Dec 13, 2024
By Cindy Gustafson
This December marks a significant milestone for the Lake Tahoe Region. Fifty-five years ago this month, a unique interstate compact between the states of California and Nevada became law, creating the nation’s first bi-state environmental planning agency. I have had the honor of serving on the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board for more than four years, and as Board Chair for the last two. As an elected Placer County Supervisor, it has been my pleasure to represent not only Placer County in this role, but to also take part in TRPA’s legacy of protecting the lake that has been my home for more than 40 years.
The signing of the Bi-State Tahoe Regional Planning Compact began a lasting partnership among local governing bodies, federal, state and Tribal entities, and the public. The creation of TRPA launched a decades-long transformation of this region into a place where communities can thrive in harmony with the incredible natural resources Lake Tahoe has to offer. Although the bi-state partnership is now more than half a century old, progress is showing no signs of slowing and this year has been a remarkable one.
We saw the historic reauthorization of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act by Congress this year, which extends Tahoe’s access to more than $300 million in federal support for restoration projects under the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program. Other large grants brought new funding to help complete the East Shore Trail from Sand Harbor to Spooner Summit, support the aquatic invasive species watercraft inspection program, and help law enforcement and fire agencies coordinate regional evacuation plans and address the vulnerability of emergency response infrastructure.
In March, the California Tahoe Conservancy announced a landmark acquisition of 31 acres of meadow and marsh along on the Upper Truckee River in South Lake Tahoe. The Conservancy plans to remove multiple 1970s-era buildings from the property to restore wetland habitat, improve lake clarity, and increase public access. TRPA provided nearly $3.5 million toward the acquisition in permit mitigation fees reserved for exactly this kind of project.
TRPA also underscored its commitment to Lake Tahoe’s workers by successfully defending new affordable housing policies that were challenged in court. The swift end of the litigation allowed a range of incentives to come forward that will lower the cost for private landowners to build much-needed affordable and workforce housing in the region. With those changes, we could see more projects come forward like the 248-unit Sugar Pine Village affordable housing project in South Lake Tahoe that opened its first 68 units this fall to great fanfare.
The fight to protect Lake Tahoe from aquatic invasive species got several big boosts this year. Positive results were recorded from the Taylor-Tallac marsh aquatic invasive weed control project on the South Shore as well as the completion of the three-year Tahoe Keys Control Methods Test. The watercraft inspection program also secured a site for a permanent watercraft inspection station site at the southern gateway to the Tahoe Basin in Meyers, Calif.
In the critical area of transportation, TRPA broke new ground with adoption of the Vision Zero safety strategy that seeks to eliminate all traffic fatalities and serious injuries in the Lake Tahoe Region. Fare-free transit and microtransit services have grown steadily as well. The TART microtransit service on North Shore celebrated its 1-millionth ride this year, and on South Shore, Lake Link microtransit and Tahoe Transportation District buses both expanded their service areas to connect more of the community to recreation, work, and essential services with free transportation.
Much has been accomplished under the collaborative framework pioneered by our two states, but we know there is much more to do and TRPA is forging ahead. Lake Tahoe deserves our unwavering dedication to its protection and restoration.
I want to thank my fellow TRPA Governing Board members for their service to Lake Tahoe and for consistently providing thoughtful and varied viewpoints. The states were intentional in structuring the 15-member board with local, state, and federal representatives. Lake Tahoe’s importance goes beyond the lines on a map or the interests of only a few. I hope we all continue to work together in keeping with the spirit of partnership and collaboration established 55 years ago.
I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and continued progress for Lake Tahoe in the coming year.
Cindy Gustafson is Chair of the TRPA Governing Board and District 5 Supervisor for Placer County.
Nov 16, 2024
By Julie Regan
As we head into the holidays, the annual season of reflection has a new twist this year with the results of national and local elections still reverberating. No matter where you landed on various races, one constant continues to shine through – Lake Tahoe transcends politics or any single election cycle. It’s important during divisive times to lean into what unites us at Tahoe – a love for the lake, our communities, and the passion to protect this special place.
Thanksgiving is around the corner, so let’s begin with serious gratitude for the volunteer poll workers and officials who stepped up to protect the integrity of our elections and expertly managed our local polling locations. We can never take for granted this dedication to democracy.
In case you were focusing on other results, I wanted to make sure you saw that California voters approved a climate bond, Proposition 4, which will direct $10 billion into environmentally beneficial projects. Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program partners including the California Tahoe Conservancy could receive upwards of $50 million to support critical forest thinning and climate resilience projects as well as parks and outdoor recreation access. Forty percent of the bond money will be directed to disadvantaged communities, which complements our affordable housing and transportation equity initiatives.
