This excellent letter describes an ongoing situation where our government continues to provide sufficient funding for environmental support at Lake Tahoe while ignoring California’s other significant natural lake, Clear Lake, which has similar but more critical support needs that are woefully underfunded.
The details are best understood by reading the letter (the original was sent on county of Lake, Board of Supervisors letterhead on Oct. 27 to all on the above distribution list):
RE: Request to revise proposed legislation authorizing $390 million for environmental restoration at Lake Tahoe to include an appropriation for similar efforts at Clear Lake
Dear (per distribution list),
On behalf of the Lake County Board of Supervisors, I am writing to request that the soon-to-be proposed legislation to re-authorize the Tahoe Restoration Act also include an appropriation for the protection and management of Clear Lake.
Recent reports indicate that a federal bill may soon be introduced by U.S. Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.), John Ensign (R-Nev.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), and Dianne Feinstein (D- Calif.) to re-authorize the Tahoe Restoration Act, originally launched in 1997 by President Bill Clinton, with an additional $390 million in taxpayer funds exclusively focused on environmental issues at Lake Tahoe. Since its introduction, the Act has provided more than $1.4 billion in federal tax revenue for environmental restoration and other projects to protect Lake Tahoe.
Our Board is supportive of the preservation efforts of Lake Tahoe, however, we also must stress the importance of the Lake County charter from the State of California to preserve and protect the largest natural freshwater lake within California's borders: Clear Lake. Clear Lake has garnered the interest of scientists worldwide, including limnologists who consider it likely the oldest lake in North America, and it is squarely at the center of Lake County's economy.
Clear Lake is of equal environmental significance to Lake Tahoe, and in fact, Clear Lake plays a more significant role in the state's water distribution system since it feeds into the waterways of the California Delta.
Clear Lake faces similar but arguably more critical environmental challenges than Lake Tahoe including severe watershed issues relating to algae, invasive weed species including Hydrilla, protection of its indigenous fish species, and a significant threat of exposure to invasive Quagga/Zebra mussels due to its popularity for tournament bass fishing and recreational boating.
While each of these challenges is being addressed by the County of Lake and, to some degree, by the State of California, all are severely under-funded with management plans that are only partially implemented.
It is our understanding that this proposed legislation may include funding to control invasive species such as mussels to further protect Lake Tahoe, and it is important to note that Clear Lake is perhaps at potentially greater risk of mussel infestation. This is evidenced in a report prepared for the California Department of Fish and Game, which assessed the vulnerability of California water bodies to colonization by Quagga/Zebra mussels based on several environmental factors (calcium, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, salinity) and rated each water body in terms of management priority (1-High, 2-Medium, 3-Low, 4-Not Vulnerable to Colonization). Clear Lake was ranked as a Level 2 — Medium Priority while Lake Tahoe was ranked as a Level 4 — Not Vulnerable. (Potential Distribution of Zebra Mussels and Quagga Mussels in California Phase I Report, Andrew N. Cohen, August 2007)
We strongly feel that in order to serve the public fairly, Congress must not fund projects solely for Lake Tahoe while allowing under-funding of more severely needed programs at California's other significant natural lake. Thus, we hereby urgently, and unanimously, request the following:
That the proposed legislation for Lake Tahoe be redefined as funding for "The Protection of California's Two Largest Freshwater Lakes"; and
That this funding be allocated and appropriated fairly toward programs and projects that address similar goals for both lakes (e.g., watershed protection efforts, programs for fire prevention in the surrounding watershed, invasive species prevention, etc.).
It is with this in mind that we respectfully request your support to include an appropriation in the bill to protect and restore Clear Lake and its watershed, thereby helping to preserve the State's two largest and most significant natural lakes — Lake Tahoe and Clear Lake.
Thank you in advance for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely, (original signed by all five Supervisors)
While none of us doubt that the Lake Tahoe region has significantly more economic clout than Clear Lake (Lake County) has, this funding is aimed at environmental protection and the data supports the more urgent need for funding of similar protection for Clear Lake.
While Lake County officials understand that their request to modify the current bill (another $390 million for Tahoe) to send a small part of this funding to Lake County is a long shot, they know the logic for doing so is sound. They urgently need community help to focus our busy politicians on this priority. Letters from those that reside in or visit Lake County to all or some of the elected officials listed (or to your officials if you live elsewhere) can greatly increase the chances of modifying the bill to rightly apportion some of the funding to Clear Lake.
Communicating with elected officials is not difficult but is a nuisance task that is often not accomplished. This time you have to do it and extend the request to all of your relatives and friends that visit our county and love our lake.
While this is about the lake, don’t believe for a second that it is not just as critical to the economy of our county. Showing that programs are funded and effective to manage aquatic plants including algae and to keep invasive species out of our lake improves the success of our local businesses while promoting tourism.
Also, such actions motivate business investment into our county (e.g. Konocti Harbor purchase) which is needed to lower our very high unemployment numbers and again motivate tourism.
To help you assist the lake and the economy, please go to my Web site ( www.konoctibay.com) where you will find down loadable files for the actual Board of Supervisors letter, a proposed draft letter for you to attach to the Board of Supervisors letter and send to your elected officials, and addresses for those on the BOS distribution list.
A few hours spent sending such letters, and getting your family and friends to do the same, could turn this long shot into the most significant environmental funding effort to date for Clear Lake. Thanks in advance for all of your assistance.
Ed Calkins lives in Kelseyville.
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