By John Singlaub
Column Protecting Lake Tahoe Takes Time And Requires Partnerships
Next year will mark 40 years that the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency has been at the helm of the effort to restore and preserve Lake Tahoe. In that time, we have learned and accomplished quite a bit. We prevented a city the size of San Francisco from being constructed at the Lake. The bridge across Emerald Bay never materialized. That level of development would not have been good for our fragile environment. As new science has emerged, we have implemented programs and land use policies that have helped slow the Lake’s long-term clarity loss and given us healthier forests. This progress resulted from the Environmental Improvement Program’s restoration and public works projects, many of them examples of the public and private sectors partnering for the benefit of Lake Tahoe. Our best accomplishments have been those resulting from collaboration, cooperation, and informed decision making among all who share a stake in this spectacular place.