During every election cycle, paths of opportunity are opened by transition and change. Since the governors of two very different states reached across the lake nearly 55 years ago to sign a groundbreaking bi-state compact, the mission to protect Lake Tahoe has transcended differences. That spirit of collaboration and partnership continues to connect organizations, communities, and people here and across the nation. Since it was first held in 1997, the annual Lake Tahoe Summit has brought together U.S. Presidents, members of congress, international ambassadors, and state, Tribal, and local leaders to strengthen the shared sense of stewardship that resonates through us all.
The recent passage of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act Reauthorization embodies the Team Tahoe spirit of collaboration. Since 2016, this key piece of legislation has provided more than $110 million in federal support for Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program projects. Those funds have leveraged more than $500 million in state, local, and private sector investments in projects to reduce forest fuels, prevent and control aquatic invasive species, and restore streams and wetlands. The Environmental Improvement Program has become one of the most successful restoration programs in the nation in part because of the bi-state, bi-partisan, and bi-cameral support that has been a hallmark of the program.
Our shared stewardship becomes clear when we stop to reflect on each contribution. Watercraft inspectors protecting the lake from aquatic invasive species, homeowners implementing water quality and defensible space measures, street sweepers taking fine sediment and other pollutants off our roads, and underground utility crews replacing aging sewer lines and upgrading water supply lines for fire suppression are connected by their care for the lake.
We can be especially grateful for the fire crews, forestry workers, and Washoe Tribal members who are working to improve the safety and health of Lake Tahoe’s forests. Prescribed fire operations throughout the Tahoe Basin this year have helped land managers catch up on a backlog of burn piles and enhance earlier fuel reduction projects with low-intensity fires to manage brush and downed trees. The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California are also working with environmental partners to reintroduce cultural burning practices in tandem with modern land management techniques. An interagency training with Tribal members this Fall at Lake Tahoe provided a unique opportunity to share practices to protect the natural resources that hold deep cultural importance for the Washoe people.
As a fresh dusting of snow brushes the mountain tops of our treasured basin, I’m reminded how fortunate we are to live, work, and play in such an amazing place. When it comes to Lake Tahoe, we truly are all for one and one for all.
Julie Regan is Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
Oct 18, 2024
Image: California State Parks 60-acre understory burning operation in Burton Creek State Park, Fall 2023. Credit: Rich Adams, California State Parks
By Julie Regan
Tahoe forests are currently glowing with vibrant fall colors even as smoke lingers above the lake from prescribed fire operations. The traits of a healthy forest are integral to the way we experience this incredible place. They are also fundamental to the overall health of the watershed, the safety of our communities, and our region’s resilience to climate change.
Last week I had the honor of joining several members of Team Tahoe to speak at the California Wildfire and Resilience Task Force conference on Tahoe’s South Shore. More than 500 fire and resource managers met here to discuss the latest science and strategies to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire.
Restoring forest health is a major priority for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and our partners on the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team. Following the Angora Fire in 2007, TRPA helped bring fire and forest management agencies together to increase the pace of forest fuel reduction projects, streamline permit processes, and prioritize new funding sources. The Angora Fire was a wakeup call for the Tahoe Basin. Although it was relatively small by today’s standards, the 3,100-acre fire destroyed more than 250 homes along Angora Ridge on the South Shore.
Since then, Team Tahoe has made progress. The 21-member Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team has treated more than 72,000 acres for fuel reduction, which includes pile-burning on nearly 31,000 acres to remove dead and downed material collected by hand crews. Our homes and neighborhoods are just as important. Fire professionals have conducted more than 70,000 defensible space inspections on private properties and more than 75 neighborhoods have joined the Tahoe Network of Fire Adapted Communities.
As promising as this is, we recognize that the far-reaching impacts of climate change will continue to test our combined strength. Despite recent winters, our region is in a historic mega drought. Many of Tahoe’s mountainsides bear the signs, not only from wildfire scars, but also with trees turned brown by bark beetle infestations that healthy trees can normally withstand.
The 2021 Caldor Fire was proof that we are in the age of megafires. The Caldor burned more than 221,000 acres and stunned us all when it crossed over the granite crest of the Sierra Nevada and entered the south end of the Tahoe Basin. The night the fire descended into Christmas Valley, firefighters were aided by a change in the weather, defensible space around homes, and fuel reduction projects that had been completed in the area since the Angora fire. Ultimately, the combined efforts of many helped save Lake Tahoe and not a single home in the basin was lost.
