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ENLARGE
When the League to Save Lake Tahoe was formed in 1957, no one had scientifically measured the clarity of Lake Tahoe. Eleven years after the league had begun working to save Tahoe's environment, UC Davis researchers measured the water clarity at 102.4 feet with a secchi disk.
Since then, Lake Tahoe has lost 34.7 feet of clarity, but the environmental organization, the League to Save Lake Tahoe, has not lost any motivation for its mission -- Keep Tahoe Blue. This Saturday, the League to Save Lake Tahoe will commemorate its 50th anniversary with a celebration at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.
Sen. Dianne Feinsteinm D-Calif. and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. will speak at a dinner Saturday where League to Save Lake Tahoe members will look back at the preceding 50 years, during which the League to Save Lake Tahoe became the most prominent environmental advocate in the Tahoe Basin.
The League to Save Lake Tahoe was originally formed in 1957 as the Tahoe Improvement and Conservation Association by a small group of wealthy lakefront property owners. Rochelle Nason, the League's executive director, said the organization's initial focus was divided between establishing state parks in the basin and controlling regional development.
Development in the Tahoe Basin during the 1950s and early1960s was largely unchecked, with local authorities having complete control over all growth, said former U.S. Congressman and current Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board member Jerry Waldie.
Since then, Lake Tahoe has lost 34.7 feet of clarity, but the environmental organization, the League to Save Lake Tahoe, has not lost any motivation for its mission -- Keep Tahoe Blue. This Saturday, the League to Save Lake Tahoe will commemorate its 50th anniversary with a celebration at Sierra Nevada College in Incline Village.
Sen. Dianne Feinsteinm D-Calif. and Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev. will speak at a dinner Saturday where League to Save Lake Tahoe members will look back at the preceding 50 years, during which the League to Save Lake Tahoe became the most prominent environmental advocate in the Tahoe Basin.
The League to Save Lake Tahoe was originally formed in 1957 as the Tahoe Improvement and Conservation Association by a small group of wealthy lakefront property owners. Rochelle Nason, the League's executive director, said the organization's initial focus was divided between establishing state parks in the basin and controlling regional development.
Development in the Tahoe Basin during the 1950s and early1960s was largely unchecked, with local authorities having complete control over all growth, said former U.S. Congressman and current Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board member Jerry Waldie.
This rapid expansion came to a head in the "1980 plan," a vision of what development would be in Tahoe by 1980. The 1980 plan was created in 1964 by the Tahoe Regional Planning Commission, a precursor to the TRPA but without enforcement power. The plan envisioned a four-lane highway around the lake, a major bridge across Emerald Bay, a freeway on the South Shore, new casino districts around the lake and an artificial island in the south, all presuming up to 300 percent growth in the number of residents and tourists by 1980.
This aggressive plan for expansion spurred the Tahoe Improvement and Conservation Association into action. Changing its name to the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the group began advocating assertively for more balanced planning and greater control of development in the area. Though still a small organization, the league's new resolve began drawing attention to the issue on both a state and national level.
In 1969, the league's advocacy paid off with the signing of the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact, which formed today's Tahoe Regional Planning Association.
"The situation had gotten so bad that two governors (Nevada Gov. Paul Laxalt and California Gov. Ronald Reagan) and a president (Richard Nixon) who were not known as environmentalists had to step in," Waldie said. "Local government could not be trusted to protect a national environmental treasure."
Though the environmental degradation around the basin slowed after the creation of the TRPA, the tension surrounding the issue continued to simmer.
This aggressive plan for expansion spurred the Tahoe Improvement and Conservation Association into action. Changing its name to the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the group began advocating assertively for more balanced planning and greater control of development in the area. Though still a small organization, the league's new resolve began drawing attention to the issue on both a state and national level.
In 1969, the league's advocacy paid off with the signing of the Tahoe Regional Planning Compact, which formed today's Tahoe Regional Planning Association.
