The Tahoe Area Sierra Club promotes the environmental and ecological health of Lake Tahoe and the Lake Tahoe Basin. 

• We educate.
• We involve members and community.
• We work to clarify the issues that sustain the quality of life both for the waters and lands. 
• We advocate for the people who want to preserve the Lake for generations to come. 
• We sponsor informative community events highlighting environmental issues and showcasing some of our best artists and adventurers.  

Membership is open to all interested in taking care of what has been called the “Gem of the Sierra.”  We are always looking for volunteers to help with outings, events, and conservation issues. 

 

Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/TahoeAreaSierraClub
https://www.instagram.com/tahoeareasierraclub
https://twitter.com/TahoeSierraClub

Mailing Address

Tahoe Area Sierra Club
PO Box 16936
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96151

Group Chair:  Carolyn Willette

Vice Chair:  Tobi Tyler

Secretary:  Lynne Paulson

Laurel Ames   

Kristina Hill

Cindy Ochoa

Toiyabe Chapter Representative: Ramona Lestak

Treasurer:   John Klimaszewski

Conservation Chair:  Laurel Ames

Outings Chair:  Daniel Cobb

 

Executive Committee Member Profiles

CAROLYN WILLETTE

I have been a Tahoe City resident and a registered nurse at our local hospital for 35 years. I am concerned about the direction the local agencies are taking in development around the lake. With multiple major construction projects being planned and approved, I think it is incumbent on the Sierra Club to represent the interests of its membership and be a voice in the greater vision. I believe each proposal must be viewed as a part of the whole region as opposed to individual projects. The difficulty of dealing with different governments around the lake contributes to this issue.

As a member, I feel that we all should assist our local organization to meet its goals. I am interested in doing my part.

TOBI TYLER

Living in the Lake Tahoe Basin the last fifteen years has been like coming home for me as I’ve loved hiking and just being in the mountains my whole life. Enjoying hiking, backpacking and peak-climbing in the western U.S., particularly the Sierra Nevada, as well as other parts of the world, for the past 47 years of my adult life has cemented my passion for environmental protection. My career as environmental engineer focused on protecting wetlands and other water resources. After retiring in 2017 from the Lahontan Water Board, I have been contributing much of my “spare” time to the Sierra Club, which has always been my North Star on environmental issues as a true grassroots organization. I’ve been a Sierra Club member since 1979, met my husband on a Mother Lode Chapter outing to central Nevada in 1986 and later married him on top of Mt. Shasta. I am currently an Executive Committee member of the Toiyabe Chapter where I serve as Chair of the Political Committee and am truly honored to be an Executive Committee member of the Tahoe Area Group as well.

LYNNE PAULSON

My interest in conservation activities and love of the outdoors began with my childhood in a rural suburb of Syracuse, New York. My awareness increased when our family moved to California and my father took us on numerous hikes and backpacking trips in Southern California and in the Sierras.

I have served as secretary of the Tahoe Area Group Executive Committee since 2014. I also lead the Tahoe-based Washoe Meadows Community in its fight against an environmentally destructive project that would include an unprecedented downgrade in state park land in order to allow a golf course expansion in Washoe Meadows State Park. I began this role in 2007. My conservation activities in Tahoe have included leading numerous park cleanup events, citizen water sampling activities, advocacy at government and agency meetings and participation in the Sierra Club’s committee related to California State Parks. I have also organized numerous hikes and tours in Washoe Meadows State Park to view birds, wildflowers and fens.

I was previously active in the Guadalupe Group of the Loma Prieta Chapter, serving as secretary for the Sustainable Land Use Committee. A retired engineer and project manager, I have been involved in several conservation and community improvement campaigns in the San Francisco Bay Area including creek and park cleanups, planting events and advocating for protection of environmentally sensitive lands.

LAUREL AMES

I have dedicated most of my adult life to protecting Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada.  I served as executive director of the League to Save Lake Tahoe and was one of the founders of the Sierra Nevada Alliance.

Lake Tahoe is a National Treasure and as such the Sierra Club has an obligation to protect the waters of the Lake, shoreline and the scenic views of the surrounding mountains.

We all want to protect the charm and beauty of the natural resources that are the true Lake Tahoe.  We must focus on restoration of the lake's clarity to its historic level, where 102ft into the lake could be seen in the mid-60s.

Thank you for your support of the Sierra Club.  I look forward to working with you and the Club to highlight the importance of the natural areas of our Tahoe Basin.

RAMONA LESTAK

Since the mid-nineties I have been a member of the Sierra Club. As a child, I was taught to enjoy and respect all that the outdoors has to offer – being outdoors as much as possible, was encouraged. We camped and backpacked in the Sierras as well as many other locales across the country. As an adult, prior to residing in Lake Tahoe, I have hiked trails, cross country and down-hill skied, throughout the states of California, Colorado, Oregon and Utah. Since 2015, I have had the privilege of calling North Lake Tahoe home -- a dream come true. A few of my current local favorites to unwind: contemplation along the Tahoe shore, or while walking the Tahoe Meadows Interpretive Loop as well as a stroll around the Ophir Creek Loop. Given that the Sierra Nevada is now my backyard, I feel a responsibility to delve more deeply into the pressing environmental preservation issues, and to apply my talents to protect the serene beauty that I would like to remain for lifetimes to come. 

 

Kristina Hill 

I received my BA degree from Chico State University in Geography/Planning and started out as the Shorezone Planner at TRPA in 1980. I've been a private planning consultant since 1984 to present, starting my own planning consulting business, in 1998. Having experienced both sides of the "counter," I feel I can effectively evaluate projects based on their compliance with regional and county codes regarding zoning/land use principals as well as from the developer's property rights perspective.  

My history of community involvement includes representing Incline Village/Crystal Bay as a board member with the following groups: Truckee North Tahoe/Transportation Management Association (TNT/TMA), TRPA Advisory Planning Commission, Washoe Co. Board of Adjustments, Tahoe Family Solutions, Kids and Horses, and Tyrolian Village Association Board and Architectural Review Committee since 2000. I also regularly attend community meetings at the local library every other Friday morning to keep abreast of local issues and local public service updates. I am a supporter of the North Tahoe Preservation Alliance.