In The News – The Call to Protect Lake Tahoe Echoes Across the Nation
March 23, 2024 | Member Submitted
Originally Published on the TRPA Website 03/22/2024, Written by Julie Regan
Lake Tahoe has protectors just about everywhere in this great nation. Last week, TRPA representatives joined a coalition of Lake Tahoe supporters in Washington D.C. to urge the extension of a key piece of legislation that has been pivotal in Lake Tahoe’s preservation. The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act is set to expire in September of this year, putting a major source of federal funding at risk.
Nevada and California local elected officials, tribal leaders, TRPA board members, and public and private organizations gathered for meetings with members of Congress and the Biden Administration to stress the urgency of continuing to protect Lake Tahoe. “Team Tahoe” succeeded in drawing national attention to our numerous challenges, from historical environmental impacts to emerging threats posed by climate change. The call to protect Lake Tahoe has echoed from these mountainsides, throughout Nevada and California, and across America to bring attention to one of the country’s most treasured landscapes.
Lake Tahoe suffered severe environmental damage before strict protections were enacted under the first Lake Tahoe Regional Plan. In 1997, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) joined many public and private partners to launch the Environmental Improvement Program, or EIP. Under the initiative, more than 800 projects have been completed thus far to protect water quality, reduce the threat of wildfire, combat aquatic invasive species, improve transportation and trails, support science and research, and much more.
Photo credit of TRPA