Reflecting on a Historic 2025 Field Season: A Letter of Gratitude
As I sat at my desk reading a recent letter from Milan Yeates, the Community Forestry Program Supervisor at the California Tahoe Conservancy, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride. Milan wrote to thank our CHIPS Forestry field crew for their remarkable work as the 2025 field season came to a close, and his words were a powerful reminder of the incredible dedication our team brings to the Sierra Nevada every single day.
Tackling the Rugged Terrain
Working in the Tahoe Basin is no small feat. Milan highlighted how our crews navigated challenging, rugged terrain and overcame unforeseen problems in the field with steady, unwavering effort. Through their hard work, we successfully completed 53 acres of critical fuel hazard reduction work along the west and south shores of Lake Tahoe.
Our manual treatments involved grueling physical labor, including cutting, piling, and chipping hazardous fuels. This effort directly protects Tahoe Basin communities from wildfire threats while simultaneously improving the health of our forest ecosystems.
The Scope of Our 2025 Projects
To give you an idea of just how hard the team worked, here is a snapshot of the diverse projects we tackled this season:
Timberland: A massive 20 acre cut and pile project.
Tahoe Pines: Chipping and piling across 11.6 acres.
Tahoe Park Heights & Simplon Pass: Treating 4 acres at each site through cutting, chipping, piling, and re-piling.
McKinney: Cutting and prepping 3.8 acres for chipping.
North Upper Truckee Estate Court & Crystal Way: Cutting, chipping, and piling a combined 6 acres.
Sacramento: Tackling 3.8 total acres, including heavy fuel loading clean up, chipping, cutting, and piling.
Celebrating Exceptional Leadership
Milan's letter specifically commended the outstanding leadership of our 2025 crew leaders: Sam Simmons, Jermaine Jim, and Jerome Jim. Their guidance was instrumental in safely and effectively leading the crews through this demanding season.
I am also deeply moved to share that the Conservancy awarded Sam Simmons the Certificate of Excellence as a 2025 CHIPS Crew Leader. Sam was recognized for his exceptional leadership and mentoring, positive role modeling, critical thinking, and his remarkable ability to adapt to meet our crucial project goals.
Looking to the Future
Reading Milan's closing words, noting that our team's daily effort "did not go unnoticed," is the highest compliment we could ask for. It has been an absolute privilege to work alongside the California Tahoe Conservancy, and we are eagerly looking forward to continuing this vital partnership to protect and restore the beautiful Tahoe Basin.
To our entire CHIPS field crew: thank you. Your grit and dedication are the heartbeat of this organization.
