SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) has been awarded two new grants that will expand its efforts to strengthen partnerships with the Washoe Tribe of California and Nevada while advancing environmental stewardship and access to outdoor education in the Lake Tahoe Basin. The funding will support both ecological restoration and community-based programming that highlights Indigenous knowledge and outdoor leadership.
Trout Creek Meadow, adjacent to the LTCC campus, is one of several meadow systems that punctuate the city of South Lake Tahoe and contribute to the iconic landscape of the Tahoe Basin. Meadow systems provide a wide array of wildlife and watershed benefits; however, factors such as fire suppression and land-use changes undermine the ecological functions of these important habitats. Conifer encroachment over the last 50 years has affected local hydrology and reduced biodiversity, while undermining the meadow’s ability to modulate fire intensity during wildfires. A $710,000 grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board provides LTCC with the support it needs to restore the meadow. The college is engaging with the Washoe Tribe to cultivate tribally significant plants and increase biodiversity, utilizing traditional ecological knowledge.
“Restoration of the Trout Creek Meadow will not only help improve meadow biodiversity, but this project marks the first critical step in reconnecting Indigenous communities with the landscape,” said Dr. Scott Valentine, faculty lead for the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department. “Traditional ecological knowledge will help to increase the diversity of native plants, meadow habitat, and culturally significant species once found in the area. We are happy to have the support of the California Wildlife Conservation Board to bring this level of ecosystem resilience and cultural connectivity back to the Lake Tahoe Region.”
In addition, LTCC was awarded $110,000 by the California Tahoe Conservancy through its Tahoe for All Grant to expand access to outdoor education and safety training for Tribal members. Over the next three years, Lake Tahoe Community College will provide Wilderness First Aid training to members of the Washoe Tribe, helping reduce barriers to outdoor recreation while building skills that support both community well-being and cultural connection to the land.
“This project expands access to LTCC’s Wilderness programs while helping build stronger pathways for Washoe students into the college,” said Antonio Benitez, Director of Lake Tahoe Promise Program and manager for the Tahoe for All grant. “It supports increased enrollment and creates clearer connections to opportunities like the Washoe Promise, linking outdoor learning with continued education, which provides eligible Tribal members with tuition-free pathways at LTCC.”
Together, these initiatives reflect the college’s commitment to inclusive engagement, environmental restoration, and long-term collaboration with Indigenous communities.
For more information about LTCC, visit ltcc.edu.
