August 2015 in Tahoe: Elton John, Three Dog Night, Jackson Browne

July 17-Aug 23 Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival: "Romeo and Juliet" @ Sand Harbor

July 29-Aug 02 Shayla Rivera / Pete Banachowski @ Improv at Harvey's

July 31-Aug 16 Lake Tahoe Summerfest classical music series @ Sierra Nevada College

July 31-Aug 01 Lisa Marie Johnston @ Moodys Bistro

Coburn Station @ Bar of America 

August 01 Three Dog Night @ Montbleu

Robert Cray @ Harrah's 

Forget the Roses @ Hard Rock Hotel

Drought Relief @ Heavenly Village 

DJ Rick Gee / DJ Rockwell @ Peek Tahoe 

Daze on the Green @ Cabo Wabo

JKC Band @ Steamers

Darren Senn @ 968 Park Hotel 

The Connor Party @ The Beacon

Paddleboard Yoga @ West Shore Cafe

Chamber Music "In A Vienna Cafe @ Sierra Nevada College

Keyser Sose @ Crystal Bay Club 

August 02 The Yolos @ Valhalla 

DJ Chris English @ Cabo Wabo

Niall McGuinness and the New World Jazz Project @ The Beacon

Unkle Funkle @ McP's

Open House @ Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care

UC Davis Children's Environmental Science Day 

Mumbo Gumbo @ Commons Beach 

Lost Whiskey Engine @ Moe's Original BBQ

August 03 Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo

Mark Wilson @ McP's

Aux @ Fat Cat Cafe

August 04-05 Reggie Hall @ Cabo Wabo

August 04 Grey Mitchell @ McP's

Hans Eberbach / Chris Cain @ Squaw Valley

August 05-09 Bobby Collins @ Improv at Harvey's

August 05 Sandy Nuyts @ Hard Rock Hotel

Susie Glaze & The Hilonesome band w/ Houston Jones @ Valhalla 

The JKC Band @ The Beacon

Comedy night w/ Steve Hytner @ Crystal Bay Club

August 06-08 The Garage Boys @ Cabo Wabo

August 06 The Lil Smokies / Musical Chairs @ Live at Lakeview

Jason King Band @ The Beacon

Mic Smith @ McP's

Chuck Hughes Trio @ Moody's Bistro

The Hooten Hallers @ Truckee Thursdays  

Rustler's Moon @ Bar of America

Lisa Marie Johnston @ Cottonwood Bar & Grill

Jeff Jones and the Bank @ Jake's on the Lake

Justin Martin, Ardalan, Nut / The Rino, Depesa, Little Monster @ Crystal Bay Club

August 7-16 Artist in residence Kit Night @ Valhalla 

Augusy 07-08 National Soul @ Bar of America

George Souza @ Cottonwood Bar & Grill 

August 07 Jackson Browne @ Harvey's Outdoor Amphitheater

Bison Bluegrass band @ Heavenly Village 

DJ Josbeats / DJ Louie Giovanni @ Peek Tahoe 

Moody Eva, Midnight Forest Green, Non Sequiter, Roger That @ Xhale

Nothin Personal @ Hard Rock Hotel 

Straight Jacket @ The Beacon 

Lisa Marie Johnston @ 968 Park Hotel

DJ Panda @ Northstar

Ben Fuller @ West Shore Cafe 

The Wrinkle @ King's Beach 

The Hooten Hallers @ Moody's Bistro  

The B Side Players / Peter Joseph Burtt and the King Tide @ Crystal Bay Club

August 08-09 Meyers Mountain Bike Festival feat. Delta Nove @ Divided Sky

August 08 Elton John @ Harvey's Outdoor Amphitheater

Tahoe Craft Beer fest feat. Drinking w/ Clowns @ Montbleu

Black Star Safari @ Heavenly Village

Dirt Nasty, Smoov-E, DJ Aspect @ Whisky Dick's

Great Gatsby murder mystery dinner @ Valhalla 

DJ Rick Gee / DJ Vito G @ Peek Tahoe  

Jesse Kalin Carson Band @ Hard Rock Hotel

The Blues Monsters @ The Beacon

The Novelists @ Northstar 

Brews, Jazz, & Funk fest feat. Thick Newton, Groove Session, Con Brio, The Revivalists @ Squaw Valley

