Awards
Best in Basin Awards
31st Best in Basin Awards
The TRPA Governing Board recognized nine outstanding projects and programs as Best in Basin award winners at its meeting on September 25, 2024.
Here are the Best in Basin award winners for 2022-2023.
2024 Best in Basin award Winners.
Program Information
TRPA’s Best in Basin awards program showcases projects, programs, and actions around Lake Tahoe that demonstrate exceptional planning, implementation, and compatibility with Tahoe’s natural environment and communities. The program runs ever two years and alternates with the Lake Spirit awards every other year. Best in Basin nominations for 2024-2025 will open later in 2024. Nominated projects need to have been completed in 2024 or 2025. Nominated programs and actions need to have been initiated and evaluated for initial results in 2024 or 2025. The Best in Basin nominations are evaluated by a team of judges from the public and private sectors the following spring when project sites can be viewed without snow. Those award winners will be determined in September, 2026. If it is a TRPA-permitted project, the final inspection should be complete and/or the security returned to be nominated.
Nomination categories are:
- Water Quality, Scenic Improvement, and Watershed Restoration
Ex: Residential or commercial projects, environmental redevelopment, aquatic invasive species management, stream restoration - Climate Resilience and Sustainability
Ex: Electric vehicle charging, alternative energy, single-use plastic reduction - Affordable Housing and Community Revitalization
Ex: Deed-restricted workforce housing, walkability improvements, Complete Streets projects - Transportation and Sustainable Recreation
Ex: Microtransit, multi-use pathways, parking management, litter cleanups - Forest Health and Defensible Space
Home hardening, Fire Adapted Communities, forest fuel reduction, water infrastructure for firefighting - Science and Innovation
Ex: Robotic cleanups, microplastics research, aquatic invasive species pilot projects
Nominations will be evaluated by a panel of TRPA staff, partner agency staff, and local experts. Projects will be judged on their merits, however, quality images are suggested as a way to illustrate key features and could be used in the award presentation.
If you know of individuals in our community who deserve to be recognized for exceptional commitment to protecting Lake Tahoe, the Lake Spirit award nominations will open in 2025.
Questions? Contact Jeff Cowen at jcowen@trpa.gov or (775) 589-5278.
Past Winners
Lake Spirit Awards
2023 Lake Spirit Award winners announced!
In 2011, TRPA introduced the Lake Spirit Awards to recognize individuals in our community who show exceptional commitment to protecting Lake Tahoe. Besides nominations for an exemplary citizen of Lake Tahoe, people can also nominate someone in the agency representative/environmental scientist category.
Lake Spirit Awardees exhibit not only a strong commitment to the Lake Tahoe environment, but also model a spirit of collaboration and cooperation in their efforts. One North Shore and one South Shore winner is selected for each category.
Thank you for sharing in our commitment to restoring Lake Tahoe while creating sustainable communities.
Questions? Contact Victoria Ortiz at vortiz@trpa.gov or (775) 589-5251.
Past Winners
2020 Spirit of TRPA Award Winners – In celebration of TRPA’s 50th anniversary, the agency bestowed “Spirit of TRPA” awards in lieu of Lake Spirit Awards to celebrate individuals by the decades who embody the essence of collaboration in the basin.
2019 Lake Spirit Award Winners
2018 Lake Spirit Award Winners
2017 Lake Spirit Award Winners
2015 Lake Spirit Award Winners
2014 Lake Spirit Award Winners
2013 Lake Spirit Award Winners