Great News! The Lake Wins
Sacramento, CA – In a landmark decision that will affect all future development plans at Lake Tahoe, Federal District Court, Judge Lawrence J. Karlton of the U.S. District Court in Sacramento ruled in favor of the League to Save Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Club, sending the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency back to the drawing board. The suit was concerning the Shorezone. Can it be significant to other developments? This is the current question with many concerns.
The judge also ruled that the agency’s development plan violated Lake Tahoe’s “Outstanding National Resources Water” designation under the Clean Water Act, which prohibits any long term degradation of waters of exceptional ecological and recreational significance.
The judge stated, “More fundamentally, TRPA misunderstands the nature of the obligation to achieve and maintain the thresholds. It is not enough to show that the Amendments do not make the problem worse. TRPA must ensure that the ordinances, as amended, implement the regional plan in a way that will actually achieve the thresholds”.
This is a landmark decision.
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Sierra Nevada Alliance Weekly
Weekly newsletter covering articles about energy, climate change, water, wildlife and more.
My Turn: Big decisions ahead regarding Homewood project
April 8, 2010
Many residents on the West Shore have concerns with the new development proposed for Homewood Mountain Resort. Friends of the West Shore, a local nonprofit, held monthly meetings from spring to fall in 2009 with residents attending and voicing their thoughts to preserve our small rural towns and mountain lakes, creeks and shores. Our final meeting was a consensus to develop a community vision for the West Shore which was distributed to the TRPA in December 2009. Read complete article
My Turn: Questions about Homewood redevelopment
April 8, 2010
We recently read with great interest the article “Tahoe’s Homewood Resort in danger of closing.” Seeing as we both share lifelong family connections with Tahoe, and particularly the West Shore, that our parents and grandparents also did, we felt obliged to write. Read complete article
For Lake Tahoe, blue boating doesn’t mean blue skies, April 5, 2010
The newly enacted Blue Boating Program does not aggressively curtail ozone related emissions from motorized boats, said a representative from a local environmental organization. Read complete article
Lake Tahoe economic update: ‘Year of the dig-out’, April 5, 2010
There may still be snow on the ground, but summer is around the corner — and local resorts and trip planning agencies think their reservations might be turning a corner too. Read complete article
Michael Rogers My Turn: Another federal bailout, but this one directly hurts me, April 5, 2010
So, Supervisor Ted Owens please explain this one to me. The hotel industry is going through a rough time. We are deeply discounting our rooms, sometimes just to keep our staff busy. We cannot get financing because the banks are afraid we are all going to start falling like dominoes — they say commercial real estate is the next “shoe to drop.” Read complete article
Ted Owens My Turn: Addressing confusion on Hotel Avery, April 5, 2010
Several folks have asked me about the action the board of supervisors recently took on behalf of the Hotel Avery and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. There appears to be some confusion as to what was done and what was not done. Read complete article
‘Blue boating’ rules eyed to protect Tahoe’s waters
Reno Gazette-Journal, March 30, 2010
More than a decade after Lake Tahoe regulators banned polluting two-stroke Jet Skis and two years after boat inspections commenced to guard Tahoe from invading plants and animals, officials are poised to take the next step to protect the lake from boating impacts. Last week, governors of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency took on a long-discussed “blue boating” program designed to offset the environmental effects of motorboats cruising the famous Sierra lake. Read complete article
Regional industry leaders speak to future of Tahoe economy, environment
Tahoe Daily Tribune, March 26, 2010
Thesis, antithesis and synthesis. The recent history of Tahoe features an initial period of expansive developmental growth, followed by a period marked by aggressive shrinking of the local economy. The future of the region requires a bold synthesis of the philosophies behind those two preceding periods – what propelled growth, and what environmental efficiencies were gained during the downturn, said a local official during a recent meeting between top representatives from the private and public sector. Read complete article
Lake Tahoe’s Boulder Bay project receives criticism from local eco watchdog groups
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza, March 23, 2010
CRYSTAL BAY, Nev. – After reserving comment for months on Boulder Bay’s 1,589-page draft environmental study, several area eco watchdog groups have teamed up to express concern over specific elements of the proposed Crystal Bay redevelopment project. Read complete article
Why must resorts bulldoze the slopes?