Diego's Umbrella / Mark Sexton Band @ Crystal Bay Club

August 09 DJ Chris English @ Cabo Wabo

Niall MacGuinness & New World Jazz Project @ The Beacon

Unkle Funkle @ McP's

The Blues Monsters @ Northstar 

Honey Island Swamp Band @ Commons Beach

Brews, Jazz,& Funk fest feat. Mark Sexton Band, Groove Session, Mingo Fishtrap, Rebirth Brass Band @ Squaw Valley 

August 10 METAL MONDAY w/ SLEEP TERROR, Jack Ketch ,Symbolik, Ostracized, and Crotalus @ Whisky Dick's

Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo

Mark Wilson @ McP's

Little Miss Mixer @ Fat Cat Cafe

August 11-12 Chili @ Cabo Wabo

August 11 Grey Mitchell @ McP's

Milton Merlos / Terry Hanck @ Squaw Valley

August 12-16 Bobby Slayton / Nika Williams @ Improv at Harvey's 

August 12 Jimmy LaFave and the Night Tribe @ Valhalla 

Two Steps Down @ Hard Rock Hotel 

Quad Double Oh!, Punktmatrix, Moody Eva, Flysofee @ Brother's Bar

The Jesse Kalin Carson Band @ The Beacon

Comedy Night feat. Quinn Dahle @ Crystal Bay Club

August 13 Slightly Stoopid / The Dirty Heads / Stick Figure @ Harvey's Outdoor Amphitheater

Polyrythmics / Big Sticky mess @ Live at Lakeview 

Dyer Maker @ Cabo Wabo

Ventura Hwy @ The Beacon

Mic Smith @ McP's

The Mark Mackay Band @ Moody's Bistro 

The Connor Party @ Jake's on the Lake 

Steven Roth @ Truckee Thursdays 

Rustler's Moon @ Bar of America

August 14-15 Left of Centre @ Cabo Wabo

August 14-16 For the Funk of It festival: The Motet, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Polyrythmics, Mojo Green, Moksha, Mingo Fishtrap, The Nibblers, Groove Session, The Quick and Easy Boys, The Humidors, Cherry Royale, Funk Trek, The Bumptet, Groovincible, Swoop Unit, Sean Lehe and the Family Practice, City of Trees, Big Sticky Mess, Sofa King, Eastwind Belly Dance Troupe, Soul Shine Band, Bogg, Dirty Revival, Iinyl Gold, Foxtrot Mary, Sqamp Zen, Drunken Kung Fu, Uncle Junior, Smokey the Groove, and Doppel Gang @ Belden, CA

August 14 Greg Golden Band @ Hard Rock Hotel

Mark McKay from LA @ Heavenly Village 

Sugar Pine Foundation 10 year anniversary feat. The Irieites, Good Samaritans, and Weapon @ Valhalla

DJ Josbeatz / DJ JB @ Peek Tahoe 

The Johnny O Band @ The Beacon

Ta-Hoe Nalu Stand Up Paddle Race @ King's Beach 

Gurbtron @ Northstar 

Jeff Jones @ West Shore Cafe 

The Blues Monsters @ Bar of America 

Cornmeal, Six Mile Station / Good Luck Thrift Store @ Crystal Bay Club

August 15 Scotty McCreery (American Idol season 10 winner) @ Montbleu 

DJ Du afterparty @ Opal at Montbleu

Roem Baur (The Voice) @ Hard Rock Hotel 

Tahoe Games bike night @ Lake Tahoe Golf Course

Rainbow Girls @ Heavenly Village 

DJ Rick Gee / DJ Miles Medina @ Peek Tahoe 

Trey Stone @ The Beacon

Cash Only Band @ Steamers

Dirty Cello @ 968 Park Hotel

Mark Mackay @ Northstar 

Jo Mama @ Bar of America 

SourceActive, Charles the 1st, Potions @ Crystal Bay Club

August 16 Tracorum / Darren Senn Band @ Lake Tahoe Golf Course
  CiG, Bionic Gorilla, Scarlet Stain @ Whisky Dick's

