15 Minutes With: Amy Berry of Take Care Tahoe

During this time when we are all facing new challenges brought by COVID-19, we feel it's important to shine a light on charities that are central to our communities now and in the future. We hope to inspire others to dream about travel that drives community impact and wellness for when the world travels again. 

We sat down with Amy Berry of Take Care Tahoe, to share the story behind what it's like to empower travelers to help maintain Tahoe's natural beauty for generations to come.

Lake Tahoe, situated in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, straddling the California-Nevada border, is one of my favorite destinations. It's a one-hour drive from Reno, Nevada, and two hours from Sacramento, California. The area boosts never-ending beauty, and the variety of outdoor activities in which one can participate throughout the year including hiking, skiing, standup paddleboard, kayaking, sailing and bicycling.

My first visit to Lake Tahoe was with some friends when we were a few years out of college. The drive east from San Francisco started with rolling hills then opened up to more mountainous and forested terrain, then dropping into the Tahoe basin where the lake sits at an elevation of 6,225 feet. On that trip we were fortunate enough to stay in a house right on the lake in South Lake Tahoe, California, and ski at Heavenly which has a gondola taking you from the center of town right to the top, just above 10,000 feet, for an amazing view of the lake.

Since that amazing visit I’ve made several trips back to Tahoe, including to ride in America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride, a 100-mile ride that takes you around the entire lake. The endless adventure, scenery and activities are why I keep coming back. Thanks to several dedicated groups, the Lake Tahoe region maintains its beautiful natural environment.

The endless adventure, scenery and activities are why I keep coming back.

Take Care Tahoe, founded by a group of 30 organizations around the Lake Tahoe region, came together to address the need for environmental stewardship and to get visitors and locals to take better care of the Tahoe environment. Its mission is: to connect more people to the beautiful Lake Tahoe environment to nurture a culture of sustainability.

On behalf of Kind Traveler, I spoke with Amy Berry, Executive Director of Tahoe Fund, one of Take Care Tahoe’s partner organizations. The Tahoe Fund was founded in 2010 by a diverse group of organizations - environmental, business, public and private in California and Nevada – coming together to engage in supporting environmental improvement projects.

 Explore exclusive hotel rates and perks offered from Kind Hotels in Lake Tahoe when you give a $10 nightly donation to Take Care Tahoe, or a charity of choice. 100% to charity. 

Mark is an avid cyclist, triathlete, hiker and kayaker and is a certified indoor cycling and TRX instructor. He has also been a participant and coach with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training program. He counts Hawaii, Colorado and Switzerland as his favorite travel destinations, but is also happy discovering small towns and breweries along the east coast. Mark and his wife Danielle live in the walkable neighborhood of Del Ray in Alexandria, Virginia.