Just two weeks ago, leaders and community members gathered on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore to celebrate nearly three decades of collaboration in restoring the unique environment of the Tahoe Basin. The 29th annual Lake Tahoe Summit, hosted by U.S. Senator Adam Schiff at Valhalla Tahoe, shone a light on the remarkable progress being made and reaffirmed the shared commitment to protect one of America’s most treasured landscapes.

The theme this year—Protecting Lake Tahoe: Balancing Sustainable Recreation and Conservation—captured many of the challenges facing the Tahoe Basin today. Our collaborative work to protect and restore Lake Tahoe must consider the region’s unmatched recreation opportunities. A full 90 percent of the basin is public land and the number of visitors every year can exceed that of America’s most popular national parks. That popularity brings challenges: traffic congestion, safety concerns, and new environmental impacts.

The theme was a call to action, and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and partner agencies are rising to the challenge. In July, the TRPA Governing Board unanimously approved Connections 2050, the Regional Transportation Plan designed to modernize transit, trails, technology, and town centers. The plan supports ongoing solutions such as expanded microtransit services, better connecting hundreds of miles of bike paths, and identifying funding sources to complete them.

Upgrades to Tahoe’s busiest recreation corridors are reducing traffic and unsafe roadside parking, including the pilot Emerald Bay Shuttle collaboration, which has served more than 1,500 riders in its first month alone. On the East Shore, a shared vision is transforming Nevada State Route 28 into a safer, more sustainable corridor with better parking management, expanded transit service, a mobility hub at Spooner Summit, and extension of the Tahoe East Shore Trail to Spooner.

While there is much more to do, Senator Schiff and his fellow speakers recognized the importance of partnership and leadership in past and future accomplishments. The gathering honored the legacy of influential figures in Tahoe’s history, including former TRPA Governing Board Member E. Clement “Clem” Shute Jr. and the late U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. Along with many others, their vision and leadership helped secure a brighter future for this special place.

During a special moment, leaders on stage presented the Dianne Feinstein Lake Tahoe Award upon Clem Shute for his illustrious legal career and for his role in negotiating a pivotal update to the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan in 2012. Ultimately, the successful plan update brought California and Nevada back together in their commitment to the Bi-State Compact.

It was Senators Feinstein and Harry Reid of Nevada who helped convene the first Tahoe Summit in 1997, a turning point that launched the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program, or EIP. Today, the EIP is the cornerstone of Lake Tahoe’s preservation and has become a nationally recognized model. Rooted in the Bi-State Compact between Nevada and California, the program brings together more than 80 public and private organizations and embodies the spirit of “Team Tahoe,” the label Senator Feinstein gave to the EIP partnership.

Since 1997, EIP partners have completed more than 850 projects, including inspecting 115,000 for aquatic invasive species, completing or improving 200 miles of bike and pedestrian trails, and thinning nearly 100,000 acres of forest to reduce wildfire risk. Wildfire safety remains front and center for Team Tahoe. Alongside law enforcement and emergency management agencies, EIP partners in forest management and fire protection are advancing regional evacuation planning, prioritizing fuel reduction projects along evacuation routes, and making significant upgrades to water infrastructure for fire suppression.

While progress is coming from many directions, the lake’s health and clarity remain the cornerstone of TRPA’s work. Recent reports show that thousands of public and private water quality projects are now preventing more than 700,000 pounds of fine sediment from reaching the lake each year. Encouraging progress, but clarity has yet to improve during the summer months. This underscores the importance of continued action. From restoring streams and wetlands to improving transportation and expanding affordable housing to reduce commutes, today’s work is laying the foundation for long-term improvements in lake clarity.

In an era when division often dominates headlines, the EIP proves that lasting progress is possible when we work together. Senator Feinstein understood that Tahoe’s future relies on more than any single person or organization—it depends on partnerships. Today, Team Tahoe is stronger than ever and will continue to address the threats of today and prepare for those of tomorrow.

–Hayley Williamson is Chair of the TRPA Governing Board and Nevada At-Large Board Member. –Vince Hoenigman is Vice Chair of the TRPA Governing Board and a California Governor’s appointee to the Board.