Oct 7, 2026
Slider image credit: Erika Veidis
LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. — The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is leading a new Trees to Transit project that kicked off last week with a hands-on tree milling demonstration at the Lake Tahoe Community College (LTCC) for local students that will provide the materials to build a new bus shelter on the South Shore, planned for next year.
Experts from Cody’s Tree Service prepare South Tahoe High Career Technical Education students for a tree-milling demonstration at Lake Tahoe Community College on Oct. 1. Photo by Thea Schwartz
The project aims to integrate forest health and wildfire mitigation, local wood utilization, workforce development, and public transportation, according to the agency.
More than 100 high school and community college students took part in the milling demonstration by Cody’s Tree Service at LTCC last Thursday. Participants got to see firsthand how trees can become usable lumber and how forest products can be used locally.
“It’s cool to follow the whole process,” one of the Career Technical Education student participants said. “We’re learning about forest health this fall, seeing how the trees are milled, and then we’ll get to build the bus shelter ourselves in the spring. It’s really cool to see how everything connects and know that we’ll take part in turning these trees into something our community can use.”
Trees to Transit brings together TRPA, the Tahoe Wood project, the Tahoe Transportation District (TTD), and local education and industry partners to demonstrate how trees removed through local forest health projects can be used to create community infrastructure. The trees used in Thursday’s milling demonstration came from the future site of LTCC’s Public Safety Training Complex, which will support forestry and wildfire career education programs when it opens next year.
The lumber produced through the demonstration project is planned for a new bus shelter for TTD’s Route 50 in South Lake Tahoe that is to be constructed by students in the South Tahoe High School Construction Career Technical Education program, with installation anticipated in spring 2027.
“This project connects two important needs in the Tahoe Basin,” Kira Richardson, senior transportation planner at TRPA, said. “We have trees being removed as part of forest health work and a need for more transit shelters throughout the basin. Trees to Transit creates a pathway between those two needs, turning locally sourced material into infrastructure that makes taking transit more comfortable and accessible.”
Students got hands-on experience while learning how trees can become usable lumber and how forest products can be used locally. Photo by Thea Schwartz
Bus shelters provide important passenger amenities, including shade in the summer, protection from the elements, increased visibility of transit stops, access to rider information, and greater comfort while waiting for a bus. Though only about 30 percent of TTD bus stops currently have a shelter, and procuring, constructing, and installing a bus shelter can cost more than $100,000, according to TTD.
The goal of Trees to Transit is to help bring more shelters to the regional transit network while supporting forest health projects, career education, and the local economy. The project is funded through California SB 125, which provides funding for transit capital and operational needs.
“We are deeply grateful to the many partners, students, and community members who came together to make the milling demonstration a success,” Richardson added. “This partnership is providing a model for the basin to bring forest management, wood manufacturing, and community infrastructure together.”
The milling demonstration was co-organized by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, Lake Tahoe Community College, South Tahoe High School, Cody’s Tree Service, Sierra Business Council, Tahoe Resource Conservation District, and the Tahoe Wood initiative—a multi-partner project focused on strengthening a local wood economy that advances forest restoration, wildfire risk mitigation, and community resilience across Tahoe. Tahoe Wood receives support from the Tahoe Prosperity Center, Tahoe Earth Institute, Berkeley Wood Lab, and North Tahoe Community Alliance TOT-TBID Dollars at Work program.
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About TRPA
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 the environment. Contact: Public Information Officer Eric Cachinero at (775) 589-5252.
About Tahoe Wood
A collaboration between the Tahoe Prosperity Center, Tahoe Earth Institute, and Berkeley Wood Lab, Tahoe Wood is a Tahoe-based initiative connecting forest restoration with a stronger local wood economy, catalyzing pathways for the trees felled in our backyards to be turned into local products. Tahoe Wood is mapping regional wood supply and demand, identifying opportunities for small-scale manufacturing, supporting entrepreneurs and workforce development, and building partnerships across the forest-products supply chain. Their goal is to help more of the wood removed through forest restoration become useful local products—keeping economic value in the Tahoe region while supporting healthier forests and resilient communities. This project is supported by the North Tahoe Community Alliance‘s TOT-TBID Dollars at Work program, which funds programs and projects that promote community vitality, environmental stewardship, and economic health in North Lake Tahoe. Learn more at tahoeearthinstitute.org/tahoewood. Contact: Erika Veidis, [email protected].
