As federal jobs are being lost across the county, and there is a freeze on new hires at national parks and forests, Lake Tahoe is not immune to the same issues. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) of the USDA Forest Service covers 156,335 acres around Lake Tahoe.
There are full-time staff that work for LTBMU as well as many seasonal workers, including firefighters. These are positions that keep the recreation areas open and safe for tens of thousands of visitors annually.
This is the time of year LTBMU starts to interview and hire seasonal workers for the various positions around the lake. The local office cannot answer any questions for the media and all inquiries must go through Washington, DC.
“USDA is reviewing all executive orders signed by President Trump and expects to share guidance on implementing them to agencies and mission areas as soon as possible,” a USDA spokesperson told South Tahoe Now. “We do not have additional information to share at this time.”
The further information we are waiting for is (1) how many seasonal workers are normally in the Lake Tahoe Basin; (2) how many of those are firefighters; and (3) how many full-time employees are working for LTBMU.
There are only two law enforcement officers with USFS working in the entire Lake Tahoe Basin, and it is unconfirmed that one of those is leaving – which would leave one for the entire Basin.
A new public affairs specialist with the Humboldt-Toiyabe Forest lost her job Friday as she’d only been on the job for a few months. So far, the LTBMU public affairs specialist is still on board.
Besides the current USDA directives, Congress is still working on an agreement to fund the government with a March 14 deadline looming.
