Incline Village, Nev. (May 15, 2021) – With construction underway on Spooner Lake’s future Visitor Center and Amphitheater, local officials, private donors, and stakeholders gathered at the site to celebrate the highly anticipated improvement project with an official groundbreaking ceremony.  

The Spooner Lake and Backcountry Management Area of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park (LTNSP) offers diverse and highly sought-after recreational opportunities for both local residents and visitors from around the world. Established in 1981, Spooner Lake is one of Nevada’s most prized recreational resources within Nevada’s system of State Parks. The park is a popular four-season destination for hikers, mountain bikers, anglers, equestrian users, snowshoers and cross-country skiers, and a wide variety of nature lovers. 

In 2018, Nevada State Parks teamed up with partners from the Nevada Division of State Lands, the Nevada Tahoe Resource Team, the Washoe Tribe and the Tahoe Fund to reimagine Spooner Lake. With more than 150,000 visitors a year, 60 miles of trails and 13,000 acres of wilderness to explore, the goal was to create a trailhead facility that matched the splendor of Spooner’s beautiful backcountry. The one-of-a-kind facilities at Spooner Lake will provide a magical environmental education venue for people of all ages.

The new visitor center and amphitheater will serve as the heart of Spooner’s natural and cultural history programs and ranger-led hikes and tours, as well as provide an immersive environmental education and science venue for students. The project will also serve as a major portal to the expansive and spectacular non-motorized primitive wilderness within the Lake Tahoe Basin.

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak expressed his support of the Spooner Lake Park improvement projects: “Breaking ground on the new Spooner Lake and Backcountry Visitor Center and Amphitheater is a historic milestone reflecting Nevada’s celebrated outdoor heritage, and will provide all Nevadans, families and visitors with accessible, affordable, and sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities for generations to come. In addition to providing new opportunities for the public to connect with nature and explore the beautiful backcountry around Spooner Lake, these projects will solidify the entire east shore of Lake Tahoe as a world-class recreation destination. As recreation demand continues to rapidly grow, programs that focus on environmental education and stewardship are key to providing a quality recreation experience and strengthening Nevada’s economy, while protecting our precious natural and cultural resources simultaneously. I thank all of the public and private partners for working together to make this project a reality. This public-private collaboration is the perfect example of how we can come together to make remarkable things happen.” 

“We are so thankful to the Tahoe Fund donors who generously provided $300,000 in private funding to help secure the public funds necessary to make this dream project happen,” said Tahoe Fund CEO Amy Berry. “Congratulations to Nevada State Parks and all the partners for breaking ground on these much needed improvements that will support the users and the natural environment.”

This project is part of the Lake Tahoe Environmental Improvement Program and is a public-private collaboration between the Nevada Division of State Parks, the Nevada Division of State Lands, the Nevada Tahoe Resource Team, the Washoe Tribe, and the Tahoe Fund. It is made possible by public bond funds, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Nevada Lake Tahoe License Plate Program, as well as the generous donations made through the Tahoe Fund by individuals and foundations who want to help ensure a sustainable Lake Tahoe for future generations.

Donations will close the gap needed to create a safer, more enjoyable experience for bikers and hikers descending from the Flume Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. (June 1, 2021) – The loose, sandy descent at the end of the iconic Flume Trail has long been an issue for mountain bikers and hikers alike. Riders have been known to go over their handlebars due to the deep sand, and conflicts between user groups descending Tunnel Creek from the Flume Trail and Tahoe Rim Trail are increasing in frequency. To relieve the pressure and create a safer, more enjoyable experience for everyone, the Tahoe Fund is launching a matching campaign with the help of one of its donors to help close the funding gap needed to build a new singletrack trail adjacent to the road. Every dollar donated will be matched by the Spaht family until the campaign goal of $50,000 is reached.

Once built, the Tunnel Creek Singletrack will be a 2.3-mile multi-use trail that provides users with a less stressful alternative when descending from the Marlette Flume Trail, the Incline Flume Trail and the Tahoe Rim Trail. Expected to be completed in two phases, Phase 1 construction can begin later this summer once the funds are raised.

