Environmental History of Lake Tahoe

The story of Lake Tahoe is the story of people and the environment and their reciprocal influences. The environment shaped the lives of the early people of Tahoe, and later, people shaped the Tahoe environment. Native peoples, pioneers, and early visitors conformed to the environment's demands and existed in harmony with their surroundings. By 1860, loggers, hoteliers, ranchers, developers, and tourists imposed their demands on Tahoe's resources, forever changing it for the generations that followed. Early on, the motivation for resource exploitation for personal benefit prevailed but then collided with and became subordinate to rising beliefs in the preservation and appreciation of our natural resources. We see the current trajectory of the Lake Tahoe environment policy moving toward a balance between human needs and sustainability while coping impacts of climate change. This book follows the evolution of environmental change at Lake Tahoe as seen through the eyes of those who caused it and those who sought to prevent it.