Incline Lake purchase OK'd in latest round of federal land act funding

Incline residents who've been rooting for the public acquisition of the Incline Lake property can celebrate the crossing of a major hurdle as Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton at 10 a.m. Tuesday signed off on the funding necessary for the land's acquisition.

Norton announced approval of projects totaling $876 million under the latest round of funding under the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act.

The 770-acre Incline Lake site will be acquired for $75 million. The Incline Lake expenditure made up the majority of the record $187.5 million earmarked for Tahoe Basin purchases in the current round of SNPLMA funding.

"Lake Tahoe is a place of tranquil beauty," Norton said at a press conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday. "The restoration efforts at Lake Tahoe will not only benefit the residents and visitors to Nevada, but will also benefit neighboring California."

Sen. John Ensign's office noted Tuesday that they're shooting for an Aug. 10 close on the Incline Lake property - one calendar year after the public acquisition of the property was placed "on a fast track" by Ensign.

Local agencies have been working since last summer to create a partnership on the Incline Lake parcel. The Incline Village General Improvement District has signed a letter of intent to purchase five acres on the parcel for possible development of a visitor's center or Nordic ski facility.

The property features several structures that were used as private homes as well as a clubhouse and observatory.

The U.S. Forest Service charges itself with the maintenance of structures on public lands.

"There has from the start been a lot of interest in this property," said Forest Service spokesman Rex Norman. "We are in discussions, have been making plans with people like the folks at IVGID for an overall plan.

"We're all key partners together (regarding) how the property is going to be used and managed."

One project conspicuously absent from Norton's final approved package for use of the latest round of Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act funds was the three-parcel, 3.5-acre Dale Denio property near Crystal Bay.

While there was speculation from forest service officials last week that the Denio property would not make it into Norton's final sign-off, official word came down Monday from Sen. John Ensign that the parcel was not worth protecting for the asking price.

"The reviewing panel felt it was not developable; not worth the $27 million," Ensign said.

After receiving a special request from the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency last year, local property owner Dale Denio was slated to receive some $27 million for the 3.5-acres of Crystal Bay lakefront property.