League’s advocacy brings $29.2 million in federal funds to Tahoe |
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First and foremost, the League is an environmental advocacy organization. Our work in Sacramento, Reno and Washington D.C. delivers substantial benefits to our Lake and community.
Earlier this week, a federal bill was signed into law that sends $23.8 million to Tahoe under the banner of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act. Combined with separate funding secured through our lobbying work, in fiscal year 2022 Tahoe will receive:
- $7,000,000 for water infrastructure that supports fire suppression
- $6,500,000 for watershed management
- $6,000,000 for forest health
- $7,700,000 for aquatic invasive species control and prevention
- $2,000,000 for infrastructure improvements in the SR-28 corridor
Read more about these crucial dollars for Tahoe in this press release.
Your donations fuel our advocacy work. Give today and let us leverage your donations into millions to Keep Tahoe Blue.
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ADVANCE RESTORATION:
Martis Valley West - Court Victory
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View from the northern rim of the Tahoe Basin. Photo: Sierra Watch |
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What is it? In mid February, California’s Third District Court of Appeal ruled in favor of the League, Mountain Area Preservation and Sierra Watch (“co-petitioners”) in the groups' long-running effort to rein in oversized and inappropriate development in north Lake Tahoe. Combined with a separate successful legal challenge against a proposed building project in Olympic Valley in 2021, the recent decision sets a precedent that will help protect the Lake from the impacts of development sited just outside the Tahoe Basin.
Where is it in the process? The Martis project’s landowner sought entitlements to allow construction of a gated development with commercial malls and 760 vacation homes in a “very high fire hazard zone” on an undeveloped ridgeline in north Tahoe. The co-petitioners pursued a long-running legal challenge to the project, seeking to overturn Placer County’s 2016 approvals. After finding success in the lower court, the co-petitioners appealed the decision to expand and strengthen protections for the Lake. The appellate court agreed with the League and our partners, deciding that Placer County’s environmental review downplayed impacts on the Lake, especially how traffic from the new development would have added pollutants that are steadily degrading Lake Tahoe’s unique water quality and clarity.
What’s next? The League will continue to act as Lake Tahoe’s environmental watchdog, engaging with developers and decision makers to ensure that any proposed project, whether inside or outside the Tahoe Basin, properly mitigates any impacts it could have on Tahoe’s environmental health, clarity and quality of life.
The would-be developers of the Martis project could still appeal the decision to the California Supreme Court. Ideally, a land purchase agreement will be reached with the owner, so the property will be permanently protected from development.
What is the League’s position? SUPPORT
The League applauds the decision by California's Third District Court of Appeal and will work to ensure that it helps deter developers from trying to skirt Tahoe’s strict environmental regulations by placing projects just outside the Basin’s boundaries.
More information:
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ADVANCE RESTORATION:
Forest Health Treatments Approved
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Special equipment thins fuels on steep slopes. Photo: Chaffee County Times |
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What is it? In February, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) approved the use of ground-based mechanical equipment to thin vegetation on Tahoe’s steeper slopes, making Tahoe’s fuels thinning program consistent with the rest of the Western United States. To prevent catastrophic fires like Caldor in the future, Tahoe must accelerate forest thinning, particularly on steep slopes where it is hardest to fight fire, and where fires often burn most intensely and move the fastest.
Prior to TRPA’s vote, Tahoe’s forest thinning methods were limited to hand crews, pile burning and aerial logging in order to prevent erosion and water quality impacts. Yet with advances in equipment, research shows that ground disturbance from mechanical thinning can be limited to avoid impacts on the watershed. The policy change will help reduce potential fuel sources for wildfire in the Basin, and promote forest and ecosystem resilience from disturbances such as climate change.
Where is it in the process? The code change vote took place at TRPA’s February 23 Governing Board meeting, clearing the way for mechanical thinning on slopes from 30-50 percent grade.
What’s next? The policy change will facilitate additional forest health projects on steeper slopes. Approximately 61,000 acres in the Tahoe Basin have slopes from 30 to 50 percent, and nearly half of that area is in the wildland urban interface where many homes are located and fire risk is high.
What is the League’s position? SUPPORT
The League’s policy experts have tracked this issue closely and commented in support at every opportunity. With recent advances in ground-based mechanical equipment, and in light of the Caldor Fire and 2007 Angora Fire, accelerating forest fuels treatments is an important factor to ensure Tahoe can withstand the next inevitable wildfire.
