Best in Basin award winners announced

LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. - The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) Governing Board today recognized nine projects and programs with Best in Basin awards for exceptional environmental design and stewardship of Lake Tahoe.

For more than 30 years, TRPA’s Best in Basin award program has annually recognized projects that exhibit outstanding planning and execution and lead the way in regional collaboration and environmental stewardship, according to TRPA. The award winners this year range from forest health projects to citizen science monitoring.

“Best in Basin award-winning projects provide outstanding environmental benefits for Lake Tahoe while also symbolizing what can be achieved when we work together to harmonize the human and natural environments,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said. “We applaud the hard work, innovation, and stewardship included in this year’s winning projects.”

Images of these projects are available in the Governing Board presentation. Best in Basin award recipients for 2022 and 2023 are as follows:

BEBOT - Beach Cleaning Robot - Lake Tahoe Beaches, Nev./Calif.
Eco-Clean Solutions, JB Harris & JT Chevallier
Science and Innovation

Spooner Lake Frontcountry Improvement Project - Spooner Lake Nevada State Park
Nevada Tahoe Resource Team
Sustainable Recreation and Forest Health

IVGID Effluent Export Pipeline - Nevada State Route 28
Incline Village General Improvement District and Granite Construction
Water Quality and Watershed Restoration

Slaughterhouse Meadow Restoration Project - Glenbrook, Nev.
Glenbrook Homeowners Association
Forest Health and Defensible Space

San Bernardino Class 1 Bike Trail Project - Meyers, Calif.
El Dorado County
Transportation and Sustainable Recreation

Saxon Creek Aquatic Organism Passage Project - Corral Trailhead, Calif.
Nevada Tahoe Conservation District
Water Quality and Watershed Restoration

Lake Tahoe Wildlife Hospital and Rehabilitation Facility - South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care
Science and Innovation

Saint Joseph Community Land Trust Riverside Homes - South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
Saint Joseph Community Land Trust
Affordable Housing and Community Revitalization

Upper Truckee River and Marsh Restoration Project – South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
California Tahoe Conservancy
Water Quality and Watershed Restoration Project

Other significant projects were awarded honorable mention at this year’s awards.

- Desolation Hotel by the Pipkin Family – South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
- Tahoe Vista Recreation Area Improvements by North Tahoe Public Utility District – Tahoe Vista, Calif.
- 2nd Street and Barton Ave. Drainage Improvements by the City of South Lake Tahoe – South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Nominations for the next awards will open later next year and will be for projects completed in 2024 and 2025. Those awards will be presented in September 2026. Additional information is available at trpa.gov/how-we-operate/awards.