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LAKE TAHOE — Despite the appearance of aquatic invasive species in one of the more scenic portions of Lake Tahoe, Emerald Bay will remain open to recreational boaters throughout the summer. Nevertheless, local officials continue to discuss the best course of action to control the small Asian clam population.
The non-native freshwater mollusk appeared in the shallow waters toward the mouth of Emerald Bay, sparking a debate among Tahoe Regional Planning Agency governing board members regarding the best way to address the problem. Some board members urged a temporary ban of boating in Emerald Bay.
TRPA governing board members Norma Santiago, Steven Merrill, and Jennifer Montgomery expressed the need for urgent action, suggesting the agency enact control measures aimed at reducing the population of the clams in the near term.
"We need to take the action now," Santiago said during the meeting.
Montgomery said she would be in favor of a temporary moratorium on boating in the bay, while scientists install the necessary control measures.
There would be a political and economic impact to any closures to the bay, one of the most popular locations for recreational boaters, said TRPA Executive Director Joanne Marchetta.
In 2005, TRPA's summer shorezone analysis allowed the agency to shut down Emerald Bay to reduce the impact of recreation to the ecologically sensitive area — a move which drew a wellspring of criticism from community residents, said Julie Regan, TRPA communication and legislative affairs chief.
The agency recognizes the need to balance ecological threats with financial and recreational impacts, Regan said.
“The agency recognizes the gravity of the situation,” she said. “We want to work with the experts to address this threat.”
One expert, Marion Wittman, a researcher with the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, said the logistics of installing control measures, including 100-square-foot bottom barriers in an area large vessels routinely travel through “is not trivial.”
Large vessels kick up sediment, which would make it difficult to impossible to install permanent barriers, said Ted Thayer, manager of the TRPA's Aquatic Invasive Species Program.
Board members expressed a willingness to impose a temporary closure to the bay so divers could install the barriers without interference from boats.
However, the use of bottom barriers as a means of controlling clam populations is still in an experimental phase, and the immediate installation of the barriers in Emerald Bay would be premature, Wittman said.
“There are concerns about how the barriers impact the native invertebrates,” said Wittman. “We still have to look at how this affects the recolonization of clams, while assessing the economic and ecological costs.”
There are plans in place to install two half-acre barriers on the bottom of the lake, one in Marla Bay and one in Lakeside Marina. Wittman said the scientific data collected from those experiments will determine the future use of bottom barriers at other lake locations.
There are no plans to close Emerald Bay in the near future, said Regan.
Thayer said the bay would only be closed on a temporary basis.
“It will be as temporary as possible,” he said. “A moratorium will not be necessary.”
Marchetta said there are tentative plans to install barriers at the mouth of the bay this fall after the boating season. Thayer said the agency was willing to coordinate efforts with local boating-oriented businesses to ensure the economic impact of the installation is minimal.
The non-native freshwater mollusk appeared in the shallow waters toward the mouth of Emerald Bay, sparking a debate among Tahoe Regional Planning Agency governing board members regarding the best way to address the problem. Some board members urged a temporary ban of boating in Emerald Bay.
TRPA governing board members Norma Santiago, Steven Merrill, and Jennifer Montgomery expressed the need for urgent action, suggesting the agency enact control measures aimed at reducing the population of the clams in the near term.
"We need to take the action now," Santiago said during the meeting.
Montgomery said she would be in favor of a temporary moratorium on boating in the bay, while scientists install the necessary control measures.
There would be a political and economic impact to any closures to the bay, one of the most popular locations for recreational boaters, said TRPA Executive Director Joanne Marchetta.
In 2005, TRPA's summer shorezone analysis allowed the agency to shut down Emerald Bay to reduce the impact of recreation to the ecologically sensitive area — a move which drew a wellspring of criticism from community residents, said Julie Regan, TRPA communication and legislative affairs chief.
The agency recognizes the need to balance ecological threats with financial and recreational impacts, Regan said.
“The agency recognizes the gravity of the situation,” she said. “We want to work with the experts to address this threat.”
One expert, Marion Wittman, a researcher with the Tahoe Environmental Research Center, said the logistics of installing control measures, including 100-square-foot bottom barriers in an area large vessels routinely travel through “is not trivial.”
Large vessels kick up sediment, which would make it difficult to impossible to install permanent barriers, said Ted Thayer, manager of the TRPA's Aquatic Invasive Species Program.
Board members expressed a willingness to impose a temporary closure to the bay so divers could install the barriers without interference from boats.
However, the use of bottom barriers as a means of controlling clam populations is still in an experimental phase, and the immediate installation of the barriers in Emerald Bay would be premature, Wittman said.
“There are concerns about how the barriers impact the native invertebrates,” said Wittman. “We still have to look at how this affects the recolonization of clams, while assessing the economic and ecological costs.”
There are plans in place to install two half-acre barriers on the bottom of the lake, one in Marla Bay and one in Lakeside Marina. Wittman said the scientific data collected from those experiments will determine the future use of bottom barriers at other lake locations.
There are no plans to close Emerald Bay in the near future, said Regan.
Thayer said the bay would only be closed on a temporary basis.
“It will be as temporary as possible,” he said. “A moratorium will not be necessary.”
Marchetta said there are tentative plans to install barriers at the mouth of the bay this fall after the boating season. Thayer said the agency was willing to coordinate efforts with local boating-oriented businesses to ensure the economic impact of the installation is minimal.
