LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. – The 30th anniversary of the first Lake Tahoe Summit was held at Sand Harbor this week, bringing together government officials from around the lake, members of dozens of agencies tasked with the protection of Lake Tahoe and the environment, and the public.
“The health of the land leads to the health of the people,” said Washoe Tribe Chairman Serrell Smokey.
Chairman Smokey highlighted the new partnerships, collaboration, and joint efforts that are bringing back the Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, the restoration of Meeks Meadow, and tribal efforts at bringing fire back to the land to aid in a healthy forest. He said the Washoe have been involved in almost every recent project.
“History is written into the ground,” said Chairman Smokey, reflecting on Washoe history about using fire to create a healthier environment. He said biomass left on the ground leads to fire, and the Washoe are helping to remove it with new mills on their land. “We look forward to a better future.”
The host of the event, Nevada Senator Jackie Rosen, welcomed a full house, along with guest speakers Senators Catherine Cortez Masto, Alex Padilla, and Adam Schiff; U.S. Representatives Mark Amodei and Kevin Kiley; Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo; along with Chairman Smokey and Tommy Caldwell, who gave the keynote speech.
“For 30 years, the Tahoe Summit has been a testament to what we can accomplish when leaders across all levels of government come together with conservation experts around one shared purpose,” said Senator Rosen. “It is a true honor to continue the legacy of Senators Reid and Feinstein as I host this year’s summit. Our message today is clear: as drastic climate changes have brought new challenges to conservation efforts, we will continue working across parties and both states to make sure we don’t lose this jewel of the Sierra Nevada.”
The first summit was on July 26, 1997, when then-President Bill Clinton was joined by Vice President Al Gore at Lake Tahoe in what was called the Presidential Forum. President Clinton signed an executive order strengthening the federal government’s ties with Nevada and California, the Washoe Tribe, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, and local governments in protecting the lake.
Those efforts continue today after the late senators, Harry Reid and Diane Feinstein, took the lead for decades in protecting the Lake Tahoe Basin through government focus and funding.
“You don’t forget the first time you saw Lake Tahoe,” said Rosen.
Since that first summit, there have been 900 lake-saving projects funded as a result, hundreds of thousands of pounds of fine sediment prevented from ending in the lake, 100,000 acres of hazardous fuels removed, 800 miles of roads fixed, 120,000 boats inspected for invasive species, 200 miles of bike and pedestrian trails created-all based on over 60 years of research.
Tahoe has become a model of cooperation and collaboration, and how things can be accomplished when leaving differences behind in search of creative solutions.
“Lasting change is never accomplished alone,” said Rosen.
During the Summit, Cole Pete, director of the Washoe Tribe Environmental Program, was awarded the inaugural Harry Reid Lake Tahoe Trailblazer Award. He grew up in Dresslerville in Douglas County, went away to college, and returned to the Washoe community. Pete has dedicated his career to the protection of natural resources.
Peter said the completion of the Meeks Bay project is “huge,” and the Washoe are looking for other projects to partner with. He said their partnership with the USDA Forest Service and California Tahoe Conservancy helped get them to the finish line at Meeks Bay.
In that project, called the Máyala Wáta Restoration Project at Meeks Meadow is a major ecological and cultural undertaking led by the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. It revived ancestral lands by restoring natural groundwater levels, native vegetation, and wildlife habitats. The deteriorating condition of the previous marina infrastructure, along with concerns over water quality, aquatic invasive species, and degraded habitat for native species, prompted the need for action in Meeks Bay.
“We are protecting something larger than any of us,” said California Congressman Kevin Kiley in coming together for a common goal. “This is what is possible when putting the needs of the community first.”
“This Summit matters,” said California Senator Alex Padilla as he highlighted how it takes everyone working together to protect Lake Tahoe. He quoted Shakespeare in saying, “One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” Spoken by Ulysses, it is frequently used today to mean that a shared human emotion or natural sympathy connects all people everywhere.
Caldwell, who now calls Lake Tahoe home and works for Patagonia. He is one of the world’s most accomplished big-wall rock climbers, best known for scaling Yosemite’s El Capitan. He overcame massive life and career hurdles. While on a climbing trip in Central Asia, Caldwell and three companions were taken hostage by armed rebels. They survived for six days before escaping and running 10 miles to a military outpost. Caldwell and partner Kevin Jorgeson achieved global fame by completing the first-ever free climb of the sheer Dawn Wall on El Capitan in Yosemite, a feat that took 19 days. He rode his bike almost 2,800 miles from Colorado to the Tongass National Park in Alaska to become more in touch with nature. He said he has learned that in order to protect a place, you need to first love it.
“Moving to Tahoe was the best decision of my life (after his wife and kids),” said Caldwell.
He continues to climb, project hard routes, and advocate on behalf of organizations focused on conservation, including Protect Our Winters and the Wilderness Society. Caldwell moved to Tahoe at the urging of Corey Rich, the South Lake Tahoe-based photographer and director who specializes in adventure sports and extreme action.
He compared climbing rock walls to walking the halls of Congress.
“Let the story of Lake Tahoe remind the world that while humans have the power to destroy, we also have the power to restore,” said Caldwell.
