League to Save Lake Tahoe

“The tax return is prepared by an outside accounting firm. After completion of said returns, the organization is sent a draft of the tax returns to be reviewed and examined. The organization makes copies of the returns and distributes to those individuals charged with governance. Those individuals at that time can review and if applicable discuss any line items in the return with the accountant who has prepared the return. If all items are found to be acceptable, an authorization is signed and provided to authorize the outside accounting firm to process, sign and provide copies of the returns to be filed (paper or electronically) with the designated governmental agencies. The tax returns are then signed by the organization, stamped and mailed with certified return receipt or the signed form 8879 is provided to the outside accounting firm allowing electronic filing.”

“The organization trains annually on the importance of conflict of interest and board members review and sign the policy annually.”

“The Chief Executive Officers performance is reviewed annually by the board of directors. Compensation is then determined using various publications that show salaries for similarly sized organizations in similar geographical areas, as well as reviewing compensation for other non-profits in the area.”

“Federal Tax Returns are available at guidestar.org and charitynavigator.orgThe returns are also posted on our website and available at office.”

“Governing documents are available for public inspection at the principal place of business.The conflict of interest policy and the organization's financial statements are available upon request.”

“In 2020, the Leagues work continued to focus on three main campaigns: combat pollution, advance restoration, and tackle invasive species. These campaigns and programmatic efforts within are executed through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Highlighted programs in 2020 include: Cutting the Green Tape. 2020 was a historic wildfire year, driven in part by climate change. The League worked to advance the pace and scale of restoration projects in the Basin to make the Lake resilient to the impacts of the climate crisis. In 2020 we led a collaborative effort with leaders in the California state government to remove the bureaucratic hurdles that delay or prevent landscape-scale restoration projects. The Cutting the Green Tape Initiative produced a set of policy recommendations that will facilitate restoration projects across California. Tahoe Blue Crew. Infection concerns, heavy visitation and other pandemic challenges led to an explosion of litter in 2020, especially single-use plastics and food containers. The League answered by expanding our Tahoe Blue Crew program to help struggling land managers keep Tahoe clean. We grew from 18 volunteer crews to 89 in 2020 and removed more than 5,000 pounds of trash from Crew-adopted areas. Tahoe Keys Complex. The Tahoe Keys is ground-zero for the infestation of aquatic invasive weeds at Tahoe. The weeds are spreading into the Lake itself, damaging its delicate ecology and water clarity. To tackle this threat, the League advocated for the immediate removal of the densest growth in the Tahoe Keys Complex an infested area spanning more than 100 acres in the Lake proper. We provided money for scienced-backed solutions such as suction dredging to remove the weeds, which unlocked additional public funding for further treatment. Treatment of the Tahoe Keys Complex will continue in 2021.”

“OTHER PROGRAM SERVICES 4: Combat Pollution with the Tahoe Cigarette Disposal Program: Cigarette butts are the most commonly found litter in Tahoe. When left in the environment, they are a visual blight, leach toxic chemicals that harm wildlife and the Lakes delicate ecology, and break down into microplastics that remain in the Lake forever. The League to Save Lake Tahoe partnered with the Tahoe Water Suppliers Association to launch a program to reduce cigarette litter by distributing cigarette butt collection canisters at key locations around Lake Tahoe. Each of the 100 canisters is positioned at highly trafficked, cigarette litter hot spots, with plans to add additional canisters. Over the course of 2020, the League encouraged volunteers and Tahoe Blue Crew leaders to adopt, maintain and empty the more than 100 cigarette canisters in place around the Basin. By growing a community-driven litter prevention system, an ethic of environmental stewardship will spread in Tahoe.Combat Pollution with Snapshot Day: Snapshot Day is an annual event where volunteers collect water quality samples from select streams and lakes in the Tahoe Basin to take a snapshot of the health of the Tahoe-Truckee watershed. 2020 marked the events 20th anniversary, and even a pandemic couldnt stop the 20th Snapshot Day. To ensure the safety of League staff and volunteers, the events normal procedures were modified to minimize in-person contact while ensuring 25 of 28 high priority monitoring sites were still sampled. This event was the Leagues first under COVID-19 precautions, and due to its success helped shape protocol for other volunteer events around the Tahoe Basin in 2020.Combat Pollution through Stormwater Pollution Prevention: Pipe Keepers is the Leagues citizen science program to prevent stormwater pollution dumping into Lake Tahoe. Unchecked 20th century development paved over much of Tahoes natural pollution filtration system: its marshes, meadows andwetlands. Now, rain and melting snow move fine sediment thenumber one threat to Lake clarity and other pollutants off roads and pavements into storm drains that lead to Lake Tahoe. Citizen scientist volunteers Keep Tahoe Blue by monitoring the condition of stormwater infrastructure, collecting stormwater samples, participating in scientific research, and maintaining or improving critical stormwater infrastructure to stop pollution before it enters the Lake. In 2020, Pipe Keepers volunteers partnered with scientists from the Desert Research Institute to gather samples for two microplastics research endeavors in Tahoe. This project explores whether synthetic microfibers released from clothes dryer vents are a source of airborne microplastics. Results are expected in 2021. In the 2019/2020 water year, Pipe Keepers conducted four runoff restoration events to help local utility managers maintain vital infrastructure. Volunteers installed stormdrain markers and improved infiltration basins by clearing overgrown vegetation, planting native seeds, and installing natural erosion control measures.Combat Pollution through Transportation Advocacy: The League advocates that development and redevelopment projects include protections for the community and the environment. In 2020 the League was successful in ensuring that adequate and enforceable safeguards were in place in the Tahoe South Events Center project at Stateline, Nevada. Specifically, the project now includes a fully coordinated parking management plan for the Stateline casino corridor and a microtransit shuttle program serving the South Shore from Stateline to Al Tahoe. The parking management and microtransit shuttle are backed by performance adaptive management measures to ensure targets are being met. If targets are not met, the plan has a dedicated funding source to fix its transportation impacts to the region. Aquatic Invasive Species Monitoring: Eyes on the Lake is the Leagues citizen science program to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive”