LAKE TAHOE — Perhaps the most salient message congressional delegates and state leaders delivered at the Lake Tahoe Summit earlier this month was a growing need for private funding to pay for the many environmentally oriented projects required to ensure the lake and its surrounding ecology retains its peerless beauty for future generations.

On the eve of the Aug. 16 summit, a recently developed nonprofit group called Tahoe Fund attempted to spearhead that effort by holding a fundraising dinner at the West Shore Café, gathering more than $250,000 in donations.

Tahoe Fund was conceived and founded in 2010 by Patrick Wright, executive director of the California Tahoe Conservancy. Wright said he envisions the fund as a nonprofit arm of the conservancy.

“In the past, when people would want to donate to the conservancy, they would have to donate money to the state of California's treasury department, where it would then have to be reappropriated back to the conservancy,” Wright said.

Cindy Gustafson, president of the Tahoe Fund's recently composed board of directors, said the group modeled after similar organizations such as the Yosemite Fund — a nonprofit formed in 1988 that has delivered more than $50 million in funding for various environmental improvement projects.

“There are a lot of projects that are so needed,” said Gustafson, speaking from her office at the Tahoe City Public Utility District, where she serves as executive director. “The Tahoe Fund can offer people meaningful ways to preserve their legacy at the lake, by having their name forever attached to a park or bike trail.”

Tahoe Fund still is in its infancy, and many decisions regarding its structure and operations remain, she said.

“In the next 3-6 months we will comprise a staff, find an executive director and formulate an operating budget,” Gustafson said.

Further, criteria for awarding money to respective projects must be formulated along with deciding how and when to distribute the money raised through the year.

The projects

Despite the organization's nascent status, it has already begun distributing funds to various public agencies to help complete projects that have a strong mix of environmental stewardship, public recreation and education opportunities, Wright said.

One example, Wright said, is Van Sickle Bi-State Park on the South Shore. The Van Sickle family initially donated 542 acres to the Nevada Division of State Parks in 1989. In 2001, the California Tahoe Conservancy aided the purchase of an additional 156 acres straddling both states.

However, due to severe budget crises, neither state has been able to dedicate necessary funds to open and operate the bi-state recreational area. Thus, Tahoe Fund will donate $250,000 which allows Nevada to begin fully operating the parks, Wright said.

“It's an example of private money being dedicated toward public agencies to help an important project move forward,” Wright said.

Money will only be donated to projects that widely appeal to the public in terms of preserving environmentally sensitive areas while enhancing recreational opportunities within the basin, he said.

“We will not be helping private entities install BMPs or anything of that nature,” he said. “We won't be funding regulatory requirements.”

Tahoe Fund also plans to donate $20,000 toward completion of the Lakeside Bicycle Trail in Tahoe City, and $5,000 to fund future publications of the University of California, Davis, State of Lake Report.

“Every single one of our major founding donors should be commended for giving us a solid start to funding on-the-ground environmental improvement projects in the Tahoe basin,” Gustafson said in a statement. “The three projects ... are just the beginning.”

The board The 17-member Tahoe Fund board of directors: Cindy Gustafson - President Allen Biaggi - Vice President Tom Mertens - Secretary Art Chapman - Treasurer Jim Boyd Blaise Carrig Timothy Cashman Dan Eaton John Friedrich Chuck Greene Cory Ritchie Patricia Ronald Terry Watt Andy Wirth Roger Wittenberg Ex-Offcio: Jim Lawrence Patrick Wright

The players

One look at Tahoe Fund's board of directors indicates there are some powerful players within the regional business and political landscape who are backing the organization.

Art Chapman, president of JMA Ventures — which has proposed a major redevelopment to Homewood Mountain Resort — sits on the board along with Andy Wirth, CEO of Squaw Valley USA; Allen Biaggi, former chairman of the TRPA governing board; Blaise Carrig, co-president of Vail Resorts Management Company; Tim Mertens, board member for the League to Save Lake Tahoe; and Roger Wittenberg, the developer behind the recently approved Boulder Bay Resort in Crystal Bay.

While Wright is proud of the individuals serving on the board, he said accusations of elitism or of Tahoe Fund being developer-friendly are erroneous.

“It's a broadly representative board,” he said. “There are members from the League to Save Lake Tahoe, from other conservation groups, from public offices, developers and business groups.

“This organization will not advocate for a particular set of interests.”

The founders These Founders' Circle Members have contributed more than $400,000 to Tahoe Fund as of Aug. 11: Arbor Realty Trust Jim and Cathy Boyd Blaise and Leslie Carrig Tim and Denise Cashman Colleen and Art Chapman DMB Pacific Edgewood Companies Claudia Florsheim The Don and Janie Friend Family Joan Gibb Scott Gillespie, Maja Thaler and family Max and Nancy Gisko Chuck Greene Cindy Gustafson and Wally Auerbach Jan and David Hardie Eric Havian and Jean Jarvis Dr. Laurence Heifetz and Dr. Daphne Palmer Jaquish and Kenninger Foundation Vicki and Roger Kahn Stephen Lind Joanne Marchetta Bob and Cindy Pester Family Cory and Ryan Ritchie Serendipity Fund Patricia and Robert Ronald Mike and Carol Sabarese Lynn Suter Terry Watt and Mark Karwowski Roger and Bea Wittenberg Patrick and Rachel Wright Blum Family Foundation JMA Ventures Robert S. and Dorothy J. Keyser Foundation Squaw Valley USA