![]() The lake’s average clarity, which is determined by submerging a 10-inch white disc until it’s no longer visible, decreased from more than 100 feet in the late 1960s to 63 feet in 2020, according to the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at the University of California, Davis. In the summertime, locals and tourists hike and bike their way around more than 300 miles of trails, sunbathe on the beaches, and spend time on the lake itself.Īll of this, however, has come with an environmental cost. Generations have made memories skiing at resorts boasting breathtaking views of the large alpine lake, which straddles the California–Nevada border. ![]() Treasured for its deep blue waters and idyllic surrounding mountains, Lake Tahoe attracts about 15 million people each year, according to the local visitors bureau. ![]() “If I did not live in Tahoe and … I see this is a few years in a row now where the forest is getting shut down, the smoke is just too unhealthy to do anything fun outside, I wouldn't plan a trip,” said Patrick Parsel, a South Lake Tahoe resident and trails director for the Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association. And with the threat of more catastrophic wildfires due to human-induced climate change, some wonder whether one of California’s most beloved places will ever be the same. When the flames are snuffed out and the smoke finally clears, it may take months, or years, for the lake and the forests around it to recover. Local advocates and wildland firefighters fear that popular trails and watershed areas may have been burned, leading to more nutrients that feed algae flowing into the lake. Wildlife, like bears and spotted owls, are at risk of being displaced. In the slopes below Echo Summit, charred trees sit precariously in dried-out soil that, if not restored in time, could erode and cause debris flows when the winter rains come or snow melts in the spring. Smoke and ash from the Caldor fire - and other major fires - have already clouded Lake Tahoe’s famously clear waters, scientists say. But while the harm to structures has so far been limited, the consequences for the environment could still be devastating. Officials have credited aggressive firefighting operations as well as fuel management efforts by residents and local agencies as key factors in averting a disaster. And a red flag warning remained in effect for the Tahoe area through the evening due to forecasted gusty winds that could increase fire danger. However, the fire, which was 53% contained, had so far consumed more than 218,000 acres and burned down 782 homes elsewhere. As of Friday, no one was killed in the blaze and officials believe not a single home in the Lake Tahoe Basin was destroyed. And with dangerous winds forecasted to blow through the drought-parched forest, the blaze threatened to decimate South Lake Tahoe.Īnd yet the lakeside city of 22,000 was spared. Just hours later, the Caldor fire moved into the basin after becoming only the second inferno on record to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains. The next morning, thousands of others living along the south and southwestern shores were told to evacuate immediately. “It looked like death,” Hunter, a 38-year-old freelance writer, said. ![]() Behind them, a wall of thick brown smoke bore down on the city. ![]() As flames crept toward the Tahoe Basin, he and his partner loaded the car with their belongings, their dog, and two cats, and drove off into the haze. But, thinking back to how a wildfire tore through the town of Paradise three years ago and killed 85 people, he didn’t want to risk it. SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, California - Brian Hunter hadn’t yet been ordered to leave his South Lake Tahoe home. ![]()
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