San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
31 acres along Truckee River to revert to marsh, meadowlands
A sprawling 1970s-era Motel 6 in South Lake Tahoe and a long-vacant restaurant next door will be demolished and their sites restored to their natural conditions as part of the effort to protect the lake and its surrounding wetlands, the California Tahoe Conservancy announced this week.
The conservancy and its funding partners — two other state agencies, a bi-state agency and two Tahoe preservation nonprofits — are acquiring the 31-acre site that includes the motel and restaurant near busy Highway 50 along the Upper Truckee River.
The groups are purchasing the property for $15.4 million.
Acquisition of the property, owned by the Johnson family, South Lake Tahoe pioneers, has been a top priority of the conservancy for many years, said Chris Carney, a spokesperson for the conservancy,
“This environmental acquisition may be the most important in a generation to protect Lake Tahoe,” said California Natural Resources
California Tahoe Conservancy
Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot in a statement. “By reconnecting the most important wetland that filters water flowing into the lake, this investment protects the lake’s precious water quality and also provides an important corridor for local wildlife.”
The sale of the property is likely to clear escrow in a matter of weeks, Carney said, and the state will take possession of the site. The buildings will be secured while a demolition plan that protects the environmentally sensitive area is painstakingly created. Demolition is not likely to take place until 2025, he said.
“Demolition in a place like Lake Tahoe is very involved,” Carney said. “The Upper Truckee River is a very important resource.”
Detailed restoration planning will begin once the state takes possession of the property, he said. And while the specifics still need to be determined, the general idea is to restore the land to marsh and meadowlands, including the 4 acres of fill the motel and restaurant and their parking lots sit atop.
The Motel 6 property sits between two pieces of land already being restored — the Upper Truckee Marsh, which touches the lake, and the Johnson Meadow property south of Highway 50. To the south sit three more restoration areas along the Upper Truckee.
According to the conservancy, once the acquisition is complete, 96% of the Upper Truckee River will pass though publicly owned land.
Funding for the acquisition came from the state Wildlife Conservation Board, $6 million; the conservancy, $4.4 million; Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, $3.5 million; and California Department of Fish and Wildlife, $1.5 million. League to Save Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Fund contributed $100,000 each toward support costs.