SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The Tahoe Fund has announced the first million dollars of private funding to help restore the former Motel 6 site has been raised by its donors as part of the “Million for the Marsh” campaign. Launched in November, the campaign set out to raise the first $1 million of private funds to help secure the public funds the California Tahoe Conservancy will need to restore the Upper Truckee Marsh in South Lake Tahoe.
“We were absolutely blown away by our donors who helped us meet this challenge, further reinforcing how important the restoration of this marsh is to Lake Tahoe’s clarity and the community,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “We are committed to helping the Conservancy bring this marsh back to life with the support of philanthropic dollars and stand ready to call on our community for any additional support we may need to make this project happen.”
The Conservancy has a community survey underway to gather input on desired projects and plans for the 31-acre parcel that housed a restaurant, motel, and pavement. The whole Upper Truckee River Marsh area is over 600 acres, spanning on each side of Lake Tahoe Blvd. They have already completed 250 acres of the marsh on the south side of the road by restoring natural river flows and increasing its capacity to filter pollutants.
The public can still share feedback on the concepts for potential restoration and recreation improvements by visiting tahoe.ca.gov/survey. After this round of public engagement, the Conservancy will bring an update to the Conservancy Board at an upcoming meeting as it moves into the next phase of planning and environmental review. The public will have continued opportunities to participate in the planning process, which the Conservancy expects to continue over the next year or more.
In addition to the “Million for the Marsh” campaign, the Tahoe Fund also provided funding for initial acquisition of the former Motel 6 property alongside a number of other partners including the Conservancy, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the League to Save Lake Tahoe. Last year, contributions from Tahoe Fund donors and major gifts from the Latrobe Foundation and the Robert S & Dorothy J Keyser Foundation brought in over $200,000 to support the demolition of the buildings on site.
“We are grateful for the Tahoe Fund donors’ support for this important project,” said Jason Vasques, executive director of the California Tahoe Conservancy. “We look forward to working with our partners as we continue planning the restoration for the southern end of the Upper Truckee Marsh, which is so important for habitat, watershed resilience, and Lake Tahoe.”
In addition to restoring the watershed and the native habitat, this project further advances the 2012 Lake Tahoe Regional Plan and Environmental Improvement Program by removing aging development from sensitive land and retiring or transferring development rights to town centers.
Learn more and contribute to the project today at tahoefund.org/millionforthemarsh.