20th Anniversary Summit - but what about the Economy and Community?

The focus of the 20th Anniversary of the Tahoe Summit is on the environment. And there is much to celebrate as lake clarity has improved; collaboration among agencies is strong and numerous restoration projects have been completed. But 20-20 hindsight also means that if only we had thought more about the impacts that focusing solely on the environment would have on our economy and community, we could have accomplished much more. Now, twenty years later, we find ourselves trying to play “catch up” on these other two areas.

According to the Tahoe Prosperity Center’s Measuring for Prosperity report 63% in our community are at or below the median income levels. Wages have declined 6% while home prices have risen 15% in the past 6 years. More than half of Tahoe’s workforce commutes in from out of the region and that means more vehicles on the road each day – which we know is harmful, as sediment runoff into Lake Tahoe is a factor in declining clarity. If our residents can’t afford to live and work here, what does that do to our sense of community?

These are just a few of the issues that the Tahoe Prosperity Center is tackling. As the only regional, non-profit organization focused on the economy, community and environment, we consider all three factors in our mission:

Uniting Tahoe’s communities to strengthen regional prosperity. Let’s ensure all our efforts do this from now on.

Our current projects include:

AlertTahoe
The 2007 Angora fire not only devastated local families who lost their homes, but also hurt Tahoe’s businesses and cost $160 million (not including loss of business during the fire and certainly not the ecological cost to the environment.) The Tahoe Prosperity Center (TPC) is working with the University of Nevada, Reno, Seismological Laboratory (UNR) in a public-private partnership to ensure fire cameras are placed in strategic locations around the Lake Tahoe Basin. These cameras have a 24/7 view of the entire area as rapid detection and response to wildfires are the best option to protect our community and economy.

Connected Tahoe
The Tahoe Prosperity Center is expanding high-speed internet and cell phone coverage in the region through a variety of collaborative projects. Every resident should have access to affordable broadband and our focus is on ensuring the capacity for these systems is there whether it is July 4th weekend or October 4th.

Measuring for Prosperity (Community and Economic Indicators for the Lake Tahoe Basin)
The Measuring for Prosperity Report is the only compilation of economic and community demographic data for the Tahoe region. It is both aggregated for the Tahoe Basin, and broken out by each community.

Workforce Tahoe
Tourism and Visitor services related jobs are the primary opportunity for employment in the Lake Tahoe region. But, what happens when 50,000 new jobs open up in Reno, NV between now and 2020? What will those impacts be on our local businesses? How is Lake Tahoe preparing for the workforce needs of the future? How do we ensure our residents can live in the Tahoe Basin rather than commute in from out of the area? These questions are being answered as part of our Workforce Tahoe project.