TAMBA thanks Heavenly Mountain Resort for support

Dear Editor,

The Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association TAMBA would like to express our sincere thanks to Heavenly Mountain Resort, in partnership with Vail EpicPromise, for supporting our 2023 Spring Member Party at the Cal Base Lodge on May 19th, 2023 through in-kind donations.

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Thanks to Heavenly Mountain Resort’s support for this event, TAMBA was able to bring the community together, recognize our dedicated volunteers, and help raise funds for our continuing trail maintenance efforts in the Tahoe region. The 2023 Spring Member Party was an opportunity to celebrate our first year of rebuilding efforts since the Caldor Fire. Our volunteers have already contributed hundreds of hours in clearing trees, repairing trails, rebuilding bridges, and addressing erosion issues. In addition to the Caldor repairs, we have been able to continue with other maintenance and construction projects all around the Tahoe region and are on pace to again take care of more than 100 miles of trail this year. 

The support of Heavenly Mountain Resort and Vail EpicPromise in providing event space and catering for this event has a huge impact on our ability to carry out our mission to maintain Tahoe’s world-class multi-use trail network. Event space and catering allows us to bring our members together twice a year to support fundraising and thank them for their time and dedication. At our 2023 Spring Member Party, we were able to raise funds to help train new volunteers, purchase critical tools, and ensure we have the capacity for ongoing trail maintenance around Lake Tahoe.

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TAMBA would like to recognize and celebrate Heavenly Mountain Resort and Vail EpicPromise for their continued support and looks forward to continuing to work together to support our local community.

Beca Martland Operations Manager, TAMBA

Kudos to Tahoe Stewards

Thank you to all the Tahoe Stewards who cleaned up beach trash.

And THANK YOU to TAHOE NORTH /Welcome Center who hosted the Drone / LASER 4th of July Celebration with:
1) NO explosive fireworks to traumatize wildlife, pets and people
2) NO After-smoke hovering over the Lake
3) NO Added expense, since the equipment (from last year) can be re-used (saving $$)
4) NO ‘Landfill level trash”. Yes, that’s right… Incline rogue trash, (not put in a can) was about a waste basket full:)

So…Imagine if this ’21st Century’ lead-by-example ‘light-show’ American celebration (showing respect for nature) received as much press as the ‘Tahoe Trash’ article that littered the world with yet another proof point of how we fail to inspire stewardship? Then maybe… just maybe…a more respectful 4th celebration that honors the land, water, wildlife and air – WE ALL SHARE…might one day become as ‘patriotic’ as ‘bombs bursting in air’.

P.S.: And bring back “America the Beautiful” as our National Anthem.

Jacquie Chandler, Incline Village

Time to reset LTVA

In principle, the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority should be focused on making Tahoe a fun and welcoming destination. In fact, they have taken too many actions that have just the opposite effect. In 2021, when the world was emerging from COVID-19, they chose to cancel our July Fourth fireworks for fear that the show would create too much traffic and trash (i.e., tourists). Then they spent a couple of years and who knows how much money trying to rebrand South Lake Tahoe as “Tahoe South”. An inane and fruitless quest from the get go.

The LTVA now points with justifiable pride to the new Event Center. But they utterly failed to consider the parking needs of such a destination. In fact, they eliminated a hundred or so parking spaces in the construction.

How do they expect spectators to get to the Center? They say shuttles, bikes, and walking! Are they kidding? Even if Tahoe had enough shuttles to ferry people in a timely manner in and out of the Event Center, where would the shuttles pick up 6,000 people? In the already full casino parking lots?

The last straw for the LTVA was its decision to ban parking on the loop road (Lake Parkway) during our biggest event of the year, Celebrity golf. Hundreds of locals and tourists have used that road as a convenient and free parking option.

Now LTVA tells us to use bikes, scooters, or shuttles from the Heavenly Base Lodge to access the golf. In lieu of parking options, they are pointing to new bike valets at the Hard Rock parking lot and two (2!) more Lake Link shuttles. For the 60,000 or so spectators?! Who are they kidding?

Carol Chapman, the president of LTVA, said in an interview, “We didn’t think we could do a good job of spectator off-site this year.” Wow! What an understatement. If you can’t figure out off-site parking, then don’t eliminate what parking exists! That’s a simple management dictum. Carol Chapman and the LTVA board should park in another county.

Brad Schiller, Zephyr Cove

Zephyr Shoals tragedy

Dear Editor:

I live immediately adjacent to the land now known as Zephyr Shoals and and in the 30 years since it was acquired by the Forest Service and opened to the public I have jogged or walked through here almost daily increasingly picking up small bits of trash as I go. My kids grew up enjoying the beaches and exploring the woods in this area.

Although the problem of beach trash has only increased over that same period especially over July Fourth, I didn’t believe it could get any worse than last year until witnessing this year’s atrocity. I am beyond appalled and disgusted.

Zephyr Knolls is a small swath of primitive undeveloped day use recreation area along the Lake devoid of rest rooms and trash cans except for one small dumpster although these “amenities” are available within a short walk to the Zephyr Cove Resort picnic are.

It’s a small remnant of “wilderness” surrounded by development. Pack it in pack it out and leave trace rules apply. This year’s situation only confirms my theory that the more easily accessible a recreation area is the more likely it is to attract careless irresponsible visitors. Zephyr Shoals allows visitors to park only steps from the beach. Perhaps a bit of a reach but compare that with Desolation Wilderness which requires considerable effort (hiking in) to access with no restrooms or trash cans in sight and visitors are supremely more conscientious and respectful of the environment.

The problem at Zephyr Shoals is obvious: PEOPLE. The solution is far more illusory. Tragic! Any wonder there is hostility toward our tourists/visitors?

Nick Esders, Zephyr Cove