My home in Christmas Valley was among the thousands spared that night. It put the work we are doing into a new light for me. I am not only proud of our partnerships, I am also deeply committed to helping expand the invaluable work of the Tahoe Fire and Fuels Team to protect the lake and safeguard our communities.
Image: Lake Tahoe forest health projects were a topic of discussion at the October 7 conference in South Shore. Past treatment areas inside the permitter of the Caldor Fire, shown in green, reduced the intensity of the fire and helped firefighters protect communities. Credit: California Natural Resources Agency
In support of this continued progress, Lake Tahoe received excellent news earlier this month. Congress has reauthorized the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, which extends existing funding authorizations from the 2016 law for another 10 years. The approval opens up approximately $300 million in federal investment for forest fuel reduction work, upgrades to water supply systems for fire suppression, wetland restoration, and aquatic invasive species prevention and control projects.
TRPA is also helping fire and emergency management agencies coordinating on emergency evacuation planning. The Tahoe Basin was awarded a $1.7-million federal PROTECT grant for regional evacuation planning and to address wildfire and extreme weather vulnerabilities in our transportation and communication infrastructure.
In the heart of autumn, crews are still at work reducing forest fuels, creating clearance in power line corridors, and reintroducing prescribed fire to the landscape much like the native Washoe did for centuries. As the nation observed Indigenous People’s Day earlier this week, the light layer of smoke from a prescribed fire on West Shore seemed fitting.
The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California hosted its first intentional fire training at Lake Tahoe earlier this month with forest managers and non-profits. The training was part of a broader interagency initiative to blend Indigenous knowledge with modern techniques to reintroduce cultural burning practices on Washoe lands.
Whether you are a resident, Tribal member, neighborhood leader, or visitor, you can help restore the forest and keep communities safe. Visit tahoelivingwithfire.com to learn more.
Julie Regan is Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
Sep 20, 2024
By Julie Regan
More than a decade ago, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) needed to bring the basin together to gain consensus on environmental priorities and the sustainability of our communities. Through the Regional Plan Update, thousands of community members collaborated on a unified vision for the future of Lake Tahoe. Major strides in environmental improvement have been achieved from all sectors since.
Today, there is region-wide consensus that housing and transportation are among the greatest issues of our time. The severe decline of affordable housing options in the Lake Tahoe Region is affecting environmental quality and the vibrancy of our communities. Safe, thriving communities help provide the infrastructure, workforce, and investment needed to ensure Lake Tahoe’s built environment supports a sustainable natural environment. A common topic in the public discourse around housing is that transportation solutions are integral to good housing solutions.
It is estimated that more than 40 percent of Tahoe’s workers commute from outside the basin. A Placer County study estimated the average worker living outside the Tahoe/Eastern Placer area travels nearly 40 miles each way for work, or roughly 80 miles daily. The result is more harmful vehicle emissions in the basin, and on peak days Tahoe’s two-lane roads are often congested with commuters, residents, and visitors alike which can impede transit and create unsafe conditions for cyclists and walkers. Meanwhile, workers and families who would rather live in the basin aren’t able to support local businesses and enjoy the quality of life that many take for granted.
TRPA is leveraging regional land use policies and the growth management system to connect Lake Tahoe through affordable housing. Bringing residents and workers closer to town centers is fundamental to successful transit and safe, walkable communities. New affordable housing policies adopted by TRPA since 2021 have focused on creating a more compact development footprint in Lake Tahoe’s town centers with a mix of uses close to transit and services, including more deed-restricted workforce housing. Slight increases in density in these areas promotes housing for local workers while maintaining regional caps on new development and advancing environmental improvements that protect lake clarity.
Not only can these changes increase the availability of affordable housing, they are fundamental to getting people out of their cars and improving access and mobility, especially for underrepresented communities. The Regional Transportation Plan aligns town center improvements with continued investments in transit, trails, and technology.
TRPA also shares the community’s concerns around emergency response and evacuation preparedness and the agency is assisting fire and law enforcement agencies with coordinated evacuation planning. The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded Tahoe with a $1.7 million grant to help emergency responders and transportation agencies address vulnerabilities in Lake Tahoe’s transportation system and communications infrastructure in the face of more wildfires and extreme weather events. It is critical that public agencies and community-based groups work together to ensure we are prepared for integrated and safe evacuation during emergencies.
Project by project, there has been significant progress in the basin. Even before new housing policies came online, TRPA approved 250 deed-restricted affordable housing units in the basin. Currently, more than 300 units of deed-restricted low-income and student housing are under construction and the agency has issued 34 permits for new accessory dwelling units on residential parcels region-wide. In transportation, since 1997, nearly 200 miles of trails have been constructed or improved, partners have finished 17 complete street projects, and free-to-the user transit and microtransit are reaching more residents and visitors than ever before.
