Press Contact:
Jess Weaver, JVP Communications for the Tahoe Fund, (530) 448-6981
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Public agency leaders will advance their support of Lake Tahoe in a new capacity
TAHOE CITY, Calif. (April 10, 2023) – The nonprofit Tahoe Fund announced today that four leaders have joined its advisory council. Invited because of their extensive experience as the heads of the Tahoe Fund’s public agency partners, these new advisors will support the organization’s board of directors as they work to improve the Tahoe environment.
“On behalf of the Tahoe Fund Board of Directors, I am pleased to welcome Dominique Etchegoyhen, Julie Regan, Jason Vasques, and Erick Walker to our advisory council,” said Cory Ritchie, Tahoe Fund Board Chair. “Given our goal to leverage philanthropic support to secure public funding for environmental projects, their insight ensures our work has the greatest impact possible.”
The advisory council provides invaluable knowledge of public agency challenges and opportunities as it relates to the Tahoe Fund’s goal of improving the Tahoe environment for all to enjoy. The new members appointed to the advisory council include:
Dominique Etchegoyhen, Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Etchegoyhen has served as Deputy Director of the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources since 2017. Prior to working for the State of Nevada, he co-founded Legacy Land and Water, LLC, and was a partner with Terra Firma Associates, LLC, both of which were small, versatile land use consulting firms dedicated to protecting and enhancing the environment. Etchegoyhen is licensed to practice law in Nevada and California and served as a law clerk to Judge Howard D. McKibben in the U.S. District Court, District of Nevada.
Julie Regan, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA)
Regan is the Executive Director of TRPA and has held an executive position at the agency since 2003. TRPA, the first environmental interstate compact agency of its kind in the United States, is charged with the environmental protection of Lake Tahoe, the ancestral home of the native Washoe. Regan is a Ph.D. student in environmental science at the University of Nevada, Reno focusing her research on the intersection of science and public policy, building on her experience at Lake Tahoe balancing environmental preservation in a $5-billion tourist-based economy.
Jason Vasques, California Tahoe Conservancy
Vasques, the California Tahoe Conservancy’s executive director, has also previously supervised the agency’s landscape forestry program. Educated in the U.S. and New Zealand, Vasques brings over two decades of experience in state government and nonprofit management, from the coral reefs of the Caribbean to rivers and streams in the Sierra Nevada and California’s central valley. Growing up in a mixed heritage home in a rural farming community in the central San Joaquin Valley, Vasques is committed to a vision for Tahoe that benefits all.
Erick Walker, U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU)
Walker is the Forest Supervisor for the LTBMU. He began his Forest Service career as a Range Technician while earning his B.S in Natural Resource Management from University of Nevada, Reno. After earning his degree, Walker left the Tahoe region to further his knowledge and stewardship of public lands and served in numerous leadership positions in Vermont, Idaho and Washington. Walker brings a passion for finding solutions to the complex issues of managing public lands and the relationships people have with them. Born and raised in California, Walker moved to Tahoma in 1988 and now lives in South Lake Tahoe.
The Tahoe Fund is a nonprofit organization that supports environmental improvement projects that restore lake clarity, expand sustainable recreation, promote healthier forests, improve transportation, and inspire greater stewardship of the region. Learn more about the Tahoe Fund and its current and completed projects here.
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About the Tahoe Fund
The Tahoe Fund is a nonprofit founded in 2010 to support environmental improvement projects that restore lake clarity, enhance sustainable recreation, promote healthier forests, improve transportation, and inspire greater stewardship of the region. Through the generous support of its donors, the Tahoe Fund has leveraged more than $11 million in private funds to secure nearly $70 million in public funds for over 130 environmental projects. The projects include new sections of the Lake Tahoe Bikeway, restoration of watersheds, removal of aquatic invasive species, forest health projects, new hiking trails, and stewardship programs. Learn more on their website.