DJ Chris English @ Cabo Wabo

Left of Centre @ The Beacon

Unkle Funkle @ McP's 

Achilles Wheel @ Northstar 

Con Brio @ COmmons Beach 

August 17-24 Artist in residence Michelle Nelsen @ Valhalla 

August 17 Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo

Mark Wilson @ McP's

IJV @ Fat Cat Cafe

August 18-19 Reggie Hall @ Cabo Wabo

August 18 Grey Mitchell @ McP's

Darcy and Lucas / The Stone Foxes @ Squaw Valley 

August 19-23 Graham Elwood / Avi Liberman @ Improv at Harvey's 

August 19 Tiffany Lorraine @ Hard Rock Hotel

Citywater @ Valhalla  

The JKC Band @ The Beacon

Lake Tahoe Music Feftival with Academy Orchestra feat. Laurie Hamilton and Chris Kachian playing "Mostly Mozart" @ West Shore Cafe

Comedy Night w/ Thai Rivera @ Crystal Bay Club

August 20 Scott Pemberton w/ 4 Piece Puzzle @ Live at Lakeview 

Drought Relief @ Cabo Wabo 

Jeff Jones @ The Beacon 

Mic Smith @ McP's

Serena Dawn @ Jake's on the Lake

Con Brio @ Truckee Thursdays

Rustler's Moon @ Bar of America

August 21-22 Hit Parade @ Cabo Wabo

Groove Foundry @ Bar of America 

August 21 Low Flying Birds @ Heavenly Village 

DJ Josbeatz / DJ Enfo @ Peek Tahoe

Alkadelics @ Hard Rock Hotel  

The Jeff Watson Band @ The Beacon

DJ JD @ Northstar 

Ben Fuller @ West Shore Cafe 

Scott Pemberton Trio @ Crystal Bay Club

August 22 Tahoe Show Bodybuilding competition @ Montbleu

Island of Black and White @ Heavenly Village 

Hunter & The Dirty Jacks @ Hard Rock Hotel  

DJ Rick Gee / DJ Chris English @ Peek Tahoe 

Jason King Band @ Steamers

Drought Relief @ The Beacon 

Neva @ Northstar 

Wake of the Dead @ Crystal Bay Club

August 23 Dierks Bentley / Kip Moore, Maddie & Tae and Canaan Smith @ Harvey's Outdoor Amphitheater 

DJ Chris English @ Cabo Wabo

Kanekoa / Riotmaker @ Tahoe Paradise Park 

Jeff Jones @ The Beacon

Big Sticky Mess @ Steamers

Unkle Funkle @ McP's

Matthew Szlachetka @ Northstar

Brothers Comatose @ Commons Beach

Loose Cannon String Band /No Deal @ Moe's Original BBQ

August 24 Tahoe Summit feat. Harry Reid, Dianne Feinstein, Brian Sandoval, etc. @ Round Hill Pines beach

Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo 

Mark Wilson @ McP's

DJ Rundown @ Fat Cat Cafe

August 25-26 Jackie Dauzat @ Cabo Wabo

August 25 Grey Mitchell @ McP's

Milton Merlos / The Blues Monsters @ Squaw Valley 

August 26-30 Eddie Ifft / Jodi Borello @ Improv at Harvey's 

August 26 James Garner tribute to Johnny Cash @ Valhalla 

Terry Sheets @ Hard Rock Hotel 

The JCK Band @ The Beacon

August 27 Lavish Green / Black Star Safari @ Live at Lakeview
  Hellion Prime, In the Silence, Dissidence @ Whiskey Dick's 

