The Positive Side to Tahoe Quarantine

April 04, 2020

Our donor recipient Keep Tahoe Blue published an incredibly informative and inquisitive newsletter that we would love to share:

April 22 marks the 50^th anniversary of Earth Day, a huge milestone for the global environmental movement and an important date to reflect on why we work so hard and care so deeply for natural wonders like Lake Tahoe. This beautiful poem by the pioneering “Godfather” of Lake Tahoe science, Dr. Charles Goldman, always does the trick.

With shelter in place rules in effect, there has been much less travel and activity of all kinds. If there’s a silver lining to be found, it’s that the Earth is getting a much-deserved break.

This situation offers us a chance to learn. After all, from crisis comes opportunity. Recently, we’ve fielded lots of questions about how restrictions on travel, work, hotels and vacation rentals have impacted the Lake. Specifically, will Tahoe’s clarity improve, like the water quality in the canals of Venice?

The answer is, we’ll have to wait and see. In these unique conditions, Lake Tahoe can serve as a living laboratory. The ski resorts are shut down, boat launches are closed, and people are being asked to postpone their trips to Tahoe. With this huge reduction in use, we will be watching the scientific data collected before, during and after the COVID-19 crisis to see how the Lake environment responds. There are sure to be lessons learned from this challenge, and we are on the job to keep you informed.