LAKE TAHOE, Nev./Calif. – Team Tahoe, the 80-plus organizations working in partnership to implement the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program (EIP), today praised Tahoe’s congressional delegation for the introduction of the Santini-Burton Modernization Act.
The 1980 Santini-Burton Act was essential to Lake Tahoe’s early conservation successes. Under the law, funds were appropriated to the USDA Forest Service to acquire more than 16,000 acres of land in the Tahoe Basin. Today, 90 percent of the Tahoe Region is publicly owned. Through conservation and ongoing management, these public lands protect Tahoe’s famed clarity and offer world-class recreation opportunities. Changes to the Santini-Burton Act in the 2000s inadvertently limited the law’s scope so funds could only be used to acquire land, but not to manage those lands.
The Santini-Burton Modernization Act is the product of a multi-year collaboration by Tahoe’s state and local governments, the bi-state Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, non-profits, and the private sector. If enacted, modernization would free up existing funds for ongoing management, allowing the Tahoe Basin to complete more lake-saving Environmental Improvement Program projects to protect Tahoe’s famed clarity, improve recreation access, manage forests, reduce wildfire risk, and expand the presence of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California.
“The health of the land equals the health of the people. For many years we have been working to bring Washoe people back onto our homelands and become stewards of the land the way our ancestors have for thousands of years,” said Serrell Smokey, Chairman of the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. “Updating the Santini-Burton Act will be a huge step for all of us to create the safe and healthy forests we all need.”
“The original Santini-Burton Act resulted in the protection of thousands of acres of land in the Tahoe Region,” said Julie Regan, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. “Modernization will allow us to continue protecting those lands for future generations and ensure everyone can enjoy the lake in a safe and sustainable way.”
Lands conserved through Santini-Burton include popular outdoor recreation and conservation sites such as the Upper Truckee River, multiple entryways to the iconic Tahoe Rim Trail, sections of Tahoe’s East Shore, Blackwood Canyon, and parcels in neighborhoods to foster open space and wildlife passage. Modernization is needed because limited funding is available to maintain the 16,000-plus acres of existing Santini-Burton lands leaving them vulnerable to wildfire, erosion, and human impacts.
“The Santini-Burton Modernization Act will help us write the next chapter of Tahoe’s conservation success story. Drafted in true collaboration by and for Tahoe partners, this legislation will unlock essential funding to protect the lake and basin for future generations—without costing taxpayers a dime,” said Keep Tahoe Blue CEO Darcie Goodman Collins, PhD. “I look forward to working with the bill’s leads, Senator Cortez Masto and Congressman Kiley, on turning this proposal into law.”
The unique character of Lake Tahoe continues to be of national and regional significance, but the threats to the lake require bold solutions. Modernization would free up existing, but currently restricted resources to manage public lands and address visitation impacts at Tahoe.
“Coming from the perspective of a recreation business operating on federal lands, the Santini-Burton Modernization Act is exactly the type of federal investment we need at Tahoe,” said Bob Hassett, Managing Member, Round Hill Pines Beach Resort. “Public-private partnerships like this allow federal funds to be leveraged while protecting Tahoe’s environment, improving public access, and supporting local businesses.”