On July 31, the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) and the Eldorado National Forest (Eldorado NF) issued separate but cookie-cutter news releases announcing proposed new and increased recreation fees. The close of both comment periods is next week – COB Tuesday, September 29. If you delayed during the nice summer days, now it’s time to send your email! Whatever your view, it’s important to share it:

LTBMU: SM.FS.R5.LTBMU.FeeProposal@usda.gov (to the Recreation Program Manager)

Eldorado NF: don.morrill@usda.gov (to Don Morrill)

The LTBMU – our backyard forest – is proposing to raise or establish parking fees at five recreation sites and trailheads and to charge fees at two small campgrounds (Luther Pass and Watson Lake; quite literally, the ONLY campsites left on the LTBMU that are free and accessible without a Jeep). On years that Christmas tree permits are available, they will double in cost to $20. 

For Desolation Wilderness, managed jointly by the LTBMU and Eldorado NF, the current $5 overnight permit fee for the first night will initially double, and then triple after the first five years. The way that the fee proposal is written doesn’t clarify how fees are charged for nights 2-14, but it is clear that the $20 annual pass option goes away. 

Meanwhile, the Eldorado National Forest is proposing to raise or establish recreation fees at 33 sites. The Eldorado NF’s Carson Pass and Meiss Trailheads, where most folks access Winnemucca Lake or hike up to Meiss and Showers lakes, parking rates are proposed to double to $10 a day. Six additional free trailheads would see new $10 parking fees. Is Shealor Lake, Lake Margaret, or Thunder Mountain one of your favorites? Or the Echo Summit SNO-Park that only recently opened its gates in the summer for Echo Lakes overflow and the Pacific Crest Trail/Tahoe Rim Trail crowd? That’ll be $10/day. And the Carson Pass Management Area of the Mokelumne Wilderness will see either a $10 or $15 per person overnight fee.   

But here in the Lake Tahoe watershed, the $10 proposal is only the first step of most new or increased trailhead fees. On South Shore, that would be the fee for the first five years at Big Meadow Trailhead, Eagle Falls, Echo Lakes’ upper and lower lots, Kiva Beach and picnic area (both lots), and Taylor Creek Visitor Center. At year five the cost goes to $15. And, by the way, it was the Tahoe Conservancy that funded all of the improvements at the Big Meadow Trailhead back in the day, through a recreation grant to the Tahoe Rim Trail Association. And it was PG&E who rebuilt the upper and lower lots at Echo Lake. In my opinion, the Forest Service doesn’t meet the “substantial Federal investment” criteria that the legislation requires as a threshold in order to charge these parking fees. 

Many older people have asked: “But what about my magic senior pass?!” (We learned the hard way that, at concessioned sites, concessionaires can choose whether to honor them.) The LTBMU News Release was silent about passes. But here’s my hot tip: go to the online portal and if you look at each individual site and it’ll tell you whether and what passes apply! See: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/5884dc4220904384a6fbdb7c3b32973c Spoiler alert for senior pass holders: parking at the fee lots will be free for you and camping is half off. But I firmly believe that this is an equity issue that transcends “I’ve got mine.” That’s why people of all ages should weigh in with comments.

Not a senior pass holder? Don’t expect special treatment for locals. This is the Federal government and the entire nation pays taxes, not just Tahoe locals. But what is fair to ask for, if fees are to be implemented, is creation of a Tahoe Basin pass, or better yet, a Tahoe Basin/Eldorado NF joint pass, that can be purchased by anyone for a reasonable fee. We used to have an annual $20 pass that let us park at the fee lots of both forests for the first couple of decades of the original Fee Demo program! This past pass could be a precedent for a new one. Bring it up in your comments! 

If you’re like me, your letter-writing hand has gotten a workout recently commenting on a myriad of government proposals, from ballrooms to roadless areas. This one’s local. The time is now. Gather up your energy and submit one more email before 4:30 pm on Tuesday, September 29.  You can do this!

-Lisa O’Daly, South Lake Tahoe