Nevada Appeal Capitol Bureau
Sunday, March 13, 2022
The state is using more than $350,000 in Tahoe license plate revenue to pay for litter cleanup projects in the Tahoe basin.
That includes using volunteer scuba divers from the non-profit Clean Up the Lake to not only remove litter from the lake but to trace where the litter is coming from.
The Tahoe license plate costs $61 and has an annual renewal fee of $30.
This year’s funding will also pay for a virtual trail experience from Spooner Lake to Tunnel Creek to highlight points of interest along the trail. Once developed, the feature can be downloaded so visitors can tour the trail from the comfort of their home.
The project will also develop a tourism stewardship roadmap with the goal of enhancing sustainable recreation and tourism in the basin.
The funding will help the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency monitor algae growth along the lakeshore to determine what is causing the problem and for UNR researchers to study how watersheds and nutrients contribute to declines in water quality and cause increased algae growth.
The Tahoe Rim Trail Association will monitor visitor use along the rim trail and a UNR research team will monitor the rare plant, Lake Tahoe draba, that only grows in three locations in the basin.
A spokesman said there are some 23,000 Tahoe license plates since they were first sold in 1998. Over the years, the program has generated more than $11 million to fund more than 165 preservation and restoration projects.
Those who purchase one of the license plates before April 1 can also receive a free lift ticket at several participating Tahoe ski resorts.
More information is available at tahoeplates.com.
