Aug 21, 2026
By Hayley Williamson and Vince Hoenigman
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board Chair Hayley Williamson and Vice Chair Vince Hoenigman.
Lake Tahoe has many important stories to tell. If it could speak, it could recount its formation millions of years ago, its sculpting by glaciers, how forests and wetlands came to protect its crystal-clear waters, and the centuries of stewardship by the wá∙šiw (Washoe people — the people from here). More recent chapters include environmental damage from logging, grazing, and unmanaged development, which combined to steal some of Lake Tahoe’s famed water clarity.
Today, the story is marked by collaborative efforts to protect and restore its unique environment. From the groundbreaking Bi-State Tahoe Regional Planning Compact in 1969, to science-based environmental thresholds and growth management policies in the 1980s, Lake Tahoe has become an international leader in conservation. Each key milestone has been connected to the next by consensus-building, commitment, and a shared passion for Lake Tahoe.
Central to these achievements is the health and clarity of Lake Tahoe. However, by the 1990s, despite having one of the most comprehensive regulatory frameworks in the nation, the lake’s clarity continued to decline. Most of the harm to Lake Tahoe’s environment had already occurred. Critical lake-filtering wetlands had been filled in, polluted stormwater flowed to the lake, wildfire threatened our forests and communities, and car-centric town centers offered few transportation options.
Then came the first Tahoe Summit in 1997. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and myriad public and private sector partners launched an epic collaboration called the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, or EIP. At the 30th annual summit earlier this week, Congressional leaders and many stalwart protectors of Lake Tahoe gathered to recognize the remarkable work of federal, state, regional, and local agencies, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, scientists, nonprofits, and the private sector, who have delivered more than 900 lake-saving projects over the last three decades.
Now more than 80 partners strong, Team Tahoe has become one of the most successful restoration programs in the nation. Partners have treated more than 102,000 acres of forest, made improvements and new connections on 210 miles of bike trails, restored more than 1,100 acres of wetlands, and completed erosion and stormwater improvements on nearly 840 miles of roadway to protect the lake’s clarity. Under the EIP, water quality partners have kept millions of pounds of fine sediment out of the lake and clarity has stabilized.
Neither restoration nor regulation stands on their own at Lake Tahoe. The success of conservation can be measured partly by what was never built. TRPA halted new subdivisions, freeways, a bridge over Emerald Bay, and plans for a city the size of San Francisco in the basin and protected wetlands from new development. Rampant growth has been replaced by careful planning and incentives for environmental redevelopment and more affordable housing. The EIP was the missing link in the continuous chain of work to protect and restore the lake.
More recently, Team Tahoe has mobilized to confront emerging threats to the basin. TRPA and our partners are fighting aquatic invasive species through a nationally recognized watercraft inspection program. Partners are improving transportation and safety in recreation corridors like Nevada’s East Shore and California’s Emerald Bay. Forest and fire agencies are increasing the pace and scale of fuel reduction projects and prioritizing fuel breaks along evacuation routes to improve safety.
Additionally, new research is coming forward to better understand the drivers of lake clarity. While annual clarity measurements are stable overall, averaging 69 feet last year, the goal is for clarity to return to its historic average of nearly 100 feet. The Tahoe Science Advisory Council is coordinating research into the continuing trend of relatively low clarity in summer months. With so many watershed restoration projects happening, it is imperative that we understand the roles that warming temperatures, invasive species, and more extreme weather events may have on Tahoe’s world-renowned clarity.
In Lake Tahoe’s current chapter, it remains one of the clearest lakes on Earth—not by accident, but because of decades of coordinated action. Although our work is far from over, we can feel proud of what Team Tahoe has accomplished to protect this national treasure.
As the Tahoe Basin celebrates 30 years of progress under the EIP, we must recognize the crucial role that residents, businesses, policymakers, and visitors all have in sustaining Tahoe’s future. Many thanks go to our dedicated congressional delegation, state officials, and local government representatives who have fought tirelessly for funding for Lake Tahoe. We encourage you to visit restoretahoe.org to see Team Tahoe at work and explore some of the landmark projects in your backyard.
