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Dear Friend,
The Tahoe Area Group of the Sierra Club is committed to preserving and protecting the natural environment and resources of the Lake Tahoe basin and Truckee River drainage. Here’s what we’re working on now:
Urgent: Tahoe Keys Weeds -- 3 Ways You Can Help
On January 12-13, the Lahontan Water Board will decide whether to use herbicides for the first time ever in Lake Tahoe to control aquatic weeds before exhausting all non-chemical options as required by law. There are three ways you can help. Please tell them non-chemical tests must be completed before poisoning our favorite lake. Using herbicides now will set a dangerous precedent, opening up the proverbial Pandora’s box to the use of herbicides throughout Lake Tahoe for many years to come, without addressing the underlying cause of the weeds — the unnatural, stagnant, increasingly warmer Keys lagoons combined with decades of nutrient loading from fertilizers and sediments from the Keys and South Lake Tahoe.
Take action today
1. Sign our petition urging the Lahontan Board to deny the herbicide permit until all non-chemical method tests have been exhausted (link: https://addup.sierraclub.org/campaigns/tell-authorities-no-herbicides-in-lake-tahoe)
2. Attend the virtual Lahontan Water Board meeting and voice your concerns against the use of herbicides. Here are instructions to attend:
- Click on the link below to register by 5:00 p.m. January 10, 2022, prior to Lahontan Water Board Meeting
- Once you receive confirmation, please email the Board Clerk Lahontan@waterboards.ca.gov, and provide the following information.
- In the subject line, indicate: “January 12-13, 2022 Speaker Comment, item number 2.
- In the body of the email, indicate:
- Your name
- Who you represent (i.e., self, another person, an organization--please do not speak on behalf of the Sierra Club; we are drafting our comments already)
- The item number and name you wish to speak on
- Whether you definitely want to speak or whether you are unsure and will decide during the item whether you want to speak. This will help the meeting run smoothly and allow you to participate timely
- Whether you intend to participate via videoconference or telephonically (note: through Zoom video conference, you will be able to see the Water Board Meeting video, but you will not have the option to show your own video)
- If calling in, please provide the last three digits of the phone number you will be calling from
3. Donate today to help us fight this terrible proposal (link: https://act.sierraclub.org/donate/rc_connect__campaign_designform?id=7013q000002G9w0AAC |
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In addition to the Tahoe Keys Weeds Issue, here are some of the other projects the Tahoe Area Group is working on:
- The Truckee River Recreational Access Project is a proposed project to extend the Truckee River Bike Trail from Squaw Valley Road to Truckee. Tahoe Area Group supports the routing that minimizes impacts to the Truckee River riparian zone.
- California State Parks has a long-running project to restore a section of the Upper Truckee River by moving part of the adjacent Lake Tahoe Golf Course away from the river. State Parks has scheduled two virtual scoping meetings on January 25, 2022, via Zoom. Presentations will be made related to the new project and there will be an opportunity for public comment.
- Alterra, the owner of Palisades Tahoe, proposed in 2015 to build high-rise condo hotels, a 90,000 square foot water park, and a rollercoaster in Olympic Valley, and the plan was approved by Placer County in 2016. The environmental organization Sierra Watch sued Alterra, based on the project’s impacts on Tahoe traffic, noise, and fire danger. In August of this year, California’s Third District Court of Appeals found in favor of Sierra Watch, and sent Alterra back to the drawing board. Tahoe Area Group congratulates Sierra Watch on their success, and opposes any large-scale development in the valley.
- Tahoe Area Group Outings will resume in the spring of 2022 after a 2-year hiatus, conditions permitting.
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Truckee River Recreational Access Project
The Tahoe Area Group provided comments on Placer County’s Notice of Preparation (NOP) of an Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Truckee River Recreational Access Plan Project on August 9, 2021. The proposed project would construct a new multi-purpose paved trail adjacent to the Truckee River and State Route 89 between West River Street in Truckee and Squaw Valley Road. Our comments emphasized that Placer County should choose alternatives that have the fewest impacts on the Truckee River both from short-term construction impacts and from longer term recreational use impacts, avoiding trail alignments within the Truckee River floodplain or any of its tributaries. The Tahoe Area Group will continue to comment and monitor the project through the project’s development.
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| Washoe Meadows State Park |
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California State Parks has been engaged in a long-running project to restore the section of the Upper Truckee River that runs along its eastern boundary. The project includes moving part of the adjacent Lake Tahoe Golf Course away from the river. Among our concerns is the fact that the project to restore the river will undoubtedly require access along the Washoe Meadows State Park side of the river. While this work can occur sensitively, past projects have sometimes impacted park cultural, natural and recreational resources. We want to make sure plans are in place to avoid these environmental effects during this major project’s construction, which will include road and trail construction, as well as bridge construction. during the project construction.
The next critical meetings will be held by State Parks on January 25, 2022. There will be two Scoping meetings on Zoom, one at 4pm and one at 5pm. Presentations will be made related to the new project. This is an opportunity for public comment regarding the type and extent of environmental analyses to be undertaken. A Zoom link and further information is provided at https://restoreuppertruckee.net/join-the-effort-get-involved/.
Tahoe Sierra Club will continue to be engaged with this item until further planning cements the protection of this important park land.
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Palisades Tahoe Development
The Tahoe Area Group commends and congratulates Sierra Watch’s latest victory over Alterra Mountain Company’s proposed development in what is now called the Palisades (formerly called Squaw Valley). The court’s decision in favor of Sierra Watch in August was a major milestone in the ongoing, ten-year, grassroots effort to turn back Alterra’s proposed development and means that Alterra can’t move forward with its proposal without addressing impacts on Tahoe. “Establishing our recent victory as citable law helps protect Tahoe from harmful development proposals,” says Tom Mooers, Executive Director of Sierra Watch, “And it’s another great example of how we work to stand up for our mountain values.”
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Outings
Sierra Club Local Outings were suspended by the Club’s national Outings Committee in early 2020, based on safety concerns and state restrictions. The Club allowed limited reopening last July, but wildfires and national forest closures prevented us from resuming outings here at Tahoe. Our current plan is to schedule some local hikes in the spring of 2022, assuming that pandemic conditions allow us to do so safely.
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