Deadline extended for public comment on Lake Tahoe West Shore restoration project

LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The planned restoration project on the West Shore of Lake Tahoe is a big one, covering 59,000 acres, and will provide a science-based, all-lands approach to guide restoration approaches on the West Shore over the next two decades to increase the resilience of ecosystems and human communities.

The USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU), California Tahoe Conservancy (Conservancy), and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) have extended the scoping period for the proposed Lake Tahoe West Restoration Project until May 26, 2020, giving the public more time to comment.

The planned project covers federal, state, local and private lands with a long-range goal of restoring forests, meadows, streams, and wildlife habitats.

The West Shore landscape is vulnerable to high-severity wildfire, drought, climate change, and forest insect and disease outbreaks. The project will use forest thinning, prescribed burning, reforestation, and habitat restoration in streams, meadows, lakes, and forests to improve the landscape’s resilience to future disturbances.

The LTBMU, Conservancy and TRPA developed the Scoping Notice/Notice of Preparation to provide information to the public about the proposed project and the environmental effects that the three agencies will analyze. The project documents are on the LTBMU’s Projects webpage at https://go.usa.gov/xmgxT. Scroll down to the "Developing Proposal" heading and select the "Lake Tahoe West" link. Project documents are listed under the “Scoping” tab. To comment, select the "Comment/Object on Project" link under the “Get Connected” heading in the right-hand column. Comments must be submitted or posted by 11:59 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) on May 26, 2020.