Conservation Across Borders

We safeguard Tahoe from threats beyond the Basin.

Wildfire, climate change, and development beyond Tahoe’s borders threaten the Lake, no matter where those impacts begin.

burned trees after Caldor Fire Lake Tahoe

Fire and Climate Change

We work beyond the Basin to reduce wildfire risk before it reaches Tahoe. By advocating for and helping fund landscape-scale forest health projects, we support proactive treatments that protect watersheds, ecosystems, and communities across the region. The Caldor Fire showed how treated landscapes can slow fire behavior and give firefighters time to defend neighborhoods. Applying these strategies outside the Basin can help stop fires before they reach Tahoe, reducing long-term risks to the Lake.

Development Beyond the Basin

Development just outside Tahoe’s borders can still affect the Lake. Even when projects fall beyond Basin boundaries, their impacts can reach Tahoe through increased traffic and polluted runoff. Because these impacts don’t care about lines drawn on a map, we engage early to prevent harm before it reaches the Lake. By advocating for responsible development, we help reduce cross-boundary impacts and protect Tahoe’s water quality and communities.

Exchanging Conservation Lessons

Conservation Across Borders is also about shared learning. We share lessons from nearly seven decades of protecting Tahoe, both successes and failures, with conservationists working in other environmentally sensitive regions. In return, we bring proven solutions from around the world back to Tahoe. This exchange strengthens conservation efforts on both sides of the border

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Impacts

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lakes in Northern Patagonia, Chile, benefiting from Tahoe's lessons

Chile Lagos Limpiosd

40%

reduction in traffic from the Palisades plan settlement