The California Tahoe Conservancy board this month awarded more than $3 million in Proposition 1 funds for eight projects to improve the Lake Tahoe Basin’s forests, lake clarity, and water quality.

The projects approved for funding include:

·         Aquatic Invasive Species program planning, Tahoe Resource Conservation District $862,000: To evaluate new techniques for controlling aquatic invasive plants and plan for future AIS control efforts.

·         Control of the invasive Mysis shrimp to recover lake clarity and ecosystem health, UC Davis, $390,081: To plan and test a strategy to reduce the abundance of nonnative Mysis shrimp, which damage Lake Tahoe’s food web and harm lake clarity.

·         Lake Tahoe West Restoration partnership, National Forest Foundation, $398,750: To plan for large-landscape, multi-jurisdictional forest health, water quality, and restoration projects on nearly 60,000 acres on the West Shore.

·         Tahoe City Caltrans maintenance yard relocation, Tahoe Transportation District, $354,000: To evaluate the feasibility of relocating the Tahoe City Caltrans maintenance yard, which sits on environmentally sensitive land on the banks of the Truckee River, to a more appropriate location.

·         Polaris Creek and wetland restoration, feasibility study, Tahoe RCD, $282,000: To explore the feasibility of restoring Polaris Creek and adjacent wetlands near Dollar Point on the North Shore.

·         Country Club Heights erosion control project, El Dorado County, $250,000: To construct water quality improvements in several areas of Meyers to enhance wildlife habitat, increase groundwater recharge, and improve water quality.

·         Country Club Heights erosion control project, Phase 3, El Dorado County, $250,000: To plan for future storm water improvements that will improve water quality in areas of Meyers that discharge directly into the Upper Truckee River.

·         Bijou Park Creek restoration priority acquisition, South Lake Tahoe, $572,250: To acquire and restore one environmentally sensitive urban parcel as part of the city’s effort to restore the Bijou Park Creek watershed.