SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – 19 different parcels throughout the California side of Lake Tahoe neighborhoods will be a part of the California Tahoe Conservancy’s (CTC) work to survey land and ensure they’re properly recorded. It’s part of their efforts to make sure the lots are properly marked, helping with fire and fuel reduction and environmental protection in the basin.

Lot inspections and surveying can seem like minor parts of the CTC’s work. But knowing where property boundaries lie is part of the collaborative work that the inspector, surveyors, and forestry team do year-round to make sure the parcels are being used correctly and that future projects will be successful.

Since 2014, the CTC has hired contractors to perform these surveys periodically. But in the last three years, the funding for this work has come from a wildfire and forest resilience fund. In the first year, the CTC surveyed the Trout and Cold Creek parcels, especially as they considered a possible water restoration project on the site. Last year, they completed 79 different parcels.

Kelsey Lemming, associate environmental planner and lot inspector for the CTC, spoke on the selection of the parcels and their importance to the Tribune. “These specific parcels are a combination of where lot inspectors have found issues with boundaries, and with the forestry department seeing what needs to be done,” said Lemming.

“A lot of times, we get calls about dead trees adjacent to people’s properties—surveys absolutely help out with that and whether we can address the issue,” continued Lemming. On a lot in a neighborhood on Chinquapin, Lemming pointed out how correctly setting the border on the lot helped them select which trees could be cut down to prevent fires. These trees, marked with a yellow stripe, should be clearly on the property of the CTC.

In addition, Lemming also pointed out on that same parcel that the house near the lot was mowing the grass in a sensitive meadow. With the correct borders and cowboy fences (so-called because they look like a hitch for horses) erected by the CTC, it protected a sensitive riparian area. El Dorado County was also able to put a basin that caught stormwater and prevented sediment from running into the lake, maintaining its clarity, as part of its local partnership with the CTC.

This summer, neighbors can expect to see surveyors walking the property lines of the lot with computers, using laser technology to map the land accurately. They may also see people installing land monuments. These can look like a plugged pipe or a “witness mark”, which is a piece of rebar with a small aluminum cap. Newer land monuments usually have a plastic cap, and a number printed on them associated with the surveyor who installed them.

“I feel good about the amount of work we’re doing along with the forestry department,” said Lemming. “Doing these surveys helps ensure public access to these parcels and makes it easier for us to respond to issues. We’ve done about 150 parcels in the last decade with our contractor and our goal is to do all 4,700 of the Conservancy’s parcels.”

Lemming also felt confident about the CTC’s work, as they’re finally returning to being able to treat their lots every 10 years. In 2008, they lapsed from that goal, but nowadays are getting closer to those regular inspections and work, and possibly even being able to check and care for them more frequently.

To see a map of the lots that the CTC will be working on, you can visit https://tahoe.ca.gov/tahoe-conservancy-to-begin-surveying-19-conservancy-properties-in-2025/

If you see an issue on a CTC lot (typically marked with blue and yellow signs), such as a fallen tree or improper use, you can report the issue here: https://tahoe.ca.gov/report-an-issue/

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.