The North Tahoe Community Alliance Board of Directors endorses Cindy Gustafson for Placer County District 5 Supervisor. A 40+ year resident, long-time community leader and advocate for North Lake Tahoe, Cindy has deep passion for our region and is widely recognized as a “bridge builder” in our community. She is an effective communicator, an active listener to all sides of issues that affect our region, and a collaborative leader who works with all stakeholders to achieve the best outcomes on behalf of us all.

Cindy understands the economic engine of our region, the challenges and opportunities that come with it, and actively advocates for resources necessary to maintain a healthy economy, environment, and community. She has pioneered impactful initiatives including the creation of the North Lake Tahoe Tourism Business Improvement District, which has resulted in local control of how funds generated in our community are reinvested in our community. She is also responsible for leading the development and revisions of the short-term rental policy including ongoing management of STRs and utilizing resident feedback to develop and implement solutions.

Unsurprisingly, Cindy has the support and respect of other Placer County supervisors she works with. This is a testament to her integrity and ability to build consensus to get things done on behalf of our community. It also makes her unique in this role; no previous Eastern Placer County Supervisor has had the same level of support or ability to garner collective support on issues.

Cindy’s deep understanding of the priority issues in our community, tapestry of organizations, individuals, mechanisms available to collaborate with on these issues, and personal connection in the community are an unparallelled asset. Her voting record aligns with the pillars of the NTCA, and we believe she is the right person to continue leading as Placer County District 5 Supervisor.

NTCA remains focused on reinvesting revenues generated by tourism into impactful initiatives that address community priorities and benefit residents, local businesses and visitors. In total, over $25M was allocated last year through the TOT-TBID Dollars At Work program to make progress on workforce housing, traffic flow and transportation, trails and recreation improvements, litter and human impacts, accessibility and community enhancement. Read about the projects and programs that received funding in the 2023-24 Annual Report below.

Read the Annual Report Leer el informe anual

The California Travel Association announced that the North Tahoe Community Alliance received its 2024 Sustainability and Stewardship Award. The award recognizes a CalTravel member individual or organization that has successfully implemented sustainability and stewardship practices that enhance environmental health, manage visitor impacts, and improve the well-being of residents in their communities.

The NTCA was honored for its shift in focus from previously serving as a Destination Marketing Organization to becoming a Destination Management Organization focused on reinvesting tourism revenue into tangible solutions to benefit the natural environment and the community.

“On behalf of the NTCA staff and our board of directors, it’s an honor to be the recipient of this year’s CalTravel award for Sustainability and Stewardship. We have made tremendous progress in our community over the past several years as we’ve successfully begun reinvesting funds generated by tourism into local programs and initiatives that align with North Lake Tahoe community priorities, but we’re really just getting started. Our board and the committees we convene are actively committed to contributing to the triple bottom line of community vitality, economic health and environmental stewardship in our community.”

– Tony Karwowski, NTCA President and CEO

“The North Tahoe Community Alliance was recognized with the California Travel Association’s 2024 Sustainability and Stewardship Award because of their extraordinary and ongoing efforts to better manage outdoor recreation and tourism in their region. By reinvesting funds generated by tourism, they are making a difference as it relates to stewardship education, reducing litter, improving transportation, and advancing workforce housing initiatives that ultimately benefit residents, local businesses and the visitors of North Lake Tahoe.”

– Barb Newton, CalTravel President and CEO

The NTCA will be further recognized by the state association at its annual CalTravel Summit in September. Learn more about the NTCA’s efforts to leverage tourism revenues through the TOT-TBID Dollars At Work program below.

Learn More

Recently, NTCA president and CEO Tony Karwowski penned the op-ed you’ll find below. This op-ed was published in the Sierra Sun.

Tourism is Benefitting Our Community More Than Ever
By Tony Karwowski, NTCA president and CEO

Although the debate continues to be ongoing with regard to whether tourism benefits our region, the fact is our local economy relies on it. Tourism is what keeps many local businesses open, provides career and other job opportunities to many of our region’s residents, and generates TOT and TBID funding that our community is able to reinvest into programs, services, and infrastructure improvements we need.

The NTCA’s focus since early 2022 has been to establish the framework and processes that allow for the reinvestment of the funds tourism generates, with local oversight. Ultimately, TOT and TBID-generated funds are what allow our community to make progress on workforce housing initiatives, transportation and infrastructure projects, mitigate some of the tourism-related impacts felt by those who live and work here, and enhance quality of life for us all.

I’m pleased to report that with significant community involvement and the ongoing participation of dedicated volunteer committees, processes to reinvest tourism dollars have been enacted and are ensuring tourism is giving back in ways that matter. In fact, because of the relatively recent formation of the North Lake Tahoe Tourism Business Improvement District (NLT-TBID), our region has more tourism-generated funding to allocate to community priorities than ever before.