Dyer Maker @ Cabo Wabo

Lake Effect @ The Beacon 

Mic Smith @ McP's

The Connor Party @ Jake's on the Lake

Rustler's Moon @ Bar of America

August 28-29 Mad Karma @ Cabo Wabo

August 28 The Random Strangers @ Hard Rock Hotel

Little Brother @ Heavenly Village

DJ Josbeatz / DJ Chris English @ Peek Tahoe 

Mud Bonz @ The Beacon

The Blues Monsters @ Steamers

Jeff Jones @ West Shore Cafe 

Drop Theory @ Bar of America 

Vokab Kompany fun first benefit for Hi 5s Foundation @ Crystal Bay Club

August 29 DJ Rick Gee / DN SN1 @ Peek Tahoe

The Electric Jimmys @ Hard Rock Hotel 

Mark Sexton Band @ Heavenly Village

Bison @ The Beacon

Jason King / Deja vu @ Northstar

Fox Street @ Crystal Bay Club

August 30 DJ Chris English @ Cabo Wabo

Unkle Funkle @ McP's

Niall MacGuinness & New World Jazz Project @ The Beacon

I Do' Dash: Mountain Race @ West Shore Cafe / Homewood

The Blues Monsters @ Northstar

New Monsoon @ Commons Beach 

Coburn Station @ Moe's Original BBQ

The California Honeydrops @ Crystal Bay Club

August 31 Cash Only Band @ Cabo Wabo

Mark Wilson @ McP's

September 01 Grey Mitchell @ McP's

Carolyn Wonderland @ Squaw Valley

Sept. 2-6 Bob Zany / Kat Simmons @ Improv at Harveys 

September 03 Trey Stone w/ Kendal Naughton @ Jake's on the Lake

Rustler's Moon @ Bar of America

September 04 Bikes and Brews @ Northstar

Ben Fuller @ West Shore Cafe 

Super Diamond @ Crystal Bay Club

September 05  Great Lake Tahoe Sternwheeler race

          Sammy Hagar and the Circle @ Improv at Harveys

Skid Row @ Hard Rock Hotel 

Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash @ Crystal Bay Club

Elevate Tahoe Lake Tahoe Leadership Summit

May 10th was the Elevate Your View Summit put on by the 2014 class of Leadership Lake Tahoe program sponsored by the +Lake Tahoe South Shore Chamber of Commerce.  Almost 200 attendees saw two hourlong keynote speeches and got to participate in their choice of any 3 of six breakout sessions on the Environment, Economy, Tourisim, Public Safety, and more.

Morning Keynote: Dave Meslin

The 8am opening keynote address was delivered by Toronto area activist +Dave Meslin, Author of
"Local Motion: The Art of Civic Engagement in Toronto" and well known for his TEDxToronto talk "The Antidote to Apathy" A dynamic speaker, Meslin came down from the stage to be on the audience's level and held them spellbound with stories of his activism including the  story of how he fought electronic billboards while pushing for the preservation of individuals' right to poster; how founded Toronto's guerrilla gardening movement, and how he transformed Toronto's political scene with the "City Idol" competition.

Musical Entertainment

The band Little Town featuring +JT Chevallier and Helena Kletch performed their self-titled original at lunch.  (Bonus video hosted on +Tahoe Onstage )

Break Out Sessions

The summit offered a choice of breakout sessions with a wide variety of experts.  The morning Environment breakout featured a panel discussion with US Forest Service  regional director Nancy Gibson, who discussed the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit's role in preserving the Tahoe Environment.  Darcie Collins of the League to Save Lake Tahoe, discusses opportunities to involve the public in environmental preservation like the Pipe Keepers program and planned 5th of July beach cleanup activities.  Julie Regan of the TRPA discussed how to counter the public's notion that they can't make a difference in Tahoe's environmental planning process, and how Tahoe's regulatory culture has moved from a culture of stopping things to a culture of building sustainably.

The afternoon breakout session I attended focused on tourisim and made excelent use of former Park City, UT mayor Dana Williams' ample experience in running a town with a similar tourists vs locals economy.  Other panel speakers included Carl Ribaudo of Strategic Marketing Group and Carol Chaplin of +Visit Lake Tahoe South.

 Afternoon Keynote: Dana Williams

Dana Williams, former mayor of Park City, UT; home of the famous Sundance Film Festival, gave the closing keynote address on his experiences in reforming a town with challenges very much parallel to  those of the Lake Tahoe Basin.  From building one of the nation's flagship examples of a sustainable city in a state that officially disbelieves in global warming to reforming the outdated political culture of a small town Williams cut through the political fog by following the "Dao of Duh" - when you find something head-slappingly obvious to make your situation better: don't just sit there, do something about it.

Gallery

Click here for the Full Galery of Elevate Your View: Leadership Lake Tahoe 2014 on Google+ if your browser doesn't support embeded galleries.

Tahoe Summit 2013: Governor Brian Sandoval on SB 229 and the Tahoe Fire Compact

Thank you.  Good morning everyone, it's always a pleasure to follow congressman Amodei and the Vice president and you might have seen that I brought up a little prop with me but it's unfortunate that the vice president had to leave for that very important board meeting because I had something for him.  My mom has recently moved back to Nevada and we were going through her things and we discovered something that I thought I would present him with today but this is his inaugural poster from the first election and I thought he would enjoy and appreciate that but I hope we can get it to him...

Thank you, Senator, he does look young in that picture.  [laughter] I wanted to present it to him because, as was mentioned, I had the privilege of serving on the TRPA 17 years ago and I had the opportunity and the privilege of attending that first summit and I know that I mentioned this last night at dinner, but I know that the vice president didn't remember me meeting him but I certainly remembered meeting him, and he's got just a tremendous, tremendous legacy.  And I think that it's really important that we pause for a moment and remember what it meant for he and President Clinton to come here that day so that we could all be here 17 years later.