Sacramento Bee, March 21, 2010
For many, being “green” means finding high-tech – and, by extension, high-cost – fixes for familiar environmental problems. But sometimes the greenest solutions lie in reviving sensible and economical practices from the past.
Read complete article
Reno and Tahoe making pitch for 2022 Winter Olympics
Sacramento Bee, Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Before Reno and Lake Tahoe boosters launch their international pitch to host the 2022 Winter Olympics, they must convince their communities it’s a good idea. After spending a week rubbing shoulders with Olympic officials and athletes in Vancouver, British Columbia, Nancy Cushing, chief executive officer of Squaw Valley USA, is shifting her focus locally.
Read complete article
Lake Tahoe regulators hope ‘green’ development will help keep lake blue
Sacramento Bee, Sunday, February 21, 2010
Development takes much of the blame for the long decline in Lake Tahoe’s legendary clarity. Now, in a move they admit seems “counterintuitive,” regulators are counting on more housing, ski lodges and hotel rooms to help reverse it.. Although construction of new projects has all but ceased at the sensitive Sierra lake, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) has launched a new initiative – dubbed the Community Enhancement Program – with the goal of attracting a different breed of builder. Read complete article
Heavenly ski resort plans upgrades at Tahoe
MercuryNews.com, Sunday, February 21, 2010
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif.-Despite the recession, Heavenly Mountain Resort is moving ahead with plans for a new lodge, club and other upgrades on Lake Tahoe’s south shore. The ski resort that straddles the California-Nevada border expects to begin construction this summer of a 750-seat lodge near the top of the Gondola, said resort CEO Blaise Carrig. The resort also plans to develop a club in Heavenly Village that would include amenities such as lockers and a spa. The project was put on hold when the recession hit, but should move forward as the economy improves, he said. Read complete article
Invasive species battle at Lake Tahoe expands
Sacramento Bee, Saturday, February 13, 2010
TRUCKEE, Calif. — Conservation officials in the Sierra Nevada are expanding their efforts to combat invasive species at Lake Tahoe to other lakes and reservoirs in the area. The Tahoe Resource Conservation District will work with local officials and conservation groups this summer to try to keep quagga and zebra mussels out of Donner and Independence lakes as well as Stampede, Boca and Prosser Creek reservoirs. Read complete article
League to Save Lake Tahoe looking at new office
Tahoe Daily Tribune, Monday, February 8, 2010
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The League to Save Lake Tahoe is in the process of finalizing the purchase of a new facility. The environmental organization, popularly known by its “Keep Tahoe Blue” slogan, is in the process of buying a new office “several hundred yards” down the street of its current location, according to League Executive Director Rochelle Nason. Read complete article
Lake Tahoe Boulder Bay project: Public input deadline looms
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza, Monday, February 01, 2010
CRYSTAL BAY, Nev. – Residents with opinions regarding the initial environmental study on Boulder Bay must submit input to the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency before Thursday, Feb. 4, the deadline for public comment. After Thursday, all feedback will be incorporated into the final study – the Final Environmental Impact Statement. Read complete article
Placer County sets deadlines for Tahoe 3-lane project
Sierra Sun, Sunday, January 31, 2010
KINGS BEACH, Calif. – With final approval given and celebration parties winding down, county officials are setting deadlines to restructure Highway 28 into three lanes along a portion of Lake Tahoe’s north shore. The Kings Beach Commercial Core Improvement Project, which will narrow the downtown main street from a four-lane road to a three-lane roadway with roundabouts is scheduled to begin construction in May 2011, said Ken Grehm, Placer County director of public works. Read complete article
‘Keep Tahoe Culture’ stickers to benefit nonprofits around the Basin
Tahoe Daily Tribune, Sunday, January 31, 2010
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – Longtime South Shore local Becky Bell has unveiled a “Keep Tahoe Culture” bumper sticker to benefit nonprofits around the Lake Tahoe Basin. On a rotating basis, Bell will donate a yet-to-be determined percentage of the sales from the $3 sticker to a new group. Sticker sales from January to March will benefit Arts & Culture of Truckee Tahoe and the Tahoe Arts Project. Read complete article
Lake Tahoe development plan draws concern