In April, at the recommendation of the volunteer committees it convenes, comprised of local business and community members, the NTCA Board of Directors voted to invest a total of $4.3 million in tourism-generated funding. Through the TOT-TBID Dollars At Work program’s Annual Grant Cycle, 13 projects that benefit the North Lake Tahoe community were recommended for grants. This investment provides access to matching funds of over $6.3 million, bringing the total investment—in specific workforce housing projects, trails and recreation improvements, litter clean-up, accessibility, and business incubator efforts—to over $10 million.

The projects that received funding through the Annual Grant Cycle are in addition to the 17 projects that were selected in Fall 2023 to receive up to $20 million in funding support over three years through the Sponsorship & Multi-Year Investment Program. The impact of the projects that received sponsorship funding will be felt through workforce housing, trail transit corridor, transportation and tourism impact-related efforts, and have the potential to unlock matching funds up to $35.3 million that can be leveraged over the next three years.

There’s no doubt the TOT-TBID Dollars At Work program is doing exactly what it was designed to do. It has provided our community with a structured way to reinvest TBID and TOT dollars generated in North Lake Tahoe in support of initiatives that contribute to our community’s vitality, economic health and environmental stewardship. These funds are actively being used to address priorities surfaced through community forums, workshops, and surveys, including workforce housing, economic development, transportation, sustainability, tourism mitigation, and trails.

This is just the beginning. The first Annual Grant cycle is now complete, and we are already looking ahead to the next one that will launch in early Fall 2024. Tourism dollars are being spent to improve what matters most to North Lake Tahoe residents, businesses, and visitors.

Learn more about the projects and initiatives that have been funded by tourism here.

Op-ed submitted on behalf of the NTCA and its Board of Directors

At their January board meeting, the North Tahoe Community Alliance Board of Directors unanimously endorsed Cindy Gustafson for Placer County District 5 Supervisor, a role for which her unparalleled dedication and deep-rooted understanding of Eastern Placer County uniquely qualify her.

A resident of North Lake Tahoe in Placer County for over 40 years, Cindy has a profound connection to our community. Her commitment to Eastern Placer County is not just a matter of record; it is a testament to her dedication to the residents, businesses, visitors, and place she calls home.

Having held a variety of leadership positions in our community, Cindy’s leadership style is marked by an unwavering commitment to inclusivity and open-mindedness. She actively pursues and engages with all viewpoints, showing a remarkable capacity for understanding diverse perspectives and concerns. This approach has been crucial in fostering a community where different ideas are invited, heard, and valued.

A staunch advocate for local control, Cindy has consistently supported the reinvestment of locally generated resources in Eastern Placer County, ensuring that our community thrives on its own terms. Her voting record aligns with the pillars of the NTCA, demonstrating her alignment with the priorities and efforts of our stakeholders.

Perhaps most importantly, Cindy has shown an exceptional dedication to the sustainability and stewardship of our natural environment, particularly in Tahoe. Her prioritization of sustainable practices and environmental care is not just a policy stance but a reflection of her deep respect and love for this special place, and wish to preserve it for generations to come.

In sum, Cindy Gustafson represents the epitome of dedicated, insightful, and responsive leadership. Her tenure in Eastern Placer County has been marked by significant achievements and an unwavering commitment to the well-being of our community. We believe that Cindy Gustafson is not only the best choice for Placer County District 5 Supervisor, but also the right choice to lead us into a future where our community’s unique needs are met with understanding, care, and strategic foresight.

No public funds have been or will be used in any candidate endorsement activities carried out by the NTCA. 

At the recommendation of the volunteer Chamber Advisory Committee, the North Tahoe Community Alliance (NTCA) Board of Directors awarded $192,000 in sponsorship funding, generated by the North Lake Tahoe Tourism Business Improvement District (NLT-TBID), to six events scheduled to take place in North Lake Tahoe in 2024. Scoring and funding prioritization were based on how the events contribute to and benefit economic health, community vitality and environmental stewardship. Each event’s traffic management and sustainability plans were also evaluated, with organizers responsible for identifying and outlining how they will mitigate the impacts of tourism on the community and environment.

The six events that received funding for 2024 include:

• Alpenglow Speaker Series (Nov. 30, 2023; Jan. 4, Feb. 15, March 7, 2024)
• Stifel Palisades Tahoe World Cup (Feb. 23-25, 2024)
• Snowfest (Feb. 28-March 10, 2024)
• The Great Ski Race (March 3, 2024)
• Winter WonderGrass Tahoe (April 4-7, 2024)
• Broken Arrow Skyrace (June 21-23, 2024)

In early December, the NTCA will begin accepting applications for funding support of events coming to the community between May 1 and July 30, 2024. Submission criteria and the application process will be outlined soon, with a mid-January date the deadline to submit.