Hayley Williamson is Chair of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board and Nevada At-Large Board Member. Vince Hoenigman is Vice Chair and California Governor’s Appointee.
Aug 14, 2026
Photo by Drone Promotions.
The first Tahoe Summit brought international attention to Lake Tahoe, highlighting both its beauty and the imminent threats to the region’s environment and communities. Watch this video to learn more about how 30 years ago, the Tahoe Summit turned urgency into action, laying the groundwork for the creation of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program.
Aug 11, 2026
In this special issue of Tahoe In Depth, we review 30 years of progress under the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, which was launched in 1997 to coincide with the first Presidential Lake Tahoe Summit. This year, Lake Tahoe is celebrating both the 30th anniversary of the Environmental Improvement Program and the 30th annual Lake Tahoe Summit.
This issue looks at three decades of collaborative conservation projects that are protecting lake clarity, improving forest health, preventing aquatic invasive species, and remaking Tahoe’s transportation systems. Read about the EIP, Team Tahoe, and how projects that never came to be have become part of Lake Tahoe’s conservation success story.
Aug 6, 2026
Granite boulders under the clear blue to emerald waters along the eastern shore. USA, Nevada, Washoe County, Lake Tahoe.
Contacts:
Renzo Olivari
Communications Director
Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
[email protected]
(703) 508-0429
Jeff Cowen
Public Information Officer
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
[email protected]
(775) 589-5278
LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. – U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) will host the 30th annual Lake Tahoe Summit on August 19 at Sand Harbor Nevada State Park from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration for in-person attendance is sold out. Registration is open to join via the livestream.
Sen. Rosen will be joined on stage by Nevada and California Senators, Governors, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, and members of Congress representing Lake Tahoe, with a keynote address by Lake Tahoe resident and world-renowned rock climber Tommy Caldwell.
The first Tahoe Summit in 1997 brought international attention to Lake Tahoe, highlighting both its beauty and the imminent threats to the region’s environment and communities. The summit turned urgency into action, laying the groundwork for the creation of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, or EIP. Thirty years later, EIP partners have implemented more than 900 lake-saving projects that protect water quality, reduce wildfire risk, restore ecosystems, and support sustainable recreation.
“Lake Tahoe is a stunning natural landmark, bringing thousands of visitors to our state each year and supporting countless jobs,” said Senator Rosen. “The annual Tahoe Summit fosters discussions around responsible stewardship and community engagement to keep the Tahoe Basin pristine for generations to come. I’m honored to be hosting the 30th annual summit as we look back on all we’ve done to support sustainable outdoor recreation and local tourism throughout the region.”
The EIP has a proven track record of bringing public and private partners together to deliver big results for Lake Tahoe. Rooted in the Bi-State Compact between Nevada and California and led by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, this cross-boundary restoration partnership is a national model for bipartisan collaboration.
For more information about the EIP, visit restoretahoe.org.
For all event information visit tahoesummit.org.
For pre-registered, in-person attendees, check-in opens at 8:30 a.m. There is no public parking available at Sand Harbor State Park. Attendees must take the free shuttle from Diamond Peak Ski Resort at 1210 Ski Way, Incline Village, Nev., or arrive by biking or walking the East Shore Tahoe Trail from Incline Village.
Attendees are encouraged to visit the EIP booth fair before or after the summit program to meet local agency and non-profit staff, learn about environmental projects, and explore opportunities to get involved in stewardship efforts across the Tahoe Basin.
###
United States Senator Jacky Rosen is committed to working with both parties to deliver for Nevada’s hardworking families. She is fighting for all Nevadans by being an independent voice who brings people together to find commonsense, bipartisan solutions for the state.
The Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP) is a partnership of more than 80 organizations working together to protect Lake Tahoe’s famed clarity, forests, and communities. Since 1997, EIP projects have restored watersheds, reduced wildfire risk, improved recreation access, and advanced science-based solutions, ensuring Tahoe remains a national treasure for generations to come.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency leads the cooperative effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region, while improving local communities and people’s interactions with our irreplaceable environment.