Sacramento Bee, Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A proposed development on Lake Tahoe’s north shore has some residents and environmental groups worried about setting precedent for taller, view-blocking buildings throughout the basin. Boulder Bay Resort & Wellness Center, a $140 million project proposed to replace Crystal Bay’s deteriorating Tahoe Biltmore Lodge & Casino, has widespread support locally. Business representatives have backed the project, saying it is ecologically well-planned and would provide jobs and bring visitors to the area. Read complete article
Restoring watershed function critical for Lake Tahoe
Tahoe Daily Tribune, Saturday, January 23, 2010
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – A bird’s-eye view of the Upper Truckee River 200 years ago would have appeared much different than today. From the snow-encased headwaters in the mountains west of South Lake Tahoe to the wide, marshy mouth on the Lake Tahoe shore, the wild river found its own path. When flows were high, the river spilled over its banks and the meadows, marshes and streams were submerged. The marshy depths of seasonal ponds, the tall grasses, and the tree tops teemed with wildlife. After the spring melt, waters receded. Meadows of wildflowers unfolded before lush stands of forest. These natural processes filtered pollutants that otherwise would have entered the Lake. The Upper Truckee River is the largest tributary entering Lake Tahoe. Read complete article
Funding-starved state parks looking for help from voters
Tahoe Daily Tribune, Midweek edition, January 20-21, 2010
TRUCKEE/TAHOE – California State Parks narrowly escaped major closures during last year’s state budget crisis, and supporters are going to the voters for help to ensure the worst doesn’t happen in 2010. The California State Parks Foundation and other organizations have created the State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act of 2010, needing more than 430,000 signatures to get it in the November 2010 ballot. Read complete article
Economy vs. Society vs. Environment
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza, Thursday, January 21, 2010
Heather Segale believes living in the Lake Tahoe basin is a privilege that entails a special responsibility. Segale coordinates education and outreach for the UC Davis Lake Tahoe Environmental Research Center. She said more residents need to understand the unique environmental problems facing the area before agreeing on long-term projects earmarked for the region’s economic growth. Read complete article
TRPA Vote Set for Kings Beach Affordable Housing
Moonshine Ink, Saturday, January 16, 2010
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board will take a final vote on the Kings Beach Housing NOW project at its January 27 meeting in Incline Village. If approved, the project would bring 77 permanent affordable housing units to five different sites scattered across Kings Beach. The housing would be the first affordable housing units built on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore. Read complete article
Letter to the Editor: Improving Kings Beach with better housing
Sierra Sun, Wednesday, January 13, 2010
There is a very exciting housing project happening in Kings Beach that I want to make sure your readers know about. It’s called the Kings Beach Housing NOW project and its goal is to take down 20 substandard cabins and buildings in Kings Beach and replace them with five eco-friendly, community home sites for our local workforce. There will be a total of 77 units distributed between the five sites in Kings Beach. Read complete article
The Olympics came to Tahoe 50 years ago. Will they come back?
Moonshine Ink, Saturday, January 16, 2010
Fifty years ago, my grandparents watched some of the best athletes in the world compete in the ski jump event that was part of the 1960 Winter Olympic Games at Squaw Valley. Standing along the fence near the bottom of the jump, they gazed upwards as the skiers soared above them. In the distance, cheers erupted from Blythe Arena where the U.S. Hockey Team competed for the gold medal. For them, attending the Olympics was that once-in-a-lifetime experience they still talk about. ”I think Frank and I both had dreamed of going to see an Olympics, but never had the opportunity,” my grandmother, Jackie Murar, told me. “And here it was at our doorstep.” Read complete article
Reno-Tahoe 2022 Olympic Bid Gets “Shot In The Arm”
GamesBids.com, Thursday, January 14, 2010
When the United States Olympic Committee leadership – including newly appointed CEO Scott Blackmum – revealed Wednesday that they would consider a U.S. bid for the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, the Reno-Tahoe Winter Games Coalition immediately shifted into gear. Jon Killoran, CEO of the bid Coalition spoke to GamesBids.com shortly after the news broke, barely containing his excitement. “That’s very energizing and motivating – we’ve got a lot of great things going on here right now so the timing is perfect.”, he said. Read complete article
Lake Tahoe’s Environmental Protection Agency- A Different Kind of Green
ExpertClick, Thursday, January 14, 2010
