TRUCKEE, Calif. – The Tahoe National Forest’s Truckee Ranger District has been named “District of the Year” by the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region. The Truckee District has modeled the Forest Service motto of “Caring for the Land and Serving People,” by proving new ways of successfully restoring ecosystems and providing the public with the highest level of service.
The Truckee District has been building innovative partnerships for many years, including the Sagehen collaborative. Five years ago, the District, Pacific Southwest Research Station, University of California, Sierra Forest Legacy, Sierra Pacific Industries, Truckee River Watershed Council, and many others joined in an effort to address the ecological condition of the Sagehen basin, covering approximately 2,500 acres. The project incorporated the latest science, addressing fuels, forest health, wetland and stream restoration, sensitive species habitat protection and restoration, and meeting the goals of all involved.
The success of the Sagehen collaborative project led to the 2013 designation of the Truckee River watershed as a National Forest Foundation Treasured Landscape, one of only 15 in the nation.
Through its many collaborative relationships, the District has been able to accomplish much more than it would have been able to on its own.
“The Truckee Ranger District has accomplished a lot in the Truckee and North Tahoe area,” said Joanne Roubique, district ranger. “But we could never do it without the dedicated partners and volunteers that care about this land and the communities within it.”
The Truckee Ranger District receives very high visitation and its location provides unique opportunities to serve the public. In winter, ski resorts attract very large numbers of visitors, and in summer the mountain vistas and lakes provide a place to escape the cities.
This spring, the District took over day-to-day management of campgrounds that had been operated by a commercial concession for more than 25 years. U.S. Forest Service staff had the facilities looking top notch by opening day and hosted thousands of summer visitors.
The many successes of the Truckee Ranger District could only be accomplished by working together as a team, and the dedicated staff have risen to overcoming the challenging issues of a complex forest district and made it look easy and fun.
For more Tahoe National Forest information, go to www.fs.usda.gov/tahoe. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Tahoe_NF and “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TahoeNF.
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