Sport And Biking Talk: Rising up from the ashes of the 2007 Lake Tahoe fire

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Rising up from the ashes of the 2007 Lake Tahoe fire

Seeing your local forest like this can be devastating.
Photo courtesy of Tamba

In 2007, the Angora Fire destroyed 250 homes along with a beautiful forest and trail network. 10 years later, the trails have risen from the ashes. See how TAMBA.org along with the Forest Service and countless volunteer hours made that happen.

Click here to view the embedded video.

2017 has been a year like no other in California. No stranger to forest fires, the area has seen its unfair share of fires this season. With the wettest season on record in some areas ending a decade-long drought in the region, residents braced for what mother nature came to deliver next. The foliage was lush with moisture but it was also fuel for fires if conditions aligned.

Building a trail rewards us with a sense of ownership. Photo courtesy of Tamba

Late in the season, a massive fire erupted in Northern California, centered in the Sonoma County region and Mendocino area. Thousands of houses were lost and many perished in the inferno. Massive areas of recreation and bike trails were damaged as well.

The area involved is South Lake Tahoe, west of Fallen Leaf Lake.

And as the fire season came to a close, another series of infernos erupted once again, this time in Southern California and the Ventura County region and Santa Barbara area. This fire continues to rage and threaten lives and property at this time in mid-December. The common denominator with these fires, as with the Lake Tahoe fire, seems to be wind. Wind fans the flames and threatens every forest and structure in its path.

Father and son enjoy the fruits of their labor. Photo courtesy of Tamba

The destruction is hard to fathom and hard to recover from as a way of life and a place to call home is ruined. But with resolve and perseverance, it is possible to recover. Check this story about Jeff Glass and Tamba as they rally to rebuild their homes and their mountain biking lifestyle.

With a good organization like Tamba.org, it is possible to harness the power of the city and volunteers not only to get the trails back to their former glory but also to build more and better trails.

Families build trails and take ownership. Photo courtesy of Tamba

To build this project, in 2017 TAMBA held over 60 volunteer trail days with about 150 volunteers and 2,000 hours of trail building. They’re far from done yet and have major plans for future years, eventually getting singletrack to Emerald Bay area of Lake Tahoe.

All photos courtesy of Tamba. Get involved at tamba.org.

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