But Tahoe’s future relies on a comprehensive approach that changes the pattern of past development. Through the Connections 2050 plan, TRPA is updating the shared vision for regional transportation with a particular focus on equity, walkability, town center revitalization, and managing Tahoe’s recreation corridors. Our Governing Board will be considering this important plan update in 2025. Meanwhile, through our Cultivating Community housing initiative, we are modernizing land use policies and establishing long-term, two-way engagement between agencies and the public with an emphasis on priority communities. At the first community workshop on the South Shore last week, TRPA planners listened to many compelling stories as well as great ideas to address housing issues, and a North Shore workshop is scheduled for October 7 in Kings Beach.
Looking back over the last decade of progress under the Regional Plan, it’s clear that when our mountain community pulls together, we can rise to any challenge. Go to tahoeliving.org to become a voice for equitable solutions to workforce housing in the Tahoe Basin and to share your priorities for mobility improvements, visit trpa.gov/connections2050.
Julie Regan is Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
Aug 16, 2024
Governing Board Vice Chair Hayley Williamson, Nevada At-Large Member
Governing Board Chair Cindy Gustafson, Placer County Board of Supervisors
By Cindy Gustafson and Hayley Williamson
Earlier this week, members of Lake Tahoe’s federal delegation, led by U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev), gathered with community members, Washoe tribal members, and state and local leaders to mark the 28th annual Lake Tahoe Summit. Their presence, along with a keynote address by U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, provided an uplifting moment that recognized the success of the conservation of Lake Tahoe. The annual event additionally underscored ongoing challenges in the region and the need for sustainable funding to support multiple initiatives.
The Summit celebrates the unparalleled partnership that underpins the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP), which came together at the first Lake Tahoe Presidential Summit in 1997. Today, the EIP involves more than 80 organizations committed to Lake Tahoe’s restoration with the goal of preserving this special place for all to enjoy now and into the future. While the event shines a national spotlight on all conservation efforts, the theme this year focused on investing in transit, trails, and technology to improve transportation, equity, and sustainable recreation while supporting our communities.
It was empowering to hear so many leaders echo support for priority projects in the Regional Transportation Plan. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is leading an update of the plan this year with many opportunities for dialogue in our communities, particularly those that are traditionally underrepresented. Through the EIP, regional transportation partners have built or improved nearly 200 miles of bike trails and finished 17 complete street projects. Free, on-demand microtransit services have provided well over one million rides to date. These are just some of the investments that have resulted in a 29 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions since 2005 and a 24 percent reduction in car trips since 2008.
The challenges around updating the car-centric design of town centers and reducing traffic and parking on Tahoe’s two-lane mountain roads are clear. Demand on our roadways and recreation areas is undergoing a fundamental shift. America’s love of the outdoors has been rising and metropolitan areas outside the Tahoe Basin are growing. Today, Lake Tahoe’s most popular recreation corridors are congested on peak days. To keep pace, TRPA Corridor Management Plans are prioritizing transportation and sustainable recreation improvements for areas like Emerald Bay, Zephyr Cove, Sand Harbor, and the roadways that connect Tahoe City, Truckee, and Kings Beach.
The new approach is holistically reducing reliance on cars, improving access and mobility with bike trails and transit, and moving roadside parking spaces into managed parking areas. At the Chimney Beach trailhead on Nevada State Route 28, the USDA Forest Service is improving an existing parking lot with more than 100 additional parking spaces while an equal number of roadside spaces are being removed. Similar improvements at Zephyr Cove this summer have greatly increased safety with a new pedestrian crosswalk, a parking reservation system, and additional parking enforcement.
This year alone, more than $33 million in new federal grants have been awarded for the East Shore trail extension from Sand Harbor toward Spooner Summit along Nevada State Route 28, to replace Tahoe’s aging transit fleet with new hybrid bus technology, and to improve regional communications systems during emergencies and assist evacuation planning. Even with this progress, significant transit and infrastructure investments are needed to achieve our shared vision for a safe, sustainable Tahoe. State and local governments and the private sector are stepping up as well with sustainable sources of revenue to bridge the funding gap in the Regional Transportation Plan. Under a shared, multi-sector funding framework called the “7-7-7” strategy, federal, state, and local/private partners are providing $7 million per year to complete the projects called for in the plan.
