As Biden visits Lake Tahoe, locals fight overtourism

KINGS BEACH, California.

While hiking the Lake of the Sky Trail, U.S. Forest Service Officer Daniel Cressy marveled at the wildlife that first attracted him to Lake Tahoe.

A bald eagle nestled atop a Jeffrey pine looking out at the brilliant blue of North America's largest alpine lake, and in the distance rose Mount Tallac, a 9,739-foot peak he has skied many times.

Then, along the road, Cressy saw a tree with “J&B” engraved on its trunk.

“People feel like they have to leave their mark, whether it's scratching a tree, painting a facility or leaving trash behind,” Cressy said.

Marley Chambers, left, and brothers Kyrylo and Bogdan Netudykhata, right, of Ukraine, take in the view from Eagle Rock near Homewood, California, on August 9.

(Max Whittaker / for The Times)

That small speck of civilization epitomized the growing tension between the millions of tourists who provide economic sustenance to the High Sierra paradise and the effort to preserve the natural splendor that draws them, a clash that became evident this week with a weeklong visit. duration of The Most Powerful Tourist, President Biden.

While Biden and his family vacation at the $15 million, three-acre home of environmentalist and former Democratic presidential primary foe Tom Steyer, the Lake Tahoe community is embroiled in a conversation about how to make the community mountainous area that straddles the border between California and Nevada an attractive, but also sustainable, place to live and visit.

A garbage bag hangs from the opening of a trash container as other debris litters the floor.

“We need to be more proactive. We need to be prepared for this increase in visits. So instead of standing there and saying, 'Oh my God, where did all these people come from?' “We’re trying to come up with a plan,” said Amy Berry, executive director of the Tahoe Fund.

Biden has been staying on the Nevada side of the lake with his family and, except for a quick trip to Our Lady of Tahoe Catholic Church in Zephyr Cove, the Biden clan has stayed at Steyer's coastal home. The gated community includes a “private 9-hole mountain golf course with a pro shop, clubhouse and seasonal restaurant,” plus unlimited water access.

Like many pioneer roots, Glenbrook, the community where Biden has been staying since last Saturday, save for a brief trip to Maui earlier this week to meet with wildfire victims, began as a small settlement with a sawmill in the mid-19th century. . During the second half of the century, the region began to become a vacation spot for wealthy San Franciscans and others, including Mark Twain.

The famous writer described in an essay how he “sailed, hunted, fished and danced all day, and cured my cough all night.”

Biden's moves are less known: Officials say little about what he and his family are doing while they remain in the Steyer home.

She ventured out Wednesday to grab a banana-blueberry smoothie and take some fitness classes with her family at PeloDog, a Pilates and cycling studio in South Lake Tahoe. Along the way, journalists saw curious onlookers greeting the caravan; As I walked past the Stateline casinos, others held out their phones.

Standing in the gym parking lot, Biden told reporters that he planned to watch the GOP presidential primary debate on Wednesday and that he had been monitoring reports about a downed Russian plane that may have carried warlord Yvgeny Prigozhin, who coordinated a failed uprising against the Russian leader Vladimir. Putin.

“As you may remember, when I was asked about this, I said I would be careful with the vehicle. I don't know for sure what happened, but I'm not surprised,” Biden said.

President Joe Biden speaks to reporters.

The president will be in town through Saturday, and his experience differs markedly from that of the millions who drive to Tahoe and on busy weekends, sit in hours of traffic on the only highway around the lake, struggle to camping spots or travel on horseback for an expensive hotel room.

Although the lake waters are clearer than they have been in many years, beach parking is backed up. Trash is strewn along hiking trails and graffiti marks trees and buildings.

Last year, the problems became so bad that the prestigious Fodor's Travel Guide listed the place as a place to avoid, writing: ““Lake Tahoe has a people problem.” In recent years, the Fourth of July has led to viral images of beaches covered in trash, a sight that is not only painful for locals but also impacts the lake. A record total of 8,559 pounds of trash was collected from six beaches this year.

