In 1997, President Bill Clinton was riding in a research vessel to teach science lessons.
After being invited by Harry Reid (Nevada Senator), Clinton and Gore visited Lake Tahoe. Reid was concerned at Tahoe’s rapidly deteriorating environment, and was calling for urgent federal action. Both leaders of the world, wearing blue collared shirts and khaki pants, watched as scientists from UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center measured and drew water samples from the lake. This is one of many experiments scientists regularly conduct to monitor the environment. Clinton and Gore looked into an Erlenmeyer Flask, searching for plankton in the lake’s water sample.
Clinton said that they looked like shrimp. This was a classic 90s moment. The Washington Post.
Many Lake Tahoe residents remember the 1997 presidential visit as a significant turning point.
Clinton created the background for the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.
Former President Bill Clinton (right) and Vice President Al Gore examine water samples at the U.C. On July 26, 1997, Davis Research Vessel was spotted on Lake Tahoe.
STEPHEN JAFFE/AFP via Getty ImagesIn 2016, Congress approved the Lake Tahoe Restoration Acts second version, which authorized $715 Million for environmental restoration projects in the Basin.
The federal share of investment in Tahoe’s sweeping is represented by the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act Environmental Improvement ProgramThis name can cause eyes to glaze over and understates how important the work being done in partnership by government agencies, Washoe Tribe of Nevada, California, nonprofit groups, foundations and other organizations to keep Tahoe blue.
The $374 million Congress has so far appropriated from the $715 millions authorized by Congress is the money that actually landed in Tahoe to complete the work.
The Lake Tahoe Restoration Act, which combines state, local, and private money, has achieved a Long list of feats: Forest thinning, restoration of the Sierra Nevada’s largest watershed, expansion of bike paths to reduce Tahoe’s dependence on fossil fuels, and many other things.
Since President Clinton’s 1997 visit to Lake Tahoe Summit, we have made incredible progress in restoring it,” Sen. Dianne Feinstein stated in a statement. Statement from last year.
This file photo was taken July 26, 1997. It shows former President Bill Clinton reacting to signing an executive order for the preservation and enhancement of Lake Tahoe in Incline Village.
Ruth Fremson/APWashington, D.C., made this week’s decision to send Tahoe $29.2 Million for fiscal year 2022 in order to continue the work of environmental rehabilitation. $23.8 million is included in this funding from the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act. According to the League to Save Lake Tahoe this is a 148% rise over the previous fiscal years.
The money is being used to fund big, but not clear, initiatives like watershed management and prevention. Wildfire preparedness is one of the top priorities. It will help Tahoe recover from the Caldor Fire that ravaged about 10,000 acres in the basin last summer.
Tahoe isn’t just Nevada and California’s treasure; it’s a national treasure,” Darcie Goodman-Collins, CEO of League to Save Lake Tahoe, stated in a statement. We are encouraged by the bipartisan actions taken in Washington D.C. to protect, preserve, Keep Tahoe Blue, especially in light of climate change and extreme wildfire.
Within days of a successful transaction, the money arrives. Report of 35 pagesIt was revealed that nearly two-thirds (32%) of Lake Tahoe residents believe the region is on the wrong track. This attitude is reflective of a range of issues, including housing and excessive tourism. However, the basin, just like the watershed has many issues that affect Lake Tahoe’s environment and health.
According to Joanne S. Marchettain, executive director of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the Tahoe region and lake are in serious danger from climate change’s compounding effects and growing recreational pressures.
Marchetta said that this record-breaking funding from the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act will be beneficial to our forests, meadows and water infrastructure as well as transportation and the world-famous lake clarity. We are grateful for the continued investment in Tahoe’s future by Tahoe’s congressional leaders and our advocacy partners.
In the late 1990s Tahoe’s lake clarity began to decline. Scientists measure lake transparency by placing a white frisbee-shaped disc, known as the Secchi disk into the water. The disk is then marked at the lowest point that can be seen from the surface. The historical average Secchi disk depth was approximately 100 feet. However, it was only 70 feet in 1997. Scientists feared that the lake would lose its clarity on an alarming scale. The decline has been slowed by the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act funding boost and investments from the state, local, and private resources.
According to the most recent State of the Lake Report, the 2020 average Secchi depth will be approximately 63 feet. According to the State of the Lake Report, this figure is unchanged from last year and reflects near-constant values over the last 20+ years.
File photo of Al Gore (left), former Vice President and President Bill Clinton looking at a sample of water while on an environmental trip to Lake Tahoe.
Diana Walker/Getty ImagesTahoe’s clarity is still below the restoration target of 97.4 feet set by federal and state decision-makers. There is still much work to do. In the meantime, funding under the current version of the Lake Tahoe restoration law expires in 2024.
Tahoe was already experiencing a lapse on federal funding in 2010 after the original act expired. This deprived it of money for crucial environmental work. The second iteration was passed in 2016 and President Barack Obama visited Tahoe at Sen. Reid’s request.
In May 2021, the Senate created a Tahoes legislative contingent. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Feinstein introduced bipartisan legislation to extend the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act up until 2034.
Klima change is increasing the risks to Lake Tahoe. These include rising lake temperatures and declining clarity. Feinstein also stated that thriving invasive species are thriving and more dangerous wildfires. This magnificent lake is our responsibility. The federal government is still an active partner in the preservation of the lake and its surrounding basin by authorizing the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act.