Tahoe Regional Planning Agency

TRPA Best in Basin awards recognize projects that exhibit outstanding planning and execution and lead the way in regional collaboration and environmental stewardship. Today, we're highlighting our Transportation and Sustainable Recreation Winner! Open to the public in fall 2023, the San Bernadino Class I Shared Use Path provides a connection over the Upper Truckee River and provides access to Washoe Meadows State Park, Tahoe Paradise Park, and the Meyers Elementary School. The El Dorado County project builds upon the Meyers Bikeway and provides a critical link to the bicycle network between the neighborhood on North Upper Truckee Road and the community of Meyers. Congratulations El Dorado County Government, Tahoe Paradise Recreation and Park District, US Forest Service LTBMU, AM Development 📷: El Dorado County

The TRPA Governing Board offered the position of General Counsel to attorney Graham St. Michel to oversee compliance cases, violation settlements, and other legal issues for the bi-state agency. He will fill the position held by John L. Marshall, who served as TRPA counsel for a total of 25 years. St. Michel, who is a graduate of South Tahoe High School, has served as TRPA’s associate counsel since February of this year. He holds a bachelor’s degree in public policy from the University of Southern California and a juris doctorate from Lewis & Clark Law School. St. Michel has practiced law for 16 years including private practice and serving as in-house counsel with the California Department of Conservation and the California Tahoe Conservancy. “I have dedicated my professional life to environmental law and public service, and TRPA’s mission has been a guiding inspiration for me from the start,” St. Michel said. Read the full release at https://lnkd.in/gkQdxQf4

Last chance to take our transportation survey! Help us prioritize transportation projects for the next 25 years, given limited funding. As U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said at this year's Lake Tahoe Summit, "Multi-use paths ensure that people can get to where they need to go, whether it's by foot or bicycle or wheelchair. ... Trails are not ornamental; they are fundamental to a good and safe transportation system." So far, the results are showing that people agree. Tell us what you think by taking the survey by tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 25. https://lnkd.in/gGe674hR

Today, about half of Lake Tahoe's workforce lives outside the Basin. Collectively we have watched residents move away from the lake or face greater housing insecurity as smaller cabins and affordable rentals become ever scarcer. As the next phase of TRPA's Tahoe Living initiative launches this fall, it is time to move beyond the low-hanging policy fixes TRPA has made thus far and start examining the fundamental changes needed to address inequities that have been building in our systems for decades. Read TRPA Housing Program Manager Karen Fink's full op-ed in the latest issue of Moonshine Ink: https://lnkd.in/gY8nVVMB

TRPA Best in Basin awards recognize projects that exhibit outstanding planning and execution and lead the way in regional collaboration and environmental stewardship. Today, we're highlighting our Water Quality and Watershed Restoration Winner! The Incline Village General Improvement District Effluent Export Pipeline Project replaced 5,365 feet of high pressure effluent water line along State Route 28 with no injuries or environmental issues. Crews worked carefully next to the existing, 50-year-old pipeline that actively carried effluent water out of the Tahoe Basin. The new line is light years ahead of the one it replaced, protecting public and environmental health for years to come. Congratulations Incline Village General Improvement District (IVGID) Morgan Construction T&S Structural Q&D Construction Neil’s Controlled Blasting HDR Engineering Nevada Department of Transportation Nevada Division of Environmental Protection

Tahoe forests are currently glowing with vibrant fall colors even as smoke lingers above the lake from prescribed fire operations. The traits of a healthy forest are integral to the way we experience this incredible place. They are also fundamental to the overall health of the watershed, the safety of our communities, and our region’s resilience to climate change. Continue reading TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan's latest op-ed about how Team Tahoe is accelerating forest health work at https://lnkd.in/ghGZDGgb 📷: Rich Adams

TRPA Best in Basin awards recognize projects that exhibit outstanding planning and execution and lead the way in regional collaboration and environmental stewardship. Today, we're highlighting our Sustainable Recreation and Forest Health Winner! The Spooner Lake Frontcountry Improvement Project completely redesigned and updated the facilities at Spooner Lake to serve as a major portal for the 60+ miles of trails in Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. The Nevada Tahoe Resource Team project upgraded pathways, parking spaces, stormwater treatment, and continued fuel reduction work thanks to many partners and funders including the Tahoe Fund. Nevada State Parks Nevada Division of Forestry Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Nevada Department of Wildlife Tahoe Fund Design Workshop Group West Construction, Inc. BURDICK EXCAVATING COMPANY INC

TRPA was thrilled to join partners from across the region, state, and even nation for the CA Wildfire Resilience Task Force yesterday at the Lake Tahoe Event Center. TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan spoke on a panel about the immense collaboration it takes to restore forests and create safer communities in the Tahoe Basin through the #environmentalimprovementprogram. Thank you to California Natural Resources Agency Tahoe Fund and California Tahoe Conservancy for the opportunity to speak and connect with such an excellent group of land managers, nonprofits, government entities, fire professionals and more.

The TRPA Governing Board recognized nine projects and programs with Best in Basin awards for exceptional environmental design and stewardship of Lake Tahoe. For more than 30 years, TRPA’s Best in Basin award program has annually recognized projects that exhibit outstanding planning and execution and lead the way in regional collaboration and environmental stewardship. The award winners this year range from forest health projects to citizen science monitoring. “The Best in Basin award-winning projects provide outstanding environmental benefits for Lake Tahoe while also symbolizing what can be achieved when we work together to harmonize the human and natural environments,” TRPA Executive Director Julie Regan said. “We applaud the hard work, innovation, and stewardship included in this year’s winning projects.” Read the full release at https://lnkd.in/gSAeUgyd

TRPA partnered with the California State Lands Commission this summer to begin removing illegally placed concrete mooring blocks and attached buoys from the bottom of Lake Tahoe. The removal of three boat anchoring blocks on the lake’s West Shore in August was the first such removal under the 2018 Shoreline Plan that capped the number of piers and boat moorings, according to the agencies. In 2023, the TRPA watercraft team tagged more than 80 illegal moorings and slowed hundreds of boats within the 600-foot no-wake zone. No-wake zones were established to protect the safety of paddlers and boaters, reduce shoreline erosion, and enhance the recreation experience for all. Read the full release at https://lnkd.in/gHuFV-cH