You know, we gathered here today, and we've heard a lot of adjectives, but to recommit to a generational promise to preserve and protect one of the Earth's finest treasures.  Senator Reid, I want to thank you for your leadership through the years, senator Feinstein for your sponsorship of that very important federal legislation; Governor Brown, it's such a privilidge to be with you here today and a lot of folks don't know this but it also was mentioned that we had signed that legislation, or I had signed that legislation a few short months ago.  What I will recall more important than signing that bill was the opportunity to travel to Sacramento and meet with the governor and discuss these very important issues as I mentioned to him last night and even today: you know Paul Laxalt is one of my mentors and I believe that it's an absolute responsibility on my part to continue that legacy that he and President Reagan started, and I see it continuing now between governor Brown and myself.



It's fun for me to have this event here at Sand Harbor.  I mean, we all have our Sand Harbor stories and though I wasn't cleaning toilets or picking up trash or whatever but I was here 40 years ago playing out on the rocks and swimming out on the beach, and it's truely one of the gifts that we have in the state of Nevada to have this.  We've got some of our state parks folks who preserve it so well... If you would just raise your hand and be acknowledged for what you do.

When you think about it, this park here gets 1 million visitors per year and it is the most visited state park in the state of Nevada.  I think it's also important, and I know it's been mentioned today, that we acknowledge our native americans.  This is their ancestral home and it's a privilidge and honor to be in your presence as well.

[applause]

Now, I was looking at some of the program materials and this year's theme is "a clear lake legacy: preserving Tahoe and the environment for future generations" and I think that's obviously why we're all here.  We understand what we have, but also what it's going to mean that our children and our grandchildren and the generations to come can share this and enjoy it just like we have.  The regional plan update was mentioned and it was adopted by the TRPA and I think the members of the TRPA deserve a big hand because it took a lot of courage to adopt that.

[applause]

And that's a combination of the TRPA staff, the governing board, the environmental community, members of the business community, local residents and representatives... It truely was, and it's going to be an overused word today, this collaboration, this teamwork to get things done, so, as the Vice President said, this will be a model not only for our two states but our nation and the world.  Mr Ambassador it's such a pleasure that you're hear today and I hope that someday I have the opportunity to visit your great country and see that lake as well.

Now, I don't think that it's appropriate for me to go on.  We have that American Fire that's going on today and I see the firefighters here and the leaders of the firefighter community; and just think about it: as we sit here on this beach in this great sand and wonderfull backdrop, there are those firefighters, hundereds if not thousands of them, fighting that fire a short distance from here to help preserve what we have.  Please thank them for their courage.

[applause]

Now just a short few words talking about Nevada's comittment, as we've mentioned senate bill 229 and why it was a priority.  Economic, healthy communities provide a healthy foundation for continued environmental gains at Lake Tahoe.  The EIP program continues to be our shared roadmap to the restoration of the Lake Tahoe basin watershed.  We're using the newest and best practices, the latest available science.  The state of Nevada continues to honor our comittment to this great lake and to prioritize: funding for forest restoration, water clarity improvements, stream restoration, recreation enhancements, and invasive species management.  I'm also pleased to report, and Leo Drozdoff, I wanted to acknowledge him today for his leadership in what happens here in our great state, but the Nevada jurisdictions will likely meet their 5 year milestones in polutant reductions and are well on their way to meeting or exceeding all the other milestones, and that's due to your leadership and that of many others.  Thank you Leo.

[applause]

It was also mentioned about the stream zone environments, I know that they are some of the greatest contributors to the lake, and we are working on the third at Incline Creek, the two creeks there are the largest contributors to fine sediments; and I want to thank all of our partners in this great work: the Nevada tahoe conservation district, IVGID, Washow County, the Glenbrook community, and the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Beaureau of reclamation - another fine example of this teamwork to get things done up here.

I mentioned about the wildfires, Governor Brown and I immediately before we met today signed an agreement to continue, a proclamation that recomfirms the bi-state effort that began with the California-Nevada Tahoe basin fire commission created after the Angora fire.  Today's proclamation displays the continued cooperative work by our two states to protect people, property, and natural resources of the basin through fuel treatment projects, defensible space inspections, and agressive public education campaigns.  Governor Brown, thank you for your teamwork.

