Just days after Vail Resorts laid out plans for a program to help raise money for the local non-profit group, Tahoe Fund, Squaw Valley USA says it will be making a donation of its own, offering up a whopping $25k to the organization.
The Tahoe Fund raises private money to help subsidize funds for public recreation, education, and conservation projects throughout the Lake Tahoe Basin. Squaw Valley says the donation is meant to help the Tahoe Fund secure the sustainability of the Lake through specific projects including trail and public recreation improvements, environmental awareness, and improvements to help the clarity of the Lake.
“Our company recognizes the significance of the Tahoe Fund’s mission as something important to our guests, our staff and our company as a whole,” said Squaw Valley CEO and new Tahoe Fund board member, Andy Wirth.
Meanwhile, Vail Resorts, who owns a stake in Tahoe through its Northstar-at-Tahoe and Heavenly resorts, last week announced the launch of its “Ski Conservation Fund” that could bring in as much as $75,000 annually to the Tahoe Fund. Different from Squaw’s donation, the “Ski Conservation Fund” will be a voluntary guest donation program, not a tax, where guests at Heavenly and Northstar-at-Tahoe will be asked to donate $1 when purchasing a variety of resort amenities and activities.
“Because we can’t wait to see the on-the-ground benefits, we plan on making the first round of Ski Conservation Fund grants in early 2012 so that we can start to make a meaningful difference for Lake Tahoe and all those who love and cherish it” said Co-President for Vail Resorts, Blaise Carrig, who is also a new board member for the Tahoe Fund.
This, of course, is also on the heals of Vail Resorts’ purchase to the rights to Shawn White’s home mountain, now officially Northstar, and a big investment for the Tahoe area in and of itself.
So the question is…