Is investment adequate to sustain the valued attributes of the Lake Tahoe Basin ecosystem?
Varying degrees of investment will be required in the Sierra Nevada. In some areas, the investment may involve only monitoring and passive management. In others, substantial investments may be needed to restore ecosystems. At Lake Tahoe, there has been a mixed pattern of private and public uses for more than 130 years. The initial uses were predominantly private (timber, grazing, recreation). Over the past 90 years, more than 85% of the basin has been acquired by public agencies. Nevertheless, urbanization has left its indelible markthe creation of more than 49,000 subdivided lots and 29,000 acres of developed area. The urbanization of the LTB and past resource management practices have fragmented the ecosystem in such a manner that an extraordinary investment is needed to stabilize the system. During the past fifteen years alone, more than $300 million has been invested in acquisition and restoration activities. A greater investment is still needed to fund soil erosion and watershed r
