What runs deeper than Lake Tahoe? Our desire to preserve it.
It’s not too late to celebrate mom with a trout, bear, or her name on the East Shore Trail. Donate $100 or more in your favorite mom’s name and she will be listed on the new donor wall. Engraved bears and trout are also still available. For more information, visit: Tahoe East Shore Trail.
Photo credit: First Tracks Productions
According to the scientists at the United States Geographical Survey, three major fault lines run beneath Lake Tahoe. The West Tahoe Fault is the largest of the three and defines the West Shore of the lake while the Incline Village and Stateline faults run through Incline and into the Lake. Last Sunday, Tahoe experienced a 3.9 magnitude earthquake. The earthquake hit nearly dead center in the middle of Tahoe and was felt by thousands. Did you feel it?!
We are excited to announce that the Tahoe Fund has earned Guidestar’s highest honor, the Platinum Seal of Transparency.
To earn the platinum level seal, Tahoe Fund provided metrics that showed progress towards our mission to use the power of philanthropy to improve the Lake Tahoe environment for all to enjoy.
Through GuideStar, we are confident that every potential donor will find all of the information that they need to make an informed decision about where their money goes, how it’s helping Lake Tahoe, and what programs we’ve supported in the last decade.
Boating season is on the way. You can now book a watercraft inspection appointment online for a convenience fee of $15. All inspection stations will also take drop-ins. Inspections are available May 1 – September 30. Reserve your inspection appointment today at www.tahoeboatinspections.com.
No, officials will not be adding goldfish to Taylor Creek.
It is never a good idea to add non-native fish to Lake Tahoe.
In 2013, researchers found a goldfish that came in at 1.5 feet long and 4.2 pounds in the Tahoe Keys. The goldfish likely found its way into the water when someone emptied their goldfish aquarium into the local water. Goldfish are invasive and wreak havoc on the natural ecosystem by preying on native fish or interfering with their food supplies. Researchers believe that the increase in goldfish can contribute to a decrease in lake clarity, as goldfish waste produces nutrients that feed algae, causing algal blooms.
Goldfish are not the only species of fish that have been introduced to Lake Tahoe. Surveys of streams in the Tahoe Basin have shown that brook trout, rainbow trout, brown bullhead and blue gill make up a large number of non-native fish in the lake.
The Kokanee Salmon that spawn up Taylor Creek are also non-native. They were accidentally introduced into Lake Tahoe in the 1940’s when a fish hatchery on the North Shore flooded into the Lake. Each October the Kokanee Salmon make their way back to Taylor Creek for spawning. Interestingly, the salmon return to Taylor Creek because the scent of it is imprinted on their senses. It is important to note that these fish are not invasive and actually provide benefits to the ecosystem and economy.
Rainbow trout, another non-native species, were introduced in Lake Tahoe in the 1940s and are responsible for the near extinction of the native Lahontan cutthroat trout. Rainbow trout even cracked the list of top 100 worst invasive species in the world. These fish dominate their habitat by displacing native trout and altering the invertebrate community. Rainbow trout can hybridize with other species of trout, leading to a different species of fish.
