Tahoe Summit Spotlights ­­Transportation

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.

Team Tahoe Battling Aquatic Invasive Species

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.