Michael "Mikey" Hallenbeck was killed fighting fires around Lake Tahoe in August 2015, "and he was very excited to do it," said family friend Don Larson. "When he first got his acceptance, he put a backpack on and hiked every day just to make he was in shape." Hallenbeck was only 21-years-old when he died in the line of duty fighting his first wildfire with US Forest Service . Friends and family thought his spirit should be honored.
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State Senator Ted Gaines led the push to rename a section of Highway 50 in Hallenbeck's honor, but the signs are going to cost $9,000. "We've already put the feelers out to friends and family and we've raised about 20 percent of that amount," said Larson.
A fundraising account has been set up at tahoefund.org. Just choose the "donate now" option, then select "Mikey Hallenbeck Memorial."