Jul 17, 2026
By Julie W. Regan
There are rare occasions when the stars align to make the impossible possible. And even rarer when the stars collide to change the course of history. Thirty years ago, Lake Tahoe’s legendary clarity was declining, forests were overstocked and unhealthy, and the challenges facing the basin were too large for any single entity to tackle alone. Then came a moment that changed everything. The first Tahoe Summit cemented a budding partnership to restore Lake Tahoe’s fragile environment. Now, in its 30th year, the event stands as a major milestone for the lake, our communities, and for everyone committed to protecting this special place.
As a young professional in 1997, the first Tahoe Summit, called the Presidential Forum at the time, was a spectacle unlike anything I’d ever seen. Two legendary stars of the United States Senate, Harry Reid of Nevada and Dianne Feinstein of California, brought national attention to the issues facing the basin.
I watched President Bill Clinton, flanked by Vice President Al Gore and myriad officials, sign an executive order that changed the course of conservation at Tahoe. The order reaffirmed the federal commitment to protect Lake Tahoe and prioritized funding to support a sweeping plan to improve Lake Tahoe’s declining water clarity, restore our unhealthy forests, revamp the transportation system, and revitalize our communities.
It wasn’t just Clinton and Gore who electrified the day. Every member of Lake Tahoe’s congressional delegation, partners from local, state, Tribal, and federal agencies, and community leaders from throughout the Tahoe Basin had come together with a shared purpose—to save the lake.
Creation of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) by Nevada and California in 1969 had stopped runaway growth and set some of the strongest environmental standards in the nation. But by the 1990s, past environmental damage had lake clarity in free fall.
But the stars aligned during that period for Tahoe Basin leaders to reach consensus that bold action was needed. Following that historic gathering, partners came together to launch the Environmental Improvement Program, or EIP—a multi-sector partnership that united public agencies, private organizations, and communities to invest in hundreds of critical restoration projects and strengthen federal support for a watershed of nearly 80 percent national forest lands.
The 1997 Tahoe Summit also led to key legislation like the federal Lake Tahoe Restoration Act which has provided major funding support for more than 900 projects to restore and enhance Lake Tahoe and its communities. Rooted in public-private partnerships, bipartisan support for the EIP continues to be a hallmark of the program and a key theme at every Summit since.
Today, the EIP has grown to include more than 80 organizations working collaboratively to achieve broad environmental goals. Senator Feinstein came to refer to us as “Team Tahoe”—a partnership that has become one of the most successful environmental restoration programs in the nation.
If you’ve been in Tahoe for any length of time, it’s easy to forget how much we’ve accomplished over the last three decades. Partners have added or improved more than 210 miles of bike trails, thinned 102,000 acres of forest, made erosion control and stormwater improvements to nearly 840 miles of roadway, and restored or enhanced more than 1,100 acres of wetlands. In addition, public agencies and private property owners are keeping more than 500,000 pounds of clarity-reducing pollutants out of the lake every year through stormwater improvements.
We’re highlighting this progress with a collection of stories to celebrate the partnerships, innovation, and unlikely collaborations that have shaped our shared efforts to improve the health of the Tahoe Basin. Follow along at #30YearsoftheTahoeSummit.
But the work is far from over. Since its inception, a guiding goal of the EIP has been to restore the lake’s historic clarity of nearly 100 feet—a north star that continues to shape restoration work across the basin. From wetlands and forests to streams and shorelines, partners are working together to protect the lake while adapting to emerging threats, including aquatic invasive species, prolonged drought, extreme weather, and wildfire.
As we approach the 30th annual Tahoe Summit in August, the Tahoe Region has much to celebrate, and even more to fight for. We’ll build on the foundation created over the past three decades with Team Tahoe and our communities continuing to advance science-based solutions, hands-on work, and powerful investments for Lake Tahoe’s future.
Learn more about the Tahoe Summit and the Environmental Improvement Program at restoretahoe.org.
