sustainability

“Destiny,” said William Jennings Bryan, “is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice.”
A year ago, the City of South Lake Tahoe made some choices that resulted in a clear and methodical business plan. We chose to focus on five core missions. That sounds simple enough, but how many times are the words government and focus used in the same sentence?
But it is amazing what a little focus can accomplish. In less than a year, our city is making real progress in pulling ourselves out of the morass that was so scathingly profiled in the 2009/2010 Grand Jury Report.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency received a positive ruling in the opening stages of the lawsuit challenging the Homewood Mountain Ski Area Master Plan that was filed by the Sierra Club and the Friends of the West Shore.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - Volatile oil prices. Looming climate change. Worldwide economic and political unrest. Worsening traffic congestion. Crisis in transportation financing.Two Billion Cars: Driv...

Volatile oil prices. Looming climate change. Worldwide economic and political unrest. Worsening traffic congestion. Crisis in transportation financing.

(Editor's note: The Lake Tahoe-based Zawadisha Fund was founded by Jennifer Gurecki and Julie Lowe of South Lake Tahoe. Here is their report.)
Barey's eyes widened with wonder as she held the piece of paper in her hand. She struggled to decipher the words on the document but understood its significance — the number, 5,000 Kenyan shillings, would be paid to her to start her own small business baking and selling chapati to support her family.

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency received a notice of intent to file suit on the recent approval of the Homewood Mountain Resort Ski Area Master Plan project, officials said.
EarthJustice, on behalf of the Sierra Club and Friends of the West Shore, lists both TRPA and Placer County as defendants in the lawsuit filed Thursday in U.S. District Court of Eastern California. Absent from the suit is the League to Save Lake Tahoe, which implied that it likely wouldn't sue when the project was unanimously approved last month by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's Governing Board.

UPDATED 8:30AM: California State Parks is investigating vandalism that happened over the weekend on Washoe Meadows State Park land near the Lake Tahoe Golf Course. Electronic equipment and river monitoring devices were damaged or destroyed. Two logs were found to have graffiti sprayed on them, saying "Stop Golf" and "Save the Park."

Heavenly Mountain Resort has announced that its new multi-million-dollar Tamarack Lodge received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council. Tamarack Lodge is the first LEED-certified, on-mountain building at Lake Tahoe. It will serve as the blueprint for the construction of Northstar California's new on-mountain lodge and as a guide for future Vail Resorts development.

By Jeff Cowen
As the Lake Tahoe Regional Planning Agency shifts into the final phases of its Regional Plan Update, the Agency announced Tuesday an associated change in leadership for its Regional Plan Update team. The effort that had been led by Harmon Zuckerman for the past two years will now be charged to Arlo Stockham, a planner and consultant with 14 years' experience in Northern Nevada.

By John Heil, U.S. Forest Service
Outdoor recreation activities in California’s national forests contributed $2 billion dollars to local economies and helped sustain an estimated 38,000 jobs in 2010.

The U.S. Forest Service’s National Visitor Use Monitoring report released Aug. 19 shows that national forests attracted 170.8 million recreational visitors nationwide and sustained approximately 223,000 jobs in rural communities across the country.

By Li Terrell
A special meeting of the South Lake Tahoe City Council to discuss the 2011-12 budget will be held this Thursday, Sept. 15 at 7pm. Not only is this the first look the public will have at the proposed budget, but this may be the only opportunity for public input before layoffs in crucial departments like streets and recreation. The regular council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 a.m.