August 2025 Conservancy Newsletter

What are They Building Over There?

Former motel buildings aside, if you have been curious about construction or survey markers on other Conservancy properties, you’re not alone. It’s been a busy summer for our staff but also partners who have received our permission to include Conservancy properties in their restoration and public access projects. Here are a few examples of field work you may have seen underway:

• The City of South Lake Tahoe is making steady progress on the Tahoe Valley Stormwater and Greenbelt Improvement Project, which includes multi-benefit storm water treatment using natural systems, drainage solutions for localized flooding, bicycle and pedestrian improvements, and other recreational amenities. The project makes use of multiple Conservancy parcels in the area around the South Tahoe “Y.”
• The Conservancy is improving water quality and accessibility at the Conservancy’s Elks Club property via a project that includes reconstructing the aging parking lot.
• A Conservancy contractor has been completing land surveys of Conservancy properties for our Land Management program.
• Our forestry aides have been marking trees for future projects to reduce wildfire risk and improve forest resilience.

Washoe Tribe’s Máyala Wáta Restoration Project is Underway

The Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California’s Environmental Protection Department has begun work on the Tribe’s Máyala Wáta (Meeks Meadow) Restoration Project. The Tribe is removing encroaching conifers from over 200 acres of the meadow and thinning 70 acres of the surrounding upland forest. Logs from the project will be delivered to the Washoe Tribe to be used in the Tribe’s firewood program. This project is the first of its kind, where a Tribe can conduct restoration activity on USDA Forest Service land through a Stewardship Agreement between the Washoe Tribe and the USDA Forest Service – Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU).

Before European settlement—and the forced displacement of the Washoe people—frequent low-intensity fires kept trees out of meadows. After settlers arrived, logging and fire suppression allowed conifers to encroach on Máyala Wáta, drying up the meadow and degrading its ecological functions. After removing encroached lodgepole pines from the meadow, the Tribe plans to conduct cultural and prescribed burns, and to plant culturally significant meadow and wetland vegetation. Benefits of the Tribe’s project will include increased groundwater levels, improved water quality, and enhanced ecosystem resilience throughout the meadow. The Conservancy has provided grant funding to the Washoe Tribe and LTBMU to support the project.

Photo courtesy of the Washoe Environmental Protection Department, Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. 

Public Site Walks: Sunset Stables, Reach 6 Restoration Project

The Conservancy is interested in hearing from the community about a restoration and forestry project on Conservancy land along the Upper Truckee River, north and south of Elks Club Drive near U.S. Highway 50. The Conservancy is hosting two public site walks to present concepts, take questions, and hear comments:

• September 8 at 3:00 p.m.
• September 10 at 6:00 p.m.

Please park along Elks Club Drive near the intersection of U.S. Highway 50, and meet at the picnic table by the kiosk on the Conservancy’s Elks Club property, next to the river (link to Google Map). The event will include a short walk on trails. The trails will be on uneven surfaces and may require stepping over roots, rocks, or logs.

Contact Scott Carroll, scott.carroll@tahoe.ca.gov, with questions.