“Trail projects like this aid in our effort to create new opportunities for sustainable recreation within the Tahoe Basin,” said Kevin Marshall, Tahoe Fund board member. “The fact that this trail has the potential to make the user experience better for two distinct user groups makes it a top priority and one we’re excited to get behind. We are so grateful to the Spaht Family for helping us get there twice as fast with their matching donation.”

“Great Basin Institute is very excited to begin implementing boots on the ground initiatives associated with this important recreation project for the Lake Tahoe Basin.  It has been a pleasure working with the project partners during the planning and design phases of the project and we are looking forward to starting construction in 2021,” said Kevin Dose, deputy director of Great Basin Institute. “We would like to thank the Tahoe Fund and Spaht Family for their efforts to secure the required funding to make this important project a reality!”

The project partners, consisting of Great Basin Institute and the Nevada Conservation Corps program, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association (TAMBA), Nevada State Parks, Flume Trail Bikes, Nevada Department of Wildlife and the Tunnel Creek Lodge have secured an $80,000 grant from Nevada State Parks through the Recreation Trails Program for Phase 1. The Tahoe Fund aims to raise $50,000 to complete construction of Phase 1 and to provide funding to secure the next grant needed for Phase 2.

Watch the new Tunnel Creek Singletrack video here.

When Charles Jennings moved to Elk Point four years ago, he noticed thick green and brown plants dominating the bottom of the marina. The plants were knocked back last fall but could possibly return. A new, innovative bubble curtain installed across the marina entrance earlier this month is making the possibility of another weed infestation less likely.

The Tahoe Resource Conservation District and Marine Taxonomic Services made the initial treatment in the marina last year by installing underwater mats called bottom barriers, which starve the invasive weeds of sunlight. But the initial treatment does not guarantee the plants won’t return.

“The main goal of the Elk Point Marina bubble curtain is to keep aquatic invasive species plant fragments from entering the marina where they could establish new plant infestations, and to collect and dispose of the plant fragments,” said Charles Jennings, vice president of the Elk Point Country Club Homeowners Association.

The homeowners association, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), the Tahoe Fund, and the League to Save Lake Tahoe partnered to fund a bubble curtain across the marina entrance to keep invasive plant fragments from reestablishing in the marina. Perforated air hose lines on the bottom of the channel create walls of bubbles that help slow plant fragments from entering the treated area. Unlike the bubble curtains in the channels of the Tahoe Keys, this bubble curtain works in reverse, to keep plant fragments out, rather than in.

“We are excited to partner on this innovative new use of a bubble curtain to keep aquatic invasive plants out of the marina,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “Aquatic invasive species are one of the great challenges the lake faces, and it is going to take all of us working together on new solutions.”

Aquatic invasive weeds such as Eurasian watermilfoil are not native to Tahoe and without a natural check to their growth, the weeds quickly colonize and outcompete native species. Watercraft can spread aquatic weeds around the lake from fragments tangled on their propellers and anchors, resulting in new infestations that are expensive and difficult to treat.

“It’s a constant battle to control and treat aquatic weeds,” said Dennis Zabaglo, TRPA aquatic resources program manager. “Fortunately, we collaborate with many public and private partner organizations like Elk Point Country Club to implement the best emerging technologies to protect the lake.”

The addition of the bubble curtain at Elk Point is an example of the technology’s multiple uses to protect and restore Lake Tahoe. The jointly funded bubble curtain is a way to protect collaborative investments in past successful AIS treatments.

“Our three years of experience with the bubble curtain pilot program in the Tahoe Keys have proven this innovative technology is an important ingredient in tackling the most dire ecological threat to Lake Tahoe,” said Jesse Patterson, chief strategy officer for the League to Save Lake Tahoe. “We’re proud to build on that success by working with the folks at Elk Point, TRPA and the Tahoe Fund to put aquatic invasive species in check and Keep Tahoe Blue.”

The multi-agency Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species action agenda calls for continuation of the comprehensive watercraft inspection program to protect the lakes of the region from new AIS, and a control program to tackle invasives that were introduced before watercraft inspections began in 2008. Since the start of mandatory inspections at Tahoe, no new AIS have been detected in the basin.