Fed, state officials, Indians sign Tahoe preservation agreements
Story-Date: 03:38 p.m. PST Wednesday, October 29, 1997

------------------------------------------------------------

Fed, state officials, Indians sign Tahoe preservation agreements


By Brendan Riley
Associated Press Writer


ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. (AP) -- Officials signed agreements Wednesday outlining
the federal government's plans to help preserve Lake Tahoe and grant access
to Indians ousted by white settlers more than a century ago.

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman, on the top deck of a Tahoe tour boat,
was flanked by various Nevada, California and federal officials, Indian
leaders, conservationists and business representatives who had worked on
the agreements.

"If this works ... this can be a symbol for similar projects in similar
beautiful areas all over the United States," Glickman said as he signed the
documents. President Clinton in July had pledged federal help to preserve
the scenic Sierra Nevada lake.

Plans include 36 projects with a total price tag of more than $51 million
over two years. The projects range from erosion controls, to keep silt from
reducing the lake's diminishing clarity, to more home delivery of mail, to
reduce car traffic and help improve air quality.

Also signed were permits granting the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California
access to 350 acres at Meeks Meadow on Tahoe's west shore and to additional
land at Taylor Creek, south of Meeks. The tribe plans to build a cultural
center on the property.

Tribal Chairman Brian Wallace said the Washoes, pushed out of Tahoe by 19th
century white settlers, have always considered the lake sacred. He praised
those involved in the agreements for trying "to do something that will
stand the test of time."

Jim Baetje, head of the California-Nevada Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
that regulates Tahoe development, said the agreements seemed impossible
only a couple of years ago given the diverse agendas of factions like
business and conservation groups.

"Things are going right," Baetje added. "But we have to build on it
quickly. ... I'm going to go forward so fast it might scare people."

Nevada Gov. Bob Miller said the paperwork was finalized in only three
months following Clinton's visit, which is "unbelievably" fast for all the
agencies involved.

"When we all work together, many small actions add up to one big result,"
Miller said.

Glickman singled out U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., for proposing the
presidential summit on Tahoe. Reid, in Washington, said he was pleased with
the agreements and "a working plan to protect the national treasure we call
Lake Tahoe."

California Gov. Pete Wilson and his natural resources chief, Doug Wheeler,
were traveling and didn't attend. Wilson was represented by Dennis Machida,
executive director of the California Tahoe Conservancy within Wheeler's
agency, who said Wilson supports many of the proposals.

Wheeler earlier had criticized the federal plan, saying the money fell
short of what's needed to restore Tahoe's threatened environment.

Wheeler has said Clinton ignored an ambitious program prepared by the TRPA
that calls for nearly 500 environmental projects with a total cost of
more than $900 million over 10 years.

Wilson and Miller already have signed a separate agreement to pursue
funding to pay for the states' share of the TRPA plan -- two-thirds of the
total. The federal share would be about $300 million.



------------------------------------------------------------