"Bird Friendly Buildings: What You Can Do" - Tuesday March 18th from 4:00-5:00pm 

Have you ever had a bird collide into your house? You are not alone! In the United States, up to 1 billion birds die each year following window collisions. Join us for a virtual webinar to hear from American Bird Conservancy’s Bird Collisions Campaign Director Dr. Christine Sheppard on her work reducing bird-and-glass collisions in both commercial and residential settings. Learn about the scientific work being done to understand the interaction between birds and available window treatments, and how these findings influence architectural and legislative decisions. Additionally, find out cheap and easy solutions you can do to make your home bird friendly! Click  here to learn more and register!

TAG's Letter to Skip Daly, Chair of TRPA Oversight Committee and NV State Senator, responding to Julie Regan's letter.

The Tahoe Area Group sent a letter to Skip Daly, Chair of Nevada Legislative Committee for the Review and Oversight of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and the Marlette Lake Water System (Oversight Committee), responding to TRPA's December 20, 2024 letter justifying that the Oversight Committee's priorities were in alignment with current practices. We beg to differ. The Committee's priority matrix specifically encouraged TRPA to consider the following priority matrix during the review of applications for development in the Tahoe Basin. This matrix ranks the following four considerations in order of priority:

1. Preservation, protection, and restoration of Lake Tahoe
2. Enhancing the visitor experience
3. Mitigating impacts on residents
4. Economic considerations. 

The TRPA continues to put economic considerations above preservation, protection and restoration of Lake Tahoe. As stated in the letter, " Despite the priority matrix and the promises by the Director in her December 20, 2024 letter, it is clear TRPA does not consistently apply these priorities in practice. Environmental protection should remain the highest priority, yet not making the required findings as per Code Section 4.4.1.B, delays in updating the threshold standards, and ineffective use of mitigation fees suggest otherwise. Furthermore, economic considerations and visitor experience appear to outweigh protection of the environment. The TRPA must demonstrate that its decisions align with this stated priority matrix and that it is not merely a theoretical framework." 

Lawsuits against Placer County's approval of the proposed Palisades Development

The massive Palisades development proposal by Alterra in Olympic Valley was approved by the Placer County Board of Supervisors on November 19th. Unfortunately, the Board unanimously voted to approve the oversized and out of character development despite the Olympic Valley Municipal Advisory Council unanimously voting against the proposal in August. Packed rooms during the three public meetings where most people stated opposition to the proposal did not deter Placer County Board of Supervisors approval of the project. As reported in a SFGate article , in a decisive move to protect the environment and public safety in Lake Tahoe, the League to Save Lake Tahoe and Sierra Watch have filed lawsuits challenging Placer County's approval of the Village at Palisades Tahoe Specific Plan. Both lawsuits are based on the same arguments associated with increased traffic and lake degradation due to the projected additional 3,300 daily trips into and out of Olympic Valley. The media release from the League to Save Lake Tahoe explains more here . The project as approved would also exacerbate the sole wildfire evacuation route, where traffic is expected to triple or more from what Fire agencies around the Tahoe Basin indicate. Concerns have already been raised based on an independent analysis of evacuation from the Tahoe basin by Tahoe Clean Air reported on by SFGate here. The Tahoe Area Group remains committed to supporting our environmental partners in their work to protect Lake Tahoe.