[applause]

So, in closing, it's a privilidge and an honor to be here today.  There are so many people responsible for all of us being here on this stage and I look out and I see everyone in the audience and I'm so proud of our Nevada legislators that I see out here and how we were able to work together.  The Nevada Secretary of State is here and I know that he sits on the TRPA and has a great comittment to Lake Tahoe.  Our federal representatives, the state representatives who work here, those representatives from California, I could go on and on, our county comissioners, our city council people, everyone is here and I know that when it comes to Nevada you have our future comittment to do whatever it takes to continue to preserve the greatest place on Earth, Lake Tahoe.  Thank you.

Tahoe Summit 2013 - Harry Reid introduces Al Gore

You've been welcomed, I welcome you again.  Especially I want to acknowledge Dianne Feinstein, who has been a partner in this operation since she came to the senate.  Dianne Feinstein has had a love affiar with this great lake since she was a child.  Her visits here those many years ago recognized the quality of this natural resource, the beauty of nature.  I acknowledge governor Brown and governor Sandoval and I've said this before and I'll say it again: they've set an example with this beautiful part of the world in acknowledging that a progressive governor and a conservative governor can work together for the good of the people of their states.  So, thank you very much, governors.


We didn't get a confirmation of this until the last minute, but I'm so thankful and we're all fortunate to have with us today the Russian ambassador to the United States, ambassador Sergey Kislyak, and I'm sorry because we didn't know he was coming but I would like somebody to escort the ambassador up here... [applause] I've had the good fortune and I appreciate very much the many courtesies he's extended to me.  He's always available, always returns his phone calls, even though sometimes the subject of the conversation isn't the most pleasant.  We work together and I have great admiration for him because he and I do our best working for the betterment of our two sovereign nations.  Thank you very much for being the first Russian ambassador ever to see Lake Tahoe.

You see, one reason that he's interested in this beautiful lake is that in his country, they have the other lake.  There are only two alpine glacial lakes in the world, Lake Tahoe and Lake Baikal.  Now, I told him today that he is not to boast about the size of Lake Baikal. [laughter] We love this lake that we share with California.  It is a beauty of nature.  Lake Baikal is interesting: it's 400 miles long and 50 miles wide, and that lake has more than 20% of all the fresh water in the world in that one lake.  They have freshwater seals and all kinds of unusual animals.


 Now, we have done some really good things: we have now the Tahoe-Baikal institute that has been going on for a significant number of years. [applause] It's a program of cultural and environmental exchanges between students and academics.  It's a wonderfull organization.  I've been to Lake Baikal: it is stunning, and if Mark Twain could've seen that he would've said the same thing about Lake Baikal that he said about Lake Tahoe "the fairest place in all the earth."  and I'm confident that these two places, Lake Baikal and Lake Tahoe are two of the fairest places in all the earth.  We should all be proud that we have done so much to preserve both these lakes.  We can criticize the former Soviet Union and russia all we want, but we should acknowledge that they have done a great job of protecting that great lake.

See more pictures of Sand Harbor on Google+ 

So, let's talk a little bit about really how this summit came about, how the first one came about.  I was a junior senator and I had been coming to the lake for a long time.  I was elected to my first statewide office in 1970 and everyone complained about Lake Tahoe.  The quality of the lake wasn't what it used to be, and so I was up here and the press said "What are you going to do about it?"  and what I wanted to say was "How the hell am I supposed to know?  I don't know." but, what I did say is this: "I think the only thing left is a presidential summit."  Now, folks, I'd never been to a presidential summit, I frankly didn't know they existed.  [laughter]

But I called my friend Al Gore.  Al Gore and I have known each other since 1982.  If there were ever two non-blood brothers in the world it's him and I.  I just think so much of him because he's been so good to me and I've tried to reciprocate.  And I said, "Mr. Vice President, here's what we have, and what I've asked for is a presidential summit.  Will you help me?"  and he said "Yes."   Now, as I look back at how I felt about this 16 years ago, I knew this basin was at risk: I knew that algae was growing, I knew that lake temperatures had increased, but I thought 'well, maybe we'll have a good photo op.' but that isn't how it worked.

