No honeymoon period for LTBMU chief
By Kathryn Reed
Lake Tahoe is no ordinary forest. And Jeff Marsolais wouldn’t have it any other way.
The 40-year-old is now at the helm of the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. As forest supervisor he is responsible for managing the 191,000 acres that surround the lake itself. This encompasses about 80 percent of the land in the basin.
This is small by national forest standards. However, with its encompassing two states, being in the heart of one of the most regulated areas of the country, and the economic-environmental tug-of-war being a constant struggle, he has his work cut out for him. Plus, with the powers that be – at least on the South Shore – on the recreation bandwagon, that will impact the forest system.
Jeff Marsolais, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit forest supervisor, is eager to tackle the issues ahead. Photo/Provided
Recreation, according to Marsolais, is one of the key issues facing LTBMU.
“It impacts resources and infrastructure as a whole,” he told Lake Tahoe News. “It is one of the most densely used national forests in the nation.”
With 5.7 million visits a year, LTBMU is already overused.
“What does sustainable recreation mean? We need to have that dialogue,” Marsolais said.
Public lands can hold only so many people. Parking then becomes an issue at recreation sites.
“We need to look at ways to protect sensitive resources and provide access,” Marsolais said.
He said staff is working on a conceptual recreation plan for the South Shore.
Having been the assistant forest supervisor since 2011, Marsolais is intimately familiar with the issues concerning the area. He has worked on seven forests since the mid-1990s. Before that he was employed by the Bureau of Land Management. Had he not been chosen to replace Nancy Gibson, who retired in January, Marsolais said he was planning to stay in Tahoe – he’s that committed. (The permanent deputy director for LTBMU has not been named.)
Marsolais spent nine months last year on assignment with another forest, which he said has allowed him to bring a fresh perspective to local issues.
Immediate things Marsolais wants to cross off his to-do list include getting Heavenly Mountain Resort’s Epic Discovery project going, finalizing the Forest Plan, and inserting himself into collaborative discussions about the basin whether they are about fire, cap and trade, or how to fund projects going forward now that the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act money is gone.
Collaboration, he said, is critical to get things done. Marsolais was not here for the 2007 Angora Fire when collaboration seemed to be a foreign word to most of the powers that be. That devastating fire that reduced 254 houses to ash eventually brought people together to work on issues for the greater good instead of being obstructionists. That collaboration is getting stronger and something that Marsolais embraces.
Marsolais is also excited to have the science community in the basin.
“We have to listen to the science community even if it doesn’t support the beliefs we have in all cases,” Marsolais said.
He praised the local Forest Service staff for their knowledge – some of whom are the best in their respective fields.
Paying attention to sensitive species and forest health are at the top of his list of concerns.
“We need big strategies to protect the resources,” Marsolais said.
But it’s not all about work for Marsolais. He is not happy to just be sitting behind his desk at headquarters in South Lake Tahoe. He is an avid fisherman. Fly and ocean fishing are his passion. He refused to disclose where he specifically likes to go.
“I go back to the Inyo forest where I came from. There are secret haunts I like to visit,” Marsolais said. The trout he lands is the reason he goes back there year after year.
With his family he likes to go camping and hiking. Downhill and cross country skiing are other activities he enjoys, though doing so has been limited lately because of the conditions. At home, it’s gardening that Marsolais enjoys. But he admits he wishes he had his grandmother’s green thumb because she could grow anything.
For now he is tasked with ensuring the public lands are fertile for everyone — people, animals and flora.
“At the end of the day it is the responsibility of the forest supervisor to look broadly at the issues and concerns to determine where to be personally engaged in the decisions that can make a key difference,” Marsolais said.
Welcome Aboard ! Hope we’ll see a balance of recreation enhancement that is considerate of local wildlife habitat protection.
I agree, a balance of naturalized human recreation like hiking and biking to help protect wildlife habitat a must!. The newly proposed Epic Discovery amusements, while fun for humans is going to disrupt local habitat with more people in places they have never been before.
Please work with Mr Villanueva to balance mountain bike and hiker needs. In most areas we visit on vacation, a small percentage of the trails are designated for hikers. Hikers on these trails needn’t worry as much about riders approaching rapidly from around a corner. There are more visitors and locals who hike than bike and not to set just a few trails aside to serve families wanting a quiet hike is a big mistake. One of the Tahoe Mountain trails is a good candidate (leaving the others available for multiple use and apparently Mr Villanueve has been looking at this), part of the High Meadows loop, the Hawley Grade and one of the Angora ridge lines. There have been many near misses and numerous disputes that have arisen between riders and hikers and this could so easily be alleviated by a few small changes in use. I have talked with some riders who agree that designating a few hiking trails would work for them too. Mixing very steep, curvy downhills with families out for a walk is a formula for injury and dispute. Give hikers a way to get out of the path of riders who enjoy the sport of downhilling at high speed on a bike. It makes sense, doesn’t it?
Seems to me that there are already lots of trails closed to bikes.
Agree with Blue Jeans – I hike Tahoe Mountain regularly and see the conflict with hikers getting exercise and riders loving the quick ride. What is astonishing to me is the complete disregard for erosion BPP’s on that trail. The riders cause huge loose berms and new corners off the trial that aren’t managed. I believe the USFS should adhere to the same BMP practices that all the rest of us have to !
I firmly believe that Mountain Bike trails be entirely separated from hiking trails, and favoritism towards Mountain Bikers not be because they have organized. Many of us have hiked these trails and areas long before mountain bikes existed.
Although I like dogs, I would like to see some more trails where dogs need to be kept on leashes. Many dogs running loose make the chance of seeing any wild life while hiking, virtually impossible. Plus, being excitedly greeted by an unknown, loose dog scares many people and children. I know many dog owners won’t be happy with this suggestion. And mountain biking on the edge of control doesn’t mix well with family hiking either.
congratulations Jeff
Lets get some protection going for the hikers who are far too often subjected to the out of control and dangerous mtn bikers while they are simply out for a peaceful hike in nature.