Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee      

 
BACKGROUND

The Lake Tahoe Basin is well known nationally and worldwide as a unique destination. The basin is blessed with unmatched natural beauty. With the enormous high alpine lake sacred to the Washoe Tribe as the Basins’ centerpiece and an abundance of natural resources that would have warranted national park status had the region’s historical development taken a different path, we arrive at a dichotomy that is difficult to reconcile.

“Economy versus environment” has always been at the forefront of Tahoe politics. Before controls were in place, in the 50’s and 60’s, Tahoe began experiencing the same type of urban development patterns that were sweeping the rest of the nation.

Fortunately planners had the foresight to take measures to protect this national jewel, preventing its untimely demise, and the bi-state political climate was ready to set the legal and regulatory foundation in motion for its protection/restoration. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) was formed in 1969 by Congress and ratified by a bi-state compact between California and Nevada. TRPA became the lead agency for regulation of development in the Basin in order to achieve the environmental thresholds (targets) outlined in their compact revisions in ‘80 and ‘82. The complexity of the regulatory hurdles to achieve these goals has been staggering, encompassing two states, four counties, Carson City Rural Area, state lands, National Forest Service Lands, a multitude of natural resource management agencies, and of course private property interests!

The quality of the environment at Lake Tahoe is important to all stakeholders. Division between these stakeholders comes when they disagree about what qualities are most important and the most intelligent means to achieve and/or sustain them. People come to Lake Tahoe from all over the world for outdoor recreation, gaming, sightseeing, relaxation, and clean air. The services these people expect are what drives the local economy and provides the local communities their livelihoods.

FUNDING TO HELP SAVE LAKE TAHOE

SNPLMA (Snip-La-Ma) is an acronym for Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act. The Act became law in 1998, and allows the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to sell public land within a specific boundary around Las Vegas. In 2003 SNPLMA was amended to direct $300 million over eight years for restoration projects in the Tahoe Basin. All projects funded by this source must be the responsibility of the federal government in the TRPA’s Environmental Improvement Program (EIP). The projects that get chosen can have a significant impact on the long range overall health of the Tahoe Basin.

The Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee (LTFAC) is a 20 member advisory committee representing the interests of a broad range of stakeholders in the Tahoe Basin. Eric Mart, past President and current Treasurer of the National Forest Recreation Association, sits on the Federal Advisory Committee representing the resort association’s views. LTFAC makes recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture as to which projects should be funded for each round (6 months) of land sales allowed by SNPLMA.

Interested National Forest Recreation Association members and other Tahoe area resort owners may contact Eric Mart at emart@clm-services.com to get more information and to share their views. Tahoe has a unique opportunity - being in the national spotlight - to set standards for sensitive lands all over the country where urban areas coexist with nature. The restoration of Lake Tahoe is an enormous effort that will have implications for the region – and for NFRA members - for many years to come.

10th Anniversary of the Lake Tahoe Summit - 2007.  Pictured from left to right are:

John Garamendi (California Lieutenant Governor); John Ensign (Nevada Senator);

Richard H. Bryan (Former US Senator, D-NV); Bill Clinton (Former United States President);

Harry Reid (Nevada Senator); and Dianne Feinstein (California Senator).