Gore and Clinton, they weren't going to settle for a photo-op.  They had four cabinet officers come here, not only for a visit but to do hearings with the people here.  Environmentalists, developers, state and local government and more than 50 organizations participated.  It was really something.  Now I can look back, and, actually, we spent two days that first summit, it wasn't something that was good for our states from a public relations perspective for one day, not just for our nation, but it was an international event for two days, and people focused on this great part of nature that was being hurt.  And, it was a wonderfull event.  And we finished this event with speeches that were given, but as soon as we finished it, there was a presidential executive order designating this lake as a national priority; and that's the main reason that we've been able to spend here since that time $1.8 billion dollars.  Pretty good, huh?


I had the good fortune about a month ago to go to the renaming of the Environmental Protection Agency complex in Washington, DC, Named after President Clinton; and that speech he gave was a typical Clinton speech. He pretended it was unprepared, but it was prepared.  [laughter] and he started by saying (and this is paraphrasing but pretty close to every word) he said "I'm gonna lay out the things that we've done for the environment during my 8 years as president..." and he said "We've done a lot, but I want everyone here to understand that everything I'm going to talk about could never have happened without Al Gore."  and he said "Al Gore was the quarterback of the things I'm going to talk about."

Well, I have already told you how I feel about this good man.  He has been a member of the congress of the United States, where we first met, a United States senator, Vice President of the United States, ran for president twice (I supported him both times) but the most significant thing he has done was to alert the world to what's happening to our world. He's been tireless.  He devotes the vast majority of his time to explaining to the world, not just the United States, the world, what's happening to this world.  Now, when the history books are written about this era and other eras; when they're written about this era they're going to talk about the most important messenger that has existed for saving this Earth: it's my pleasure to introduce Al Gore.

Tahoe Summit 2013 - Dianne Feinstein on the Lake Tahoe Restoration Act

Well, in 1997 it was the worst, and lake clarity actually dropped something like 22 feet the week after this.  Thanks to Jeff Schladow's latest paper that's been put put, since '97 we have gained 11 feet in lake clarity.  [applause] And, when we began our bills, I really didn't know what was going to work and what wasn't.  So we tried to combine a number of different things and be very prudent, and lake clarity is more or less a guide.  It goes up, and it goes down, but the trend line has to be that the clarity improves because then we know that the things we are doing have achieved a benefit.


I also want to express to you that this partnership is multidimensional: it is not JUST the federal government.  It is the federal government, it is each state putting in funds.  We had $1.69 billion spent (that's an awful lot of money) in the last 10 years and the important thing is to see if that $1.69 billion dollars is working.  The federal share was $554 million, the California share was $647 million (Thank you, Jerry, Thank you John), the Nevada share was $110 million plus $200 million from the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act.  Local governments put in $73 million dollars for this program, and the private sector $312 million dollars.  So, what that demonstrates is that everyone is working together to put funds in to what must be a very practical and doable program. I did this last year and I'm going to do it again because it's important that you know where your tax dollars have gone.

We have treated 54,444 acres of hazardous fuels, and I cannot tell you how important that is.  Forest fire is something that I know something about, and I travel the California side of the lake and it needs a lot of help.  The fire ladders are all over the place with non-native species that are intensely flammable.  The forest fire that is burning 30 miles over these hills to the west, the winds are westerly and we have a big fire and we have lightning strikes and it starts big fires and it destroys property, it destroys trees, and everything goes into the lake, and decades of work is gone.

We have added 15,800 acres for wildlife habitat.  We have added 2,579 feet of public access to shoreline.  We have created 136 miles of bike and pedestrian routes. And we have inspected, as was just said, and decontaminated thousands of watercraft.

When we began this effort there was no hazardous fuels mitigation.  There was no interaction between the states and the federal government as there is today.  So, the risk of wildfire is tremendous.  I remember it was my birthday a couple of years back, and in Northern California on that day there were 2,200 lightning strikes that started 900 wildfires.  That could be any day, any time, right here.  So, getting property owners to clear around their buildings  is important.  Getting hazardous fuels out of the area is important.  And, I think, paying attention to good fire safe practices is important.  I shudder to think of what that day will be like, but I also know that one day, is is coming.  It has happened here before, and it can happen here again, and we must do everything we can to minimize it.

