Tahoe’s Environmental Thresholds (Opinion)
In late February, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) presented the latest evaluation of our region’s environmental thresholds. Thresholds are science-based standards used since 1981 to measure how the Tahoe Basin is doing at protecting and improving environmental health and community well-being. They’re also goalposts that guide how we manage things like our forests, waters, wildlife, and transportation systems through the Environmental Improvement Program, Regional Plan, and Regional Transportation Plan.
In the eyes of our team at the League to Save Lake Tahoe, thresholds are much more than numbers in a report. They are what knit together the work being done by two states, five counties, one city, and dozens of agencies, businesses, and organizations. They help Keep Tahoe Blue and deliver benefits to everyone, like clean air and water. TRPA’s evaluation reports, produced every four years, are critical in determining what’s working and what’s not, and in keeping everyone moving in the same direction to protect Tahoe.
We commend TRPA for leading a thorough, thoughtful, and forward-looking review, including independent analysis by the Tahoe Science Advisory Council. Moving on from the numbers, we are excited about TRPA’s plans for an expanded process for review and feedback by stakeholders and all who would like to get involved. The thresholds are all of ours – anyone who lives or works here – and we have the opportunity to weigh in.
The latest threshold evaluation report shows progress, successes, and areas where we must do better. It is also an opportunity to celebrate attainment of thresholds, such as hitting long-standing targets for restoring meadows and wetlands, also known as stream environment zones. After attainment, the work is far from over. Environmental improvements must be maintained, especially in the face of climate change.
Our team at the League to Save Lake Tahoe will stay engaged – through the public review process, with our conservation programs, by advocating for federal funding, and by helping move plans from the page to the ground – to attain and maintain thresholds long into the future.
TRPA’s leadership will be vital, just as it is today.
Laura Patten is Natural Resource Director and Gavin Feiger is Policy Director for the League to Save Lake Tahoe, also known as Keep Tahoe Blue.
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