Letter: Is Lake Tahoe sustainable?
To the community,
In relationships, it takes the accumulation of many incidents to hit that “final straw”. In this case, four years of relentless attacks on a Nevada redevelopment project set to lead sustainable development, “broke the camel’s back”.
Nevada feels redevelopment abuse. California resents Nevada for the lion’s share of transient occupancy tax money. While Nevada has more per-existing buildable land, much of California infrastructure exist on stream environmental zones. “Unfair” sharing of these assets and liabilities, plus uneven regulatory representation escalated decades of unresolved tensions and resentments to the abyss of divorce.
The first exhale of severed obligations feels like freedom to do your own thing, without having to answer to that “oppressive, spoiled or controlling partner, because you showed ’em!” Then “in-laws” NEPA and CEPA weigh in, despite each states’ own development/mitigation playbook. And what about custody? Has anyone sat with the lake to explain why severing a 40-year collaboration for unknown repercussions is best?
After witnessing many of the inflictions still bleeding, I agree – a shift is in order. The TRPA regional update demonstrates motivation is high. But divorce? Really? Isn’t it hard enough to have a single source of the world’s most precious drinking water already under the diverse directives of 2 states, 5 counties, 1 city + 2 federal agencies? So further divide and polarize? In nature diversity works together to increase ecosystem stability.
Last year Sustainable Tahoe enrolled 15 NGOs, 12 agencies and 35 business from South Lake the Pyramid Lake to collaborate in showcasing our unique water, land, wildlife, culture and heritage. Together we created a regionwide demonstration of how prosperity with water clarity is possible! So before we pull further apart, consider what is at stake … one watershed with one majestic lake.
Jacquie Chandler, Sustainable Tahoe
Wikipedia only counts 4 counties:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tahoe
But maybe that is part of the problem, too many entities. I’m guessing no state would want to give up the lake, but maybe it could be simplified and only have 1 county from each state, then scale back redundant agencies, it might save a lot of money, free some up to focus on other projects, and streamline the core group working on Lake Tahoe.
Is lake Tahoe sustainable using the mindset developed since the 1997 presidential summit? No. This billion dollar level of funding has allowed expensive processes and costly systems to over take regulation, planning and implementation. For our community to be sustainable and to succeed, we must abandon the processes developed over the last decade because no one can afford them.
Lake Tahoe Basin actually has parts of 6 counties: a sliver of Alpine County (on the Heavenly side) – of the five usual, El Dorado, Douglas, Carson City, Washoe, & Placer. . . Carson City has the smallest footprint, yet has a full-blown bicycle plan for their section. . .
As someone who’s followed Jacquie’s geo & eco tourism ventures from the beginning, starting with that famous National Geographic visit here a few years ago, it is safe to say that those activity-based innovations for the benefit of Tahoe’s visitor-based economy are in the spirit of what she writes here. . .
Neither the controlling agency nor the ‘knee-jerk’ legal confrontations will end up doing the innovative levels necessary to a better sustainable life-style, controlled as they are by their own reliance on a legal system that itself is ill-equipped to deal with sustainability or changing quality of life issues. . .
That her effort, Sustainable Tahoe, tries to better blend the visitor experience with closer, more natural ones (versus spending their time encouraged to stay indoors), is consistent with the types of simple ‘connecting of dots’ that only Tahoe can do to enhance the reasons to graciously come and ‘R & R’ with us.
That she had to recruit so many entities to agree is more reflective of the shortage of viable ideas than it is of Sustainable Tahoe’s limited success at this point – having to prove the viability of a “no-brainer” concept that in all these years didn’t yet exist.
“Welcoming arms” for new ways of thinking are elusive in Tahoe at best.
Togetherness does not require the type of “either/or” relations that legal entanglements need (being by definition political), but then again, some agency actions are still too self-satisfied, as in “good enough for government”. . . to their (& our) continued peril. . .
Sustainability is way more significant than just adding it to a ‘wish list’. . .
I would say the major hold-up to our area moving forward is the vast number of environmental entities. We the people being stuck in the middle while the battle for Lake Tahoe rages onward. One step forward, and two lawsuits back.
Fighting? doesn’t look good for places thinking about bidding on the 2026 Olympic winter games… better hug and make up before the curling events of 2014. People are watching now my friends.