The League’s advocacy helped spare sensitive lands from development.
WHAT IS IT?
In 2015, developers submitted a proposal to build a 550-site, private campground on 120 acres of undeveloped, forested ridgeline west of Highway 267 at Brockway Summit. The League, along with Mountain Area Preservation, Sierra Watch and community members, advocated strongly against the project for two years.
Construction of the resort would have set a terrible precedent for development in the Basin by adding significant traffic and related pollution, and flying in the face of the Lake Tahoe Regional Plan Update, which calls for concentrating development in the Basin’s existing town centers, instead of undeveloped, remote locations.
As a result of our unrelenting advocacy, the developers chose to sell the property to the U.S. Forest Service, where the environmentally sensitive area will be protected from development and open for sustainable public recreation in perpetuity.
Location of proposed Brockway Campground. Photo: Mountainside Partners.
WHAT’S THE LATEST?
On December 10, 2020 the U.S. Forest Service announced that their acquisition of two parcels totaling 120 acres at Brockway Summit was complete, concluding a three-year sale process. The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will manage the area as part of the National Forest System.
WHAT’S THE LEAGUE’S POSITION? SUPPORT
This property purchase marks a significant win for environmental preservation in the Lake Tahoe Basin, as well as protection of Lake Tahoe’s water clarity. It also sets a good precedent for future development to be located in appropriate places in order to minimize environmental impacts. As a chief advocate for the U.S. Forest Service purchase and stewardship, the League is thrilled by the outcome.
“By adding this parcel to the National Forest System, we can better protect the water quality, scenic and recreational resources and help preserve the quality of experience on the Tahoe Rim Trail, which is adjacent to the property."
Danelle D. Harrison, Deputy Forest Supervisor, Lake Tahoe Basin Mgmt. UnitMORE INFORMATION
- U.S. Forest Service 2020 press release on land acquisition
- Sierra Sun, January 2016: Brockway Campground ‘just doesn’t smell right’ with Tahoe residents
- December 2015 League to Save Lake Tahoe comments on DEIR for Martis Specific Plan
- August 2015 League to Save Lake Tahoe comments on Brockway Campground
- Official planning documents for the Brockway proposal
A forest trail running through the site that was planned for development.