Vail Resorts calls on Congress to approve Lake Tahoe Restoration Act

Vail Resorts has called on the United States Congress to approve the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2015. This Act provides $415 million in funding and reauthorizes important Lake Tahoe restoration activities that began in 1997 and refocuses federal, state and local efforts toward reducing wildfire threats, improving water quality and clarity, and combating invasive species. All of these are important to the local economy at one of the most visited lakes in the world.

The Restoration Act passed the Senate by a vote of 95-3 on September 14, 2016but once in the House of Representatives it faced an effort by California Congressman Tom McClintock and Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei to change the wording, reduce the amount of money to be spent, and have the money go toward fuel reduction across the county and left Lake Tahoe out of the equation.

“Lake Tahoe is a national treasure enjoyed by visitors from across the country and its protection and restoration is critical to our local communities and our recreation and tourism economies,” said Pete Sonntag, senior vice president of Vail Resorts. “It’s critical that we continue building on the successful public-private partnership that has been fostered to responsibly steward Lake Tahoe for generations to come.”

“As the federal government owns and manages approximately 78 percent of the lands within the Lake Tahoe watershed, successful restoration demands active federal participation and leadership. Part of our commitment to the environment includes encouraging elected leaders to join our employees and guests in being responsible ecological stewards of the iconic natural landmarks where we live, work and play. We believe it is essential that Congress take action to reinstate the funding authority that ended when the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act of 2000 expired,” said Sonntag.

Vail Resorts released details on December 5, 2016 of its environmentally focused charitable contribution work for the last fiscal year which included the facilitation of more than $1 million for forest restoration and ecological stewardship projects. EpicPromise is the Company’s environmental and corporate social responsibility initiative that manages programs including the $1 guest donation initiative in partnership with The Tahoe Fund and the new 1 percent cfor the Forest commitment made in partnership with The Nature Conservancy and direct grants based in the Company’s resort communities.

“The Tahoe Fund has helped more than 20 environmental improvement projects get completed around Tahoe in the past five years,” said Amy Berry, chief executive officer of The Tahoe Fund. This includes restoration of two of the most important watersheds, miles of new bike paths, removal of acres of aquatic invasive weeds and recreational improvements at numerous sites around the Basin. None of this would have been possible without the very early and consistent support of Vail Resorts. Together with Heavenly, Northstar and Kirkwood Resorts, we are improving many aspects of the Tahoe environment for generations to come.”

“The Nature Conservancy is delighted to partner with Vail Resorts’ EpicPromise initiative,” said David Edelson, Sierra Nevada Project Director for The Nature Conservancy. “Here in the northern Sierra, we work at places like Independence Lake in the Truckee River Watershed and River Fork Ranch in the Carson River Watershed to protect and restore healthy forests and meadows. Through its “1% for the Forest” initiative, Vail Resorts will provide vital funding to protect forests, meadows and streams in the Sierra Nevada.”

Vail Resorts pointed to examples of its corporate commitment to preserving and protecting water quality in the Tahoe Basin through its ongoing collaborative work with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board and the United States Forest Service. At Heavenly Mountain, for example, the resort produces environmental monitoring reports for those agencies on a quarterly basis that detail conditions and projects to manage water quality and watershed, forest and wildlife vitality.

The public is invited to join Vail Resorts by writing to their elected representatives:

The public is encouraged to contact their elected representatives and the League to Save Lake Tahoe has gathered all the information needed to do so:

Send your message to the leaders of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee:

Senator James M. Inhofe - contact form
Chairman, U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Senator Barbara Boxer - contact form
Ranking Member, U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works

Representative Bill Shuster, Chairman, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Representative Peter DeFazio, Ranking Member, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee via email: jack.meehan@mail.house.gov
(Please address your letter to Represenatives Shuster and DeFazio; Jack Meehan is a congressional staffer handling delivery of correspondence related to this legislation.)

Comments to consider including in your letter to Congress:

Lake Tahoe is a national treasure and a major economic driver for California and Nevada. Protecting and restoring the Lake Tahoe Basin is critical to the region’s economic vitality, and essential if we are to protect Lake Tahoe for this and future generations.

The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act would provide a comprehensive approach to protecting and sustaining the environment and economy of the Tahoe region by restoring forests and protecting against invasive species.

Nevada and California have committed to spending hundreds of millions in the coming years to improve and protect the Lake Tahoe basin. The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act would be a key way the federal government, which owns the majority of the land in the Tahoe basin, can partner in these efforts.

Please do all you can to ensure the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act makes it into the final version of the Water Resources Defense Act so that together, we can protect Lake Tahoe.