Lake Tahoe has become, unfortunately, a prime example of developmental destruction of habitat, for profit. Many view the Lake Tahoe Basin as a reservoir of profit, protected an impotent government agency partially sustained by its own fee generation; a police force paid for by funds levied upon potential lawbreakers. Read complete article
South Tahoe redevelopment may cost other entities millions
Lake Tahoe News, Thursday, January 14, 2010
To some it might like look like a shell game. Or maybe it’s robbing Peter to pay Paul. Or maybe it’s all on the up and up. The problem with projected redevelopment areas is that nothing is guaranteed. South Lake Tahoe believes it will generate $178 million in tax increment in the 45 years that the latest project area is slated to be on the books. South Tahoe Public Utility District believes $54 million in property tax dollars are at risk if the plan is approved by the City Council. Read complete article
TRPA implements furlough days
Tahoe Daily Tribune, Midweek Edition, January 13-14, 2010
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will be closed one additional workday day each month through June to help curtail costs. The first furlough day is Friday. The cost savings of all six furlough days is about $100,000, said TRPA Spokesman Dennis Oliver. Read complete article
BlueGO schedule changes today
Tahoe Daily Tribune, Midweek Edition, January 13-14, 2010
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - After a year of turmoil, the South Shore’s BlueGO bus service will see further changes beginning today. The South Lake Tahoe City Council approved a cost containment plan for the bus service during its regular meeting Tuesday. Read complete article
Squaw Valley recalls 1960 Olympics, and dreams of 2022
Sacramento Bee, Sunday, January 10, 2010
Olympic headlines are all about the gold. Beyond the medals, though, are tales about all manner of colorful participants – legends that sustain the Games’ real history. Those stories became real currency last week in a room at Squaw Valley Resort, filled with more than a dozen aging athletes from the 1960 Winter Olympics, young Olympians and a handful of silver-haired ski coaches. Read complete article
Tahoe Environmental Research Center’s science day attracts young learners
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza, Thursday, January 7, 2010
INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. – The UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center held its annual Family Science Day on Wednesday, attracting youngsters ages 8 and up for activities centered around scientific assessments of local environmental health. “It’s really nice to see young children interested in local environmental issues,” said Heather Segale, UC Davis Education and Outreach Coordinator. “We’ve had a good turnout and the kids have been eager to learn.” Read complete article
Tahoe buoy depth maximum extended
Tahoe Daily Tribune, January 6-7, 2010
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – In an effort to maximize navigational safety and aid enforcement, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency extended the maximum distance of a single use buoy to 600 feet from high water. A new rule unanimously adopted by the Governing Board at its December meeting will replace the former uniform 350 foot maximum distance where single use buoys may be anchored in Lake Tahoe lakeward of high water with a maximum placement limit tailored to location-specific circumstances. Read complete article
Boat inspections on tap for more Sierra waters
Tahoe Daily Tribune, January 6-7, 2010
TAHOE/TRUCKEE – A pilot program for vessel inspections to keep new invasive species out of the waters of the Sierra Nevada – and not just Lake Tahoe – is in development for the 2010 boating season. The Tahoe Resource Conversation District recently received $231,000 from the Truckee Meadows Water Authority’s Truckee River Fund to develop a plan to inspect regional water bodies including Donner and Independence lakes, and Boca, Stampede and Prosser Creek reservoirs. Read complete article
Satellites show lake warming rapidly
A recent NASA study showed Lake Tahoe’s water is warming twice as quickly as regional air temperature, lending weight to predictions of warming lake temperatures made by researchers at the University of California, Davis in 2008. The study, published in November, shows from 1992 to 2008, Tahoe’s surface waters warmed a mean 0.23 of a degree Fahrenheit a year for a total increase of 3.7 degrees. Air temperatures recorded in Tahoe City increased 0.1 degree annually during the same time. Read complete article
Search for Tahoe mussels extends to reservoirs, other lakes
Reno Gazette-Journal, Monday, January 04, 2010
The hunt for invading mussels that could pose an ecological disaster for the region will extend beyond Lake Tahoe to other threatened lakes and reservoirs. Donner and Independence lakes and Boca, Stampede and Prosser Creek reservoirs will be searched for the possible presence of quagga or zebra mussels. Boats launching into these water bodies could soon be inspected to ensure mussels are not attached to their hulls. Read complete article