Your Tahoe eNews - February 2022

Lake Tahoe from Martis Peak_PC-Sierra Watch

Lake Tahoe from Martis Peak. Photo: Sierra Watch

Landmark legal victory scored for Tahoe protections!

Earlier this week, California’s Third District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the League, Mountain Area Preservation and Sierra Watch in our push to rein in oversized development in North Lake Tahoe. The unanimous decision is a major setback to the would-be developers of the Martis Valley West proposal, and a big win for strengthening Lake Tahoe’s protections against development impacts.

“Any development – whether inside or outside the Basin – is accountable for impacts to the Lake’s unique water quality and clarity. This precedent makes that certain,” said the League’s CEO, Darcie Goodman Collins.

Your support makes important victories like this possible. Thanks for standing with us. Please consider giving today to Keep Tahoe Blue tomorrow.

Support our Lake-saving work

Read the full story here, and learn more about our long road to get to this victory.

Video: North Lake Tahoe Visitor Bureaus

Leave the driving to TART Connect

This winter, keep the car parked and let TART Connect be your chauffeur. The service is a free, app-based, on-demand shuttle system operating on Tahoe’s north and west shores, with connections to resorts including Palisades, Northstar and Homewood. The League was proud to support this transportation option in 2021, and we’re excited that it’s going strong in 2022.

Traffic makes a lot of mischief for Big Blue. Millions of cars travel in and out of the Basin annually, causing erosion and stormwater pollution that degrade the Lake’s famed water quality and clarity. But when you share rides, you reduce that harmful pollution.

Check out a full range of Lake-friendly transportation options available this winter.

A Tahoe Blue Crew volunteer with the sled trash she's gathered.

A Tahoe Blue Crew volunteer stands next to bagged sled litter.

Practice your #slediquette

Sledding is good, clean winter fun - until those cheap plastic sleds shatter into a million, brightly colored pieces. Plastic sled litter is unavoidable around Tahoe when there’s snow on the ground. And unless it’s picked up, that litter will inevitably end up polluting Big Blue.

Do your part to combat plastic pollution this winter by practicing good #slediquette. First and foremost, ditch the plastic sled for a more durable wood or metal one. Then, ensure you leave that sled hill better than you found it. Lake Tahoe will thank you.

Find more tips at takecaretahoe.org/sleds. You can do more by becoming a Tahoe Blue Crew. Sign up for our next training.

Volunteers collect water samples from the Upper Truckee River near the Lake Tahoe Golf Course.

Volunteers collect water samples from the Upper Truckee near the Lake Tahoe Golf Course.

River restoration and golf course reconfiguration

A 1.5-mile section of the Upper Truckee River along the Lake Tahoe Golf Course is eroding away, transporting sediments downstream that impact the health and clarity of our Lake.

This proposed California State Parks restoration project is part of a broader, multi-agency effort to restore several reaches of the Upper Truckee River. As the only river that flows into the Lake, the healthier the Upper Truckee is, the bluer Lake Tahoe will stay.

The public is invited to give input and ideas on the project by March 15. Visit the project website to learn more and get involved.

Prescribed burning - Photo - Press Democrat

A firefighter conducts a prescribed burn. Photo: The Press Democrat

Winter is prescribed fire season

The Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team is conducting widespread prescribed burning operations while the weather is cool and wet. Prescribed fire reduces fuel sources for wildfires and helps make the Tahoe ecosystem resilient.

If you see some smoke around the Basin, go to tahoelivingwithfire.com to check if there’s a prescribed burn near you.

Little lakes for your feet

Introducing our new Retro Performance Socks for all your favorite athletic activities.

Our reinforced crew socks are designed with 360 arch support, moisture wicking technology and ventilating mesh. Grab yours before they’re gone.

All proceeds benefit our efforts to Keep Tahoe Blue now and for future generations.

Lake Tahoe News

Incline Village, Crystal Bay moves away from traditional fireworks for 4th of July

February 10 | Tahoe Daily Tribune

The north shore will debut a new way to celebrate the 4th of July this year, with a drone ‘SkyShow’ lighting up the night sky in place of fireworks. The decision was made in consideration of fire and environmental risks.