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COMBAT POLLUTION:
Tackling Winter “Litter Hot Spots”
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What is it? Sledding is a popular way to enjoy the snow in Tahoe, but it often leaves a mess that threatens the environment and wildlife. The plastic sleds most people purchase for their outdoor fun don’t last much longer than a few rides before they shatter. The rainbow of plastic fragments from busted sleds combine with trash from to-go food and illegal food vendors, and other litter to make a mess at many of Tahoe’s unofficial sledding hills. There are over a dozen of these popular locations around the Lake that don’t have paid staff to clean up, nor do they have trash cans, bathrooms or other facilities, so litter stays where it lands until melting snow washes it downhill and into the Lake. The League is working to address sled-related litter at Spooner Summit, one of the Basin’s unofficial and most hard-hit sites, through volunteer trash cleanups and by providing seasonal facilities, including a dumpster and outhouses.
Where is it in the process? Over the past several winters, the sled hill at Spooner Summit has been an unfortunate example of the long-running winter pollution problem. In response, the League and Tahoe Fund helped install a sled corral and Take Care Tahoe signage. League staff also supported one of our passionate Tahoe Blue Crews to adopt and clean up the site. In the winter of 2020/2021, the Blue Crew, Team Uppaway, on its own removed more than 2,000 pounds of trash.
To encourage recreational users to clean up after themselves, the League secured permits and funded the installation of a dumpster and two portable outhouses for the 2021/2022 winter season. The Clean Tahoe Program is also visiting the site regularly to clean up, supported by funding from the Nevada Department of Transportation.
What’s next? The facilities and enhanced cleanup efforts have proved effective in mitigating a portion of the litter, but a more sustainable, long term solution is needed to address the pollution problem, regulate dangerous parking practices, and prevent illegal concessionaires. The League has been working closely with the Nevada Department of Transportation, USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency toward a fix. Through continued advocacy and engagement, we are hopeful a formal management program will be in place for Tahoe’s next sledding season.
What is the League’s position? OPPOSE
Pollution fueled by cheap plastic sleds threatens Tahoe’s ecological health and its wildlife. Sled trash breaks down in the sun into microplastics, which are difficult if not impossible to remove from Tahoe’s environment. The League encourages people to practice good “slediquette,” which includes opting for sturdy wood or metal sleds over plastic alternatives.
We certainly do not oppose sledding, even at these locations. We are, however, opposed to the lack of management, appropriate services and the associated environmental impact. It’s crucial to find a balance between enjoying Lake Tahoe today while preserving it for the future.
More information:
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COMBAT POLLUTION:
Shoreline Plan Implementation -
On-Demand Boat Rentals
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What is it? With the rise in on-demand services in recent years, including ridesharing and food delivery, there has also been an increase in private, unpermitted boat rentals, mainly through websites. In these rental situations, there is no assurance or oversight that renters receive boating safety education, that boats are fueled properly, or their associated vehicles are parked appropriately to avoid environmental impacts.
The 2018 Shoreline Plan requires that all water-based concessions are permitted and are sited within an existing marina, as these facilities offer mitigations from the impacts of recreational use. The Shoreline Plan’s rules help safeguard the environment and those seeking fun on the Lake. On-demand boat rentals operate outside of those rules and can put Tahoe at risk.
Where is it in the process? Though the 2018 Shoreline Plan has been in place for several years, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has not clarified or enforced the Basin-wide policy for on-demand rentals. As a result, some local jurisdictions and public agencies have put their own rules in place to prevent on-demand boat rentals, including the City of South Lake Tahoe, Nevada State Parks, and most recently the Tahoe City Public Utility District.
What’s next? As additional local restrictions for on-demand boat rentals are passed, renters will likely relocate to areas where they can operate without fear of enforcement, and the potential environmental and watercraft safety risks will persist.
What is the League’s position? OPPOSE
The League was closely involved in shaping the 2018 Shoreline Plan to create a system that balanced recreational access with environmental protection. Violations of the Plan’s rules, and a lack of enforcement, are bad for the Lake and everyone who enjoys it.
The League would prefer that all water-based concessions must be permitted and located in existing marinas, as they are required to be now, so impacts can be managed and mitigated.
