Now that the former Motel 6 building, restaurant, and parking lot have been demolished from the Upper Truckee Marsh in South Lake Tahoe, planning is underway to bring this wetland back to life. To support the next phase of this project, the Tahoe Fund announced “A Million for the Marsh” campaign to raise the first $1 million of private funds to help secure the public funds the California Tahoe Conservancy will need to revive this area and bring significant improvements to Lake Tahoe’s clarity.
“California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot called the acquisition and demolition of this site ‘the most important in a generation to protect Lake Tahoe,’ and we couldn’t agree more,” said Amy Berry, Tahoe Fund CEO. “That’s why we’re launching this campaign—so that our donors can show that taking the next step to restore this marsh matters to our community and to the future health of Lake Tahoe.”
The former Motel 6 property, which included 31 acres total, was acquired in March 2024 by the California Tahoe Conservancy with funding from the Conservancy, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Tahoe Fund and the League to Save Lake Tahoe.
Last year, contributions from dozens of Tahoe Fund donors and major gifts from the Latrobe Foundation and the Robert S & Dorothy J Keyser Foundation brought in over $200,000 to support the demolition of the buildings on site, which was completed by the Department of General Services this fall.
“This project represents a once-in-a-generation chance to return a developed property to a thriving wetland that will actively protect Lake Tahoe,” said Jason Vasques, executive director of the California Tahoe Conservancy. “Restoring this site will improve water quality, expand wildlife habitat, and help secure the long-term resilience of the lake we all love.”
In addition to restoring the watershed and the native habitat, this project further advances the 2012 Lake Tahoe Regional Plan and Environmental Improvement Program by removing aging development from sensitive land and retiring or transferring development rights to town centers.
Learn more and contribute to the project today at tahoefund.org/millionforthemarsh.
Photos by the California Tahoe Conservancy
