INCLINE VILLAGE (Nev.) A virtual trail running from Spooner Lake through Tunnel Creek is one of the many projects funded by more than $350,000 per year from Nevada’s Lake Tahoe license plate sales and annual renewals.
The Nevada Division of Natural Heritage will create the Marlette Virtual Nature Trail. It will be free to download and allow you to explore the trail, learn more about local wildlife, and experience the cultural and geological history of the area.
Other projects funded by license plate fees include:
SCUBA divers will continue to remove litter and identify hot spots in the Lake. Clean up the Lake, an organization that supports the conservation of the Lake, will conduct a series diving trips to document the litter’s movement around the lake. The Desert Research Institute and UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center will analyze the trash that has been removed to identify the main sources of litter pollution in Lake Tahoe.
Development of a Tourism Stewardship Roadmap. The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will work with Basin partners to develop a strategy to increase sustainable recreation and tourism opportunities in Lake Tahoe over the next twenty years. This information will be used to prioritize tourism projects and provide updates to Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program.
Two new research and monitoring programs will improve lake clarity.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will launch an innovative program to monitor algae along Lake Tahoe’s shoreline. The program will identify areas along the lakeshore that are affected by high levels of algae. It will also determine if boaters, aquatic invasives species, or other factors are causing clarity losses.
Researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno will examine how nutrients and watersheds contribute to algal growth and declines in water quality. These data will inform strategies and solutions to prevent the growth algae around Lake Tahoe.
Tahoe Rim Trail Association visitor use monitoring: To help with recreation, the Tahoe Rim Trail Association will monitor and analyze visitation numbers. The data will be used by land managers to evaluate the potential for reducing the trail’s damage and the surrounding vegetation.
Sensitive plants monitoring: A team of researchers from the University of Nevada Reno will set up a monitoring program for Lake Tahoe Draba. This is a rare, high-elevation, and only three-location plant that grows only in the Tahoe Basin. This project will help to prevent its extinction by providing data about the species.
Through the annual renewal and purchase of Nevada Lake Tahoe license plates, more than 23,000 Nevadans have helped to protect Lake Tahoe. The program has generated more that $11 million in annual renewal fees and sales since the first license plates were sold on February 1998. This funding has funded more than 165 preservation projects and restoration projects on the Nevada side.
Lake Tahoe license plates cost $61 and require an annual renewal fee $30 Visit dmvnv.com/platescharitable.htmFind out how to
You can get a free ticket to any of the participating Lake Tahoe ski resorts if you buy a Lake Tahoe license plate prior to April 1. To learn more about the Plates for Powder program, visit tahoeplates.com
You can find out more about the project funded by this program at lands.nv.gov/tahoe-plate.