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TACKLE INVASIVE SPECIES:
Tahoe Keys Weeds Control Methods Test -
Approved and Moving Ahead
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Weed-infested water in the Tahoe Keys. Photo: Tahoe Regional Planning Agency |
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What is it? The Tahoe Keys is ground zero for the aquatic invasive weed infestation at Tahoe, which threatens Lake Tahoe’s water quality and clarity. The Control Methods Test (CMT) is a science-based program to test a suite of treatment methods, alone and in combination, in targeted areas within the Keys. The results will provide essential information for developing a long-term strategy to address the weed infestation and stop its spread to Lake Tahoe.
Where is it in the process? In January, the Lahontan Water Quality Control Board and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) both voted unanimously to approve the CMT. The Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association (TKPOA), the CMT’s proponent, worked closely with TRPA to secure funding for the first stage of the test and is currently acquiring needed equipment, preparing the test site, and informing the community about access restrictions necessary to effectively implement the test.
What’s next? Recreational access to the test site within the Keys will be closed from mid April to as late as mid-July 2022 for the targeted application of herbicides in dead-end lagoons (weather and water conditions permitting), which will be cordoned off behind double water barriers. While the herbicide concentrations used will be at levels safe for humans, pets, fish and wildlife, boating restrictions will ensure adequate monitoring is conducted to measure the validity of the CMT. Before any herbicide application, hydrologists must confirm that the water level in Lake Tahoe during the test period will ensure net flow is moving from the Lake into the Tahoe Keys, further ensuring herbicides remain inside the Keys test area.
The League has seats on the official coordination committee and monitoring committee for the CMT. We will continue to stay engaged, monitoring the project closely to ensure it is conducted safely, with water quality at the forefront, and is science and data-driven.
We also will continue using our full set of tools to keep weeds contained in the Keys, as well as testing pilot control methods and monitoring those pilots for efficacy. Finally, we’re committed to knocking back infestations that pop up in the Lake using citizen science and collaboration.
What is the League’s position? SUPPORT
Aquatic invasive species are the single largest ecological threat to Lake Tahoe and must be put in check. The League is a supporter of the CMT because the status quo will not work for an infestation the size and complexity of the Keys lagoons; because the test will help inform a long-term invasive weed control strategy; and because the test's design is firmly founded in the best available science. Rigorous study of the CMT has shown it can be conducted safely for the Lake and all who enjoy it.
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TACKLE INVASIVE SPECIES:
$17 Million in Federal Funding to Address Invasive Species
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Aquatic weed removal. Photo: Tahoe Regional Planning Agency |
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What is it? Aquatic invasive species (AIS) are degrading Tahoe’s water quality, disrupting the Lake’s ecology and opening the door for more harmful invasive species to take hold. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed into law on November 15, 2021, dedicated $17 million for AIS programs over the next five years.
Where is it in the process? The funding has been approved and appropriations have begun. In fiscal year 2022 alone, Tahoe will receive $3.4 million in AIS funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, plus an additional $4.3 million under the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act (as mentioned at the top of this email).
What’s next? These federal dollars will support Tahoe’s trailblazing AIS work to prevent, control and eradicate invasive species, which may include improvements to the Tahoe boat inspection program, removing weeds from an infestation on the south shore, and controlling existing populations in marinas.
What is the League’s position? SUPPORT
As one of the leaders of the Tahoe Partnership, a federal advocacy group who lobbies for support in Washington D.C., the League is pleased to see this level of federal investment in treating AIS.
Testing being done in the Tahoe Keys (see above), combined with AIS control projects like the one underway in Taylor and Tallac Creeks, are crucial efforts in the Lake-wide campaign to Keep Tahoe Blue. The League’s Eyes on the Lake program complements that work by engaging locals and visitors in crowdsourcing AIS sightings. In 2022, we’re focused on expanding and funding an early detection and rapid response (EDRR) protocol that works in conjunction with private marinas around the Lake to report new populations so they can be quickly removed.
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Comfort you can take anywhere |
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Yesterday was Global Recycling Day! Go beyond sorting your bins and look for items made with 100% post-consumer materials.
Inspired by the majestic Sierra Nevada, each one of our Go Anywhere Puffy Blankets recycles 60 plastic water bottles!
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Rip and stain-resistant, puffy blankets are perfect for camping, picnics or snuggling up on the couch. Grab yours today!
All proceeds benefit our efforts to Keep Tahoe Blue.
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Start blocking off time on your calendar to attend the League's upcoming events.
We can't wait to see you!
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Our efforts to Keep Tahoe Blue depend on the generosity of our members and supporters. Thank you for donating to protect Lake Tahoe. |
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