"The situation had gotten so bad that two governors (Nevada Gov. Paul Laxalt and California Gov. Ronald Reagan) and a president (Richard Nixon) who were not known as environmentalists had to step in," Waldie said. "Local government could not be trusted to protect a national environmental treasure."
Though the environmental degradation around the basin slowed after the creation of the TRPA, the tension surrounding the issue continued to simmer.
In the mid-1980s, when the TRPA released its 20-year plan for growth around the lake, it boiled over.
"The TRPA was seeking to accelerate development on the theory that the additional development would be beneficial to the environment," Nason said. "We very much disagreed with the agency's approach and the dispute ended up in court."
From this court battle came an injunction on all forms of development around the lake, including renovations and repairs. Lasting several years, this moratorium on construction had a devastating effect on the local economy, said Jan Brisco, spokeswoman for the Tahoe Lakefront Property Owners Association.
The TLPOA was closely involved in the dispute, as construction of private piers was a major point of disagreement. By the time a revised TRPA plan was accepted and the injunction lifted in 1987, most contractors had been forced to leave the area and many structures and piers around the lake were in desperate need of repair, Brisco said.
Groups on all sides of the issue now admit that the turmoil of the mid-1980s was unfortunate. With the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency currently forumulating its plan for the next 20 years, the league - and its traditional political adversaries - are hoping to find common ground without sacrificing their goals.
"The TRPA was seeking to accelerate development on the theory that the additional development would be beneficial to the environment," Nason said. "We very much disagreed with the agency's approach and the dispute ended up in court."
From this court battle came an injunction on all forms of development around the lake, including renovations and repairs. Lasting several years, this moratorium on construction had a devastating effect on the local economy, said Jan Brisco, spokeswoman for the Tahoe Lakefront Property Owners Association.
The TLPOA was closely involved in the dispute, as construction of private piers was a major point of disagreement. By the time a revised TRPA plan was accepted and the injunction lifted in 1987, most contractors had been forced to leave the area and many structures and piers around the lake were in desperate need of repair, Brisco said.
Groups on all sides of the issue now admit that the turmoil of the mid-1980s was unfortunate. With the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency currently forumulating its plan for the next 20 years, the league - and its traditional political adversaries - are hoping to find common ground without sacrificing their goals.
"We are very concerned about the environmental thresholds that the compact tries to address. With declining water clarity they should be strengthened, not weakened," said Anne Harper, president of the League to Save Lake Tahoe's Board of Directors. "If we think the plan will have a disastrous effect on the lake we will feel forced to challenge it, but we sincerely hope the plan is a good one."
Many of the league's most constant supporters have been in the scientific community.
"Over the years, the league has been the dominant force for educating the general public in the problems facing Lake Tahoe and what's necessary in protecting the lake," said eminent limnologist and U.C. Davis professor Dr. Charles Goldman. "For a small organization, they've developed into an extremely powerful action group promoting conservation of the lake for this and future generations."
While the league's efforts to find common ground with organizations around the lake have met with reasonable success, the league's positions remain a point of controversy.
"The league is obviously a forceful advocate, but I think a lot of their positions are wrong," said Carl Ribaudo, chairman of the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce. "I think it's a one-dimensional position for protecting the lake without regard for the needed balance between the environment, the community and the economy."
Many of the league's most constant supporters have been in the scientific community.
"Over the years, the league has been the dominant force for educating the general public in the problems facing Lake Tahoe and what's necessary in protecting the lake," said eminent limnologist and U.C. Davis professor Dr. Charles Goldman. "For a small organization, they've developed into an extremely powerful action group promoting conservation of the lake for this and future generations."
While the league's efforts to find common ground with organizations around the lake have met with reasonable success, the league's positions remain a point of controversy.
"The league is obviously a forceful advocate, but I think a lot of their positions are wrong," said Carl Ribaudo, chairman of the Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce. "I think it's a one-dimensional position for protecting the lake without regard for the needed balance between the environment, the community and the economy."