Protecting Tahoe has always been a shared responsibility, and we’ll continue reaching for the stars for generations to come. Together for Tahoe.
Julie W. Regan is Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
Jul 14, 2026
Tahoe Bike Month Sets New Records
Annual event showcases growing commitment to sustainable transportation
LAKE TAHOE, NV/CA –
The 21st Annual Tahoe Bike Month reached new milestones this June, with record participation demonstrating the Lake Tahoe community’s continued commitment to biking for sustainable transportation.
Organized by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition, Tahoe Bike Month celebrates bicycling as a healthy, fun, and environmentally friendly way to get around the basin. Through community events and a friendly competition, participants are encouraged to choose bikes for everyday trips whenever possible. Every ride helps reduce vehicle emissions, ease traffic congestion, support cleaner air and water, and advance a safer, more connected network of biking routes throughout the region.
Bike to Work Day highlights how active transportation choices can reduce emissions, support healthier communities, and help protect the Tahoe Basin. Photo by: TRPA
This year, 547 riders participated in Tahoe Bike Month, completing 12,792 rides and traveling 95,591 miles—the equivalent of 1,327 trips around Lake Tahoe. Riders also climbed a combined 6,461,154 feet of elevation throughout the month.
Participation increased by 7 percent over last year, marking the highest engagement in the event’s 21-year history.
“Year over year, Tahoe Bike Month continues to grow,” said Kira Richardson, senior transportation planner at TRPA. “It’s exciting to see the community and our partners embrace biking as a sustainable way to get around the basin.”
The month-long celebration is part of broader regional efforts to expand transportation choices, reduce reliance on single-occupancy vehicles, and support a healthier, more connected Lake Tahoe. Safe biking routes, improved trails, and multimodal transportation options help residents and visitors experience the basin while reducing impacts on the environment.
Participants tracked their rides on TahoeBikeMonth.org, competing for prizes donated by local businesses. Notable achievements included:
- Top Team: Ctrl-Alt-Elite earned 172 points.
- Most Rides: Tahoe Billy completed 288 rides.
- Elevation Leader: Robert Larsen climbed 95,542 feet.
- Distance Champion: August Sewell logged 1,391 miles.
- Biggest Ride: Druin Roberts tackled a 164-mile ride with 15,495 feet of climbing.
- Daily Riders: 47 participants biked every day in June.
“It’s always so fun to get out on the trail and see so many people riding bikes,” said Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition President Nick Speal. “Each ride that replaces a car trip is one step closer to a more connected and sustainable Lake Tahoe.”
Tahoe Bike Month is made possible through the support of regional sponsors and community partners who help encourage biking throughout the basin:
Biking helps reduce vehicle emissions, ease traffic congestion, support cleaner air and water, and advance a safer, more connected network of biking routes throughout the region. Photo by: TRPA
Outdoor Gear Lab, Northstar California Resort, South Shore Bikes, South Lake E-Bikes, PT Revolution, BioSpirit Spa, Keep Tahoe Blue, Blue Granite Climbing Gym, Tahoe Gear Exchange, Tahoe Brewfest, Visit Lake Tahoe, South Lake Brewing Co., Elevate Wellness Center, Sonney’s BBQ Shack, Lake Tahoe AleWorx, Cascade Kitchens, Three Pines Coffee Co., Natural Grocers, South Tahoe Refuse, and Shoreline Tahoe.
As summer continues, organizers encourage the community to keep the momentum going by biking, walking, or riding public transit. Learn more about sustainable travel in Tahoe at LinkingTahoe.com and explore the interactive bike map at map.tahoebike.org.
Tahoe Bike Month will return in June 2027.
###
With a mission to help Tahoe become more bicycle-friendly, the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition is an all-volunteer organization dedicated to promoting bicycling, bike events, and new bicycle infrastructure such as bike paths and bike lanes throughout the Tahoe region. Learn more at tahoebike.org.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency leads the cooperative effort to preserve, restore, and enhance the unique natural and human environment of the Lake Tahoe Region, while improving local communities and people’s interactions with our irreplaceable environment. Learn more at trpa.gov.
