Residents, stakeholders invited to participate to improve destination and recreation management

For more information, contact: Alix Collins
Director of Marketing & Communications
Center for Responsible Travel (CREST)
acollins@responsibletravel.org
202.347.9203 x 417

LAKE TAHOE, Calif./Nev. – Lake Tahoe residents, community members and stakeholders interested in the responsible management of tourism and recreation are invited to take part in workshops this month to create a destination stewardship plan that will balance the needs of Lake Tahoe’s environment, businesses, visitors, and local communities. This new shared strategy will inspire all to take care of Tahoe.

A collaboration of 13 public and private sector organizations invite residents and stakeholders in the greater Tahoe region, including Truckee, Calif., to weigh in during a series of visioning workshops scheduled for May 2022.

Residents and stakeholders are invited to participate in the visioning workshops on May 16, 17, and 18 in locations around the Tahoe Basin, plus an option for Zoom.

Experts in the field of destination stewardship, including the Center for Responsible Travel (CREST), and the Travel Foundation, are helping guide the process to create a shared vision and decision-making framework for sustainable management of tourism and recreation throughout the Lake Tahoe region. Additionally, the team includes South Lake Tahoe-based research firm SMG Consulting and Civitas Advisors specializing in sustainable funding solutions.

“The way people access and rely on public lands is changing. In everything from hiking to skiing we are welcoming new and more diverse users, sometimes in growing numbers.” said Erick Walker, Forest Supervisor, USDA Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. “Now is the time for us to come together to learn how we can better coordinate and improve the whole picture.”

A core team is leading the project from federal, state, county, tribal, and local governmental organizations, as well as businesses, nonprofits, and all four destination organizations that market and manage Lake Tahoe area tourism.

“This unprecedented collaboration with land managers, visitors authorities and the local community is exactly what we need right now,” said Tahoe Fund CEO and core team representative Amy Berry. “Together, we will work to develop a plan that will improve the quality of the Tahoe experience for everybody while also taking care of our extraordinary environment.”

To ensure the plan supports a shared vision for future tourism and recreation, it will draw inspiration from extensive local engagement, including two rounds of public workshops, one-on-one interviews, and focus group meetings with stakeholders including the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.

The first round of workshops invites participants to identify opportunities for increasing the direct benefits of tourism and recreation, while addressing the challenges, and creating the plan’s vision and mission statements as well as key goals.

Following are the dates, locations, and times of five in-person events:

• May 16 – North Tahoe Event Center, Kings Beach, CA – 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  Truckee citizens are invited to Kings Beach, Incline Village, and Virtual Zoom workshops
• May 17 – Parasol Community Foundation, Incline Village, NV – 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• May 18 – Lake Tahoe Community College, South Lake Tahoe, CA – 11:30 a.m to 1:30 p.m.
• May 18 – Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority Office, South Shore/Stateline – 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Virtual Zoom Workshop – date to-be-determined

A fifth virtual workshop will be scheduled following the May workshops. All are invited to register for a workshop, learn more about the planning process, and sign up to receive news about the project, results from workshops, and additional opportunities for feedback at StewardshipTahoe.org.

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