Column: Tahoe - All for One and One for All

As we head into the holidays, the annual season of reflection has a new twist this year with the results of national and local elections still reverberating. No matter where you landed on various races, one constant continues to shine through – Lake Tahoe transcends politics or any single election cycle. It’s important during divisive times to lean into what unites us at Tahoe – a love for the lake, our communities, and the passion to protect this special place.

Thanksgiving is around the corner, so let’s begin with serious gratitude for the volunteer poll workers and officials who stepped up to protect the integrity of our elections and expertly managed our local polling locations. We can never take for granted this dedication to democracy.

In case you were focusing on other results, I wanted to make sure you saw that California voters approved a climate bond, Proposition 4, which will direct $10 billion into environmentally beneficial projects. Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program partners including the California Tahoe Conservancy could receive upwards of $50 million to support critical forest thinning and climate resilience projects as well as parks and outdoor recreation access. Forty percent of the bond money will be directed to disadvantaged communities, which complements our affordable housing and transportation equity initiatives.

During every election cycle, paths of opportunity are opened by transition and change. Since the governors of two very different states reached across the lake nearly 55 years ago to sign a groundbreaking bi-state compact, the mission to protect Lake Tahoe has transcended differences. That spirit of collaboration and partnership continues to connect organizations, communities, and people here and across the nation. Since it was first held in 1997, the annual Lake Tahoe Summit has brought together U.S. Presidents, members of Congress, international ambassadors, and state, Tribal, and local leaders to strengthen the shared sense of stewardship that resonates through us all.

The recent passage of the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act Reauthorization embodies the Team Tahoe spirit of collaboration. Since 2016, this key piece of legislation has provided more than $110 million in federal support for Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program projects. Those funds have leveraged more than $500 million in state, local, and private sector investments in projects to reduce forest fuels, prevent and control aquatic invasive species, and restore streams and wetlands. The Environmental Improvement Program has become one of the most successful restoration programs in the nation in part because of the bi-state, bi-partisan, and bi-cameral support that has been a hallmark of the program.

Our shared stewardship becomes clear when we stop to reflect on each contribution. Watercraft inspectors protecting the lake from aquatic invasive species, homeowners implementing water quality and defensible space measures, street sweepers taking fine sediment and other pollutants off our roads, and underground utility crews replacing aging sewer lines and upgrading water supply lines for fire suppression are connected by their care for the lake.

We can be especially grateful for the fire crews, forestry workers, and Washoe Tribal members who are working to improve the safety and health of Lake Tahoe’s forests. Prescribed fire operations throughout the Tahoe Basin this year have helped land managers catch up on a backlog of burn piles and enhance earlier fuel reduction projects with low-intensity fires to manage brush and downed trees. The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California are also working with environmental partners to reintroduce cultural burning practices in tandem with modern land management techniques. An interagency training with Tribal members this Fall at Lake Tahoe provided a unique opportunity to share practices to protect the natural resources that hold deep cultural importance for the Washoe people.

As a fresh dusting of snow brushes the mountain tops of our treasured basin, I’m reminded how fortunate we are to live, work, and play in such an amazing place. When it comes to Lake Tahoe, we truly are all for one and one for all.

--Julie Regan is Executive Director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency.