Following the 2023 Tahoe Summit at Kings Beach, California, policymakers and agency leaders from Nevada and California convened at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe for the Tahoe Summit Luncheon. This is the second year the luncheon was hosted on the campus, bringing together scientists, wildland firefighters, conservationists and tribal leaders to discuss challenges facing the Lake Tahoe Basin. Luncheon attendees this year included Speaker Emerita of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jackie Rosen (D-NV) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo, Chairman Serrell Smokey of the Washoe Tribe and University President Brian Sandoval. The luncheon was hosted by Senator Cortez Masto.
During the event, panelists discussed and answered questions about the many challenges facing the Lake, from the threat of wildfire to the impact of microplastics on water clarity and quality and the ongoing challenges related to tourism in the area. Panelists like Julie Regan, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency; Sudeep Chandra, professor and director of the Global Water Center; Heidi Hill Drum, chief executive officer of the Tahoe Prosperity Center and others provided insight into new and ongoing research and policy impacting the Lake. Other agencies participating in the conversation included the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Tahoe Fund, Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority, League to Save Lake Tahoe and several more impactful organizations.
More about the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe's summer activities
The University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe hosted the Tahoe Summit Luncheon outside of the Patterson Dining Hall. This summer, the campus has hosted 6,000+ visitors to campus for scholarly and creative conferences and workshops serving students, faculty and community members. Highlights include the annual Tribal Food Summit where tribal leaders led workshops to increase tribal food sovereignty, the North American Dendroecological Fieldweek where students and researchers from around the world explored new techniques in tree ring science that could inform wildfire management and climate modeling, and the Nevada INBRE Microbiome Bootcamp for undergraduate students.
This semester, students from the University of Nevada, Reno will take courses as part of the Semester at Lake Tahoe experience. The campus is also hosting its Talks at Tahoe series this fall with the first event on Aug. 24 featuring Associate Research Professor Zeb Hogan, National Geographic Explorer and host of the National Geographic television show, Monster Fish.