LEARN MORE

The North Tahoe PUD recently announced the opening of the all-new Tennis and Pickleball Facility in the North Tahoe Regional Park. Three new tennis courts and six new pickleball courts are now open to the public. This project was supported with grant funding from the NTCA, the Placer County Park Dedication Fund, and the NTPUD Capital Improvement Plan Budget. Check out the NTPUD’s new webpage for details on facility hours and court rental fees.

Have you signed up for fall and winter programs yet?

NTPUD Residents: Check out the Fall/Winter 2023 Activity Guide and sign up!

TCPUD Residents: Online registration for Fall/Winter Recreation Programs and Winter Sports Park Reservations for the Tahoe City PUD opens on Thursday, November 2 at 12:00 PM. Check out the activity guide and get ready to sign up!

The multi-jurisdictional development of the Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan and efforts to educate visitors about how to help take care of Tahoe has drawn the attention of national media outlets, including CNN Travel and Comstock’s in recent weeks.

Yes, Tahoe Has a Tourism Problem
Moonshine Ink
Megan Michelson 
October 12, 2023

Saving Lake Tahoe
Comstock’s
Ashleigh Goodwin
September 11, 2023

The monster that feeds and eats away at Lake Tahoe
CNN Travel
Kimberley Lovato
September 7, 2023

In addition, in early August, NTCA president and CEO Tony Karwowski, Travel North Tahoe Nevada president and CEO Andy Chapman, and Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority CEO Carol Chaplin penned the joint op-ed you’ll find below. This op-ed was recently published in the Tahoe Daily Tribune.

To Take Care of Tahoe, Everyone Has a Role to Play.

By Tony Karwowski, Andy Chapman, and Carol Chaplin

Recent news stories have highlighted some of the impacts of tourism in Tahoe. While some of the efforts underway to help reduce human impacts and shift behaviors are mentioned, those stories rarely emphasize how reliant Tahoe’s economy is on tourism. After all, it is what supports local businesses and puts many of our friends and neighbors to work. Stories about tourism also rarely talk about how everyone has a role to play. Locals — “long-time residents” or “community members”, as one contributing writer recently said, have just as much responsibility as those who visit to change their behaviors and help take care of Tahoe.

For decades, Lake Tahoe’s local economy has relied on visitors and the many businesses that provide lodging, food and beverage service, and year-round outdoor recreation opportunities. Although the region had a robust tourism economy prior to 2020, the pandemic shifted how, when and where people spent time in Tahoe.

According to a report released by Dean Runyon Associates in March 2022, second homeowners came and stayed with greater frequency, and overnight visitation declined in favor of day visits by those located within an easy drive. This is common knowledge at this point, felt by all who lived here prior to and through the pandemic.

What is less understood, however, is that as a result, travel spending declined by nearly 12%. Local job opportunities declined by 16%, and it diminished tax revenues that are used to reinvest in community infrastructure by 12%. The increase in day visit traffic also highlighted the glaring limitations of our existing infrastructure — from transportation to trash.

Lake Tahoe has always been a desirable destination to live, work and play. Visiting Tahoe is perhaps what inspired so many of us to move here. That’s why we continue to do everything we can to make a living and keep calling it “home.” It’s also why there’s agreement that there’s more to be done to take care of this special place, and why our organizations have shifted their efforts from destination marketing to destination management and stewardship.

Lake Tahoe is not a national park, and therefore cannot “close the gates.” The Tahoe Basin is located within National Forest lands that are open to the public, so telling people not to come is not possible. Residents and visitors are equally welcome to recreate in Tahoe and enjoy all the region has to offer. The paradigm shift that’s needed is for everyone — whether you live here part-time, full-time, or are visiting — to help take care of Tahoe. That means practicing leave no trace principles, changing your own behaviors by getting out of the car and making use of paved and dirt trails, using public transportation options or carpooling whenever possible, and supporting local businesses.

An extensive stakeholder engagement and community visioning process began in early 2022 after our community felt the challenges initially brought on by the pandemic. Unlike other communities trying to create similar plans after experiencing similar challenges, the Lake Tahoe Destination Stewardship Plan represents an unprecedented collaboration of 17 regional organizations from different jurisdictions. It includes the formation of the first destination stewardship council that represents the greater Tahoe region, outlines a comprehensive framework, and sets in motion action priorities to better manage outdoor recreation and tourism. Its goals also include ensuring the sustainability and preservation of an iconic natural treasure and its local community. 

Our goal has always been to support our local communities by ensuring a thriving economy that includes tourism. Many of those who visit are already familiar with our destination, so our current messaging is focused on responsible travel and stewardship education. Prior to the pandemic, but even more so now, encouraging people to spend time lakeside in the winter and at the resorts in the summer, as well as travel during off-peak periods, are strategies used to help mitigate human impacts.

There’s not a single solution or a single entity that can solve regional challenges, but the collective, collaborative efforts of many are already making progress.