Overview

Stewardship West is pleased to announce that we are accepting proposals for the Painted Rock Project. Stewardship West and the USDA Forest Service are working together to protect and restore the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU). The Painted Rock WT Project is the first phase of these efforts, where 376.4 acres will be implemented utilizing Whole Tree mechanical operations. This project is northwest of Tahoe City, west of Burton Creek State Park and east of Hwy 89 (T16N R16E, Sec. 23, 24, 26, 27 MDBM). This project has been designed to increase the forests’ resilience to disturbances, improve wildlife habitat and reduce overstocked timber conditions while provide the surrounding landscape and communities with increased fire resiliency.

This project is part of the Lake Tahoe West program of work, which includes treatment efforts to increase the resilience of forests, watersheds, and communities on Lake Tahoe’s west shore.Treatments were designed to reduce the risk of high-severity wildfire, improve or maintain wildlife habitat, and increase forest health and resilience by reducing stocking and thinning the forest to the desired conditions.

The Sale Area Map (SAM; Appendix C) identifies the following five treatment units encompassing 376.4 acres and the required treatment specifications for each unit. Project areas are flagged with blue and pink flagging and marked with orange paint.Georeferenced maps will be provided.

A pre-proposal field meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 at 10:00 AM. The meeting location for the field tour is off Mount Watson Road (FS Road 73) at 39.2161625, -120.1719592 or https://maps.app.goo.gl/WQmE4GEhxXzaHLZg6 . Access to Mount Watson Road is possible from Hwy 267 (North Lake Blvd) if coming from Truckee area or from the residential portion of Mt Watson Road if coming from Tahoe City.

Questions regarding the RFP must be submitted no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, October 16, 2026 to Project Manager Robert DeSotle at rob@stewardshipwest.org.

Proposal submissions are due no later than 5:00 PM PST on Friday, October 23, 2026. Proposals will be evaluated based on best value criteria including experience, understanding of scope, schedule, equipment capabilities, and overall project cost.

A draft contract, project maps, appendices, and bid schedule are included within the Request for Proposals package. Please contact Robert DeSotle with any questions regarding the project or proposal requirements. We appreciate your interest in partnering with Stewardship West and look forward to working with you on this important forest resiliency project.