This property is located within the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and is approximately 160 acres. It has a history of being family-owned, possibly pre-dating the Homestead Act, and the current property owners desire to work with the Forest Service as prospective Buyers.
This was the 2nd inspection of the property, as the initial inspection was solely completed by our realty specialists. This visit’s purpose was to introduce our environmental engineer to the landscape, and express concerns about anything present on the property that may require documentation in Phase 1 of the Environmental Site Analysis (ESA).
This property is an inholding, meaning that this current private property is surrounded by federally owned public property. Acquiring this property may be beneficial as it would unify Forest Service land and could relieve strain on forest management obligations.
As we drove in to the property, it wasn’t long before the gravel road ran out. We parked and inspected much of the land on foot, observing slight hints of former inhabitancy like remnants of a collapsed cabin, a simple horse corral, a small shooting range, an outdoor kitchen, and logging work that had been done in one of the far corners of the property where several large trees had naturally fallen and created obstacles for walking the property. The property’s land is generally filled with trees like pines, firs, and aspens, with a small creek or two trickling through the property.
This trip to Lake Tahoe was special because I had never visited the area! This day fulfilled my eagerness to get exposure to our regional forestland because I am new to the northern California area-- not to mention getting to meet my co-workers who I otherwise can’t work with in person due to differences in our zone locations within Region 5. This site inspection was a great day full of education and collaboration from seasoned realty specialists and our environmental engineer! The photo included in this blog post is me, standing before the opening of a meadow on the eastern edge of this property, and one of the many beautiful trees found on the property.
On the horizon, I will be presenting at the Environmental Quarterly here in Sacramento on November 7th. I am representing Region 5 and educating our state partners, and other attendees about how our work as the USDA Forest Service contributes to environmental conservation goals as a nation, ultimately authorized by federal initiatives and congressional funding. This work has been about 8-weeks in the making of continuous research, collaborative review, and diligence. A briefing of this information gathered will be sent out to attendees prior, and I will present for about 10-minutes in person with a Q&A afterward. I’m very excited to present recent accomplishments of the Forest Service across several directorate areas of the agency!