Similarly, a recent study found that lake waters contain higher concentrations of microplastics than those observed in ocean gyres, ocean current systems known for accumulating plastic debris.

Several locals told The Times that the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, when people flocked to the watershed seeking respite from stay-at-home orders, was the breaking point. The region's approximately 50,000 residents were overwhelmed by the influx, particularly the thousands who stayed for extended periods, reducing the area's already tight housing supply.

“I feel like COVID tested the system,” said Morgan Steel, executive director of the Tahoe Rim Trail Assn. “It exposed something just because there were a lot more people working remotely, but I don't think any of these issues or changes would have arisen if COVID hadn't happened.”

The pandemic simply exposed some pressure points more quickly, he said.

Steel moved to South Lake Tahoe to work as ski patrol at Heavenly Resort and fell in love with the region. Her days typically begin or end with a hike, a mountain bike ride, or, in winter, ski touring in the woods. This level of access to nature and a community that cares about the environment is unparalleled, she said.

His colleagues moved because of the challenge of finding a place to live, and that made hiring more difficult.

“I know a lot of people who have left because they are worried about securing their home against fire, or maybe because of the traffic,” he said. “Affordability is a really big issue.”

A survey of 1,000 Tahoe residents last year found that only “29% of residents agree that the positive benefits of tourism and recreation in the Tahoe region outweigh the negative impacts.” Visitation to the park reached its highest point in 2019, with around 2.3 million people entering the basin. Last year it was around 2 million.

Steel and others said the surge during COVID prompted local leaders to come together and create a plan to help the region weather the crush of visitors during the winter and summer.

This plan offered a roadmap for what needs to change in a region where intersecting lines of bureaucratic authority make it difficult to know who is in charge. It wasn't just about keeping trails clean or reducing traffic (although that's part of it), but also about how to raise more funds to increase public transportation and workforce housing in the area.

Tourism is “the biggest industry here and not one we can change very easily. For example, we are never going to have manufacturing,” said Carol Chaplin, president and CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, which is part of the committee that commissioned the report.

Two people with an inner tube on a lake surrounded by conifers.

“We heard from our companies: 'Don't tell people not to come. We need you here and we want you to be here.” So it's not just about telling people to be respectful. It's to help guide them through what would make a difference when they come here and what would lessen their impact when they come here. ”.

The impact of visitors is evident everywhere. Deep in the woods next to Fallen Leaf Lake, paper plates, plastic bags and remnants of a past party litter the area outside a portable toilet. Cigarette butts and plastic abound on the sands of Kings Beach, where just a few weeks ago elected officials from Nevada and California gathered to celebrate the work being done to protect the lake's waters.

The Truckee River's water line remained lower than usual, meaning it wasn't as crowded with people floating, fishing or swimming in its waters. Still, six tanned guys in their late 20s lounged by the water drinking beer and contemplating the start of the school year just around the corner.

Jason Dukes watched two of his children from a float as they sat with several of their friends. The Point Loma resident has been coming since his children were little: ski trips in the winter and for weeks in the summer to relax on the beach.

“It's gotten a lot busier in recent years,” he said. “Trash is everywhere and the towns around the lake are overcrowded. “

Further north, across from Kings Beach, Alex Brambila greets each customer as they enter or leave Las Panchitas, a Mexican restaurant where he began working in the 1980s. The spacious seating and tile-covered bar are a haven for both locals as well as tourists, who flock to enjoy stuffed burritos and always abundant margaritas.

Brambila started out as a dishwasher, but now he owns the place, occupying the spot behind the bar serving drinks for himself and his friends while endlessly trying to keep a growing stack of cups clean while several waiters run from table to table.

The Mexico native owns a home blocks from the restaurant, but feels the changes in his community every day. The crush of customers is not alleviated by the challenge of recruiting staff. His head chef is struggling to find a house for his family that is cheaper than the $3,000 they are currently paying.

He's seen friends move to cheaper places like Reno. His wife sometimes suggests they do the same. Still, when he looks out and sees the lake, he is intoxicating.

“I like it here. There is no more beautiful place.”