Who knew, that there was something called a Quagga Mussel and it was at Lake Mead and they reporduce a million eggs for a million Quaggas a year?  And I have a pipe in my office from lake Mead and in 6 months it was entirely filled with quagga mussel shells.  We have to keep the quagga out.  Miss Marchetta was talking about every boat that goes into this lake gets inspected and there's a reason: the Asian clam.  The Tahoe Fund now is going to be doing 5 and a half acres of laying rubber down in Emerald Bay because the Asian clam has drifted to that beautiful bay and we cannot lose it.  So that's an important project and I say to the Tahoe Fund "Thank You, very, very much."

Well, Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, myself, and the other senator for Nevada have put together a second bill now, which we are in the process of introducing.  It's $415 million in federal dollars over 10 years: it continues the hazardous fuels reduction with $135 million, it's $113 million for storm water management and watershed restoration, it's $80 million for projects to improve forest health, air and water quality, and fish and wildlife habitat, and it's $30 million to battle invasive species.  This is up $10 million because we think it's really necessary.  We cannot let these creatures get control of this lake.  [applause]  and the bill also invests $30 million in something called the Tahoe Basin Science Program, and this will allow us to direct funds to the most worthy projects that are effective in both monitoring and producing good environmental effects.

With Harry Reid's support, and I mean he's the powerful majority leader of the United States Senate, you can be sure - Right Harry? - Yes. [audience laughs] that the bill will pass the Senate.  We will need help in the House.  The House is not known for doing constructive projects right now.  And so now we need your help to go out there and say "Look, we've done this for 10 years and it's worked." Water clarity is showing us that it has worked. We must continue, and this bill continues the work for all.  And so, I hope, ladies and gentlemen, that this work will go on, that we will see Tahoe improve, and that we will save what is only one of two alpine clear lakes in the world.  The other one, as the leader said, is in Russia, and the ambassador was just telling me that lake has enough clear water in it to be drinking water for 20% of the people in the world.  So it's a huge clear lake and we have the second clear lake and we must keep it that way.  So, thank you, it's been a great 20 years, and now we have to keep going!

Introducing Archive Week

I've been on my YouTube channel about two years now, and I've had a longstanding policy of only posting material that is "fresh". Because of this, I have a huge pile of content that has been sitting around for a while.  All of this content is long out of date (sometimes quite a few months past being shot) because it got held for things that never happened or had some technical problems and never got back to.  Though the material is unpublished, almost all of it is as good as the stuff on the rest of my channel, and some of it is stuff that I strongly feel should be seen.

So, starting this week, I'm beginning a new feature on my channel called "Archive Week" The third week of every month I'm going to finish one of these long unfinished gems and finally get around to posting it to my channel.  I promise it'll be a treasure trove of interesting and informative content.

March: The Tahoe Summit

This week, we're starting with probably the most important event I ever personally filmed, the 2011 Tahoe Summit, where all of Lake Tahoe's political leaders met to sign the Total Maximum Daily Load agreement and discuss the state of Nevada's withdrawl from the TRPA under SB-271. This video features:

• Governor Brian Sandoval (R-NV)
• Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA)
• Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
• Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)
• Senator Dean Heller (R-NV)
• Marcia McNutt (USGS)

Plus reps from:

• Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA)
• League to Save Lake Tahoe
• Tahoe Rim Trail Association
• Tahoe Transportation District
• US Forest Service
• Tahoe Conservation District

and more.

April: Big Yellow Taxi

Next month I will release the long-awaited music video for "Big Yellow Taxi" featuring the Funky White Soul Man himself, Donnie Sanders -- As I promised in the day, it is the most rockin remake of Joni Mitchell's classic environmentalist anthem ever made (though it sounds VERY different now than the version in that tag.) It was originally scheduled for Earth Day 2011 but we wound up in a nationwide collaboration with many different people to get it done, so it'll be coming out Earth Day 2012 instead.

May: Gold Country Adventure

In September 2011 I went to Washington, CA and Nevada City, CA for a gold panning trip; panned for gold all day and didn't find  any.  Well, I've finally figured out what I was doing wrong and I can now make a very instructive video on gold panning. 

Future Months (in no particular order)

• The &qout;Tahoe Expo" (orig from last June) featuring authors, environmentalists, and vendors (may be in several parts as the footage is 3 hours long)
• Public service / environmentalist video about the Sugar Pine Foundation
• Gold Country Adventure in Nevada City (gold panning)
• PSA about the Tahoe recycling center
• Tourist video about Red Lake resovoir
• Very Early video about the history of the toll roads around tahoe
• Video tour of public art and lightbox art in Lake Tahoe

To keep up with all my future activities, follow me on Google Plus!