Tahoe Summit: 10 years later
August 16, 2007
As politicians, local leaders and scientists gather to celebrate 10 years of accomplishments for the Tahoe Summit, it’s worth taking a look back at the history of these gatherings and the ambiguity around what those accomplishments have been.
Despite the celebratory tone of this year’s event, there is no scientific evidence that shows the clarity of Lake Tahoe has actually improved. If the more than $1 billion that has already been spent and the hundreds of millions of dollars yet to be spent are actually going to translate into an improved Lake Tahoe environment, as many steps that have been taken in the last 10 years need to be taken in the next 10.
Although it’s hard to find any concrete changes, those involved do say that there have procedural successes.
“The Tahoe Summit has been a great success because of the collaborative effort it’s engendered between all the agencies involved,” said Rochelle Nason, executive director of The League to Save Lake Tahoe. “Each level of the government is more likely to work towards their established goals because they see the work being accomplished by every other agency.”
The original Lake Tahoe Forum was organized by Sen. Harry Reid D-Nev., and attended by then-President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, along with other federal, state and local officials. Clinton and Gore were both expressed concern with the one-foot-per-year decline in water clarity since measurements were first taken in 1968.
One of the first accomplishments of this forum was a pledge from Clinton for $50 million in federal spending for the environment of the Tahoe basin. The Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee, a committee of Tahoe citizens residents concerned with the environmental and economic health of the lake, was also formed.
These efforts bolstered the TRPA’s Environmental Improvement Program, a collaborative effort to protect the Lake Tahoe ecosystem conjoining the U.S. Forest Service, UC Davis’s Tahoe Environmental Research Center, the U.S. Geological Survey, and The League to Save Lake Tahoe, as well as others.
The biggest boost to this program came in 2003 when Sen. John Ensign D-Nev., authored and helped pass an amendment to the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act that secured $300 million, or $37.5 million per year for the next eight years, for implementation of the environmental program. This funding allows not only for research into the causes of Tahoe’s environmental decline, but also money to allow the Forest Service to thin the overgrown forests that pose such a tremendous fire hazard to local residents.
John Reuter, associate director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center said the forum has been a success because of how it spotlights Lake Tahoe both regionally and nationally and raises community awareness for Lake Tahoe’s environmental concerns.
Looking forward, Nason said, the community awareness Reuter refers to is key. In addition to the agencies’ collaboration, she said, more needs to be done to get the community involved.
==Start Related Links== Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act
Lake Tahoe Federal Advisory Committee and the Current Representatives ==End Related Links==
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