About Tahoe Transportation District
The Tahoe Transportation District (TTD) is a bi-state agency responsible for the management and implementation of safe, environmentally sound, multi-modal transportation projects and programs in the Lake Tahoe Region, including transit operations. TTD leads multi-jurisdictional infrastructure projects to make travel safer, improve access to recreation, and reduce traffic congestion and private car use. TTD focuses on transit’s pivotal role in improving air and water quality because more than 70 percent of the pollutants impacting Lake Tahoe’s clarity come from transportation system and built environment run-off. TTD has delivered numerous projects to help reduce environmental impacts and address the high demand residents and visitors place on the region’s transportation infrastructure, including transit solutions, roadway and safety enhancements, water quality improvements, and pedestrian/cyclist paths. For more information, please visit TahoeTransportation.org. Contact: Public Information Officer Tiara Wasner, [email protected] (775) 589-5504.
Oct 6, 2026
LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) is inviting Lake Tahoe residents, workers, commuters, and visitors to participate in a survey to help create a more resilient transportation system. The information gathered will help partners strengthen Lake Tahoe’s transportation and emergency communications systems during hazardous events.
- Take the survey: trpa.gov/ResilientTransportation
- Participants who complete the survey and provide their contact information may enter to win a $100 Safeway gift card.
Lake Tahoe is increasingly prone to wildfires, severe winter storms, flooding, and landslides, creating challenges for people and the region’s transportation system. The survey asks participants to share how these potential extreme weather events affect their travel, the transportation challenges they experience, and how they prefer to receive information during emergencies.
The project is a key component of Connecting Tahoe: Strengthening Transportation Resilience—a regional transportation resilience and communications planning effort focused on delivering safety and environmental benefits for the Tahoe Region. The resulting plan will help create a safer, more reliable transportation system and support regional partners in emergency response and evacuation. Survey responses will help identify long-term strategies and investments to improve Tahoe’s transportation infrastructure for residents and visitors during a natural disaster.
This project is federally funded through the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program. The final plan is anticipated to be completed in late 2027.
Visit Connecting Tahoe: Strengthening Transportation Resilience to take the survey, learn more about the project, and get involved.
Sep 18, 2026
By Julie W. Regan
If you’ve been around Lake Tahoe for any length of time, you know it should never be taken for granted. Seeing the burst of blue of the lake as you drive over one of the basin’s summits is like stepping into a postcard come to life.
On some days though, driving around Tahoe’s mountain roads can be challenging and sitting in construction traffic frustrating. It helps to remember that transportation in Tahoe is about more than getting from one place to another. What happens on our roads directly affects lake clarity. Stormwater runoff from roadways can carry fine sediment and pollutants into tributaries and ultimately Lake Tahoe. Connected transportation options and projects on the ground ultimately reduce the number of cars on our roads, improve safety, and protect the environment.
Along with the pressure of Tahoe’s popularity, transportation improvements and a more sustainable approach to outdoor recreation are starting to be seen throughout the region. Through the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Team Tahoe partners are helping people enjoy Tahoe without losing what makes it special, especially in Tahoe’s busiest recreation corridors.
In the State Route 89 corridor around Emerald Bay, the Tahoe City-Truckee-Kings Beach triangle, and the State Route 28 corridor on the East Shore, we are seeing better parking management, more transit service and stops, safer pedestrian crossings, and projects to connect, extend, and improve trails.
Local workers and visitors are proving people will opt for a sustainable way to experience Tahoe when given a choice. In 2025, Lake Tahoe transit services combined provided more than 1.2 million rides. This summer, ridership on the new Emerald Bay Shuttle reached nearly 6,000 and the East Shore Express saw its highest ridership ever, providing more than 40,000 free rides in the State Route 28 corridor. Better managed parking and transit reduces congestion and stress and allows residents and visitors to enjoy a picture-perfect day.
Improving Tahoe’s transportation system is a big job and there is more work to be done. Shifting the paradigm of how people get around doesn’t happen overnight, but more pieces and projects fall into place every year. It isn’t just Tahoe’s majestic vistas we shouldn’t take for granted. We can also be grateful for the repaving projects that protect the lake and smooth our roads, the dozens of funding sources Team Tahoe provides, and the projects on the ground that are fulfilling the vision of a safe, reliable, connected transportation system.
