at (530)577-2447 or Rich Adams
at (530) 581-