USFS programs enhance environmental literacy

Winter 2024 - The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) works with partners and volunteers to deliver programs to local youth, communities, formal and nonformal educators, and visitors to National Forest lands.

One example is the Conservation Education Program, which fosters environmental literacy and shared stewardship with the interpretative Ski With A Ranger and fifth-grade Winter Trek interpretive offerings. Both are made possible with the help of Heavenly Mountain Resort, the City of South Lake Tahoe, and the Great Basin Institute, the conservation non-profit that also serves as the LTBMU’s interpretive association.

These programs are funded and supported through partnerships, Heavenly’s Epic Promise Grant, and volunteers. In 2024, for example, volunteers contributed 348 hours to support Ski With A Ranger. The Epic Promise Grant funds gondola rides for fifth-grade students and teachers, as well as lift tickets for volunteers.

The program expanded to include Hike With A Ranger in 2016, aligning with Heavenly’s Epic Discovery summer operations—an initiative to expand all-season activities at the resort.

In 2023, Ski With A Ranger expanded to the Eldorado National Forest, Kirkwood Mountain Resort, and Kirkwood Nordic Center.

“For the past 14 years, the free Ski With A Ranger program has consistently served as a catalyst for connecting community members and visitors to their public lands in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin,” said LTBMU Public Services Staff Officer, Daniel Cressy.

On-mountain interpretive ski tours focus on the cultural and environmental history of the Lake Tahoe Basin, highlighting National Forest land management challenges and stewardship approaches. This focus helps participants better understand the grandeur of the area, its cultural heritage, and the shared stewardship responsibilities of all residents and visitors.

The Ski With A Ranger program fosters greater public awareness around four themes:

• Fuels Reduction and Forest Health
• Watershed Restoration and Habitat Improvement
• Water Quality Improvement and Erosion Control
• Recreation and Human Responsibility

“By leveraging partnerships and volunteer contributions, LTBMU conservation education staff have consistently led and inspired the public to better appreciate and care for their public lands,” said Vice President of Mountain Operations at Heavenly Mountain Resort, Peter Disch.

Partnership investments also help the LTBMU deliver youth conservation education in the Winter Trek alpine program. Each winter, 20–25 fifth-grade classes (600–750 students) ride the gondola with volunteers and staff to Heavenly’s high-elevation areas to snowshoe and enjoy an outdoor winter classroom. The curriculum focuses on the natural history and geology of the Lake Tahoe Basin and meets current state science education standards.

Participants gain inspiration, ‘wow factor’ through USFS education programs

Many participants have never snowshoed or experienced the high-elevation winter environment at Heavenly. The students’ excitement and enthusiasm for the experience is contagious, positively affecting all whom they encounter, including the staff and volunteers who support and deliver the program.

“While the experience of delivering the program is rewarding, the real benefits come from inspiring locals and visitors of all ages and seeing them experience ‘light bulb moments’ along with the ‘wow factor’ of being in such a unique environment,” Cressy said.

If you are interested in volunteering for the LTBMU’s Conservation Education programs, please contact lannette.rangel@usda.gov.

Megan Dee is the recreation program manager for the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.