FEDERATION OF WESTERN OUTDOOR CLUBS

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SUPPORT FIRE PREVENTION PROGRAM IN THE LAKE TAHOE BASIN

Background:

The human-caused Angora fire in the Lake Tahoe Basin destroyed almost 200 homes and burned to a distance of one mile from Lake Tahoe. Because of bad logging practices in the past, accelerated by the drought, low humidity, high temperatures, and strong winds, the fire danger in the basin is now extreme.

Steps need to be taken immediately to lessen this danger and save this unique national treasure. These steps include:

(l) getting homeowners to clear defensible space around their property and to take steps to modify their buildings to be more fire-resistant;

(2) removing brush, ladder trees, and thickets from the urban-forest interface;

(3) enforcing strict regulations on off-road travel, campfires, and use of machinery; and

(4) financing agency programs that will lessen the fire danger and still preserve the large trees, the clarity of the streams going into the lake, and the beauty of the basin.

Resolution:

The Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs strongly supports an intensive fire prevention program at Lake Tahoe which addresses the problems, involves all agencies and the public, and preserves the important old growth in the basin and the clarity of the lake and its beauty.




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