Officials from both sides of the aisle during the Summit (full recording) also stressed the importance of extending the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act. The bill has appropriated $100 million for Tahoe restoration projects since 2016. The Act is set to expire next month and awaits a final vote for reauthorization in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Taking care of Tahoe is something that brings people together. This beloved lake is not only a place where people and communities can thrive, it is also the jewel of the Sierra, shared by two states and six local governments. Further, it is the center of the world for the Washoe Tribe and a national treasure that is nearly 80 percent national forest. Every one of us has a role to play in protecting Lake Tahoe and we hope you can join us. Visit restoretahoe.org to learn more.
Cindy Gustafson is Chair of the TRPA Governing Board and District 5 Supervisor for Placer County. Hayley Williamson is Vice Chair and Nevada At-Large member of the TRPA Governing Board.
Jul 18, 2024
By Julie Regan
As beautiful and majestic as Lake Tahoe is, it is also fragile. Even slight changes in the ecosystem can have domino effects, such as the cross-cutting threats of aquatic invasive species, algae growth, and damage to native habitat. And global forces are affecting our treasured lake. Scientists report that Lake Tahoe’s average temperature has risen 1.4 degrees in just the last 50 years. Longer periods of drought and low water levels are expected to exacerbate water quality concerns and increase threats to Lake Tahoe’s pristine ecosystem.
Reports on social media over the Fourth of July weekend of possible harmful algal blooms in Lake Tahoe raised concerns about this very issue. Water quality agencies announced earlier this week that all tests for harmful algae in the lake have come back negative, with one test from a backwater pond at Nevada Beach showing low levels of toxins. Site managers are taking appropriate steps to cordon off the area and the concerns have been largely diffused, but the stories raised the specter of unhealthy, unnatural conditions in Lake Tahoe.
Like the bacteria that cause harmful algal blooms, invasive species already in Lake Tahoe such as Asian clam, Eurasian watermilfoil, and curlyleaf pondweed thrive in warmer waters. They can outcompete native species, disrupting the lake’s natural balance in ways that are difficult or impossible to reverse. Invasive plants, for example, release nutrients as they decay which becomes a self-sustaining food source and they can also harbor other invasive species such as non-native fish.
The potential economic impact of invasive species to recreation, tourism, and infrastructure like water supply systems could be as high as $42 million per year, not including the cost of watercraft inspections, control projects, and monitoring. In 2008, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Tahoe Resource Conservation District recognized the importance of early intervention and prevention by creating one of the first fully mandatory watercraft inspection programs in the nation. Under the banner of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, or EIP, more than 113,000 boats have been inspected or decontaminated since 2008 and the program is considered a national model for prevention.
People often focus on actions toward invasive species, but we must also remember the ultimate goal is to protect and support the lake’s natural biodiversity, which is much more than flora and fauna. Restoration and protection also create space for the resurgence of Washoe Tribal heritage. The native Lahontan cutthroat trout that are central to the Washoe way of life have been lost from Lake Tahoe for more than a century.
Lahontan cutthroat trout recovery and many invasive species projects received good news earlier this year. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded $3.4 million in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to significantly boost our efforts. TRPA joined Team Tahoe in championing and securing this important funding. These dollars will help construct the first permanent watercraft inspection station at Lake Tahoe and Washoe Tribe priorities including cutthroat reintroduction and habitat restoration projects at Máyala Wáta (Meeks Bay and Creek) in partnership with the USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit.
The funding will also help the Washoe improve aquatic invasive species prevention at Meeks Bay Resort, which the Tribe manages. TRPA will be able to purchase and train staff on a new piece of equipment that helps non-motorized recreators clean, drain, and dry their equipment, and dispose of any mud or plants before launching or leaving for other areas. Called CD3 machines, the mobile, solar-powered stations provide a location for paddlers and beachgoers to learn about becoming a Tahoe Keeper while they decontaminate their craft.
Tahoe Keepers are informed paddlers who understand how to clean, drain, and dry their watercraft and gear before and after launching in Tahoe regional waterbodies. Over 7,000 people have participated in the free, online training which is available this year in English and Spanish. If you are a Tahoe Keeper, thank you! I encourage everyone to go through the 10-question certification as we have a new video tutorial and protocols regarding the recent detection of invasive New Zealand mudsnails in areas of the South Shore. New protocols must be followed to contain the tiny invasive snail and protect other lakes in the region as well as other parts of Lake Tahoe. Learn more at tahoekeepers.org.
Protecting Lake Tahoe from aquatic invasive species requires a unified effort from all of us. It calls for continued research, increased funding, and cultivating a spirit of stewardship among all who live and visit here. We are all here for the lake, so let’s protect it!
Julie Regan is Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
