From our very start 67 years ago, the League to Save Lake Tahoe has been an advocacy organization. We speak on behalf of the Lake at every decision-making table, so Tahoe is protected by strong environmental policies and supported by sustainable funding. That work has delivered more than $2 billion in federal, state, and local funding for environmental improvement projects to date – and we’re keeping that pipeline open.   

We help lead the Tahoe Partnership, or “Team Tahoe” as the late Senator Dianne Feinstein liked to call it. This broad coalition includes the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), the Tahoe Chamber, along with other diverse interests who speak up for the Lake. 

Our team of policy experts advocate to protect and improve water quality, air quality, transportation, forest health, recreation, and scenic beauty in Lake Tahoe. We never stop fighting for the Lake’s preservation. Our advocacy efforts reach out on the local, state, and federal levels to make sure:  

• We repair damage done  
• We untrash the Lake (yes, untrash is a word in our hearts)  
• We reduce forest fire risk  
• We keep the waters crystal clear   
• We make sure that policies are in the Lake’s best interest for future generations  

Like our beach cleanups and ecosystem restoration work, advocacy makes an impact. Decades ago, the League’s leaders helped convince President Clinton and Vice President Gore to attend the 1997 Lake Tahoe Presidential Forum. This big event put Tahoe, and the threats it faces, in the national and international spotlight. It built momentum for passage of the 2000 and 2016 Lake Tahoe Restoration Acts, collectively authorizing over $715 million for much-needed environmental improvement projects.   

• $300 million from the 2000 Lake Tahoe Restoration Act 
• $415 million from the 2016 Lake Tahoe Restoration Act

For years, we’ve regularly partnered with local agencies to secure more support and keep those funds flowing, so Tahoe will look the same in 100 years.  

We have been fortunate to team up with the Washoe Tribe, or waší∙šiw (Washoe people—the people from here), Tahoe’s original environmental stewards. We are honored to learn from and work with them, including Tribal Chairman Serrell Smokey, to protect and preserve their ancestral homelands.  

Alongside other Tahoe champions, we’re back in Washington, D.C. this week, advocating for Lake Tahoe. The Lake can’t speak for itself, so we do!