You may have grown accustomed to the roundabouts in Kings Beach and Meyers, the Tahoe City bypass, and Complete Streets projects throughout South Lake Tahoe, but these completed transportation improvements exemplify how patience and perseverance pay off.
Let’s make the most of the momentum. If you can, I encourage you to jump on a bus, explore a new trail, and download the transit app at TransitApp.com to see how easy free, fixed-route and on-demand microtransit are today. The TRPA Governing Board will get to feel the momentum themselves next week. After its regular meeting Wednesday, September 23 the Board will tour much of the work happening in the East Shore corridor and yes, we’ll be traveling by bus.
Julie W. Regan is Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.
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.
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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.
Jun 16, 2026
Photo by Theresa Papandrea. Victoria Ortiz with Tailwind Strategies gets ready to do the watermelon drop exercise at Bijou Elementary School in which she drops a watermelon, once with and once without being fitted with a helmet, to show the real-life importance of head protection.
South Lake Tahoe, Calif. — As more Lake Tahoe students bike, walk, and ride e-bikes to school and around their neighborhoods, local partners are working to ensure they have the skills and confidence to do so safely, according to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and Tahoe Bicycle Coalition.
National traffic safety data shows that among youth riders, children aged 10 to 14 are at the highest risk of bicycle-related injuries. Throughout last month, a pilot program by TRPA and the Tahoe Bicycle Coalition allowed fourth-grade students across the Lake Tahoe Unified School District to welcome experienced bicycle safety instructors into their classrooms to learn the fundamentals of bicycle safety. The lessons are based on the National Safe Routes to School curriculum covering helmet safety, signaling, bike handling skills, visibility, and the rules of the road.
Photo by Victoria Ortiz. Theresa Papandrea from Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids demonstrates the ABCs of biking to fourth grade students at Meyers Elementary School.
“Communities and public agencies around Lake Tahoe have invested millions of dollars into bike paths, trails, and safer routes for all, but education is just as important,” said Rory Lepore, assistant transportation planner at TRPA. “Teaching kids how to ride safely and confidently along Tahoe’s growing network of bike paths and shared-use trails helps more families choose biking and walking for everyday trips.”
Over the month, instructors connected with hundreds of Lake Tahoe Unified School District fourth graders through classroom education and Bike to School events, just in time for Tahoe Bike Month which runs through June. According to students, one of the most memorable demonstrations was the watermelon drop, where educators dropped a watermelon, once with and once without being fitted with a helmet, to show the real-life importance of head protection.
The month of youth-focused activities culminated with Bike and Walk to School Week May 26–29, with 466 students participating throughout the week.
“I love bringing this Safe Routes to School curriculum into my classroom because it increases walking and biking rates while reducing traffic congestion around schools,” said Tahoe Valley Elementary School PE teacher Tasha Thomas.
The Lake Tahoe Unified School District also launched a bicycle registration program this spring that complements classroom education. The registration program is helping students and families better understand e-bike classifications, safety expectations, and responsible riding.
The Safe Routes to School pilot also incorporates the popular bike rodeos. This year, TRPA and the California Highway Patrol have held four bike rodeos with more than 800 Lake Tahoe Unified School District students. The rodeos teach students how to inspect bikes, maintain safe tire inflation, and practice bike handling skills through obstacle courses.
Photo by TRPA. TRPA Long Range Associate Planner Michelle Brown teaches bike handling skills at a bike rodeo at South Tahoe Middle School.
To launch the program, TRPA and Tahoe Bicycle Coalition partnered with consultants Victoria Ortiz of Tailwind Strategies and Theresa Papandrea of Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids to lead classroom education, stakeholder engagement, and community outreach efforts–something the partners would like to see continue.
“A key goal of this pilot is to build a shared, basin-wide vision for Safe Routes to School that will bring the support needed for the Lake Tahoe Bicycle Coalition to make this a full-time program,” said Nick Speal, president of the coalition. “We also see opportunities to expand bike valets at events, ‘bike kitchen’ events for free tuneups and bike repair and maintenance tips, and other programs that make biking safer and more accessible for everyone.”
Learn more about bike safety at TahoeBike.org.
Caption: Theresa Papandrea from Tahoe Alliance for Safe Kids demonstrates the ABCs of biking to fourth grade students at Meyers Elementary School. Photo by Victoria Ortiz.
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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. For additional information, contact Jeff Cowen, Public Information Officer, at (775) 589-5278 or [email protected].
