Knox Johnson and Motel Acquisition and Demolition Project
Project Details
LEAD AGENCY
California Tahoe Conservancy
FUNDING PARTNERS
California Tahoe Conservancy / California Wildlife Conservation Board / Tahoe Regional Planning Agency / California Department of Fish and Wildlife / Tahoe Fund / League to Save Lake Tahoe
LOCATION
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Overview
The California Tahoe Conservancy, supported by its funding partners—the California Wildlife Conservation Board, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Tahoe Fund, and League to Save Lake Tahoe—has acquired 31 acres of environmentally sensitive land along the Upper Truckee River in South Lake Tahoe: the Knox Johnson Property. The acquisition shows tangible, on-the-ground progress of removing development out of sensitive lands, which is a central goal of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program and Lake Tahoe Regional Plan.
About the Land Acquisition
- 25 acres of mountain meadow and wetlands.
- 4 acres of former floodplain.
- One-third of the Lake Tahoe Basin drains into the Upper Truckee River.
- 96 percent of the lower section of the Upper Truckee River is in public ownership after this purchase.
- 6 funding sources including nonprofit donations and permit mitigation fees.
- Connects hundreds of acres of public marsh and meadow lands.
This Conservancy acquisition includes 25 acres of mountain meadow and wetlands, a two-acre single-family homesite, and four acres of former floodplain. The four acres of floodplain is occupied by vacant motel and restaurant buildings and a paved parking area. The property also abuts the Conservancy’s 560-acre Upper Truckee Marsh property to the north. Tahoe Resource Conservation District’s (Tahoe RCD) 206-acre Johnson Meadow property lies across U.S. Highway 50 to the south. Tahoe RCD also provided important support during the acquisition process.
The land protected by this acquisition is part of the homeland of the waší∙šiw (Washoe people—the people from here). The waší∙šiw are the aboriginal stewards of the land in and around the Lake Tahoe Basin. As a sovereign nation, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, as it is known today, continues to advocate for the protection and preservation of waší∙šiw ɁítdeɁ (the Washoe people’s homelands).
Read more about the acquisition.
Management and Demolition Updates
The Conservancy is working with the Department of General Services to prepare preliminary plans for demolishing the motel and restaurant buildings and parking lot. The Conservancy will seek approval by the California Public Works Board in fall 2024, expects a contract for demolition to be awarded by winter 2025, and anticipates demolition to start in fall 2025. After demolition, the Conservancy will retire or transfer the property’s development rights and coverage for future use on town center redevelopment.
Conservancy staff and California Highway Patrol regularly patrol the site for management issues and address them as they are discovered. The Conservancy encourages the public to report any issues observed on the site.
Future of the Site After Demolition
The Conservancy will preserve the surrounding mountain meadow and wetlands. The acquisition presents opportunities to restore wetland habitat on the newly acquired property itself, to enhance recreation and access to natural areas, and to compliment future restoration at the Upper Truckee Marsh. The Conservancy is interested in hearing from you. Stay tuned for details on how you can engage in the planning process. You can also contact the Conservancy at info@tahoe.ca.gov.
Including the Washoe Language in Interpretive Signage
The Conservancy is grateful to staff with the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California and the Tribal elders who provided a translation of the text for the project signage so that we could include the Washoe /ˈwɒʃoʊ/ language. The translation is not word for word, as the Washoe language reflects the world view of the waší∙šiw (Washoe people – the people from here). But as Tribal staff noted, the translation captures the essence of the message perhaps even more so. Here is the signage text in Washoe, with the original accompanying English text.
gó∙laš wé∙wɨs – Coming Soon
mí∙leɁ hutí∙weɁ deḱéšeɁguwa mášašé∙setigábigi – More Nature (More nature/ everything that lives and how they live you will get to know in the future.)
ťáŋlelši dáɁawágaɁa hutí∙weɁ Ɂíwi dewesuḱá∙ḱɨm tékewšigiháka Ɂitŋáwa Ɂí∙sáŋaɁa hutí∙weɁ géyeɁí∙yaluŋ Ɂíške báɁyaɁ – The California Tahoe Conservancy, supported by partners, has acquired this environmentally sensitive land and is removing the development.
ťáŋlelši dáɁawágaɁa hutí∙weɁ Ɂíwi dewesuḱá∙ḱɨm gádaɁéšibetiɁa Ɂúdi datánuɁeyišgešigi mugá∙gɨmaɁ wát tánu Ɂí∙yeɁgápɨlaɁ dahutí∙weɁ dewémi Ɂida deḱéšeɁášašé∙šetiaɁ heligi. – The Conservancy is also engaging the community about the future of this site for Lake Tahoe’s environmental and public access.
The sign text is also available in Spanish. Nearly a third of South Lake Tahoe households speak Spanish, as do millions of Californians.
